South Africa: President Ramaphosa calls for COVID regulations compliance

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on South Africans to do their bit to limit the impact of the unravelling third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We may be tired of this persistent enemy, but it is not yet tired of us. The threat to health and lives is evident as people become ill and some die. So we must do what we can, as individuals, as families and communities, as unions and employers, and as government, to limit the toll, the President wrote in this weeks edition of his newsletter.

When the virus surges to this extent, the economy also faces challenges. Workers have to isolate or quarantine, people stop going out for recreation or shopping, tourism comes to a standstill, and workplaces have to spend more money to prevent infections, he said.

In Mondays newsletter, the President said it was incorrect to speak about a trade-off between lives and livelihoods.

Rather, we need to invest our time, effort and resources to control the pandemic to see a payoff, in terms of both falling case numbers, reduced deaths and economic recovery.

He noted that the climb in new cases has been extraordinarily rapid and steep over the past few weeks. The number of daily new cases jumped from below 800 in early April, to over 13,000 in the past week.

In other words, it increased more than fifteen-fold from the last low point.

He said by now we all know what we have to do to bring the rate of infection down, and we must act with great discipline to protect our people and our livelihoods.

He urged the public to continue to avoid social gatherings of all kinds, whether for family, friends, business or recreation.

The President said those who can work from home to do so while also urging the public to wear masks while also keeping one and half metres apart from others.

Although we find ourselves in the middle of winter, we need to ensure good ventilation when indoors or in public transport, for instance by opening windows.

He said South Africa has experienced pandemics before, most notably HIV/AIDS.

We have managed to reduce new HIV infections by more than half since 2010. Our people know that we can control contagions, but it requires all of us to act together over time. It is not a task only for the vulnerable or the healthcare system. It requires every South African to do their part, to accept that we cannot go back to pre-pandemic days but must rather build a new normal that is safe for us all.

The battle, he said, can be won but it will take persistence and discipline.

Rising cases in Gauteng

The President expressed concern at rising COVID-19 cases in Gauteng.

As always with COVID-19, there are huge differences between different parts of the country. Right now, Gauteng is by far the hardest hit. This week, the number of new cases exceeded the peak in both previous waves, and it has not started to decline yet. As a result, hospitals are reaching capacity, and healthcare workers are exhausted.

Gauteng looks small on the map. But it is home to one in five South Africans and two-fifths of our economy. As an economic hub, many people travel to and from this province. We need to turn this around urgently, or lives and livelihoods will be seriously under threat.

Vaccination programme



Government, he said, plans to provide vaccinations for the vast majority of adults in South Africa by the end of the year, saying this was crucial for people to get the jab once they became eligible.

Our priority in this phase is to vaccinate all five million people over the age of 60. This week, we also plan to start vaccinating half a million educators and others in the sector since their work requires social contact and is vital for our children, our economy and our future, he said.

All of us need to work to ensure a fast and smooth rollout of the vaccine campaign. If our family members, friends, neighbours or employees need help, we should support them in registering and getting to vaccine sites. We will only be able to effectively contain this disease when we succeed in rolling out vaccinations on a large scale, said the President.

Our country has experienced many hardships in the past. However, we overcame them by understanding the challenges we faced, developing appropriate strategies, and implementing them together. As we have done before, we need to work as one to prevent infections and reduce the effects of this virus on us.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Provinces at various stages of readiness for primary school learners return

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says the provinces are at various stages of readiness for the return of all primary school learners to school on a daily basis.

This follows a Government Gazette issued on 28 May 2021, where the department announced that primary school learners would return to school on the first day of the third school term on 26 July 2021.

Motshekga said the decision was canvassed adequately within the sector, with key stakeholders making inputs in the process.

We were guided by various studies, which looked into the teaching and learning losses already suffered in the sector; the scientific evidence regarding the impact of COVID-19 on younger children; as well as the advice from the medical fraternity.

Cabinet approved and supported the proposal by the sector, to prepare for the return of traditional time-tabling at primary school level with effect from the first day of the third school term on 28 July 2021. We gave ourselves two months to prepare for this mammoth task, Motshekga said during a media briefing on Saturday.

The Minister said the department is aware that there are many variables that will make this task a success, and it is currently holding one-on-one sessions with each Provincial Education Department to check on their state of readiness.

Learner support programmes during COVID-19

Motshekga also reminded parents, guardians and children that the department, and its partners continue to use alternative means of providing curriculum material.

These include the Woza Matrics 2021 Catch-Up Programme, and the Tswelopele Campaigns, initiatives established by the department, in collaboration with the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT).

These are national supplementary remote learning campaigns, developed to support 2021 matric learners and learners in the General Education and Training Band (GET) from Grades R to 9, with supplementary support content, that will enable learners to catch-up on learning losses; and enable them to enhance, acquire and develop crucial knowledge, skills, attitudes and values during the academic year.

The two campaigns provide digital and non-digital learning resources in partnership with a range of content providers through the DBE-TV on Open-View Channel 122, SABC 1 and DSTV Catch-Up, YouTube channels, as well as digital and mobile chat platforms. These platforms were put in place to minimize the negative impact of COVID-19 on learning, and to provide further learning opportunities in the context of the restrictions that are currently in place, Motshekga said.

Second chance Matric examinations

The Minister also reported that the Matric Second Chance Matric Examinations are proceeding well.

The only concern are the protest actions in Harrismith, Free State, where the examinations are disrupted. The department is looking to other options to assist the candidates in this area, Motshekga said.

Motshekga thanked the MECs, Heads of Departments of Provincial Education Departments, social partners and stakeholders, as well as colleagues in the education sector, for the work done thus far.

We are living under difficult circumstances that require commitment, dedication, sacrifice, and selflessness. We need to ensure that, in all that we do, we put health and safety as an apex priority.

What is required now is vigilance, alertness, and most of all strict adherence to the health and safety measures, that have been put in place, the Minister said.

She conveyed her condolences to all families who have lost their loved ones due to COVID-19 pandemic.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Mthethwa rejects objections into Eastern Cape name changes

Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa, has rejected objections raised on recent geographical name changes in the Eastern Cape.

In February the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture gazetted twenty-three names that Minister Mthethwa had approved on geographical name changes in the Eastern Cape.

The name changes included the change of names of Port Elizabeth to Gqeberha, Uitenhage to Kariega, King Williamstown to Qonce, East London Airport to King Phalo Airport and Port Elizabeth Airport to Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport.

Following the gazetting of the names, the Ministry and the Department received a number of objections as follows: three boxes with petition signatures of 12,402 residents of the Nelson Mandela Bay were sent through to the office of the Executive Mayor.

The Ministry also received 690 emails with objections to the name changes that had been gazetted. These objections are provided for in section 10 of the South African Geographical Names Act 118 of 1998.

In a statement on Sunday, the department said the objections varied from claims that insufficient consultation was done at the local level, alternative names had been ignored, that the renaming would drive away tourists, or that the money spent on renaming could be better spent on service delivery.

There were also claims that the new names have nothing to do with the people of Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality or are a duplication of existing place names.

The Minister requested the South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) to go through all the objections and advise him accordingly.

The Council submitted evidence to the Minister that consultation was done throughout the province by the Provincial Geographical Names Committee before recommendations of geographical names were submitted to the SAGNC.

The SAGNC further advised the Minister that all provisions of the SAGNC Act 118 of 1998 were followed at all processes during the consideration of the names gazetted on 23 of February 2021.

After receiving the advice of the SAGNC and after applying his mind to the merits of all the objections, the Minister decided that all the objections do not merit the review of the decisions on geographical names gazetted on 23 February 2021. Thus, all the objections were rejected.

The Minister would like to reiterate that one of the main purposes of the SAGNC Act 118 of 1998 is to transform South Africas naming landscape and ensure that the names of places in South Africa reflect the languages, culture and heritage of the majority of the people of this country, instead of reflecting the countrys colonial and apartheid past.

The renaming of geographical features is also done in line with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which recommended the renaming of geographical features after those who contributed towards the attainment of freedom and democracy as part of symbolic reparations, said the department.

The department said South Africa needs to accelerate the transformation of the names of places we live in so that we can bequeath to our children and grandchildren a country whose place names reflect their language, culture and heritage.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Vaccination of teachers, support staff to start on Wednesday

The COVID-19 vaccination of teachers and support staff will start this Wednesday until a day before the schools close to mark the end of the second term on 8 July 2021.

Basic Education (DBE) Minister Angie Motshekga made the announcement during a recent media briefing on the basic education sectors response to the impact of COVID-19 on schooling.

Those to be vaccinated are all PERSAL staff (as at April 2021) in DBE (educators, administrative and support staff) at all public schools; irrespective of their age; School Governing Body (SGB) appointed teachers, and those teachers employed by independent schools registered in terms of the South African Schools Act, Motshekga said.

Motshekga said 582 000 people are to be vaccinated over 10 to 14 days, including weekdays and weekends; or 7 to 10 days, if it is weekdays only.

A strict registration process will be followed, if you are PERSAL staff member, your details have already been captured onto the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS); lists for SGB appointees and independent school educators will be uploaded onto the EVDS.

On-site data capturing will be required for individuals cell numbers; and medical aid details. There will be no on-site registrations, meaning that people not bulk uploaded in the EVDS, cannot be registered on-site; and therefore, cannot be vaccinated. Should this happen to you, the on-site officials will help you on the steps to be followed for assistance, Motshekga explained.

She added that the Departments of Health and Basic Education at provincial and district levels, will also work together to link schools to identified vaccination sites; and the verification of basic education staff  where the EVDS is offline due to power outages, will require a list or letters signed-off by the staff respective principals.

Exclusion criteria

The Minister however, noted that there are some people, who may not qualify to be vaccinated, and these may include, but not limited to any person who had contracted COVID-19 in the past 30 days; any person who was vaccinated using another vaccine (Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson, under Sisonke); or any person who had received a flu vaccine in the past 14 days.

She said during the deliberations with the Department of Health, it was further agreed that the vaccination programme must cover staff who transport children to and from schools; staff who support the school feeding scheme; staff who do remote learning programmes (TV and Radio); and staff of teacher unions, and other contracted staff who provide security, do cleaning and other functions at school.

Vaccination is voluntary but highly recommended so that everybody can be protected. Let us work together on this fight against COVID-19 in our spaces. Everybody is expected to make their own transport arrangements. Where there are challenges, schools will need to assist.

The Minister made a clarion call to school communities to Drop all, and vaccinate!

Management of COVID-19 cases in schools

Motshekga also urged all schools to apply the Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) when managing COVID-19 related cases, and that every school must have a COVID-19 committee, a COVID-19 file, and compliance officers.

She reiterated that doing business under COVID-19, means that one needs to also strike a balance between saving lives and livelihoods.

In the case of the Basic Education Sector, she said the department needs to do all it can to prevent a potential academic disaster.

At all times, we follow the advice of public health experts, who are supporting us in the management of the impact of COVID-19. We believe that schools must remain open and in saying so we are not insensitive to the concerns raised about the rising infections.

The position is that we continue to handle COVID-19 cases according to the differentiated strategy, on a province by province, school-by-school basis. While there are disruptions in the sector, the majority of our schools remain fairly stable. Our social partners and key stakeholders expressed the same view in our engagement earlier today, the Minister said.

She said the department will however, take guidance from structures, including Ministerial Advisory Committee, and Cabinet on this matter, as part of a wider approach in the fight against COVID-19.

There has to be scientific reasons for all decisions that are taken, she said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Evaluation of China's vaccine for use in SA at advance stages: SAHPRA

The evaluation of the CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine, produced by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, is at "very advanced stages".

This is according to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), as the country races against the clock to get more lifesaving COVID-19 jabs.

Furthermore, reports recently made available by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that articulate the basis for the Emergency Use Listing is being considered, said SAHRPA on Monday.

Last month, the WHO approved China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use and recommended the use on people with comorbidities such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease.

According to the WHO, a trial in Brazil showed that two doses, administered at an interval of 14 days, had an efficacy of 51% against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, 100% against severe COVID-19, and 100% against hospitalisation starting 14 days after receiving the second dose.

Sputnik V

Meanwhile, Russias Sputnik V application is a rolling review, thus as data becomes available to the applicant it is submitted to SAHPRA.

SAHPRA is an independent health products regulatory authority focusing on quality, safety, and efficacy.

These core elements of its mandate also apply to COVID-19 vaccines as well.

The drug watchdog said clinical trial data for safety and efficacy from phase one to three should be provided together with manufacturing information of the product quality.

The assessment is then conducted considering all information provided.

However, to respond to the pandemic, SAHPRA introduced another mechanism to facilitate the review of COVID-19 applications, which is the rolling review process.

The rolling review is a mechanism that facilitates the submission of data as it becomes available. Whilst reviews can commence earlier with a rolling submission, it is important to note that some very important efficacy, quality, and safety information is sometimes outstanding and would require review for consideration of such products for public use.

Therefore, SAHPRA said pharmaceutical companies could submit applications indicating a plan of when they will be submitting their data, that is, outline when the next rolling submission sequence is available for review.

When an applicant submits their respective dossiers, SAHPRA works closely with the applicant in evaluating the data.

The team of technical, subject matter experts within SAHPRA and external members, appointed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), evaluate these applications.

SAHPRA also works closely with other regulators across the world as well as with the WHO in assessing the quality, safety and efficacy of health products, and in this case, COVID-19 vaccines.

Meanwhile, the watchdog said it cannot approve any product if an application has not been submitted to the authority.

Sinopharm and Moderna vaccines

Thus, there is no SAHPRA decision on Sinopharm and Moderna vaccines, which have a WHO Emergency Use Listing, as there have not been any applications for these vaccines in South Africa.

So far, SAHPRA has approved the Pfizer and the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Meanwhile, the regulator said it has to take into account the prevalence of variants of concern such as the Beta variant in South Africa.

This requires that SAHPRA ensures efficacy against such variants and hence information on studies supporting efficacy would be expected to be provided by the applicant.

SAHPRAs CEO, Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela, reiterated the commitment to prioritise all COVID-19- related health products, including vaccines, as the world and South Africa grapple with ending the scourge of a pandemic of "mammoth" proportions.

SAHPRA will not be pressured to allow the public access to any product that has not met the necessary regulatory requirements, she added.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Teachers, staff urged to be at school ahead of jabs

The Department of Basic Education is calling on all teachers and staff to be at school in order to prepare for the COVID-19 vaccination programme set to start on Wednesday.

In a statement on Monday, the department said the vaccination programme is an opportunity to normalise schooling and intensify the process of mitigating the impact of COVID-19.

At the weekend Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced that the vaccination of personnel in the sector would start officially on Wednesday following the arrival of an initial 300 000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

In her address the Minister said all five official and recognised teacher unions in the sector were in full support of the vaccination program as part of the fight against COVID-19, said the department.

The leadership of the teaching unions are themselves expected to get vaccinated this week.

School governing body associations have supported the vaccination programme and have committed to working closely with the department to ensure all targeted people receive the jab.

For the next two weeks, we make the clarion call to our school communities to drop all, and vaccinate! in order for us to successfully complete this program, we will need to keep schools open.

Any disruptions, she said, would be undesirable.

We need to work extremely hard and around the clock to vaccinate as many people as possible in our sector. Vaccinating does not mean that we need to stop adhering to the non-pharmaceutical health and safety protocols.

The department has issued a circular to provinces to outline all the steps that must be taken before and during the vaccination process.

Provincial education departments will also provide more details to district, circuit offices and schools on scheduling of the vaccination in all the sites, said the department.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Risk of forced labour in clothing industry rises due to pandemic and industry response

First and only report to interview large sample of workers in garment supply chain (1200 workers across 302 factories and four countries) found an increase in risk of forced labour during pandemic

This risk has been exacerbated by the response of retail companies, and there is little evidence most have acted in line with their social responsibilities to support their supply chain workers, despite many accessing pandemic recovery funds

A new comprehensive system was used during the study to look for the indicators that someone is vulnerable to forced labour

The recovery from the pandemic should include support for supply chain workers to mitigate the deterioration of their living and working conditions

Deteriorating living and working conditions for workers in garment supply chains during the Covid-19 pandemic have increased the risk of forced labour, according to a new report from the University of Sheffield.

'The Unequal Impacts of Covid-19 on Global Garment Supply Chains' has found that workers in Ethiopia, Honduras, India, and Myanmar who produce many of the clothes we buy from our favourite brands in the UK and Europe were severely affected by the pandemic.

Both those that were fortunate enough to remain employed, and those that lost their jobs during the past year and found new work, reported a sharp decline in their earnings and working conditions; and both groups experienced being at increased risk of forced labour during this time.

The study is the largest to directly involve the voices of those employed to make the clothes we buy in the UK during the pandemic alongside interviews with retailers and analysis of company documentation. Previous ones have focused solely on the impact for the multinational corporations (MNCs) which own major fashion brands and retailers. It uses a comprehensive new system to look for the indicators that someone is vulnerable to forced labour.

Professor Genevieve LeBaron, from the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Sheffield, said: "There is no commonly held definition of what constitutes forced labour, and unlike the public perceptions of modern slavery, people may not be held against their will or trafficked unknowingly into their situation.

"They may end up in a job that they are unable to leave due to a number of reasons; false promises and deception to keep a person working in increasing worsening conditions, threat of penalties against the worker or their family if they left, or sometimes bonding a person into debt to the manufacturer through poor pay, leaving them struggling to cover their basic needs for housing and food."

The study found that both groups of workers experienced indicators of forced labour, with the situation clearly deteriorating during the pandemic. It highlighted that many companies fell far short of their commitments to good practice; including sourcing sustainable goods from manufacturers with fair working conditions, pay and no use of exploitation.

The commercial actions of companies during the pandemic has brought to light how many business models within the garment industry are fundamentally at odds with these commitments, and that current government regulation does not go far enough to protect the workers.

Although the study found there were examples of some companies acting in ways that honoured their social commitments, this was mainly from companies that had direct ownership of factories, or long-standing partnerships with manufacturers that were crucial to protect. In these cases, workers were more likely to retain a job through the pandemic.

Professor LeBaron said: "It appears many companies in the garment industry accessed emergency funding during the pandemic, but also provided little to no evidence that they honoured the social responsibilities most brands we recognise have to the workers in their supply chains at the same time.

"At the beginning of the pandemic, millions of pounds worth of cancelled orders forced many manufacturers in places like Ethiopia to lay off staff, who then became vulnerable to exploitation during the desperate search to find a new job.

Those lucky enough to retain their job reported experiencing worsening working conditions and pay, exacerbating the already troubling inequalities between the countries who benefit from their labour and the workers themselves."

Already some manufacturers are pursuing legal action against companies which cancelled orders worth millions of pounds during the pandemic, and there is increasing discussion about whether the conduct of clothing brands during the pandemic was legal.

The report calls for governments to increase the governance of supply chains and for retailers to address the damage done during the pandemic.

Professor LeBaron added: "Our report shows that retail companies tried to offset the potential damage of the pandemic by shifting losses onto their suppliers and workers who would least afford it. Most of these companies have very deep pockets and need to act immediately to address the social challenges their pandemic responses have created.

"Banning the sale of below-cost price and forced labour made goods, ensuring companies relieve the supply chain pressures that cause suppliers to use unfair labour practices, and requiring brands to report on public bail out funds received and how these have been used, would be a good start to force retailers to be more transparent about how they work; helping tackle the increasing inequality experienced by supply chain workers that satisfy our demand for high-end, and fast fashions and helping consumers make more sustainable and ethical choices when shopping."

Jakub Sobik, Communications Director at the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (the Modern Slavery PEC), which funded the research under its call on the impact of Covid-19 on modern slavery across the world, said:

"This report highlights the unequal impact of Covid-19 across complex business supply chains and the need to do more to protect workers producing garments sold across the world from exploitation.

"Businesses should consider how their actions can rectify the situation and develop different responses for the future, while working with governments to ensure a level playing field for all businesses, incentivising those which apply good practice already."

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On 30 June 2021, a virtual roundtable event will be held to discuss the findings in 'The Pandemic's Unequal Impacts on Global Garment Supply Chains' you can sign up and join the team here: https:/ / www. eventbrite. co. uk/ e/ the-pandemics-unequal-impacts-on-global-garment-supply-chains-tickets-158701637871

Media contact: Rebecca Ferguson, Media Relations Officer, 0114 222 3670, r.l.ferguson@sheffield.ac.uk

Notes to editors

'The Pandemic's Unequal Impacts on Global Garment Supply Chains' is a collaboration between the University of Sheffield, The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre, Worker Rights Consortium and UBC's Global Reporting Center.

To see an embargoed copy of the report before publication, please contact the Media Relations Officer.

Headline statistics from the report:

Of the 1019 respondents within our survey who are currently still working:

35 per cent reported verbal abuse

34 per cent reported threats and/or intimidation

22 reported unfair wage deductions or withholdings

19 reported access to things such as water and the toilet as being restricted

39 per cent reported being forced to work in an environment with a lack of PPE and Covid-19 precautions such as social distancing

Of those that had their contracts terminated during the pandemic:

Nearly 80 per cent did not receive their part or all of their severance

Over a third found themselves having to accept new work for lower pay, less job security and more danger

68 per cent of the workers had no contract with their new job

The University of Sheffield

With almost 29,000 of the brightest students from over 140 countries, learning alongside over 1,200 of the best academics from across the globe, the University of Sheffield is one of the world's leading universities.

A member of the UK's prestigious Russell Group of leading research-led institutions, Sheffield offers world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines.

Unified by the power of discovery and understanding, staff and students at the university are committed to finding new ways to transform the world we live in.

Sheffield is the only university to feature in The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to Work For 2018 and for the last eight years has been ranked in the top five UK universities for Student Satisfaction by Times Higher Education.

Sheffield has six Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students and its alumni go on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence all over the world, making significant contributions in their chosen fields.

Global research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Siemens and Airbus, as well as many UK and overseas government agencies and charitable foundations.

The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre

The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (Modern Slavery PEC) was created by the investment of public funding to enhance understanding of modern slavery and transform the effectiveness of law and policies designed to prevent it. With high-quality research it commissions at its heart, the Centre brings together academics, policymakers, businesses, civil society, survivors and the public on a scale not seen before in the UK to collaborate on solving this global challenge.

The Centre is a consortium of six academic organisations led by the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law and is funded by the Art and Humanities Research Council on behalf of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Read more about the Modern Slavery PEC at http://www. modernslaverypec. org .

WRC

Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) is an independent labour rights monitoring organisation based in Washington DC. The WRC conducts worker-centred investigations to assess labour conditions in apparel and textile factories around the globe.

http://www. workersrights. org

This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
COVID-19 leads to cognitive and behavioural problems in patients, new study reveals

(Vienna, Monday, 21 June, 2021) COVID-19 patients suffer from cognitive and behavioural problems two months after being discharged from hospital, a new study presented at the 7th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) has found.

Issues with memory, spatial awareness and information processing problems were identified as possible overhangs from the virus in post-COVID-19 patients who were followed up within eight weeks.

The research also found that one in 5 patients reported post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with 16% presenting depressive symptoms.

The study, conducted in Italy, involved testing neurocognitive abilities and taking MRI brain scans of patients two months after experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. More than 50% of patients experienced cognitive disturbances; 16%% had problems with executive function (governing working memory, flexible thinking, and information processing), 6% experienced visuospatial problems (difficulties judging depth and seeing contrast), 6% had impaired memory, and 25% manifested a combination of all these symptoms.

Cognitive and psychopathological problems were much worse in younger people, with the majority of patients aged under 50 demonstrating issues with executive functions.

In the whole sample, the greater severity of COVID-19 acute respiratory symptoms during hospital admission was associated with low executive function performance.

Additionally, a longitudinal observation of the same cohort at 10 months from COVID-19, showed a reduction of cognitive disturbances from 53 to 36%, but a persisting presence of PTSD and depressive symptoms.

Lead author of the study, Prof. Massimo Filippi, from the Scientific Institute and University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy, explained, "Our study has confirmed significant cognitive and behavioural problems are associated with COVID-19 and persist several months after remission of the disease."

"A particularly alarming finding is the changes to executive function we found, which can make it difficult for people to concentrate, plan, think flexibly and remember things. These symptoms affected three in 4 younger patients who were of a working age".

No significant relationship was observed between cognitive performance and brain volume within the study.

"Larger studies and longer-term follow up are both needed, but this study suggests that COVID-19 is associated with significant cognitive and psychopathological problems", concluded Dr Canu, Researcher at the San Raffaele Hospital of Milan and first author of the study. "Appropriate follow-up and treatments are crucial to ensure these previously hospitalised patients are given adequate support to help to alleviate these symptoms."

Other COVID-19 findings at the 7th EAN Congress:

The study is one of four scientific presentations on the neurological symptoms of COVID-19, an area of research that is fast emerging, from this week's EAN Congress:

Research, led by Dr Mattia Pozzato of the Osperdale Maggiore Policlinico in Milan, found 77.4% of 53 patients reported developing at least one neurological symptom and 46.3% presented with more than three neurological symptoms between 5-10 months after being hospitalised with COVID-19. The most common of these symptoms were insomnia (65.9%), daytime sleepiness (46.3 %), and walking difficulties. Other less frequent symptoms included headaches, hyposmia (a reduced ability to smell) and hypogeusia (loss of taste). The authors concluded 90% of patients had post-COVID-19 symptoms, and that neurological symptoms form a significant part of these.

A research project presented by Professor Tamara S. Mischenko, Head of the Department of Neurology and Medical psychology at Karazin University, Ukraine, followed up 42 patients aged 32 to 54 after being hospitalised with COVID-19 after 2 to 4 months, finding that 95% had neurocognitive impairment symptom. All patients suffered from asthenic symptoms, increased fatigue, and anxiety/depression symptoms. Other symptoms included vestibular (balance) disorders, (59.2%), headaches, (50%) and reduced ability to smell (19%). Five patients also suffered ischaemic strokes in the two months after hospitalisation from COVID-19.

A study which looked at brain stem damage in COVID-19 patients from post-mortems showed a high percentage of neuronal damage and a higher number of small masses (called corpora amylacea) which are abundant in neurodegenerative diseases. Immunohistochemistry tests also revealed the presence of the virus in the brain stem. Measurements were compared with non-COVID-19 ICU patients. The author, Dr Tommaso Bocci, a neurologist and neurophysiologist at the University of Milan's Department of Neurological Science, said the study provides the first neuropathological, neurophysiological, and clinical evidence of the COVID-19-related brain stem involvement, especially at the medullary level, suggesting a neurogenic component of respiratory failure.

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Notes to Editors:

Press Enquiries:

A reference to the 7th EAN Congress must be included when communicating the information within this press release.

For further information or to speak to an expert, please contact Luke Paskins or Sean Deans at press@ean.org or call +44 (0) 20 8154 6396.

About the Expert:

Professor Massimo Filippi is from the Scientific Institute and University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.

Dr Elisa Canu is from the San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy.

EAN - The Home of Neurology:

The European Academy of Neurology (EAN) is Europe's home of neurology. Founded in 2014, through the merger of two European neurological societies, EAN represents the interests of more than 45,000 individual members and 47 national institutional members from across the continent.

EAN welcomes the interest of press in neurological issues and provides assistance to journalists attending the congress, or using the EAN website as a resource in their coverage, with pleasure.

As the number of lives affected by the COVID-19 pandemic has now reached the millions, the health and safety of our congress attendees, our patients and our families, remains our primary concern.

With this in mind, EAN decided to go virtual again for the 7th EAN Congress on June 19-22, 2021.

References:

1. Cognitive and behaviorial features of a cohort of patients in COVID-19 post-acute phase. Presented at the 7th EAN Congress 2021.

This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: HK pivotal in bay area I&T drive

Chief Executive Carrie Lam

I am very pleased to attend today's ceremony to commend 50 outstanding students, who are the recipients of the 2020 and 2021 Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award. My heartfelt congratulations to all of them.

I know that they come from five Hong Kong universities, and they are pursuing a great variety of degrees related to STEM as well as environmental management, physiotherapy, fashion and textiles. Whatever their future endeavours, I am confident that they will enjoy rewarding careers and lives, while helping Hong Kong take its place as an international hub for innovation and technology (I&T).

As I am sure we all agree, talent is crucially important to our achieving the objective of developing an international innovation and technology hub. And we are blessed with a good pool of local talents, including young men and women here today. More proof is that in March this year, at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, Hong Kong captured a record 136 awards. At least 49 of the award-winning projects originated at our local universities. They included a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury, awarded to a University of Hong Kong team for developing the worlds first nasal spray vaccine for COVID-19. The vaccine is now undergoing clinical trials. A team from the Chinese University of Hong Kong was also awarded a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury, for developing a virus-free, anti-cancer gene therapy.

Hong Kongs research excellence has recently received a significant recognition through UGCs Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2020. Embracing international best practices, the RAE 2020 is a criterion-referenced assessment evaluating the research outputs of our eight publicly-funded universities. The overall results are extremely encouraging: 70% of the research submissions were judged as internationally excellent or above, with 25% being world-leading and 45% internationally excellent. I should add the assessment was undertaken by over 360 scholars, around 70% of them are non-local academics coming from 20 countries/regions around the world.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is determined to take advantage of our talent pool and develop Hong Kong into an innovation and technology hub. In the past four years, we have committed some $110 billion for a wide range of I&T programmes and initiatives, covering facility development, talent nurturing and retention, R&D (Research & Development) funding, venture capital, etc. Amongst these initiatives, the two InnoHK research clusters in the Hong Kong Science Park present outsized promise. [email protected] focuses on healthcare technology, including personalised medicine, molecular diagnostics, bioengineering, chemical biology, vaccine development, medical instrumentation and more. [email protected] targets artificial intelligence and robotics, zeroing in on such areas as big-data analytics, machine learning and medical, mobile and construction robotics. The first batch of some 20 R&D centres involving prominent international universities and research institutes, as well as our local universities, have begun operation. The rest will open later in the year. The R&D centres in the two research clusters are now recruiting postgraduates and specialists for a range of innovative R&D projects.

Our aspiration for an international I&T hub demands a critical mass of talent. To boost our I&T talent pool, we have just formally launched the Global STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Professorship Scheme, announced in my 2020 Policy Address. The scheme supports our universities in recruiting international scholars for I&T-related teaching and research. Feedback from some universities has been very positive. In addition, the STEM Internship Scheme has been regularised, under which allowance will be provided for undergraduates and postgraduates taking STEM programmes to enrol in short-term internships. Through this scheme, we want to encourage STEM students to experience I&T-related work during their studies, and encourage their interest in pursuing I&T careers after graduation.

The Innovation & Technology Fund has been providing funding support for our universities, R&D centres, companies, start-ups and entrepreneurs. Indeed, since its establishment in 1999, the fund has committed more than $23 billion to well over 20,000 projects. Recent projects include the electronic wristband used in monitoring home quarantine during the pandemic, as well as the anti-virus coating applied at schools, elderly homes and businesses.

Hong Kongs strengths in innovation and technology as well as our recent efforts have been recognised by our country. The nations 14th Five-Year Plan expressly supports Hong Kongs emergence as an international I&T hub. It also promotes the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and, for the first time, includes the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Loop as a major co-operation platform in the Greater Bay Area.

The Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation & Technology Park, which is three times the size of the current Science Park, is well under way. The park will allow Hong Kong to play a critical role in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's rise as a world-class technology and innovation research hub. Before the completion of the park, we are about to sign on a new partnership with Shenzhen on the basis of one zone, two parks. Under this initiative, our own Hong Kong Science Park will lease and manage select areas of the Shenzhen I&T Zone, and attract talents and companies from the Mainland and overseas to this zone.

Finally, it just leaves me to congratulate all the awardees this afternoon. And Im sure that you will enjoy and benefit from the many initiatives and the boundless opportunities in the innovation and technology area that we have prepared for our young people. What we have to do now is to give our young people support and encouragement, and this is exactly what the Innovation & Technology Scholarship Award is all about for the past decade.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam gave these remarks at the Innovation & Technology Scholarship Award Presentation Ceremony 2020 & 2021 on June 21.

This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: New rules for vaccinated travellers

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

The Government announced today that fully vaccinated people with a positive result of serology testing for antibodies will be allowed a shortened compulsory quarantine period of seven days upon arrival.

The restriction from entry to Hong Kong will be relaxed for fully vaccinated non-Hong Kong residents who have not stayed in extremely high-risk (Group A1) or very high-risk (Group A2) specified places.

Under the new measures, people arriving at Hong Kong who have only stayed in Group B or Group C specified places or Taiwan on the day of arrival or the 14 days before that day will be allowed a shortened compulsory quarantine period of seven days at designated quarantine hotels if they fulfil three required conditions.

They must be fully vaccinated with a vaccination record, obtain a negative nucleic acid test result during the test-and-hold period upon arrival, and possess positive result proof of a recognised serology antibody test conducted within the past three months.

They are required to take two nucleic acid tests during the quarantine period, followed by a seven-day self-monitoring period and compulsory testing on the 12th, 16th and 19th days of arrival.

The Government also plans to allow non-Hong Kong residents who have been fully vaccinated with a vaccination record and who have only stayed in Group B specified places, Group C specified places or Taiwan to enter Hong Kong.

Such travellers must comply with the same quarantine and nucleic acid testing requirements as those applicable to Hong Kong residents, including a seven-day shortened compulsory quarantine period for those who possess positive result proof of a recognised serology antibody test conducted within the past three months.

At a press conference this afternoon, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said she believed the new arrangements will be welcomed by business travellers and she appealed to the hotels in the city to be more flexible in handling the room bookings by such passengers.

If a passenger is willing to take a COVID-19 antibody test and the antibody test is positive - which means that he or she has antibodies - then the mandatory quarantine period at the designated hotel could be reduced from 14 days to seven days.

I believe this will be much welcomed by a lot of business travellers coming to Hong Kong. In order for that fully vaccinated passenger to take an antibody test in Hong Kong, inevitably, he or she would have to stay in a hotel for a while, while waiting for the antibody test.

So that would mean that that passenger has to book on the basis of staying in a hotel for a longer period of quarantine - say 14 days. But if he or she is being advised - maybe on the second or third day - that the antibody test is positive and could actually leave the designated hotel a week earlier, then I would very much appeal to the Hong Kong hotels that they should allow that flexibility for the passengers, instead of charging them for the full 14 days.

I have already asked the Commissioner for Tourism to start these negotiations with the hotel sector.

The first phase of the new arrangements will be launched on June 30. The Government intends to implement the second-phase arrangements within July to provide self-paid serology antibody testing service for inbound travellers at the airport. The entry by relevant non-Hong Kong residents will be relaxed then.

This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
NTU and global nonprofit The Good Food Institute Asia Pacific launch new undergraduate course

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and The Good Food Institute Asia Pacific (GFI APAC), a global nonprofit headquartered in Washington DC that works to accelerate alternative protein innovation, are launching a new undergraduate course in August this year.

Named Future Foods - Introduction to Advanced Meat Alternatives, the course aims to equip NTU students with expertise and knowledge of the food industry focussing on alternative proteins and cultivated meat.

Singapore is at the forefront of the alternative proteins sector, with international food tech startups such as Perfect Day, Eat Just, Givaudan and Buhler setting up their regional base of operations here.

The course will help to develop local talent for the alternative meats sector in Singapore, as regional appetite for plant-based meat and other alternative proteins continues to soar. It is also in line with national needs, as alternative protein has been identified as an integral part of the Singapore government's "30 by 30" goal to produce 30 per cent of the country's nutritional needs locally by 2030.

This will be the first such programme offered by a local tertiary institution, with the first batch of undergraduates enrolling this August. It will be offered as an elective to third and fourth year students taking the Food Science & Technology degree programme as a 2nd Major, which is offered jointly by NTU and Wageningen University (WUR) from the Netherlands.

Professor Ling San, NTU Deputy President and Provost said, "As a leading research-intensive university, NTU has been playing its part in nurturing talent for the various emerging sectors of the economy, in close collaboration with industry. Our partnership with the GFI APAC will see NTU leveraging its strength in emerging food technologies to develop local talent in the alternative protein sector. With NTU's deep expertise in food science and GFI's extensive network of experts, our students will be able to benefit from a cutting-edge course on alternative meats delivered by an international panel of experts, which will stand them in good stead in the future job market."

Ms Mirte Gosker, Acting Managing Director of GFI APAC said: "Today's university students are tomorrow's entrepreneurs and political leaders, so they need to be equipped to confront the escalating pressures of skyrocketing protein demand, increased climate disruption, and threats of viral outbreaks. NTU's groundbreaking course creates a template that universities across Asia should follow to help us achieve a world where alternative proteins are no longer alternative."

Professor William Chen, the joint course's coordinator and Director of NTU's Food Science and Technology (FST) Programme, said: "Alternative protein production has emerged as a powerful economic engine in Asia, potentially creating lucrative job opportunities for skilled young people from across the novel food industry landscape. NTU's FST has developed a number of groundbreaking innovations for alternative protein production and is therefore well-positioned to offer and contribute to this historic university course on Future Foods - the first of its kind in the APAC region."

Students to benefit from a global panel of experts

The course offered in NTU will be based on GFI's unique alternative protein curriculum, which has been successfully launched in several universities in Israel, such as The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv University and Ben Gurion University.

Adapted to suit Singapore's context and needs, the course will be delivered by several GFI's scientific experts alongside NTU faculty. It will also feature seminars conducted by veterans from leading companies, providing students with industry insights and knowledge of the specific regulatory and business environment for this industry.

As the instructors are based in different countries across the global regions of the world, the lectures will be delivered fully using e-learning tools via Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

The team of educators aim to equip students with knowledge of the science, technology, advances and challenges facing the three alternative protein industry pillars of plant-based meat, eggs, and dairy, cultivated meat and fermentation.

As part of the curriculum, students will develop a research proposal to address a real-world challenge the industry faces and learn how sustainable alternatives to conventional meat can mitigate issues of climate change, food safety, health, and other challenges humanity faces.

Elaborating on potential opportunities, Prof Chen said: "We look forward to working with other Asian universities to prepare students for a future technology-driven world, contribute to enhanced food security, and create real societal impact in the region. Besides this, we hope to open up the course to working professionals to help them upskill in this rapidly changing economy."

Ms Gosker added: "We hope to partner with additional universities around Asia Pacific to set up new academic courses on alternative proteins. GFI provides course materials free of charge, in addition to other support. Together with the world's top universities, we look forward to raising the next generation of alternative protein scientists."

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This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Rights chief chides China, Russia, Ethiopia

The UN rights chief on Monday called for concerted action to recover from the worst global deterioration of rights she had seen, highlighting the situation in China, Russia and Ethiopia among others.

"To recover from the most wide-reaching and severe cascade of human rights setbacks in our lifetimes, we need a life-changing vision, and concerted action," Michelle Bachelet told the opening of the UN Human Rights Council's 47th session.

The session, which lasts until July 13 and is being held virtually due to continued Covid-19 restrictions, is set to feature an eagerly anticipated report by Bachelet about systemic racism, and draft resolutions focused on several concerning rights situations, including in Myanmar, Belarus and Ethiopia's northern Tigray region.

In her opening address, Bachelet said she was deeply disturbed by reports of "serious violations" in Tigray, racked by war and with about 350,000 people threatened by famine.

She pointed to "extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests and detentions, sexual violence against children as well as adults," and said she had "credible reports" that Eritrean soldiers were still operating in the region.

Other parts of Ethiopia, which was holding elections on Monday, were also seeing "alarming incidents of deadly ethnic and inter-communal violence and displacement," Bachelet said.

"The ongoing deployment of military forces is not a durable solution," she said, calling for national dialogue.

Bachelet also decried the situation in northern Mozambique, ravaged by recent deadly jihadist violence, where she said food insecurity was rising and "almost 800,000 people, including 364,000 children" had now been forced to flee their homes.

The UN rights chief also pointed to the "chilling impact" of a sweeping national security law introduced in Hong Kong.

The law, which took effect on the eve of July 1, 2020, is seen as the spear tip of a sweeping crackdown on Beijing's critics in Hong Kong following 2019's huge democracy protests.

It has criminalised much dissent, given China jurisdiction over some cases and awarded authorities a suite of powerful new investigative powers.

Bachelet warned that "107 people have been arrested under the National Security Law and 57 have been formally charged".

She also pointed to "reports of serious human rights violations" in China's Xinjiang region, and said she hoped Beijing would grant her a long-discussed visit there, including "meaningful access" this year.

The UN rights chief has been facing swelling diplomatic pressure to speak out more forcefully about China's policies in the northwestern region, where the United States has accused Beijing of committing genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs.

At least one million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities have been held in camps in the region, according to rights groups who also accuse authorities of imposing forced labour -- allegations Beijing vehemently denies.

Dozens of countries, led by Canada, are expected to deliver a joint statement to the council on Tuesday, which will reportedly voice concern about the rights situation in Xinjiang and demand China grant Bachelet and other independent observers unfettered access.

In anticipation of that statement, the Chinese mission in Geneva last week slammed the group for its efforts "to spread disinformation and lies to frame China," and use "human rights as a political tool."

In her address on Monday, the UN rights chief also criticised recent measures by the Kremlin shrinking the space for opposing political views and access to participation in September elections.

She highlighted the recent moves to dismantle the movement of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Barring his organisations from working in the country, a Moscow court earlier this month branded them as "extremist", in a ruling Bachelet said was "based on vaguely defined allegations of attempting to change the foundations of constitutional order."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has meanwhile signed legislation outlawing staff, members and sponsors of "extremist" groups from running in parliamentary elections.

"I call on Russia to uphold civil and political rights," Bachelet said, also urging the authorities "to end the arbitrary practice of labelling ordinary individuals, journalists, and non-governmental organisations as 'extremists', 'foreign agents' or 'undesirable organisations'." (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Ben-Gurion U. scientists invent an artificial nose for continuous bacterial monitoring

BEER-SHEVA, Israel, June 21, 2021 - A team of scientists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have invented an artificial nose that is capable of continuous bacterial monitoring, which has never been previously achieved and could be useful in multiple medical, environmental and food applications.

The study was published in Nano-Micro Letters.

"We invented an artificial nose based on unique carbon nanoparticles ("carbon dots") capable of sensing gas molecules and detecting bacteria through the volatile metabolites the emit into the air," says lead researcher Prof. Raz Jelinek, BGU vice president for Research & Development, member of the BGU Department of Chemistry and the Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, and the incumbent of the Carole and Barry Kaye Chair in Applied Science.

The patent-pending technology has many applications including identifying bacteria in healthcare facilities and buildings; speeding lab testing and breath-based diagnostic testing; identifying "good" vs. pathogenic bacteria in the microbiome; detecting food spoilage and identifying poisonous gases.

"BGU has a remarkable track record of sensor development, which has infinite possibilities for real-life application," says Americans for Ben-Gurion University (A4BGU) Chief Executive Officer Doug Seserman. "Our renowned multi-disciplinary research efforts continue to ignite innovation, addressing some of the world's most pressing issues."

The artificial nose uses chemical reactions and electrodes to sense and distinguish vapor molecules and record the changes in capacitance onto interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) coated with carbon dots (C dots). The resulting C-dot-IDE platform constitutes a versatile and powerful vehicle for gas sensing in general, and bacterial monitoring in particular. Machine learning can be applied to train the sensor to identify different gas molecules, individually or in mixtures, with high accuracy.

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About the BGU Research Team

Other BGU researchers on the team included: Nitzan Shauloff, Dr. Ahiud Morag, Dr. Seema Singh, and Ravit Malishev of the BGU Department of Chemistry and Prof. Lior Rokach, chair of the BGU Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering.

About Americans for Ben-Gurion University

Americans for Ben-Gurion University plays a vital role in maintaining David Ben-Gurion's vision of an "Oxford in the Negev." By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU's remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.

For more information visit http://www. americansforbgu. org .

This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Mechanical engineer receives NSF CAREER award to pioneer robot-assisted rehabilitation

Zach Lerner, an assistant professor in Northern Arizona University's Department of Mechanical Engineering, was recently awarded a $538,563 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to build on his research into restoring neuromuscular function and augmenting human ability through the design, control and testing of robotic exoskeletons.

"There is a critical need for treatments that address the root causes of walking disability, including impaired strength, muscle control and coordination. This project seeks to advance the scientific study of walking rehabilitation and pioneer a novel wearable rehabilitation strategy," Lerner said. "The outcomes of this project have the potential to transform the treatment of walking disabilities across a wide range of conditions."

Grant is NSF's most prestigious award in support of junior faculty

The award was made to Lerner by the NSF through its Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program, a foundation-wide activity that offers the NSF's most prestigious awards "in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Activities pursued by early-career faculty should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research."

The funding will support Lerner's goal to optimize long-term gait rehabilitation through hybrid ankle exoskeleton training, working with a team that includes both graduate and undergraduate students in his Biomechatronics Lab on NAU's Flagstaff campus.

While wearable robotic exoskeletons hold potential for individuals with walking disabilities, prior research has focused on immediate improvements in walking performance from powered assistance. This project seeks to understand whether alternating assistance and resistance with a wearable ankle exoskeleton will elicit greater improvements in walking than either approach alone.

"This funding will support us in establishing fundamental knowledge on the interplay between disease severity and wearable assistance and resistance," Lerner said. "The strategies we develop will be generalizable, enabling other investigators to apply this framework to different types of control algorithms, devices, joints and patient populations."

Project to integrate research and education

The five-year project will also enable Lerner and his team to offer opportunities for educational and outreach activities to engage elementary and middle school students as well as college students. Lerner will develop a new Curriculum in Assistive Robotics and Engineering (CARE), incorporating advanced robotics course modules, design-for-disability capstone projects and K-12 experiences.

"Through this new curriculum," Lerner said, "we aim to motivate engineering students to address the challenges experienced by individuals with disabilities and improve engineering education on human-centered design. We anticipate that the students involved in CARE will gain an improved understanding of the needs of people with physical disabilities, which will translate into effective engineering solutions, and result in more motivated, insightful and impactful engineering students and professionals."

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About Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University is a higher-research institution providing exceptional educational opportunities in Arizona and beyond. NAU delivers a student-centered experience to its nearly 30,000 students in Flagstaff, statewide and online through rigorous academic programs in a supportive, inclusive and diverse environment. Dedicated, world-renowned faculty help ensure students achieve academic excellence, experience personal growth, have meaningful research opportunities and are positioned for personal and professional success.

This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RegeneratOR Test Bed to Launch Start Ups, Advance Regenerative Medicine Ecosystem

WINSTON-SALEM, NC, Monday, June 21, 2021 - The RegeneratOR Test Bed has officially launched, bringing together resources to advance the regenerative medicine field nationally and create an economic development engine for the region and the state overall.

The announcement of the RegeneratOR Test Bed comes from two driving forces of the regenerative medicine field: the RegenMed Development Organization (ReMDO), a non-profit foundation headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC, and dedicated to advancing the field nationwide, and the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), the largest regenerative medicine institute in the world.

Leaders from science, business, health care and government, as well as from collaborating companies, attended the special launch event held today.

The RegeneratOR Test Bed, located in the Innovation Quarter which is an epicenter of highly innovative science and technology, will serve as an economic development driver, helping to accelerate the growth of start-ups and scale up mid-to-large-sized companies with innovative and emerging technologies. Access to state-of-the-art biomanufacturing equipment, industry expertise, and talent to support novel prototyping and commercial product development is available.

"Many of these companies are dedicated to a broad range of technologies, such as 3D printing, and cell and tissue therapies. Additionally, there are also businesses supporting the field in areas such as the production of reagents and diagnostics," said Anthony Atala, MD, director of WFIRM. "We believe this region has a lot to offer in terms of helping these companies be successful, and, at the same time, we can advance the regenerative medicine field nationally."

Strategic collaborations with a number of external partners, such as Oracle, BioSpherix, and PHC (formerly known as Panasonic Healthcare Corporation), that are bringing innovative technologies, made the launch of RegeneratOR Test Bed possible. Oracle is bringing machine learning and data analytics into solving regenerative medicine manufacturing challenges. Biospherix is providing modular units for the manufacturing of clinical products, and PHC is providing best-in-class precision and digital solutions that range from tissue processing technologies to Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities for improving workflow efficiencies.

Steven Lynum, executive director of corporate development at PHC, who spoke at the event, said, "We are excited to partner in this RegeneratOR Test Bed and provide advanced technology support. The vision for what's possible with this endeavor aligns closely with our own mission and together we are going to help support companies in their efforts to accelerate therapies and health care solutions to improve people's lives."

"Regenerative medicine is a groundbreaking field that has the potential to transform how treatments are discovered, tested, and proven - dramatically cutting development times and getting needed therapies to patients faster," said Mike Sicilia, executive vice president of Oracle Global Business Units. "We look forward to contributing the compute power of Oracle Cloud, along with expertise from our industry, labs, research, and startup teams to support the RegeneratOR's research and development environments which are underpinning this important collaboration and accelerating the future of medicine."

The RegeneratOR Test Bed is one of three focused areas that operate through ReMDO's RegeneratOR, a first of its kind in regenerative medicine to promote biomanufacturing scale-up and automation to make technologies more affordable, and speed up the translation to clinical practice. The other two focus areas are:

* ReMDO's RegeneratOR Business Incubator - supports innovation from research to commercialization for regenerative medicine start-ups and growth companies by providing space and support, including market potential validation, benefit analysis, financial planning, budgeting, and comprehensive business plans.

* ReMDO's RegeneratOR Workforce Development - a resource that connects an educational network of colleges, university programs and technical schools with biomanufacturing staff, engineers, and research leaders to train highly skilled biomanufacturing technicians and researchers to support the regenerative medicine field regionally and nationally.

The RegeneratOR is a key component of the established Regenerative Medicine Hub (RegenMed Hub), an ecosystem that brings together and draws upon the resources and talent available through the Innovation Quarter, and includes regenerative medicine focused entities dedicated to advancing the field nationwide. A number of regenerative medicine start-ups and established companies already operate in RegenMed Hub and the region, offering expansive resources for entrepreneurs and life science professionals.

The RegeneratOR will foster and enable training programs that focus on the latest technologies coming out of the regenerative medicine field, and positions NC as the national leader and destination in health innovation. The recent joining of Wake Forest Baptist Health/School of Medicine with Atrium Health, creating one of the top five health systems in the nation, creates an epicenter of highly interactive science and technology which will attract major investments to the state.

"With a focus on the test bed, business incubator and workforce development, we believe we can heighten awareness of the regenerative medicine ecosystem and powerhouse that already exists here to bring in new companies, while at the same time help the field move forward," said Josh Hunsberger, PhD, ReMDO's Chief Technology Officer.

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Media Contact: Bonnie Davis

bdavis@wakehealth.edu

336-713-1597; 336-493-6184

About the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine:

The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine is recognized as an international leader in translating scientific discovery into clinical therapies, with many world firsts, including the development and implantation of the first engineered organ in a patient. Over 400 people at the institute, the largest in the world, work on more than 40 different tissues and organs. A number of the basic principles of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine were first developed at the institute. WFIRM researchers have successfully engineered replacement tissues and organs in all four categories - flat structures, tubular tissues, hollow organs and solid organs - and 15 different applications of technologies, such as skin, urethras, cartilage, bladders, muscle, kidney, and vaginal organs, have been successfully used in human patients. The institute, which is part of Wake Forest School of Medicine, is located in the Innovation Quarter in downtown Winston-Salem, NC, and is driven by the urgent needs of patients. The institute is making a global difference in regenerative medicine through collaborations with over 400 entities and institutions worldwide, through its government, academic and industry partnerships, its start-up entities, and through major initiatives in breakthrough technologies, such as tissue engineering, cell therapies, diagnostics, drug discovery, biomanufacturing, nanotechnology, gene editing and 3D printing.

About the RegenMed Development Organization:

The mission of the RegenMed Development Organization (ReMDO) is to accelerate the discovery and translation of regenerative medicine therapies. ReMDO is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that manages a clinical translation initiative that includes thought leaders, representatives from leading US research centers, government representatives, and companies of all sizes. ReMDO conducts research to de-risk technologies and speed up the translation of regenerative medicine to clinical practice and to the global market. ReMDO manages the world's first and only professional organization dedicated solely to advancing the regenerative medicine field, the Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing Society (RMMS), and the Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing Innovation Consortium (RegMIC), which manages a private-public partnership of industry and academic members focused on scaling up technologies.

About the Innovation Quarter:

Innovation Quarter (http://www. innovationquarter. com ), home to iQ Labs, is a vibrant, mixed-use innovation district located in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Anchored by Wake Forest School of Medicine, Innovation Quarter is home to a community of more than 3,700 workers in 90 companies and four other institutions of higher learning where almost 1,800 degree-seeking students come to learn every day. In addition to more than 1,100 residential units, the Innovation Quarter also features a dynamic urban park, publicly accessible greenway and free community events that make this a true "Live.Work.Learn.Play" community.

This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Oregon State leading $17M effort to study gravitational waves

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State University is the lead institution for a $17 million National Science Foundation center devoted to pushing the boundaries of physics knowledge by studying the universe through low-frequency gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of time-space.

Funded by the NSF as a Physics Frontiers Center, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves, or NANOGrav, research group at OSU operates under the direction of Xavier Siemens, professor of physics in the OSU College of Science.

Siemens, who joined the Oregon State faculty in 2019, previously directed the NANOGrav Physics Frontier Center at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where it launched in 2015 with a $14.5 million award from the NSF.

The new five-year grant is a renewal co-directed by Siemens and Maura McLaughlin, an astronomer at West Virginia University. It will help fund a collaboration of roughly 200 astrophysics researchers at 18 universities, including OSU's Davide Lazzati and approximately 20 graduate and undergraduate students at Oregon State. OSU will receive about $600,000 annually, Siemens said.

Gravitational waves were first directly observed, by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, in September 2015, a milestone event in physics and astronomy that confirmed one of the main predictions of Albert Einstein's 1915 general theory of relativity.

Researchers detected those gravitational waves, produced by the collision of two black holes, using the twin LIGO interferometers in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington. Gravitational waves detected by LIGO, created by those types of "black hole binaries," have frequencies of about 100 hertz, or 100 cycles per second, Siemens said. LIGO is an NSF-funded international collaboration.

"We're searching for gravitational waves with frequencies 11 orders of magnitude below those LIGO is detecting," he said. "We use, instead of lasers and mirrors at the end of vacuum tubes, radio pulsars and radio telescopes. We can use those pulsars as clocks spread out through the sky, and we can see how the ticking of the clocks changes from gravitational waves passing through our galaxy."

Pulsars are rapidly spinning remains of massive stars that exploded as supernovas, and they send out pulses of radio waves with extreme regularity; a group of them is known as a pulsar timing array, or PTA.

NANOGrav will search for gravitational wave signals with the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, the Very Large Array in New Mexico and the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment in Canada.

Siemens explains that using a PTA to detect a "chorus" of gravitational wave signals from multiple super-massive black hole mergers - described as a stochastic background of gravitational waves - holds more promise for understanding the universe than detecting a single wave from a single black hole binary collision.

"Each signal is like a note, and we're not just after one of these notes - we want to hear the whole choir," he said. "We want to hear the collective chorus of all of the super-massive black hole binaries that are merging in the universe."

Super-massive black holes are the biggest type of black holes, millions to billions of times the mass of the sun, and they are in the centers of galaxies.

"We may already have seen the first hints of a gravitational-wave signal," Siemens said. "This center will ensure that researchers have the resources necessary to explore one of the most exciting frontiers in all of physics and astronomy."

Oregon State is one of 11 institutions to host an NSF Physics Frontiers Center and one of three from the Pacific 12 Conference; the other two Pac-12 schools are the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Colorado. Rounding out the list of physics frontiers sites are the University of Rochester; Princeton University; the University of Illinois; Rice University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Caltech; Michigan State; and the University of Maryland.

The other centers' research areas range from theoretical biological physics and the physics of living cells to quantum information and nuclear astrophysics.

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This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
SwRI awarded lunar lander investigation contract

SAN ANTONIO -- June 21, 2021 -- To advance understanding of Earth's nearest neighbor, NASA has selected three new lunar investigations, including a payload suite led by Southwest Research Institute. The Lunar Interior Temperature and Materials Suite (LITMS) is one of two packages that will land on the far side of the Moon, a first for the agency, as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS, initiative.

"With LITMS, we hope to get a better understanding of the thermal evolution, differentiation and asymmetry of the Moon," said SwRI's Dr. Robert Grimm, LITMS principal investigator. "This will help us interpret how the lunar crust, mantle and core formed. And we can contrast these far-side measurements with those done by the near-side Apollo missions to unravel the origin of 'the Man in the Moon.'"

The moon is tidally locked, where one side is always facing Earth. The two sides of the Moon, the far and near sides, are remarkably different, in crustal thickness, composition and cratering. The near side we see contains an area of high volcanic activity where lava has frozen into dark "seas" called maria. Nearly two-thirds of the maria are on the western nearside of the Moon. Throughout history, people have linked the dark maria into fanciful shapes, including a "Man in the Moon" visage.

LITMS is headed to a far-side location chosen by NASA, specifically, to the 200-mile diameter Schrodinger basin, which is located in the ancient South Pole-Aitken basin. The suite includes two instruments: The Lunar Instrumentation for Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER) and the Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder (LMS). LISTER measures heat flow using a pneumatic drill to probe up to 10 feet into the subsurface. LMS will determine the electrical conductivity of the Moon's interior by measuring natural electric and magnetic fields.

"Joint measurements of heat flow and electrical conductivity allow us to separate the temperature and material dependence of each," Grimm said. "This is our 'litmus test' for the lunar interior."

LMS and LISTER are led by SwRI and Texas Tech University, respectively. The instruments were independently selected in an earlier CLPS solicitation. Grimm and LISTER principal investigator Dr. Seiichi Nagihara recognized the combined value of the two instruments and requested to co-manifest on the same flight. That mission is scheduled for landing in Mare Crisium on the nearside in 2023.

"From there, we combined forces to propose for the far-side lander," Grimm said.

A seismometer suite led by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory was separately selected by NASA for the Schrodinger mission.

"LITMS and the seismic package are very complementary in providing a more complete picture of the lunar interior," Grimm said. "Together, they are a pathfinder for a future lunar geophysical network, a global array of long-lasting instruments on the surface of the Moon."

"These investigations demonstrate the power of CLPS to deliver big science in small packages, providing access to the lunar surface to address high-priority science goals for the Moon," said Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division in the agency's announcement. "When scientists analyze these new data alongside lunar samples returned from Apollo and data from our many orbital missions, they will advance our knowledge of the lunar surface and interior, and increase our understanding of crucial phenomenon such as space weathering to inform future crewed missions to the Moon and beyond."

###

LITMS is scheduled to launch in 2024. Key collaborators include the University of California, Berkeley, Heliospace Corp. and Honeybee Robotics, with scientific investigators from several institutions in the United States and United Kingdom.

For more information, go to https:/ / www. swri. org/ planetary-science .

This story has been published on: 2021-06-21. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Beijng (Gasgoo)- Borgward will file for bankruptcy, which will be announced at the beginning of July, Sina Tech reported today, citing several sources who are familiar with the matter.

Borgward BX5; photo credit: Borgward

In 2014, BAIC Foton acquired the iconic German brand and in March, 2019, Ucar, a chauffeured car service provider in China, bought 67% stake of the company with 4.109 billion yuan.

Many former employees of Borgward revealed that in order to help Borgward enter into high-end vehicle market, Foton has been marketing Borgward as a brand with German origin, but its heavy investment seems to be a failure. Foton focuses on commercial vehicle market, and it turns out to be difficult for Borgward to grow under Foton.

Data from the China Passenger Car Association showed that monthly sales of the auto brand were 430 vehicles, down 40.3% from a year ago. The cumulative sales in the first five months of this year slumped 41.3% year on year to 2,627 vehicles.

In 2019, the brands annual sales totaled 54,500 vehicles, but in 2020, affected by the Luckin Coffee fraud, its annual sales plunged to 8,740 vehicles.
Destinations



Jalisco's Cabo Corrientes is Poised for a Luxe Influx



Cabo Corrientes is the defining end point of Banderas Bay west of Puerto Vallarta with about 75 kilometers of beautiful and rarely visited beaches, like Mayto, with its small hotel, campground and palapa-covered restaurant.



Over the years I've heard rumors and rumblings of the breadth of luxury slated to unfold in this part of the state. But for the longest time development has been kept relatively at bay - until now. The time, it seems, has come for the next wave of luxury to sweep into Mexico, and it's homing in on the southern coast of the Bay of Banderas.



Cabo Corrientes is the rounded peninsula that makes up the southern tip of the Bay of Banderas. It's home to unspoiled beaches, thick forest, rocky cliffs, small villages and not a whole lot else.



To give you a sense, for my 30th birthday we took a motorcycle trip out to a small beach community called Mayto. The motorcycle slipped and skidded along a sandy road that led to the stunning 7-mile beach. The beach had absolutely nothing save for one small hotel, a campground and a palapa-covered restaurant. It was probably the best birthday I've ever had.



But new developments, which include a highway, an airport and a boutique hotel, are going to create a new pocket of luxury that is sure to enthrall travelers looking for that next "it" spot in Mexico. I'm telling you: This is it.



According to state of Jalisco's tourism secretary, German Ralis, the anticipated highway connecting Puerto Vallarta with the Costalegre is about 9 miles from completion.



"The way is about 200 kilometers," said Ralis. "Fourteen kilometers are left to be renewed. It connects Puerto Vallarta to the south of Costalegre. It will make the travel time faster to Cabo Corrientes."



To get to Cabo Corrientes from Puerto Vallarta at present is a long, snaking drive along the coastal Highway 200 and then a veer off at the town of El Tuito through the national forest toward the coast, where Mayto and other rugged beaches lay waiting. Beautiful it most certainly is. Time efficient, at present, it is not. But it will be. Ralis anticipates the highway, which is a federal project, to be part of the next federal budget.



But Mayto is also expecting a private tarmac as early as next year, which will cater to private jets. And on top of that, a boutique hotel is expected to open on the crescent of beach. This hotel will cater to the boho-chic crowd (think Tulum or Sayulita vibes). While not many details on the hotel have been announced, it will be themed around the zodiac signs. The lack of light pollution in the area means this is one of the best spots in Mexico to see the stars - I can attest to that. The project should open next year.



Of course, further south along the coast, along the Costalegre, there have been pockets of luxury for decades, from the international artistic community at Careyes to the luxury accommodations at Cuixmala.



But the Four Seasons will open its Tamarindo property in the fall of this year. And a bigger airport, which has been talked about for years, is finally set to open in this part of the state, likely at the end of 2021 or beginning of 2022, predicted Ralis.



When you have something as beautiful as this part of Mexico, it's tough to keep it a secret for long. And as much as I treasured keeping this spot for myself, it will be exciting to see what happens next.



Original article It's always bittersweet when I hear about new developments springing up in Mexico - especially in the spots that I consider to be the secrets I keep for myself. I've known that Jalisco's wild, rugged Cabo Corrientes coast was always too beautiful and too special to stay secret for long.Over the years I've heard rumors and rumblings of the breadth of luxury slated to unfold in this part of the state. But for the longest time development has been kept relatively at bay - until now. The time, it seems, has come for the next wave of luxury to sweep into Mexico, and it's homing in on the southern coast of the Bay of Banderas.Cabo Corrientes is the rounded peninsula that makes up the southern tip of the Bay of Banderas. It's home to unspoiled beaches, thick forest, rocky cliffs, small villages and not a whole lot else.To give you a sense, for my 30th birthday we took a motorcycle trip out to a small beach community called Mayto. The motorcycle slipped and skidded along a sandy road that led to the stunning 7-mile beach. The beach had absolutely nothing save for one small hotel, a campground and a palapa-covered restaurant. It was probably the best birthday I've ever had.But new developments, which include a highway, an airport and a boutique hotel, are going to create a new pocket of luxury that is sure to enthrall travelers looking for that next "it" spot in Mexico. I'm telling you: This is it.According to state of Jalisco's tourism secretary, German Ralis, the anticipated highway connecting Puerto Vallarta with the Costalegre is about 9 miles from completion."The way is about 200 kilometers," said Ralis. "Fourteen kilometers are left to be renewed. It connects Puerto Vallarta to the south of Costalegre. It will make the travel time faster to Cabo Corrientes."To get to Cabo Corrientes from Puerto Vallarta at present is a long, snaking drive along the coastal Highway 200 and then a veer off at the town of El Tuito through the national forest toward the coast, where Mayto and other rugged beaches lay waiting. Beautiful it most certainly is. Time efficient, at present, it is not. But it will be. Ralis anticipates the highway, which is a federal project, to be part of the next federal budget.But Mayto is also expecting a private tarmac as early as next year, which will cater to private jets. And on top of that, a boutique hotel is expected to open on the crescent of beach. This hotel will cater to the boho-chic crowd (think Tulum or Sayulita vibes). While not many details on the hotel have been announced, it will be themed around the zodiac signs. The lack of light pollution in the area means this is one of the best spots in Mexico to see the stars - I can attest to that. The project should open next year.Of course, further south along the coast, along the Costalegre, there have been pockets of luxury for decades, from the international artistic community at Careyes to the luxury accommodations at Cuixmala.But the Four Seasons will open its Tamarindo property in the fall of this year. And a bigger airport, which has been talked about for years, is finally set to open in this part of the state, likely at the end of 2021 or beginning of 2022, predicted Ralis.When you have something as beautiful as this part of Mexico, it's tough to keep it a secret for long. And as much as I treasured keeping this spot for myself, it will be exciting to see what happens next.



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Celebrate Take Your Dog To Work Day in Puerto Vallarta



Friday, June 25 is Take Your Dog to Work Day, so stop by Ryan Donner and Associates real estate office to experience the joys of pets in the workplace and support two Puerto Vallarta animal rescue organizations. Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - Dogs have been man's best friend far back into pre-history when they became domesticated by choosing to live and work alongside mankind. From the very beginning, they worked alongside us, hunting and tracking and even keeping us safe at night by growling and barking when danger reared its ugly head.



In modern times, this relationship has been forgotten, and the poor pooch is now left to sit at home while we go about our daily business. But wouldn't you agree that leaving our four-legged fur babies behind as we head to the office the hardest part of the day?



Take Your Dog to Work Day was created by Pet Sitters International (PSI) and first celebrated in 1999. PSI created the day to encourage businesses to allow dogs in the workplace for one Friday each year to help people understand the human-animal bond, to educate others on the importance of saving these amazing critters from life on the streets, and to promote their adoptions from local shelters and rescue groups.



June 25, 2021, will mark the 23rd annual Take Your Dog To Work Day in the United States, but if you are here in Puerto Vallarta, you can celebrate the day at the Ryan Donner and Associates Real Estate office.



From 9:00 am until 6:00 pm, Ryan and his team will be accepting donations at their office, located at Insurgentes 108-1 on the south side of downtown Puerto Vallarta, for two local animal rescue organizations: the



Donation options are as follows:



Toys for dogs to benefit SPCA de PV

Old or used towels to benefit SPCA de PV

Dog Food to benefit The Sula Society

Jackets and Sweaters (all sizes) for dogs in the Flight Angels Program



But that's not all! From 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm volunteers from the SPCA de PV will be at the Ryan Donner and Associates office to provide information on:



How to adopt a pet in Mexico and, if you've already found your fur baby in Puerto Vallarta, help you start the adoption process on the 'spot.'



The Flight Angels program that looks for travelers to Canada and the United States to transport pets adopted in Puerto Vallarta to their new fur-ever homes in British Columbia, Alberta or Seattle.



Other ways you can help this non-profit association.



So take the time on Friday, June 25 to stop by Ryan Donner and Associates real estate office to experience the joys of pets in the workplace and support our local animal rescue organizations. Pets are welcome, so bring your puppy to play with other pets, while you learn more about these two noble causes.





Whether you are looking to buy or sell property in Puerto Vallarta or the greater Banderas Bay area, Ryan Donner & Associates is your Mexico real estate expert. Part of the company's philosophy is to provide their clients with all the information that they need to invest in the best deal possible. For more information, call 322-111-1162 or visit ryandonner.com.



Click HERE to learn more about Ryan Donner & Associates - Dogs have been man's best friend far back into pre-history when they became domesticated by choosing to live and work alongside mankind. From the very beginning, they worked alongside us, hunting and tracking and even keeping us safe at night by growling and barking when danger reared its ugly head.In modern times, this relationship has been forgotten, and the poor pooch is now left to sit at home while we go about our daily business. But wouldn't you agree that leaving our four-legged fur babies behind as we head to the office the hardest part of the day?Take Your Dog to Work Day was created by Pet Sitters International (PSI) and first celebrated in 1999. PSI created the day to encourage businesses to allow dogs in the workplace for one Friday each year to help people understand the human-animal bond, to educate others on the importance of saving these amazing critters from life on the streets, and to promote their adoptions from local shelters and rescue groups.June 25, 2021, will mark the 23rd annual Take Your Dog To Work Day in the United States, but if you are here in Puerto Vallarta, you can celebrate the day at the Ryan Donner and Associates Real Estate office.From 9:00 am until 6:00 pm, Ryan and his team will be accepting donations at their office, located at Insurgentes 108-1 on the south side of downtown Puerto Vallarta, for two local animal rescue organizations: the SPCA de PV and The Sula Society. Donation options are as follows:Toys for dogs to benefit SPCA de PVOld or used towels to benefit SPCA de PVDog Food to benefit The Sula SocietyJackets and Sweaters (all sizes) for dogs in the Flight Angels ProgramBut that's not all! From 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm volunteers from the SPCA de PV will be at the Ryan Donner and Associates office to provide information on:How to adopt a pet in Mexico and, if you've already found your fur baby in Puerto Vallarta, help you start the adoption process on the 'spot.'The Flight Angels program that looks for travelers to Canada and the United States to transport pets adopted in Puerto Vallarta to their new fur-ever homes in British Columbia, Alberta or Seattle.Other ways you can help this non-profit association.So take the time on Friday, June 25 to stop by Ryan Donner and Associates real estate office to experience the joys of pets in the workplace and support our local animal rescue organizations. Pets are welcome, so bring your puppy to play with other pets, while you learn more about these two noble causes.
Over 300,000 people escape illiteracy in eight years

Literacy classes have been organized for more than 300,000 people aged 15  60, over the last eight years, the Ministry of Education and Training unveiled during a recent video teleconference (VTC).









A literacy class held for ethnic minority people in La Pan Tan commune, Mu Cang Chai district, the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai. (Photo: VNA)

The national VTC was held on June 18 to review the implementation of a project on building a learning society from 2012  2020.



The ministry said thanks to the project, the network of educational establishments was expanded nationwide. The country now has over 17,000 continuing education centres, providing non-formal education for out-of-school youth and adults.



There are also more than 10,000 community learning centres across the country.



The country has completed universalisation of pre-school education for five-year-old children and primary education for children of school age.



In the next phase from 2021  2030, the project aims to help Vietnam develop an open, flexible and connected education system and make sure all people will have an equal opportunity to access high-quality life-long education.



Vietnam met the national standard for literacy in 2000, with 94 percent of the population aged between 15 and 35 literate, compared to more than 95 percent of the population being unable to read or write in 1945. The literacy rate in this age group increased to 98.1 percent in 2016, according to the Ministry of Education and Training.
The China Speed: 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered

22:20, June 20, 2021 By Wu Chaolan ( People's Daily Online

More than 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered on the Chinese mainland as of June 19, according to the China's National Health Commission (NHC).

The NHC vowed to ensure a steady vaccine supply and facilitate mass vaccinations to build up a wider shield of immunity. The pace of immunization has been constantly accelerated. It took China only five days to bring the number of vaccinations from 900 million to 1 billion.

On March 27, China hit the landmark figure of 100 million inoculations. The number then reached 200 million on April 21, 300 million on May 7, 400 million on May 16, 500 million on May 23, 600 million on May 28, 700 million on June 2, 800 million on June 8, and the 900 million mark on June 14.

According to Our World in Data, China ranks at the top of worldwide rankings in terms of the total number of vaccine doses administered, followed by the US and India.

China's juggernaut of a vaccination drive has impressed the Western world, with many appreciating China's speed in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic.

"That is seriously impressive! It's a shame that people's bias against China will cloud their perception of this achievement," commented one netizen on China's mass vaccination campaign.

"Believe me, China is doing the right thing," another added.

Zoltan Kis, a chemical engineer with the Future Vaccine Manufacturing Research Hub at Imperial College London, greeted China's mass vaccination campaign as "a huge step in reducing the health-care and economic burden of the COVID-19 pandemic."

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Bianji)
Xi stresses drawing strength from CPC history to forge ahead

Xinhua) 08:23, June 21, 2021

Xi Jinping and other Communist Party of China (CPC) and state leaders Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan visit an exhibition on CPC history themed "staying true to the founding mission" at the Museum of the CPC in Beijing, capital of China, June 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

-- "The Party's history is the most vivid and convincing textbook," Xi stressed.

-- Xi said it is necessary to study and review the Party's history, carry forward its valuable experience, bear in mind the course of its struggles, shoulder the historic mission, and draw strength from its history to forge ahead.

-- Themed "staying true to the founding mission," the exhibition debuted on Friday at the newly inaugurated Museum of the CPC in Beijing ahead of the CPC centenary.

BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Friday stressed bearing in mind the course of the Party's struggles, shouldering the historic mission and drawing strength from the Party's history to forge ahead.

Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when visiting an exhibition on CPC history.

Themed "staying true to the founding mission," the exhibition debuted on Friday at the newly inaugurated Museum of the CPC in Beijing ahead of the CPC centenary.

Xi Jinping and other Communist Party of China (CPC) and state leaders Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan visit an exhibition on CPC history themed "staying true to the founding mission" at the Museum of the CPC in Beijing, capital of China, June 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

"The Party's history is the most vivid and convincing textbook," Xi stressed.

The past 100 years have seen the CPC unswervingly fulfilling its original aspiration and founding mission, working hard to lay a foundation for its great cause, and making glorious achievements and charting a course for the future, Xi noted.

Xi said it is necessary to study and review the Party's history, carry forward its valuable experience, bear in mind the course of its struggles, shoulder the historic mission, and draw strength from its history to forge ahead.

Efforts should be made to educate and guide Party members and officials to stay true to the original aspiration and founding mission of the Party, Xi noted.

It is necessary for them to strengthen their awareness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership, and remain confident in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, as well as always closely follow the CPC Central Committee in terms of their thinking, political orientation and actions, he added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits an exhibition on CPC history themed "staying true to the founding mission" at the Museum of the CPC in Beijing, capital of China, June 18, 2021. Xi is joined by other CPC and state leaders Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan during the visit. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Xi called on Party members to carry forward the fine traditions and play their exemplary role in uniting and leading the Chinese people, based on the new development stage, to follow the new development philosophy and formulate a new development paradigm, to effectively perform their work in promoting reform, development and stability, and to pool strength to fully build a modern socialist China and realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Xi was joined by other leaders including Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan during the visit.

Led by Xi, the leaders reviewed the Party admission oath.

Xi Jinping leads other Communist Party of China (CPC) and state leaders Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan to review the Party admission oath after visiting an exhibition on CPC history themed "staying true to the founding mission" at the Museum of the CPC in Beijing, capital of China, June 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

The exhibition features four parts, namely the founding of the CPC and the victory of the New Democratic Revolution; the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the socialist revolution and development; the reform and opening-up, and the start of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and carrying forward socialism with Chinese characteristics into a new era, building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and embarking on a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country.

More than 2,600 pictures and more than 3,500 pieces or sets of exhibits reflect the extraordinary 100-year journey the CPC has traveled.

Xi and other leaders immersed themselves in the exhibits, files, photos and videos displayed, and learned about them in detail.

Xi Jinping and other Communist Party of China (CPC) and state leaders Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan visit an exhibition on CPC history themed "staying true to the founding mission" at the Museum of the CPC in Beijing, capital of China, June 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Among the items are the manuscript of Karl Marx's notes from Brussels, and restoration scenes of the first CPC National Congress and the famous Zunyi Meeting during the epic Long March (1934-1936).

Also on display are boards showing the establishment of revolutionary bases, footage from the founding ceremony of the PRC, and weapons used during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953).

The exhibition also features data charts relating to poverty alleviation and models of the Huoshenshan and Leishenshan hospitals built in Wuhan to fight the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
China's assistance enables Ethiopia to keep fighting COVID-19: official

Xinhua) 08:24, June 21, 2021

Airport ground staff transport the COVID-19 vaccines donated by Chinese Red Cross Society in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, June 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)

"When the virus was new for the world and Ethiopia, the support from China was really one of the greatest support in terms of personal protective equipments, testing kits and also different machines, training and experience-sharing," Ethiopian State Minister of Health Dereje Duguma said.

ADDIS ABABA, June 20 (Xinhua) -- China has come to the aid of Ethiopia since COVID-19 broke out last year, enabling the African country to keep fighting the pandemic, a senior Ethiopian official has said.

Ethiopian State Minister of Health Dereje Duguma made the remarks on Saturday at a handover ceremony where the Ethiopian Red Cross Society received a batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines from its Chinese counterpart.

Expressing his gratitude to China's support, Duguma said China has helped his country build anti-pandemic capabilities since the onset of the virus.

"Our foremost gratitude and thanks is to the government and people of China for providing different (kinds of) support since the first few months of the pandemic," the state minister said.

"When the virus was new for the world and Ethiopia, the support from China was really one of the greatest support in terms of personal protective equipments, testing kits and also different machines, training and experience-sharing," Duguma said.

Duguma added that China's overall support is of great importance in the country's efforts to enhance public health as well as economic development.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Talks to revive Iran nuclear agreement "closer to a deal": EU official

Xinhua) 08:32, June 21, 2021

Photo taken on June 20, 2021 shows a meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria. (EU Delegation Vienna/Handout via Xinhua)

All participants will travel back to their capitals for consultations. Enrique Mora, deputy secretary-general and political director of the European External Action Service, said he hopes that in the next round, delegations will come back "with clearer instructions, clearer ideas on how to finally close the deal."

VIENNA, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are "closer to a deal," said a European Union (EU) official on Sunday after the latest meeting that wrapped up the previous six rounds of negotiations.

"We are closer to a deal, but we are not still there," Enrique Mora, deputy secretary-general and political director of the European External Action Service, told reporters following a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission, attended by representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran.

"We have made progress on a number of technical issues. We have now more clarity on technical documents, all of them quite complex. And that clarity allows us to have also a clear idea of what the political problems are," Mora said, adding that they are "closer (to a deal) than one week ago."

Meanwhile, all participants will travel back to their capitals for consultations. Mora said that he hopes that in the next round, delegations will come back "with clearer instructions, clearer ideas on how to finally close the deal."

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and top nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi (L, Front) and Enrique Mora, deputy secretary-general and political director of the European External Action Service, leave the venue of a meeting of the Joint Commission on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in Vienna, Austria, on June 2, 2021. (Xinhua/Guo Chen)

The EU diplomat also noted that this round of talks has taken place "against important political developments," citing the recent meeting of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and the U.S. officials in the EU-U.S. summit and Borrell's meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

"Welcomed progress made over last weeks, but difficult decisions remain. It is important to seize the political opportunity, and for all to be flexible. In view of today's Presidential elections, I called for continued commitment by Iran," Borrell tweeted Friday after meeting with Zarif.

Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister and top nuclear negotiator, told reporters before the meeting that documents for an agreement on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal are almost ready, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"We are closer to an agreement ever than before, but bridging the gaps ... requires decisions by the parties," he said, adding that some issues still need to be resolved.

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.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Thailand

Xinhua) 08:32, June 21, 2021

BANGKOK, June 20 (Xinhua) -- A batch of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines landed in the Thai capital of Bangkok Sunday, increasing support to the Southeast Asian country's battle against its worst wave of outbreak so far.

The shipment, imported by the Chulabhorn Royal Academy (CRA), was transported to the Department of Medical Science for quality check after the arrival, the academy said in a post on its official Facebook account.

The CRA announced on Saturday that 17,070 organizations and companies nationwide had registered to obtain the Sinopharm vaccine to inoculate their employees.

The vaccines were considered as an alternative to the mass inoculation program launched by the government on June 7, which has been proceeded so far mainly with China's Sinovac vaccines and locally-manufactured AstraZeneca vaccines.

The country approved the Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use in May, making it the fifth following the approvals of AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines.

Thailand aims to vaccinate about 70 percent of its nearly 70 million population by the end of the year. As of Saturday, it has administered more than 7.5 million doses of vaccines.

On Sunday, the country reported 3,682 new cases, taking the total case tally to 218,131, with more than 85 percent of the infections confirmed since the third wave of outbreak began in early April.

Death toll from the viral disease increased by 20 to reach 1,629, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Vice premier stresses development of counties assisted in rural vitalization

Xinhua) 08:59, June 21, 2021

GUIYANG, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua has urged more efforts in accelerating the development of key counties assisted in the country's rural vitalization drive.

Hu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when attending a work conference in Guizhou Province recently. He called for efforts to consolidate the poverty alleviation achievements and ensure that the counties will not lag behind in rural vitalization.

The overall economic and social development of the counties remains at a relatively low level after the country wins a complete victory against poverty, he said, stressing the need to prioritize work in maintaining and expanding poverty relief achievements.

More work should be done to promote the continuous income increase of people lifted out of poverty, ramp up the industries with assistance from developed regions, and enhance the development of local economy.

He also underscored measures to speed up social and cultural development of the counties, as well as the development of education and medical service.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Testimony in 'Uygur court' given by actors

09:01, June 21, 2021 By Zuo Shuo ( China Daily

A news conference on Xinjiang-related issues is held in Beijing on June 18, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

A public hearing by a "Uygur tribunal" on accusations of so-called genocide in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is illegal and the people who gave "testimony" are just actors, Xinjiang officials said on Friday.

A public hearing by a "Uygur tribunal" on accusations of so-called genocide in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is illegal and the people who gave "testimony" are just actors, Xinjiang officials said on Friday.

Xu Guixiang, a spokesman for the Xinjiang regional government, said the British tribunal, opened on June 4, was set up by Western anti-China forces and East Turkestan organizations, groups of secessionists advocating Uygur "independence". It has invited a dozen so-called anti-China experts and scholars to prove a nonexistent lie of "genocide" by the Chinese government against the Uygur ethnic group.

"It is simply a shameless act by people who treat the law as child's play," he said at a news conference in Beijing.

The attempt to put the label of "genocide" on Xinjiang can be called the biggest false accusation in human history. Such absurd claims have trampled on international law, interfered in China's internal affairs and seriously hurt the feelings of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, he said.

More than 20 "witnesses" have given their "testimony" at the "hearing", which is beyond common sense and comprehension. Their ability in fabricating and lying has reached its peak, Xu said.

Marhaba Aolan, a professor at Xinjiang University, said: "As a Uygur university teacher, I strongly condemn and oppose the witnesses who have claimed that they have been tortured, abused and sexually assaulted when they were detained in Xinjiang."

She said the tribunal is not a judicial body but a private company registered in the United Kingdom under the name of "Uygur tribunal". Its largest donor is the infamous "World Uyghur Congress", an anti-China separatist organization, she added.

"It has no basis or validity in international law, so any ruling or verdict by the court will only be a piece of useless paper."

Elijan Anayat, another spokesman for the Xinjiang government, said based on the presumption of guilt, this pseudo tribunal fabricated evidence and invited so-called witnesses and victims who are just a few "actors" that have been exposed many times.

Some of the witnesses have relatives or friends in Xinjiang who have been sentenced with crimes including homicide, rape and drug dealing, but they claim that their relatives have been "persecuted" or put in "concentration camps", he said.

"It is unbelievable for some Western countries and international organizations to regard their false stories as evidence and it is also laughable for the court to put the habitual liars as witnesses."

The family members of the so-called witnesses also refuted their claims at the news conference.

Habiba Yimit, wife of one of the witnesses, Mahmut Tawakkul, said his claim that he has been tortured in prison is a complete lie.

Habiba said she had been with her husband every day before he left the country suddenly and he has never served in prison.

Their oldest daughter of their three children had leukemia and the couple took her to Urumqi for treatment. However, Mahmut did not care about the daughter or the family and suddenly disappeared, she said, adding that she learned afterwards that he joined a terrorist group abroad.

"We suffered great difficulty since you left and our life only got better thanks to the government's help," she said. "You abandoned your elderly parents, three children and me."

Marhaba Abdughopur, younger sister of Shamshinur Ghopur, said she was very angry when she heard the absurd claim made by Shamshinur that women in Xinjiang who have given birth to three or more children should have their uterus removed.

"As a gynecologist, I have never seen or heard of that," Marhaba said. "Our parents have eight children and I also have three children. Her fabricated story has never happened in Xinjiang."

The anti-terrorism and anti-extremism efforts made by Xinjiang over the years have borne fruit and the region has not seen any terror attack in four years, Xu said. It is the largest guarantee for human rights, he added.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Liang Jun)
China's migrating elephant herd lingers in township

Xinhua) 09:02, June 21, 2021

Aerial photo taken on June 20, 2021 shows the Asian elephants in Dalongtan Township of Eshan County, Yuxi City of southwest China's Yunnan Province. The herd of wandering Asian elephants moved back and forth in a small area in Dalongtan Township between 6 p.m. (1000 GMT) Saturday and 6 p.m. (1000 GMT) Sunday, according to the Yunnan headquarters in charge of monitoring their migration. A male elephant, which strayed 15 days ago, is now about 24.3 kilometers away from the herd. All 15 elephants are safe and sound, according to the headquarters. (Xinhua)

KUNMING, June 20 (Xinhua) -- The herd of wandering Asian elephants in southwest China has lingered in a particular spot in Dalongtan Township under the city of Yuxi, in Yunnan Province, authorities said Sunday.

The herd moved back and forth in an area about 280 meters in diameter in Dalongtan between 6 p.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday, according to the headquarters in charge of monitoring their migration.

A male elephant, which strayed 15 days ago, is now about 24.3 km away from the herd.

All 15 elephants are safe and sound, according to the headquarters.

Experts are continuing to work on plans to guide the elephants' migration, and precaution measures have been taken to ensure the safety of both the animals and local residents. One tonne of food was provided to the elephants on Sunday.

The elephants traveled about 500 km north from their forest home in southern Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture before reaching Kunming, the provincial capital, 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 are primarily found in Yunnan and are under A-level state protection in China. Thanks to enhanced protection efforts, the wild elephant population in the province grew to about 300, up from 193 in the 1980s.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Hongyu)
DPP slammed for disrupting Hong Kong and seeking "Taiwan independence"

Xinhua) 09:12, June 21, 2021

BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Sunday condemned Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority for its attempts to disrupt Hong Kong and seek "Taiwan independence".

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to the DPP authority's groundless slander against the suspension of the Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office (Taiwan).

The DPP authority has no remorse for meddling in Hong Kong affairs and providing support and shelter for rioters in Hong Kong, but points fingers at the rightful actions by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, said Ma.

There is no doubt that exchanges between China's HKSAR and China's Taiwan region should be conducted on the political foundation of the one-China principle, he added. "We firmly supports the HKSAR government in dealing with Taiwan-related affairs in accordance with the HKSAR Basic Law, and the policies of the Chinese central government."

In the context of the urgent task of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, the DPP authority places its own political gains above public health on the island, and continued political manipulation, said Ma.

He warned the DPP authority that its attempts to sabotage the prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and interfere in Hong Kong affairs will result in severe punishment.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
IMF: Global carbon price floor would limit global warming

(CGTN) 10:33, June 21, 2021

Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), receives an interview with Xinhua during the IMF Spring Meetings in Washington D.C., the United States, April 13, 2021. (Kim Haughton/IMF/Handout via Xinhua)

An agreement by some or all of the Group of 20 (G20) members on a flexible global carbon price floor would help limit global warming to 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a new staff paper released Friday.

Such an agreement would cover a big percentage of global carbon dioxide emissions, marking a major step toward needed reductions in greenhouse gases, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told an event hosted by the Brookings Institution.

"To help save the planet we must work together to prevent a climate crisis from turning into a catastrophe," Georgieva said. "We see an international carbon price floor as a viable option to reach such an agreement and will continue our work on it."

Experts say emissions must drop by one quarter to one half to keep global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius. The IMF has stepped up its efforts on climate change, citing what it sees as "huge risks to the functioning of the world's economies."

Georgieva and other IMF officials argue that the right climate policies can also provide tremendous opportunities for investments, economic growth and green jobs.

The needed reductions in emissions were unlikely to happen unless the global carbon price hit around $75 per tonne by the end of the decade, up from just $3 a tonne now, Georgieva said.

Driving up the cost of polluting energy sources would provide powerful incentives for increasing energy efficiencies, said the paper, co-authored by Vitor Gaspar, head of the IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department, and Ian Parry, a top environmental fiscal policy expert at the fund.

The paper, which is still being discussed with the IMF board and the fund's members, argues that adopting a flexible and differentiated carbon tax floor with prices ranging from $25 to $75 a tonne could reduce emissions by 23 percent by 2030.

It said the scheme could start with the biggest emitters  the United States, China, the European Union and India and other G20 members  and gradually expand to include other countries.

Georgieva said carbon taxes would be an efficient mechanism to implement a carbon price floor, but regulation, emissions trading and other measures could deliver equivalent outcomes.

A carbon price floor would also be "less divisive and far more effective than unilaterally imposed border carbon adjustments," Georgieva said, according to a text of her prepared remarks.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu)
China releases white paper on Hainan free trade port

(CGTN) 10:36, June 21, 2021

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 8, 2020 shows a cruise ship at a port in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

China's State Council Information Office officially released a white paper on the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) on Sunday.

The white paper introduces central policies and achievements of the construction of Hainan FTP over the past year.

In June 2020, China released a master plan for the Hainan free port to build the southern island province into a globally influential duty-free trading center by the middle of the century.

According to the plan, an FTP system focuses on trade and investment. Liberalization and facilitation will be "basically established" in Hainan by 2025 and become "more mature" by 2035.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu)
China publishes record of expelling foreign warplanes, 'warns risky US close-in recons'

Global Times) 10:45, June 21, 2021

Pilots assigned to a naval aviation brigade under the PLA Eastern Theater Command keep their Su-30 fighter jet in a specified airspace while awaiting further clearance during an actual-combat flight training exercise in mid-February, 2020. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Li Hengjiang)

China recently published the flight record of its fighter jets expelling foreign warplanes from the region seen as the South China Sea in May 2020, which is a move that sent a strong signal to the US, as the latter doubled its risky and provocative close-in reconnaissance attempts on China in the region this year compared to last year, Chinese experts said on Sunday.

The lead Chinese pilot said he was ready to fight during the encounter, before the foreign aircraft retreated.

Some foreign military aircraft were spotted conducting close-in reconnaissance on China in May 2020, and an aviation force brigade attached to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command Air Force deployed in a coastal frontline air base was tasked to engage, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Saturday.

Pilot Lu Geng, head of the brigade's air group, immediately led the group in a scramble to engage the hostile aircraft, and succeeded in expelling them, the report said. The warplanes Lu and his group flew were Su-30 fighter jets, which skimmed past islands and reefs in the South China Sea, the report footages show.

"This is the PLA Air Force. You are about to enter Chinese airspace. Leave immediately!" They said in radio communications in both English and Chinese.

Despite the warnings, the foreign warplanes insisted on approaching by taking turns in dealing with the PLA aircraft. After tasking his wingmen to continue tracking the foreign aircraft and taking video evidence, Lu maneuvered to an advantageous position, locked on targets and made a mock attacking move.

This let the foreign military aircraft realize they were at a disadvantage, and after several failed attempts to break away from Lu, they were left with no choice but to retreat, as Lu and his comrades accomplished the mission in safeguarding China's aerial sovereignty, CCTV reported.

Remembering the encounter, Lu said that, "If [they] had started the fight, I would fight. Pilots are ready all the time, and there was nothing to hesitate about."

The CCTV report did not identify the nationality of the foreign warplanes, but observers said they were very likely from the US, as it has been conducting increasingly frequent close-in reconnaissance activities on China since early 2020.

In May 2020, the US dispatched at least 35 large spy planes to the South China Sea, according to the monitoring of the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI), a Beijing-based think tank.

In the same month this year, the US doubled the efforts by sending at least 72 spy aircraft to the region, according to the SCSPI.

The US has been sending electronic reconnaissance aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft for close-in reconnaissance operations on China attempting to gather intelligence on the PLA and contain Chinese military activities, Xu Guangyu, a senior adviser to the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, told the Global Times on Sunday.

It is necessary to take countermeasures against these activities that are threatening national security by means that include expelling them, Xu said.

The revelation of the encounter to the public a year after its occurrence is a strong signal sent to the still-increasing US close-in reconnaissance activities, and Lu's strongly worded statement displays the PLA's determination and capability to safeguard the motherland, warning of the high risk of the provocative US military activities, analysts said.

The international community should know more about the persistent strategic threats the US is posing to China, and that it is the US that has been making provocations, Xu said.

Lu is no stranger to the public as a guardian of the South China Sea. He and his comrades broke the PLA's record on flight duration in a single sortie using a fighter jet by completing a 10-hour armed patrol missionto the most remote islands and reefs of the South China Sea in early 2020.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Hongyu)
Interview: CPC's great practice offers inspirations, says Turkish party leader

Xinhua) 11:24, June 21, 2021

ISTANBUL, June 21 (Xinhua) -- China, led by the Communist Party of China (CPC), has accomplished an extraordinary success in eradicating absolute poverty and upholding multilateralism, Dogu Perincek, chairman of Turkey's Patriotic Party, has said.

Perincek, a well-known politician in his country, has paid several visits to China, during which he was most impressed by the tremendous efforts that Chinese people have put in creating a better life.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Perincek said that the New China was one of the poorest countries when established in 1949, "but the country created a 'miracle' in such a short time" as it developed to become an engine of world economy.

"We can call this century-old history a heroic history or a legendary history of the CPC," he said, speaking of the upcoming 100th anniversary of its founding early next month, with a belief that the party will lead China to another century of great success.

Perincek noted that the CPC, the world's largest political party with more than 90 million members, has acted "equally and sincerely" in its relations with other parties.

"It does not impose its position," he stressed. "When telling its stories, it always says 'these are our experiences.'"

In his view, the CPC is truly "admirable" for respecting other parties' choices of path in line with each country's unique conditions.

Perincek also spoke highly of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, saying the book "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" has showcased the Chinese president's exceptional leadership skills.

Hailing China's success in securing a "complete victory" in the fight against poverty, Perincek said "this is a great historic achievement for humanity."

Perincek said China also achieved a peerless success in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

China is actively promoting multilateral cooperation and building a community with a shared future for mankind, Perincek said.

"It is not egotistic and not selfish. And in this respect, it represents humanity's hopes and aspirations," he noted.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Hongyu)
Centenarian keeps confidence in CPC

Xinhua) 11:34, June 21, 2021

BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- At the age of 103, Zhang Shouzhong, a retired Second World War veteran, insists on doing two things every day: studying the policies and knowledge of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and doing some outdoor exercises.

Living by himself in a community in the northwest of Beijing, Zhang maintains an independent and self-disciplined life, and sticks to the oath he made in joining the CPC, after he became a Party member in July last year.

The veteran had cherished the dream for more than 80 years, but having served in the Kuomintang (KMT) forces during the war, he never acted upon it.

The shift in his mindset came in 2015, when Zhang received a medallion to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, which was issued by the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission.

"With the medal, I believe that the veterans like me were not forgotten," he said.

In March 2018, Zhang submitted his application to join the Party to the Party branch of his local community in Haidian District of Beijing.

"Over the past century, I have experienced profound social changes, from the suffering in the old society to the sweet life under the leadership of the Communist Party of China," Zhang wrote in his application letter.

In 1936, 19-year-old Zhang joined the KMT troops and became a driver. In 1937, when the KMT united with the CPC in the war against Japanese aggression, Zhang was sent to drive for the Eighth Route Army led by the CPC.

"I was surprised by the equal relations between soldiers and officers of the Eighth Route Army. The commander ate and slept together with us. The food was simple. We only had steamed bread, no meat, no vegetables, not even pickles," Zhang recalled.

He said the seeds of joining the CPC were planted in his heart at that time. But he hesitated due to his working experience for the KMT. He did not join the CPC or the KMT at that time.

In August 1945, Zhang witnessed the ceremony to mark the Japanese surrender in Zhijiang, central China's Hunan Province.

After the founding of New China, Zhou worked as a driver in Beijing Forestry College, the predecessor of Beijing Forestry University.

After retirement, Zhang was re-hired by the school to help with some back-office work, such as writing posters with his handsome calligraphy. He retired in the real sense at the age of 83.

Turning 104 in September, Zhang has no worries about living a solitary life, as he believes the elderly care services in his community are reliable.

He said community workers make regular door-to-door visits to the elderly and offer free services such as haircuts. All the residents aged over 80 enjoy family doctor hotline service.

"Our Party has gone through 100 years of glorious history and is still full of vigor," he said. "I have full confidence in the Party."

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Hongyu)
Terraced field in central China's Hunan boosts tourism, agriculture

People's Daily Online) 14:57, June 21, 2021

(People's Daily Online/Tian Wenguo)

Known as the largest and highest terraced field in China, the terraced field located in Huaihua city, central China's Hunan Province, is now in a golden period thanks to the integration of agriculture and tourism.

The terraced field, located at altitudes of between 300 meters and 1,400 meters, covers an area of more than 200,000 mu (about 13,333 hectares), attracting a large number of tourists and photographers.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Hongyu)
Relationships courses become a hit with China's university students

People's Daily Online) 16:29, June 21, 2021

China is witnessing a plunging birth rate and a growing number of complaints about the difficulty in finding Mr. or Ms. Right. To address this problem, a number of universities in China have launched dating and relationships courses, which have now become a hit with students.

(Photo/Pixabay.com)

According to statistics released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, approximately 9.27 million marriages were registered in China in 2019, down 8.5 percent from the previous year. Meanwhile, the marriage rate was 6.6 marriages per 1,000 people, down 0.7 per 1,000 people from the previous year, the lowest since 2013.

At Wuhan University of Technology (WUT), more than 1,600 graduate students have opted for the "Love and Marriage, Workplace and Personality elective course, a figure far higher than that of other general elective courses. In fact, the number of students who attended this course due to its fame far outnumbered this official figure.

"Unlike the course titled 'Love Psychology' that I offer to undergraduates, we explore what kind of workplace and what kind of love people with different personalities will encounter in the 'Love and Marriage, Workplace and Personality classes, which are more targeted and more practical," explained Zhang Xiaowen, a teacher of this highly popular course at WUT.

The online segments that accompany the two courses provided by Zhang also enjoy wide popularity. Since they were made available online four years ago on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), a national studying platform that offers various courses recorded in Chinese universities, over a million netizens have subscribed to the classes.

Among them, "Love and Marriage, Workplace and Personality" ranked among the top three most popular courses on the platform, while Zhang was awarded the title of outstanding teacher in 2017.

As early as 2007, Beijing Normal University introduced the "Intimate Relationship and Self-Growth course, which was in high demand with students. Similarly, in 2013, East China Normal University launched a "Marriage and Love course, which also became a smash hit among its students. Meanwhile, the elective course "Love Psychology" provided by Zhengzhou Normal University in 2015 was already over-booked at the time of its launch.

Chen Wan, a graduate student at Wuhan University who took the compulsory courses on love, believed that courses regarding marriage offered by colleges and universities can not only satisfy students' curiosity on this topic, but also alleviate growing anxiety over the idea of marriage.

From Chen's point of view, recent years have seen a rising number of media reports about infidelity and domestic violence, resulting in more people becoming skeptical about love and marriage. This anxiety also affects college students, which may explain the high popularity of love and marriage courses on campuses, according to Chen.

Zhang believed that the anxiety over love and marriage can be attributed to the development of the Internet. From Zhang's perspective, spending less time online and more time interacting with the real world can be an effective method for young people to lead a happy life.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
As the name suggests, Aqua Terra is all about versatility. An OMEGA timepiece designed for adventurous individuals equally at ease in the central city as they are in the middle of the ocean.



In keeping with the lifestyle of its intended wearers, the Swiss brand has taken the Aqua Terra into exciting new territory, by introducing a seconds hand thats an absolute first. The 2021 collection consists of ten 38mm models, two of which are luxury editions; as well as nine new 41mm models, including four luxury versions.

Small Seconds and other big changes

The standout feature on all new models is a small seconds subdial at 6 oclock, encircled by an applied subdial ring: many in 18K Sedna gold - some even set with diamonds.



The collection features new dials in subtle sun-brushed shades and two-tone teak patterns with eye-catching hour markers, including diamonds arranged incrementally from 6 to 12 oclock and sailboat hull-shaped indexes with iridescent mother-of-pearl inlay.

To fix the new watches firmly to the wrist there are bracelets in matching metals, rubber straps in beige and blue - and leather straps in red, burgundy, beige and green.

Of the four mighty movements driving the Small Seconds watches, there are two luxury calibres (8803/8917), each distinguished by an 18K Sedna gold rotor and balance-bridge.

38 mm

At the sportier end of the 38 mm spectrum are eight watches in either stainless steel, or a blend of steel and 18K Sedna gold, powered by OMEGAs Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8802, with new dials in dark green, light green, linen and extra white mother-of-pearl. The latest 38 mm OMEGAs sport matching bracelets or beautifully coloured leather straps, depending on the model.

Aqua Terra 150M Co Axial Master Chronometer Petite Seconde 38 Mm Omega

For lovers of luxury there are also two 18K Sedna gold models with diamond-set bezels, powered by OMEGAs exquisite Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8803 with 18K Sedna gold rotor and balance-bridge. Fans can choose an Aqua Terra with purple jade dial and 18K Sedna gold bracelet, or a model with extra white mother-of-pearl dial and red leather strap.

Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8802 Omega

41 mm

The 41 mm range includes four stainless steel editions and one in stainless steel and 18K Sedna gold, all powered by OMEGAs Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8916. Two-tone dials in blue-grey, silvery-blue and silvery-beige, add depth to the displays and contrast beautifully with the new subdials. Watches are fitted with either a matching bracelet, or an integrated structured rubber strap in a complementary colour.

Co-Axial Master Chronometer 8916 Omega

The larger-sized editions also include four models in 18K Sedna gold, all powered by a movement as luxurious as the watchs exterior: OMEGAs Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8917. Aqua Terra aficionados can select either a two-tone blue-grey dial, or a two-tone silvery beige dial. Both options come with a choice of matching bracelet or integrated rubber strap.

Co-Axial Chronometer 8917 Omega

38 mm

At the sportier end of the 38 mm spectrum are eight watches in either stainless steel, or a blend of steel and 18K Sedna gold, powered by OMEGAs Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8802, with new dials in dark green, light green, linen and extra white mother-of-pearl. The latest 38 mm OMEGAs sport matching bracelets or beautifully coloured leather straps, depending on the model.



For lovers of luxury there are also two 18K Sedna gold models with diamond-set bezels, powered by OMEGAs exquisite Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8803 with 18K Sedna gold rotor and balance-bridge. Fans can choose an Aqua Terra with purple jade dial and 18K Sedna gold bracelet, or a model with extra white mother-of-pearl dial and red leather strap.

41 mm

The 41 mm range includes four stainless steel editions and one in stainless steel and 18K Sedna gold, all powered by OMEGAs Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8916. Two-tone dials in blue-grey, silvery-blue and silvery-beige, add depth to the displays and contrast beautifully with the new subdials. Watches are fitted with either a matching bracelet, or an integrated structured rubber strap in a complementary colour.



The larger-sized editions also include four models in 18K Sedna gold, all powered by a movement as luxurious as the watchs exterior: OMEGAs Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8917. Aqua Terra aficionados can select either a two-tone blue-grey dial, or a two-tone silvery beige dial. Both options come with a choice of matching bracelet or integrated rubber strap.

Tested at the highest level

In addition to enjoying a new way to track the seconds, Aqua Terra owners can be sure their new OMEGA will perform perfectly every hour of the day. Each watch comes with a 5-year warranty and Master Chronometer certification card, ensuring that the watch has passed the tests certified by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS).


-- New exhibitions featuring the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and celebrations of the Party's upcoming centenary are heating up atmosphere in Beijing and Shanghai, both of which have been standing witness to the struggle and glory of the CPC over the past 100 years. -- The two cities had suffered tremendously since the Opium War in 1840, but have been playing vital roles in national development under the CPC leadership since their liberation in 1949. Exhibitions and celebrations are well underway in Beijing and Shanghai as the Communist Party of China (CPC) is set to embrace its centenary on July 1. An exhibition on the history of the CPC opened on Friday in Beijing, showing how the CPC has united and led the Chinese people in blazing great paths and making massive achievements over the past 100 years, as well as the fine spirit and precious experience drawn from within. A number of early revolutionary CPC sites, including the former residence of Li Dazhao, a pioneer of the CPC, and the first chamber collecting Marxist works, opened to the public in Beijing on June 1. Photo taken on June 1, 2021 shows the former residence of Li Dazhao in Beijing, Capital of China. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin) An exhibition on the role of Peking University in the early history of the CPC is also ongoing at Peking University Library. Prof. Huang Daoxuan of Peking University (PKU) said that universities, limited in number over 100 years ago and mainly located in Beijing, made the city the center of the New Culture Movement and the May Fourth Movement, both of which greatly contributed to the early spread of Marxism in China and the founding of the CPC. Xiong Yuezhi, a scholar studying Shanghai's history, said that in the 1920s, Shanghai had many favorable conditions such as an expanding working class, a major publishing center, and convenient transportation and communication systems. Through the unremitting efforts of the Chinese Marxists, the CPC came to the stage in Shanghai. Photo taken on Sept. 9, 2020 shows the view of the skyscrapers of the Central Business District (CBD) in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao) A century has passed. A party that began with some 50 members now has over 91 million. Through concentrated renovations and decoration, the presence of "red marks" is increasing in both Beijing and Shanghai, reminding people of the past sacrifices and glory of a party that is leading the Chinese people on the great path of national revival. "Only under the CPC's leadership can our country have such great development. We must unswervingly follow the Party," said Zhou Liru, a tourist from east China's Shandong Province, while visiting an exhibition on the 100-year journey of the CPC at the National Museum of China. CITIES OF THE FUTURE The development of air routes, high-speed railways and expressways between Beijing and Shanghai has also stood witness to China's fast development. A four-and-a-half-hour journey from Beijing to Shanghai, about 1,300 km apart, by high-speed train was unimaginable a century ago. A Fuxing bullet train is seen at Beijing South Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin) The Shougang (meaning "capital steel") industrial sites park, once a large factory founded in 1919 and producing steel in Beijing, has now become an urban landmark filled with modern elements such as automatic vehicles. Steel mills have been transformed into the office buildings of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and factory workshops have been converted into science and technology museums. "Shougang, where we spent a lifetime working, is getting more and more beautiful," said retiree Zhang Yudong. Photo taken on May 28, 2021 shows Shougang ski jumping platform in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin) The whole of Shanghai has become a ground for expositions. Liang Qichao, a pioneering reformer, in 1902 dreamed that Shanghai could hold a grand world expo. That dream became a reality. In 2010, Shanghai presented a remarkable expo to the world. The original site of Jiangnan Shipyard was transformed into the site for the World Expo. The original industrial belt along the city's Huangpu River is now becoming a "leisure belt" for residents. Looking back, the two cities have suffered tremendously since the Opium War in 1840. Over 100 years ago, Li Dazhao and Chen Duxiu, pioneers of the CPC, firmly believed that socialism could strengthen the country and lead the Chinese people to prosperity. Under the leadership of the CPC, Beijing and Shanghai were liberated in 1949. Through the efforts of generations, China has become the second-largest economy in the world with improved national strength and international competitiveness. Photo taken on Nov. 11, 2020 shows a view of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone at Pudong New Area in Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) Beijing and Shanghai's GDPs respectively exceeded 3.6 trillion yuan (about 558 billion U.S. dollars) and 3.8 trillion yuan in 2020, and per capita disposable incomes hit 69,434 yuan and 72,232 yuan. The two municipalities have been playing vital roles in national development, said Cheng Meidong, executive deputy director of the PKU research institute for the CPC's history. And the robust development momentum continues. According to government plans, Beijing will take the lead in basically realizing socialist modernization by 2035 and become an inclusive capital with sound governance and a favorable environment for international exchanges. By 2035, Shanghai will be basically built into a city of innovation, humanity and ecology, a socialist modern international metropolis with global influence, and a people's city with Chinese characteristics. "One hundred years ago, Li Dazhao and many revolutionaries dedicated their lives to China for a bright future. Today, this strong and prosperous country is just as they wished it to be," said Li Xiaoli, Li's great-granddaughter. (Video reporter: Pan Xu, Di Chun, Wu Xia, Wang Pu; Video editor: Liu Xiaorui)
Photo taken on June 20, 2021 shows a meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria. (EU Delegation Vienna/Handout via Xinhua)

VIENNA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Talks on restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), showed positive signal of finalizing the agreement and finding solutions to the Iranian nuclear issue, officials said on Sunday.

During a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission wrapped up on Sunday, representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran agreed on many important issues concerning the revival of the JCPOA.

Talks to revive the JCPOA are "closer to a deal," said Enrique Mora, deputy secretary-general and political director of the European External Action Service.

He said that they have made progress on a number of technical issues, and have more clarity on technical documents.

The documents for an agreement on the revival of the JCPOA are almost ready, senior Iranian nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying on Sunday.

Photo taken on March 11, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

"We are closer to an agreement ever than before, but bridging the gaps ... requires decisions by the parties," he said, adding that some issues still need to be resolved.

The U.S. government withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its JCPOA commitments from May 2019.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that Washington and Tehran remain divided over how to achieve a mutual return to compliance with the nuclear deal.

"What I would say is that there is still a fair distance to travel on some of the key issues, including on sanctions and on the nuclear commitments that Iran has to make," Sullivan said.

"But the arrow has been pointed in the right direction in terms of the work that's getting done in Vienna," he continued. "We will see if the Iranian negotiators come to the next round of talks, prepared to make the hard choices."

"We are closer to a deal, but we are not still there," Mora told reporters after the meeting.

A man walks past a board showing the rates of currencies at a currency exchange center in central Tehran, Iran, Oct. 14, 2020. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua)

Mora voiced hope that in the next round, delegations will come back from capitals "with clearer instructions, clearer ideas on how to finally close the deal."

For the next few days, negotiations will be stopped and the parties will return to their capitals, not for further consultations but for decision making, Araqchi noted, expressing the hope for finalizing the agreement in the next session of the meeting.

"Welcomed progress made over last weeks, but difficult decisions remain. It is important to seize the political opportunity, and for all to be flexible," EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell tweeted on Friday.

China acknowledges the EU's efforts to pursue a return to compliance with the Iran nuclear deal, and hopes that the EU will continue to play its coordinating role, and work with all parties concerned to help bring about an expeditious political solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said earlier this month.

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.
By Wang Qi and Fan Anqi

Medical workers wearing masks outside a quarantine hotel as Taiwan extends its level 3 Covid-19 alert to June 28, following a local outbreak in Taipei, the island of Taiwan, on June 7, 2021. Photo: VCG

Following verbal support to the island of Taiwan on recent G7 summit, the US shipped a batch of 2.5 million Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to the pandemic-hit island, as Taiwan residents are mired in a panic brought by Japan-shipped AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccines, as the island has witnessed 67 deaths after receiving AZ jabs.

The batch of 2.5 million Moderna vaccines arrived on the island on Sunday. The US initially pledged to deliver 750,000 doses to Taiwan, which was announced during a visit by three senators to Taiwan by a C-17 US military aircraft on June 6 and was described as "timely rain" by the island's regional leader Tsai Ing-wen who is facing a huge wave of pressure from people and opposition camp due to the continued snub to Chinese mainland vaccines.

Tsai expressed her gratitude for the US' latest shipment during a livestream speech on Facebook, describing the US as "a friend in need is a friend indeed." The head of Taiwan's health authority, Chen Shih-chung, held up a thank-you board, as shown in a photo as he received the batch of vaccines at the airport.

Tsai said that with the 2.5 million doses, there is a total of 4.85 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in Taiwan.

So far, only 6 percent of Taiwan's total population of 23.5 million has received at least one jab, with over 40 million more doses needed for the island to achieve herd immunity, media reported.

Experts believe it is unrealistic that this batch of Moderna vaccines will alleviate the vaccine shortage, nor the public's fear of AZ vaccination. A doctor from a Taipei-based hospital warned that even if people switch from AZ to Moderna, similar cases may continue to happen, Taiwan media reported.

Experts reached by the Global Times on Sunday said that US delivery is a drop in the bucket for the island. By offering vaccines to the island in a "toothpaste-squeezing manner," it will relieve the political pressure on the secessionist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and make it beholden to the US and fully cooperate with Washington's Indo-Pacific strategy to act as the vanguard to confront the Chinese mainland.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a Twitter post that the vaccine shipment to Taiwan is not based on "political or economic conditions" but with "the singular objective of saving lives." The words are regarded as in sharp contrast to comments from William Brent Christensen, director of the Taipei office of the American Institute in Taiwan, who said on May 26 that the number of confirmed cases in Taiwan is still relatively low compared with the world average, implying that the US would not be generous in helping the island with vaccine aid.

Observers said that the US did not extend a helping hand to Taiwan in the first place out of kinship and humanitarianism as the mainland did, instead, semiconductor chip supply and the arms sales are the reasons why the US has later showed care to Taiwan.

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Washington's calculation

On June 10, US President Joe Biden announced that the US plans to donate 500 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world under the banner of the "US is back."

The vaccine donation to Taiwan is part of Washington's "vaccine diplomacy" to counter Russia and China's vaccine influence after the US has carried out enough inoculations and stockpiled a large number of vaccines, Zhu Songling, a professor at the Institute of Taiwan Studies at Beijing Union University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The US was estimated to have 300 million or more excess doses of vaccines authorized in the US and/or EU by the end of July, based on existing authorizations and purchase agreements.

The island's defense authority on Thursday announced two arms procurement deals with the US, including one "long-range precision fire system" and "a batch of missiles," Taiwan media reported. Analysts said the arms sale is not a coincidence, and that more murky political deals are going on.

The vaccine shipment comes at a time when the US is negotiating with the island on securing supply chains for strategic items such as computer chips. Taiwan is a major supplier of chips that are vital to the US automobile and other industries.

Xu Zhengwen, head of the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce, told the Global Times on Sunday that Washington's sudden "kindness" came at a "delicate timing," as a bipartisan group of US senators had just proposed a 25 percent tax credit for investments in semiconductor manufacturing in a bid to increase the country's chip production.

"The donation of these doses could be aimed in exchange for Taiwan's largest semiconductor manufacturer TSMC to invest in the US," he said.

In terms of political sectors, Wang Jianmin, a senior cross-Straits expert at Minnan Normal University, Fujian Province, told the Global Times on Sunday that after the saga of the US' anti-China roadshow in Europe, the US needs the island of Taiwan to do more to counter the mainland.

Despite the fact that the US did not come to Taiwan's aid swiftly during the worst of the epidemic on the island, the 2.5 million doses will ease the DPP's pressure to some extent facing the discontent and criticism over the repeated rejection of the mainland vaccine, Wang said.

The DPP will be grateful to the US, but the political deals behind the donation are not good for cross-Straits relations and China-US ties, Wang said.

Vaccine policy for self interest

Taiwan experts and residents also questioned the DPP authority why it is not suspending the vaccination of AZ vaccine for elderly people given the dozens of deaths after the AZ vaccine jab in a week. Australia recommended that the AZ COVID-19 jab should not be given to people under 60 on Thursday.

Even when cross-Straits relations were tense, people from Taiwan came to the mainland to get vaccinations. According to public health data, over 62,000 residents from the island have been vaccinated on the mainland as of May 31.

Cheng Po-yu, executive director of the cross-Straits Youth Exchange Association who were vaccinated in Beijing in May, told the Global Times that even with the 2.5 million doses, the vast majority of Taiwan people still have no chance to get one, as the DPP authorities have prioritized those related to key industries such as semiconductors, which the US also prefers to ensure their own supply chains won't be affected," Cheng told the Global Times on Sunday.

He added that in his effort to bring more Taiwan compatriots to the Chinese mainland to get free vaccination, the DPP authorities had banned travel groups specifically intended for COVID-19 jabs to leave for the mainland, forcing such groups to travel individually.

Although the DPP authority on Friday announced that it will authorize Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of Taiwan's Foxconn, and semiconductor giant TSMC, to negotiate on its behalf for COVID-19 vaccines, the idea is unpopular, as there is no reason to believe they can do "better" than authorities.

According to Taiwan media, the island authority has purchased 10 million AZ vaccines and 5.05 million Moderna vaccines but only 50,000 doses or order have arrived.

Zhang Wensheng, a deputy dean of the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Sunday that Taiwan's overall vaccination layout is controlled by the DPP. The vaccines shipped from the US and Japan are designed to alleviate public pressure on DPP and Taiwan's locally developed vaccine will dominate the main market.

Experts said that in fact, the DPP authority does not want the non-governmental organizations to play a role in case to squeeze the space of Taiwan-made vaccine, but given how hard it is for the DPP to get vaccines, they do not hold out much hope for Gou and TSMC who are not allowed by DPP authority to get vaccines through mainland channels.

The Taiwan-made vaccine will only be in Phase-II clinical trials in July and will not be certified internationally, but when the time comes, people on the island will have no choice but to be inoculated with it, observers said, noting that manufacturers will make a fortune, and the DPP has huge interests and connections with manufacturers.
By Ling Shengli

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Since the Biden administration took office, one of its focuses has centered on the Asia-Pacific region. The Biden administration continues to make this region a strategic focus, keeping within the tradition that began during the Obama administration. But how long can the US continue to dominate the region? This deserves deep thinking.

Since the end of the World War II, the US has strengthened its dominance over the order of the Asia-Pacific region by establishing a gigantic military alliance system. In the field of economics, the US has long been a major trading partner and source of investment for countries in the region. It also has a deep political penetration in the region through its allies and partners. Therefore, in terms of politics, economics and security, the US has an important influence on the Asia-Pacific region. It also plays a role that cannot be ignored in the regional order.

After the end of the Cold War, Washington became obsessed with unipolar hegemonic tendencies. It has kept strengthening its influence in the Asia-Pacific region with an attempt to consolidate its dominance in the region. However, China's rise, to some extent, has impacted the US' dominant role. The US government has therefore viewed China as an important challenge and threat.

During the Obama presidency, the US pursued the "pivot to Asia" policy, also known as the rebalance to Asia-Pacific strategy, the core of which was to consolidate and reinforce US' leadership in the region through the recalibration of strategic focus. The importance Washington attached to the region remained unchanged during Trump's tenure. This happened despite the fact that the Trump administration adopted very different foreign policies from the Obama administration. The Trump administration mainly strengthened the US Asia-Pacific influence through the "Indo-Pacific" strategic framework. It aimed at containing China through multilateral cooperation with its allies and partners. The purpose was to undermine China's influence in the region.

The Biden administration is continuing Trump's Indo-Pacific strategic framework. It organized the first Quad summit not long after taking office and stressed a rules-based order in the region. The containment and crackdown on China has not let up under the Biden administration. It is apparent to all that the China-US competition in the Asia-Pacific region is still fierce - arousing global concern.

It can be seen that the Biden administration is busy fighting against the epidemic and resuming economy, yet is also taking great efforts to restore the US' global leadership by returning to multilateralism and repairing relations with allies. The Biden administration is more inclined to use multilateral means to exert pressure on China. Its fundamental purpose is to safeguard the dominant position of the US in the world and the Asia-Pacific region.

To some extent, China-US relations have become the dominant force affecting the Asia-Pacific region. Some people even believe a pattern that Asia-Pacific countries are economically dependent on China yet rely on the US for security has taken shape. But with the intensifying China-US strategic competition, such a pattern is not sustainable. There are also some scholars who believe the region is likely to see the formation of a China-US bipolar pattern with two confrontational camps forming in political, economic and security fields. If this really happens, it will be detrimental to the overall interests of the Asia-Pacific region.

The influence of a country on any regional order depends on four factors: its national strength international mobilization capabilities, regional pattern and regional circumstances. From the perspective of national strength, the US' relative decline has gradually constrained its strategic resource input in the Asia-Pacific region. The possibility of an imbalance between the US' strategic goal and resources will increase. The US' declining strength will also test its international mobilization capabilities, and reduce trust allies and partners have in it.

From the perspective of the Asia-Pacific regional pattern, the balance of power between China and the US is an important factor. But at the same time, countries like Japan, ASEAN nations and India have become important influential players. The regional pattern is no longer dominated by Washington. It has become a multipolar structure. Finally, in terms of regional circumstances, despite some unstable factors, the overall situation in the region is peaceful. Most countries within the region have regarded economic development as their strategic focus.

Although Washington still has a heavy influence on the Asia-Pacific, its dominance of the region is destined to weaken in the future, and it will eventually end. But this is not the result of China-US strategic competition. The end of the US' dominance in the region does not mean that an era of China's dominance in the region is coming. The world today is undergoing major changes unseen in a century. The most important changes will see the weakening of major powers' dominance around the world. This is the inevitable result of the international community's development. And it is the historical fate of major powers' strategic expansion.

The author is secretary-general of the International Security Study Center at China Foreign Affairs University.
Editor's Note: Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China has worked with all other countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind, which has boosted confidence and added impetus for development of Asia and the world. For the celebration of the 100th funding anniversary of the CPC, we are launching the CPC in eyes of foreign military students series, viewing China and CPC from the perspective of foreign soldiers.

By Chadian Army Major KHALIL Abdoulaye djouho

I am now serving in the Chad peacekeeping contingent under the United Nations Multidemensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). In early April, the UN camp was attacked by a group of extremists, and the Chadian peacekeeping contingent suffered casualties. Both my colleagues and my subordinates were among the wounded. Fortunately, they were treated in a timely manner at a level-II hospital operated by the Chinese peacekeeping medical team to Mali, for which I am very grateful.

This is not my first contact with the Chinese troops under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). I went to the Army Logistics University of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) for training in 2019. During my stay in China, the Chinese service members I met were very dedicated and professional. Now, I often think of the days I spent in the PLA Army Logistics University. It was at that time that I had a more realistic understanding of the Chinese military, the image of the Chinese troops changed from vague to clear in my mind and gradually became full and vivid.

Under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese military always puts the interests of the people first. In the Army Logistics University, I learnt about the history of the CPC and the PLA. The CPC is composed of a group of people with advanced ideas influenced by Marxism. Since its establishment in 1921, the CPC has been a revolutionary party representing the proletariat. The PLA was born in the Nanchang Uprising led by the CPC in 1927. The CPC's absolute leadership over the PLA was established in the practice and exploration of the Chinese revolution. From the arduous Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to the Chinese People's War of Liberation, under the leadership of the CPC, the PLA has been fighting for the country and the people, not afraid of hardships nor death. Today, t these fine traditions are still carried on by the PLA troops.

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese military medical staff rushed to the anti-pandemic front line the first time they received orders. The visions of "serving the people" and "putting the peoples interests first" were truly reflected in the actions of the Chinese army.

Apart from safeguarding the country and its people, the Chinese military also undertakes the mission of maintaining world peace. I have also seen many good qualities from the Chinese peacekeeping forces in Mali. The Chinese peacekeepers often distribute medicines to local residents, provide free treatment, and get along well with local people.

Now I have gained a deeper understanding that serving the people wholeheartedly is the fundamental purpose of the CPC, and the PLA is truly an army of the Chinese people and the faithful practitioner of the fundamental purpose of the CPC.

(This article is based on an interview by the PLA Daily with Major KHALIL Abdoulaye djouho assigned to the Army from the Republic of Chad, who had once studied at China's PLA Army Logistics University.)
The MINUSMA assesses the mass wounded treatment capability of the Chinese peacekeeping medical contingent. Photo by Huang Song

By Sun Baofeng and Wang Xuechao

BEIJING, June 21 -- The 8th Chinese peacekeeping medical contingent to Mali successfully passed the combat capability assessment carried out by the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) on June 16, local time.

In this assessment, a working group composed of 13 staff officers from nine departments of the MINUSMA carried out a comprehensive evaluation of the Chinese peacekeeping medical contingent and sang high praise.

Since the contingent was deployed to the mission area, they have received 1,914 outpatients, admitted 37 inpatients, performed 24 operations, and carried out 41 transfer missions of various types. The medical members have successfully completed various medical support missions and been all awarded by the MINUSMA.
China on Monday reiterated that COVID-19 origin-tracing issue is a scientific question and refuted the U.S. "lab leak" accusation, calling it "purely blackmail and threat."

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned on Sunday that China would "risk international isolation" if it fails to follow a "real investigation on its territory into the origins of the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic."

Calling Sullivan's comments "purely blackmail and threat," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian refuted the accusation and expressed China's strong opposition and dissatisfaction towards it.

Speaking at a press briefing, Zhao said China has always held an open and transparent attitude towards relevant investigations since the outbreak. It is groundless to say that China says no to origin-tracing investigations, let alone claiming that China risks so-called international isolation, he added.

China has been working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) ever since the outbreak. In February and July last year, Beijing invited WHO experts to carry out cooperative research on origin-tracing.

This year, a total of 34 experts from the WHO and China jointly conducted 28 days of research starting from January 14, which concluded that the introduction of the virus through a laboratory incident was "extremely unlikely."

Stressing that origin-tracing is a matter of science, Zhao urged the U.S. side to stop politicizing the issue and smearing China to make excuses for its poor response to the pandemic.

Noting that the U.S. has over 33 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 600,000 deaths from the disease, both the highest in the world, Zhao suggested that the U.S. should carefully consider holding officials accountable for the wide spread of COVID-19 in its country and to take concrete measures to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

The spokesperson also urged the U.S. to cooperate with the WHO on the study of COVID-19's origins, and conduct a full, transparent, evidence-based international investigation in the United States so as to fully respond to international concerns, and contribute to mankind's victory over the pandemic and better preparedness in the face of future public health emergencies.

If the United States is truly transparent and responsible, Zhao said, it should be as open as China and immediately invite international experts to Fort Detrick and other places in the United States to conduct a detailed investigation.
Taiwan said seven employees of its trade office in Hong Kong left the financial hub on Sunday after authorities there demanded they sign a pledge recognizing China's sovereignty over the self-ruled island.

The move comes after both Hong Kong and Macau closed their trade offices in Taipei and as Beijing seeks to pile diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Hong Kong's government had demanded its trade office staff sign a "one China pledge," which supports Beijing's view that the island is part of its territory.

Taiwan's current democratically elected government views the island as a de facto sovereign state.

"China and Hong Kong government use the 'one China pledge' to set up barriers and affect the rotation of staff and normal operations of our office in Hong Kong," Taiwan's MAC said in a statement on Sunday. "We firmly reject the irrational political suppression of forcing our staff to sign the 'one China pledge,' and condemn the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities over this."
The owners of a container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March have made a new offer in a compensation dispute with the canal authority, and a court ruling on the case was postponed for two weeks on Sunday to allow more time for negotiations.

The giant Ever Given container ship has been anchored in a lake between two stretches of the canal since it was dislodged on March 29. It had been grounded across the canal for six days, blocking hundreds of ships and disrupting global trade.

The Suez Canal Authority demanded US$916 million in compensation to cover salvage efforts, reputational damage and lost revenue, before publicly lowering the request to $550 million.

The Ever Given's Japanese owners Shoei Kisen and its insurers have disputed the claim and the ship's detention under an Egyptian court order.
Yang Hyeon-jong of the Texas Rangers on Saturday cleared waivers and was sent to the minor leagues after his earlier designation for assignment.

The Rangers said Yang will play for the Round Rock Express, the club's affiliate in the Triple-A League.

Yang moved to the U.S. early this year after signing a split contract with the Texas club. He was invited to the club's spring training camp, but did not earn a spot on the opening day roster.

But he made a couple of impressive relief appearances between late April and early May, grabbing an opportunity to make his first big league start against the Minnesota Twins on May 5.

He made two more starts afterwards, but could not earn a win and posted a disappointing 5.59 ERA.
Suspected North Korean hackers last year stole a vast cache of data from Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, which is manufacturing a new 3,000-ton submarine for the Navy.

They also recently attacked the state-run Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, which was involved in the development of a small reactor to power nuclear submarines.

North Korea probably wanted the information to develop its own nuclear-powered submarines.

A staffer in the office of People Power Party lawmaker Ha Tae-keung, who revealed the hacking attacks last week, said, "Most of the data stolen from Daewoo was related to submarines."

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration admitted there was a hacking attack but denied that military secrets were stolen, saying the firewalls held out.

North Korean hackers have persistently targeted Daewoo, which has been building all of the Navy's submarines. The Chosun Ilbo was unable to confirm the exact documents that were stolen, but sources said they wanted information on the new Dosan Ahn Changho, a 3,000-ton attack submarine that was launched in 2018 and is about to be handed over to the Navy.

In 2016, hackers stole 40,000 files from Daewoo including 60 documents with classified information about the submarine's design, ballistic missile system and vertical launch system.


The Education Ministry on Sunday said both academic skills and interpersonal relationships among schoolchildren are seriously suffering amid the protracted lockdown. It also found no significant correlation between school attendance and coronavirus cases in the first semester.

Schools have been fully or partially closed for a year and five months.

All 5.6 million schoolchildren across the country will go back to school in the fall semester provided that daily coronavirus infections remain below 1,000 nationwide. Currently, about 400-500 new cases occur on daily average.

In May, the average school attendance was 72.3 percent nationwide, while the average daily number of new coronavirus cases was 0.76 per 100,000 schoolchildren.

In one region where school attendance was 96.1 percent, the average daily number of infections stood at a mere 0.38 per 100,000 schoolchildren, the lowest in the country.

"We also took into account reports that advanced countries like the U.S., the U.K., France, and Japan are considering reopening schools fully in the fall semester," a ministry official said.

Schools in different regions will be allowed to provide both online and offline classes depending on their specific situation. For instance, teachers and parents in schools with more than 30 children per classroom can decide to let only up to three quarters of a class come to school on any given day.

If daily infections soar above 1,000 a day, all schools will have to provide some online classes.
The government will exempt vaccinated foreigners from two-week quarantine starting July 1 and the whitelist includes two Chinese COVID-19 vaccines. Korea is the first country in the world to exempt even those who have only been given the Chinese Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines, which have unimpressive efficacy rates. The government explained that Sinovac and Sinopharm have both received WHO approval for emergency use. But China refuses to reciprocate, saying even vaccinated Koreans will have to suffer three weeks' quarantine.

Even when the pandemic raged through Wuhan early last year, the government here refused to shut the doors to Chinese visitors, ignoring calls from many experts and the public to stem the influx of potential carriers from China. When faced with mounting criticism, President Moon Jae-in told Chinese President Xi Jinping in a telephone call, "China's suffering is our suffering." The minister of health and welfare went even further and blamed Korean visitors to China for bringing the virus back to Korea. But China promptly closed its borders to Korean visitors when cases began to surge here and forced all passengers aboard a Korean passenger plane into two weeks' isolation without prior warning. China officials even admonished the Korean government by saying, "Quarantine outweighs diplomacy."

Four Korean correspondents who were assigned to Japan over the last year have yet to start their jobs as the Japanese government has not allowed them in citing quarantine reasons. But over the same period, three or four new Japanese correspondents arrived in Korea and started their work after the mandatory two weeks of self-isolation.

Reciprocity is the basis of all diplomacy between sovereign states. If vaccinated Chinese citizens are exempt from quarantine in Korea, vaccinated Koreans who visit China should be treated equally. Instead, Chinese officials mistakenly incinerated the passports of 31 Koreans who are being quarantined there. These people came in peace and had committed no offense. How did Korea allow itself to be subjected to such abuses by neighboring countries?


Woburn, MA (01801)

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Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. High 62F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

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It is reported that the survey results released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan on the 30th showed that Japans seasonally adjusted full unemployment rate in February was 2.9%, the same as the previous month, and the numbe...
Recently, Germany put forward a new quantum research agenda, looking forward to the research focus and challenges faced by Germany in the field of quantum systems in the next ten years. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research will then laun...
Princess Diana was "a little agitated" and felt "trapped" the night before she died.

The late princess called friends on her mobile phone from Paris on the evening of 30 August 1997 - hours before her death alongside boyfriend Dodi Fayed and chauffeur Henri Paul in a car crash - and she admitted to journalist Richard Kay she was anxious to get back to her sons, Princes William and Harry, in London as she was tired of the constant "circus" of being followed by photographers desperate to capture footage of her on holiday with her partner.

Richard - who met Diana in 1991 - recalled to the Daily Mail newspaper of their conversation: "She was a little agitated. Her plans had gone awry. She was anxious to get home to see her boys and there had been those scenes in the afternoon with the paparazzi racing after them when they'd arrived in Paris.

"I think she was beginning to find the whole circus with Dodi a little tiresome. Not Dodi himself. But the whole fascination with her [private life] throughout the summer was beginning to get on her nerves.

"She felt very trapped by the photographers always being there, and even Dodi Fayed  with access to his father's great fortune and all the 'toys', as Diana put it, like the private jets, boats, chauffeur-driven cars  couldn't help her escape that sense of being hunted."

According to Richard, Diana also had concerns that the security team used by Dodi and his wealthy family was very different to that she'd had protecting her during her marriage to Prince Charles.

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He added: "'And the security around the Fayeds was very different from the kind of security she was used to around the Royal Family, which was, I would say, much more professional."

Despite her closeness to Dodi, Diana had been quick to reassure Richard and other friends she had no interest in rushing to get married again.

He said: "She asked me about Dodi and why the Press was focusing so much on his background and previous romantic entanglements. I told her that it was entirely normal and to be expected, whether he was a dustman or the son of the owner of Harrods.

"There is no doubt that her relationship with Dodi was fast-moving and could have gone somewhere, but in those last weeks of August she had made the point to me repeatedly, when there was speculation about her relationship with him, that 'I haven't got out of one marriage to jump into another'.

"I wasn't the only person she told, 'Look, if I get a ring, it won't be on this finger'  indicating her wedding ring finger.

"Her last words to me were something like, 'You've been working hard. Get a good night's sleep, unplug your phone. I'll speak to you tomorrow and we'll meet on Monday.' "
The Indiana Supreme Court has agreed to review the unique legal status of the entity that operates the South Shore commuter rail line linking Northwest Indiana to Chicago.

According to the Indiana Court of Appeals, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) is both an arm of the state for some matters, including not being subject to lawsuits filed in other states, and a political subdivision of Indiana, similar to a city or school corporation, for others.

Clarence Lowe, of Hobart, doesn't believe NICTD can enjoy both statuses at the same time. And, if the Indiana Supreme Court agrees, Lowe may be able to pursue his claim for damages against NICTD after he allegedly was injured working on the railroad.

WATCH NOW: Casinos drop face mask requirement for vaccinated guests

According to court records, Lowe was manually hammering spikes into frozen railroad ties on Jan. 12, 2018, on a portion of the track in Chicago when he claims he injured his shoulders because NICTD failed to provide proper hydraulic equipment.

Records show Lowe filed suit against NICTD in Cook County, Illinois, on April 3, 2018. The case was dismissed Dec. 18, 2018 because NICTD, as part of the state of Indiana, did not give its consent under the 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to being sued in Illinois.

While the Illinois case was pending, Lowe served notice of a tort claim with the Indiana attorney general on Oct. 2, 2018  263 days after Lowe was injured, according to court records.

Lowe then filed a new lawsuit against NICTD in Porter County on Jan. 18, 2019, largely reiterating his claims from the Illinois lawsuit.

Porter Superior Judge Jeffrey Clymer ruled in favor of NICTD July 30, 2020, after Clymer concluded Lowe's tort claim notice was not submitted within the 180-day period required under Indiana law to seek legal damages from a political subdivision of the state, records show.

In a 3-0 decision, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed Clymer's ruling on March 2, 2021.

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Lowe argues, in his request for review by the state's highest court, he is entitled under federal railroad law to sue NICTD as an arm of the state for injuries suffered on the job within 270 days, not the 180 day limit specified in Indiana law for tort claims against political subdivisions.

He claims the Court of Appeals squeezed him in a "procedural trap" by failing to recognize Lowe substantially complied with the tort claim notice requirement by alerting the attorney general to his case within 263 days of his injury.

NICTD, meanwhile, is urging the Supreme Court to uphold the Porter County decision because even though NICTD's status as both part of the state of Indiana and a political subdivision is unique, it repeatedly has been recognized as valid in Indiana and Illinois courts for decades.

WATCH NOW: Riding Shotgun with NWI Cops  Patrolling Lowell with Cpl. Aaron Crawford

"Lowe undisputedly failed to provide NICTD a notice of tort claim within 180 days of his injury, so NICTD was entitled to summary judgment," the commuter railroad said.

The Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments in the case for 8 a.m. Region time Sept. 16 at its courtroom inside the Statehouse in Indianapolis.

A ruling by the five justice panel is likely to be issued by the end of the year, or in early 2022.

Lowe v. NICTD ruling of Indiana Court of Appeals

Gallery: West Lake Corridor groundbreaking ceremony
A statewide campaign to remind Hoosiers that Democratic Party policies are responsible for their recent economic stimulus payments, expanding employment opportunities, and rising COVID-19 vaccination rates is coming to Northwest Indiana.

U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, is set to headline the Lake County stop on the Indiana Democratic Party's "American Rescue Plan Tour" set for 4 p.m. Tuesday in the grassy area behind the social center at Wicker Memorial Park, 2215 Ridge Rd., Highland.

The first-term congressman will speak at the free, hourlong event, along with Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr.; state Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary; GlenEva Dunham, Gary teachers union president; and Mike Schmuhl, chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party.

"This is an opportunity for us to celebrate the American Rescue Plan, give folks an opportunity to learn more about it, and to thank those elected officials, like Congressman Mrvan, that supported President Biden's and Vice President Harris' plan to help get us back on track," Melton said.

WATCH NOW: Assistance available to help Hoosier renters pay landlord, utility costs

Melton explained that while the $1,400 per person check most Hoosiers received in March probably is the most visible component of the American Rescue Plan, there's a lot more to the legislation that was enacted despite unanimous Republican opposition in Congress.

In particular, Melton said the American Rescue Plan is providing some $3 billion to the state of Indiana, and another $2.9 billion to Indiana cities, towns, and school corporations, to help speed the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic through targeted investments in infrastructure and other community needs.

He said that money is being used at the state level to support $500 million in regional economic development initiatives, $250 million to expand broadband internet access, and $2.5 million to study how best to redevelop Gary's Buffington Harbor into an intermodal shipping hub, among other priorities.

Melton also noted the additional sales tax revenue generated by Hoosiers spending their stimulus checks significantly boosted the state's revenue forecast, enabling lawmakers to put more than $1 billion in new revenue toward Indiana public schools over the next two years and to set a $40,000 a year minimum pay expectation for Hoosier teachers.

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"I don't think Democrats have celebrated or talked about the hard work we've done because many of us don't look for the pat on the back, we just do the work," Melton said.

"But we can't overlook that Indiana is able to make the investments that we're making because of the American Rescue Plan."

Jim Wieser, chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party, sees the American Rescue Plan Tour as an opportunity to keep Region residents focused on political issues, even in a non-election year, and to reengage with traditional Democratic supporters, such as union members, that may have fallen away from the party during the tenure of Republican President Donald Trump.

WATCH NOW: Riding Shotgun with NWI Cops  Patrolling Lowell with Cpl. Aaron Crawford

"We learned from 2020 that we need to build, and in some instances rebuild, our party infrastructure," Wieser said. "There's a lot of work to do in 2021 to do that, and this is part of that work to let people know what the Democratic Party is doing to benefit them."

Wieser said unlike Republicans, who he said primarily focused on cutting taxes for the wealthy and putting conservative judges on the federal bench during the Trump years, Democrats are working to create jobs, improve education and make health care available to all.

He said those efforts will go even further once the Democratic-controlled Congress approves Biden's infrastructure proposal, known as the American Jobs Plan, that promises to grow good-paying union jobs, and manufacturing jobs, in Lake County.

"We want people to know that the representatives of our party are the ones that engage in legislation that directly benefits them," Wieser said.

Meet the 2021 Northwest Indiana legislative delegation
Press Release

June 21, 2021 De Lima welcomes help from Israel experts on PH COVID-19 vaccine rollout Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has welcomed the government's move to accept help from medical experts from Israel's Ministry of Health to assist with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in the country. De Lima said she hopes that the expertise on vaccination that will be shared by a three-person team from Israel could indeed provide enough strategies to deploy highly sensitive vaccines and address the vaccine hesitancy in the Philippines. "With Israel's vaccination rate being among the highest in the world, the Philippines can learn and adopt best practices being applied in that country when it comes to vaccination, considering that our country is still lagging behind COVID-19 inoculation and that there is still unaddressed vaccine hesitancy among Filipinos," she said. "Dapat makasigurado na tama at efficient ang mga istratehiya at polisiya ng gobyerno sa pagtugon sa COVID-19, lalo na sa pagpapabakuna ng mga Pilipino dahil ito ang pinakamabisang paraan para matuldukan ang pandemya," she added. Based on media reports, Avraham Ben Zaken, Adam Nicholas Segal, and Dafna Segol arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last June 20. They will be in the country from June 20 to 25. Among the topics that they will discuss with local experts include handling of highly sensitive vaccines such as the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots and lessons to increase public confidence in vaccines. "As I have said before, the government needs to step up its vaccination campaign to protect the lives of as many people as possible, that is why the help from experts are most welcome," she said. De Lima, a social justice and human rights champion, likewise said she hopes that the lessons that will be shared by Israeli experts can help government craft policies or strategies that would best help those who are still hesitant to get vaccinated decide to get the jab. "Bukod sa pagpapabilis sa rollout ng bakuna, kailangan ng gobyernong paigtingin pa ang paghikayat sa mamamayan na magpabakuna, lalo na't isa sa mga dahilan ng pag-aalinlangan ng marami ay dahil na rin sa propaganda at maling impormasyon noon ng ilan ukol sa bakuna para lang sa pansariling agenda," she said. "In addressing vaccine hesitancy, the government needs a solid strategy or campaign that would help build public trust on vaccines, and remind them that its benefits far outweigh the risks," she added. Public surveys conducted months into the rollout have reportedly shown that only 3 out of 10 Filipino adults were willing to get vaccinated. The Social Weather Stations survey done late April to May found almost as many were unwilling to get vaccinated or were still uncertain.
Press Release

June 21, 2021 Lacson Pushes Fast-Tracking of PNP Body Cameras amid Laguna Buy-Bust Mess

More at: https://pinglacson.net/2021/06/21/lacson-pushes-fast-tracking-of-pnp-body-cameras-amid-laguna-buy-bust-mess/ Amid the controversy involving the killing of a minor in an anti-drug operation in Laguna, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson on Monday pushed for the fast-tracking of the procurement and deployment of body cameras for Philippine National Police operatives in the field. Lacson, who headed the PNP from 1999 to 2001, also hopes the Supreme Court would issue soonest the guidelines for the use of the body cameras, which he said will lessen the "he said, she said" situation where various parties insist on conflicting versions of what happened. "The killing of a minor in a recent PNP drug bust operation and the subsequent 'he says, she says' conflicting versions of the story should prod the PNP to fast-track the procurement of more body cameras and require all their personnel deployed in field operations," he said. "We hope the Supreme Court would issue soonest the guidelines and protocols for the use of the body cameras based on established jurisprudence that defines 'reasonable expectation of privacy test' - which will be a major asset to our law enforcers as well as improved protection of civilians against police abuses," he added. He was referring to the death of a 16-year-old in an anti-drug police operation in Laguna earlier this month, with the teenager's relatives insisting he was murdered and police insisting the teen fought back. At least 10 police officers linked to the death were placed under restrictive custody while an investigation is ongoing. Lacson pointed out the use of body cameras will help in evidence gathering and will serve as a deterrent against abuse by lawmen. He said the body camera can be likened to a closed-circuit television camera installed in a public place, which may be a good source of evidence since a criminal captured by the camera while committing a crime will fail the "reasonable expectation of privacy test." "Either way, the policeman committing an abuse in the exercise of his duties as well as the crime offender cannot use the 'right to privacy' as their defense since either of them will fail the test," he added.
Press Release

June 21, 2021 SP Sotto on inbound Filipino travelers SENATE President Vicente Sotto III has asked the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to review and adjust the government's quarantine protocols for Filipinos coming home or travelling to the Philippines amid the continued threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Sotto noted the expenses that inbound Filipino travelers incur to comply with the stringent requirements of the IATF. "We have received feedbacks from returning Filipinos that they are forced to shell out tens of thousands of pesos for the mandatory 14-day quarantine and swab testing before they are allowed to go home or proceed to their city or province of destination. This is not only inconvenient but unnecessary as well," Sotto said. The Senate leader cited information from a staff of Sen. Panfilo Lacson who returned to the country earlier this year from a visit to the United States. Upon the employee's return, she said she was required to pay P2,000 for the van that brought her from the airport to a hotel that served as a government quarantine facility, where she stayed for six nights and paid P10,000 per night or a total of P60,000. She likewise spent P4,500 for her RT-PCR swab test. Her expenses added up to more than P80,000, inclusive of food and other personal needs. "Ang laki ng ginagastos ng ating mga kababayan na umuuwi dito sa ating bansa na nagnanais lamang na makasama ang kanilang mga pamilya. Hindi ito katanggap-tanggap. Kung hindi kaya ng gobyerno na sagutin ang gastusin para sa quarantine and swab testing requirements, kailangan nilang i-adjust ang guidelines nang sa gayon ay hindi naman masyadong mabigat sa bulsa ang pagsunod sa mga patakaran ng pamahalaan," Sotto said. "I appeal to the IATF together with DOLE, DFA and OWWA to sit down with our OFW groups and formulate an "Oplan Pasko" so that our OFWs come home this Christmas," he added. Sotto likewise suggested that the government look at the United States' policy on inbound travelers and possibly adopt a similar system. Citing information gathered by his office, Sotto said travelers who arrive in America are asked whether or not they have been fully vaccinated. If the response is in the affirmative, the visitor is allowed to proceed to his or her destination. If in the negative, he/she is asked if he/she wants to be vaccinated. Those who wish to be inoculated are given jabs at the airport, while those who refuse the offer are allowed to leave. "Pag-aralan natin kung maaaring ma-adopt natin ang ganitong sistema. Sa ganitong paraan, mas maraming mae-engganyo ang galing sa ibang bansa na wala masyadong kaso ng Covid-19 ang pumunta na dito sa ating bansa. Makatutulong ito sa mas mabilis na economic recovery ng Pilipinas," Sotto said.
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.
Egypt expects Vacsera, the countrys health company in charge of the production and distribution of Covid-19 vaccine to become the largest in the Middle East and Africa.

Hala Zayed, health minister of the Arab Republic visited the companys second production facility located in Sixth of October City.

The new production complex has a capacity of 3 million doses of Chinese covid-19 vaccine Sinovac a day, Arab Finance reports.

The first batch of Made-in-Egypt Sinovac jabs could be done this week, the media further notes.

The Egyptian company in April signed joint agreements with Sinovac to produce locally the Covid-19 vaccine for export across the African continent. Zayed also revealed plans by Egypt to produce locally Covid-19 jabs of a European company. The minister did not name the company but said contact would be made with the company in the coming weeks.
Stakeholders in Turkeys tourism sector have welcomed Russias decision for full scale flights between the two countries to resume on June 22 after three months over fear of contamination to Covid-19.

Moscow reports say, made the decision Friday following a series of preventative COVID-19 measures enforced in Turkey.

A delegation of Russia experts visited Turkey last week to assess safety measures at airports and accommodation facilities. Russia in April suspended commercial flights between the two countries until June 1 and further extended the ban until June 21.

Turkeys tourism minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy welcomed Moscows decision as he branded the move an indication of the trust in our country for safe tourism, Daily Sabah reports.

I hope that we will reap the fruits of our diplomatic traffic with Russia and other countries in the upcoming period, Ersoy said on Twitter. Turkey expects to tap into Russian holidaymakers to boost its tourist sector plummeted by the travel restriction put in place owing to the pandemic.

Russian tourists make up Turkeys largest tourism market. At least 1 million Russian tourists are expected to arrive throughout the year, still down from around 2.1 million last year and 6 million in the year before the pandemic, the daily reports, citing some experts in the industry.
A rescue mission for kidnap victim Hafsa Mohammed Lukman came to a successful and fruitful conclusion on Sunday morning, five days after the businesswoman went missing.

Hafsa, 23, was last seen at her clothing shop in Kamukunji Trading Centre on Tuesday, June 15, with surveillance camera recordings showing she entered the store at 4:44 pm in the company of another woman, who has been identified as Hafsa Abdulwahab.

The two are said to have left for Kayole shortly after before a criminal gang abducted Hafsa Lukman.

On Wednesday, June 16 at 11:30 pm, the abductors contacted Hafsas family demanding Ksh5 million ransom for her release.

The gang also sent a 35-second video clip showing Hafsa blindfolded with her hands and legs tied. In the clip, a visibly tortured Hafsa is heard pleading with her family, saying: Nimeshikwa na wanataka pesa, tafadhali mtume pesa (I have been kidnapped, and theyre demanding ransom. Please, send it).

On Sunday, however, detectives from Crime Research & Intelligence Bureau and the Special Service Unit carried out an elaborate rescue mission to reunite Hafsa with her family.

The security agents found Hafsa at a dingy room in Matopeni, within Kayole, where she had been forced to fit in a water tank.

The badly shaken woman who had visible bruises on her face and hands, was immediately rushed to hospital for medical attention, police said.

The detectives also arrested one suspect, a 24-year-old man whose identity was yet to be revealed.

The suspect is currently being interviewed by detectives to shed more light on the kidnapping & help in the arrest of his fellow miscreants. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations is issuing a stern warning to any persons harbouring the intention of committing such a heinous crime, that no efforts shall be spared in their pursuit. said the DCI in a statement Sunday.

We thank the members of the public who volunteered information through our #FichuakwaDCI hotline, leading to the rescue of businesswoman.
Esther Kalekye Ngatia is the founder of the fashion line House of Kaji, which she started together with her brother in their mothers living room in 2015.

House of Kaji has since featured in fashion shows such as East Africa Fashion Week, Masquerade Runway Ball, Fashion Night Out, and others.

The 34-year-old fashionista spoke to People Daily about her journey in fashion.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Im a 34-year-old lady who loves life, lives it to the fullest, and always has an attitude of gratitude.

Growing up was magical, but it would change at some point after my father who was then a banker got retrenched.

My mum had a salon and so helped pick up the slack when it came to bills.

Im extremely grateful that they managed to put the four of us through school, even though with difficulties.

To be honest, my family has taught me great values that I carry and impose in everything I do, touch, and say.

I can proudly say Im who I am because of the strength of my family and the love bestowed upon us.

I completed high school in 2005 at Nembu Girls High School, and right away I got a job in a cyber cafe where I learnt computer.

I started saving and after two years I was able to enroll myself at the East Africa School of Media Studies, majoring in broadcast journalism.

Life is quite interesting because after all that, Im doing something completely off from my majors.

What sparked the fire for your journey in the fashion world?

Poverty! Imagine going to school and getting diplomas, sending out CVs, left right and centre, and still nothing.

Just a whole lot of disappointments and empty promises. I have worked at a pizza joint, law firm (as a receptionist), promotions for companies, and telemarketing.

At some point, I remember getting depressed wondering if life would ever be better. One crucial lesson my mum taught us is never to look like your problems.

She would dress, look like a million bucks yet her purse would sometimes be carrying loose change.

I carry the same exact energy, and so I would always get compliments on my dressing.

Sometimes I would buy an item, then alter it to fit my style. I purely believe without prejudice that style is inborn and fashion is acquired.

How was House of Kaji born?

House of Kaji was born in 2015 in our mums living room. I say our because we were partners with my brother James Mwoni.

Kaji is a combination of our names Kalekye and Jimmy. It sounded unique and so we rolled with it, went ahead and registered the company and we were ready to introduce our briefcase design company to the world.

We sourced for different tailors for specific needs. At that time we could not afford machines, so we basically outsourced.

We set up social media accounts and the first post was of a pair of Ankara loafers that we had made for ourselves for the purpose of marketing. I used this formula with the outfits too.

We sourced the fabrics, created designs, had them made at the tailors, wore, and took pics to post.

I genuinely believe in the power of social media, because we started getting orders after a while and as they say, the rest is history.

How did it take off?

In 2018, I opened my first store on Ngong Road, Nairobi, with savings accumulated over the years.

I had already parted ways with my brother, as he was ready to start his own design company and I was proud and happy for him. His company is called Mwoni Satorials.

Within a year, we had to look for a bigger space. In 2019, we moved to APA Arcade where space was bigger.

The store did well, but in 2020 when Covid-19 hit, I couldnt maintain the store for long. There were no weddings or events, and clubs were closed.

Dressing people is our core business, and so when nothing is taking place, we are basically stranded.

But in May 2020, we (my hubby, myself, and Jimmy) relocated to Diani, Kwale county, and were happy with our decision.

How many runways have you taken part in thus far?

So far weve participated in five fashion shows namely East Africa Fashion Week, Masquerade Runway Ball, Fashion Night Out, Miss Attitude East Africa and Laikipa Fashion Weekend.

Is there a fashion rule you live by?

If youre exposing the upper area of your body, cover the bottom area and vice versa. Never both at the same time.

You recently won a Metta grant to empower women through fashion. Tell us more about it?

First of all, Im humbled and grateful to be among the top six chosen out of 800 applicants for the programme.

The end goal for House of Kaji is to provide employment opportunities and create a sustainable source of income to the underprivileged in the society.

So far, Im working with two ladies scouted from Diani, and my hope is to be able to help them create their own fashion lines by the end of the programme.

This in turn should be able to create a source of income and God willing if were able to make good sales, my plan is to buy them their own sewing machines.

Basically, we are teaching them how to fish instead of giving them the fish. Its an awesome experience and feeling.

What plans does House of Kaji have going forward?

Well, right now, we are focusing on building our brand in Diani. My team consisting of James (lead tailor) and Embukane Liboso (marketer) and I intend to change the fashion and design spectrum in Diani.

This place is mostly known for tourism yet theres so much talent here. Today you can find House of Kaji merchandise at Swahili Boutique inside the Swahili Beach Resort.

Our main goal is to create employment through a sustainable source of income. My wish is to empower a girl somewhere, feeling lost.

We intend to continue providing programmes that will empower the underprivileged in society by teaching them design skills, which in turn will create a source of income.
Catherine Wangui Njuguna was born with albinism despite there being no known history of albinism in the family.

The 27-year-old has battled stereotypes and discrimination, but through the love and support of her family and the Albinism Society of Kenya community her life is fulfilled.

***********************************

There is no history of albinism in my family and so it came as a shock to my family and relatives when I was born with the condition. My father has been my greatest support system and has walked with me since I was born. He always protected me from the social stigma linked with albinism and always assured me that I was beautiful. This has been my greatest source of hope.

I was born and raised in Githunguri, Kiambu County. I grew up having parents and siblings who were very loving and this birthed confidence in me. Unfortunately, when I went into society and I looked at the media space, I was not represented as beautiful. To some extent, I started developing inadequacy, as people took quite a while to understand my beauty and accept that my eyebrows and eyelashes are pale, and my hair is curly and blonde as opposed to curly and black.

I had to cultivate a sense of enoughness which freed me from the validation of society and what the ideals of beauty are perceived to be. My father always assured me that, am his favourite in the family and he showered me with gifts and love messages. I always felt relief being at home where I felt accepted and loved.

With my family support, I acquired education from Thika School for the Blind, and eventually, my father suggested I join Kahurira Secondary school Githunguri to be near him. Life took a different route when I Joined Secondary school as I became the subject of ridicule and became introverted. I recall students staring at me and telling me that I looked weird. Some students avoided touching me because of the myth that, if they touched me they would be like me.

I faced all forms of discrimination in school which really affected my self-esteem. Luckily, the headteacher realised that students were avoiding me and this pushed him to create awareness about albinism. I remember him telling students that I am just like them and issued a warning that anyone who would mistreat me would be expelled. At last, I felt a sense of belonging.

Dating and finding the one can be hard for most people, and albinism can add some unique challenges to fully understand the language of love. After High school, I got involved in exploring romance, intimacy, and sex. At the age of 21 years, I got pregnant and this shocked me because I thought people living with albinism could not conceive. When I became pregnant, the father of my baby abandoned me as he thought that I would birth an albino baby. The pregnancy journey was tough and full of anxiety as I too thought the same.

I didnt want my child to re-live my experience, so I desired a baby without albinism. The myths associated with albinism have a profound influence on the lives of people with the condition. The beliefs and superstitions are deep-rooted.

My daughter who is now six was born without the condition.

The father of my baby was shocked when he heard the baby was without the condition. He came back begging to take the child as he believed with time, the baby would be an albino. There is a myth that albinism is contagious. My family ensured that my baby was safe. When I look at my daughter, I smile knowing that indeed, there is a God in heaven who hears our prayers. In most cases, my daughter always asks me why I am different from the rest of the parents, and I always tell her that, I am mzungu a name that has been embraced by her peers.

I have struggled with low self-esteem, self-absorption, and I have had to battle myths. In 2017, I was introduced by a friend to the former nominated senator Hon. Isaac Mwaura, the core founder of Albinism Society of Kenya (ASK). I have learnt so much from him and this has truly shaped me to be a very confident woman who is never intimidated by what people think. Through ASK, I was introduced to Beauty Point College where I got a scholarship to pursue beauty therapy for seven months. The course made me understand that beauty enhances value and that there is beauty beyond the screen. I am equipped with skills that have enabled me to venture into entrepreneurship. I offer mobile salon services at an affordable cost and I use that money to raise my daughter.
Harry Kimtai, the principal secretary, State Department for Livestock, spoke to Seeds of Gold on challenges facing the meat sector and what opportunities investors can grab.

The price of beef has been on the rise, with a kilo going for an average of Sh500. What has occasioned the rise and how can the government change this situation if the industry is to grow?

The price is responding to the forces of demand and supply. The butchers are unable to get slaughter stock at a price they were used to before Covid-19 struck.

With Covid-19 protocols enforced, livestock movement within production regions was affected especially during lockdown leading to low supply of animals. The revamping of the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC), which was recently re-launched by the Head of State, President Uhuru Kenyatta, is another contributing factor to the rise in price of meat.

Previously, KMC was buying a kilo of live animals at Sh150. After the recent restructuring, the price shot up. The move has thus made supply to other slaughterhouses decline. Further, there has been drought in Kajiado and Northern Kenya, depressing supply.

How many beef animals (tonnes of meat) does the country need annually and are we producing enough?

Total meat production stands at 756,000 tonnes annually, 70 percent of it being beef, mutton (sheep) and chevon (goats) while white meat such as fish, chicken and pork occupy the rest. Red meat is the most consumed. Our per capita beef consumption is estimated to be about 12 kilos in every household per year. The rise in population, which stands at an average of 50 million, puts the demand at 600,000 metric tonnes yearly. The gap is augmented by regional livestock trade. There is enormous opportunity for investment in beef production.

Beef cattle farmers are grappling with a lack of market, which has seen them sell their animals at low prices to brokers. Can KMC come to the rescue of farmers?

Low supply of animals, poor marketing infrastructure and inadequate entrepreneurial skills are some of the challenges hurting beef farming. We are working on a model that will enhance group marketing and contract production for farmers to sell to established processors. These developments will become clearer when we finalise our livestock master plan and the beef strategy. Initially, when KMC was not performing well, farmers could sell their animals at low prices but now they have an option. The thing is that most farmers do not want to embrace the auctioning route.

The government was working on setting up feedlots in different parts of the country, even it went ahead to announce a tender for individuals to run the facilities. How close is your department in establishing the feedlots?

The government has purposed to establish feedlots in 13 arid and semi-arid land (Asal) counties namely Baringo, Kajiado, Narok, Isiolo, Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera, Tana River, Lamu, Garissa, Taita Taveta, Turkana, and West Pokot. The initiative is part of the Big 4 Agenda pillar of attaining 100 percent food and nutrition security.

The growing demand for meat is projected to reach 900,000 tonnes by 2022. We have initiated the establishment of feedlots, but we have not rolled out the programme yet. The government will provide land for holding grounds, and we have already received approval from the Cabinet on this. With the feedlot system of production, feeds will be grown, animals kept in a certain area and this will boost our production.

So far, we have identified 23 feeding lots across Asals, with Isiolo leading with 11,000 acres which will be subdivided for holding animals, growing of feeds and water harvesting.
According to information published by European External Action Service on June 21, 2021, the European Union (EU) and India conducted a joint naval exercise in the Gulf of Aden.

Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

French amphibious assault helicopter carrier Tonnerre and Indian Navy frigate Trikand (Picture source: European External Action Service)

The exercise involved Indian Navy frigate Trikand, EU NAVFOR Somalia - Operation Atalanta assets, including Italian frigate Carabiniere (Atalantas flagship) and Spanish frigate Navarra, French frigate Surcouf and French amphibious assault helicopter carrier Tonnerre.

The exercise was based on the scenario of an anti-piracy operation. It included cross-deck helicopter landings, complex tactical evolutions at sea, live firing, a night-time joint patrol and a naval parade in the high seas off the coast of Somalia.

The EU and India are committed to a free, open, inclusive and rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region, underpinned by respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, democracy, rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded lawful commerce, and peaceful resolution of disputes. They reaffirm the primacy of international law, including the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

In January 2021, the EU and India launched a dialogue on maritime security and agreed to deepen their dialogue and cooperation in this domain. The Indian Navy has been providing escort to World Food Programme chartered vessels, coordinated by EU NAVFOR Somalia - Operation Atalanta. The Indian Navy has previously participated in the Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE) conference, co-hosted by Operation Atalanta, whose assets conducted several joint exercises with Indian vessels in the past.

The EU and India intend to strengthen their operational cooperation at sea, including joint naval exercises and port calls, and to protect the sea-lanes of communication. They also intend to boost maritime domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific through mutual coordination and exchanges. The EU and India reaffirm their interest to enhance their cooperation in the field of maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region.

INS Trikand (F51) is a Talwar-class frigate of the Indian Navy. She is the third and final ship of the second batch of Talwar-class frigates ordered by the Indian Navy. She was built by the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia. She was commissioned to Indian Navy service on 29 June 2013.

Trikand belongs to the Talwar class of guided-missile frigates. These are modified Krivak III-class frigates built by Russia.
Acclaim offers a sample of recent honors for Emory faculty and staff. Listings may include awards and prizes; election to boards and societies; and similarly notable accomplishments in the wider community. Acclaim is published monthly in Emory Report. To suggest items for the July 2021 column, please email your submission by July 7.

Emory faculty and staff are frequently recognized for their work locally, nationally and internationally. The following is a sampling of recent accolades, including awards for professional contributions and leadership appointments.

Honors highlighted in this column:

Points of Light recognizes Beshads service

Emory Eye Center ophthalmologist Soroosh Behshad was awarded the Daily Point of Light Award by the Points of Light, a nonprofit organization that inspires, equips and mobilizes individuals and organizations to take action that changes the world.

Behshad is a cataract and cornea surgeon and serves as Emory Eye Centers chief of service at Emory Saint Josephs Hospital. He is very active with the Eye Centers global ophthalmology program and has traveled internationally multiple times to perform specialized eye surgeries and train local doctors on cataract and corneal surgical techniques. In 2020, he was recognized by the Kingdom of Jordan for his service and work developing a sustainable refugee eye care program. Read more.

Christie named professional society vice president

Jennifer Christie has been named vice president of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. In this role, she will serve one of the leading gastrointestinal (GI) professional societies internationally, with more than 14,000 members.

Christie is an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Digestive Diseases at the Emory School of Medicine and Clinical Director of Digestive Diseases for The Emory Clinic. She is also director of Gastrointestinal Motility.

Read more here.

Prestigious Beckman Young Investigator Award given to Davis

Katherine Davis, assistant professor of chemistry, has been selected for a 2021 Beckman Young Investigator Award. The award program provides research support to the most promising young faculty members in the early stages of their academic careers in the chemical and life sciences, particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments and materials that will open up new avenues of research in science.

The Davis lab works to shine light on the synergy between metalloenzyme structure and electronics.

Historian Gross named Andrew Carnegie Fellow

Professor of African American studies Kali Gross has been named one of 26 recipients of the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. Each fellow receives $200,000 to fund significant research and writing in social sciences and the humanities that addresses important and enduring issues confronting society.

Grosss Carnegie project will shed examine capital punishment in the United States through the histories of Black women disproportionately condemned. She aims to better understand how it is that Black women became so grossly overrepresented among those put to death in the United States, especially by means of the electric chair. Learn more.

Klibanoffs Buried Truths podcast garners ABA award

The American Bar Association has selected Buried Truths Season 3 | Ahmaud Arbery to receive the 2021 ABA Silver Gavel Award for Radio.

Buried Truths is a podcast led by Hank Klibanoff, professor of practice in English and creative writing, and produced by Atlanta NPR station WABE. The podcast is based on the work of students participating in Emorys Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases Project, an undergraduate class led by Klibanoff. Season three of the podcast, which won the award, focused on the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed a 25-year-old Black man who was pursued by three armed white men near the coastal city of Brunswick.

The awards are presented by the American Bar Association and recognize outstanding work that fosters the American publics understanding of law and the legal system. A virtual ceremony honoring all Silver Gavel Award winners will be July 13.

Kwok honored with award from Archbishop of Canterbury

Deans Professor of Systematic Theology Kwok Pui Lan has been named a recipient of the Archbishop of Canterburys 2021 Lambeth Awards for outstanding contributions to the church and wider society.

Kwok won The Lanfranc Award for Education and Scholarship, which was given for her outstanding leadership and contribution to Asian Feminist and Post-Colonial Theology rooted in an Anglican ecclesiology.

The 2021 Lambeth Awards were given to over 30 individuals, including scientists, musicians, academics, activists, peacemakers, doctors, and clergy. Learn more.

Ramalingam named Winship executive director, editor of Cancer

Suresh S. Ramalingam has been named executive director of Winship Cancer Institute after serving as Winships deputy director since 2016. He also has been named the new editor-in-chief of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

A thoracic oncologist and physician scientist, Ramalingam will begin a five-year editorship on July 1. Ramalingam is internationally recognized for his research, specifically for the development of individualized therapies for patients with small cell and non-small cell lung cancer.

As executive director, Ramalingam will continue to lead efforts to extend local access to cancer research and care at Emory Healthcare's six hospitals throughout metro Atlanta.

In addition to his Winship duties, Ramalingam serves as assistant dean for cancer research at Emory University School of Medicine, where he is also professor of hematology and medical oncology, director of the Division of Medical Oncology, and the Roberto C. Goizueta Distinguished Chair for Cancer Research.

He has worked with CANCER as the editor for the journal's Chest and Lung Disease, Clinical Trials, and Medical Oncology sections since 2011.

Read more here.

NINDS honors Sober with Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship

Samuel Sober has been honored with a 2021 Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

Each year, NINDS selects up to five Landis Awardees from among faculty members who have shown dedication to superior mentorship and training in neuroscience research. Awardees receive a supplement to an existing NINDS grant to support their efforts in fostering the career advancement of additional trainees.

Sober is an assistant professor of biology. His research investigates the relationship between neural activity, muscular activation and task performance to describe how neural circuits drive vocal output and are modified by sensorimotor experience.

American Heart Association establishes award in Wengers honor

The American Heart Association has named a new award after Nanette Wenger to recognize and honor her pioneering career in cardiovascular medicine.

Wenger is an emeritus professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at the Emory School of Medicine, consultant to the Emory Heart and Vascular Center, founding consultant to the Emory Womens Heart Center and director of the Cardiac Clinics and Ambulatory Electrocardiographic Laboratory at Grady Memorial Hospital.

Wenger was among the first physicians to focus on coronary heart disease in women and to evaluate the different cardiovascular risk factors, symptoms and conditions for women compared to men. The award is known as the Dr. Nanette K. Wenger Award for Best Scientific Publication on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in Women. Read the announcement.

Five Emory professors elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Five Emory University faculty members have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nations oldest and most prestigious honorary societies and a leading center for independent policy research.

Elected this year are:

Rafi Ahmed , director, Emory Vaccine Center, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Vaccine Research, and Charles Howard Candler Professor, Emory School of Medicine

, director, Emory Vaccine Center, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Vaccine Research, and Charles Howard Candler Professor, Emory School of Medicine Carol Anderson , Charles Howard Candler Professor and Chair, Department of African American Studies

, Charles Howard Candler Professor and Chair, Department of African American Studies Jericho Brown , Winship Distinguished Research Professor in Creative Writing and Director, Creative Writing Program

, Winship Distinguished Research Professor in Creative Writing and Director, Creative Writing Program Sanjay Gupta , associate professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Emory School of Medicine, and associate chief of neurosurgery, Grady Memorial Hospital

, associate professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Emory School of Medicine, and associate chief of neurosurgery, Grady Memorial Hospital Vanessa Siddle Walker, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of African American and Educational Studies

The Emory professors are among 252 newly-elected members of the American Academy, which was founded in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock and others who believed the new republic should honor exceptionally accomplished individuals and engage them in advancing the public good. Read more about the honorees.

Your Fantastic Mind television series wins six Emmy Awards

"Your Fantastic Mind," a television series partnership between the Emory Brain Health Center and Georgia Public Broadcasting, was recognized with six Emmy awards from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Southeast Chapter. The awards are from the shows 2020 season:

"Your Fantastic Mind" is a weekly news magazine-style show that highlights compelling patient stories and cutting-edge science and treatment advances in the areas of neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, rehabilitation medicine and sleep medicine. The show is made possible with funding assistance from the Southern Company Charitable Foundation.

Postdoctoral fellows receive support from Burroughs Wellcome Fund

Three postdoctoral fellows  Maureen McGuirk Sampson, Kaela S. Singleton and Brandon Franklin Young  have received funding through the Postdoctoral Enrichment Program (PDEP) of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. PDEP provides funds over three years to support the career development activities for underrepresented minority postdoctoral fellows in a degree-granting institution in the U.S. or Canada. The awardees training and professional development must be guided by mentors committed to helping them advance to stellar careers in biomedical or medical research.

Sampson is studying human genetics; Singleton, cell biology; and Young, biochemistry.
The joint venture floated by Centrum Group and digital payments startup Bharatpe for launching a small finance bank will infuse Rs 1,800 crore capital into troubled Punjab & Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC) on its merger with the proposed bank, a top Centrum official has said. Last Friday, the Reserve Bank gave an in-principle approval to Centrum Financial Services, a step-down arm of the diversified financial services group, to set up a small finance bank (SFB) provided it took over the troubled PMC Bank.

The in-principle approval has been in specific pursuance to Centrum Financial Services' offer on February 1, 2021 in response to the expression of interest notification dated November 3, 2020 published by the PMC Bank, the RBI said. This paves the way for ending nearly two anxious years for the PMC depositors whose over Rs 10,723 crore are still stuck in the crippled cooperative bank that has been under RBI administrator since September 2019.

To launch SFB, the Centrum Group has sewed up an equal joint venture with Resilient Innovations, an arm of Gurugram-based Bharatpe. But Centrum Capital will be the promoter of SFB, under the prevailing laws, the group said.

"We (the SFB joint venture) have set aside Rs 1,800 crore for the SFB, which eventually will be pumped into PMC once the government scheme for merger is notified. Of the Rs 1,800 crore, Rs 900 crore will be invested in the first year by the joint venture split equally between the two and the remaining capital in stages," Jaspal Bindra, executive chairman of Centrum Group, told over the weekend.

Whether they will take over the more than Rs 6,500 crore of NPAs of PMC and also the over Rs 10,700 crore of its deposits, Bindra said that will be known only after the government notified the merger scheme. "What terms and conditions the government will set in the merger scheme will decide the fate of huge bad loans and losses. In fact, this is the only little unknown we have as of now," Bindra quipped.

That the groups have allocated nine-times more capital over the RBI mandate of Rs 200 crore for the SFB shows the seriousness of the promoters. If it succeeds, this will be the first SFB in nearly six years -- the first set of SFB licences were issued in August 2016, when the monetary authority also made such licensing on-tap.

Bindra, who was the group executive director and chief executive for Asia Pacific at Standard Chartered Bank till 2015, joined Centrum in April 2016 as executive chairman and picked up around 25 per cent, also said they will surrender all their NBFC licences before launching the SFB.

Also read: RBI allows Centrum to set up small finance bank; PMC Bank takeover

"The RBI has given us 120 days to complete the other "fit and proper conditions" to seek the final licence, which I am very confident of meeting well in time. In fact, we will be seeking the final licence as soon as possible," he said.

Asked he chose a startup to form an equal joint venture for its banking foray, Bindra said, for one, very few players have the technological edge that Bharatpe has. "For another, we've been having strong business relationships with the Gurugram startup since the very first day of its operations."

"So we are known to each other since 2018 and moreover our businesses complement each other and the SFB will definitely be a tech-driven bank for sure. In fact, we have had a full joint agreement in place much before we sought the licence and we joint bided for the licence," he added.

Asked if the focus on technology will lead to branch rationalisation of PMC, he said when it comes to lending it will be tech driven "but for deposit raising we have to have branches. So in effect we may have to retain the branches to a large extent".

The city-based Centrum Group, founded by Chandir Gidwani and Khushrooh Byramjee in 1977, has a diversified fee business and a lending platform for institutions and individuals. It offers investment banking, mid-corporates & SME lending, and broking for institutions and retail. It also provides MSME credit, wealth management, affordable housing and micro lending, apart from private debt and venture capital.

Centrum Capital, which is listed on the exchanges, reported a net loss of Rs 16.02 crore in Q3 of FY21 as against a net profit of Rs 3.35 crore in Q3 of FY20 as its income declined 7.2 per cent to Rs 123.12 crore in the quarter. On the other hand, 2.5-year-old Bharatpe closed FY21 with an operating income of over Rs 700 crore, up from Rs 110 crore in FY20, driven by its credit business that closed the year with a loan book of Rs 1,600 crore, its president Suhail Sameer had told last week.

As of March 2020, PMC's deposits stood at Rs 10,727.12 crore, advances at Rs 4,472.78 crore and gross NPAs at Rs 3,518.89 crore and net loss of Rs 6,835 crore, with a negative networth of Rs 5,850.61 crore. The PMC book was so bad that as much as 73 per cent of its assets worth over Rs 6,500 crore of the total Rs 8,880 crore loans were to the crippled developer HDIL and all of them had turned dud by September 2019.

A good portion of the deposits are of senior citizens and cooperative societies including an RBI officers association. Its share capital is Rs 292.94 crore. Bindra said they are yet to finalise the name for the SFB but added it will not be PMC for sure. The board is more or less in place and I will certainly be a part of it, he said.

Also read: PMC Bank depositors to move Bombay HC for early refund, merger with running bank
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation at 6:30 am on Monday to mark the 7th annual International Day of Yoga. PM Modi said that yoga became a ray of hope amid the pandemic that has led to the death of 4 million people across the world. He said that even doctors have used yoga as an armour against COVID-19.

"Today when the entire world is fighting against COVID19 pandemic, Yoga has become a ray of hope. For two years now, no public event has been organised in India or the world but enthusiasm for Yoga has not gone down," he said.

This year the theme for International Yoga Day is 'Yoga for Wellness'. The Prime Minister said that the theme has encouraged people even more to perform yoga. "I pray that every country, region, and people stay healthy," stated PM Modi.

The Prime Minister laid emphasis on the healing process. He said, besides medical treatment, yoga helps in healing. "Doctors have used Yoga as armour to treat patients. There are pictures of hospitals, with doctors, nurses teaching Yoga performing breathing exercises like Anulom Vilom Pranayama. International experts have said that these exercises strengthen the breathing system," he elaborated.

India, in collaboration with WHO, will launch an m-yoga app that will have yoga training videos in different languages for people across the world. This will help us in our 'One World, One Health' motto, he said during the 30-minute speech.

PM Modi proposed the concept of International Yoga Day in 2014 during his UN General Assembly. The United Nations recognised June 21 as the International Day of Yoga.

Also read: PM Narendra Modi holds meeting with union ministers at his residence

Also read: 'India offers what innovators need': PM Modi invites world to invest in India
Reliance Industries CMD Mukesh Ambani on Monday called for bridging the COVID-19 vaccine divide among nations and also digital divide.

Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum, Ambani said connectivity and communications have become basic need and fundamental right of every human being.

The billionaire identified vaccine divide among nations as the biggest challenge, and said the world has to get rid of it. While much of the developed world will be vaccinated by the end of the year, India has also taken a lot of steps and would do well by the end of the year or first quarter of next year, Ambani said.

However, the world needs to come together to vaccinate everyone, he said.

Speaking on digital infrastructure, the Asia's richest man said it is difficult to imagine what India would have been without the 4G telecom network during the pandemic.

"The digital divide must be bridged, both among nations and within nations. This is because connectivity and communications have become the basic needs, and also fundamental rights of every human being on the planet (just) as basic as food, clothing, and shelter," he said.

Ambani, who heads Jio Infocomm, said the day was saved because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for 'Digital India', much before the pandemic broke out.

Also read: Bharat Biotech submits Covaxin phase-III clinical trial data to DCGI

"Our Prime Minister (had) given a call for Digital India and I was privileged (that) our digital services company called Jio rolled out a 4G network across the length and breadth of the country by 2018," Ambani said. "We have always wondered what would we have done without a 4G network across India in facing the corona crisis."

He said digital infrastructure was very useful during the pandemic for people working from home, in vaccination, and in letting children learn and study from home.

"I think that this string of digital and physical (healthcare infrastructure) will be the new normal," he said. "To my mind, it is an absolute must for all economies to integrate, and enhance this digital infrastructure which has been so very useful in the corona crisis."

Ambani said the other challenge after the pandemic is to make sure that economies which did not have the benefit of stimulus support are nursed back and they grow. He said the whole world and global economy should grow in a sustainable way, and governments, companies and civil society will have to work together for this.

To a question, he said there is no option but for businesses to adopt a sustainable business model by embracing clean energy.

"We at Reliance have adopted this wholeheartedly and (are) transforming each one of our business lines to be sustainable, recyclable and fully transparent environment, social, and governance standards. And I think that's a prerequisite for every business to survive, as we go forward," he said.

Ambani also called for investments in education and healthcare by governments across the world to reduce inequality and provide equal opportunity for everyone.

"I believe that this pandemic will not be the last health crisis that humanity has seen and it is important...that all work together," he said while stressing on the urgent need to upgrade healthcare infrastructure across the world.

(With PTI inputs)

Also read: Govt drafts revised consumer protection rules for e-commerce, proposes end to flash sale
Hyderabad-based biotechnology company Bharat Biotech has submitted phase-III clinical trial data of its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

Covaxin is one of the three vaccines being used in India's vaccination programme against COVID-19 currently. The company has been facing questions over the delay in announcing results of phase-III trials.

"Bharat Biotech submitted Phase 3 clinical trials data of Covaxin to Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) over the weekend," news agency ANI said quoting government sources.

Bharat Biotech submitted Phase 3 clinical trials data of COVAXIN to Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) over the weekend: Govt sources pic.twitter.com/ggXSxQCaAc - ANI (@ANI) June 21, 2021

Trial data for phase-III is crucial as it will provide details of the efficacy of the vaccine, which was developed in association with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Phase-III trial data is also required for getting emergency use listing (EUL) from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

WHO has accepted Bharat Biotech's Expression of Interest (EoI) for EUL for Covaxin and scheduled a pre-submission meeting on June 23.

Earlier, the company had said it will submit the data to drug regulator, followed by peer-reviewed journals, with a timeline of three months for publication. Complete results of Covaxin's phase-III trial data will be made public during July.

In March, the vaccine maker said Covaxin demonstrated 81 per cent interim efficacy in preventing COVID-19 in those without prior infection after the second dose.

In January, DCGI had granted permission for emergency use of Covaxin based on its phase-I and phase-II clinical trial data.

Also Read: Airtel, TCS join hands for 'Made in India' 5G network

Also Read: FinMin officials to take up glitches in new I-T portal in meeting with Infosys

Also Read: 'Pure plumbing failure': Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee describes India's COVID-19 lockdown
Market capitalisation of Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group has zoomed over 1,000 per cent in less than 3 months. Market cap of the group rose to Rs 7,866 crore on June 18, 2021 from Rs 733 crore in March. In May, market cap of the firm jumped to Rs 3,890 crore in May 2021.

Market cap of the group companies, Reliance Infrastructure, Reliance Power, and Reliance Capital has risen over 100% in the last 20 trading days.

Market cap of Reliance Power stood at Rs 4,446 crore, Reliance Infrastructure at Rs 2,767 crore, and Reliance Capital at Rs 653 crore.

Firms of the Reliance Group such as Reliance Infrastructure, Reliance Power and Reliance Capital have nearly 50 lakh retail investors who have gained from this value creation.

The group has around 33 lakh retail shareholders in Reliance Power, 9 lakh in Reliance Infrastructure and 8 lakh in Reliance Capital in India. Retail investors have benefited by buying leftover stake from FIIs/ MFs and lenders who had invoked pledged shares over the last few years.

Reliance Group companies have seen their stocks rising due to various developments in the last 3 weeks. Reliance Infrastructure announced raising of Rs 550 cr from the promoter group and VSFI Holdings Pvt Ltd - an affiliate of Varde Investment Partners, LLP.

In another development, Reliance Power announced the issue of preferential equity shares and warrants to its promoter company, Reliance Infrastructure, amounting to Rs 1,325 crore, in order to convert debt into equity.

Top bidder for Reliance Home Fin wife of once banned investor Sanjay Dangi

Another firm of Reliance Capital Group company, Reliance Home Finance is also in the final stages of its asset monetisation, as Authum Investment and Infrastructure, with a bid value of Rs 2,887 cr has emerged as the successful bidder for its assets. This will reduce Reliance Capital's debt by over Rs 11,000 crore, giving a big boost to the company and its investors.

The group's debt reduction got a boost recently when Axis Bank and YES Bank decided to remove the red flag classification of the Reliance Capital account, paving the way for successful monetisation of Reliance Capital assets.

Reliance Capital has received over 70 bids for its multiple assets, that include its general insurance, health insurance, life insurance, and securities business, apart from its private equity investment in companies like Paytm E-commerce and Nafta Innovations.
Indian market is likely to open lower today as Nifty futures on the Singapore Exchange fell 54 points, or 0.34 per cent lower at 15,746.50. Here's a look at shares which are likely to remain in news today.

ICICI Bank: S&P Global Ratings has revised its rating outlook on the private lender to stable from negative. The rating agency also affirmed 'BBB-' long-term and 'A-3' short-term issuer credit ratings and 'BBB-' long-term issue rating on senior notes.

Authum Investment & Infrastructure: Authum Investment & Infrastructure has received a letter of interest for the buying of stressed non-bank lender Reliance Home Finance Ltd's (RHFL) assets from the latter's lead creditor.

Karnataka Bank: The bank has reported to the Reserve Bank regarding frauds in the credit facilities extended earlier to two listed companies-Reliance Home Finance with loan outstanding of Rs 21.94 crore and Reliance Commercial Finance Rs 138.41 crore as fraud.

NTPC: The company reported a 258% rise in its standalone net profit to Rs 4,479 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. The company had posted a profit of Rs 1,252 crore in the year-ago period. NTPC's revenue in Q4 fell 2.5% to Rs 26,567 crore as against Rs 27,247 crore in the year-ago period.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation: The commerce and industry ministry has floated a draft cabinet note seeking views on a proposal to allow up to 100% foreign investment under automatic route in oil and gas PSUs, which have an 'in-principle' approval for disinvestment.

PNB Housing: Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has asked mortgage lender PNB Housing Finance to temporarily stop its proposed share sale programme. Investors led by Carlyle Group announced an investment of Rs 4,000 crore in PNB Housing Finance.

Reliance Industries: The company is likely to issue an update to investors about the proposed stake sale in its oil-to-chemical (O2C) business to Saudi Aramco and the Jio-Google phone at the annual meeting on June 24. Investors are awaiting an announcement on the pricing and launch timeline of the Jio-Google phone.

SBI Cards and Payment Services: CA Rover Holdings, an arm of private equity giant, Carlyle has sold 48 million shares or 5.1% stake in SBI Cards and Payment Services for Rs 4,811 crore in a bulk deal. CA Rover Holdings sold 37. 42 million shares at an average price Rs 1,002.20 aggregating to Rs 3,750 crore on NSE and sold 10.58 million shares at Rs 1,002.64 totalling Rs 1,061.16 crore.

HDFC Bank: The private lender said its board has given its approval to buy more than 3.55 crore shares in group firm HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company for over Rs 1,906 crore from the parent company Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC). Board of the Bank has declared a dividend of Rs 6.50 per share for the year ended March 2021.

Sterlite Technologies: The digital networks integrator has said that rapid digitisation is fuelling demand for solutions, both in India and overseas, despite the COVID pandemic.

UCO Bank: The state-owned lender said its board will meet next week to consider raising up to Rs 500 crore as tier-II capital.

Insecticides India: The agro chemical firm reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 21.78 crore in Q4 against net loss of Rs 7.11 crore in the year-ago period.
India's largest automaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) will hike car prices due to rise in input costs in the July-September quarter of the current fiscal. The hike will vary for different models. The automaker, however, has not revealed anything about the quantum of the proposed hike.

"Over the past year, the cost of the company's vehicles continue to be adversely impacted due to increase in various input costs. Hence, it has become imperative for the company to pass on some impact of the above additional cost to customers through a price rise," MSI said in a BSE filing.

This is not the first time that Maruti Suzuki has raised the prices of its car models. On April 16, the carmaker had announced the increase in weighted average price in ex-showroom prices (Delhi) of 1.6 per cent across models.

Also read: Carmakers start to ramp up production as COVID-19 restrictions ease in states

The company had hiked the prices of select models by up to Rs 34,000, citing a rise in input costs in January 2021 as well.

The carmaker sells 14 models ranging from entry-level hatchback Alto to S-CROSS priced between Rs 2.99 lakh and Rs 12.39 lakh (ex-showroom prices Delhi) respectively. Out of these, 5 models are sold via Maruti Suzuki Nexa showrooms.

Meanwhile, Maruti Suzuki India resumed operations at its plants with due caution and revised safety protocols. "We are ramping up production cautiously. Meanwhile, we continue to vaccinate all employees and families on priority. Over 36,000 employees have already received the first shot," a spokesperson of the country's largest automaker said.

Edited by Mehak Agarwal; with PTI inputs

Also read: Maruti Suzuki hikes prices of select models from today; check out details
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on June 21, 2021

2021/06/21

CCTV:As we understand, senior officials' meetings on East Asia cooperation will be held in coming days. What expectations does China have for these upcoming meetings?

Zhao Lijian: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea) Senior Officials' Meeting (APT SOM), East Asia Summit Senior Officials' Meeting (EAS SOM) and ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials' Meeting (ARF SOM) will be held in video format on June 22, 24 and 29 respectively. During the meetings, participants will hold discussions on progress and future direction of relevant cooperation mechanisms, exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest and prepare for the Foreign Ministers' Meeting and Leaders' Meeting on East Asia Cooperation to be held in the second half of this year. Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao will attend the above-mentioned meetings.

Since the beginning of this year, in the face of rampant COVID-19, East Asian countries have taken active steps to deepen anti-epidemic cooperation, boosted economic recovery, continued to expand practical cooperation in such areas as digital economy and green development, which effectively maintained the momentum for steady development in the region. Not long ago, the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Dialogue Relations was successfully held, where important consensus was reached on upgrading and elevating bilateral relations, enhancing anti-epidemic and development cooperation and promoting regional economic integration.

Amid profound changes in regional and international landscapes, China hopes that through these senior officials' meetings, we will work with all parties to expand consensus, deepen cooperation, improve regional governance, jointly improve public health, advance post-epidemic sustainable development and uphold regional peace, stability and prosperity.

Reuters: The US shipped 2.5 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to Taiwan yesterday. Do you see this as a provocative move? Do you have any comments on this?

Zhao Lijian: The mainland and Taiwan are one family. Our hearts are with our Taiwan compatriots who are faced with the grave situation. We have always made clear the readiness to do our utmost to help our compatriots in Taiwan overcome the difficulties at an early date. However, despite the goodwill of the mainland and the eagerness of the majority of Taiwan compatriots to use vaccines from the mainland, the DPP authorities tried every means to obstruct the shipping of vaccines from the mainland to Taiwan, and even falsely claimed that the mainland was obstructing its vaccine procurement. For their own selfish political gains, the DPP authorities constantly seek political manipulation over anti-epidemic cooperation, showing disregard of the lives and health of Taiwan compatriots and violating the basic humanitarian spirit.

China always supports anti-epidemic cooperation and has made proactive efforts to this end. We urge the US side not to use vaccine aid for political maneuver or interference in China's internal affairs.

Bloomberg: A question regarding a statement by the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan who says that China will risk international isolation if it fails to allow a real investigation on its territory into the origins of the virus that caused COVID-19. What's the foreign ministry's comment on Mr. Sullivan position?

Zhao Lijian: China deplores and rejects the relevant remarks by the US side which is sheer blackmail and threat. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, China has unreservedly shared with other countries its experience in containment and treatment in an open and transparent manner. China has received WHO experts twice and co-released with WHO the joint mission report on origin-tracing, making positive contributions to the global efforts in this regard. There is no ground to accuse China of saying "no" to origin-tracing study. It is inflammatory and sensational statement that China is facing isolation in the international community.

Origin-tracing is a scientific matter that requires international cooperation of scientists across the globe. The vast majority of countries in the international community agree that this issue should not to be wantonly politicized. On the contrary, it is the US side, by obstinately pressing ahead with the so-called "international investigation" through political manipulation, using intelligence service to replace scientists for evaluation, and clamoring for the "position of strength" on the issue of origin-tracing, that stands on the opposite side of the overwhelming majority in the international community, and thus is facing isolation in the international community.

The US has been attacking China time and again for no other purpose than to hold back China's development, and shift the blame for its poor epidemic response. If the US does care about the truth, it needs to answer the following three questions with no delay:

First, who on earth should be held accountable for the US failure to fight the epidemic? To date, the number of infections and deaths in the US has exceeded 33.54 million and 600,000 respectively. As a country equipped with the world's most advanced medical resource and technology, the US needs to hold relevant US officials accountable for the botched response, take measures to prevent a repetition of such tragedies so that American people who lost their lives didn't die for nothing.

Second, does local transmission of the novel coronavirus in the US date back earlier? 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 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. A report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America in December 2020 shows that between December 13 and 16, 2019, coronavirus antibodies were detected in at least 39 blood samples from the states of California, Oregon and Washington. The US government should conduct a meticulous and transparent investigation into these earlier cases at home.

Third, what is really going on inside the bio-lab at Fort Detrick? The military base has inherited the devilish legacy of Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army that waged the aggression war against China. The lab's scope of research includes bacteria that have been known to pose serious threats to public, fauna and flora health. In June 2019, research work at Fort Detrick was suspended after an inspection found failure to follow procedures and mechanic glitches and leaks. Around the same time, unexplained respiratory disease emerged in northern Virginia and EVALI broke out on a large scale in Wisconsin. The US government has given next to nothing on these issues and still remains reticent today. Given that the US government habitually practices the "gatekeeping theory", destroyed critical evidence in the Tulsa race massacre, controls and manipulates communication, and that the US intelligence is in the line of lying, cheating and stealing, how can others trust the US? How can the US ensure it is being transparent? Why not grant necessary access to international experts to learn relevant information?

Xinhua News Agency: At the 109th Session of the International Labor Conference (ILC), the US said it would hold every abuser of forced labor and child labor accountable for their actions. What's China's comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: Speaking of issues related to labor rights, let's take a look at the track record of the US.

In the past five years, all 50 states and Washington D.C. all reported cases of forced labor and human trafficking. Up to 100,000 people are trafficked into the US for forced labor annually and half of them are sold to sweatshops or enslaved in households. According to the statistics of some US academic institutions, at least 500,000 people in the country have been subjected to modern slavery and forced labor. Even the US Department of Homeland Security has to admit that forced labor is prevalent in America. The victims include not only US citizens, but also foreign citizens from almost every region of the world, and even vulnerable groups such as women, children and the disabled.

In terms of child labor, the US is the only country in the world that has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). According to the statistics of some US industry associations, there are approximately 500,000 child farmworkers in the US. Many of these children start working as young as age 8, and 72-hour work weeks (more than 10 hours per day) are not uncommon. Children are three times more susceptible to the pesticides' carcinogenic effects than are adults. Agriculture was responsible for more than half of child occupational deaths. Between 2003 and 2016, 237 children died in farm-related work accidents, representing four times the number of deaths of any other sector.

For years, the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR) of the International Labor Organization(ILO) has been speaking out on the issue of child labor in the US. It has repeatedly expressed concern about the excessive fatal injuries to children working on farms in the US, and urged the US government to step up supervision of the use of child labor in agriculture, and provide relevant statistics in details, In particular, the number of work-related injury cases and the investigation and handling of illegal use of child labor cases.

Of the eight ILO fundamental conventions, the US has ratified only two. According to reports of relevant international trade unions, systematic violation of labor rights does exist in the US, a country with the worst performance among major developed countries.

What the US needs to do now is to put aside its sense of moral superiority, stop practicing double standards on labor issues, conscientiously reflect on its own serious violations of labor rights, and take up responsibility accordingly.

Bloomberg: A question about Huawei. Huawei can't subsidize the sale of its 5G telecom technology with federal funds earmarked for the US broadband development because the FCC has rightly determined the company to be a national security threat. This is according to an appeal court in the US. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on the latest verdict from the appeal court vis-a-vis Huawei's ability to sale telecom technology in the US?

Zhao Lijian: For a period of time, the US has been making incessant denigration and smearing against Huawei and other Chinese telecommunications companies without providing any solid proof that they constitute security threat to the US and other countries. The US administration, in order to maintain the US monopoly and hegemony in science and technology, has stretched the concept of national security, abused state power and resorted to all means to oppress Chinese high-tech enterprises, and coerced other countries to exclude Huawei. This negates the market economy principles the US side has claimed to champion and reveals its despicable hypocrisy in touting so-called fair competition.

China supports relevant companies in safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law. We once again urge the US side to stop abusing the concept of national security, stop deliberately smearing and accusing China, stop unjustifiable suppression of certain Chinese companies, and provide a just, fair and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies to do business in the US. The erroneous actions of the US side will certainly harm US businesses and its own interests.

Bloomberg: A question on Australia's decision to appeal to the WTO regarding Chinese anti-dumping duties on wine. This was announced by the trade minister over the weekend. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on the WTO appeal by Australia on wine?

Zhao Lijian: China has made clear its position on relevant issue on many occasions. Please refer to the competent Chinese authorities for the situation. I want to stress that China abides by the WTO rules and acts in accordance with them.

People's Daily: According to reports, an Inuit MP in Canada said a few days ago in her farewell address to the House of Commons that the country "was built on the oppression of indigenous peoples" and its "history is stained with blood". The Canadian Parliament says "pretty words like reconciliation, diversity and inclusion", but finds no room in its budget for the protection of indigenous peoples' basic human rights. Colonialism is not over, but has only adopted a new name. The Canadian government should be responsible for ongoing colonial acts. Does China have a comment?

Zhao Lijian: Canada always assumes the authority to lecture others on human rights. It is leading a so-called statement on human rights at the 47th regular session of the UNHRC to continue smearing and attacking China, as word has it. Ironically, Canada itself has a deplorable human rights record. It is in no position to wantonly criticize other countries in this regard.

The dark chapter of Canadian residential schools has been known to all. But the Canadian government's mutilation of indigenous peoples' rights goes far beyond that. In 1876, Canada passed the Indian Act, fencing in Native Indians at over 2,200 barren, narrow and isolated reserves with harsh living conditions. Even today, many of the reserves still lack safe drinking water sources. Some even face the threat of floods or danger posed by hazardous waste. In 2014, a UN Special Rapporteur report describes the socio-economic conditions of Canadian indigenous peoples "distressing". In 2018, the UN Committee Against Torture considered the seventh periodic report of Canada and adopted concluding observations that voiced concern over "reports of extensive forced or coerced sterilization of Indigenous women and girls". The Inuit MP you quoted also said that in today's Canada, residential schools have evolved into foster care while genocide against indigenous peoples has taken the form of a "suicide epidemic". Her charges are just heartbreaking.

Indigenous lives matter. The Canadian side must reflect upon such inhumane acts which cannot be glossed over with mere apologies or pretty words. Canada claims to be a model of human rights and an open advocate of the cause. However, it is reticent and blind to its own crimes and stains in human rights that can never be washed away or justified. Such hypocrisy and double-standard is disgraceful. Canada should stop deceiving itself and others, take a hard look at its grave human rights issues, and address them with the responsibility it bears to history and the world.

Shenzhen TV: In its recent report about the upgrade of the Lombrum Naval Base in Papua New Guinea, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted the head of Papua New Guinea's Defence Force, Major General Gilbert Toropo as saying that China's growing presence in the Pacific island region presents a challenge for PNG, that PNG doesn't have a strong security force element and is vulnerable to China's presence. Could I have your comment on that?

Zhao Lijian: We have taken note of the relevant report. We have also noticed, Prime Minister James Marape and Major General Gilbert Toropo of Papua New Guinea have made public clarifications in the mainstream PNG media respectively, stressing that "PNG continues to enjoy with the People's Republic of China (PRC) as a major development partner...with shared values conducted under mutual friendship and understanding", and that "Papua New Guinea continues to manage our relationships under the 'one-China Policy'."

This is not the first time that certain Australian media outlet has portrayed China as a threat by taking words out of context and deliberately distorting people's remarks. I wonder if it will be the last time it does such a thing. The media outlet concerned, driven by its underhand political motives, is keen to make fabrication out of thin air to incite anti-China sentiment and sow discords. This is a clumsy move that breaches professional ethics. China and Papua New Guinea enjoy longstanding and profound friendship, and our comprehensive strategic partnership is going strong. Any attempt to attack, denigrate or estrange China-PNG relations will be futile.

Bloomberg: A question on the recalling by Taiwan of seven official representatives from Hong Kong. They cited unreasonable political preconditions for the personnel to operate in Hong Kong. Does the foreign ministry have any comment about the recalling of seven Taiwan representatives from Hong Kong?

Zhao Lijian: This is not a diplomatic question. Please refer it to competent authorities.

Beijing Youth Daily: Nuradli Wublikas, a young Uyghur man from China, has posted an open letter on a social media platform, refuting the lie of "forced labor in Xinjiang" hyped up by Western anti-China forces such as the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). He said in an interview that his call has been echoed and supported by hundreds of Uyghur compatriots and they will file an infringement lawsuit against ASPI in the future. I wonder what's the foreign ministry's comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: I note relevant reports. The Uyghur people, including Nuradli Wublikas, have the right to seek legal redress to combat all sorts of lies on Xinjiang and defend their rights and interests according to law.

The Paper: Presidential election was held in Iran on June 18. The final tally shows that Ebrahim Raisi won the election. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: We congratulate Mr. Raisi on his election as the new president of Iran. China and Iran are comprehensive strategic partners. China attaches great importance to developing bilateral relations and stands ready to work with Iran to take the opportunity of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year to elevate bilateral relations to a new level.

China News Service: On January 18, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was re-elected for a second five-year term. What is China's comment?

Zhao Lijian: As the most universal, representative and authoritative intergovernmental international organization, the UN has made important contributions to promoting world peace and development and played an important role in international affairs over the past 70 years and more. China hopes that Secretary-General Guterres will continue to fulfill his mandate under the UN Charter, uphold an objective and just position, firmly champion multilateralism, and make greater contributions to world peace and common development.
The first leg of the Mark Austin Pacing Series kicked off at Dresden Raceway with two divisions racing for $5,000 each.

Shadow Warrior and Alfie Carroll went wire to wire in fractions of :28.4, :59.1 and 1:29.4 for a three-length win in 2:00. The three-year-old Shadow Play gelding is co-owned by Chris Cain and Keith Cullen of London while Cullen does the training. Cain and Cullen partnered on last year's Austin Series winner Dreaming Out Loud. Shes Got The Luck and Garrett Rooney finished second while Watch Party and Preston Shaw were third.

Carroll was at the controls for Shes A Comedian in the second division and never led by less than three in another front-stepping win by 12 lengths in 1:58.1. The three-year-old Hes Watching filly, who is owned by Ron Nobes of Fergus and Greg Holmes of Bayfield and trained by Randy Marriage, cut fractions of :28.4, :58.2 and 1:28.1.

I Dunno and Issac Waxman were second while Toonie Teen and Chris Johnston paid on the show ticket.

"They are both really nice race horses." said Carroll. "They both have good speed and can leave which is so important, but more so at a half mile track like Dresden."

Carroll is honoured to have a chance to drive the Austin Series. "I never knew Mark very well but nobody ever said a bad word about him and everybody respected him as a good guy and a great horseman." he said.

The second leg of the series, for non-winners of a race or $5,000 lifetime as of March 31, 2021, is set for next week with a 1:00 p.m. (EDT) post time while the $15,900 final is scheduled for July 4.

Dresden's handle increased over 35 percent from last week with a total handle of $18,638 this Sunday.

(Dresden Raceway)

To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Dresden Raceway.
The Ontario harness racing industry has been decimated over recent months with three separate shutdowns due to the global pandemic. With racing now back on track, our horse people finally have a little hope. Thats exactly what the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society (OSAS) received last year. A small weanling filly with the apt name of Hope.

This was historic as OSAS had never accepted a weanling before, but the circumstances were unique. Hope was born at Seelster Farms in the spring of 2020. Her dam is boarded at the Lucan, Ont. breeding farm on a year-round basis.

Like every breeder we had high hopes of a perfect cross and a perfect foal, explained Ann Straatman, the Reproduction Manager at Seelster.

We knew right away on the day of her birth she had wry nose. Its a genetic complication or defect where the nose is crooked which impacts their airway. The wry nose is very rare, Ive only seen it twice before. Because its a midline defect, it sometimes comes with heart defect. I had seen that once and the foal died suddenly of a heart attack.

The second one was a defect that proved incompatible with life, the foal couldnt nurse or eat, explained Ann whose father, the late Chris Van Bussel, started Seelster Farms with his family more than 60 years ago.

Fortunately, her nose was not severe enough to prevent her from nursing or eating. The owners were good enough to make a commitment to the foal and they wanted to continue that commitment even though she would never be a racehorse. The goal from the start to find her another purpose in life, to find her a home where she can make a contribution. Shes a beautiful filly, shes absolutely perfect other than that wry nose.

Hopes owners began exploring options for the filly. They reached out to a few sources but werent successful in finding something that fit.

I had suggested to her before filly was weaned why dont we talk to OSAS and repurpose her as a pleasure horse? There is no reason why someone cant ride her. She could be a trail horse or even a companion horse. I truly think she can be a riding horse, just not in competition, notes Ann.

Shes so sweet and friendly. After she was weaned from her mom, she was able to continue eating hay and pellets and never lost weight which is always good sign. We got her halter broke and taught her to lead, pick up her feet and stand in the cross ties, all the things necessary for a respectful horse.

Ann, the most recent past Chair of Standardbred Canada, reached out to another former chair of that national body, Joanne Colville, who runs OSAS, and they discussed the possibility of Hope coming to OSAS.

This was an unusual situation, said Joanne. OSAS is not normally positioned to accept a weanling, but we made an exception in this case. Seelster Farms have been one of our most generous supporters for many years. Every year they step up in a huge way for our annual stallion auction which historically is one of the best fundraisers for OSAS each year. They have always gone above and beyond to support our organization so our board agreed to welcome Hope into the program and we were happy to do so.

Seelster Farms does a great job raising horses and Hope is no exception, shes a true pleasure to be around. They taught her well, Joanne added.

Also helping the young filly as she started with OSAS was having Purina supply a special formula of feed made specially for weanlings called Juvenile. Purina has long been a major supporter of OSAS and this was yet another way they have supported their horses.

When Hope first came to OSAS she lived at Joannes farm for a few weeks for an initial assessment. She was then moved to the foster farm owned by Mary Christopher in Acton. She shares her pasture time with another yearling lass, Manerva.

The goal now is to rehome her through OSAS. Now that shes a yearling she can begin her lessons hopefully in the fall. It all seems to make sense. We know for sure she has a purpose. Hope was such a sweetheart right from the start. I have to give a lot of credit to her owners for continuing that commitment to her. All of us at Seelster believe that if you make a commitment to the horse, you follow that through, Ann summarized.

It was Ann who christened the filly with her name. While she may not be a racing hopeful that doesnt mean she cant enjoy a full life.

Hope has been scarce in the Ontario harness racing community throughout the COVID-19 crisis, something Ann herself is far too familiar with having contracted the virus and being very ill for several weeks which included a hospital stay. Its just this week Im feeling back to normal. Its very real.

Despite the pandemic and numerous lockdowns, OSAS has been busier than ever especially given the challenges presented in inspecting horses and potential forever homes, staffing and shipping horses. Many applications are currently on file for people wanting to adopt a horse. One of those could find themselves with a sweetheart named Hope.

(OSAS)
Harness Racing TV personality and US Trottings Social Media Manager Wendy Ross will be on hand Tuesday (June 22) at Cumberland to host the Tuesdays at the Track Corporate Sponsorship event.

We are excited to have Wendy make the trip from Ohio to host our first corporate day at the races, said Mike Cianchette, the CEO of First Tracks Investments. Her presence adds a prestigious and professional voice to our presentations with local businesses and community leaders.

Ross is a familiar face anywhere she travels in Standardbred sport, having worked closely with The Meadowlands, Tioga Downs, The Meadows, Northfield Park, and the Little Brown Jug. In addition, her current role at the USTA provides Ross and her fans non-stop access to the Grand Circuit and other marquee events across the Northeast and Mid West.

Cianchette developed the "Tuesdays at the Track' event to engage and enroll local businesses and people from the greater Portland, Maine area into harness racing. First Tracks Cumberland is pleased to welcome over one hundred employees and representatives from Gorham Savings Bank, HM Payson Financial, Optimum Construction, and Porta & Company Commercial Real Estate. The groups will enjoy a fun-filled day at the harness track, complete with winners circle presentations for each entity, and horse blankets provided for the each of the winning connections.

Tuesdays full card of 10 pari-mutuel harness races features a $10,422 Maine Standardbred Breeders Stake for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings, with an early $9,967 non-betting race featuring 3YO Maine-bred trotting fillies.

Live harness racing from Cumberland is presented each Tuesday and Saturday through early August. First-race post time is 2:30 p.m. (EDT).

(First Tracks Cumberland)
Poverty, Education & Family Breakdown

Star Parker tackles cultural realities affecting Black Americans in her weekly television show "CURE America"







NEWS PROVIDED BY

Center for Urban Renewal and Education

June 21, 2021



WASHINGTON, June 21, 2021 /Standard Newswire/ -- A year after the tragic death of George Floyd and a national debate over race, reparations and racial equity in this country, television news digest CURE America with Star Parker, delves deep into "The State of Black America" on the challenges facing African-American communities and how to solve them.



With a panel of policy experts and pastors, Parker identifies the issues that have set blacks back - poverty, education, out-of-wedlock births, abortion, single parent households and church leadership that has failed to help get people back to spiritual and Biblical truths. And the government solutions to these problems have not worked to solve them but contributed to the breakdown of the family.



"Now 150 years away from the Civil War and 60 years after the Civil Rights movement, the persistent problems in some black communities stems from federal policies that pretend to fight the sin of racism with the sins of the destruction of life and family," said Parker. "Data shows a compelling correlation between family structure and incidence of poverty which is where the breakdown begins and the government steps in with programs that only exacerbate the problem."



Per the Census Bureau's "Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019" report and per Statista, the incidence of living under poverty is more than four times higher for Black families headed by a single woman than for Black families headed by a married couple. And 41% of Black families are headed by a single woman.



A Pew Research Center study found in 1970, three years before the Roe v. Wade decision making abortion legal, around 10% of Black adults over 25 had never been married. By 2012, this had more than tripled, to 36%.



"These problems cannot be fixed in Washington D.C. with trillions more dollars spent on welfare programs and government planning," says Parker. "Neither can Black Lives Matter solve them when they exploit these problems in the black community to further their agenda."



Parker, who has dedicated her life to addressing issues of culture, poverty and race is the anchor of the weekly show. Her gripping personal story as a former welfare mom, allows Star to reach into places that need this message of faith, freedom, and personal responsibility. Star is a syndicated columnist, author and speaker and is the founder and president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE), a non-profit policy institute based in Washington D.C.



Now available in more than 117 million homes, CURE America is currently aired on National Religious Broadcasters television network and the TCT Network and is available on DirectTV, ROKU, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and other online streaming services.



This week's special episode includes guests Jonathan Alexandre of Liberty Counsel Action, Ralph Chittams of Urban Red and Dean Nelson of the Frederick Douglass Foundation addressing cultural realities in African-American communities. Next week's show will address the economic realities in anticipation of a new study that will be released by the Center for Urban Renewal & Education in conjunction with the Claremont Institute on "The State of Black America."



For more information about CURE America go to curepolicy.org or e-mail media@urbancure.org.



SOURCE Center for Urban Renewal and Education



CONTACT: 202-479-2873, media@urbancure.org


SHARP announced the launch 3D Secure- Total Workspace Protection solution. The advanced disinfection solution comes equipped with a three-pronged action that works powerfully against both surface & air-borne viruses. 3D Secure -Total Workspace Protection combines the strengths of Workspace Procat- a disinfect coating service, Naturizer- a natural salt-based sanitizer maker, and the Plasmacluster Air Purifier. The new solution comes with its unique natural advantages and fights bacteria and viruses across all kinds of surfaces and indoor air, providing a clean, fresh, and safe environment within the office premises. The solution provides comprehensive protection against germs and viruses and is most effective when used together, helping employees experience a safe working environment.

As part of the new 3D Secure- Total Workspace Protection, Sharp has introduced Workspace Procat, a photocatalyst liquid spray used for disinfecting both surfaces and walls. When exposed to light energy from natural sunlight and visible light, including fluorescent and LED, these surfaces generate strong oxidization & decomposition power to deactivate viruses, bacteria, mold, remove odor and other harmful substances. The solution also comes with Anti-deodorant, Anti-fungal, Anti-bacterial, and Anti-fouling properties and provides round-the-clock protection for 365 days. Moreover, Sharp has priced the solution to make it an affordable choice for even small and medium businesses. The effective cost of covering an office space with 1000 sqft of surface area will come to approx. Rs.150000 for 1 Year.

Sharp has also introduced Naturizer, a 100% natural and portable sanitizer maker that uses drinking water and table salt to generate sodium hypochlorite water, natures super powerful surface disinfectant with 500+ ppm residual chlorine which removes bacteria, up to 99% within 1 minute. The natural disinfectant disrupts the cellular structure of bacteria, which destroys the cell walls of bacteria and protein coats of viruses, plus its low molecular weight makes it effective in penetrating cell walls and reacts faster where it destroys the DNA and RNA inside of bacteria and viruses. As per studies and references from World Health Organization, 500+ ppm chlorine residue has been recommended for disinfection of environmental surfaces to reduce Covid-19 spread. Naturizer, the natural sanitizer maker, comes with an MRP. Rs.10950.

Announcing the launch of the new offerings, Shinji Minatogawa, Managing Director, SHARP Business Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd., said, Sharp believes that workspace protection should not be centered around guesswork; it involves a very specialized and scientific approach in the new normal. Sharp is committed to ensuring that people stay safe when working together by helping create a stress-free, healthy, safe, and environmentally protected office space in the new normal, for a simply better life.

To provide comprehensive protection, neutralize any viruses and bacteria present in indoor air, Sharp has also introduced Plasma Cluster Commercial Air purifiers. The new range of Air purifiers comes with Active Plasma cluster technology that emits positive hydrogen ions and negative oxygen ions through plasma discharge. These positive and negative ions instantaneously bond on the surface of airborne substances such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and allergens and make highly reactive OH radicals (Hydroxyl radicals) that break down the proteins on the surface of these bacteria and other substances. In addition, with the inbuilt passive prefilters, HEPA, and carbon filters, Sharp Air purifiers mimic mother nature and make the indoor air safe and equivalent to fresh forest air.

Workspace protection in corporate companies is a necessity for employee health and safety during the new normal. Surface disinfection and airborne cross infections continue to be a key concern for facility managers, HR & Office administrators and affect business continuity in India and worldwide. Due to this, employees are concerned about their health and safety in attending offices. Besides, the current precautionary measures used for workspace sanitization, disinfection, and air treatment are limited due to short-term effectiveness. Usage of alcohol-based disinfectants is not fire-safe, and it also adds to the plastic waste challenge. At the same time, daily sanitization cannot access every area, offering limited protection against cross infections and theres no comprehensive solution which can work relentlessly throughout the year.

The new 3D Secure  Total Workspace Protection by Sharp, a proven solution delivered by experts will provide much needed confidence to businesses and employees to embrace the new normal. 3D Secure  Total Workspace Protection solution from Sharp is ideal for Small and Medium Enterprises, Educational institutions, Public and healthcare facilities, Corporate Offices, Hotels, Pharma, Manufacturing, Government Institutions, and other workplaces and institutions.
Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) has signed an agreement with the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) to finance the development projects supported by the Mother of the Nation program in the Comoros.



As part of the funding, ADFD has provided AED35 million ($9.5 million) to the UAE governments grant to the Comoros to support development projects within the Mother of the Nation program.



Serving key sectors including education, health and agriculture sectors, and the program seeks to implement seven development projects in the major islands of the Comoros, benefiting more than 360,000 people. Through elevating the efficiency of public services, especially in health and education sectors, the program aims to enhance the economic and social development of local population and provide them with improved livelihoods.



The cooperation agreement was signed by Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of ADFD, and Dr. Mohammad Ateeq Al Falahi, Secretary General of ERC. The signing ceremony drew the participation of His Excellency Khalifa Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Deputy Director General of ADFD and other senior officials from both sides.



Al Suwaidi said: "Through this agreement, we seek to support sustainable development and improve the living standards of the people of the Comoros by ensuring their access to basic services in collaboration with ERC."



He added: The development projects implemented by the Mother of the Nation program with ADFDs financial assistance will focus on productive projects in agricultural sector as well as on setting up medical centres and modern schools to improve educational and healthcare services. This will significantly help families in developing their skills, achieving self-sufficiency, besides boosting economic activities and creating new job opportunities across various regions of the Comoros.



Dr. Mohammad Ateeq Al Falahi said: The Mother of the Nation program heralds a new phase in ERCs efforts to promote economic development in the Comoros in collaboration with ADFD. ERC has a strong presence in the Comoros through financing various development and humanitarian projects. These projects demonstrate the UAEs mission to support development projects that cater to the sectors that directly affect the well-being of local population. Such initiatives reinforce ERCs leading role in implementing projects and programs that serve millions of people across the globe.



The development assistance extended by the Mother of the Nation Program to the Comoros covers financing of seven development projects that offer educational and healthcare services to thousands of people to improve their access to schools, healthcare centres and social development facilities.



The funding support for the Mother of the Nation program in the Comoros includes AED4.5 million for a garment manufacturing unit to empower families benefiting 90,000 people, AED10 million for a student dormitory with 52 rooms serving nearly 500 students and covering an area of 2100 sq m, and AED13 million to two mother and childcare centre with a dialysis unit to provide medical care to more than 260,000 patients annually.



Furthermore, the program has allocated AED3 million towards the establishment of a dialysis centre that provides treatment to nearly 2,500 patients annually, AED 1.5 million to the development of an agriculture field and livestock project that supports 1,200 families, and AED3 million to the construction of a model school that can accommodate 1,000 students to support the Islands educational sector.



ADFDs development partnership with the Comoros dates back to 1979, since then ADFD has been allocated AED436 million to finance development projects that delivered a significant impact on the countrys development landscape. These projects focused on vital sectors including energy, education, healthcare, water, transportation, among others, and enabled the island nation to improve its infrastructure and stimulate sustainable economic growth.  TradeArabia News Service
Ellington Properties, Dubais leading design-led property developer, has signed a new agreement with Allied Contracting, a leading construction company in the region, for fast-tracking the completion of its premium Wilton Park Residences project in Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum City (MBR City).

Wilton Park Residences boasts studios, one- and two-bedroom units, which have been competitively priced staring from AED740,828 ($201,676) onwards with easy payment plans.

Joseph Thomas, the managing director and co-founder, Ellington Properties, said: "With clear timelines for the delivery of Wilton Park Residences, we have been working with proven contractors for the construction of the project."

"The third-party vendor we assigned initially faced several challenges and we made the decision to assign Allied Contracting and ensure the smooth transition of the project management process. We are confident of delivering the first homes in Wilton Park Residences based on a fast-tracked construction programme," he added.

According to Thomas, the Wilton Park Residences stands out for its exceptional location in a secluded haven, surrounded by lush parks and green spaces.

Assuring a serene living environment in the heart of the city, the project reflects the design-centric philosophy of Ellington Properties, with a modern London architecture, he stated.

All the homes are connected to the outdoor spaces in an elegant extension of the interiors, assuring the well-being and healthy lifestyle of the residents," explained Thomas.

"With tinted grey exteriors set against a natural palette, the project has a contemporary look and feel. Immaculately designed greenery offers a natural contrast to the London-style homes, evoking a distinctive look and feel. With direct access to a central park, residents are assured of a relaxing getaway," he added.

Allied Contracting CEO Abdulla Khalifa Beyat said: "Wilton Park Residences is one of the prestigious projects by Ellington Properties, and through our partnership we have set a new project management plan in place."

"Our focus is to accelerate the completion of the project by deploying the latest technology in construction and bringing higher levels of work efficiency on-site. With our expertise in managing large-scale projects, we will ensure that we meet the approved delivery schedule," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Dubais Hilshaw Group, a multi-family office and change management and investment advisory, said it has been awarded a contract along with Kyiv's Tech & Change Management Consultancy Green  Z to initiate the process to mitigate the effects of climate change on the country's $18.6 billion agriculture sector.

The companies inked a contract whereby Hilshaw Group will conduct an impact study as the first phase of the process.

Ukraine is home to 41.5 million hectares of agricultural land, which covers 70 per cent of the country's total land bank. Agriculture is the countrys most significant export and helped generate 9% of its GDP In 2019.

Data from earlier this year suggests last year as the hottest in Kyiv. With the reality of climate change becoming impossible to ignore globally, Ukraines supremacy and dependency on the agricultural sector increase its exposure to the negative impacts of climate change.

The changes are not limited to Kyiv. The resulting scarcity of rain resulted in the loss of 570,000 hectares of winter crops due to prolonged droughts and unusually intense spring frosts and additional losses of 200,000 hectares of corn and lower crop yield.

Lack of rainfall is one of many negative aftermaths of climate change in Ukraine, and a new range of practices and technologies need to be employed to address these inevitabilities.

The impact study and resulting mitigation roadmap that Hilshaw Group has been commissioned to execute, would help evaluate the plan, methodology and the way forward, while justifying the cost vs benefits of each proposition and possibility. Hilshaw Groups submission qualified against three European organizations.

Hilshaw Group primarily invests in low supply and finite assets and opportunities. It has allocated $175 million towards UAE real estate, specifically towards the facilitation of the remote work visa programme to help mitigate the global post pandemic work culture.

The group has also been appointed as the exclusive advisor and financial consultant for the $7 billion Athi River Green Smart City in Nairobi, Kenya.

"Besides being a business, we are passionate Ukrainians who believe in the progress of local brands and businesses as part of the Nation's progress. To be able to assist the Country's 9% GDP contributor would be an absolute honour ," said Zavgorodnii Dmytro, CEO, Green Z Consultants.

"We are overwhelmed to have partnered with qualified professionals like Hilshaw Group to help navigate this mission to success," he stated.

"Our alignment with Hilshaw Group is not limited to the Impact Study alone, but extends to the implementation of the mitigation strategies and plan as well," he added.

Chairman Lal Bhatia said: "It is an absolute honour to be appointed to assist with a project that is perhaps one of the most significant concerns of economic and national interest to Ukraine."

"While the surface strategies to negotiate through the changing weather seem apparent, an in-depth understanding of future concerns alongside a robust, self-contained investment strategy is needed to mitigate effects and achieve the required long-term benefits through practice change and technology," noted Bhatia.

"In addition to cloud seeding, domiciled reservoirs, and networked irrigation, the impact study will reveal a complete roadmap not just to preserve but increase the agricultural sector's contribution to the Country's GDP," he added.
UAE-based Pharmax Pharmaceuticals has entered into a strategic partnership with Acino, a leader in high-quality pharmaceutical products and services in a move towards making the UAE a regional pharmaceutical manufacturing hub.



UAE-based Pharmax Pharmaceuticals has entered into a strategic partnership with Acino, a leader and high-quality pharmaceutical products and services in a move towards making the UAE a regional pharmaceutical manufacturing hub for innovative and similar medicines.



Dr Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Policy and Licenses at the UAEs Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) said: This partnership between Acino and Pharmax is in line with the UAEs strategy aimed at bringing high quality medicines in the country, and strengthening our position as a healthcare pioneer in region, especially in the production of innovative and similar medicines in local factories in the United Arab Emirates in partnership with international pharmaceutical companies. We are glad to see high-quality Swiss medicines in the UAE and look forward to continue supporting such collaborations to achieve our shared goals.



Together with Pharmax, Acino will further its commitment to MOHAPs vision for enhanced access to high-quality essential medicines for patients and healthcare providers. Acinos reputation is also rooted in its ongoing investments, such as last years acquisition of Japanese firm Takedas primary-care products portfolio, as well as local partnerships to deliver on the regions healthcare ambitions.



Acino is committed to advancing the development of healthcare across the UAE and the wider region by accelerating access to high-quality medicines that patients and governments can trust and value, said Dr Andrew Bird, General Manager and Head of Region, Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, Acino.



Through our partnership with Pharmax, we shall usher in a new phase of enhancement for patient services in the UAE and beyond that will lead to higher standards and better outcomes in care across the region. This collaboration is also a vital step in supporting UAEs economic diversification efforts, and transforming the country into a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub for innovative and similar medicines in the region.

The agreement will encompass the licensing, manufacturing, and supply of select Acino products across the Middle East and Africa region, based on the local needs of patients. These include gastroenterology, pain relief and the cardiovascular system, which is around half of Acinos UAE portfolio. The first locally manufactured product is expected to be available in the UAE market later this year.



The partnership between Pharmax Pharmaceuticals and Acino is one that is multidimensional and synergistic. It will enable both companies to enhance access to affordable high-quality medicines here in UAE and the region, said Madhukar Tanna, CEO, Pharmax Pharmaceuticals.



Both organizations have worked very closely in a time bound manner to realize this partnership, and constantly guided by MOHAPs vision of bringing and developing technology locally and boosting domestic production. I look forward to seeing both organizations build on a strong foundation to pursue our shared objectives.



Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, Managing Director of Dubai Science Park, said: "Today is an important step forward that will elevate Dubais knowledge and innovation-based economy in line with the vision of our leaders. Dubai Science Park was established more than 15 years ago to bring companies together to exchange ideas and contribute to the emirates growth and diversification, and we are extremely pleased to see such partnerships being built and developed within our ecosystem.



Acino is a Swiss pharmaceutical company headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland with a clear focus on selected markets in the Middle East, Africa, Russia, the CIS Region, and Latin America.



Pharmax Pharmaceuticals is manufactures and markets affordable, branded generic medication, offering a diverse range of medications across a range of therapeutic areas.  TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has increased its capacity of desalinated water production has increased to 490 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD) after adding new advanced units at its Jebel Ali Power Plant and Desalination Complex using Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) technology.

We work in line with the vision of the wise leadership to develop a world-class infrastructure to keep pace with the growing demand for energy and water and provide excellent services for over a million customers in Dubai according to the highest standards of availability, reliability, safety and efficiency. This is supported by assets worth more than AED182 billion ($49.5 billion) owned by Dewa and its subsidiaries as well as investments of up to AED86 billion over five years in the energy and water sectors, said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dewa.



Al Tayer explained that Dewa currently has 43 Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) water desalination units with a total production capacity of 427 MIGD of water at the D-, E-, G-, K-, L, and M Stations. It also has 2 SWRO plants with a production capacity of 63 MIGD. Dewas total production capacity of desalinated water is 490 MIGD at the Jebel Ali Power Plant and Desalination Complex.



Al Tayer noted that Dewa aims to increase its SWRO production capacity to 303 MIGD by 2030; reaching 42% instead of its current share of 13%. The desalinated water production capacity will reach 730 MIGD in 2030. SWRO desalination plants require less energy than MSF plants. One of Dewas latest projects using this technology is at the Jebel Ali K-Station, which has a production capacity of 40 MIGD and investments worth AED897 million.



Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation Division at Dewa, said that Dewa adopts smart technologies that allow effective desalination plant control and monitoring, thus enhancing availability and reliability.



For the first time, Dewa implemented in K station SWRO plant the Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) system to treat water and remove any pollutants prior to desalination process. This enables the desalination process to continue in all conditions especially during red tide when total suspended solids and turbidity reach high levels.



Moreover, the two-pass reverse osmosis system implemented in this project guarantees a high quality of potable water. The SWRO plant is equipped with highly efficient recovery devices 96% efficiency which utilise the high pressure from the first pass brine/reject stream and transfers it to a portion of the feed water stream to first pass inlet. This significantly reduces electricity consumption in the high pressure pump, thus enhancing efficiency of the desalination process.



Dewa ensures desalinated water quality through continuous monitoring across all stages of the desalination process, thus allowing customers to have access to drinking water that meets the highest international quality and safety standards including that of the World Health Organization (WHO) for producing, transmitting, and distributing drinking water.  TradeArabia News Service
Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the applied research pillar of Abu Dhabis Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), has announced the appointment of international experts from the field of advanced materials to its Board of Advisors at the Advanced Materials Research Centre (AMRC).

The appointments follow a series of rapid innovation announcements focused on innovations and sustained R & D at Technology Innovation Institute since the first Advanced Technology Research Council board meeting in August 2020.

Advanced Materials Research Centre is one of the seven dedicated centres initially established at the Technology Innovation Institute and is among the few global centres of its kind to bring together experts to conduct groundbreaking research in the field of advanced materials.

Employing and collaborating with 54 scientists, researchers, and engineers in the areas of research the Centre is currently focusing on nanomaterials, energy absorbing materials, additive manufacturing and 3D printing, metamaterials, smart materials, self-healing and high temperature thermoplastic materials. The newly appointed Board of Advisors will guide efforts to develop breakthrough technologies for global impact.

The Board of Advisors include Prof Stefan Maier, Chair in Hybrid Nanosystems, Faculty of Physics, at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen and Lee-Lucas Chair in Experimental Physics at Imperial College London; Prof Robert Li, Professor and Acting Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Associate Dean of the College of Science and Engineering and Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies at City University of Hong Kong (CityU); Prof Xinhua Wu, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Precinct Partnerships) at Monash University and Director of Monash International Advanced Manufacturing Hub; Prof Vikram Deshpande, simulation pioneer and Professor of Materials Engineering, Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge in the UK; Prof Genevieve Langdon, Material Characterisation Leader and Professor of Blast and Impact Engineering at the University of Sheffield in the UK and Honorary Professor at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa; Prof Wesley Cantwell, Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Associate Dean for Research at Khalifa University, Director of the Aerospace Research and Innovation Center (ARIC) in the UAE; and Prof Fatima Montemor, Vice-President of Tecnico for Research and International Affairs, Tecnico professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering (DEQ) and researcher at Centro de Quimica Estrutural (CQE) in Portugal.

Speaking on the new appointments, Dr Mohamed Al Teneiji, Chief Researcher at Advanced Materials Research Centre, said: Advanced materials and composites are invaluable in different areas of life today  from electronics to optics to healthcare, they revolutionise the way companies do business and require continuous R & D to maximise their benefits. Despite being a new entrant in the field, we are proud of the world-leading research the Centre is currently engaged in, and remain confident about the significance of its practical outcomes on industries or life in general.

Technology Innovation Institute, the dedicated applied research pillar of Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) in Abu Dhabi, is a pioneering global research and development centre that focuses on applied research and new-age technology capabilities. The Institute has seven initial dedicated research centres in quantum, autonomous robotics, cryptography, advanced materials, digital security, directed energy, and secure systems.

By working with exceptional talent, universities, research institutions and industry partners from all over the world, the Institute connects an intellectual community and contributes to building an R&D ecosystem in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. The Institute reinforces the status of Abu Dhabi and the UAE as a global hub for innovation and contributes to the broader development of the knowledge-based economy. -- TradeArabia News Service
Italy's justice ministry ordered an inquiry into the conduct of two prosecutors in a corruption case involving energy groups Eni and Shell in Nigeria, Reuters reported.

Milan prosecutors Fabio De Pasquale and Sergio Spadaro were placed under official investigation by magistrates earlier this month for allegedly not filing documents that would have supported Eni's position.

De Pasquale and Spadaro declined to comment on the latest development. Milan's top prosecutor said last week that he backed the two men, after a trial lasting more than three years.

The Justice Ministry said in a statement it had decided to move in the wake of the judicial investigation and following criticism of the pair by the trial judges.

"The ministry has asked the inspectorate to carry out preliminary investigations to correctly reconstruct the facts by acquiring the necessary documents," it said.

A Milan court in March acquitted Eni and Shell in the industry's biggest corruption case, which revolved around the $1.3 billion acquisition of a Nigerian oilfield a decade ago.

In papers filed on June 9, the judges criticised the way the prosecutors had carried out their work, saying they had failed to file with the trial documents a video shot by a former Eni external lawyer, which they said was relevant to the case. --Reuters
Hamad International Airport (HIA) has announced a joint research partnership with Hamad Bin Khalifa Universitys (HBKU) College of Science and Engineering (CSE) to enhance passenger services.

The first-of-its-kind research partnership in Qatar will utilise the Visual Analytics and Dynamic Graph research techniques to identify ways to enhance the passenger airport experience.

Qatars international airport was selected for this grant (NPRP13S-0130-200207) by Qatar Foundation based on its capabilities to further HBKUs CSEs research on the application and advancement of its Visual Analytics and Dynamic Graph techniques. The dynamic graphing method detects relationships within vast amounts of information, which are then visualised to assist researchers and airport professionals in identifying patterns such as changing travel routes. Based on these insights, HIA will be able to offer its passengers customised travel experiences.

As part of the partnership, HBKUs CSE will offer research technique advice and software programming; synthesise data and share its findings throughout the 36-month programme. HIA, and its Information Technology department, will provide problem statements, relevant data, and software programming; review research reports; and test software output from the study.

Engineer Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Chief Operating Officer at Hamad International Airport, said: Our collaboration with HBKU heralds a new era in HIAs technological evolution, and firmly positions Qatars airport as a knowledge-hub with the expertise to advance the aviation industry in the country and beyond. As a leading travel hub, our passengers have always been our top priority, and we believe in going the extra mile with research and strategic partnerships to provide our customers with an airport experience like no other. We look forward to utilising the results of the study to optimise passenger travel time and personalise their experience at our terminal.

Dr. Mounir Hamdi, Founding Dean of HBKUs College of Science and Engineering, stated: At CSE, we take great pride in addressing real-world challenges with our research. The collaboration with Hamad International Airport, one of the premier logistics providers in the world, is an excellent example underscoring the practical relevance and impact of the research conducted at our college. HBKU complements Hamad International Airports renowned expertise in logistics and information technology with our own in visualization and cybersecurity. I believe that all parties will benefit tremendously from this collaboration and hope that many joint projects will follow.

Qatars airport continually strives to improve the passenger experience across all its terminal touchpoints by incorporating emerging technologies and developing innovative solutions.

As a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, HIA was the first airport to request a pioneering prototype of UV-C baggage tray disinfection for its cabin baggage scanners, which were retrofitted in record time as part of HIAs hygiene measures. In addition, HIA reduced the risk of infection in its airport environment by deploying fully autonomous disinfectant robots, which emit concentrated UV light that are effective in eliminating the majority of infectious microorganisms.

The airport has also enabled contactless temperature measurement through its portable and effective Smart Screening Helmets, which use advanced technologies such as infrared thermal imaging, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality displays.

HIAs strategic approach to technology helps ensure the timely and effective implementation of innovative solutions. When adapting to the new normal posed by the pandemic, the airport team used computer vision and artificial intelligence to develop its own automated facial detection system to ensure the airport staff wears masks across the terminal. The home-grown technology was swiftly integrated into HIAs thermal scanning stations.

Qatars airport remains committed to unlocking the power of technology to elevate its operational excellence and meet the evolving needs of its passengers. - TradeArabia News Service
As many will recall, the Smithsonians National Air & Space Museum (NASM) has been undergoing a multi-year, multimillion dollar overhaul of its entire campus on the Mall in Washington, DC. One of the key galleries experiencing a significant update is the WWII Gallery, which closed in 2019. While the old gallery was popular, and featured five key WWII fighters (a Spitfire, P-51D Mustang, A6M Zero, Bf 109 and C.202 Folgore) and the forward fuselage of Martin B-26 Marauder Flak Bait, it was pretty limited in scope and detail, relying on both the artifacts and familiarity of most viewers to the history of WWII, to provide its impact. However, with our proximity to WWII and members of the Greatest Generation fast fading away, NASM felt they needed a new approach to telling the story. As such, the new Jay I. Kislak WWII in the Air Gallery, set to open in 2025, will become a far more dynamic environment for conveying the complex and nuanced history of the air war to generations of Americans who are now far-removed from the living memory of the conflict.

As NASMs Roger Connor recently reported HERE, Besides the Museums use of stellar artifacts, we are reaching out to visitors through two new approaches: One is to place people in the foreground of the story to create empathy and sense of connection. The second is to use new technologies, particularly large format media, to create a dynamic and engaging environment.

Taking advantage of a larger space on the east end of the building (previously home to the Apollo to the Moon gallery), the exhibit will feature six full-size aircraftFM-1 Wildcat, P-51D Mustang, Bf 109G, IL-2 Shturmovik, Ohka 22, and V-1along with a C-47 nose section and the SBD Dauntless displayed outside the entrance. Smaller and no less remarkable artifacts will range from a kite designed by Air and Spaces own Paul Garber and used for training anti-aircraft gunners, to a Gremlin doll given to famed aircraft designer Alexander de Seversky by Walt Disney, to a machine gun from Lady Be Good, the ghostly B-24 bomber found over a decade after the war ended hundreds of miles from the combat zone.

While familiar stories of aeronautical heroism, like that of Marine Corps ace and Medal of Honor recipient Joe Foss, will feature prominently, World War II in the Air will also spotlight the experiences of often overlooked individuals. These include Soviet pilot Anna Yegorova, who flew 41 ground attack missions in the IL-2 Shturmovik against German troops before being shot down and captured, and Clifford Allen, a smoke jumper with the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion who fought wildfires and helped break down racial barriers. War workers and ground crew will be celebrated alongside the aircrew, like P-47 pilot George Rarey, who after perishing to German flak over Normandy, left a poignant cartoon diary for his son that he never had a chance to meet in person. By engaging with these moving stories, new generations of visitors will make connections with the past that keep the legacy of wartime service and sacrifice as a source of inspiration and reflection on a singular moment when aviation changed the world in ways both remarkable and terrifying.

The gallery will employ a new exhibition toolkit, including multimedia projections and interactive technology, to showcase people and some of the most moving imagery from the conflict. Maps will feature prominently on the walls and floor of the gallery, giving context to new generations less familiar with the events of the time. For all the dynamic new features and artifacts, the most powerful visual of the original exhibit will return in this new location. Artist Keith Ferris famed Fortresses Under Fire B-17 mural will once again take center stage. This time, a large interactive table will detail stories of the life and death struggles of the aircrew showcased in the art in a way that visitors in 1976 could only dream of. Together, these techniques will create a powerful link to a moment when the fate of the world depended on the men and women fighting the war in the air.

We recently announced a gift from the Daniels Fund to sponsor the Carrier War section of the gallery in memory of Bill Daniels. Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air gallery is named in honor of World War II aviator Jay I. Kislak, thanks to a generous gift from the Kislak Family Foundation.
On June 16th, 2021 Supermarine Spitfire F.Mk.IX MH603 performed its first engine runs at Vintage Fighter Restorations (VFR) in Scone, New South Wales, Australia. Our good friend John Parker from WarbirdsOnline was on hand to capture this exciting restoration milestone, and we are grateful for his report below.

A large team of engineers, including Greg Johnson and John Keen, completed the myriad tasks necessary for fitting the Spitfires Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, which recently returned from overhaul in the USA. It was indeed a laborious process to refit the Merlin engine and connect up the various hydraulic, electrical and fuel systems, not to mention the instrumentation and make it all functional.

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With the assistance of Alf Morgan, VFRs expert engine whisperer, the Merlin was deemed ready for its first run to confirm functionality. While they conducted a brief engine start on Friday June 11th to ensure that pressure levels were appropriate and the absence of leaks, Wednesday June 16th became the go day for the full engine test regime. Alf Morgan was in the cockpit for the first full running of the aircraft in over 70 years!

Once Alf had completed all of the pre-start system checks, the big moment arrived and he fired up the Merlin for two short runs before giving it the beans for a more thorough evaluation. The powerful, 1650 cubic inch, liquid-cooled V-12 piston engine ran smoothly and ran through all of its initial tests without incident.

This marked a huge milestone for the VFR team and Ross Pay after years of work on the aircraft. While the team will still have to perform a series of engine runs on the ground to check and re-check the other systems on the aircraft, it was the last significant hurdle before the Spitfire can make her first post-restoration flight. At this stage, there is no definitive timing for this to take place, but with each passing day, the number of items awaiting completion grows smaller and smaller.

We will be on hand to witness and report back when MH603 becomes Australias 4th airworthy Spitfire! Our thanks go to Ross Pay and the team at Vintage Fighter Restorations and Pays Air Service for assisting with this news item.

Many thanks indeed to our friend John Parker at WarbirdsOnline for this article.
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by Sumon Corraya

The Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mahajote has attacked the leader of Banchte Shekha for promoting equal rights for women in inheritance matters. Many Hindus stand by the Catholic activist, a laureate of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the Asian Nobel Prize, for her work on behalf of the poor and marginalised.

Dhaka (AsiaNews)  The Banchte Shekha (Learn to Survive), a Christian NGO led by Catholic Angela Gomes, has come in the crosshairs of a Hindu group, Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mahajote, which on Saturday denounced its actions during a meeting at the Dhaka Press Circle.

According to Gobinda Chandra Pramanik, Secretary General of the Hindu organisation, the Christian movement and the Manjsher Janno Foundation promote activities against Hindus. Unless, the Christian NGO changes its course, it would face terrible consequences, Pramanik warned.

The attack was sparked by the fight for equality promoted by the Christian group in favour of women. In Hindu tradition, women have no title nor claim to inheritance and do not get property from their parents.

Banchte Shekha and other groups have long fought for equal opportunities with the aim of changing inheritance rules. In recent years the two targeted NGOs have distinguished themselves for their work on behalf of the poor and marginalised.

The Manjsher Janno Foundation is at the forefront of human rights and basic assistance, as well as campaigning against abuse and violence against minorities.

Banchte Shekha has been working since 1976 to improve the socio-economic status of women and girls. Its executive director, Angela Gomes, won the 1999 Ramon Magsaysay Award, also known as the Asian Nobel prize.

Speaking to AsiaNews, the activist targeted by Hindu extremists said that we are not working against Hindus, but we work for people of all faiths. The allegations against us are false.

Banchte Shekhas work is so appreciated that many Hindus and other movements have come out against the Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mahajote and slammed the anti-Christian accusations.

These NGOs are working for women empowerment, said Sunjon Roy, a young Hindu man. In India, Hindus have changed the inheritance law and today women enjoy equal rights; however, some radical leaders in Bangladesh do not want change.

The radical Hindu movement has also distinguished itself in other cases. It has demanded the construction of more Hindu temples and places of worship, the allocation of more funds for minorities in the government budget, the introduction of a different electoral system for the Hindu community with 60 reserved seats, the creation of a ministry for minorities, and a national holiday for the Hindu feast of Rathajatra.
The police arrested two people, whose identity remains unknown. The third is Apro Diril, already arrested in the past for an altercation with elderly spouses and released on probation. Dispute over possession of some agricultural land. There has been no news of Houmouz Diril for 531 days.

Istanbul (AsiaNews) - Three arrests in a story that remains largely unknown and in which the truth still seems far away. The fate of the Diril spouses who were kidnapped in south-eastern Turkey in January 2020, remains shrouded in mystery. According to the Mezopotamya News agency, in recent days the police have carried out some raids in the Beytussebap district, in the province of Srnak, arresting three people suspected of involvement in the kidnapping and death of the woman. There is no official news of the whereabouts of the man yet.

Local sources say that the investigators have arrested two people, whose identity remains unknown at the moment. The third arrested is Apro Diril, a distant relative of the two elderly spouses with whom there would have been disagreements in the past. In the days following his disappearance, he reported seeing some men in the PKK uniform (the Kurdish Workers' Party, considered a terrorist movement by Ankara) taking the two Christians.

The man says he tried to stop the assailants and suffered threats in case of further interventions or if he reported the matter to the police. After some time, Apro Diril retracted at least in part, stating that he was not sure of the "uniform" worn by the kidnappers, who could belong to groups other than the PKK. The authorities suspected him because, according to some inhabitants of the area, he had an altercation in the months preceding his disappearance due to disputes over the use of some agricultural land.

On the other hand, the investigators did not leak any details or information on the identity of the other two arrested. Last March, the son Remzi Diril, a priest of the Chaldean Church in Iraq, denounced the inaction of the police and the judiciary who, after more than a year, had not taken any steps in the direction of truth and justice. Even a parliamentarian had attacked the institutions whose "anti-Christian" policy he said was at the basis of the kidnapping and death of the spouses.

Houmouz and Simoni Diril, Chaldeans, lived in the Christian village of Mehri (Kovankaya), an area where a struggle has been going on for some time between the government and Kurdish separatists. According to an eyewitness, on 11 January last year armed men entered Kovankaya and took the couple away; adverse weather conditions and the silence imposed by the authorities blocked the searches.

The body of the 65-year-old woman was found on March 20 last year: abandoned on the edge of a stream, naked and with evident signs of torture; of her 71-year-old husband there has been no news for 531 days. In a comment relaunched on social media, the president of the Srnak Lawyers Association, Rojhat Dilsiz, stressed that "there has been no real progress in the investigation ", especially in the case of the "disappearance of Houmouz Diril". He does not consider the issue of "arrest warrants against three suspects", including "Apro Diril, already arrested and then released on probation", to be a real turning point.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, in 2018 a fire had reduced it to ashes. Founded in 1898 by Polish deportees. First destroyed in 1938 by Bolshevik activists. Reconsecrated in 1998. 100 thousand euros collected online for the restoration. Warsaw donates a reproduction of the Black Virgin of Czestochowa.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - On June 19 the small Siberian village of Belostok celebrated the restoration of the Catholic church dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, which was burnt by a fire in 2018. The restoration was finished on June 12, which is a national holiday in Russia. The event is recognized as a sign of hope not only by Catholics, but by all the locals, says the website Sibir.Realii.

Belostok's historical identity is embedded in it's Catholic roots: a group of Poles founded the small town in 1898, after arriving in this area of the Tomsk region. The fire at first seemed to have deprived the faithful of their place common identity forever. However, in a very short time, an astounding amont of funds were collected: as much as 100 thousand euros.

In the years of the Stalinist repressions, 90% of the male inhabitants of Belostok were exterminated; today about two hundred inhabitants live there. The Catholic faith has remained in the hearts of a few elderly people, and even after the end of the communist regime and the economic crises of recent years, the village seemed destined for extinction. The restoration of the church instead instills the hope of a new life for the whole local community.

Many villages in Siberia have had a similar history. Groups of various ethnic origins and the families of the deportees struggled to carve out a space for independence in the difficult living conditions of the region. The Belostok church was consecrated in 1908. A few years later, in 1913, in the neighboring village of Malicevka, other Poles did the same by building a small Latin Catholic church. A parish was then formed which included the towns of Belostok, Polozovo, Voznesenka, Malinovka, Malicevka and a series of remote farmhouses inhabited by Poles and Latvians. The priests came from Tomsk and the parish gathered about a thousand inhabitants, out of the 60 thousand Poles scattered throughout Siberia.

Unlike other places of Polish deportation, both in the time of the Tsar and after the Bolshevik revolution, the inhabitants of these villages never stood out for protests or revolts. However, the Stalinist persecutions also reached these distant places. In 1931 the Soviet authorities arrested the last priest, Father Julian Gronskij, who was sentenced to 10 years in a concentration camp. In 1938, Communist Party activists devastated the church, which was later used as a warehouse and Bolshevik "house of culture". In 1938, the NKVD (the future KGB) carried out the so-called "Polish operation" in a few days, condemning almost 40,000 Siberian Poles to the concentration camp.

1990 was the year of the first rebirth, with the restitution of the building. After a restoration, the bishop of Novosibirsk Josif Werth rededicated it in 1998. In 2003 the Belostok community also opened a memorial complex in honor of the local victims of Stalinism and war.

In 2018, a trivial short circuit reduced the church to ashes, but the parishioners did not lose heart. Together with the parish priest, Fr. Krzysztof, they launched the #SibirskijBelostokVoskresenie campaign (the Resurrection of Belostok in Siberia) on social networks. Donations arrived from Poland, Russia, England, Germany and other countries: the necessary sum was reached in less than two years. The rest ofthe work was carried out by the villagers, working for free on the reconstruction, even if most of them no longer profess the Catholic faith.

The consul general of Poland, Krzysztof Sviderek, also took part in the ceremony on 12 June. He brought as a gift a reproduction of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa, Queen of Poland and of Belostok.
Mass testing is underway in the large industrial centre to stop a new coronavirus outbreak. The province's ports are still congested, also affected by frequent blackouts. Guangdong produces 10 per cent of Chinas GDP; any slowdown is dangerous for the country, already struggling with high levels of youth unemployment.

Guangzhou (AsiaNews)  Guangdong authorities have extended the lockdown in some neighbourhoods in Dongguan.

After the discovery of two coronavirus cases over the weekend, the large industrial centre launched a mass campaign to test the population; entire communities are in isolation and residents cannot leave the city with huge damage to the local economy.

The southern Chinese province has been grappling with a coronavirus resurgence since late May. The Delta variant, which first appeared in India, is of particular concern.

Yesterday, the health authorities reported only seven new cases; the average for the last week was 11 per day.

Since 28 May, 168 cases were reported in Guangdong, 90 per cent in the provincial capital Guangzhou.

Strict quarantine and disinfection measures have caused congestion at the Yantian International Container Terminal, one of China's busiest ports, serving Shenzhen's technology hub. At least 50 merchant ships are anchored off the coast waiting to dock.

According to Reuters, more than 160 cargo ships have affected by the lockdown. As a result, many Chinese exporters have preferred to move their goods to Europe by land.

Operations in Yantian could return to normal by the end of June.

Shekou and Nansha, the province's other major ports, have also faced congestion problems.

The new coronavirus outbreak has created further dangers for the local economy. What is more, the province has been recently hit by frequent blackouts that threaten industrial production.

Power outages are due to poor rainfall, with hydroelectric power plants forced to operate below capacity, soaring price of coal (which 60 per cent of Chinas electricity output), and the industrial sprawl.

Guangdong produces 10 per cent of Chinas GDP; and any economic slowdown would be a danger for the whole of China.

The recovery from the COVID-19 crisis has been driven by manufacturing and exports. However, the country is facing unbalanced growth, with service industries struggling to return to pre-emergency levels.

The lack of opportunities in the tertiary sector have kept the level of youth unemployment high, 13.8 per cent, according to Chinas National Bureau of Statistics, more than double the urban jobless rate, which fell to 5 per cent in May.
by Purushottam Nayak

A year after the clashes with Chinese troops on the border in the Galwan Valley, the parish of Raikia remembers a young man who was of the Indian soldiers who died. He was a friend of all, Hindus, Christians and Muslims, giving his life to defend others.

Kandhamal (AsiaNews)  The parish of Our Lady of Charity in Raikia, Kandhamal district (Odisha), has recently remembered Chandrakanta Pradhan, a parishioner who was among the 20 Indian soldiers killed a year ago in fighting with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley on the Himalayan border.

About hundred people gathered Wednesday last week for a memorial Mass led by Father Pradosh Chandra Nayak, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar.

In his homily, the clergyman spoke of Pradhan as a courageous son, a true disciple of Jesus who like his Master lived for others, sacrificing his life for the nation.

People of other religions also joined in at the end of the religious service, when a memorial dedicated to the young man was unveiled.

Father Nayak noted that Pradhan worked for the development of the area and was a friend of all, Hindus, Christians and Muslims.

For this reason the memorial, together with the cross that celebrates the passion and death of Christ, also shows the Om, the Hindu symbol that represents the universe, and the crescent moon with the star, a Muslim symbol.

His death has thrown our family into darkness but it has become the example of a life sacrificed for others that makes us proud, said Karunakar Pradhan, Chandrakanta's father.

Jayananda Nayak, president of the Kandhamal minority protection group, said that a song was also written to remember the young soldier's sacrifice.

Local authorities had promised to build a statue in Pradhan's honour at Raikia bus station, but the pandemic forced the work to be postponed, he explained.
Leader of Vanuatu's Christian Council and president of the Vanuatu Free West Papua Association, Pastor Nafuki campaigned for years for the Indonesia-controlled region of Papua to become independent.

Vanuatu (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Vanuatu is paying tribute to Pastor Allen Nafuki (pictured), leader of Vanuatu's Christian Council, who passed away at his home in Port Vila last week.

Pastor Nafuki, a defender of the rights of oppressed pacific peoples, was originally from the island of Erromango.

A member of the Pacific Council of Churches, he was a leading advocate of regional self-determination.

As president of the Vanuatu Free West Papua Association, Pastor Nafuki for years campaigned for the Indonesia-controlled region of Papua to become independent.

For Rev James Bhagwan, general secretary Pacific Conference of Churches, Pastor Nafuki has done important work for decades and left a legacy.

Rev Bhagwan says the late clergyman spoke passionately about the aspirations for freedom of West Papua, Kanaky and Maohi Nui at every opportunity.

He was concerned about reparations for the victims of nuclear testing in the Pacific, and spoke out strongly against domestic violence.

Nafuki was also a former member of the Executive Committee of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, whose acting secretary general, Rev Dr Ioan Sauca, said Pastor Nafuki dedicated his life to the ecumenical movement to which he made unique contributions, as a Pacific islander.

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua held funeral ceremonies for Pastor Nafuki in Jayapura and Wamena over the weekend.

Its leader Benny Wenda paid tribute to Pastor Nafuki's long-running work to push West Papuans to be accepted as full members of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

Nafuki's funeral was held on 14 June in Port Vila, and his body was then flown to Erromango for burial.
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop John Lee Juo-wang, 54, who took office on 1st January. In a letter to the diocese, the prelate says he has serious psychological and physical problems and asks the community for their prayers.

Tainan (AsiaNews)  A few months after his inauguration, Bishop John Lee Juo-wang of Tainan has left the helm of the diocese.

Pope Francis, who accepted the resignation of the 54-year-old prelate on Saturday, appointed his predecessor, Mgr Lin Chi-nan Wood, as apostolic administrator.

The news took the diocese by surprise. Bishop Lee was ordained and installed only on 1 January. Born and raised in the community of Tainan, he was appointed on 14 November.

The local diocese covers a territory with a population of almost 2 million people, including 7,500 Catholics.

In a letter to the diocese, Bishop Lee explains his decision by saying that he had psychological and physical problems.

After long prayers under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I humbly accept that I have a serious health problem, he writes, adding that he chose to resign for the good of the diocese.

Thanking everyone for their love, affection and accompaniment and asking for understanding and prayers, the prelate notes that without the assignment of the episcopal ministry he can organise himself for the medical treatment and care he needs.

As for the future of the diocese, he points to the problems of evangelisation, education in the faith, the family and young people as challenges that we must have the courage to face, with the commitment of all.

Through prayer and reading, I better understand what Saint Paul says in his Letter to the Romans (12:2): Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

May the Lord bless you. May He carry you through the pandemic, give salvation to the dead, health to the sick, work for everyone. I also pray for priests who are victims of pressure.

When he was appointed, Bishop Lees singular history made the headlines. The son of financially strapped refugees with many children who arrived in Taiwan in 1950, he was entrusted to a Lee family from the same village.

Later however, the Lee family itself encountered many difficulties, and the boy was adopted by the Huang family.

After becoming a priest, thanks to his experience, he devoted himself to marginalised children and young people.
Minority drivers were also cited and arrested more often than white motorists last year. Black drivers who were pulled over were issued a citation 27% of the time while 34% of Hispanic drivers stopped were cited, most often for registration and failure to follow traffic laws. Among white drivers who were stopped, 23% were cited.
The dam, located along the Susquehanna River near where it empties into the Chesapeake Bay, has trapped a large amount of sediment and debris for years. But now, the reservoir behind it is largely full, so pollutants now continue downstream and into the bay. And when big storms come, large amounts of nutrients are released all at once, burying aquatic life and spurring the overgrowth of algae, which sucks oxygen from the water and creates dead zones in the bay.
We also thank The Sun for praising the new health subsidies enacted this year by the Maryland General Assembly, which will help lower income young people afford health care insurance. We need to build on this with additional state subsidies and by automatically enrolling people eligible for free or low cost coverage. And we need to make sure that undocumented Marylanders get health care coverage. These measures will benefit all of us by reducing uncompensated hospital care for which we all pay with higher health insurance premiums.
Werent members of the U.S. House of Representatives left unscathed after an armed mob breached the Capitol? Yet Mr. Harris has decided that demonstrating his gratitude to the U.S. Capitol police for their sacrifices on Jan. 6 is not worth the effort.
For decades, weve failed to make meaningful progress on some of our toughest challenges. Today, a quarter of Maryland middle schoolers still cant read at a basic level. Wages are stagnant as income inequality has grown. Healthcare costs keep rising. And racial inequities persist in all these areas, Baron said in announcing his campaign. Clearly, its time for a different approach. When Im governor, well tackle these long-term challenges with strategies proven to work  and well test bold new ideas and expand those that are most effective. Lets do what works.
News Around the Republic of Mexico



Yucatan Acquires Dogs Trained to Sniff Out Covid-19



The German shepherds were specially trained to detect cases of the disease based on the smell COVID-19, using a technique developed by Dominique Grandjean, a doctor from the French National Veterinary School. Merida, Yucatan, Mexico - Yucatan has two new weapons in the fight against Covid-19: Hocky and Kadet are German shepherds specially trained to detect cases of the disease based on smell.



The dogs are now part of the K-9 unit of the state's Ministry of Public Security (SSP).



Hocky and Kadet were born in Poland and Slovenia but trained in a special program in San Antonio, Texas, said Yucatan Governor Mauricio Vila Dosal.



There, they learned a new technique designed by French doctor Dominique Grandjean in which the dogs detect Covid-positive patients by smelling their underarm sweat. Studies show that the technique is 95% effective.







Hocky and Kadet were selected from a program in San Antonio (Photo: Yucatan State Government)



The new K-9 unit members were acquired as part of a transfer of gear and resources from the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), arranged through the U.S. consulate in Merida.



The INL also provided the Yucatan SSP with canine instructor training, five Ford Explorers modified for canine transportation, and eight dogs trained to detect drugs, weapons and paper money.



Originally published by - Yucatan has two new weapons in the fight against Covid-19: Hocky and Kadet are German shepherds specially trained to detect cases of the disease based on smell.The dogs are now part of the K-9 unit of the state's Ministry of Public Security (SSP).Hocky and Kadet were born in Poland and Slovenia but trained in a special program in San Antonio, Texas, said Yucatan Governor Mauricio Vila Dosal.There, they learned a new technique designed by French doctor Dominique Grandjean in which the dogs detect Covid-positive patients by smelling their underarm sweat. Studies show that the technique is 95% effective.The new K-9 unit members were acquired as part of a transfer of gear and resources from the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), arranged through the U.S. consulate in Merida.The INL also provided the Yucatan SSP with canine instructor training, five Ford Explorers modified for canine transportation, and eight dogs trained to detect drugs, weapons and paper money.Originally published by Mexico News Daily with reports from Infobae.



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Vallarta Living



Alberto Chalico, a Whimsical Artist in Puerto Vallarta



A sea serpent rising out of the water behind Los Arcos is just example of the unique pastel drawings Alberto Chalico creates as he sits in his open-air studio in Parque Hidalgo at the north end of the Malecon. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - A sea serpent rises out of the water just behind the four arches, spitting at pedestrians; a mangy street dog drives a Volkswagen along the street in front of the Guadalupe Church; pigeons gossip in the plaza... These are some of the unique pastel drawings Alberto Chalico creates as he sits in his open-air studio in Parque Hidalgo at the north end of the Malecon. You can't miss him as his three rescue dogs are relaxing close to where he sits drawing scenes of the local surroundings.



Alberto is a very interesting guy. You never know who a person is until you start talking with them. And, it turns out, Alberto has a background that would amaze many of us. He studied architecture in Mexico City where he worked on renderings. His skill is obvious in the perspective and detail found in his drawings.







He eventually decided being an architect was not for him. He explained to me he did not want the responsibility of making something stand in the world of objects when he could make an impression stand in the world of thought and imagination. So, he struck out on the open road to find a new life and a way that he could combine his love of painting with his architectural background.



In Queretaro, he began to make a name for himself as a muralist, decorating walls and doorways with small detailed pictures and some larger murals. He collected stray dogs along his way, eventually landing in Guadalajara, where he continued to find work as a muralist and creator of animal portraits. He and his dogs lived where they could, sometimes on the streets, while he continued to draw to make money.



My eyes went wide when he told me that, about six months ago, he decided to leave Guadalajara and walk to Puerto Vallarta. Yes, he walked here on the advice of a friend who thought he might like this friendly town, since he found Guadalajara to be unsafe for him and his little companions. Can you imagine walking here with three dogs?







These times have been hard for folks like Alberto who are trying to make a living as street artists. He has one commissioned mural here so far. Alberto will draw any picture you like in color or black and white either in person or from a photograph. A recent sketch of himself and his dogs is quite charming. Have him draw you with your family pet! He will be most grateful for your interest and your support.



For more examples of Alberto Chalico's art visit his Facebook page:



You can find Alberto at Parque Hidalgo most afternoons and evenings, usually from 5-9 pm. or reach him via WhatsApp: +52 442-106-0744 or by email: artefinomural@gmail.com.



Thanks to my friend and author Sherry Frisch for helping with this story.



Sandra Cesca has lived in Puerto Vallarta for 13 years. She is a cultural tour guide with her own small business: Puerto Vallarta Walking Tours. She is also a freelance writer and cultural photographer whose work can be found on Your Cultural Insider and Sandra Cesca Photography. You can contact her at: - A sea serpent rises out of the water just behind the four arches, spitting at pedestrians; a mangy street dog drives a Volkswagen along the street in front of the Guadalupe Church; pigeons gossip in the plaza... These are some of the unique pastel drawings Alberto Chalico creates as he sits in his open-air studio in Parque Hidalgo at the north end of the Malecon. You can't miss him as his three rescue dogs are relaxing close to where he sits drawing scenes of the local surroundings.Alberto is a very interesting guy. You never know who a person is until you start talking with them. And, it turns out, Alberto has a background that would amaze many of us. He studied architecture in Mexico City where he worked on renderings. His skill is obvious in the perspective and detail found in his drawings.He eventually decided being an architect was not for him. He explained to me he did not want the responsibility of making something stand in the world of objects when he could make an impression stand in the world of thought and imagination. So, he struck out on the open road to find a new life and a way that he could combine his love of painting with his architectural background.In Queretaro, he began to make a name for himself as a muralist, decorating walls and doorways with small detailed pictures and some larger murals. He collected stray dogs along his way, eventually landing in Guadalajara, where he continued to find work as a muralist and creator of animal portraits. He and his dogs lived where they could, sometimes on the streets, while he continued to draw to make money.My eyes went wide when he told me that, about six months ago, he decided to leave Guadalajara and walk to Puerto Vallarta. Yes, he walked here on the advice of a friend who thought he might like this friendly town, since he found Guadalajara to be unsafe for him and his little companions. Can you imagine walking here with three dogs?These times have been hard for folks like Alberto who are trying to make a living as street artists. He has one commissioned mural here so far. Alberto will draw any picture you like in color or black and white either in person or from a photograph. A recent sketch of himself and his dogs is quite charming. Have him draw you with your family pet! He will be most grateful for your interest and your support.For more examples of Alberto Chalico's art visit his Facebook page: Arte Fino Mural You can find Alberto at Parque Hidalgo most afternoons and evenings, usually from 5-9 pm. or reach him via WhatsApp: +52 442-106-0744 or by email: artefinomural@gmail.com.has lived in Puerto Vallarta for 13 years. She is a cultural tour guide with her own small business:She is also a freelance writer and cultural photographer whose work can be found onandYou can contact her at: sun4sandra(at)gmail.com.



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The View

Parking reform could re-energize downtowns

Like most cities across the U.S., Buffalo's zoning ordinances required new development to include a minimum amount of parking. But that's changing, thanks to the adoption of the city's new "Green Code" in 2017.

By DANIEL HESS and JEFFREY REHLER

Department of Urban and Regional Planning

Reprinted from The Conversation

Daniel Hess Jeffrey Rehler

For urban planners, parking rules established decades ago have become a contentious 21st-century challenge. Parking takes up about one-third of land area in U.S. cities; nationwide, there are an estimated eight parking spaces for every car. In 2017 Buffalo, became the first U.S. city to stop requiring development projects to include at least a minimum amount of parking. Other cities followed, including Hartford, Connecticut, and Santa Monica, California. Many cities are now considering reforms, and a bill pending before the California Legislature would remove minimums for new buildings near public transportation across the Golden State. But despite growing support for parking reform, there is little data showing how such changes affect urban development. As part of our work on urban planning, we quantified changes in construction during the first two years after Buffalo adopted its new Green Code, repealing minimum parking requirements citywide. We found that the Green Code is changing Buffalos urban form in ways that had been difficult, if not impossible, under former zoning rules. As local leaders seek to reenergize the urban core and spark a post-industrial renaissance, public transit is now a priority. Inactive storefronts, underutilized historic structures and former industrial buildings are being rehabilitated, and vacant parcels are being developed in fragmented neighborhoods.

Most building codes prioritize cars

With rapid post-World War II development and an explosion in car ownership, cities and towns across the U.S. introduced minimum parking requirements during the 1950s. These zoning ordinances required new buildings to include off-street parking lots. The mandates remain nearly universal across America, raising real estate prices, bringing more cars into cities, increasing air pollution and carbon emissions, and lowering use of public transportation. Parking standards were created arbitrarily, without adequate data. Zoning laws usually require one parking space per apartment, one per 300 square feet of commercial development and one per 100 square feet for restaurants. For context, a parking space measures 160 square feet on average, plus additional area for driveways and driving lanes, so an eaterys parking lot may be three times the size of its dining area. Since the 2005 publication of UCLA urban planning scholar Donald Shoups The High Cost of Free Parking, many people have begun to question the amount of precious urban land currently used for storing cars. Planners, developers, urbanists and nonprofits are now offering market-driven strategies to realign off-street parking supply and demand. Prioritizing cars limits space for housing, businesses, parks and other land uses that benefit citizens and contribute to local tax bases. It also increases construction costs, which are then passed on to tenants and buyers. In Los Angeles, for example, each parking space costs developers at least $50,000  a price tag that has scuttled some development projects. In 2016, Portland, Oregon, waived parking requirements for affordable housing developments, showing how zoning changes could make urban housing more available and affordable.

A Metro Rail train runs down Main Street past Shea's Buffalo theater. David Wilson//Wikimedia, CC BY

Buffalos natural experiment in parking reform

Buffalos long-standing zoning code, established in 1953, reflected the emergence and dominance of the automobile as Americas transportation mode of choice. Inflexible minimums ensured plentiful parking at bowling alleys, dance halls and skating rinks. The code did not ease parking provisions for mixed-use development or offer flexibility to reduce parking at small businesses providing neighborhood necessities. The result: Nearly half of downtown Buffalo was converted to parking lots. Locals joked about parking: If the goal was to destroy downtown, we only halfway succeeded. Our review of the Green Codes initial effects found that from April 2017 to April 2019, the amount of off-street parking included in new building projects varied widely. Developers of 14 sites mixing retail space and residential units incorporated 53% fewer parking spaces than required under previous zoning. Four added no parking, opting instead to share parking with other properties. In contrast, many single-use developers maintained or exceeded former parking requirements. Despite city leaders ambitions for more accessible transportation options, the car remains king in development plans for office buildings and townhomes, hampering reform in a region characterized by suburban sprawl and travel habits based on car ownership. Despite these challenges, we found that developers of 36 major projects  including two large housing complexes targeted to graduate students, with over 200 units apiece  included 47% fewer parking spaces than previous zoning required. One-third of the developments in our study made parking an amenity, charging user fees rather than bundling it into rent or purchase prices. Overall, the Green Code encouraged less parking in transit-rich locations along primary commercial corridors.

Optimizing land use

The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed development projects worldwide. Though personal automobile use dominated COVID-19-era transportation for many, there is broad support now for returning to a pre-pandemic focus on making urban places more dense, with a focus on walkable neighborhoods. Millennials and Generation Zers drive less than previous generations. Growing numbers of people working from home and shopping online are reshaping traditional urban commutes and travel. Without minimum requirements, costly and land-consuming off-street parking becomes an option instead of a mandate, paid for by those who use it. Rethinking car-centric urban planning allows for more green space, transit-oriented development and active living.

Rethinking urban landscapes
Campus News

UB unveils mural, announces plans for Joyce museum

From left: Evviva Weinraub Lajoie, James Maynard, Ciaran Madden, Tim Kennedy and Satish K. Tripathi stand together in front of the new James Joyce mural. Photos: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

By CORY NEALON

The UB Libraries aims to create a James Joyce museum in historic Abbott Hall on UBs South Campus that provides a permanent exhibition space for visitors from across the globe to experience for themselves the rare materials and the very life and history of Joyce. 

On Monday, UB officially unveiled downtown Buffalos latest mural  a 36-foot-tall homage to renowned Irish author and poet James Joyce.

The university also announced a fundraising campaign to create a museum on the South Campus for the UB James Joyce Collection  a treasure trove of materials that Irish diplomat Ciaran Madden described at the event as the greatest collection of Joyce materials in the world.

The mural that you see here is part of a broader initiative to raise awareness of the UB James Joyce Collection, said James Maynard, curator of the UB Poetry Collection and coordinator of the UB Rare and Special Books Collection.

The UB Libraries aims to create a James Joyce museum in historic Abbott Hall on UBs South Campus that provides a permanent exhibition space for visitors from across the globe to experience for themselves the rare materials and the very life and history of Joyce, he said.

Through the universitys Boldly Buffalo fundraising campaign, the museum will also support a preservation and acquisitions endowment, a James Joyce curator position, and programming and exhibition funds.

Madden, the consul general of Ireland in New York, praised the plan to make the collection, which includes Joyces manuscripts, personal belongings and other materials, more easily accessible to the public.

He commented on Joyces most famous work, Ulysses, widely considered a masterpiece of 20th-century literature.

It inspires devotion like no book Ive ever seen. When you talk to writers in Ireland and here in the U.S., and talk to them about Ulysses, it ignites their passions. They become proselytizers for the book. They tell you their favorite bits; why they love it. They quote it at length. And they bring it to life in a way that reading it doesnt, Madden said.

President Satish K. Tripathi said the Joyce collection, as well as other materials acquired and preserved by the UB Libraries, play a key role in boosting UBs reputation for educational excellence in the U.S. and abroad.

This significant scholarly treasure enhances UBs international reputation and impact. And both our UB Poetry Collection and our UB James Joyce Collection play a wider role in our ambition to situate UB among top 25 public research universities in the nation, he said.
Facilities management was the biggest challenge of 2020 to A&L Properties, owner of the Technology Village at the corner of Lake Ave. and Superior St. in Duluth.
Dakota graduated from Bret Harte in 2013 and went to Davidson College, NC where she earned a bachelor's degree in Arab studies. After spending time studying in the Middle East and Europe, she is happy to be home, writing about the community she loves.

Comment Policy Calaveras Enterprise does not actively monitor comments. However, staff does read through to assess reader interest. When abusive or foul language is used or directed toward other commenters, those comments will be deleted. If a commenter continues to use such language, that person will be blocked from commenting. We wish to foster a community of communication and a sharing of ideas, and we truly value readers' input.
Ive gotten too many emails from teachers telling me goodbye. That they are tired of not being appreciated and theyre not going to be returning, he said. And were going to lose a lot of good teachers at the end of this year either to retirement or to say they are not returning here, either theyre looking for another job or theyre going to go somewhere else to teach because theyre not feeling appreciated. That should not be happening.
Students said they would not be willing to pay for Facebook or YouTube. When asked by Hill if she would pay a monthly fee for smartphone apps she can now download for free, in order to protect her data, Stacy replied that it depends how much I want the app. Other students noted that their data is probably in the hands of advertisers and marketers already.
Officers then determined Bonoras car, a 2011 Nissan SUV, was missing. Authorities found the SUV occupied hours later around Spa Road and Forest Drive. As officers attempted to stop the car, the driver fled and eventually crashed into a tractor-trailer in Prince Georges County. The driver was taken to an area hospital and is a person of interest, police said.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday defended Biden's wait-and-see approach with Putin. Biden "wants to be able to have a space, to be able to engage directly, privately, candidly with President Putin, and then to determine whether the actions that Russia takes in the months ahead, match up with the discussions that took place in Geneva," Sullivan said. (Doug Mills/AP Photo)
As chair of the 2021 Charter Revision Commission, I have witnessed how much Annapolis residents embrace (and at time not so much) our city. In the two months since the charter commissions first convening in late April of this year, we have held twice-monthly meetings and heard from many of our residents who have shared their views and concerns on everything from municipal elections to finances and city operations  even concerns where the city should be refocused.
Ex-Armenian President Robert Kocharyan's Armenia Alliance is questioning the credibility of the preliminary results of the Sunday parliamentary election, pointing to numerous reported violations during the vote.

According to the latest data from Armenia's Central Electoral Commission, with about 30 percent of the ballots counted (607 out of 2,008 polling stations), Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract Party has 58.52 percent, while Armenia Alliance is second with 18.56 percent. Meanwhile, businessman Gagik Tsarukyan's Prosperous Armenia party has 5.32 percent.

"Published parliamentary election results are controversial and not credible," Armenia Alliance said in a statement on Facebook, pointing to various reported violations, which "testifies to a coordinated and pre-planned falsification of the election results."

The Armenia Alliance said it was going to thoroughly investigate all the reported violations.

"Until all the problematic issues have received comprehensive clarifications ... the 'Armenia' bloc will not accept the election results," the Armenia Alliance said on Facebook.

Meanwhile Pashinyan stated after voting was over on Sunday that the page of election fraud was forever closed in Armenia, and promised to begin consultations with all "healthy" political forces in the coming days.

The Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia has received 319 reports on violations during the snap parliamentary election held on Sunday, according to spokesman Edgar Arsenyan. Inquiries were launched into 150 of them, and six criminal cases were opened, mostly concerning bribes during the election campaign.

(ANI)

Also Read: White House considering talks between Biden, Jinping if 'circumstances warrant'
If you are old enough to remember the hit comedy movie of 1980, Caddy Shack, then you will recall that a gopher infestation was threatening a golf course in Nebraska. The somewhat deranged groundskeeper was tasked with getting rid of the pest. His efforts at eradication include shooting, f
American and other airlines have had trouble matching their desire to offer flights with their ability to assemble crews, although it expects to complete training for furloughed pilots by the end of June. The airline said it dropped flights in markets that have other options for passengers and is working to make schedule changes in advance of travelers departure dates.
Airlines have struggled to deal with the spike in demand for air travel as people across the globe get vaccinated and embark on trips once again. Earlier this month, the number of daily U.S. air travelers rose above 2 million for the first time since the pandemic started, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
There were 37 flight delays at OHare between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday, while Midway Airport had 10 delays and three cancellations, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, which is grappling with active thunderstorms, topped the so-called MiseryMap with 63 delays and 12 cancellations Monday afternoon.
Jones said the university expects students to be fully vaccinated  either with the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine or a two-dose regimen  two weeks before returning to campus. Vaccines that are authorized for emergency use by either the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization will fulfill the requirement. Students who cant get a vaccine at home will be able to receive one on campus.
Square Books, Oxford, Mississippi: Speaking of charming, this store on the Square in downtown Oxford near the University of Mississippi campus is worth a stop by itself, but comes with the bonus of being a stones throw from William Faulkners home, Rowan Oak. If you time it right, you can watch a live taping of the Thacker Mountain Radio Hour, a music and literary variety show held at nearby sister store, Off Square Books.
At about 1 p.m., emergency responders headed to the beach after reports of people struggling in the water. Several young people were rescued, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, but the 14-year-old was missing. About 10 minutes later, a Jet Ski operator saw the teen under the waters surface and alerted the Michigan City Fire Department, officials said.
Smokejumpers dive into remote areas that generally are not immediately accessible any other way. The goal is to subdue the fire when its small, before it grows. Using hand tools such as a chainsaw, a torch and a Pulaski tool, which combines an ax for chopping with an adze for digging, a small group of firefighters may try to clear out brush and other fuel, and contain the fire within boundaries.
On Sunday, those who knew Kimchi remembered her as someone with limitless potential and a strong passion for learning the inner workings of the criminal justice system. Kimchi was pursuing a doctorate in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Maryland and was also part of the schools prestigious Flagship Fellowship, which aims to attract exceptional doctoral students. Kimchi was in Chicago for a personal matter, according to a faculty member.
Also unknown was whether Vrdolyak, who did not participate in Mondays hearing, has been vaccinated against COVID-19. His attorney, Catharine ODaniel, told the judge his doctors had recommended he not get a vaccine due to his compromised immune system. She also said hed suffered from yet another fall at home last week and chipped bones in his hip.
During the course of the pandemic, I started to think about, how do I make sense of the time that I have on the planet? she said in a phone interview Monday. We all had loss; I have loss in my own family. When this opportunity came to me and being asked to imagine with this fantastic organization what the next chapter could look like? The concept of centering youth, especially Black and brown youth in terms of lifting their voice and centering their power, just overtook me and I felt called at this moment to do this work.
Its not enough to just tackle the problem of violence after it occurs, we have to identify some root causes, and I think education is one way to help reduce discrimination, to encourage young people and students to have more empathy and more compassion for people who have different identities from themselves, Pai said.
Because I knew the person about whom I was writing had, at one point, plans for their life, plans that might have never materialized, plans that perhaps were fulfilled. They had loved and dreamed, had been useful and done things that were worthwhile. But whatever they had done, whatever plans or dreams theyd had, those were concluded. Their journey was complete.
The sheriffs office said the man got out his vehicle at about 11:45 p.m. Saturday west of the Fisher Road intersection with Route 120 in Wauconda Township, and began walking along the highway shoulder. He then walked into the westbound lane, where he was struck by a passing vehicle.
Back in Woodridge, good Samaritans handed water and food to homeowners cleaning up their properties on streets where the capricious nature of the tornado was evident from one house to the next. On the corner of Woodridge Drive and Jonquil Lane, a two-story home was peeled open like a dollhouse, its roof and walls gone, its furniture and kitchen cabinets exposed to the elements.
CCTV:As we understand, senior officials' meetings on East Asia cooperation will be held in coming days. What expectations does China have for these upcoming meetings?

Zhao Lijian: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea) Senior Officials' Meeting (APT SOM), East Asia Summit Senior Officials' Meeting (EAS SOM) and ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials' Meeting (ARF SOM) will be held in video format on June 22, 24 and 29 respectively. During the meetings, participants will hold discussions on progress and future direction of relevant cooperation mechanisms, exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest and prepare for the Foreign Ministers' Meeting and Leaders' Meeting on East Asia Cooperation to be held in the second half of this year. Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao will attend the above-mentioned meetings.

Since the beginning of this year, in the face of rampant COVID-19, East Asian countries have taken active steps to deepen anti-epidemic cooperation, boosted economic recovery, continued to expand practical cooperation in such areas as digital economy and green development, which effectively maintained the momentum for steady development in the region. Not long ago, the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Dialogue Relations was successfully held, where important consensus was reached on upgrading and elevating bilateral relations, enhancing anti-epidemic and development cooperation and promoting regional economic integration.

Amid profound changes in regional and international landscapes, China hopes that through these senior officials' meetings, we will work with all parties to expand consensus, deepen cooperation, improve regional governance, jointly improve public health, advance post-epidemic sustainable development and uphold regional peace, stability and prosperity.

Reuters: The US shipped 2.5 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to Taiwan yesterday. Do you see this as a provocative move? Do you have any comments on this?

Zhao Lijian: The mainland and Taiwan are one family. Our hearts are with our Taiwan compatriots who are faced with the grave situation. We have always made clear the readiness to do our utmost to help our compatriots in Taiwan overcome the difficulties at an early date. However, despite the goodwill of the mainland and the eagerness of the majority of Taiwan compatriots to use vaccines from the mainland, the DPP authorities tried every means to obstruct the shipping of vaccines from the mainland to Taiwan, and even falsely claimed that the mainland was obstructing its vaccine procurement. For their own selfish political gains, the DPP authorities constantly seek political manipulation over anti-epidemic cooperation, showing disregard of the lives and health of Taiwan compatriots and violating the basic humanitarian spirit.

China always supports anti-epidemic cooperation and has made proactive efforts to this end. We urge the US side not to use vaccine aid for political maneuver or interference in China's internal affairs.

Bloomberg: A question regarding a statement by the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan who says that China will risk international isolation if it fails to allow a real investigation on its territory into the origins of the virus that caused COVID-19. What's the foreign ministry's comment on Mr. Sullivan position?

Zhao Lijian: China deplores and rejects the relevant remarks by the US side which is sheer blackmail and threat. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, China has unreservedly shared with other countries its experience in containment and treatment in an open and transparent manner. China has received WHO experts twice and co-released with WHO the joint mission report on origin-tracing, making positive contributions to the global efforts in this regard. There is no ground to accuse China of saying "no" to origin-tracing study. It is inflammatory and sensational statement that China is facing isolation in the international community.

Origin-tracing is a scientific matter that requires international cooperation of scientists across the globe. The vast majority of countries in the international community agree that this issue should not to be wantonly politicized. On the contrary, it is the US side, by obstinately pressing ahead with the so-called "international investigation" through political manipulation, using intelligence service to replace scientists for evaluation, and clamoring for the "position of strength" on the issue of origin-tracing, that stands on the opposite side of the overwhelming majority in the international community, and thus is facing isolation in the international community.

The US has been attacking China time and again for no other purpose than to hold back China's development, and shift the blame for its poor epidemic response. If the US does care about the truth, it needs to answer the following three questions with no delay:

First, who on earth should be held accountable for the US failure to fight the epidemic? To date, the number of infections and deaths in the US has exceeded 33.54 million and 600,000 respectively. As a country equipped with the world's most advanced medical resource and technology, the US needs to hold relevant US officials accountable for the botched response, take measures to prevent a repetition of such tragedies so that American people who lost their lives didn't die for nothing.

Second, does local transmission of the novel coronavirus in the US date back earlier? 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 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. A report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America in December 2020 shows that between December 13 and 16, 2019, coronavirus antibodies were detected in at least 39 blood samples from the states of California, Oregon and Washington. The US government should conduct a meticulous and transparent investigation into these earlier cases at home.

Third, what is really going on inside the bio-lab at Fort Detrick? The military base has inherited the devilish legacy of Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army that waged the aggression war against China. The lab's scope of research includes bacteria that have been known to pose serious threats to public, fauna and flora health. In June 2019, research work at Fort Detrick was suspended after an inspection found failure to follow procedures and mechanic glitches and leaks. Around the same time, unexplained respiratory disease emerged in northern Virginia and EVALI broke out on a large scale in Wisconsin. The US government has given next to nothing on these issues and still remains reticent today. Given that the US government habitually practices the "gatekeeping theory", destroyed critical evidence in the Tulsa race massacre, controls and manipulates communication, and that the US intelligence is in the line of lying, cheating and stealing, how can others trust the US? How can the US ensure it is being transparent? Why not grant necessary access to international experts to learn relevant information?

Xinhua News Agency: At the 109th Session of the International Labor Conference (ILC), the US said it would hold every abuser of forced labor and child labor accountable for their actions. What's China's comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: Speaking of issues related to labor rights, let's take a look at the track record of the US.

In the past five years, all 50 states and Washington D.C. all reported cases of forced labor and human trafficking. Up to 100,000 people are trafficked into the US for forced labor annually and half of them are sold to sweatshops or enslaved in households. According to the statistics of some US academic institutions, at least 500,000 people in the country have been subjected to modern slavery and forced labor. Even the US Department of Homeland Security has to admit that forced labor is prevalent in America. The victims include not only US citizens, but also foreign citizens from almost every region of the world, and even vulnerable groups such as women, children and the disabled.

In terms of child labor, the US is the only country in the world that has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). According to the statistics of some US industry associations, there are approximately 500,000 child farmworkers in the US. Many of these children start working as young as age 8, and 72-hour work weeks (more than 10 hours per day) are not uncommon. Children are three times more susceptible to the pesticides' carcinogenic effects than are adults. Agriculture was responsible for more than half of child occupational deaths. Between 2003 and 2016, 237 children died in farm-related work accidents, representing four times the number of deaths of any other sector.

For years, the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR) of the International Labor Organization(ILO) has been speaking out on the issue of child labor in the US. It has repeatedly expressed concern about the excessive fatal injuries to children working on farms in the US, and urged the US government to step up supervision of the use of child labor in agriculture, and provide relevant statistics in details, In particular, the number of work-related injury cases and the investigation and handling of illegal use of child labor cases.

Of the eight ILO fundamental conventions, the US has ratified only two. According to reports of relevant international trade unions, systematic violation of labor rights does exist in the US, a country with the worst performance among major developed countries.

What the US needs to do now is to put aside its sense of moral superiority, stop practicing double standards on labor issues, conscientiously reflect on its own serious violations of labor rights, and take up responsibility accordingly.

Bloomberg: A question about Huawei. Huawei can't subsidize the sale of its 5G telecom technology with federal funds earmarked for the US broadband development because the FCC has rightly determined the company to be a national security threat. This is according to an appeal court in the US. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on the latest verdict from the appeal court vis-a-vis Huawei's ability to sale telecom technology in the US?

Zhao Lijian: For a period of time, the US has been making incessant denigration and smearing against Huawei and other Chinese telecommunications companies without providing any solid proof that they constitute security threat to the US and other countries. The US administration, in order to maintain the US monopoly and hegemony in science and technology, has stretched the concept of national security, abused state power and resorted to all means to oppress Chinese high-tech enterprises, and coerced other countries to exclude Huawei. This negates the market economy principles the US side has claimed to champion and reveals its despicable hypocrisy in touting so-called fair competition.

China supports relevant companies in safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law. We once again urge the US side to stop abusing the concept of national security, stop deliberately smearing and accusing China, stop unjustifiable suppression of certain Chinese companies, and provide a just, fair and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies to do business in the US. The erroneous actions of the US side will certainly harm US businesses and its own interests.

Bloomberg: A question on Australia's decision to appeal to the WTO regarding Chinese anti-dumping duties on wine. This was announced by the trade minister over the weekend. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on the WTO appeal by Australia on wine?

Zhao Lijian: China has made clear its position on relevant issue on many occasions. Please refer to the competent Chinese authorities for the situation. I want to stress that China abides by the WTO rules and acts in accordance with them.

People's Daily: According to reports, an Inuit MP in Canada said a few days ago in her farewell address to the House of Commons that the country "was built on the oppression of indigenous peoples" and its "history is stained with blood". The Canadian Parliament says "pretty words like reconciliation, diversity and inclusion", but finds no room in its budget for the protection of indigenous peoples' basic human rights. Colonialism is not over, but has only adopted a new name. The Canadian government should be responsible for ongoing colonial acts. Does China have a comment?

Zhao Lijian: Canada always assumes the authority to lecture others on human rights. It is leading a so-called statement on human rights at the 47th regular session of the UNHRC to continue smearing and attacking China, as word has it. Ironically, Canada itself has a deplorable human rights record. It is in no position to wantonly criticize other countries in this regard.

The dark chapter of Canadian residential schools has been known to all. But the Canadian government's mutilation of indigenous peoples' rights goes far beyond that. In 1876, Canada passed the Indian Act, fencing in Native Indians at over 2,200 barren, narrow and isolated reserves with harsh living conditions. Even today, many of the reserves still lack safe drinking water sources. Some even face the threat of floods or danger posed by hazardous waste. In 2014, a UN Special Rapporteur report describes the socio-economic conditions of Canadian indigenous peoples "distressing". In 2018, the UN Committee Against Torture considered the seventh periodic report of Canada and adopted concluding observations that voiced concern over "reports of extensive forced or coerced sterilization of Indigenous women and girls". The Inuit MP you quoted also said that in today's Canada, residential schools have evolved into foster care while genocide against indigenous peoples has taken the form of a "suicide epidemic". Her charges are just heartbreaking.

Indigenous lives matter. The Canadian side must reflect upon such inhumane acts which cannot be glossed over with mere apologies or pretty words. Canada claims to be a model of human rights and an open advocate of the cause. However, it is reticent and blind to its own crimes and stains in human rights that can never be washed away or justified. Such hypocrisy and double-standard is disgraceful. Canada should stop deceiving itself and others, take a hard look at its grave human rights issues, and address them with the responsibility it bears to history and the world.

Shenzhen TV: In its recent report about the upgrade of the Lombrum Naval Base in Papua New Guinea, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted the head of Papua New Guinea's Defence Force, Major General Gilbert Toropo as saying that China's growing presence in the Pacific island region presents a challenge for PNG, that PNG doesn't have a strong security force element and is vulnerable to China's presence. Could I have your comment on that?

Zhao Lijian: We have taken note of the relevant report. We have also noticed, Prime Minister James Marape and Major General Gilbert Toropo of Papua New Guinea have made public clarifications in the mainstream PNG media respectively, stressing that "PNG continues to enjoy with the People's Republic of China (PRC) as a major development partner...with shared values conducted under mutual friendship and understanding", and that "Papua New Guinea continues to manage our relationships under the 'one-China Policy'."

This is not the first time that certain Australian media outlet has portrayed China as a threat by taking words out of context and deliberately distorting people's remarks. I wonder if it will be the last time it does such a thing. The media outlet concerned, driven by its underhand political motives, is keen to make fabrication out of thin air to incite anti-China sentiment and sow discords. This is a clumsy move that breaches professional ethics. China and Papua New Guinea enjoy longstanding and profound friendship, and our comprehensive strategic partnership is going strong. Any attempt to attack, denigrate or estrange China-PNG relations will be futile.

Bloomberg: A question on the recalling by Taiwan of seven official representatives from Hong Kong. They cited unreasonable political preconditions for the personnel to operate in Hong Kong. Does the foreign ministry have any comment about the recalling of seven Taiwan representatives from Hong Kong?

Zhao Lijian: This is not a diplomatic question. Please refer it to competent authorities.

Beijing Youth Daily: Nuradli Wublikas, a young Uyghur man from China, has posted an open letter on a social media platform, refuting the lie of "forced labor in Xinjiang" hyped up by Western anti-China forces such as the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). He said in an interview that his call has been echoed and supported by hundreds of Uyghur compatriots and they will file an infringement lawsuit against ASPI in the future. I wonder what's the foreign ministry's comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: I note relevant reports. The Uyghur people, including Nuradli Wublikas, have the right to seek legal redress to combat all sorts of lies on Xinjiang and defend their rights and interests according to law.

The Paper: Presidential election was held in Iran on June 18. The final tally shows that Ebrahim Raisi won the election. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: We congratulate Mr. Raisi on his election as the new president of Iran. China and Iran are comprehensive strategic partners. China attaches great importance to developing bilateral relations and stands ready to work with Iran to take the opportunity of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year to elevate bilateral relations to a new level.

China News Service: On January 18, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was re-elected for a second five-year term. What is China's comment?

Zhao Lijian: As the most universal, representative and authoritative intergovernmental international organization, the UN has made important contributions to promoting world peace and development and played an important role in international affairs over the past 70 years and more. China hopes that Secretary-General Guterres will continue to fulfill his mandate under the UN Charter, uphold an objective and just position, firmly champion multilateralism, and make greater contributions to world peace and common development.
China and Turkey have demonstrated their determination to deepen their trade cooperation by signing a new swap agreement, experts have said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul on June 13 that his country had signed a new 3.6-billion-U.S.-dollar swap agreement with China, increasing the limit on their existing currency arrangement to 6 billion dollars.

"We made a very important agreement recently with China, which is very important and one of our biggest trade partners," Erdogan was quoted by state-run Anadolu Agency as saying.

Beijing and Ankara have shown that they are aiming to move forward in their commercial cooperation on a sound basis, Altay Atli, an expert on global political economy at Istanbul's Koc University, told Xinhua.

Turkish central bank used a funding facility for the Chinese yuan for the first time under a prior swap agreement with the People's Bank of China in June 2020, and this was soon followed by several banks carrying out their first transactions in the Chinese yuan.

A banking regulation source told Xinhua that Turkish tradespeople are interested in dealing with their Chinese counterparts in the yuan as the weakening of the lira had become problematic.

"For Turkish companies, China's move is a lifeline. It is cheaper and easier to deal in transactions with the yuan, therefore this is an opportunity to develop bilateral commercial activity," he said under the condition of anonymity.

During the past year, Turkey and China have managed to significantly boost their commercial ties and transactions despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

The China-Turkey trade volume was around 24 billion dollars in 2020, making China the third largest trading partner of Turkey. Meanwhile, the trade volume increased by 44 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2021, reaching 8 billion dollars, the Turkish Statistical Institute data revealed.

Despite the negative impact of the pandemic on global trade, major Chinese smartphone manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo have made direct investments in Turkey, launching production in Istanbul, Turkey's financial hub.

Multinational electronics company TCL Technology also started smartphone production in Turkey's northwestern province of Tekirdag in late May.
Luohu Party chief Luo Yude visited medical workers and the civil servants taking part in COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control work on the frontline on June 14, marking the Dragon Boat Festival, to show his appreciation for the contributions they make to public health.





Luo also inspected whether relevant epidemic prevention and control measures were being strictly undertaken.





They visited Changling village, Dongfang Zunyu residential community, Luohu public security bureau and the Zhuyuan Hotel to inspect the management of the city's villages, key groups of people in the epidemic prevention and control work and community health centers.





Luo presented some festival gifts to those sticking to their posts. During the festival holiday June 12-14, community workers, medical workers, policemen and policewomen, civil servants and volunteers were still manning the virus frontline.





In the Changling village, Luo carefully listened to reports on the basic information of the the city village, and stressed that the management of city villages was is a key and difficult part of community-based epidemic prevention and control work.





He instructed the medical workers, civil servants and volunteers to strictly carry out relevant measures, and ensure all people entering and leaving the villages should register and have their temperature measured.





At the Luohu public security bureau, Luo listened to reports on its work models and special deployment on epidemic prevention and control, and urged the police to implement the deployments of the higher authorities, faithfully fulfill their duties and do everything possible to ensure stability.





In a community health center, Luo learnt about the epidemic prevention and control measures and duty schedules in detail, and emphasized that medical workers and the community workers must be on full alert to the risks of any resurgence of both imported and locally transmitted cases, strengthen screening of the people, taking their temperature and registering their identity information, and provide necessary psychological counseling to the people being quarantined.





He pointed out that the logistics support work must be done in a thoughtful way to let quarantined people feel their welfare was important.





Luo said the frontline fighters were defending people's health, lives and security and demonstrating the lofty professional ethics and fearless spirit of utter devotion.





He instructed the people concerned to pay close attention to heatstroke prevention, and encouraged them to continue to do the epidemic prevention and control work well, and never slack their vigilance.





He said the frontline medical workers, civil servants, community workers and volunteers should always put the people's health first, and carry out an accountability system and always focus on the practical effects of their work.





He urged all relevant departments to give full support to the epidemic prevention and control work, and guarantee sufficient medical supplies be provided and ensure the safety of the frontline staff so as to ensure final victory of the war against the virus.




The herd of wandering Asian elephants in southwest China has lingered in a particular spot in Dalongtan Township under the city of Yuxi, in Yunnan province, authorities said Sunday.

The herd moved back and forth in an area about 280 meters in diameter in Dalongtan between 6 p.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday, according to the headquarters in charge of monitoring their migration.

A male elephant, which strayed 15 days ago, is now about 24.3 km away from the herd.

All 15 elephants are safe and sound, according to the headquarters.

Experts are continuing to work on plans to guide the elephants' migration, and precaution measures have been taken to ensure the safety of both the animals and local residents. One tonne of food was provided to the elephants on Sunday.

The elephants traveled about 500 km north from their forest home in southern Yunnan's Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture before reaching Kunming, the provincial capital, 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 are primarily found in Yunnan and are under A-level state protection in China. Thanks to enhanced protection efforts, the wild elephant population in the province grew to about 300, up from 193 in the 1980s.
You are here: China

China's Ministry of Water Resources on Sunday urged flood-prevention efforts in the northeast of the country and heavy-rainfall preparedness in the south after continuous rainfall caused some rivers to swell above alert levels.

A total of 21 rivers in areas including Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Sichuan provinces and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region have seen alert levels breached, according to the ministry.

The main streams of the Heilongjiang and Nenjiang rivers are expected to see obvious floods, it added.

Heavy rainfall will hit parts of China's southern region from Monday to Thursday, bringing above-alert-level floods in some small and medium-sized rivers in areas struck by rainstorms, meteorological data shows.

The ministry urged special flood-prevention efforts in these areas, emphasizing dike inspection and reinforcement, personnel relocation, as well as water regulation at reservoirs.
A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Sunday condemned Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority for its attempts to disrupt Hong Kong and seek "Taiwan independence".



Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to the DPP authority's groundless slander against the suspension of the Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office (Taiwan).

The DPP authority has no remorse for meddling in Hong Kong affairs and providing support and shelter for rioters in Hong Kong, but points fingers at the rightful actions by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, said Ma.

There is no doubt that exchanges between China's HKSAR and China's Taiwan region should be conducted on the political foundation of the one-China principle, he added. "We firmly supports the HKSAR government in dealing with Taiwan-related affairs in accordance with the HKSAR Basic Law, and the policies of the Chinese central government."

In the context of the urgent task of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, the DPP authority places its own political gains above public health on the island, and continued political manipulation, said Ma.

He warned the DPP authority that its attempts to sabotage the prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and interfere in Hong Kong affairs will result in severe punishment.
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U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Sunday downplayed the impact of Iran's president-elect on Tehran's decision over the nuclear deal.

The Iranian Interior Ministry announced on Saturday that Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi won Iran's presidential race by securing over 60 percent of votes.

Raisi, seen as a hardliner by the West, will assume office in August.

"Whether the president is person A or person B is less relevant than whether their entire system is prepared to make verifiable commitments to constrain their nuclear program," Sullivan said in an interview with ABC News when asked about the implication of Raisi's election.

"What I would say is that the ultimate decision for whether or not to go back into the deal lies with Iran's supreme leader," he added, referring to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "He was the same person before this election as he is after the election."

Sullivan noted that Washington and Tehran remain divided over how to achieve a mutual return to compliance with the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The United States and Iran have had six rounds of indirect negotiations in Austria's capital Vienna since April aimed at restoring the nuclear deal.

"What I would say is that there is still a fair distance to travel on some of the key issues, including on sanctions and on the nuclear commitments that Iran has to make," he said.

"But the arrow has been pointed in the right direction in terms of the work that's getting done in Vienna," he continued. "We will see if the Iranian negotiators come to the next round of talks, prepared to make the hard choices."

The U.S. government under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its JCPOA commitments from May 2019.
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A batch of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines landed in the Thai capital of Bangkok Sunday, increasing support to the Southeast Asian country's battle against its worst wave of outbreak so far.

The shipment, imported by the Chulabhorn Royal Academy (CRA), was transported to the Department of Medical Science for quality check after the arrival, the academy said in a post on its official Facebook account.

The CRA announced on Saturday that 17,070 organizations and companies nationwide had registered to obtain the Sinopharm vaccine to inoculate their employees.

The vaccines were considered as an alternative to the mass inoculation program launched by the government on June 7, which has been proceeded so far mainly with China's Sinovac vaccines and locally-manufactured AstraZeneca vaccines.

The country approved the Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use in May, making it the fifth following the approvals of AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines.

Thailand aims to vaccinate about 70 percent of its nearly 70 million population by the end of the year. As of Saturday, it has administered more than 7.5 million doses of vaccines.

On Sunday, the country reported 3,682 new cases, taking the total case tally to 218,131, with more than 85 percent of the infections confirmed since the third wave of outbreak began in early April.

Death toll from the viral disease increased by 20 to reach 1,629, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration.
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Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed on Sunday the need to urgently revive the peace negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Shoukry made the remarks during his meeting in Cairo with European Union's Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process Sven Koopmans, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The top Egyptian diplomat called for the restoration of the negotiation on establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He said that Egypt is keen to continue cooperation with the European Union during the coming period to push forward the Middle East peace process.

Shoukry said that Egypt will continue its efforts to stabilize the recent Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire as well as to support the reconstruction and development of the Gaza Strip, which suffered badly from Israeli airstrikes and bombardments during the May 10-21 conflict.

Shoukry also hoped that the European Union will continue to provide the necessary support to the Palestinian cause at all levels.

For his part, Koopmans appreciated Egypt's role in promoting peace in the Middle East as well as its continuous efforts to achieve the national Palestinian reconciliation.

He said the European Union is keen to continue coordination with Egypt to support the current efforts to advance the peace path that will bring security and stability to the region.
You are here: World

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Five construction workers were killed on Friday in the city of Antwerp in Belgium when a school building under construction collapsed, local media reported on Sunday.

The workers, four Portuguese and one Moldovan, were working on site when the building partially collapsed, according to Belga News Agency.

Nine other workers were injured and taken to hospital. Eight of them sustained serious injuries, but their condition remains stable for now.

King Philippe of Belgium visited the site on Saturday, accompanied by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

Democo, a construction firm in charge of the construction works in Antwerp, promised on Saturday to do everything to find out what happened.

Roughly 57,000 foreign nationals worked in Belgium's construction sector in 2020, out of a total of more than 300,000 contracted and self-employed workers, according to data from the Construction Confederation.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Ebrahim Raisi over his election as Iranian president.

In his message, Xi noted that China and Iran are comprehensive strategic partners, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.

He added that he highly values the development of China-Iran ties, and stands ready to work with Raisi to strengthen bilateral strategic communication, consolidate mutual political trust, and broaden and deepen win-win cooperation in various fields, so as to create benefits for both countries and their people.
Religious organizations and churches affiliated with China's communist government are utilizing different platforms to praise and paint in a good light the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in advance of the party's centennial celebration on July 1.

According to International Christian Concern (ICC), state-supported religious organizations willingly organize activities for the event, apart from encouraging religious people to study the party history and to take part in a "pilgrimage."

Recently, the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA) in Chongqing's Jiangbei area held a "Grateful and Praise For The Chinese Communist Party's Pilgrimage To Pay Respect to St. Mary." After touring various churches in Chongqing, they gathered at one of the churches for a "Grateful and Praise for the CCP Blessing Mass."

Priest Ding Yang, who presided over the service, remarked, "The Church should organically unify 'Love Party, Love Country, and Love Socialism' and faith; boldly speak about politics, while speaking about faith in accordance with law."

In a congratulatory message, Liu Yuanlong, the vice president of the state-run Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA) and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, stated that "God has chosen the Chinese Communist Party." Of course, this is but one of the ways the CCP uses God's name to further itself and its agenda.

Moreover, according to the Chinese newspaper Apple Daily, citing Proverbs 11:14 which states that "for lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers," Liu thinks that the CCP and the country need a "strong central leadership." Liu then urged churchgoers to "listen" to and "follow" the dictatorial Chinese Communist Party, which is headed by Xi Jinping.

Likewise, Shandong Diocese Bishop John Fang, who also serves as the Association's president, said that the group will continue to "deepen the Sinicization of the Catholic religion."

As aptly observed by Asia News, the year 2021 will be a watershed moment in the Catholic Church in China, when it will "assimilate" the concept of a "State Church," one that is subject to the commands of the Patriotic Association and the Party's vision in all respects. And, despite the provisional agreement between China and the Vatican, which includes the so-called recognition of the Pope as the head of the Church, in practice, it just means that bishops in China must submit to the Patriotic Association.

Similarly to ChinaAid's assessment, this "celebration" would do little to strengthen faith. Its only goal is to get faith eliminated from Chinese culture.

Also in an earlier report, ChinaAid founder Bob Fu has pointed out that the CCP policy of freedom of religion is intended to wipe out all religions and beliefs in the nation so that the communist government would have control over the whole population.

Additionally, according to Wu Qiang, an independent political analyst, the party is "taking advantage of celebration activities to step up control over the five main religions," namely Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Islam.

As the Chinese Communist Party tries to maintain its grip on power in a way comparable to that of North Korea, ICC stated that this increasingly blurred boundary between its propaganda and the official Church is concerning.
National Institutes of Health director and White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci recently spoke out about a teleconference meeting with the world's top scientists in February 2020, just when the COVID outbreak would develop into a deadly pandemic. The secret meeting would set the stage for how scientists approached discussing COVID in public. Dr. Fauci admitted, "I remember it very well."

"We decided on the call [that] the situation really needed to be looked into carefully," Dr. Fauci told USA Today. The call was held on February 1, 2020 and "played a pivotal role in shaping the early views of several key scientists" who would later go on to publish papers and public statements that veered off the Wuhan lab leak theory despite early opinions for it.

Now that the Wuhan lab leak theory is gaining credibility and being taken seriously by governments and investigative bodies, it's important to note what really took place during that secret meeting. The "urgent" meeting that was scheduled on a Saturday afternoon, took place just two days after a traveler from Wuhan came to Washington state and was recorded as the first COVID case in the U.S.

Before the secret meeting on February 1, however, the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California' expert in infectious disease genomics Kristian Andersen called and emailed Dr. Fauci to inform him that the genetic structure of COVID appeared to look like it was indeed engineered in a laboratory.

In an email to Dr. Fauci, which was reported on by BuzzFeed News, Anderson told Fauci in an email on January 31, 2020, "The unusual features of the virus make up a really small part of the genome (<0.1%) so one has to look really closely at all the sequences to see that some of the features (potentially) look engineered."

Anderson added that he, along with several other scientists Dr. Fauci knew, "all find the genome inconsistent with expectations from evolutionary theory." But because more research needed to be done, Andersen said that "those opinions could still change."

And change it did. Anderson's initial theory that COVID did not have a zoonotic origin had changed "dramatically" in just three days, despite Dr. Fauci saying that the secret meeting was a "very productive back-and-forth conversation where some on the call felt it could possibly be an engineered virus," while others believed the evidence "heavily weighted" to the coronavirus having a zoonotic origin.

According to The Blaze, Anderson switched sides as quickly as three days. He told the scientists that were part of the secret meeting that "the data conclusively show" that COVID was not engineered. He made those remarks as feedback to scientists who were going to release official advice to the U.S. government on COVID.

"The main crackpot theories going around at the moment relate to this virus being somehow engineered with intent and that is demonstrably not the case," Anderson argued. He, together with several other scientists later released a report on the COVID origins that quashed the Wuhan lab leak, saying that their research "clearly show that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus."

The report, published in the Nature journal, would soon become the widely influential study that most scientists referred to when talking about COVID origins, especially when it shut down the Wuhan lab leak theory with its declaration: "We do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible."

It's worth noting, however, that recently, some scientists admitted to downplaying the Wuhan lab leak theory at the start of the pandemic simply because President Donald Trump pushed for it, and that mainstream media chose to dismiss the theory as well because Republicans like Trump, Sen. Tom Cotton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were saying it as well.

Recent evidence, however, seems to indicate that Trump, Pompeo and others who believed in the same theory were correct..
Over the weekend, Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to the Majority conference showcased several conservative speakers and activists, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who highlighted how his state tackled COVID while maintaining everyone's freedoms and rights. The conference, which was forecasted to have about 3,000 attendees, featured guest speakers such as Vice President Mike Pence, Republican Senators Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, and Lindsey Graham.

According to CBN News, Gov. DeSantis took to the stage to address the public and share his thoughts on how Florida beat COVID. He recounted how he "made the decision that Florida was going to lift people up" in the midst of other states shutting down and locking people up in their own homes in the face of COVID.

Gov. DeSantis highlighted how Florida was the "only large state in this country" to have enabled "100% of our parents" to send their kids to school "in person" despite the COVID pandemic. He also admitted that he was "proud that I made it a policy of the state, regardless of what any local government thought, that everybody has a right to work and earn a living and every business has a right to operate and continue with their livelihood."

Following a slight surge in new cases in April, Florida has in fact seen a continued decline in COVID cases in the last eight weeks. Overall, it recorded 2.31 million cases and over 37,500 deaths, compared to California's 3.81 million cases and over 63,000 deaths despite having strict lockdown measures. In Florida, 44% of the entire population, or 9.47 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID, as per Google's most recent statistics.

"Ultimately, Florida chose freedom over Faucism and we are better off for it," Gov. DeSantis declared. He also reminded the audience, which was composed of conservatives and conservative activists, that they have the duty to "advance policy that elevates the freedom of an individual over the freedom of an organization."

"People need to be taught why America was founded, why there are principles that made our country unique," Gov. DeSantis urged the crowd. "People need to be taught that our rights don't come from the government. They come from God."

Susie Wiles, a Republican strategist who helped former President Donald Trump win Florida during the 2020 Presidential Elections, believes that Gov. DeSantis' is strategically working towards a re-election in November of 2022. Going against the grain and refusing lockdowns, supporting people's rights, and passing legislation to keep riots out of Florida with an "anti-riot" law made the governor someone who had a unique way of dealing with current issues.

"The governor's priorities certainly got through, and that can only be good for him," Wiles told the Associated Press. "What is good for him has proven to be good for the state, which in turn makes his fortunes good going into reelection next year."

Gov. DeSantis is slowly but surely winning over Florida citizens. The AP VoteCast poll in May showed that 49% of Florida residents approve of his performance as governor. According to Politico, a similar poll conducted on behalf of the Florida Chamber of Commerce showed his approval job approval rating at 55% compared to another poll done for Sen. Annette Taddeo, which showed Gov. DeSantis with a job approval rating of 53%.
Cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who refrained from getting COVID vaccines are being bullied, harassed, and punished for their decision to forgo the experimental vaccine. Some cadets who got COVID immunity from earlier infections are also being forced to get the COVID vaccines. Out of the 4,500 cadets at the New York training academy, a handful remain unvaccinated.

According to the New York Post, the three dozen West Point cadets who were not vaccinated are being labeled as "diseased" and "dirty" and were being treated as outcasts. Despite COVID restrictions and mandates being lifted, the unvaccinated West Point cadets were being subjected to comply with mask wearing and social distancing, their parents told Sean Hannity of FOX News.

"I don't understand what the leadership at West Point is doing right now," Brian MacDonald, a parent of a female cadet at the military academy, lamented. MacDonald argued that his daughter already had COVID and recovered from the disease, which means, "she has the antibodies for COVID, and West Point is putting a ridiculous amount of pressure on her to take the vaccine."

Another West Point cadet who spoke out on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said that their treatment of unvaccinated cadets was "like solitary confinement - for a disease we don't have."

Some of the unvaccinated West Point cadets are concerned that they will have "significantly less time" to enjoy their summer break as they must comply with the mandatory quarantine period for unvaccinated folks. Elita Perusek, who graduated from West Point in 1994 and now has a son at the military academy who has natural immunity to COVID, lamented on how her son had to head back seven days early to comply with quarantine requirements or "isolation."

Perusek told the Christian Post, "My son is a first-class cadet, and he is very much looking forward to being an officer and defending the rights of fellow Americans and his right to not take the vaccine."

According to the report, a spreadsheet with personal information and students' vaccination status was leaked on the campus. A West Point medical officer by the name of Col. Laura Dawson has also been accused of verbally abusing cadets, calling them selfish for refusing COVID vaccines or suggesting that they must choose between getting the COVID vaccines or leaving the military academy.

In May, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul announced that he would not get COVID vaccines because he already had the disease and survived it. According to NBC News, the 58 year old senator argued during a conversation with a conservative host on WABC radio, "I just made my own personal decision that I'm not getting vaccinated, because I've already had the disease, and I have natural immunity."

A study conducted on Cleveland Clinic Health System employees showed that individuals who have had a COVID infection were "unlikely to benefit from COVID-19 vaccination, and vaccines can be safely prioritized to those who have not been infected before." The study, which has not been peer-reviewed, showed that COVID did not occur in anyone within five months of the study among over 2,500 who were already previously infected with COVID and over 1,300 who did not get vaccinated for COVID.
In time for Pride Month, the Department of Veterans Affairs' Secretary Denis McDonough announced on Saturday the organization's plans to provide health care coverage for transgender surgery. During a Pride Month event in Orlando, which coincided with the fifth anniversary of the mass shooting at the gay nightclub Pulse that ended the lives of 49 people, Sec. McDonough promised to put the organization's "dark history" in the past and be more inclusive and welcoming to all genders.

According to the Washington Post (WaPo), the two-year process of including transgender treatment in the Department Of Veteran Affairs' healtcare coverage will begin this summer. Sec. McDonough explained, "This time will allow VA to develop capacity to meet the surgical needs that transgender veterans have called for and deserved for a long time and I am proud to begin the process of delivering it."

This is yet another move by the new administration to cater to woke leftist ideologies while ignoring more pressing matters plaguing veterans such as homelessness and access to healthcare. The Department of Veteran Affairs office's move to fund transgender treatment is a turnaround from former President Donald Trump's limitations on transgender individuals serving in the military. President Joe Biden had immediately reversed the ban when he took office.

The Department of Veteran Affairs office spokesman Terrence Hayes told WaPo that the federal rulemaking process, which will be launched this summer, will allow space for public comment. There hasn't been a price tag attached to transgender treatment in the military, but the National Center for Transgender Equality estimates about 134,000 transgender veterans who may be interested in the new policy.

"We're making these changes not only because they are the right thing to do but because they can save lives," Sec. McDonough said. However, the Gateway Pundit points out that the Department of Veteran Affairs office fails to recognize that there are over 37,000 homeless veterans in the U.S., an issue that has long been left unaddressed by the government.

Sec. McDonough admitted that "minority stress" causes LGBTQ+ veterans to "experience mental illness and suicidal thoughts at far higher rates than those outside their community, but they are significantly less likely to seek routine care, largely because they fear discrimination." The health benefits provided by the Department of Veteran Affairs include mental health services and hormone therapy.

But a study conducted in 2017 by Ronald D. Hester of the Florida International University showed how "mental health disparities are often a leading factor to the high suicide rates among veterans who experience depression and [PTSD]." The study suggested that "the VA needs to do a better job of developing strategies for routine mental health screening and early intervention for all service members before they return to civilian life."

Not only does the VA need to address healthcare for veterans, it also must recognize the rise in the number of veterans experiencing homelessness. In March, the Military Times reported that the number of homeless veterans increased in 2020 to 37,252, as per the Department of Housing and Urban Development's annual point-in-time estimate. The report showed that for every 10,000 veterans, 21 were experiencing homelessness.

HUD said that the results of the report were "very troubling, even before you consider what COVID-19 has done to make the homelessness crisis worse."
The U.S. is experiencing a steady decline in birth rates due to a number of factors. Falling fertility rates have been attributed to several factors, from changing laws that gave women access to contraceptives, women entering the workforce, and women prioritizing education over starting a family.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, women who have higher levels of education often delay childbirth to their late 20s or early 30s. Moreover, highly educated women report experiencing a "fertility gap" or having fewer children than others. Access to abortion may also be a factor that leads to lower birth or fertility rates.

Despite the steady decline of births in the U.S., one leftist group is pushing for more people to not have kids at all. According to Alpha News, an activist group called "Stop Having Kids" took to the streets in Edina, Minnesota to cancel children and parenthood. The group protested on 50th and France in Edina, where the activists held up signs that read "Normalize antinatalism" and "Women can be whole without becoming a mom."

According to the leftist group's official page, Stop Having Kids pushes for ideologies contrary to God's design as it is all about "promoting a world where children are not needlessly born" and "normalizing antinatalism, childfree living, contraception, [and] adoption" among others, and "destigmatizing parenthood regret, elective sterilization, abortion, and childlessness."

For these leftists, having children and parenthood is "irreversible, unnecessary, indefensible, and enduring form of harm." They justify their radicalized point of view by believing that their movement of refraining from having kids "radically [reduces] suffering and environmental destruction in the world."

These leftists who are pushing to cancel children and parenthood are flipping the narrative, saying that instead of those who don't have kids are the ones being called "selfish," it is in fact those who choose to have children are the ones who are "selfish" because "bringing someone into existence will bring about continuous avoidable harm for the person being born and others."

Stop Having Kids argues that one's very existence poses a threat and is harmful for one's neighbor. WND reported that the movement's Twitter account has only 88 followers despite having established the account since March. But this movement did not spring out of nowhere.

The group doesn't believe that life is a gift. It's as if the people behind the group regretted being born to this world, and it pushes this ideology on others as well.

In fact, it tweeted earlier this year that all of people's problems "could have all been avoided had you just never been born."

"But life is a gift?" the group asked. "No, not at all."

Eugenics as its roots

Stop Having Kids has its roots in the likes of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger and eugenics advocacy, forced sterilization, and birth control, which to this day is felt throughout the nation with Roe v. Wade. Since 1973, abortion has been made more accessible in many parts of the country, causing 62 million lives lost, as per FOX News.

Leftists and other radical groups such as Stop Having Kids are all pushing the same narrative to cancel children and parenthood, teaching women that they can only have children after they've had wildly successful careers or have become financially stable. They also promote abortion to drive down birth rates, radical environmentalism to wage a war on humans, and a utilitarian worldview for equality.

The solution to this is bipartisan pronatalist programs and policies from the government, such as the expanded Child Tax Credit that provides support to parents and families. According to CNBC, the Child Care for Working Families Act is a proposal that would support lower and middle-class families through reduced-cost child care, which may also encourage parents to have more children.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas, who engaged with Israel in May in an 11-day conflict said on Thursday that they are replenishing their troops through an annual summer camp where young civilians are trained in militancy. Called "Talayiea Al Tahrir" or "Vanguards of Liberation," the summer camp program's goal is to "ignite the flame of jihad in the generation of liberation, sow Islamic values and prepare the expected victory army for the liberation of Palestine, Allah willing."

The announcement was made through a news release on Thursday from Hamas' armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, WND reported. The Hamas militant group made up of Palestinian Sunni Islamists and nationalists in Gaza were in conflcit in Gaza in May. For 11 days, the Hamas militant group traded rockets with the Israel Defense Forces, for which they were no match.

At the end of the most recent Israel-Gaza conflict, the Israeli military claimed that there were over 4,300 rockets fired by the Hamas militant group, BBC reported. Michael Herzog, a retired Israeli brigadier-general at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, commented that the Hamas "replenished themselves and added a few longer-range rockets to their arsenal with a heavier payload so obviously they've advanced their capabilities."

But the death toll tells a different story. On the Palestinian side, over 200 people were killed, including 61 children and 36 women. The Israel Defense Forces claims that most of these killings were Hamas extremists, including some of its leaders. Some of the deaths were also caused by misfired rockets. A ceasefire was declared after 11 days of attacks that began on May 10.

Now, Hamas is concentrating on strengthening its forces by providing military training and anti-Israel indoctrination to those who sign up for this year's "Vanguards of Liberation" summer camp, which was announced by the al-Qassam Brigades on Sunday. According to the Long War Journal, the Hamas militant group was seeking "preparatory to university-aged males" to enlist at registration sites all over the Gaza Strip. Such registration sites have been set up near mosques and public areas.

On Thursday, the Brigades announced they had a "huge turnout for registration" for the summer camp providing military training and anti-Israel indoctrination to the youth. And this is not surprising at all. According to the Washington Post, the Al-Amari Refugee Camp in the West Bank had been forr decades a "stronghold of Fatah, the secular and nationalist party that emphasizes diplomacy as its answer to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." But now, its youth have shifted their alliance to Hamas.

"They've given strength to the whole Palestinian cause," a 16 year old boy named Mohammed Khadier told WaPo, with his friends in agreement. "We consider Hamas our leader now."

According to the report, support for Hamas and the increase in the militant group's popularity is also due to the fact that the Palestinian Authority's president Mahmoud Abbas showed weak leadership in the face of the Israeli response. BBC reported that Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups "increasingly use Iranian expertise to manufacture their own rockets in secret workshops," using missiles made from water pipes and other "dual use" materials that are heavily regulated by the United Nations, effectively making it tricky to send aid in rebuilding the Gaza Strip.
Several sailors expressed their displeasure following the placement of a Bible on the POW-MIA table at the Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, and an atheist group is asking for it to be removed on their behalf.

CBN's Faithwire reports that in response to 15 complaints over the "unconstitutional presence" of a Christian Bible on the facility's POW/MIA table, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) issued a letter "demanding that this symbol of Christian supremacy be swiftly removed."

In the letter, MRFF Founder and President Mikey Weinstein informed Captain John M. Montagnet of a "very serious violation of the No Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution sadly occurring under your direct command."

After that, Weinstein called into question Captain Montagnet's leadership abilities, writing, "These sailors are justly fearful of unlawful retribution, revenge, retaliation and reprisal if they raise their complaints to you, sir, through your NAF Atsugi chain of command which obviously calls into question the command climate you are responsible for at NAF Atsugi. Thus, they have come to MRFF to carry their grievances to you directly, Captain Montagnet."

"This is not a move against Christianity, but one toward inclusivity," Weinsten told Stars and Stripes in a phone interview on Monday. "Not every sailor is a white, straight Anglo-Saxon Christian male."

The letter was also reportedly delivered to Army Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Harker, and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael M. Gilday.

However, according to Navy order 1710.7A for table settings for all military branches, the display must contain a Bible to symbolize "faith in a higher power and the pledge to our country, founded as one nation under God," Stars and Stripes reports.

Aside from a Bible, the order also stipulates that tables used for the display must be round and include a white tablecloth, a black napkin, a single red rose, a yellow candle and ribbon, lemon slices, salt and an overturned wine glass. An empty chair must be included as well.

Asked about the letter on Monday, base spokesman Sam Samuelson responded by email that he was unaware of it.

Samuelson stated that "the POW-MIA table here is a significant legacy display intended to memorialize and honor American POWs and MIAs among a varied military demographic and is certainly greater than the sum of its parts. We can absolutely balance the larger meaning of the table with appropriate policies and the interests of our diverse base culture."

Other petitions to remove the Bible from the display

According to Stars and Stripes, a number of the MRFF's petitions have been successful in the past five years, including the removal of Bibles from POW-MIA tables at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, four Veterans Administration offices located in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Ohio, and a clinic at the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

An inspector general complaint was filed against the Navy by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) in 2018 over a Bible that was displayed at the United States Naval Hospital Okinawa as part of a POW-MIA table exhibit.

The MRFF backed a federal lawsuit filed against the Manchester Veterans Administration Medical Center in New Hampshire in May of 2019 following complaints it received through the foundation. The lawsuit was filed against the hospital for including a Bible on its POW-MIA table.

According to Weinstein, the mission of the MRFF is not to eradicate Bibles from the armed forces, but rather to foster religious diversity among people of different religious backgrounds.

Including a Bible, he says, would alienate military members from other cultural or religious groups.

"No religious text, not just the Bible, has a place in that display," he claimed.
The Christian Institute in the U.K. has declared it worrisome that the government is being asked to ban even a "gentle non-coercive prayer" in its planned "conversion therapy" ban.

According to the organization's news section, the Christian Institute has expressed its concern to the Prime Minister over the newest threat to prayer from a prominent LGBT activist.

The letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Minister of Women and Equality Liz Truss was sent in response to Jayne Ozanne's demands to include "gentle non-coercive prayer" on sexual ethics in laws prohibiting LGBT conversion therapy.

Specifically, according to The Guardian, Ozanne has said that "all prayer that seeks to change or suppress someone's innate sexuality or gender identity is deeply damaging and causes immeasurable harm."

"While the Institute does not oppose a ban that protects people from harmful pseudo-medical practices, the idea that 'gentle non-coercive prayer' should be included in a list of illegal actions is alarming," the Institute wrote the Prime Minister in response. "In any event, it would violate the human rights of believers."

The Institute went on to claim that a legal opinion from Jason Coppel QC, one of the U.K.'s top human rights attorneys, supports their position, saying that a conversion therapy ban that include regular prayer "would be likely to violate Convention rights."

"This latest remark from Jayne Ozanne is very revealing," said Simon Calvert, Deputy Director for Public Affairs at The Christian Institute. "It shows the focus here is not about protecting people from genuinely abusive behaviour. It's about criminalizing mainstream theology that campaigners on the fringes of the church don't agree with."

A bill prohibiting conversion therapy is likely to be introduced in Parliament later this year, reports Christian Post.

According to certain LGBT activists, any treatment that attempts to assist people in overcoming undesirable sexual impulses or gender identity problems should be outlawed completely. Furthermore, such a prohibition would exclude the practice of prayer and pastoral care.

According to the Institute, Ozanne's statements are the latest in a long line of demands by LGBT activists for prayer on sexual ethics to be prohibited even in religious settings.

Christians should not be allowed to pray for someone who has an unwanted sexual attraction to them, claims Matthew Hyndman, co-founder of the advocacy organization Ban Conversion Therapy. He disputed that anybody would voluntarily seek such assistance and said that "the pernicious power of prayer must be dealt with."

"It is shocking to see activists trying to weaponise a 'harm' narrative to justify oppressing conservative religious communities with a ban affecting their prayer, preaching, pastoring and parenting,"said Simon Calvert, Deputy Director for Public Affairs in The Christian Institute.

The Christian Institute, on the other hand, is not going away. It has warned the government that it would take legal action if a planned conversion therapy ban were interpreted to prohibit the practice of prayer.

Jason Coppel QC provided the Institute with a thorough legal analysis in which he verified that the activists' proposed definitions of the legislation would criminalize the routine activity of religious organizations.

A wide conversion therapy legislation, Mr Coppel cautioned, could make prayer, evangelism, church membership, baptism, and communion all unlawful.
An imam killed a bishop in Uganda over an Islamic teaching, holding that "infidels" of the religion should be killed.

Bishop Francis Obo, senior pastor of Mpingire Pentecostal Revival Church Ministries International, was attacked by a group of Muslim extremists when he and his wife, Christine, were on their way home from the market, Morning Star News reported.

Christine said that one of the men called her husband an "infidel" who has led Muslims to leave their religion and "blaspheme the words of Allah." She added that another man told her "to go away." When she did and was already "a few meters" away, she heard her husband screaming, indicating that "his life was in danger."

Upon reaching home, Christine was unable to speak out of shock and had to be brought to the hospital. When she regained consciousness the next morning, she told her son that Bishop Francis must have been killed by the radical Muslims. She then instructed him to go to the area where the pastor was attacked.

"Reaching there, they were shocked and fearful as they found a big number of Christians and relatives gathered around the dead body mourning their bishop after being murdered by Muslims," Christine told the news outlet.

The police officers were able to capture a couple of suspects, Uthman Olingha, an imam, and Jafari Kato.

The police said that Olingha confessed to the killing but also told the Obo family that the imam only killed the bishop due to his Islamic religious belief.

"Olingha openly confessed that he can't regret that he killed the bishop because he did it in the cause of Allah's word to kill all infidels who mislead Muslims. He added that Allah will be with him in jail, but the kafiri [infidels] deserved the killing," Christine stated.

The pastor's wife shared that Bishop Francis was active in sharing the Gospel to Muslims in their place, as well as in the surrounding areas. He led many to Christ and discipled the converts. He was overseeing 17 churches in the region.

"Some Muslims had earmarked him as someone who has been misleading their fellow Muslims and had been warned to stop converting Muslims to Christianity," she added.

She revealed that earlier this month, they hosted a former Islamic teacher in their church, who testified of his conversion to Christ. But the fellowship was discovered by some Muslims who were passing by the worship center and heard the testimony.

"They were surprised to hear him praising Jesus as Lord. They went away, and I believe they shared this with their leaders, which led to my husband's death," she further stated.

Christine also disclosed that the Muslims were upset with the church when it gave a pig to the former Islamic teacher, as part of the congregation's micro-enterprise livestock project to raise funds.

Though 84% of the country are Christians, including 34% evangelicals, believers are persecuted by local Islamists in Uganda, particularly in the borders of regions dominated by Muslims.
The motion to disaffiliate Saddleback Church over its ordination of women ministers was raised during the 2021 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) last week.

Shad Tibbs, pastor of the Fellowship Baptist Church in Louisiana, requested for the review of Saddleback whether it should remain as a member of the SBC, Religion News reported.

On June 15, Tibbs called for the denomination to break its affiliation with the California church "as they have ordained three ladies as pastors, and all other churches that would choose to follow this path. At the very least, I am asking that the validity of this matter be looked into."

The Louisiana pastor made the motion, citing the convention's statement of faith and passage from 1 Timothy 2:12.

"While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture," the Baptist Faith and Message says.

"I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet," the verse says.

J.D. Greear, officiating at the session where Tibbs raised his concern, said that the matter will be evaluated by the Credentials Committee, which handles concerns "whether a church is in 'friendly cooperation' with the Convention as described in the SBC Constitution."

In May, Saddleback Church, headed by Pastor Rick Warren, ordained its longtime ministry leaders as new pastors, including Liz Puffer, Kati Edwards and Cynthia Petty. The move gained mixed reactions as it defies the norm of the SBC.

In a blog, then-SBC President Greear reportedly expressed his disagreement and called the action "disappointing."

"While I have long respected Saddleback's ministry impact and heart for getting the gospel to the nations, I disagree with their decision to take this step, and would even say I find it disappointing," he said at that time.

Greear continued by stating two factors, supporting his argument.

"As Pastor James Merritt noted, we can affirm both (1) that God calls men and women to vital ministry in the church and (2) that God's Word clearly reserves the office of pastor/elder/overseer for qualified men."

The former SBC president went on, pointing out the importance of women in the home, ministry and society. He also urged the Southern Baptists to "stay faithful" with the principles of the Bible on various issues, including the role of pastor.

Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, also shared his thoughts on the subject through his website.

In the article published last May, Mohler said that the Protestant churches' ordination of women pastors was driven by a couple of "major energies," including "the demands of second wave feminism" and "the impulses unleased by liberation theology."

However, the school president contended that both elements are not Biblical but that the denominations, which made such move, have "deployed revisionist arguments to defuse any argument from Scripture."

He added that the "strategies of biblical subversion" present an argument, saying "that either the Bible was misread by Christians" or is just "mired in patriarchy and oppression and the biblical authors were flat wrong."
A Pakistani Christian reveals how she and her family were persecuted before becoming a refugee in America, a report says.

The Christian Post disclosed the story of a Pakistani Christian named Martha in celebration of World Refugee Day on Sunday. Martha fled her home in Pakistan out of "living in constant fear" and made the tough decision to leave as refugees in the United States. However, Martha had to suffer imprisonment in another foreign country before she and her family actually got to the United States.

Martha narrated to the Christian Post that her Christian son was married to a Muslim woman. The marriage angered the girl's family and hunted them down to be killed. Martha and her family had to flee from one city in Pakistan to another until they decided to leave the country for Thailand.

They were arrested when they--Martha, her husband, and her son--arrived in Thailand because they had no identification cards. This not to mention the problem with the difference in language. Martha regarded this moment as "very scary" since it lasted for an entire year and kept her from her other children.

After imprisonment, they--Martha, her youngest daughter, and her husband--were granted by the United States refugee status. This was in 2014 and providentially happened a week after her son came to the United States with his wife through the help of the United Nations.

Martha then became involved with the Georgia-based organization Peace of Thread that helps "women in vulnerable populations" to be empowered and employed through livelihood programs when she attained legal immigrant status in the United States. Martha currently makes handbags for the organization as her source of income from home as an offshoot of her livelihood of making clothes when she was in Pakistan.

The Christian Post added that the Peace of Thread provides women like Martha will skills training to get jobs and produce artisan bags, purses, and accessories from recycled materials. The organization also provides free ESL classes and medical care alongside access to counseling so that these women get the support they need in their transition to their new community and country.

A non-profit organization, Peace of Thread posted in their website in line with World Refugee Day a briefer on why people should care for refugees, as well as information on what differentiates refugees from terrorists and illegal immigrants.

"You should care because the scope of the suffering is greater than ever. You should care because President Biden has committed to admitting more refugees to the United States," Peace of Thread pointed out.

Peace of Thread cited that the United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees said that global population for refugees have doubled in six years to 20.4 million in 2018 from 10.5 million in 2012 and current data registering to 26.3 million. The organization also pointed out that President Joe Biden has signified an increase to its commitment for refugees last month to 62,500.

"Journalist Nicole Narea explains that the real number settled this year will probably be significantly less due to the pandemic. Still, Biden's decision means that more refugees will become our neighbors," Peace of Thread stressed. "We'll see them in the carpool lane at school, in the checkout lines at the grocery store, and in our apartment complexes and subdivisions. When refugees are across the street instead of 'over there,' we'll have both the opportunity and obligation to help them."

Biden, as per the Christian Post, has increased the cap for refugees to 125,00 following condemnation from Christian progressive groups for announcing that he will keep former President Donald Trump's previous limit of 15,000.

The UNHCR said the World Refugee Day is celebrated every June 20 to "honor the more than 80 million people" who were forced to flee their home countries due to war, persecution, and violence to rebuild their lives. The UNHCR said there is a total of 82.4 million refugees on record living "across borders or within their own country" as of date.
Members of Bangladesh minorities were reported to participate in the annual protest against making Islam the official religion of the state.

The International Christian Concern (ICC) said that religious minorities in Bangladesh such as Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians, have gathered last June 9 for the "Black Day" annual protest for the declaration of Islam as the state religion.

As per ICC, the Bangladesh Constitution was amended on June 9, 1988 through the adoption of the eight amendment that declares Islam as Bangladesh's official religion. Religious minorities have gathered since then to protest its declaration.

ICC cited an interview by Asia News with Christian leader Nirmol Rozario who explained that a country with more than one religion can not declare Islam as the official religion. Rozario pointed out the inconsistencies in the declaration since the Bangladesh Constitution states the country is "secular."

"With the amendment, the seed of sectarian politics has been planted. In a country where Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians also live, a single religion cannot proclaim itself as the state religion. We do not agree," Rozario raised.

"In its Constitution, Bangladesh declares itself a secular country. But at the same time, it says that the state religion is Islam," she elaborated. "This is a clear contradiction. And if this state of affairs continues, Islamic fundamentalism and religious hatred will end up creating serious problems."

ICC said that religious minorities are persecuted and discriminated in Bangladesh and have pushed the said minorities to come together asking the government for the establishment of a minority commission. ICC cited Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC)Secretary General Rana Dasgupta stating in an interview with Asia News that they are "strongly" demanding that a "minority ministry and a commission for religious communities" since they are "often persecuted by the majority group."

The BHBCUC have also demanded from the state government last February that representation be made for the religious minorities through the reading of the scriptures from each religion during parliament ceremonies and sessions.

"We believe that in the interests of equality, justice and democracy, the hope of all religious communities in Bangladesh is to put an end to religious discrimination in the National Assembly of Bangladesh," Dasgupta said in an interview with Fides.

"BHBCUC leaders say introducing readings from the holy books of the four major religions would be a significant symbolic gesture to behold pluralism in Bangladesh on the eve of the country's golden jubilee of independence from Pakistan this year," he added.

Meanwhile, the Union of Catholic Asian News pointed out that harmony in Bangladesh is actually hindered by the oppression of these religious minorities. The oppression has trickled down to individual issues on land settlement, employment, and law enforcement experienced by members of the religious minorities against the Muslims who make up a majority of the population.

UCA News highlighted a report by Bangladesh Hindu Grand Alliance last February that 2020 registered a double number of cases reported for violence against minorities as compared to 2019. The report revealed that 62 people from minority religious groups were killed along with 512 injured from attacks and 1460 evicted from their homes from January-June 2020.

Supreme Court Lawyer Govind Chandra Pramanik told UCA News in an interview that religious minorities have long-demanded for proper representation in the government but to no avail and has then hampered harmony in the country.

"Harmony is vital for the prosperity of any nation, but it is under threat as minorities are abused. For a long time, we have demanded reserve seats for minorities and a separate ministry for minority affairs," Pramanik said.

"I think that without such efforts minorities won't have proper representation and abuses of minorities won't stop," he stressed.

True enough, attacks on religious minorities have continued over the years despite calls for their protection since 2013. Recently, a mob has desecrated a Hindu temple in the Sunamganj District yet "police and local authorities were silent" on it. This prompted members of the religious minorities in Bangladesh to protest against the attack on the country's golden celebration of independence last March.
Evidence has reportedly surfaced showing Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's lawyer, Ryan Germany, knowing about the election fraud that occurred in the 2020 November elections but hiding it from former President Donald Trump and from Americans.

The Gateway Pundit exposed that Germany, as well as Raffensperger, was aware of fraud happening on election night of November 2020 at the State Farm Arena but hid it from Trump. It disclosed a report made by Carter Jones for Raffensperger that involved a detailed timeline of what took place at the State Farm Arena on the night of the election.

The report, which was uploaded to Scribd by Gateway Pundit founder Jim Hoft clearly shows the criminal activity happening in State Farm that Jones highlighted in his report and even provided with time-stamped pictures to support what he documented in writing.

"In the report (p. 8), the author, Carter Jones, shares a picture he shared with Ryan Germany on Election night from the State Farm Arena. In the picture, Jones shows what was going on at the arena and he shared a time-stamped photo showing Ralph Jones, Ruby, and only a few others," The Gateway Pundit stressed.

For reference, Ralph Jones was the man who told media that a water main broke at the State Farm Arena, causing poll observers to be removed from the counting room as they carried out their plan to illegally and deceifully add votes to Joe Biden. The Ruby mentioned above, on the other hand, refers to Ruby Freeman, the woman who with Ralph Jones was involved in the suitcase scandal that led to 18,000 fraudulent votes being counted for Biden.

The particular page of the report shows what was happening on 12:08AM of November 4, 2020, a Wednesday, where four people said to be "scanners are still working." It described what was happening in the scene as "Ralph newly re-scanned some ballots that had already been processed by Shaye." Jones provided Germany the report but the latter "apparently did nothing with it."

"He didn't order an investigation. He didn't have people arrested. He didn't note that he received this photo and related information of potential crimes being committed with the President of the United States when he had an opportunity to do so," The Gateway Pundit stressed.

"It's time that Raffensperger and Ryan Germany are fully investigated for being complicit in potential crimes surrounding the 2020 Election that resulted in them certifying a fraudulent election," the media outlet continued.

Trump called Raffensperger and Germany in January this year after receiving information on election fraud through the form of "ballots being pulled from under the table and then jammed through voting machines" but the Secretary of State denied such allegations and assured the former president that an audit was already done on it but no fraud took place.

The Pundit said Raffensperger then spliced the call with Trump and gave it to the press who used it against the former president's claim on Fraud and was even used in the latter's impeachment trial.

Unabridged Notes by Jim Hoft

In a separate report, The Pundit said Raffensperger actually had his aides secretly record the call he had with Trump and "lied about its contents to far left [Washington Post]" before he deleted it in his "trash" folder. The spliced call made it look like Trump was asking Raffensperger to manipulate the results of the election.

Eventually, the leftist media company admitted that it "misquoted" Trump in the said phone call but The Federalist Senior Editor Mollie Hemingway didn't let them of the hook easily since she pointed out that the whole media coverage on the Georgia elections was a "fraudulent" narrative engaged in by mainstream media.

Members of the Trump Campaign headed by Lin Wood, Jr. filed a lawsuit against Raffensperger but were dismissed later on along with other cases filed in the swing states.

In May, Henry County Superior Court Judge Brian Amero has approved the massive audit on the Fulton County 145,000 absentee ballots. The said approval has now surfaced stunning irregularities after a month's time of auditing that has raised questions on the credibility of President Joe Biden's 12,000-vote difference win in Georgia.
Dr. Voddie Baucham Jr., a Christian theologian, characterizes Critical Race Theory as a "demonic ideology" and a "religion without grace" in his most recent work, "Fault Lines."

Baucham, who is based mainly in Zambia as dean of theology at African Christian University, brings a distinct viewpoint to the United States every time he returns to the country as an expat, noted Faithwire.

After much deliberation, he came to the conclusion that the social justice movement is based on a "demonic ideology" since its roots can be traced back to Karl Marx, Antonio Gramsci, and the neo-Marxist heirs of the Frankfurt School.

According to him, many Christians are enticed to support social justice since desiring justice and sympathizing with people who are oppressed has become second nature to them.

"So I think there's a sinister aspect to the religious nature of this movement... that has really led people astray," Baucham said in his interview with Daily Wire.

On a brighter note, Baucham said that people are starting to see these facts and provided some advice to those who are unsure of how to counteract this dramatic movement to the left of the political spectrum.

"You've got to be informed," he said. "And then secondly, when you're informed, be engaged. We have to engage, and we've got to refuse to be bullied. We've got to refuse to be silent on this."

More in his new book

According to Baucham, at the outset of his new book, "Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism's Looming Catastrophe," it is important to define the words that so many people now use, and to do so in both a pessimistic and a positive manner.

This is helpful in ensuring that all parties on opposing sides of the CRT discussion are aware of the terms they are arguing about and are able to communicate effectively.

He also spoke out against the religious philosophies of prominent critical race theorist Ibram X. Kendi, who advocates for "liberation theology," which holds that Christians are tasked with "liberating society from the powers on earth that are oppressing humanity."

Similarly, Baucham contested the belief that white people are "incapable of righteous actions on race and only undo racism when it benefits them." But above all these, he is especially worried about the ways in which CRT is finding refuge in churches throughout the nation.

"This is a religious movement. It has all the trappings of a religion. It has its own cosmology, it has its own saints, it has its own liturgy, its own law. It has all of those elements. And a lot of those things are very subtle, which makes them rather attractive to religious people," he said.

After that, he expressed concern about Christians who are "run away from the only solution to racism," which is the Gospel, "in favor of the non-solution to racism."

"The Gospel is the answer and the solution," Baucham maintained.

Baucham then addressed the "false divide" between black and white people, describing it as a division that human beings created on their own.

According to him, in order to have a Gospel understanding of ethnicity, Christians should seek out the passages in the Bible that "speaks to it the most plainly," such as Ephesians 2 and Galatians 3-4.

Faithwire noted from the interview that however widely critical race theory continues to grow, even among Christians, Baucham remains optimistic about the survival of what he calls the capital-C Church, or the body of Christ, as described by the Bible.
California pastor Mario Murillo said that online censorship had become so terrible that he could no longer overlook the issue.

Since its debut nine years ago, the "mariomurilloministries" blog has been a staunch advocate for Christ's cause and a source of Biblical insight into contemporary events.

However, when Facebook launched its new algorithm, which included the capacity to block what it deems as harmful content, or content that it doesn't agree with, the technology was utilized against conservative and Christian-owned or Christian-hosted content and published works, perhaps as a result of political motivations.

When Murillo, the author, posted a blog entry on his Facebook page, he discovered that the social media was preventing 90% of people who read his blog from seeing it. Only ten percent of his followers are aware that a new blog article has been published.

Consequently, they issued a challenge to see how far Facebook's algorithm would go to prevent people from seeing his blog. They found that when there is a large number of views and likes, the algorithm slows down.

"Yesterday the blog was shared 1,277 times, but Facebook says that only 2,278 people read it," Murillo explained. "That means that for every time it was shared, 1.78 people read it."

Murillo issued a call to his supporters to share the blog entry on Facebook simultaneously, so that the social media website's algorithm can receive a pushback.

"Then we issued the challenge. Today, that ratio suddenly jumped from 1.78 to 5. That is nearly triple the number of readers per share."

Following that description, Murillo goes on to explain how the assault on his blog, which is comparable to other Christian blogs or websites, began with minor problems. This escalated to the point that shadowbanning, or the act of allowing a user to post but not showing the post to others without the author's knowledge, became worse.

Why Facebook does it

"They are no doubt emboldened by their victory in bringing us the puppet government of Biden," says Murillo.

He suspects that Facebook considered the blog's content and reputation as a threat. It was getting close to a total of 16 million views, 3 million views of these in 2021, before Facebook started to ban it.

Numerous Christian leaders started to read the blog on a regular basis as a means of gaining a better grasp of what was happening and how to fight it. Because of its effectiveness, Murillo comes to the conclusion that the blog is being targeted.

As long as tyranny exists, Murillo thinks that blogs like his will continue to play an important part in the fight against it. Because, if it isn't, what is it about his blog that both Satan and the Big Tech want to clamp down?

"Because it is a threat and speaks the truth about this illegitimate administration and its agenda!" Murillo declared.

A piece of advice to bypass algorithm

"Read it. Share it. Like it."

Murillo believes it's worth a try as per their own experience when they challenged the figures projected by Facebook's algorithm.

"The social media giant has a big weakness-a weakness we must try to exploit, at least once," he said. "The algorithm backs off when there is a sudden ground swell of support. If enough people read this blog, share this blog, and like it, all at one time, FB will back off."

Murillo, of course, isn't naive as to dismiss other possibilities. He said that if his blog has reached the end of its usefulness, it would be wise for him to divert his attention elsewhere, but first he wants to know.

"If you believe this blog has run its course, then just sit this out. I will totally understand. If there is no major uptick in response after laying it out so clearly that will show me that this is not just Facebook," he said.

"But, if you believe the blog is worth saving, then I am asking you this one time-and this one time only-to let me know that you are fighting with me against this tyranny. I need you to talk with others and let them know what is at stake in this," he added.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Murillo, being the bold person that he is, doesn't feel like he's on the losing end. His challenge is meant to urge Christians to take action to share his blogs if they believe that his message has to be heard. It's a wake-up call to those who say they follow Christ amid the current political and spiritual climate.

He specifically indicated that over 90% of his readers are on Facebook, the same platform that shadowbans his posts. He said in a new blog entry that his email list has 17,807 names, as compared to the 204,052 followers he has on Facebook. For this reason, he is urging Christians to challenge its algorithm, so that more people can read his messages.

Mario Murillo's blog entries are very timely and they carry very important messages to the Christian church at this time of rampant anti-Christian censorship, anti-church policies, anti-Bible legislation, and anti-God remarks. Readers are encouraged to visit his blog and share it to their friends.
Famous author Jerry B. Jenkins thinks the world is drawing close to the end as depicted in his popular biblical End Times fictitious trilogy, which has garnered widespread attention.

Jenkins said he's going to continue writing because he thinks the world is witnessing some of the scenarios he co-wrote with Tim LaHaye in his "Left Behind" series.

"We're getting pretty close to the end. I think we have more reason to believe that now than we ever have," he told Christian Post. "It seems like something is coming. You just wonder how long God can carry us as sinful and restless as the world is."

"On the other hand, God has a different economy of time than we do. He wrote in the Bible 2,000 years ago that the end was soon or imminent, and that we should watch and wait. We've been doing that all these years," he went on. "The Bible also says that to God, 1,000 years is as a day and a day is as 1,000 years. So, if He waits one more day, in His mercy, that would be 1,000 of our years. Yet I don't think there's any more prophecy that needs to be fulfilled before the end, so it could be today as well."

The 71-year-old writer also emphasized that all Christians have a responsibility to communicate the Good News, no matter how difficult the circumstances may seem to be.

According to Jenkins, "I think it's obvious that we need to be at the task of being sure that the fewest people possible are left behind. That means sharing our faith and being bold and not holding back. Sometimes we're so afraid to offend somebody, we could offend them right into Hell. I think we need to just be overt, and it's on them what they do."

New book series in the works

For the purpose of preaching the gospel of Christ, Jenkins has written a new book named after his son's popular television series "The Chosen."

"The Chosen: I Have Called You By Name" is the first volume in his new book series and it was just published. A lot of the ideas for the book came from his oldest son, Dallas Jenkins, who developed the record-breaking crowdfunding faith-based TV series "The Chosen."

A look at the impact Jesus Christ made in the lives of individuals He called to be His disciples, and how that experience changed their lives for the rest of their lives, is explored in this book.

The new book is set in the same world as season one of the shows and provides more context for the narrative.

"Experience the life and power of the perfect Son of God as never before - through the eyes of everyday people just like you," states the book description."

Jenkins said that he had a great time writing the book since it "seemed like the right thing to do." He also wishes for his latest book, "The Chosen," to encourage readers to seek God.

He also hoped that everyone would have learned the real worth of life and family as a result of the COVID pandemic.
Christianity Today Announces New Publication That 'Revives the Christian Imagination'

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Christianity Today

June 21, 2021

CAROL STREAM, Ill., June 21, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Christianity Today has added a nascent publication and digital community, Ekstasis, into its media ecosystem to further its joint pursuit of Beautiful Orthodoxy--communicating the truth, goodness, and beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Christianity Today's president and CEO, Timothy Dalrymple, explains that "Ekstasis revives the Christian imagination, offering artful contemplation that nurtures the soul, and illuminates a path that leads through beauty and awe to a profound and joyous faith in Jesus Christ. In a clamorous and contentious age, we view Ekstasis as a kind of digital cathedral, a sanctuary from the noise, a place that captures our attention through loving art and luminous words."

Ekstasis Founder Conor Sweetman created the publication and community in 2016 to reach fellow believers with work that slants toward the triumphant and glorious aspects of life in Christ, framed through life, the arts and literature.

Sweetman shares, "There are so many excellent, inspired artists and writers at work today. Ekstasis wants to draw them together in a unique way to enjoy, influence and galvanize one another in faithfulness to Christ while immersed in the intellectual and creative life. Whether poet, photographer, painter, writer, musician or simply a patron of the arts, there is an exciting part to play in these ecstatic times."

Along with an annual publication, Ekstasis features a thriving digital community where both young and old generations of believers are seeking new ways of pressing into the depths of what it means to follow Jesus.

The newest print issue, Ekstasis Issue 8, releases this week. This issue, along with several of the most recent issues, are now available to order at https://www.ekstasismagazine.com/buy-magazine. The most recent digital content is available at https://www.ekstasismagazine.com.

Christianity Today is an acclaimed and award-winning media ministry that elevates the storytellers and sages of the global Church. Each month, across a variety of digital and print media, the ministry carries the most important stories and ideas of the kingdom of God to over 4.5 million people all around the planet.

SOURCE Christianity Today

CONTACT: Cory Whitehead, 630-384-7223, cwhitehead@christianitytoday.com
Neda spoke with Open Doors, knowing that if she were caught doing so, she would be called for interrogation. However, she wanted to share her story with the worldwide church - her son helped with translation.

Neda, a church leader and a mother of four adult children, first learnt about Christianity when she found a Bible hidden in a drawer of her husband-to-be. It surprised Neda because she knew him as a strict Muslim.

She started reading the Bible in secret and her heart was touched, she told Open Doors: "I became interested in Christianity and visited a church several times. That is where I became a Christian. When the persecution increased and we couldn't visit a church building anymore, my husband and I decided to start a house church, meeting in our home."

After the church was launched, they lived in constant fear. Her husband was taken for questioning regularly. It went on for years.

"People we knew were thrown into prison," said Neda. "A Christian friend of mine had her child taken from her after she left her husband, following years of pressure from him for her to renounce her faith. I can't lie - it was a very stressful situation, especially for my husband and me as church leaders."

Neda's son jumps into the conversation and says: "Sometimes there was so much pressure that it was only us as a family that could come together safely. We took it seriously: around 5.30pm we were all sitting down. One of us would lead devotions, the other one would play the guitar. My father was preaching, and we even took offerings. What would have happened if someone had caught us? We were really scared, but we did continue!"

Ever since Neda's husband died, she has been leading the church by herself. For 25 years of their church's history, the persecution has remained consistently strong, she said, but she has never considered giving up.

Sometimes God communicates with her through her dreams, she says. She vividly remembers one occasion, at a time she was very worried about her children's safety: "In my dream I saw a lion that was about to attack my kids. I was so scared! But to my amazement, the lion did nothing. I understood this dream when I read the story of Daniel in the lion's den: God protected us like he had protected Daniel."





Neda says she and the small group of her church members experience that protection on a daily basis and continue their ministry in spite of the risks.

"We know some of us are monitored, so we have to be careful," she said. "Even though our church consists of just a small group of people, we are very blessed. God shows his power everywhere, but I believe it becomes even more apparent in places where Christians are under pressure."

Iran is number 8 on Open Doors' World Watch List, a ranking of 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Converts from Islam to Christianity bear the brunt of violations of religious freedom, carried out by the government, and to a lesser extent by society and the converts' families. The government sees Iranian Christians as tools used by Western countries to undermine Islam and the Islamic regime of Iran. Leaders of churches for Christian converts have been arrested, prosecuted and received long prison sentences for 'crimes against national security'.

*name changed for security reasons

Open Doors UK & Ireland is part of Open Doors International, a global NGO network which has supported and strengthened persecuted Christians for over 60 years and works in over 60 countries. In 2020, it raised 42 million to provide practical support to persecuted Christians such as food, medicines, trauma care, legal assistance, safe houses and schools, as well as spiritual support through Christian literature, training and resources. Open Doors UK & Ireland raised about 16 million.
The people of Algeria first came to know about Christ in the early centuries, and many embraced the Christian faith, building places of worship throughout the country.

However, several centuries later the number of Christians began to decline due in large part to the Islamic invasion, which led to their displacement as they were faced with the difficult choice of converting to Islam, paying a heavy tax (Jizya), being killed or leaving their homes and fleeing to safety elsewhere. Many chose the latter.

Today, the Christian community in Algeria comprises many foreigners who have arrived from all around the world but especially Europe, people who are mostly there because of work, and who are concentrated in the major cities.

But the number of Algerian converts to Christianity is also increasing significantly. Some bravely declare their faith in Christ; others keep it secret for fear of persecution.

The significant growth of Christians has come in spite of the Algerian authorities banningproselytization under the threat of prosecution, which has led to many Christian believers being arrested, imprisoned, or deported outside the country.

As the number of Algerian Christians increases, so too do the churches. Some of these have obtained a licence from the Algerian state, while others are undeclared for fear of persecution, depending on where they are in Algeria.

Algerian Christians take their faith seriously and are devoted in spite of many pressures and threats - something experienced by converts in particular.

To find out more about what life is like for Christians in Algeria and how the church is growing there, Christian Today spoke to Angie Saad, a 33-year-old convert from Islam to Christianity.

What about daily life for Christians in Algeria?Change the internet one search at a timeAd By Yahoo Search Australia See More

Angie: In Algeria, like any Islamic country in the region, the Muslim majority dominates all aspects of life in society. It is very frightening for any Muslim here to hear about or meet another Algerian who is not like him - a Christian who does not believe what he believes in, and practises different rituals from him.

The Algerian Christian in general is the one who chose to leave Islam and believe in Christ, and as an inevitable result, Algerian Christians do not enjoy any rights related to their freedom to worship or share their faith with others.

Despite this, they are happy when they meet on Saturdays in the churches as one family [churches in Algeria meet on Saturdays because Sunday is a working day in the Islamic country]. Most of the churches meet in homes because the authorities do not allow them to build their own church buildings.

Are pressure and discrimination the norm?

Angie: Sure, they face persecution and pressures. And I do not say this simply because this is what the international reports issued by Europe or the US Committee on Religious Freedom say but because I live in this country and I myself have previously experienced persecution and oppression.

For example, when we went to the restaurant during the day in the month of Ramadan, police were confiscating our IDs for violating the sanctity of Islamic fasting.

In 2019, the authorities launched a fierce campaign against churches, closing 50 churches, most of them in Kabylia, Bejaia and Tizi Ouzou, under the pretext of lacking licences.

At the time, the Algerian Interior Minister said that the churches they closed were ''animal stables and chicken warehouses and the money that comes to them are suspicious money, we do not know where it is coming from, and the business inside it is suspicious."

This prompted the European Parliament to dedicate a session to the state of religious freedoms in Algeria.

The Algerian government is sensitive to Western criticism of "restrictions on freedom of belief" and replied that "the constitution guarantees freedom of belief, and the law on religious rites for non-Muslims regulates them and does not limit them."

Whatever it may say, Algeria approaches this issue with the logic of an entrenched state because the constitution stipulates that Islam is the state religion, and many Algerians actually support the strict enforcement of the law against ''hidden proselytizing campaigns''.

Do Algerian Christians receive support from their counterparts in France? How can they help their Algerian brothers and sisters?

Angie: Yes, in fact pastors from France visit churches in Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia, and offer sermons and moral support for us as Christians. Priests from other African countries also visit churches here to get to know the Algerian Christian community. This is the most important thing we need from them, to feel our presence as part of the family of faith.

What about Christians who are accused of evangelizing Muslims?

Angie: Proselytizing is considered a crime punishable by imprisonment under Algerian law. A Muslim can leave Islam and convert to Christianity and the authorities will not punish him, but he will be subject to follow-up if it is proven that he tried to undermine the faith of another Muslim.

One government employee, Suleiman in Bouhafs, was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine for proselytizing. He lost his job and became a refugee after leaving prison due to the threats against his life.

Two years after the popular movement that led to the ousting of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the reality has not changed and the new authority has not abolished the practices of the "old regime", as discrimination and violence against Christians has continued.

Algeria ranks 24th in the 2021 Open Doors index of persecution. Three Christians were also recently convicted of blasphemy, among them Hamid Soudad, 43, who was sentenced on January 21 to a fine of five years in prison and 100,000 Algerian dinars (around 540) for sharing a caricature of the Prophet of Islam.

You yourself are a convert. Did you face any problems when you converted to Christianity?

Angie: 10 years have passed since my conversion to Christianity and I still remember the first days of my faith, when I was very excited to share my testimony about Christ. I was subjected to a lot of harassment at work and some of my friends abandoned me. It was not easy for me facing a society that does not accept the other, nor freedom of expression.

How do you see the future for Christians in Algeria? Are you worried about their future?

Angie: The current regime wants to improve its image in front of the European Union, especially after the criticism levelled at it. The Algerian constitution guarantees the freedom to practise worship in article 51, but as some critics note, Algeria takes with the left hand what it has given with the right and so the problem does not lie in what the constitution grants, but rather in the prevailing culture in society.

Yet I don't fear for the future presence of Christians in Algeria. The country was the centre of North Africa during the Roman era, when it gave birth to one of the most important figures who inspired Europe, St Augustine of Hippo. And Christians here have learned to face persecution by praying and resorting to the law in defending their rights. The best example of this is their peaceful protest against the decision to close churches. Some local human rights organizations are standing by their side too.

Of course Christianity is not concerned with the abundance of numbers, but rather with building the spiritual and moral character of men, and this is the difference. While it is not possible to estimate the number of Christians in Algeria because there are no official statistics, the church is nonetheless growing as it was in the early years, despite the severe persecution that Christians have faced. Because the first seeds were planted, the harvest must be abundant.
June 21, 2021

 As NASA assembles the final parts for its return to the moon, LEGO is ready to launch into classrooms with a learning series themed around the space agency's Artemis I mission.



LEGO Education on Monday (June 21) announced "Build to Launch," a new digital learning series produced in collaboration with NASA. The free, 10-week program will lift off in September with interactive online episodes and hands-on lessons that are aligned with aspects of the upcoming Artemis I mission, including "Getting to Space," "Testing and Transport" and "Working in Space."



"Space is one of those things that sparks curiosity hugely, and curiosity helps drive engagement and engagement helps drive learning," said Esben Staerk, president of LEGO Education, in an interview with Space.com. "Being able to engage in real world examples while they're taking place  [such as] bringing the mission into the classroom, trying to figure out what tools the astronauts are going to use and if those tools have to work on the ground or in space, and so on  hopefully sparks some future STEAM [science, technology, engineering, art and math] careers and maybe some future workforce for NASA."



"That gets onto to the moon and from there, maybe onto Mars," said Staerk.



Targeted for launch in late November, Artemis I will be the first integrated test of NASA's deep space exploration systems. An uncrewed Orion spacecraft will lift off atop a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown  beyond the moon  over the course of about three weeks.



Artemis I is planned as the first in a series of increasingly complex missions, leading up to and through returning humans to the moon, including landing the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface.



The "Build to Launch" lessons, developed by LEGO Education in partnership with NASA, are designed to excite teachers and students about Artemis I. As students progress through each learning module, they will take on some of important jobs needed to launch, testing their problem solving and teamwork skills. Students will work hands-on, designing and prototyping, iteratively testing and working together to build and assemble parts much like the stacking of the Artemis I mission's SLS rocket, which is now underway at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.



"Every NASA mission requires people from a wide range of STEM careers, skills, backgrounds and interests. Today's students are the Artemis Generation  learning about space and the Artemis I mission through hands-on activities will introduce them to the many careers they can pursue," Mike Kincaid, associate administrator in NASA's office for STEM engagement, said in statement.





As part of the program, students and teachers will be able to tune into online "press conferences" led by Kate and Kyle  a pair of minifigures from the LEGO Education SPIKE Prime set  as they prepare for the Artemis I mission as part of the space team. Each broadcast will set up the theme of the next learning module and students will be encouraged to submit questions ahead of time for Kate and Kyle and their NASA counterparts to answer.



"Our minifigures, Kate and Kyle, sort of personify the astronauts. When kids play, they say, 'Okay, this [minifigure is] me and I am this role,' so we are really making it relevant and also achievable and close," Staerk said.



Although the "Build to Launch" lessons may overlap milestones in the countdown to the real Artemis I mission, they are designed to run independent of NASA's activities, such they can be incorporated into teachers' existing curriculum. The series will be available online for free and can easily be adapted for non-tech use with materials available in classrooms everywhere or with LEGO Education sets.



LEGO is inviting teachers and parents to sign up now to receive more information and be notified when the "Build to Launch: A STEAM Exploration Series" Teacher Resource Guide becomes available before the full experience launches in the fall.



The "Build to Launch" series comes at a pivotal moment in education, says Staerk, when students need meaningful, hands-on learning experiences.



"As we talk about learning through purposeful play, one of the characteristics is that it has to be personally meaningful. I think space as something real to explore  [as in] it's actually happening, right? It's not just a story about someone in space  is super engaging," said Staerk. "And that's what NASA brings here."
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Market Research Future Published a Half-Cooked Research Report on Global Microcrystalline Cellulose Market.

Market Definition:

Microcrystalline cellulose is a partially depolymerized, naturally occurring cellulose form wood pulp. It has properties such as anti-caking, bulking, and texturizing that are majorly required for keeping processed food fresh. The unique properties such as powder porosity, moisture sorption, and swelling capacity. Being a chemically inert substance, it has very less absorption capacity and does not dissolute during digestion. Due to this reason, it is highly used in excipient production in pharmaceuticals and is the major driver of the global microcrystalline cellulose market. The other driver for the global market growth is it being a fat substitute, primarily used in low-fat processed food.

Market Scenario:

The increasing demand for pharmaceuticals with the growing population consumes a major quantity of microcrystalline cellulose followed by food and beverage industry. The global Microcrystalline Cellulose Market Size growth is also driven by the cosmetic and personal care industry. The unique properties of extender, binder, and texturizer are extensively used in personal care products. The growing demand for personal care products with the concerned grooming and self-care population is expected to increase the market growth.

Competitive Analysis

Some of the prominent players of the microcrystalline cellulose are: FMC Corporation (the U.S), Mingtai Chemical Co. Ltd. (Canada), DFE Pharma (Germany), Dupont (the U.S.), Avantor (the U.S.), Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Japan), Asahi Kasei Corporation (Japan), Blanver (Brazil), JRS PHARMA (the U.S.), FrieslandCampina (the Netherlands), Accent Microcell Pvt. Ltd (India), Sigachi Industries Pvt. Ltd. (India), Libraw Pharma (India), Huzhou City Linghu Xinwang Chemical Co., Ltd (China) and Shandong Xinda Biotechnology Co., Ltd (China) among others.

Market Segmentation

The global microcrystalline cellulose market is segmented as per the raw material, end-user, and region.

There are only two raw material sources available, namely wood based and non-wood based. Out of these, the non-wood based raw material source is likely to dominate the market due to the excessive demand for synthetically produced and cheap products.

Based on end-user, the market is segmented into pharmaceuticals, food & beverage, cosmetic & personal care, and others.

Regional Analysis

The global microcrystalline cellulose market is segmented into five key regions namely North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. North America is the major contributor to the market growth due to the increasing food & beverage industries. The increasing number of pharmaceutical and food & beverage industries in this region in expected to fuel the market growth in near future. The regulatory association named the U.S Pharmacopeial Convention has identified microcrystalline cellulose as an excellent excipient, which has propelled the market growth. The U.S contributes significantly to the market share in terms of revenue followed by Canada. Europe is another substantial region contributing to the market growth owing to the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries in this region. Asia Pacific is expected to hold a considerable share of the market in coming years. Countries such as China are concentrated to the production of microcrystalline cellulose due to the low raw material and labor cost. The U.S is the major producer of microcrystalline cellulose followed by China.

In Latin America & Africa, the growing medical support and availability of pharmaceutical at ease is expected to fuel the market growth during the forecast period. However, poor health and safety standards may hinder the market growth in this region.

BROWSE RELATED REPORT @

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https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/fiber-optic-sensor-market-size-and-global-trends-2020-covid-19-business-impact-industry-analysis-sales-revenue-opportunities-top-leaders-and-regional-forecast-to-2022-2020-09-07

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/4797814

https://www.wboc.com/story/42598499/fiber-optic-sensor-market-size-and-global-trends-2020-covid19-business-impact-industry-analysis-sales-revenue-opportunities-top-leaders-and-regional-forecast-to-2022
Market Definition:

Calcium silicate is a powder procured from limestone and diatomaceous earth. It is extensively used across different end-user industries and is likely to witness rising applications in the years to come. Market Research Future (MRFR) has conducted an analysis recently which states that the global calcium silicate market is poised to expand at a moderate CAGR over the assessment period 2016 to 2023. The growth pace of the market can be accredited to the key advantages offered by the product such as passiveness towards the fire.

Get a Free sample of This Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5712

Market Scenario and Growth Factors:

Calcium silicate has paved its way across the construction sector which is poised to influence the revenue growth of the market primarily. It is anticipated to catalyze revenue creation for the players of the calcium silicate market over the next few years. In addition, the implementation of favorable regulatory laws for protecting the health of the workers at construction sites are also projected to support the expansion of the market in the forthcoming years. In addition, rapid industrialization has also unleashed developmental opportunities to the calcium silicate market. The use of the product for insulation in industries is likely to lead the proliferation of the market in the years to come.

Calcium silicate is expected to observe an upsurge in demand for the production of sealants. It helps in sealing micropores which are anticipated to expedite demand generation across the projection period. In addition, it is also likely to gain popularity as an anti-caking agent in food preparation. Also, the product is poised to pave its way across the food & beverage industry as a food additive. These factors are poised to accelerate revenue creation for the participants of the Calcium Silicate Market Analysis over the next couple of years.

The product is expected to witness proliferating applications across industries such as paints & coating materials, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers & insecticides, etc. The growth of these industries is anticipated to boost revenue growth over the next few years.

Competitive Dashboard:

The key players operating in the global Calcium silicate market and profiled in this MRFR report are:

Promat International NV (Belgium)

American Elements (U.S.)

Morgan Advanced Materials (U.K)

Spectrum Chemical Manufacturing Corp. (U.S.)

Prochem, Inc. (U.S.), Materion Corporation (U.S.)

Mil-Spec Industries Corporation (New York)

Associated Ceramics & Technology, Inc. (U.S.)

Pyrotek (India),

ZIRCAR CERAMICS (India),

Skamol (Denmark),

Industrial Insulation Group, LLC (U.S.)

Market Segmentation:

The global Calcium Silicate Market has been segmented on the basis of application for a detailed segmental analysis. Based on application, the segments include insulation, building materials, sealants, pharmaceuticals, food additive, and others.

Regional Analysis:

On the basis of region, the global calcium silicate market has been segmented into five regions viz. Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East & Africa (MEA), and North America. Asia Pacific is expected to retain the leading position over the next couple of years. The regional segment resonates strong growth potential and is anticipated to strike a healthy growth rate in the years to come. Rapid industrialization and urbanization are the key factors expected to encourage the growth pace of the calcium silicate market in the region across the projection period. Fast-developing nations such as China and India are prognosticated to contribute significantly to the development of the regional segment in the foreseeable future. In addition, the growth of the end-user industries such as paints & coating, construction, adhesives & sealants, etc. is also anticipated to catapult the regional segment on upward trajectory.

North America and Europe are also significant growth pockets expected to expand at a substantial pace in the forthcoming years. Technological innovations and increasing consumption levels are forecasted to favorably influence the expansion of the calcium silicate market in these regions.

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https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/fiber-optic-sensor-market-size-and-global-trends-2020-covid-19-business-impact-industry-analysis-sales-revenue-opportunities-top-leaders-and-regional-forecast-to-2022-2020-09-07

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/4797814

https://www.wboc.com/story/42598499/fiber-optic-sensor-market-size-and-global-trends-2020-covid19-business-impact-industry-analysis-sales-revenue-opportunities-top-leaders-and-regional-forecast-to-2022
San Francisco, 21 June 2021: The Report U.S. HVAC Systems Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Heating, Ventilation, Cooling), By End-use (Residential, Commercial, Industrial), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028

The U.S. HVAC systems market size is anticipated to reach USD 23.78 billion by 2028, according to a new study by Grand View Research Inc. It is expected to expand at a 6.0% CAGR from 2021 to 2028. Changing climatic conditions is the primary factor driving HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) equipment demand in the country. Additionally, the adoption of technologically advanced systems that offer smart connectivity and remote operation is expected to be a significant factor influencing the market growth.

Strict government regulations aimed at reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions from HVAC systems are anticipated to play an imperative role in market growth. To help consumers make an informed decision, the U.S. government has introduced the Energy Star Program that provides energy ratings that indicate the efficiency performance, and savings for each product. Such programs, coupled with active efforts taken by HVAC providers to provide energy-efficient products, are expected to fuel the growth of energy-efficient equipment over the forecast period.

The market for HVAC systems in the U.S. is characterized by intense competition, with several major players dominating the market. Companies adopt different strategies to maintain their grip on the market. For instance, Carrier Corporation, a popular name among consumers, completed its separation from United Technologies Corporation (UTC) in April 2020. Operating independently will help Carrier Corporation to improve its product offerings and geographical presence, thus, improving its presence in the market.

Despite all the above-mentioned benefits and efforts, high installation and maintenance costs, coupled with the complexity of retrofitting HVAC installations, are expected to pose a challenge to the market growth. However, companies are offering discounted repair and maintenance services to attract customers and promote HVAC sales across the country. Additionally, government regulations to eliminate the usage of refrigerants such as R-22 or HCFC-22 in cooling systems are expected to boost sales of newer systems in the next seven years.

Access Research Report of U.S. HVAC Systems Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/us-hvac-systems-market

U.S. HVAC Systems Market Report Highlights

Cooling systems held the largest revenue share of more than 55% in 2020. The large revenue share is attributable to the fact that the U.S. is one of the leading consumers of air conditioning systems in the world

Owing to the increasing office spaces, hospitals, hotels, and other commercial constructions, the commercial segment is anticipated to record the fastest growth of 6.6% from 2021 to 2028

The large population is the primary factor contributing to the large revenue share and the high CAGR of the Western region

Companies operating in the market are investing heavily in research and development to offer a technologically advanced product in an attempt to beat market competition via product differentiation

List of Key Players of U.S. HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) Systems Market

Carrier Corporation

Daikin Industries, Ltd.

Emerson Electric Co.

Johnson Controls International plc

Lennox International, Inc.

Trane Technologies

Access Press Release of U.S. HVAC Systems Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/us-hvac-systems-market-analysis
Litchfield (06759)

Today

Showers and thundershowers this evening giving way to periods of light rain late. Low 54F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Showers and thundershowers this evening giving way to periods of light rain late. Low 54F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
HARTFORD  Fornarellis had only three months to make its presence known on the Hartford dining scene before the coronavirus lockdown began in March 2020. John Fornarelli and his son Vito powered through the pandemic with family-style takeout meals, adding Mexican dishes to the Italian menu. The Mexican dishes were so successful that the father and son are opening a Mexican grab-and-go counter called Juanitos Corner when people return to the city.
Rhoades, who, like Biden, grew up in Pennsylvania, was installed as the head of the diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend in 2010 and has publicly tangled with Biden in the past. In 2016, he criticized the decision by the University of Notre Dame to honor Biden, vice president at the time, citing his support for abortion rights and same-sex marriage, in violation of the churchs teaching. I disagree with awarding someone for outstanding service to the Church and society who has not been faithful to this obligation, he said at the time.
Lawmakers give final OK to legal marijuana sales: The state Senate gave final approval Thursday in a special session to a comprehensive bill to legalize the sale and cultivation of marijuana in Connecticut. As of July 1, adults 21 and older will be allowed to possess 1.5 ounces of marijuana on their person and up to 5 ounces in a locked container in their home or in their cars glove box or trunk. Retail stores are expected to open in May 2022. By allowing adults to possess cannabis, regulating its sale and content, training police officers in the latest techniques of detecting and preventing impaired driving, and expunging the criminal records of people with certain cannabis crimes, were not only effectively modernizing our laws and addressing inequities, were keeping Connecticut economically competitive with our neighboring states, Gov. Ned Lamont said after the vote. Half of the licenses in the new industry would be reserved for social equity applicants who are from communities that were disproportionally impacted by cannabis prohibition. Individuals would be allowed to grow marijuana plants in their homes beginning July 1, 2023. Thursday was the third time the state Senate voted on the measure. They first approved it June 8 in the final days of the regular legislative session, but time ran out before the state House of Representatives could act. They approved it again on Tuesday but with an amendment that led to a veto threat from Lamont. The House undid the amendment when it passed the bill Wednesday and the Senate voted for the third and final time Thursday.
According to a summary of the plan, a 26-minute trip from New Haven to Bridgeport would be cut to 20 minutes by 2023; the 34-minute trip from Bridgeport to Stamford would be reduced to 22 minutes; and the 52-minute trip from Stamford to Manhattan would be cut to 45 minutes. Overall, the 1-hour, 52-minute train ride from New Haven to New York City would be reduced to less than 90 minutes.
Advice about writing is mostly pretty awful, but a long time ago, another writer said something to me, really an aside, a stray thought, that has stuck with me, as advice about writing, or maybe advice about life itself. No one is ever going to ask you to write a book, she said, and shed know, having published three at that point, Alam writes.
They always have some significance to them. They have a message. And that message reaches out to people at various stages in their life, said Williams, Fort Monroes property manager. When my father passed away, I came here. We went to one of the other windows where there is a quote about good and faithful servant, well done. Thats the message I personally gathered for my father.
As of the weekend, about 70% of adults in the commonwealth have gotten at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. (The states data dashboard still says 69.9%, but a Virginia Department of Health spokesperson said the numbers can differ due to the process by which the data is reported to the agencies.)
The entrance exams will be held in online/offline modes at 39 centres across the country between August and September.  DC Image

HYDERABAD: The University of Hyderabad (UoH) has started issuing applications for admission to the 2021-22 academic year.

With the government lifting all Covid restrictions, the university has opened admissions to 2,328 seats for 117 courses this year, including 17 integrated courses, 46 PG courses, 10 MTech and 44 Ph.D. programmes. The new courses being offered this year are MTech (Modelling and Simulation), MPA. (Music) and a certificate course in publishing.

The entrance exams will be held in online/offline modes at 39 centres across the country between August and September. The university has decided that it will not conduct its entrance exam at centres where the number of applications received is less than 300.

The last date for submitting online application forms is July 20. Further details can be had on http://acad.uohyd.ac.in.
People throng Sarojini Nagar market for shopping after authorities eased a lockdown imposed as a preventive measure to curb the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, in New Delhi on June 19, 2021. (Photo: AFP)

HYDERABAD: Herd immunity is not possible with the risky behaviour of people immediately after unlocking, say experts. The process of unlocking according to the guidelines by epidemiologists has to be slow and gradual.

Dr Rajan Shukla, associate professor of Indian Institute of Public Health says, "Restrictions are to be lifted in a controlled manner and according to step-wise plan using a two-week incubation period. Closure of essential business must be lifted first and returning of workforce to establishments must be in a phased manner. Hurry to relax lockdown and failure to apply scientific principles expose the community to a rapid, large third wave with possibility of a virulent mutant."

With the process of vaccination going on and there being a large population to be covered, total lifting of restrictions has an adverse impact, he says.

Experts say that the persisting situation in India and the experiences of the world have affirmed that herd immunity is not anywhere close. A senior doctor and infection specialist on condition of anonymity says, "In the medical set up, our evaluation is that herd immunity in the immediate future is a myth. It will require continuous and stronger interventions from time to time to reach herd immunity. Till then, we have to be prepared to meet the challenges of constant small and big waves of Covid-19."

Experts state that the situation will evolve differently once a sizable population is vaccinated. That too will be testing times as vaccinated people too are being infected. Although the severity is less, there are still people who are succumbing to the virus after vaccination, they add.
Officials at the receiving end are, however, claiming that the government is now trying to act tough through its top officials only to cover up its political failures.  Representational image/By arrangement

HYDERABAD: The twin cities may witness large-scale suspension and transfer of officials working in line departments following allegations of corruption and lack of concern in carrying out works assigned to them. The government has asked a top bureaucrat to prepare a list of such officials, so that action could be initiated against them.

What has irked the government is that movement of files remains slow and there has been delay in several works. There has been no decrease in level of corruption even though everything has been made online.

Following this, the top bureaucrat held a meeting with senior officials and reviewed the progress of works. According to highly placed sources, it came to his notice that no progress has been seen in certain key works since two years. The faulty plan of action adopted by several city departments has given scope for high-level corruption.

Further, officials who are in-charge of works have been disowning responsibilities citing the Covid-19 pandemic for over a year. Due to apathy of officials, several city departments have not become self-sustainable despite being given several opportunities.

Sources said the bureaucrat has sought a written explanation from officials and warned them of suspension if the works that are to be executed by them are further delayed. He also warned them that their salaries will be deducted if works are not completed on time. If nothing works to ensure smooth functioning of civic bodies, the state government will transfer or suspend the officials.

Officials at the receiving end are, however, claiming that the government is now trying to act tough through its top officials only to cover up its political failures. They maintain that despite implementing development works, political leaders, including ministers, MLAs and others, have been taking officials to task, issuing memos and even suspending them.

A top official, requesting anonymity, said: "The state government has asked for a list of officials who have been facing allegations. In all probability, these officials will be transferred to other municipalities and corporations. In addition, lower-rung officials will be suspended on the spot in case of negligence.
The CM said he was happy to see heavy plantation on both sides of the roads and in the traffic medians, and hence dropped the idea of making surprise inspections to see the progress in the implementation of the green drive.  DC file photo

Hyderabad: None in contemporary Telugu politics might be able to match Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Raos wit and sense of humour while addressing public meetings.

It was the turn of participants at the inauguration of Siddipet integrated district offices complex on Sunday to burst into laughter repeatedly.

Referring to the implementation of goat-farming scheme on a massive scale, the Chief Minister said someone known to him was highly appreciative of the scheme and told him that he could see gorrelu (goat) everywhere in the state. The CM also spoke of the beneficiaries calling them KCR gorrelu. Thank God, they did not call KCR a gorre, he said.

Narrating his experience of attending a marriage in Covid times, the Chief Ninister said the bridegroom urged him to remove the mask. When he tried to know why, the groom replied: nuvvu malli dorkav sir (You may not come again).

Mask teesthe nenu carona ku dorkutanra bai (I may get infected if I remove the mask), was how the CM replied to the groom. And, I got infected because of the jostling of the crowd, the CM said.

The Chief Minister heaped praise on his nephew and finance minister T. Harish Rao, who represents Siddipet in the Assembly.

The CM said he was happy to see heavy plantation on both sides of the roads and in the traffic medians, and hence dropped the idea of making surprise inspections to see the progress in the implementation of the green drive.

After a lengthy speech, the CM said he was getting late for another programme in Kamareddy district. Its getting late. You may be hungry. I am also hungry. I came to Siddipet hoping that Harish will feed us. Will he do it, he asked as Harish Rao sported his trademark smile.
Harish Rao had spent the day in Siddipet, accompanying Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao during the latters visit to the district where he took park in various programmes.  DC Image

Hyderabad: Finance minister T. Harish Rao escaped unhurt after his convoy ran into a herd of wild boar near Nagulabanda village while he was on his way from Siddipet to Hyderabad on Sunday night.

The accident occurred when the police escort pilot vehicle ran into some wild boar that darted on the highway from the left side. With the pilot vehicle coming to a halt suddenly as it ran over a couple of boar, that died in the accident, the vehicles immediately behind ran into one another.

However, no one, including Harish Rao, was injured in the incident, the police said. The front end of the police pilot vehicle suffered damage as it ran into the wild boar herd.

Harish Rao had spent the day in Siddipet, accompanying Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao during the latters visit to the district where he took park in various programmes.

The car in which Harish Rao was travelling ran into the vehicle in front of it but suffered no damage. According to a message from his office, the minister and his staff, continued their journey to the city after the accident.
New Delhi: In a fresh attempt to set up a Third Front, Maharashtra strongman and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar has called a meeting of several Opposition parties on Tuesday under the aegis of the Rashtra Manch, which was started by him and Yashwant Sinha, a former BJP Union minister who is now in the Trinamul Congress. According to sources, Mr Pawar, to start with, aims to bring together all the non-Congress Opposition parties.

The meeting is expected to be attended by, among others, the NCPs Majeed Memon and Samajwadi Partys Ghanshyam Tiwari, who is also the convenor of the Rashtra Manch, as well as AAP, RLD and RJD representatives. It is likely to see discussions on possible strategies for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Besides this, the leaders may also explore plans to jointly take on the BJP in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections.

Invitations have gone to several parties on behalf of Mr Pawar and Mr Sinha, who joined Mamata Banerjees TMC just before the West Bengal elections. Sharad Pawar ji and Shri Yashwant Sinha ji are co-chairing a discussion on the present national scenario. Yashwant Sinha has requested your kind presence and participation in the meeting, says the invitation sent out by the Rashtra Manch.

Interestingly some Congress leaders who were also part of the Rashtra Manch have politely declined the invitations that were sent out. These include leaders like Shatrughan Sinha and MPs Vivek Tankha and Manish Tewari. The Rashtra Manch is a coalition of Opposition parties formed by former finance minister Yashwant Sinha in 2018 to take on the BJP-led Central government.

After the BJPs decisive defeat in the recent West Bengal Assembly polls, several Opposition leaders started an exploratory exercise for a joint strategy to take on the BJP juggernaut. Insiders claim that political strategist Prashant Kishor is a key player behind this proposed meeting. Mr Kishor had called on Mr Pawar on June 11 at the latters Mumbai residence; the meeting also saw the presence of several NCP leaders. On Monday, the two again met at Mr Pawars New Delhi residence for nearly two hours, and it was after this that the invitations were sent out for the Rashtra Manch meeting. Mr Kishor had managed the campaign for the West Bengal Assembly elections for the Trinamul Congress, and also for the victorious DMK in Tamil Nadu. He now sees himself in a bigger role rather than just being a political strategist.

Insiders say that the meeting will also discuss the situation prevailing in Uttar Pradesh. Two parties -- Samajwadi Party and the late Ajit Singhs Rashtriya Lok Dal -- are also a part of the meeting. Several leaders feel that if Uttar Pradesh can be wrested away from the BJP in next years Assembly elections, the Rashtra Manch will be in a strong position to plan for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with an important state under its belt. The ruling BJP has been pushed into a corner after the weak Covid-19 response by the Yogi Adityanath government earlier this year.

Mr Pawar has been managing a very tricky alliance in his home state, Maharashtra, between his NCP and the Shiv Sena and the Congress. Earlier, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had spoken about the need for an alliance of Opposition parties at the national level. Mr Raut had said he had spoken to Mr Pawar about this. This time one of Indian politics most experienced leaders is trying his hand to stitch another alliance.
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FILE - In this May 11, 2015, file photo, nuclear waste is stored in underground containers at the Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls, Idaho. The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a new 10-year-contract to clean up nuclear waste at its 890-square-mile site in Idaho that includes the Idaho National Laboratory.
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Big Tech's viral vax blackout

By Mark Alexander



The Demos' Leftmedia outlets and their Big Tech colluders are both aggressively suppressing reasonable questions about ChiCom Virus treatments and emerging hazards about the various vaccines. They are doing so under the now-ubiquitous umbrella of "fact-checking" social media posts  especially any post that hints at a treatment previously mentioned by former President Donald Trump.

To that end, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) was suspended from Google-owned YouTube because he posted a video that referenced evidence that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) might have had therapeutic benefits.

As you recall, HCQ is an inexpensive prescription drug dispensed primarily to fight malaria. It's been around since the 1940s, and it was first mentioned by President Trump on 19 March of last year  a mention based on research indicating it might help as a preventive or treatment. HCQ is not an antiviral, but it's a powerful anti-inflammatory, which a 1995 study by the National Institutes of Health determined was a potent inhibitor of SARS coronavirus. It is the inflammatory cytokine storm that fills the lungs of high-risk patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and thus requires a ventilator. Many patients, particularly the elderly, never make it off the ventilators as the lung damage from bilateral pneumonia often results in irreparable damage and death.

Trump's reference to HCQ resulted in his being excoriated by the Leftmedia for spreading "misinformation."

Sen. Johnson dared mention a new HCQ study by researchers at the Smith Center for Infectious Diseases & Urban Health and Saint Barnabas Medical Center, who concluded that of 255 mechanically ventilated patients from early in the pandemic, "higher dose HCQ/AZM therapy improved survival by nearly 200%." The study has yet to be peer-reviewed, but there are other studies here and here affirming the potential benefits of hydroxychloroquine.

Early treatment is key to COVID-19 recovery, and Trump's use of HCQ may have been a factor in his rapid recovery from the virus last October. But as Johnson noted: "The fact of the matter is because we didn't have early treatment, I don't know how many thousands of lives, tens of thousands of lives lost that didn't need to be lost. ... It is a tragedy and blunder on the part of the health agencies."

We'll never know how many COVID-19 patients might have benefitted from HCQ as part of their treatment. But as we passed the 600,000 death mark last week, renowned New Jersey epidemiologist Dr. Stephen Smith estimates as many as 100,000 lives might have been saved.



Shi Zhengli at the Wuhan lab

But because Trump suggested it, the Leftmedia and social media platforms buried it  much as they did Trump's insistence that the SARS-CoV-2 virus likely originated in China's Wuhan P4 lab. Only now, 16 months and millions of deaths later, is the lab origin assessment making it into the mainstream media.

As Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, concluded, "Irrationally hating everything Donald Trump touched was not just pathological, it often became downright scary  and deadly  for Americans."

The social media silencing of Sen. Johnson coincided with another blackout  the suppression of reports of the relationship between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and myocarditis (heart inflammation), particularly in younger men.

That concern was the focus of a CDC emergency meeting scheduled on June 18. Understanding the increased incidence of myocarditis in ages 16 to 24 is particularly important given the growing chorus of secondary schools and colleges requiring vaccination as a condition of attendance. Likewise, many employers of young people may mandate the vaccine as a term of employment.

Notably, the country's largest teachers union, the National Education Association, though supporting vaccinations, is not demanding COVID-19 vaccination for teachers and students, nor is the second largest union, the American Federation of Teachers, pushing for that requirement.

Fact is, a substantial number of CDC and FDA employees, and those of Anthony Fauci's NIAID, have not taken the vaccine. Less than 43% of the population has been fully vaccinated, and states are now giving away free beer and dope, and millions in vaccine lottery winnings, to entice people to take it. (Yes, I note the irony of the lottery gambit to promote the vaccine gambit.)

At the very least, our government should determine whether forcing young people to get the vaccine could be more harmful to them than the virus itself.

But don't mention heart inflammation on Twitter. As Dr. Tracy Hoeg, MD, PhD, recently noted: "Post-vax myocarditis was clearly above baseline at the end of May. ... We are standing on shaky ground if we say the risk to otherwise healthy kids from Covid-19 is higher than it is from the vaccine." She then posted the study graphics directly from the CDC's website, and as a result, perhaps fittingly given all the Fauci/CDC flagellation, her post was marked "misleading." Hoeg responded: "Why is my tweet being labeled as 'misleading'? I'm discussing the @CDCgov's own slides. Was it because I was expressing uncertainty about vaccine risks vs. current COVID risks to otherwise healthy kids?"

Most assuredly that was the reason  but Big Tech doesn't want anyone questioning Big Gov, even when using Big Gov's own evidence as the basis for that question.

So, who will the social media arbiters of truth sight in on next? I predict Dr. Hooman Noorchashm, a cardiothoracic surgery specialist who also holds a PhD in immunology and held teaching positions at Harvard Medical School and the University of Pennsylvania, will be subject to suppression.

According to Dr. Noorchashm, who is also concerned about forcing vaccines on people, particularly those who have already recovered from the virus: "I believe, as we've discussed before extensively, that vaccinating people who are COVID recovered in this emergency situation where we've basically very rapidly approved this new vaccine, is a colossal error in public health judgment. We're basically overriding the principles of medical necessity. So, in other words, if a person does not need or stand to benefit from a vaccine, or any medical treatment, they should not be given it because it only opens the door to harm."

Oh, wait: Google/YouTube already black-holed Dr. Noorchashm's interview with Tucker Carlson.

Forget I suggested that we should ask questions about the potential negative outcomes of mandating vaccines. Nothing to see here; move along.

Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post.
Comparing the Canadian and the American Right  updated to 2021 (Part Four) By Mark Wegierski

The Conservative Party was finally able to win a strong majority in the federal Parliament in the 2011 federal election. This was the first putatively conservative majority in the federal Parliament since that won in 1988. However, in October 2015, Justin Trudeaus Liberals rebounded, and won a strong majority. Their return to power meant the undermining of whatever small steps in a conservative direction that Stephen Harper had undertaken. In the October 2019 federal election, the Liberals hung on to a strong minority government (a plurality of seats in the House of Commons)  which has been supported by the federal New Democratic Party (NDP), which is even further left. It should be well noted that left-leaning infrastructures such as feminist groups (who are indeed often tightly enmeshed with governmental bureaucracies) outweigh in resources such right-leaning infrastructures (such as, most notably, the Fraser Institute think-tank) by astronomical factors. And, although there is a quite substantial amount of debate about economic issues and economic conservatism, as far as social conservatism and right-wing patriotism, these have almost no register on the Canadian political scene. Left-liberals are quite content to allow the presence of a soulless managerial Right that manages the economy  so long as they themselves get to control all the social and cultural issues. Some Canadian newspapers, notably The National Post (formerly owned by the Canadian-born conservative press baron Conrad Black  who is now somewhat disgraced), have some degree of right-wing content, including a few surprisingly acerbic columnists. There are a handful of prominent conservative academics, especially in Alberta. There also arose in April 2011, a right-leaning news outlet on television  Sun Network News  but it closed abruptly on February 13, 2015 (putting around 200 people out of work). Ezra Levant has also founded a major news website  The Rebel Media. Candice Malcolm has also founded a substantial media initiative  True North Canada. There is also the website, The Post Millennial. However, this is all very, very little, compared with the comparatively massive right-wing presence in the United States. The presence of a large, organized, political Right in the U.S., and its absence in Canada, will probably lead to increasingly divergent futures for both countries. Many of the more pleasant aspects of life in Canada are likely to disappear with the increasing triumph of ever-more-insistent, utterly unchecked and unimpeded left-liberal and left-wing policies. The political situation in Canada, with the virtual non-existence of an intellectual and cultural Right, cannot be described as healthy for Canadian society. Persons of traditionalist or conservative outlooks in Canada are faced with the unappealing prospect of the spiraling into oblivion of many congenial aspects of Canada, about which they can do virtually nothing. Their feelings of chronic hopelessness may perhaps to some extent be assuaged by looking to more hopeful developments in the United States, or perhaps in East-Central Europe and Russia. Considering that Harper had been badly stymied in his efforts at systemic reform through the federal Parliament, there might arise increased calls for regional devolution, so that, for example, Alberta or all of Western Canada could carry out social and economic policies more congenial to itself. It could be seen that Harper, during his majority government, had decisively failed, and such scenarios of regional devolution may, ironically, become the best hope for some fragmentary survival of traditionalism and conservatism in Canada. The more furiously and immoderately the Left opposed Harper, thwarting the work of the Conservative federal majority government, the more it might have created the preconditions for frustrated Conservative voters to turn to devolutionist scenarios. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home
Blaise Pascal's Fixed Point: A Mathematician's observations By Charlotte B. Cerminaro

Over four-and-a-half centuries have passed since the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal walked the earth, but his ideas and predictions continue to be just as accurate as when they were first written. Some of his most influential works were seemingly not intended for publication; they were rather simple observations and profound remarks--on everything from human behavior to theology, economics and predictive geometry. When Pascal's most famous and thought-provoking work was found posthumously, it was more of a collection of brief ideas and observations, very unique but typical of his brilliant and unconventional mind. Many associate the name Pascal with groundbreaking discoveries about air pressure, vacuum states and early calculators, but arguably his greatest works came nearer the end of his very short life of only 39 years. These writings were gathered and organized into a volume eventually titled, Pensees (thoughts). Throughout Pascal's life he single-handedly took on the Catholic dogma and self-contradictory theology that was still ubiquitous in the early years of the reformation. A very deep, almost intuitive understanding of the most profound theological complexities earned him enemies very quickly. His rational, mathematical mind posited simple challenges and scientific axioms in order to provoke thinking instead of reflexive, knee-jerk reactions and thoughtless dogmatic ideology. One of his most famous challenges is now known as Pascal's wager. It is a simple arithmetical argument for the existence of, and belief in, God--and a direct refutation of the elder Frenchman Descarte's existential ramblings. One of the most strikingly relevant ideas that beautifully illustrates our modern-day "group think" and herd mentality is Pascal's metaphorical Fixed Point. He states, "When everything is moving at once, nothing appears to be moving, as on board ship. When everyone is moving towards depravity, no one seems to be moving but if someone stops, he shows up the others who are rushing on, by acting as a fixed point." Pensees, vol. 33. While the world rushes headlong into the seductive philosophy of self-indulgent hedonism, it's extremely difficult to remember that the greatest impact on the world has been made by and through men and women of principle. It's easy to sail with the ship. It is a difficult thing to stop, and to become the fixed point on which the world can focus and rely. An often-observed phenomenon in animals and humans is the flocking behavior of the masses--the leader suddenly banks one way and everyone follows; now, for the most part, no one really knows who's leading or where they're going. They are blindly and obediently following just a split second after, determined to keep up and questioning nothing. Every once in a while they see someone heading in the opposite direction, or standing still, and they try not to think about whether their course is correct. A momentary discomfort is replaced by the smug satisfaction that they seem to have sheer numbers on their side, they are "moving with the crowd" so they absolutely must be right. The flocking behavior continues even after it's discovered that one of the "leaders" was clearly going the wrong way, and knew it all along. Probably the most remarkable thing about 17th century mathematician Blaise Pascal is that he seemed to have his finger on the very pulse of civilization: Human nature, psychology, power, corruption, lies and truth. Long before the psychoanalytic revolution Pascal was persuading, analyzing and understanding the power structure and those who wielded it. Though he couldn't have imagined such things as social media--its unthinkable power and influence even over the self-described skeptics of our day--he had a firm grasp of the striking speed and almost-unstoppable momentum of a false but appealing idea, a superstition, a threat, or a new take on an old philosophy. The birth of nihilism, socialism, emotional anti-theism and the death and depravity that followed is a singular example of the power of groupthink. If no one stops and reasons, wondering from where an idea sprung and what are the possible implications, both overt and covert, they will be swept out with the tide on a course not of their own choosing. The power structure in place during Pascal's time was only a hint of what would come; with one of the most persuasive and unusually brilliant minds in history he could only loosen that ideology at its foundation, from which it would eventually topple. If one of the most unimaginably difficult things we can do is to simply stop, be still, then what must it take for one person to make such an impact on this world? Charlotte B. Cerminaro is a Juilliard-trained classical musician who, in addition to being a studio and orchestral musician, enjoys writing and has a degree in Molecular Biology.  2021 Home
Is Russia going to provide Iran a spy satellite and what are the implications? By Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser

According to a June 11, 2021, report in the Washington Post, Russia is preparing to supply Iran with an advanced satellite system that will give Tehran an unprecedented ability to track potential military targets across the Middle East and beyond. The report was confirmed by current and former U.S. and Middle Eastern officials who were briefed on details of the arrangement. The plan would deliver to the Iranians a Russian-made Kanopus-V satellite equipped with a high-resolution camera that would greatly enhance Irans spying capabilities, allowing continuous monitoring of facilities ranging from Persian Gulf oil refineries and Israeli military bases to Iraqi barracks that house U.S. troops. The launch could happen within months, according to the sources. Putins Denial and Irans Dangerous Gain The report was made public days before the planned meeting on June 16, 2021, between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. Asked about the satellite report in an interview with NBC, Putin dismissed it as garbage, and denied the existence of such a deal. Its just fake news, said the Russian president. At the very least, I dont know anything about this kind of thing. The Kanopus-V is marketed for civilian use and will be equipped with a camera with a resolution of 1.2 meters, which is not as good as the resolution of Western and Israeli or Russian and Chinese military satellites. Nevertheless, it is still much better than what Iran can download today from other commercial satellites available on the open market. The satellite will improve the image accuracy and provide Iran with the ability to control the imaging priorities.

The Kanopus-V satellite as presented on the website of the Moscow-based RACURS company. According to the Washington Post, Iranian military officials have been heavily involved in the acquisition. Leaders of Irans elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have made multiple trips to Russia since 2018 to help negotiate the terms of the agreement, officials said. As recently as this spring, Russian experts traveled to Iran to help train ground crews that would operate the satellite from a newly built facility near the northern city of Karaj, they reported. Iran has a plan of its own to place a reconnaissance satellite in space. After several prominent failures, Iran, last year, successfully launched an indigenous military satellite dubbed Noor-1, but the spacecraft was quickly derided by a senior Pentagon official as a tumbling webcam. It seems that much of the Iranian effort to launch satellites is actually connected to the attempt to develop and produce long-range ballistic missiles using the satellite launches as a cover. Despite Putins denial, if the report is correct, the relatively high resolution of the satellite, its collected data, and Iranian control should cause considerable concern to Israel and the United States: It may enable Iran to acquire updated information about Israeli, American, and American allies targets in the region. This is especially dangerous because Iran has developed in recent years many offensive capabilities such as ballistic and cruise missiles and underwater and aerial assault vehicles that are precision-guided. Satellite data could provide them with precise and real-time information which could significantly improve their accuracy and lethality. It should be noted that until now, Iran relied on commercial imagery that is limited and sometimes omits sensitive military data. Iranian intelligence also relies on HUMINT (human intelligence) as a significant component of the Iranian intelligence effort. This satellite may enable Iran to share valuable information with its proxies in the region, such as Hizbullah, the Iraqi militias, the Houthis in Yemen, and the forces under its control in Syria. Since Iran supplies these groups with precision-guided munitions, the provision of accurate and close to real-time information will considerably improve the proxies military capabilities, as well. The deal may give the Iranians access to advanced technical capabilities that they may use to develop independent satellites with higher resolutions. In view of these concerns, it is imperative that the United States and Israel, together with their Arab allies, convey a clear message to Russia that this deal should not materialize. Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser is Director of the Project on Regional Middle East Developments at the Jerusalem Center. He was formerly Director General of the Israel Ministry of Strategic Affairs and head of the Research Division of IDF Military Intelligence. Home
Godfather of color revolutions: Is George Soros the most dangerous man alive?

By Sam Jacobs



Of course youve heard the name  George Soros , often invoked as a sort of folk demon on the American and international right, its likely that you have some vague notion of why you think hes a bad guy, or maybe you think the whole thing is a bunch of hype.

However, if youre a freedom lover, theres nothing hype about the influence that George Soros has around the world attacking your freedom. Indeed, you probably vastly underestimate the influence that he has on politics.

From the perspective of someone who values life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, there is no more dangerous man today than George Soros. This is not hyperbole, it is the simple truth. While we dont plan to paint a picture of a man standing behind the scenes, rubbing his hands together and cackling as he plays puppet master over each and every attack on freedom around the world, Soros acts as a strawman and a caricature of what is actually going on in the world.

George Soros, his money , and his NGOs are bankrolling and influencing public policy and opinion from the local level all the way up to the national level. Entire nations have been made to bow to the Soros agenda, but perhaps more importantly for our purposes, key local officials in government are increasingly wholly owned subsidiaries of the Soros machine.

Ever wonder why urban terrorists can burn down cities with no consequences but the McClaskys are prosecuted for defending their home against the same ? The answer is George Soros, his money, and his influence.

Do You Know Who Your District Attorney Is?

American political culture focuses almost entirely on Presidential elections, with Congressional and gubernatorial races getting much less attention from the general public. When it comes to local politics, unless you live in a large city, chances are good that you dont know much about city politics. For example: Who is your local district attorney or county prosecutor?

Most people have no idea. Its a low-key office, generally staffed by someone looking to do public service, not advance their career. There is little glamor, low pay, and lots of thankless work to be done at this level, which means that for the most part, this is not where social climbers begin their careers.

That being said, these elected officials have enormous amounts of power because they decide who gets prosecuted, who doesnt, and what charges are levied against them. If your DA decides that the local band of looters are actually peaceful protesters, they wont ever see the inside of a courtroom. Similarly, if the local DA isnt a fan of the right to self-defense, one must consider this when choosing whether or not to pull your firearm if a mob of them shows up on your lawn.

George Soros understands this and has been quietly funding a campaign to place district attorneys amenable to his agenda across the United States.

The Los Angeles Times  hardly the Epoch Times  describes this as  a years-long campaign by liberal groups to reshape the nations criminal justice system . You should believe them when they tell you this, because that is precisely the goal. Not the litigation of the 10-yard fight that is the minutiae of law in America, but the radical reshaping of the legal system as we know it .

Part of this is just the very nature of bureaucracy, the plainer term for what people mean when they talk about the deep state. The government rests on men doing things, chief among these are what Vladimir Lenin called special bodies of armed men : cops, courts, and jails. According to Lenin, this is the very essence of the state. Libertarians will sympathize with this definition of the state. At its core, the state is a man with a gun who will throw you in a cage or kill you if you fail to comply. Everything else is just window dressing.

The local prosecutor is a chokepoint in the special bodies of armed men. The attorney general isnt euphemistically called top cop for no reason and in his own way, the local prosecutor is also a top cop, albeit with a much smaller jurisdiction. This also means that he has more direct control over the individuals in his district, as the attorney general deals more in broad brushstrokes.

Who is your local DA? George Soros knows. He might very well be his paymaster.The campaigns for local DAs and the like arent shy about stoking racial resentment and animosity. The Democratic Partys playbook hasnt changed much since the days of Jim Crow, its just that it has found new ways to make political hay out of sowing racial divisions among Americans. One Soros-produced ad for Noah Phillips campaign for District Attorney of Sacramento County, focuses almost exclusively on a black boy in a hoodie .

It is of course unrealistic to expect that even highly bureaucratic roles are entirely apolitical, however, the Soros DAs have ratcheted up the partisanship, not just in the race, but in the actual execution of the office. As of September 2020, there were 31 Soros-backed DAs in the United States . That might not sound like a lot, but it includes the DAs of Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, and St. Louis. All told, tens of millions of Americans are now victims of the Soros racket in the form of their local top prosecutor.

Some examples of the Soros machine at work in Americas DA offices include:

After the last round of rioting, looting, and arson in St. Louis, Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner dismissed charges against all 36 people arrested. Shes on the take from Soros for $307,000 . This is also the prosecutor who filed charges against the McCloskeys.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon got over $2 million from the Soros operation , he ended cash bail and is no longer prosecuting the crimes of trespassing, disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, prostitution, or driving without a license.

Kim Foxx is the Illinois States Attorney and has received $807,000 from Soros. She also declined to prosecute rioters, saying The question it comes down to is, is it a good use of our time and resources? No, its not. Foxx likewise declined to prosecute hate crime hoaxer, Jussie Smollett.

Philly District Attorney Larry Krasner has received $1.7 million from Soros. He wont be prosecuting rioters, looters, and arsonists. Krasner was very open about the ideology driving his permitting chaos in the city: Prosecution alone will achieve nothing close to justicenot when power imbalances and lack of accountability make it possible for government actors including police or prosecutors to regularly take life or liberty unjustly and face no criminal or career penalty.

Krasner is worth calling out for special attention because he filed 75 cases against the police and has represented both Occupy Philadelphia and Black Lives Matter. At his victory party, supporters chanted, F*** the police! F*** the police! He generally declines to call himself a prosecutor, instead labelling himself a public defender with power.

The results in Philadelphia are stunning as charges are dropped in 60 percent of all shooting cases  though we suspect your odds of being a conservative self-defense case and having your charges waived are rather slim. Shootings in Philadelphia were up 57 percent year over year from 2019 to 2020.

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, whos working off $620,000 in Soros money, proclaims that [t]he criminal justice system isnt just massive and brutal, its also racist. He doesnt prosecute crimes such as solicitation, public camping, or public urination, which has certainly transformed San Francisco into a paradise on earth . Homicide rates have increased, burglary cases have increased by 42 percent, motor vehicle theft increased by 31 percent, and arson rates increased by 45 percent. He was formerly an advisor to Hugo Chavez and his parents were members of the Weather Underground , a far-left terrorist organization who directly participated in the robbery of an armored car. His victory party included obscene anti-police chants.

DA Mike Schmidt of Portland, whos received $230,000 in Soros money, also declined to prosecute rioters who burned the city for months while besieging a federal building. He openly sympathized with the rioters saying that they represent the instinctive reactions of people who have been gassed repeatedly, who have been struck with kinetic projectile weapons.

If the Soros machine can capture a District Attorneys office in San Francisco, which is extremely expensive, there is little preventing them from capturing prosecutorial powers in Omaha, Annapolis, or Colorado Springs  or indeed your hamlet.

The Soros Machine and Racial Unrest

Much like the Democrat Party he supports, George Soros is not the slightest bit afraid to go into the mud of the politics of racial resentment. The Open Society Foundations are the primary mechanism for Soros delivering money to political activists in the United States and around the world. In 2020, The Open Society Foundations unveiled plans to spend $220 million on efforts to achieve racial equality in America.

To show you the relative priority that the Soros machine places on racial equality as opposed to electoral politics, the Soros machine only spent $28 million on the Democrat Party in 2020 .

When Soros says racial equality, he means something very different from what you or the average American means when they say it. What Soros deems racial equality might more accurately be called racial revenge, though the left prefers to use the term racial equity. We will dive more into the ideology motivating Soros later, but our article on the Frankfurt School and Cultural Marxism is also an excellent resource on the deep philosophy of the Soros machine.

What Are the Open Society Foundations?

Its important to know how the Soros machine operates so that you can learn to look for it. The Open Society Foundations is the main umbrella under which Soros distributes money. It includes a number of organizations, most of which youve probably never heard of and most of which feature very innocuous, even bland-sounding, names. The think tank used to generate the ideology is New America, formerly known as the New America Foundation, the name of which is much more direct about what it intends to create.

So what is an Open Society? Well its based on a phrase used by Karl Popper , a somewhat obscure 20th Century thinker known best for his  paradox of tolerance , which essentially says that liberals should stop tolerating diversity of opinion when it begins to threaten liberalism.

Where does the Soros operation put its money in America in order to transform the country into an open society? It aims to abolishing the police and invest $1.5 million into the Community Resource Hub for Safety & Responsibility, another one of these blandly named organizations working to undo the American way of life. Additionally, his money has been linked to the urban unrest in Ferguson in 2014 . In total he spent $33 million fomenting chaos in the formerly safe suburb of St. Louis.

Of course, no rogues gallery of the radical left would be complete without mentioning Black Lives Matter (BLM), another one of these vaguely innocuous-sounding organizations that Soros spends his money on. And boy howdy, did he spend money on BLM - George Soros spent $33 million on BLM alone .

What Is the Philosophy of the Open Society Foundations?

Weve seen the modus operandi of the Soros machine, but what is the ideology that motivates it?

Soros umbrella organization is The Open Society Foundations. The phrase open society is one of those things that sounds so unassailable that no one could be against it. After all, are you for a closed society?

This is the framing trick used by the left since time immemorial. Something vague and innocuous sounding is picked as a name which means something very, very different to those in the know. So what is an open society to Soros and his retinue?

It is a concept developed by Karl Popper, Soros intellectual hero. Popper was not a Cultural Marxist, in fact he was highly critical of Marxism. However, there is so much overlap in terms of end results that it becomes a distinction without a difference.

Karl Popper didnt invent the concept of the open society, despite his association with the term and his development of the idea  that dubious honor falls to a Frenchman by the name of Henri Bergson. However, we can credit most of what the open society is understood as today as springing from the mind of Karl Popper.

There are some key takeaways about what an open society actually is. First, the open society is an atomized society. People are to be seen not as part of any kind of social organism, but rather as radically separate individuals. The individual is not an essential building block of society, it is the end to itself. Social norms and traditions are seen as necessarily oppressive.

The open society is hostile to the notion of natural law and instead puts man-made laws, properly called legislation, over and above a more natural law flowing from a set of first principles, most notably God. Again, like Cultural Marxism, it seeks to dethrone God from society, replacing it with a cult of human judgment.

Popper also believed in a culture of constant critique, this is a point of overlap with Cultural Marxism; and humanitarianism, which is a loaded word designed to sound innocuous, but which actually means something far more specific than being nice to people.

Perhaps most frighteningly, the open society is just that  open. That is, entirely without any sort of privacy. While the notion of a right to privacy as interpreted by United States courts as a justification is troubling in practice, far more troubling is Poppers conception of a society where every facet of a persons life is in the public sphere, irregardless of their consent.

Free speech and free elections were seen as a necessity for such a society, however, Popper and the Open Society Foundations had different interpretations for this. Free speech does not apply to opponents of the open society unless they are critiquing society from the left  the only way to complain about Comrade Stalin is to say how much better we would all be if there were but two of him. Similarly, free elections means that of the kind we had in 2020  one with absolutely no safeguards against abuse and taking place behind closed doors under the supervision of ideologically motivated monitors with rampant fraud.

Its not just in America, its a worldwide phenomenon.

George Soros primary weapon for changing countries to be more pliable to his desires is the color revolution. Youve probably heard of revolutions occurring, generally in post-Soviet states, but also elsewhere. They have names like the Yellow Revolution (the Philippines), the Rose Revolution (Republic of Georgia), the Orange Revolution (Ukraine), and the Saffron Revolution (Myanmar).

There are some common themes to a color revolution which are worth noting for those wishing to prevent such a thing from happening in their own country. A disputed election where there is widespread cheating on the part of the opposition candidate generally kicks things off. The opposition is controlled by the Soros machine and friendly to NATO or other Atlantacist political organizations. There are then street rallies where violent operatives hide in crowds of otherwise peaceful protesters.

The government then responds and there is outcry from humanitarian organizations that the government has dealt sternly with what are effectively terrorists using human shields. There are generally operatives within the command structure who are sympathetic to Soros and his allies in Western governments.

There have been mixed success with color revolutions. They fail more often than they succeed. But they do succeed, especially where one defines success not so much as overthrowing the existing government, but forcing it to accept radical concessions that dramatically remake the political culture in the country. Color revolutions have resulted in what was effectively regime change in the Republic of Georgia ( twice ), Ukraine , the Arab World , and Belarus .

George Soros is deeply embedded in color revolutions around the world through the auspices of his Open Society Foundations NGO. The playbook should look somewhat familiar to most Americans after the summer riots of 2019 and 2020, as well as the aftermath of the 2020 elections .

Its important to remember that George Soros is not a god. He is simply a man with a lot of money. Thus, we should be cautious in attempting to attribute each and every action on the far left to him, particularly in the view that he is some kind of micromanaging puppet master who is involved in the trenches of making policy or street activism. He is not.

He is a real-world supervillain and he is able to direct the law, constitutional, and political culture of entire nations using his money and his vision for what society ought to look like. He is able to get away with it thanks to general ignorance of just how effective he is and a coordinated effort by the media to smear anyone who calls him out as a dangerous fanatic.

It is George Soros, however, who is the dangerous fanatic. He is gunning for you, your property, your children, and ultimately your way of life.

Sam Jacobs is a writer for Ammo.com where this originally appeared.
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Korea Development Bank Chairman Lee Dong-gull speaks during a press conference at its headquarters in Seoul on June 14. Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung



The Korea Development Bank (KDB) is approaching an unspecified conglomerate here for the sale of Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM). The state-run lender is seeking to clinch a mega deal with a top-tier conglomerate to ensure the smooth privatization of the firm which plays a key role in the global shipbuilding industry.



KDB Chairman Lee Dong-gull confirmed last week the bank's plan to convert HMM convertible bonds worth 300 billion won ($263.7 million) into stocks. This will give KDB a 24.99 percent stake in the company.



Lee cleared away any expectations surrounding which firms will take over the company.



"No companies have contacted us to take over HMM," he told reporters during a recent press conference. "We are going to comprehensively review details (over the sale of HMM) with relevant authorities."



But the industry expects one of the largest conglomerates in Korea to acquire the management rights to HMM by signing a deal with the KDB. Early this year, HMM was estimated to be worth as much as 1.5 trillion won, but its valuation has doubled recently to around 3 trillion won on its sharp stock growth.



For now, POSCO, Hyundai Motor Group and Korea Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (KSME) are cited as potential candidates to take over HMM, as they can cut massive logistics costs and synergize their businesses by acquiring the shipping service provider.



"Only a few conglomerates will be able to express sincere interest in taking over the company due to the high valuation," an industry source said. "Even if HMM's recent stock price surge comes as a burden for potential buyers, a big deal with a conglomerate is the most probable scenario for privatization of HMM from the viewpoint of KDB."



The head of the state-run lender also prefers to finalize a deal with a big firm when carrying out restructuring of companies in basic industries  such as aviation or shipping.



In January 2019, KDB announced its decision to sell its controlling stake in Daewoo Shipping & Marine Engineering (DSME) to Hyundai Heavy Industries. Last year, KDB also played a mediating role in helping HDC Hyundai Development Company contact Asiana Airlines for the acquisition of the cash-strapped airline, which ended up in failure.



"The sale of HMM should be carried out in stages after taking various factors into account, so we are going to take more time and conduct reviews," Lee said.


An electronic signboard at Upbit headquarters in Seoul shows the prices of cryptocurrencies, Monday. Yonhap



Upbit embroiled in lawsuit with Pica Project



By Park Jae-hyuk



Upbit's abrupt decision to delist 24 types of cryptocurrencies has prompted a series of lawsuits.



In addition to the ongoing legal battle with Pica Project, the issuer of Pica Art Money, the nation's largest cryptocurrency exchange operator is facing large-scale litigation from other virtual asset developers and several investors holding the digital coins that will be delisted from the exchange.



Last week, the Dunamu-owned exchange announced transactions of the 24 "risky" cryptocurrencies would be unavailable after June 28. The decision, which came as a surprise to many, was a move to brace for the enforcement of a revised law in September that will require cryptocurrency exchanges to follow stricter regulations.



A day before the announcement, Pica Project posted on its official blog that its digital coin would be delisted from Upbit and that the company had already hired EYP Law as its legal representative to protest the exchange operator's "unreasonable" decision.



Pica Project adviser Park Im-chool, who formerly served as an executive at the Financial Supervisory Service and the Korea Securities Depository, will also help the cryptocurrency issuer in its struggle with the exchange.



"Upbit has declined to mention specifics about the reason for delisting," EYP Law wrote in a statement. "For Pica Project and its investors, we will take all necessary legal action against Upbit."



Upbit said last week the reason for its decision to delist Pica Art Money was its issuer's distribution and sales of the digital coin on the market, which were conducted privately.



In response, Pica Project alleged Upbit had demanded it pay 25 million won ($22,000) worth of Pica Art Money for its listing in January, in contrast to the exchange operator's official stance that it has never been paid for listing cryptocurrencies.



Upbit issued a statement Monday that it will file criminal and civil suits against Pica Project for spreading "false information" with "malicious intent."



"Pica Project claimed that we had received digital coins from it and had sold 97 percent of them for a higher price, but we have never traded them after using them partially for a marketing event," Upbit said in the statement.





An electronic signboard at Upbit headquarters in Seoul shows the prices of cryptocurrencies, Monday. Yonhap
Noh Kyu-duk, center, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, poses with Sung Kim, left, the U.S. special envoy for North Korea, and Takehiro Funakoshi, the head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, prior to their talks in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap



Washington offers conciliatory gesture again but with no enticement



By Kang Seung-woo



The United States once again extended an olive branch to North Korea, Monday, saying that it was ready to hold a meeting with the reclusive regime "anywhere, anytime" amid deadlocked nuclear talks between the two countries.



However, Washington did not offer anything to entice Pyongyang back to negotiations.



"Our policy calls for a calibrated, practical approach that is open to and will explore diplomacy with the DPRK," said Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, ahead of a three-way meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Noh Kyu-duk, and Takehiro Funakoshi, in Seoul. The DPRK refers to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.



"We continue to hope that the DPRK will respond positively to our outreach and our offer to meet anywhere, anytime, without preconditions," he added.



Since the Joe Biden administration was inaugurated in January, the new White House has been trying to contact the Kim Jong-un regime to outline its new policy toward the country, but North Korea has been refusing to engage with it.



The U.S. envoy's visit to Seoul came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said last week, in his first message directed toward the Biden administration, that his country should be ready for both "dialogue" and "confrontation" with the U.S., stressing "stable control" of the Korean Peninsula situation.



"We took note of the recent statement by Pyongyang regarding their preparation for dialogue, and we hope to receive a positive response to our proposal for meeting soon," Kim said after a meeting with Noh, held ahead of the trilateral talks.



His message is the latest in the U.S. administration's efforts to make contact with North Korea.



With President Biden making it clear that he was open to diplomatic talks with North Korea, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in an ABC interview Sunday that the North Korean leader's remarks last week were an "interesting signal."



"We are awaiting a clear signal from Pyongyang as to whether they are prepared to sit down at the table to begin working in that direction," he said.



Noh said during talks with Sung Kim that Seoul will continue to play a "necessary" role for the early resumption of dialogue with Pyongyang through coordination with Washington.



"We wish to restore the structure where inter-Korean and U.S.-DPRK relations reinforce each other in a mutually beneficial way," he said.



Funakoshi said following his meeting with Noh, "For us, Japan-Korea cooperation, as well as Japan-Korea-U.S. cooperation, is essential, as you said, for peace and stability in the region, especially in dealing with North Korea."



Against the backdrop of the U.S. repeating conciliatory messages, there was growing speculation that Washington may offer enticements, including sanctions relief that Pyongyang badly wants, in a bid to get the stalled denuclearization talks back on track.





Noh Kyu-duk, right, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, holds talks with Sung Kim, the U.S. special envoy for North Korea, during their meeting at a hotel in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap



However, the U.S. side clarified its position that the economic punishment will continue.



"We will continue to implement our U.N. Security Council resolutions addressing the DPRK," Sung Kim said.



"We will also urge all U.N. member states, especially U.N. Security Council members, to do the same, to address the threat posed to the international community by the DPRK. From many years of experience working on the DPRK issue, I know close coordination is essential to achieving our shared goals."



His reference to Security Council members may be meant to point a finger at China, given that the U.S. has accused Beijing of violating its obligation to enforce international sanctions on the North.



"North Korea may return to negotiations only after demonstrating strength with a post-pandemic economic recovery and provocative military tests," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University.



"Beijing would not welcome any major military provocation by Pyongyang while China celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party in July. So North Korea may conduct its next missile test later this summer, when the U.S. and South Korea usually hold combined defense exercises."



Meanwhile, the U.S. envoy met with Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong later in the day, during which Chung asked for U.S. assistance in advancing the Korean Peninsula peace process. The two agreed to continue close cooperation on bringing North Korea back to the negotiating table.




In this file photo taken on March 11, vials of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine and a syringe in Paris. Korea's health authorities on Monday acknowledged the country's first death after vaccination as a man died last week of a rare case of blood clotting after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. AFP-Yonhap



South Korea's health authorities on Monday acknowledged the country's first death after vaccination as a man died last week of a rare case of blood clotting after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.



The man in his 30s, who died Wednesday, was confirmed to have the very rare but serious side effect, called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), following inoculation on May 27.



The patient showed symptoms of a severe headache and nausea nine days after receiving the vaccine shot, and was later admitted to a hospital and diagnosed with the syndrome Tuesday.



South Korea has been offering AstraZeneca's vaccine to only those aged 30 and above since mid-April amid concerns over blood clotting.






The Korea Times President-Publisher Oh Young-jin, top left, and Sherzodkhon Kudratkhodja, top right, chairman of the International Press Club (IPC) and rector of the Uzbek University of Journalism and Mass Communications, show their copies of a memorandum of understanding signed between the Korean daily and the Uzbek nongovernmental organization IPC on cooperation for media exchanges, at their respective offices during an online signing ceremony, June 17. In the bottom photo are Uzbekistan Embassy in Korea political counsellors Fazliddin Arziev, left, and Zokir Saidov, who chaired the ceremony. Captured from Zoom
From left, Green Climate Fund Executive Director Yannick Glemarec, French Ambassador to Korea Philippe Lefort, Gabonese Ambassador to Korea Carlos Victor Boungou and Mexican charge d'affaires Vladimir Vazquez Hernandez attend the launching of the Group of Friends of the Green Climate Fund at the French ambassador's residence in Seoul, June 17. At the initiative of the embassies of Gabon, France and Mexico, 16 ambassadors accredited to Korea established the group to share ideas on the work of the Green Climate Fund, a critical element of the Paris Agreement and the world's largest climate fund, mandated to help developing countries raise and realize their ambitions toward low emissions and climate-resilient pathways. Courtesy of Embassy of France to Korea
The cover of Songdo Stories issue 1 / Courtesy of Songdo Stories



By Jon Dunbar



Residents of Songdo have come together to create Songdo Stories, an online magazine sharing creative works inspired by Songdo.



Issue 1, published at the start of June, is available online as a PDF , with possible plans to make print versions in the future.



It features 14 contributions, including personal memoirs, poetry, photography and art, submitted by Songdonians  a term one of the editors has coined to describe Songdo residents  young and old, Korean and residents of foreign nationality. They come from across Korea, as well as from distant countries including India, the U.S. and Nigeria.



"Through personal stories, we can connect with each other much better," Chantal Faures, one of the editors of Songdo Stories, told The Korea Times. "Whatever the differences, we can be a community of individuals instead of distinct groups  'expats,' 'Koreans,' 'internationals,' etc."



The magazine's editorial board consists of three resident of foreign nationality and three of Korean nationality, with backgrounds in creative writing, English teaching, translation, editing and publishing.



Interestingly, none of the editors or contributors consider Songdo their hometown, as the city is newly built on reclaimed land, and the magazine mentions when each one became a Songdonian. The earliest arrived in 2010.



"Songdo Stories being about expressing how we feel about living in Songdo, we wanted to create a common anchor point," Faures, a Belgian national who has been a Songdonian since 2015, said, explaining why each contributor's date of arrival was mentioned. "We all have different past lives, experiences, stories and perceptions, but we are connected to each other by the fact that we all live in Songdo  or have lived here."



She points to "Birds of Songdo," a collection of five photos showing birds taken around the island city, submitted by Vivian Lu, who moved to Songdo from Hong Kong two and a half years ago.





"Grey Heron" photographed in Songdo area by a conservationist from Hong Kong / Courtesy of Vivian Lu



"I love Vivian Lu's photos because I still remember that when I arrived here in 2015, I noticed the absence of birds and insects," Faures said. "It has changed a lot over these past few years, and the sound of birds today creates a hopeful and optimistic feeling."



Lee Nahye, a Songdonian for 10 years who is in the third grade of middle school at Chadwick International, wrote a soulful piece inspired by growing up in Songdo and her complicated feelings of nostalgia, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.



"You gain a new habit, starting to record the breeze, warm with the trees, just so you can remember," she writes. "When you look through your phone to revisit those times, you find that those videos are gone. You exhale, feel the breath you've been holding dissipate into the air, and you've just lost something."



Liam Lihalakha, a sixth-grader at Chadwick International School who has been in Songdo since October 2019, contributed three haikus about Songdo, while his brother Luke, a second-grader, contributed a charming watercolor painting of the whale statue in Haedoji Park. And Alison, their mother who's also a writer, contributed six photos showing the young city in bloom during the two springs she's experienced while living there.





"The Whale at Haedoji Park" watercolor by a second grader at Chadwick International / Courtesy of Luke Lihalakha



Dayung Jenn, who moved to Songdo in 2019, contributed a three-line sijo, a traditional Korean style of poetry.



Park Chung-il (Chris) contributed a photo essay, titled "Future City," that reflects the nuances of Songdo's unrelenting urbanization.



The magazine is personal and warm throughout, capturing signs of humanity and nature amid Songdo's skyscrapers. It has the feel of a time capsule, capturing this era of Songdo's early development, and will likely grow in value over the coming years, as the city grows.





"Night View" overlooking Songdo Central Park, shot by a Celltrion employee / Courtesy of Park Chung-il (Chris)



Faures herself came here about six years ago with her husband, who works at the Green Climate Fund, as well as their teenage son, who attended Chadwick International until graduating in 2017.



Regarding her initial impression of Songdo, she said, "It felt like I had landed in the middle on a foreign movie stage  not making sense of the plot or anything else around me. It was overwhelming and not pleasant till I finally made some friends within the community. Though these social interactions, I started weaving a better understanding of the life around me."



She recalls an important turning point that occurred in February 2018, when a dog she had been fostering ran away. But the community came together on social media, and someone reported to her that the dog had been spotted trotting out of Songdo on the main bridge. "For the first time, I felt I was part of a community with many supportive people," she said.



The story about the dog's escape and miraculous return was made into a short illustrated story book, titled " Lucky Smiley ," which was published bilingually in English and Korean. Copies are available for 5,000 won at Comma Bookstore in Songdo's IBS Tower, or by contacting songdostories@gmail.com .





The cover of "Lucky Smiley" by Chantal Faures / Courtesy of Catchy Songdo
Michael Phares shows off two of his discoveries in 2019. / Courtesy of Michael Phares



By Robert Neff



Everywhere you go in Korea there are historical relics and remnants of the past. Many of them are displayed prominently and well-documented  old palaces, temples and pagodas  while others are hidden away in museums and archives, but there still are more artifacts waiting to be discovered. Even in Seoul, a bustling and ever-changing city, new historical discoveries are constantly being made by archaeologists.



However, archaeologists are not the only ones out there searching for the past. Many enthusiastic hobbyists, armed with metal detectors, scour the wilderness and beaches for relics of the past. One of these hobbyists is Michael T. Phares.



Phares collects coins  one of the oldest hobbies in the world  and has an impressive collection of Korean coins and banknotes, and even some early stamps. It was his interest in Korean numismatics that inspired his wife to buy him a powerful metal detector for Christmas in 2015 so that he could begin "searching old?gogae?(mountain passes) for old Joseon and Korean Empire coins." Prior to his return to the United States last year, he  along with his children  spent much of his free time combing the countryside looking for coins.





Michael Phares goes metal detecting along a path in South Korea. / Courtesy of Michael Phares



There are definitely coins out there. It is said that in the late 19th century, people sometimes used to protect their hoard of coins by burying it in the ground and then, in the winter, pouring water upon it so that the coins became a giant mass of ice  a rather effective way of preventing theft.



Phares apparently has not found one of these hoards, but, judging from his Facebook postings, he has collected a large number of coins and other interesting artifacts. In an email interview with The Korea Times, Phares described some of his adventures in metal detecting.





One fon coin (1892) found at Namyangju in 2019. / Courtesy of Michael Phares



Last year, after a typhoon passed over the peninsula, he and his sons went out and explored their local beach. For their efforts they found a large number of spoons and some modern coins  rather mundane but his sons seemed to enjoy the adventure. However, other days' discoveries were highlighted with Joseon and Korean Empire coins, musket balls from the 19th century and shell casings and trinkets from the Korean War.



Phares cautions foreign metal detecting enthusiasts to "know the Korean laws on metal detecting very well and know where [they] can and can't go." As for items discovered, "any item with cultural or significant monetary value must be reported to the ministry of culture. Joseon dynasty or Korean Empire coins and other old coins are not considered as such, but a golden crown or iron sword very much does."



He also warned that gold, platinum, silver and other precious metal jewelry must be turned into the police so that the authorities can "attempt" to find the rightful owner. If the rightful owner cannot be found then the item is returned to the finder (taxes must be paid on the object).





A string of Korean coins / Courtesy of Michael Phares



He suggests beaches and sandy playgrounds as good locations to search for coins. But for the older coins (and perhaps more interesting stuff), mountain trails and valleys are ideal locations. However, he cautions, be prepared "to answer a lot of questions from curious Korean hikers."



Surprisingly, out of all the objects Phares has found in Korea, two of his favorite items are American wheat pennies from the 1930s and 1940s. During the Korean War, according to Phares, some American soldiers "brought lucky coins with them"  unfortunately, not all of them were lucky. Phares found his two pennies in an old foxhole that he believes was used by an American soldier with Task Force Smith  the first American ground unit to engage in combat during the Korean War. The discovery of the coins was extremely emotional for Phares:



"I found them in a foxhole likely defended by a [Task Force Smith soldier] armed with an M1 Carbine when the North Koreans charged up the hill." What became of the soldier is unclear but Phares recalled, "the find immediately floored me emotionally and I cried."





The two wheat pennies believed to be from a member of Task Force Smith / Courtesy of Michael Phares



There are other remnants of the Korean War that he has discovered which are even more valuable. While metal detecting on a mountaintop near Namyangju, he discovered the remains of a United Nations KIA/MIA (killed in action/missing in action) soldier in his foxhole. Judging from the sheer number of bullets and bullet casings, as well as the mortar shells and shrapnel, it was clear the site had not been surveyed yet. Phares contacted the authorities and within the week the remains of the missing soldier were recovered. In addition, he later learned that on the next mountaintop five United Nations and nine People's Republic of China soldiers' remains were also recovered.



"There is no feeling like bringing someone's grandpa home  friendly or enemy. It was the most fulfilling experience," Phares declared.



Of course, metal detecting at old battle sites can also be dangerous. "I've come across more live munitions and ammunition than we can count. Mortars, artillery shells, grenades, antitank and anti-personnel mines, the whole lot." If his metal detector indicated a "big target" he generally left it alone. Any live ammunition or ordinance should not be disturbed and be reported promptly to the proper authorities.



Other than battlefield burials, most grave sites are pretty obvious and avoided. Sometimes, however, he discovered coins in overgrown areas that turned out to be neglected or forgotten graves. "Once I realize that there is a grave there, I put the coin on top of it. I don't play with graves. It's spooky and a HUGE no-no."



Some of the places in Korea where he would like to metal detect are: "Any old mountain pass in North Korea; the place is untouched and full of things to find." Heartbreak Ridge, where one of his relatives died in August 1951  "I would love a day or two up there to see if I could find relics from the fight so I could show my children."



Another place he would like to explore with his metal detector is Namhansanseong. "This would never, ever happen as it's protected but it would be awesome to be given the chance even if just to donate the finds to the museum."





Oliver Phares, 11, goes metal detecting near Namyangju in 2019. / Courtesy of Michael Phares




Prosecutors asked a judge to sentence former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don to seven years in prison for sexual assault in the workplace.







Oh is accused of sexually assaulting two female employees and injuring one of them while in office. He is also charged with filing a false complaint against YouTube channel operators who reported the accusations against him.







He resigned as the leader of the nation's second-largest city on April 23 last year after admitting to his misconduct.







The timing of his admission and subsequent departure stirred controversy, as it was a week after the April 15 general election, a move widely seen as a political maneuver designed to protect his party, the ruling Democratic Party, from potential fallout from the accusations.







Early this year, the Busan District Prosecutors Office charged him on four counts, including attempted indecent assault, inflicting injury and false accusation.







His sentencing will be handed down on June 29. (Yonhap)


Oriental melons produced in Seongju / Korea Times file





By Yoon Ja-young







Seongju County in North Gyeongsang Province is famous for Oriental melons  also known as Korean melons or "chamoe" locally. The yellow-colored, sweet melon, the inside of which is white, has become a main source of revenue for farmers in the region known to produce some 70 percent of the fruit available in Korea.







An increasing number of Seongju farmers, however, are giving up this profitable crop due to their age, according to the Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times. As the older generation of farmers become weaker each year, they are finding it harder to bend over and squat to cultivate and harvest the fruit that grows in sprawling ground vines. Instead, these melon farmers are increasingly switching to Shine Muscat, an increasingly popular variety of grapes.







Seongju County Agriculture Technology Center reported that as most of the farmers are elderly, they are switching to crops that are less physically demanding to grow, despite the profitability of chamoe melon farming. Seongju is one of the largest aging regional populations in the country. Among the 15,801 registered farmers there, two-thirds are aged 60 or over.







The aging of farmers is affecting crops in other regions too. Goryeong County in North Gyeongsang Province, which is known for sweet watermelon, thanks to its fertile soil, is also seeing farmers give up cultivating watermelon, according to the Hankook Ilbo. The area dedicated to watermelon farming decreased by half during the past five years, as elderly farmers find handling the heavy watermelons burdensome. The county has a population of 30,000, 44 percent of whom are aged 60 or older, which compares with just 29 percent 10 years ago. Instead, the farmers in Goryeong are switching to growing onions.







Elderly farmers giving up cultivating certain crops due to their physical challenges is a phenomenon that can be witnessed nationwide. According to Korea Rural Economic Institute, the total area dedicated to chamoe melon farming in the country decreased by half over the past 10 years, while that of watermelon farming dipped 30 percent, despite these fruits being among the most popular fruits in summer. As a result, prices are rising. For example, the average price of watermelon at Garak Market, a wholesale agricultural products market in Seoul, rose 47 percent from 2014 to 2020.







Agricultural technology centers have been pondering ways to lessen the burden on farmers, including by developing means of inducing these crops to grow vertically, but they are not yet widely available. The spread of COVID-19 has also worsened the situation as it has become more difficult for them to find workers to hire for help. Climate change has compounded the problem as abnormal temperatures and rainfall have led to poor harvests and unpredictable prices.


Two members of Gimpo City Council have their heads shaved during a protest against the government's decision not to extend the GTX-D line, near the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure in Sejong, June 2. Yonhap





By Yoon Ja-young







The high speed GTX train project that was aimed at stabilizing the housing market is triggering a housing price hike. Residents of various locations are demanding that the train should stop in their town while opposing the building of additional stations in neighboring towns.







"Those who own apartments here have high expectations for the GTX. They expect that it will pull up prices of their apartments even further," said a real estate agent in Haengdang-dong, which is close to Wangsimni Station where the GTX-C train is expected to make a stop.







GTX, which stands for Great Train Express, is a high speed railway that will link central Seoul with towns in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul. Unlike Korea's subway rail system where trains run at 30 to 40 kilometers per hour at an average depth of 20 meters below ground, GTX will run at around 100 kilometers per hour at a depth of around 40 meters. A trip from Suwon to Samseong Subway Station in southern Seoul will take only 22 minutes compared to the current 78 minutes. The trip from Uijeongbu to Samseong Subway Station will be shortened to 16 minutes from the current 74 minutes. By shortening commute times, the government hopes to entice more people to move out of the capital and thereby stabilize Seoul's infamously out-of-control housing market.







And yet, ironically, GTX is triggering alternative housing bubbles in the towns where the high speed train is scheduled to make stops. It is even causing conflict between neighboring towns.







The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recently selected a consortium led by Hyundai Engineering and Construction as the preferred bidder for the GTX-C line  a 4 trillion won project which is expected to be launched next year and completed around the end of 2026. On top of the previously planned 10 stations along the GTX-C line, the consortium suggested adding Wangsimni and Indeogwon stations.







This has pushed up prices of apartments in Dongan District, Anyang City where Indeogwon Station would be built. Properties saw a 0.99 percent rise in prices last week, which was the highest in the country.







It also comes as an annoyance for those who expected the high speed train to stop only in their towns. Residents of Gwacheon and Cheongnyangni, where the high-speed train is already scheduled to stop, are opposing building additional stops in Indeogwon or Wangsimni. Some owners of Lotte Castle Sky L-65 apartments near Cheongnyangni Station even hung a huge banner in their area to oppose a GTX station in Wangsimni, which is just 2.3 kilometers from Cheongnyangni Station. Angry owners say that adding more stations will slow down the train which is supposed to be high speed.







With Wangsimni and Indeogwon likely to be newly added to the route, residents of other areas are demanding the same. Dongducheon, Euiwang and Ansan residents are demanding that GTX stations should be built in their regions. Residents of Gimpo and Incheon are requesting that the GTX-D line  which will be connected to GTX-B line at Bucheon  should be extended further to link their town directly with southern Seoul as their local governments had originally suggested. Gangdong District and Hanam City are also demanding the extension.







The GTX project also has angered residents of apartments under which the train line will pass underground without stopping. Residents of Eunma Apartment, a huge apartment complex in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, are protesting as even if the tunnels are made to run deeper, they fear it will negatively affect them due to vibration and noise.


Protesters make the three-finger salute and hold posters of Myanmar's detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to mark her birthday as they take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon, June 19. AFP-Yonhap



By Jung Da-min



Four Myanmarese women who claim to have been persecuted by the Myanmar junta are seeking refugee status in Korea, according to their country's community here, Monday.



Yan Naing Htun, who leads the Korean chapter of Myanmar's National League for Democracy, said in a June 13 Facebook post that the four arrived at the Incheon International Airport, June 10, from Yangon International Airport, supposedly in transit to their final destination of Dubai.



But instead of heading for the Middle East country, the four, known to be in their 20s and 30s, applied for asylum here, submitting photos to the Korean authorities to prove they took part in pro-democracy demonstrations in Myanmar.



The four women's refugee applications are the first such case since the military coup took place in the Asian country in early February. Among them, one is reportedly from Mon State, while the other three are from Yangon.



But a controversy has arisen within the local Myanmar community as to whether they are really seeking political asylum as refugees, considering that having a passport is not common for the average person in Myanmar, especially among women. According to community leaders, they were not included on a "blacklist," a wanted list created by the junta to suppress democracy supporters.



The Ministry of Justice's Refugee Division said it could not confirm any information about them as per Article 17 of the Refugee Act, which prohibits the disclosure of the personal information of refugee applicants.



"The procedures of getting a passport itself is not only complicated but it also costs a lot. It's difficult for average Myanmarese women to have a passport and head for Dubai from Yangon, especially under the junta," said Chung Beum-rae, a co-representative of the Myanmar Democracy Network in Korea.



"Of course, the Korean government is urged to accept their refugee applications if it turns out that they have actually been politically persecuted and are currently seeking shelter here, but I believe the Korean authorities need to closely look into the case."


Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Moon Sung-wook, front row fourth from left, poses with Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim, front row third from left, and government officials, during a meeting at the Incheon Free Economic Zone headquarters in Songdo, west of Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy



By Baek Byung-yeul



Ever since Korea saw its first confirmed case of COVID-19 in January 2020, the country's reaction to the virus pandemic has stood out as it succeeded in curbing the virus spread quickly without closing down the economy.



But the pandemic also rang the alarm signaling that the country still lags behind other advanced countries in terms of developing vaccines, which is ultimately necessary for people to get back to a more normal life.



To be more capable of handling such critical diseases next time, Korea is speeding up its support of the country's biotech industry. As part of these efforts, Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Moon Sung-wook met with biotech companies based in the Songdo biotech cluster in Incheon, southwest of Seoul, and has pledged to spare no efforts in making the cluster into a hub for the global vaccine industry.



"Songdo is the world's largest biopharmaceutical cluster, and it has a well-established biotech ecosystem of pharmaceutical production facilities, bio substance companies, universities and research institutions," the minister said Monday during the meeting.



The meeting included as participants representatives of biotech firms such as Samsung Biologics, Celltrion, DM BIO, Merck, SCM Lifescience, i-SENS, RudaCure and Saint-Gobain, as well as government officials, including the mayor of Incheon and the head of the Incheon Free Economic Zone.



He added that Samsung Biologics' signing of an agreement to manufacture Moderna's mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at its Songdo plant will consequently raise the country's status as a hub and base for vaccine production.



Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Moon Sung-wook, right, speaks during a meeting with biotech firms at the Incheon Free Economic Zone headquarters in Songdo, west of Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy





Representatives of the biotech companies that attended the meeting suggested resolving various issues, such as training biotech professionals and improving the supply chain for raw materials.



In response, the industry minister said, "The central government will cooperate with the local government to establish the basic infrastructure, support the creation of a center that fosters professionals in the industry and offer incentives so that firms increase their investments."



The industry minister also made a visit to Samsung Biologics in Songdo to inspect the company's vaccine manufacturing facility. Under the agreement between Samsung and Moderna, the former will provide large-scale, commercial fill-finish manufacturing for mRNA-1273, Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, starting in the third quarter of this year.



"Samsung Biologics is playing an important role in accelerating the government's scheme to make Songdo a global vaccine hub," the minister said, adding that the government will actively support the private sector's efforts.



Samsung Biologics said that the company will not only manufacture Moderna's mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, but will also produce mRNA drug substances, saying the company will begin constructing an additional facility for mRNA bulk drug substances by the first half of next year.



President Moon Jae-in already revealed his vision during his visit to the cluster last November, when he pledged that the government will help approximately 40 biotech companies by investing more than 10 trillion won by 2023 to create 9,000 jobs.



To achieve the goal, the government expanded the bio-related research and development budget to 1.7 trillion won this year from 1.3 trillion won in 2020.








President Moon Jae-in and People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok / Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



President Moon Jae-in has finished his visit to the Group of Seven summit, as well as stops in Austria and Spain, receiving praise there for the country's elevated global status.



He is now poised to address a series of domestic tasks, including an extra budget for public assistance due to COVID-19 and a meeting with the new conservative main opposition bloc leader. According to Cheong Wa Dae, Moon has been focusing on reviewing domestic issues after returning from Europe last Friday.



On top of those issues is a supplementary budget to provide financial assistance to those suffering from the pandemic's after effects. As the number of at least partially vaccinated Koreans has surpassed 15 million, nearly 30 percent of the country's population, Moon is now shifting his focus onto speeding up economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by providing a new round of financial assistance to the public.



Concerning the budget, which will be the second supplementary budget this year when approved, the government and the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) have been in discussions over who will be eligible for the financial assistance, with the former considering direct aid for people in the lower 70 percent income bracket and credit card cashback reward programs for everyone.



The DPK has accepted the cashback program  with its Chairman Song Young-gil mentioning it as part of the DPK's package  but is still sticking to providing direct aid to the entire population, regardless of their financial status. The two sides are in final discussions over the coverage and plan to announce the second supplementary budget early next month.



A meeting with the new conservative main opposition party leader is also an important task for Moon. Last week, Park Soo-hyun, the presidential senior secretary for public communications, said Moon will likely meet People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Lee Jun-seok this week to share the outcomes of his meetings in Europe and discuss an official consultative body between the DPK, the PPP and the government.



"There are reasons to meet him now: one is to celebrate Lee's election and the other is to share the outcome of his presidential visits," Park said.



Lee, 36, hit the headlines as he won the party leadership on June 11, becoming the youngest ever leader of the nation's conservative main party despite never having won a seat in the National Assembly.



If the meeting takes place, Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling party are anticipated to ask for the PPP's consent on the supplementary budget. Lee is anticipated to raise issue with the government's real estate policy, which is one of the most critical reasons that has led to Moon losing support.



Among other domestic tasks, Moon on Monday appointed his new secretaries for political affairs, youth affairs and education. Of them, the new youth affairs secretary, Park Seong-min, has been receiving attention due to her unprecedentedly young age of 25. Park, currently a student at Korea University, plans to take a leave of absence from the school, and she will become Moon's youngest secretary at Cheong Wa Dae.



Park's appointment is interpreted as a response to public criticism that the ruling bloc has failed to meet the needs of young people in their 20s and 30s, which is said to be one of the reasons for the DPK's crushing defeat in the April 7 mayoral by-elections for Seoul and Busan.



Opening up talks with North Korea is also on Moon's agenda. Sung Kim, the new U.S. special envoy for the North, had a trilateral meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Noh Kyu-duk and Takehiro Funakoshi, in Seoul, Monday, and offered to meet with Pyongyang "anywhere, anytime, without preconditions."



During his stay in Seoul through Wednesday, Kim is anticipated to pay a visit to Moon and his security aides to explore ways to amplify the current momentum for talks between Seoul, Washington and Pyongyang.


By Mark Peterson





From time to time I'm asked to make a presentation. At times the inviting group chooses a topic; sometimes they allow me to choose. Recently I was asked to give a presentation via Zoom  given the pandemic, Zoom has become more useful than ever. But this time the experience gave me pause, and gave me a surprise. The inviters asked me to speak about reunification  that gave me pause because I hear talks about unification and it always seems like a waste of time to me, because we cannot really know the future! And it surprised me because the presentation was to be made to a scattered group of overseas Koreans, we like to say "gyopo," all across North and South America.



I was pleasantly surprised to find my audience across the United States, and groups in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. I marveled at our modern age of technology where we as a group can speak to each other all across the Americas, and across the world!



And I was pleased with what I came up with regarding unification. Whereas I have felt frustration and futility when hearing people talk about unification on the Korean Peninsula, generally, as I started to prepare my presentation, I was pleased to come up with some new ideas, that were all mine, that I thought were useful in thinking about the future of Korea and the eventual and inevitable unification.



I used the YouTube presentations that I developed in the last year in thinking about what was unique about Korean history and the 12-point list that I've been writing about and "YouTubing" about in recent months. But I turned the idea on its ear  whereas I've been thinking about these unique items from Korean history, now, I applied them all to a possible scenario for unification. And it worked. I think.



I've written about the "12 pillars of Korean culture" in this column over the last year. I've looked at the past, the history of Korea, but for this exercise I've used the same "12 pillars" of Korean culture as a structure for eventual reunification. Each of these is a cultural quality either unique to Korea, or strongly pronounced in Korea. Let's look at them here, not only as historical values, but as indicators of how Korea can successfully use its cultural heritage for unification.



1. Long dynasties. Because Korea has the world's longest dynasties, 500 years, 1,000 years, this 70-year division will, eventually, be a mere blip on the radar screen.

2. Peaceful transitions between dynasties. Since this is a Korean thing, let's hope it works out that way for reunification. However, there have been exceptions  let's hope the dominant peaceful transition applies.

3. Few invasions. My argument here is the opposite way from how most Koreans view their history, and certainly the Korean War saw lots of outside forces. But if Korea can settle its reunification without outside powers, it will have a better chance of a peaceful process.

4. Never invaded another country. Here again, unification should be a Korean issue, not an international issue. China needs to stay out of the matter.

5. The longest border. That between Korea (North Korea) and China  the Amnok (Yalu) River  is the longest-held border in world history. It should remain so. Talk of China seizing land south of the Amnok is unthinkable.

6. Graves not robbed  Korea has a great tradition of honoring the graves of former kings  this raises the question of whether Kim Il-sung's grave should be honored?

7. Seonbi not samurai culture. Indeed, the seonbi culture is the culture of the scholar, not the warrior  this idea should dominate in a unified Korea.

8. Civilian control of the court. Korea has only temporarily had military leaders  in the 12th century and for a portion of the 20th century. There is no need for military control of the government in a unified Korea.

9. Slavery, a symbol of stability. The North has quite a different narrative on the slave-holding history of Korea. South Korea mostly ignores the slave tradition. The unified Korea will probably have a more balanced view of the past.

10. Few surname variations. And the dominant surname groups represent royalty of the past. North Korea has the same spread of surnames as the South  a point of unification already.

11. No religious wars  Unless you call Communism a religion, and it certainly occupies the same space, that of a "belief system," we can hope that the unification process will not be a "holy war"  Korean Buddhists and Confucians and Christians don't fight with each other (well, not much). So, can we hope for a unification without ideology-based bloodshed?

12. Korea is quick to recover from turmoil. This final concept has the best application to reunification. In the way that Korea has been an economic miracle after the Japanese predations and the ravages of the Korean War, we can see a rapid healing of the North-South divide.



Too optimistic? Maybe not. The "12 pillars of history" says it can happen!





Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah.




By Kim Bo-eun, Kim Yoo-chul





Samsung Electronics' flag is seen at its headquarters in southern Seoul / Korea Times file




By Yi Whan-woo







Unionized workers from Samsung Display staged a temporary walkout Monday after failing to reach a compromise on a wage hike, marking the first strike among electronics affiliates of Samsung after its chief Lee Jae-yong pledged last year to drop the company's "no unions" policy







Six representatives of the union joined the walkout at the firm's plant in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, accusing management of "not being sincere in our dialogue."







The walkout began around 11 a.m. and lasted for 90 minutes.







The participants represented about 2,400 union members, or 10 percent of all workers at Samsung Display.







Whether the union will launch a full-scale strike has yet to be decided.







The union asked for a 6.8 percent increase in base pay, while the company insisted on a 4.5 percent raise. Mediation by the labor ministry also failed to narrow the difference between the two sides.







"This strike is not just about a difference of 2.3 percentage points," a union representative said, arguing the firm was not transparent or objective in its negotiations.







"We will not step back and our fight will only get tougher," he said.







The firm said it was willing to resume negotiations at any time, saying, "The dialogue channel is open."







The union was formed in 2020 under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions.







Samsung head Lee vowed to scrap the family-owned conglomerate's "no unions" policy in May 2020 when he made a rare public apology for wrongdoings related to his inheriting the top job from his father Lee Kun-hee, who died in October 2020.


This April 12 file photo shows people receiving the China National Biotec Group COVID-19 vaccine in China's southwestern Chongqing. China has now administered more than a billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the country's health authority said Sunday. AFP-Yonhap



The number of COVID-19 jabs administered in China has passed the one billion mark, health officials said Sunday, more than a third of the doses given worldwide.



The announcement by the National Health Commission comes after the number of shots administered globally surpassed 2.5 billion on Friday, according to an AFP count from official sources.



It is unclear what percentage of China's population has now been inoculated but its vaccination drive got off to a slow start after a successful fight against the virus left little sense of urgency to get jabbed.



A lack of transparency and previous vaccine scandals have also led to resistance among residents.



Authorities have set an ambitious target of fully vaccinating 40 percent of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people by the end of this month.



Some provinces are offering vaccines for free to encourage people to roll up their sleeves. Residents in central Anhui province have been given free eggs, while some living in Beijing have received shopping coupons.



A recent outbreak of the more contagious Delta variant of the virus in the southern city of Guangzhou has also served as a wake-up call for many dragging their feet.



China reported 23 new coronavirus cases Sunday.



The country has four conditionally approved vaccines, whose published efficacy rates remain behind rival jabs by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which have 95 percent and 94 percent success rates respectively.



China's Sinovac previously said trials of its shot in Brazil showed around 50 percent efficacy in preventing infection and 80 percent in preventing cases requiring medical intervention.



Sinopharm's two vaccines have efficacy rates of 79 percent and 72 percent respectively, while the overall efficacy for CanSino's stands at 65 percent after 28 days.



Many of them require two doses.



China is expected to produce more than three billion vaccine doses this year, state news agency Xinhua reported in April.



Health authorities have not said when China will reach herd immunity or what proportion of its vaccine doses will be sold abroad. (AFP)


In this photo released by the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, Taiwan's Health Minister Chen Shih-chung, left, and Brent Christensen, the top U.S. official in Taiwan, hold up thank you cards as they welcome a China Airlines cargo plane carrying COVID-19 vaccines from Memphis that arrived at the airport outside Taipei, June 20. AP-Yonhap



The U.S. sent 2.5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan on Sunday, tripling an earlier pledge in a donation with both public health and geopolitical meaning.



The shipment arrived on a China Airlines cargo plane that had left Memphis the previous day. Health Minister Chen Shih-chung and Brent Christensen, the top U.S. official in Taiwan, were among those who welcomed the plane on the tarmac at the airport outside of the capital, Taipei.



Chen said that America was showing its friendship as Taiwan faces its most severe outbreak. ''When I saw these vaccines coming down the plane, I was really touched,'' he said over the noise inside a building where the boxes of vaccines, some with U.S. flags on them, had been brought on wheeled dollies.



Taiwan, which had been relatively unscathed by the virus, has been caught off guard by a surge in new cases since May and is now scrambling to get vaccines. The COVID-19 death toll on the island of 24 million people has jumped to 549, from only about a dozen prior to the outbreak.



The U.S. donation also signals its support for Taiwan in the face of growing pressure from China, which claims the self-governing island off its east coast as its territory. The U.S. does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan under what is known as the one-China policy, but is legally bound by its own laws to ensure that Taiwan can defend itself.



''These vaccines are proof of America's commitment to Taiwan,'' said Christensen, the director of the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto U.S. Embassy. ''Taiwan is a family member to the world's democratic countries.''



The U.S. promised 750,000 vaccine doses for Taiwan earlier this month, sending Sen. Tammy Duckworth and two of her Senate colleagues to the island aboard a military transport plane to make the announcement. Taiwan has ordered 5.05 million doses directly from Moderna but so far received only 390,000, including a second shipment that arrived Friday.



Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen said the U.S. had decided to increase the donation through efforts on both sides over the past two weeks.



In a Facebook post, Tsai joined the U.S. in drawing attention to their shared democratic systems. China, which has been ruled single-handedly by the Communist Party since 1949, says Taiwan must eventually come under its control and reserves the right to use force if necessary.



''Whether it is for regional peace and stability or the virus that is a common human adversary, we will continue to uphold common ideas and work together,'' Tsai wrote in Chinese.



She has accused China of blocking Taiwan from getting the Pfizer vaccine through BioNTech, the German co-developer. Chinese officials have repeatedly denied the charge, and say China is willing to provide vaccines to Taiwan. Taiwanese law, however, bans the import of Chinese-made medicine.



The U.S. donation follows Japan's shipment of 1.24 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in early June. Taiwan has ordered 10 million doses from AstraZeneca but has yet to receive most of them.



The outbreak, which has eased somewhat, has spurred the government to try to expand testing and vaccination. Health authorities on Sunday reported 107 new locally spread cases, the lowest in more than two months. (AP)


Protesters hold a sign during a peaceful rally to speak up against political repressions, human rights violations and antidemocratic rule in Russia, during a demonstration in Geneva, June 15. AP-Yonhap



The United States is preparing fresh sanctions against Russia over the near-fatal poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, a top White House advisor warned Sunday.



Jailed opposition leader Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most prominent opponent, was arrested in January upon returning to Russia after recovering from a poisoning he says was orchestrated by Moscow.



Diplomatic relations between Moscow and Washington have soured since President Joe Biden took office in January.



Biden's national security advisor Jake Sullivan noted Sunday that the U.S. has already sanctioned Russia for "the poisoning of Alexei Navalny."



"We rallied European allies in a joint effort to impose costs on Russia for the use of a chemical agent against one of their citizens on Russian soil," he told CNN's "State of the Union."



But he said "We are preparing another package of sanctions to apply in this case ... We've shown along the way we're not going to pull our punches."





In this April 24 file photo, activists from Amnesty International demonstrate outside the Russian embassy in Berlin, calling for the release of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. AFP-Yonhap




Gemstones that sparked a diamond rush to eastern South Africa last week have turned out to be just quartz, according to preliminary findings presented Sunday.







Thousands of people flocked to a hillside in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province to dig for mysterious stones first unearthed by a cattle herder and believed to be diamonds.







The rush prompted the government to send geoscientists and mining experts to collect samples for testing.







The results quashed the dreams of diggers hoping to come up with a fortune.







"The tests conducted conclusively revealed that the stones discovered in the area are not diamonds," a local government statement said in reference to the report.







"In fact, what has been discovered are quartz crystals," it said, noting that the yet-to-determined value of the stones would be "very low" compared to diamonds.







The report said the site  more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) southeast of Johannesburg  sat near a sill of volcanic rock named dolerite "which is not in a zone where diamond occurrences are present".







It added that quartz crystals were common across a sedimentary basin known as the Karoo Supergroup, which stretches over the site, and particularly abundant along dolerite sill.







The prospect of finding a diamond had sent ripples of hope across one of South Africa's poorest regions and beyond.







The country, renowned for its mineral wealth, has struggled with decades of spiraling unemployment worsened by the coronavirus pandemic.







The diamond rush "highlighted the socio-economic challenges confronting people in the area", the statement said.







Local officials have vowed to respond to issues raised by the community during their visit, particularly around road quality and water access.







The government has meanwhile reiterated calls for people to vacate the area, citing coronavirus risks and environmental degradation. (AFP)






A court in central Russia on Sunday arraigned a suspect on murder charges in the death of an American woman who was studying at a local university.







The body of 34-year-old Catherine Serou was found Saturday in a wooded area near the city of Nizhny Novgorod, 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of Moscow. She had been missing since Tuesday.







Her mother, Beccy Serou, of Vicksburg, Mississippi, told U.S. National Public Radio that her daughter had last texted her: ''In a car with a stranger. I hope I'm not being abducted.''







State news agency RIA-Novosti cited the local court as saying the suspect gave her a ride in his car, then took her to the wooden area and beat her and stabbed her ''in the course of a dispute.'' Russian news reports have identified the suspect as Alexander Popov and said he had a record of violent crimes.







He faces up to life in prison if convicted of murder.







Serou moved from California to Russia in 2019 to study law at Lobachevsky University in Nizhny Novgorod, news reports said.







Beccy Serou told NPR that her daughter was in a hurry to get to a clinic Tuesday and may have gotten into a passing car.







''I think that when she saw that the person wasn't driving to the clinic, but instead was driving into a forest, she panicked,'' Beccy Serou said. (Yonhap)


In this Thursday, Sept. 1, 2020, file photo, Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab arrives to attend a cabinet meeting of senior government ministers at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office FCO in London. AP-Yonhap



Britain's top diplomat headed to Southeast Asia on Monday on a three-nation visit as his country looks to promote closer ties and trade with the region following the U.K.'s exit from the European Union.



Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab's trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore comes the week after Britain announced the broad outlines of a free trade deal with Australia, the first the country has negotiated from scratch since it left the EU.



That deal was expected to boost trade between the two nations, and the British government said it hoped it would also help it join a regional trade agreement which would open the door to increased trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.



A recent British government review of defense and foreign policy recommended that the U.K. ''tilt'' its focus toward the Indo-Pacific region in response to China's growing influence on the world stage.



Raab has said the shift includes a greater emphasis on common strategic interests in the region, which goes beyond trade to also include issues such as maritime security and climate change.



As part of the initiative, Britain earlier this year dispatched a strike group led by the Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier the HMS Queen Elizabeth on a 28-week deployment to Asia that Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted was not meant to be confrontational toward China.



''One of the things we'll be doing clearly is showing to our friends in China that we believe in the international law of the sea and, in a confident but not a confrontational way, we will be vindicating that point,'' Johnson said in May before the carrier group sailed from Portsmouth.



After arriving late Monday in Vietnam, Raab is to hold talks with Vietnamese officials Tuesday and speak at an event held by the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.



A meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen scheduled for Wednesday was canceled after Hun Sen announced he had been indirectly exposed to COVID-19 and was quarantining as a precaution.



Raab is to meet with his Cambodian counterpart, however, along with other officials in a visit that the Cambodian Foreign Ministry said it hoped would strengthen bilateral ties, as well as help ''multilateral cooperation within the ASEAN framework.''



Raab's trip wraps up Thursday in Singapore, where he is to meet with the prime minister and other officials, as well as business leaders. (AP)


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Looking to take your development skills to an experienced, Agile-centered team? The Gazette's digital team is seeking a Web Developer to join our dynamic, employee-owned media company. From Wordpress to Rails apps, you'll be working on interesting projects supporting local journalism and local business marketing. This role is 95% remote. Job Summary: Under direction, in this role you'll develop, test and support web sites and applications. Understand project and development plans.

Establish responsible deadlines and personal work plans.

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Have experience with website development and support. Job Responsibilities: Works with internal stakeholders and teams on new and ongoing Web projects.

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Takes part in general off-hours on-call rotation Job Skills & Attributes: 1+ years experience in web technologies (HTML, CSS and Javascript all required)

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The Green Superfuel That Could Disrupt Global Energy Markers

A new superfuel duo backed by the U.S. Department of Energy is preparing to upend the energy sector



It could make or break heavy industry.



It could rule the high seas.



It could completely overshadow lithium.



One of the superfuels is already a crowded space packed with big money.



The other is a retail investors back door into the next commodity supercycle.

And the advantage goes to a company that isnt even on Wall Streets radar.Its headed by a former NASA engineer who is pioneering this new DoE-backed energy transition push.The superfuel duo is hydrogen and ammonia, and their green versions are positioned to be the only earthly fuels that produce zero emissions when burned. That makes them the emerging keys to the worlds carbon emissions goals The little-known pioneer behind the greening of ammonia isWith its NASA background and a major head start, this small-cap company appears to be the furthest ahead in this particular superfuel game.The global ammonia market was at $48 billion in 2016, and in less than 4 years, its set to hit $76 billion . Thats a huge leap for a gas that we have long associated primarily with the fertilizer market. Why? Because now we know how to use it commercially in a safe and cost-effective way for massive industries far beyond the food supply chain.And the first to the finish line, especially if its a small-cap company with tons of room to run, stands to increase its stock by multiples.Hydrogen is several times more powerful than gas Its cleaner It blows lithium away for heavy industry.The lithium boom never really unfolded as everyone expected. Demand for lithium is likely to continue to rise as EVs become increasingly mainstream, but as an energy transition fuel, it has its limitations. It wont be the superfuel powering heavy industry, or even bigger vehicles or sea-faring vessels.It shows no promise of replacing oil and gas in these realms. Thats because it has far lower energy density than any of the fossil fuels.So, lithium is our energy transition superfuel only for small vehicles. Hydrogen fuel cells have an energy to weight ratio ten times greater than lithium-ion batteries, leading to far greater range and lighter vehicles. And while lithium batteries have a limited lifespan, hydrogen fuel cells dont degrade. Thats a huge environmental benefit.Now, hydrogen is shaping up to be the gas of gases that dominates heavy industry, shipping and even energy.It is now emerging as a strong possibility that ammonia will end up being the king of renewables.Which would make AmmPower a major beneficiary of the energy transition.How, exactly?Hydrogen has far more energy density even than gasoline, but its immensely challenging to store and transport.Thats where ammonia comes in to enable a true energy revolution.Scientists have now found a way to safely store and transport hydrogen, using ammonia.is helping to pioneer the technology for this soon to be $80-billion opportunity.Heres how it works: Despite hydrogens ultra-high energy content, it has low volumetric energy density, which means it must be stored at extremely high pressure. Hydrogen occupies three times more volume than gasoline for the same amount of energy, so it needs heavy, highly fortified tanks to store it. Thats a huge cost and a huge challenge.At least it was, until very recently...It can be stored safely, transported and then the hydrogen can be cracked.This key technological breakthrough made by companies like AmmPower that are seeking to ensure the success of our trillion-dollar energy transition.But its more than just storage, transportation and hydrogen cracking. AmmPower is building modular, scalable, stackable green ammonia-producing units

AmmPower is in the process right now of securing a state of the art manufacturing facility in Michigan:





That facility would boast large-scale production capabilities and also house a research and development lab. Phase I units will produce up to 1 tons of green ammonia per day, while Phase II units will produce up to 25 tons a day. And both phases will feature three different sizes of modular units to fit the needs of a wide variety of customers.

In less than two years, AmmPower expects to deliver its first production units and ramp up



production to facility capacity.



HUGE MARKETS WITH IMPRESSIVE DEMAND



There are several huge markets for this, with demand coming from the food value chain, shipping, the power sector and heavy industry.



The multi-billion-dollar fertilizer market is the starting point, but theres a huge offtake market here for green ammonia: utilities and renewables developers.



Norway's Statkraft AS utility company is already going green with ammonia. It plans to convert fertilizer giant Yara International ASAs Porsgrunn ammonia production site into green hydrogen.



Utilities are just starting to board the green ammonia and green hydrogen trains, but Wall Street radar will also be pinging the multi-trillion-dollar global transportation and logistics industry.



Hydrogen and ammonia are positioned to completely disrupt shipping as we know it.



And AmmPower isnt just developing green ammonia storage and hydrogen cracking solutions



Its also working to produce carbon-free green ammonia, and for the shipping industry, this is proving to be yet another way to comply with fast-changing emissions rules. In fact, AmmPower recently announced the formation of AmmPower Marine Corp. (AMC) specifically focused on opportunities in the marine industry.



Tankers can run on green ammonia, and some hydrogen/ammonia tankers are about to hit the high seas ...



Germanys MAN Energy Solutions and Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries are developing the first ammonia-fueled oil tanker. It will be ready by 2024. That same year, the Viking Energy supply vessel, which will run on an ammonia fuel-cell system, will set sail in a world first.



Norways state-run energy giant Equinor has an offshore supply vessel that runs on LNG now but will also be tweaked to run on green ammonia.



Over 120 global ports that accept ammonia currently, with more in the works.



The World Bank has now definitely sidelined LNG as the new maritime fuel. The global institution is calling for hydrogen and ammonia, instead.



Ammonia is the missing link in the hydrogen revolution because it has 9X the energy capacity of lithium and is 1.8X the energy density of liquid hydrogen.



So, if youre an investor looking for the back door to the hydrogen boom, look no further than ammonia--a space far less crowded.



Ammonia has become the key to our hydrogen revolution, which now appears to be unstoppable.



Indeed, its projected to become an $11-trillion market by 2050.



And soon enough the fuel of our future could be a globally traded commodity.



FIRST-MOVER ADVANTAGE IN GREEN AMMONIA RACE



This space has very little competition--so far. There are only a few companies in the world doing what AmmPower is doing.



Only Icelands Atmonia and Colorados Starfire Energy come close.



Because of its R&D background, AmmPower will be doing much more than building facilities and ramping up production  it intends to be a leader in research for enhancements in the green ammonia production process.



Were talking about proprietary green ammonia production processes for a gas that could enable our biggest capital flow into energy in decades.



AmmPower is developing a process that can break water down into hydrogen and oxygen and then add nitrogen from the atmosphere to create ammonia. Its mobile, scalable units would also enable hydrogen cracking near the end-consumer, which would be a major logistics coup for the burgeoning hydrogen market.



And its first prototypes are expected by the end of this year, with sales launching next year.



THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE REAL HYDROGEN REVOLUTION AND AMMPOWER COULD BE WAY AHEAD



AmmPower (CSE:AMMP; OTC: AMMPF) is working at whirlwind speed. In only a year and a half, its first green ammonia production units are slated for delivery and it plans to be producing at full capacity.



At the companys helm is a former NASA research scientist who also has a multi-billion-dollar business track record--a combination that is hard to beat.



Former NASA research scientist Dr. Gary N. Benninger, is the CEO of AmmPower. Hes a former Ford engineer, as well, and a former senior executive of the $40-billion Magna International Inc. automotive parts supplier, the third-largest in the world. A former U.S. Army Captain with a PhD in physics, Benninger has quietly built up a pioneer in what is potentially the most disruptive space in energy.



With tons of money pouring into hydrogen and ammonia, and huge nods from both the World Bank and the Department of Energy, the pioneers of these disruptive new processes are the best bets for ROI. AmmPower has around a $120M market cap, yet its got first-mover advantage on a segment that could potentially dominate multiple industries and set the pace for our energy transition. The upside potential of this ground-floor play seems as limitless as clean energy itself.



By: Alex Kimani

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High-ticket items like smartwatches and coffee makers will be on sale. We also are seeing deals on camping equipment (like tents), beauty (such as eyeshadow palettes) and sustainable fashion. Luggage items like this Samsonite rolling suitcase are expected to sell well in response to pent-up travel demands  so if youre shopping for any of these popular categories, buy early before they sell out.
Its been a hard [15] months of students not being in school and I think summer learning is the opportunity to bridge that gap between not being in school and really reengaging students in learning and getting them back in the habit of being in school and being in front of the teacher and just reengaging them all together in what school is and that learning is fun, said Brandy Sawyer, the Allentown School District executive director of secondary and alternative education.
Caretaking was a vocation that called to Lopez from a young age. Besides taking care of her siblings while her mother worked and they moved around  from Allentown to Souderton to Hatfield to Salisbury Township  Lopez sometimes found herself in a caretaker role for each of her parents. When her mom got pregnant with her youngest brother, she got diabetes, and Lopez helped her take blood sugar measurements. For a period, her father, who remains in her life, experienced fluid filling his lungs, leading to heart problems.
The problems motivating the creation of the bill, she said, stretched far beyond the 2020 presidential election. In the May 18 primary in her county, she said, some people waited four hours to vote and some polling places ran out of Republican ballots.
If the higher rates dont take effect as planned, a possibility outlined by state Sen. Pat Browne (R., Lehigh) in April, taxpayers will be on the hook  or should I say more on the hook. Thats because a $40 billion gap between the money PSERS actually has on hand and what it actually needs to finance retirement promises is also being bankrolled by John Q. Public.
He was kneeling over and I could see he was missing a hand, Beers said Monday morning. They were trying to have him calm down and they eventually got him in the ambulance. It wasnt something I would expect to see here on a Sunday night.
In the United States, only 10 states use retaining the core of districts as a mapping criterion. Oklahoma is one, and the redistricting page on their legislative website merely says preserving the core of districts is something that may be taken into consideration after population, physical features and compactness, in that order.
Burley, ID (83318)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
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Sayre, PA (18840)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this evening giving way to periods of light rain late. Low 58F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms this evening giving way to periods of light rain late. Low 58F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Sports

Tokyo agrees to allow 10,000 local fans at venues

Journalists gather at Multifunctional Complex at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Village during a media tour on Sunday in Tokyo. (AP)

Tokyo, Jun 21 (IANS) | Publish Date: 6/21/2021 1:51:03 PM IST

The Tokyo Olympic Games organising committee on Monday confirmed that up to 10,000 domestic fans would be allowed to attend events when the fortnight-long quadrennial showpiece commences on July 23.

Spectators from outside Japan have already been barred from attending the Games.

The capacity will be set at 50 per cent for all venues at the Games, and 10,000 fans will be permitted providing it does not exceed that limit; decision on the Paralympic Games will be made by 16 July 2021, the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games wrote on its official twitter account.

The other key decision taken during the meeting involving five parties -- International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Tokyo 2020, Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the government of Japan -- was that, in the event of any rapid change in infection status,the number of spectators could be reduced, or competitions could be held without spectators.

Restrictions on the number of spectators at the Games, including non-spectator competitions, will be based on the content of the state of emergency or other relevant measures in force at that time, said a joint statement.

The other key measures to be implemented before and during the Olympics are, strict adherence to the wearing of masks at venues at all times,ban on speaking in a loud voice or shouting, and spectators leaving the venues in a staggered manner.

Spectators will be requested to travel directly to venues and return home directly, and to take all necessary precautions when moving between prefectures, the statement added.


A pig that became popular in China after surviving 36 days under rubble from an intense earthquake in 2008, has died.

The Death of Zhu Jianqiang

On Wednesday night of "old age and exhaustion" Zhu Jianqiang, or "Strong-Willed Pig," passed on, according to the museum in China's Sichuan province where the animal lived. At the time of its rescue, it was recognized as a symbol of resilience and hope.

A lot of people have taken to social media site Weibo to remember Zhu Jianqiang and pay tribute to its long life. The Sichuan Museum of Jianchuan said the pig had passed on at the age of 14.

The 7.9 magnitude quake in Sichuan in 2008 left almost 90,000 people dead or lost. After the earthquake took place, the pig was stuck under rubble and survived on a charcoal and rainwater.

Also Read: Behold, the King of Pigs!

Social Media Users Pays Their Respect on Weibo

Rescuers said the pig was so emaciated it resembled a goat by the time they pulled it free. It is said to have passed through severe trauma from being trapped. A museum in the city of Chengdu bought the pig and it was put on display as a tourist attraction. Earlier this year, the museum warned that the animal did not have long left.

Scientists cloned the pig in 2011, producing six piglets that appeared to have an obvious resemblance to their dad - with a birthmark between their eyes. After news of Zhu Jianqiang's death, people took to social website to pay their respects.

On Weibo, the hashtag "Strong-Willed Pig has died" has had 430 million views. One user wrote: "Thank you for interpreting the greatness of life with your own strength." Another said: "RIP you are the miracle of life and the symbol of strength."

Zhu Jianqiang

Zhu Jianqiang that survived 36 days stuck in the rubble of May's great Sichuan earthquake was voted China's favorite animal, the state media said the attention made the pig lazy, fat, and bad-tempered.

The hog, was stuck in a sty after the 7.9 magnitude quake, and was bought by a local businessman who was moved by its unpleasant experience and named it "Zhu Jianqiang," or "Strong Pig."

It survived by feeding on charcoal and drinking rainwater. The weekend edition of the China Daily said the pig was voted the highest of an online poll of animals "who moved China the year it was rescued."

Other top animals included a dog that looked after its elderly owner when he was sick and escorted him to hospital, and a cat that nearly died of grief when its partner was killed by a car. The pig "strongly depicted" the spirit of never giving up.

Related Article: Staph Bacteria in Pigs: Antibiotic-resistant Strains of Staph Bacteria is Escalating Among Pigs in Factory Farms

For more news, updates about pigs and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Tropical Storm Claudette claimed the lives of 12 people in Alabama as the storm raced through the Southeast, producing flash flooding and tornadoes that damaged hundreds of houses.

Claudette Casualties

According to Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock, ten individuals were killed in a two-vehicle collision on Saturday, including nine children. Multiple persons were also hurt, according to Butler County Sheriff Danny Bond. The victims have yet to be recognized.

Meanwhile, according to Capt, a 24-year-old man and a 3-year-old kid were killed on Saturday just outside the Tuscaloosa city limits when a tree fell on their house. Marty Sellers of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit. The fatalities were not immediately identified by Sellers, and a medical examiner could not be located on Sunday morning.

Stormy Weekend

Late Saturday, heavy storms pummeled parts of northern Alabama and Georgia, resulting in the deaths. Rainfall of much as 12 inches (30 cm) was recorded earlier along the Mississippi Gulf Coast from Claudette.

From the Little River Inlet to Duck on the Outer Banks, North Carolina was under a tropical storm warning. In addition, forecasters have issued a tropical storm watch from South Santee River, South Carolina, to the Little River Inlet.

The top winds stayed about 30 mph (45 kph). As it moved out to sea in the Atlantic Ocean, analysts anticipated Claudette will build again to tropical storm status near eastern North Carolina on Monday.

Related Article: Atlantic Hurricane Season 2021: Here's What to Expect

Affected Areas

Northern Georgia, most of South Carolina, the North Carolina coast, and sections of southeast Alabama and the Florida Panhandle were all under flash flood warnings on Sunday.

Flooding in Northport, Alabama, resulted in the rescue of more than 20 individuals by boat, according to WVUA-TV. According to the Tuscaloosa County Emergency Management Agency, local Red Cross volunteers were on-site to assist individuals affected. In Northport, a shelter has been established.

The National Weather Service in Birmingham reported that Village Creek in Birmingham has risen above the flood threshold to 13 feet (4 meters).

The system was roughly 35 kilometers (25 miles) west of Atlanta. In an alert Sunday morning, the National Hurricane Center stated that it was heading east-northeast at 13 mph (20 kph).

Early Saturday morning, well after the storm's center of circulation had reached southwest of New Orleans ashore, Claudette was pronounced organized enough to qualify as a designated tropical storm.

Tornado Formations

A probable tornado spawned by the storm destroyed or severely damaged at least 50 homes in a tiny Alabama hamlet just north of the Florida border shortly after the impact.

According to Escambia County Sheriff Heath Jackson, a suspected tornado "pretty well leveled" a mobile home park, fell trees into houses, and took the roof off a high school gym. The majority of the damage occurred in or near Brewton and East Brewton, Florida, about 48 miles (77 kilometers) north of Pensacola.

"It had an impact on everyone," Jackson added. "However, because those mobile homes are constructed so close together, it may take a toll on them far more than dwellings built further apart."

In southwest Georgia, tornadoes were also recorded.

North Florida was also hit by the hurricane, with gusts hitting 85 mph (137 kph) in some areas, causing one 18-wheeler to tip on its side.

Flooding rains were also dropped north of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana and along the Mississippi coast, inundating streets and forcing water into homes in some locations. Later, the storm drenched the Florida Panhandle and a large swath of Alabama further inland.

According to forecasters, the system may still drop 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) of rain in the region, with isolated accumulations of 8 inches (20 centimeters) likely.

Tropical Storm Dolores in Mexico

Separately, Tropical Storm Dolores made a near-hurricane landfall on Mexico's west coast. However, it has dispersed over Mexico as of Sunday morning. It was located approximately 170 miles (275 kilometers) east of Mazatlan, Mexico, and had maximum sustained winds of 25 mph (35 kph).

Throughout the weekend, heavy rainfall totals of up to 15 inches (38 cm) were anticipated throughout Mexico's southwest and western coasts. As a result, forecasters warned of the possibility of mudslides and flash floods.

Also Read: Storm Anxiety: How to Handle Extreme Weather Phobias During Hurricane Season

For more climate and weather updates, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
In the Northern Hemisphere, summer officially begins today (June 20), commemorating the longest day of the year, which also happens to be Father's Day.

June Solstice

The June solstice occurred at 11:32 p.m. EDT (0332 p.m. GMT) on June 21, when the sun will be the furthest north of the celestial equator. The sun must travel the longest journey in the sky to reach its highest and northernmost position, which means it will take longer to rise and set, which is why today is the longest day - or greatest span of daylight hours - and shortest night.

Summer Solstice

Furthermore, the summer solstice occurs when the northern half of the Earth is inclined toward the sun, allowing the Northern Hemisphere to receive the most direct sunshine of the year. As a result, the sun will appear directly above for a position 817 miles (1,314 kilometers) east-northeast of Honolulu on the Tropic of Cancer (latitude 23.5 degrees north) in the central Pacific Ocean. On the other hand, the June solstice marks the start of winter in the Southern Hemisphere, when the sun is at its lowest position in the sky, and the Earth is tilted away from it.

The June solstice occurs when the sun reaches its furthest north from the celestial equator, usually between June 20 and 22. The solstice also happens to fall on Father's Day this year! Here's what skywatchers may expect to see as parents across the world celebrate the summer solstice on Sunday and the following week.

Related Article: Perihelion: The Day Earth is Closest to the Sun



Mercury Rose

Mercury rose above the horizon around 30 minutes before sunrise on Sunday morning (June 20) and may be visible at daybreak. As a result, Sunday night's solstice will be at 11:32 p.m. EDT (0332 June 21 GMT). During the day, though, Northern Hemisphere observers may see more than 14 hours of sunshine. The Farmer's Almanac Sunrise and Sunset Calculator will help you figure out how many hours of sunlight you'll get during the solstice in your area.

Starting Monday night (June 21), when Venus and the brilliant star Pollux will seem closest to each other, viewers will be treated to more skywatching activities later in the week (a little over 5 degrees apart).

The brilliant star Antares will appear roughly 5 degrees below the waxing gibbous moon on Tuesday (June 22), just before it approaches perigee, or its closest approach to Earth in its orbit, on Wednesday (June 23). According to NASA, the next full moon, also known as the Strawberry Moon, will arrive around 2:40 p.m. EDT (1840 GMT) on Thursday (June 24) and have been visible to stargazers until early Saturday morning.

Beginning of Summer

While the June solstice celebrates the beginning of summer and the longest day of the year, it also marks a turning point in the year: when the sun begins its yearly southern trek, the days will begin to become shorter once more.

Also Read: More Astrological Events to Look Forward to in the 2nd Quarter of 2021

For more Astronomical News, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Drought is a global crisis that, according to the UN, risks becoming "the next pandemic" if governments do not take immediate action on water and land management as well as address the climate emergency.

Economic Loss

Drought has impacted at least 1.5 billion people this century, with an estimated economic loss of $124 billion (89 billion) during the same time period. According to a research released on Thursday, the real cost is likely to be several times greater because such figures leave out most of the effects in poor nations.

"Drought is on the verge of becoming the next pandemic, and there is no vaccine to treat it," Mami Mizutori, the UN Secretary-Special General's Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, warned. In the next years, the majority of the world will face water scarcity. During some instances, demand will outpace supply. Drought is a key cause of soil degradation and a drop in main crop yields."

Drought in a Global Scale

She explained that many people think of drought as impacting Africa's arid regions, but this is not the reality. According to the research, drought is currently prevalent, and by the end of the century, all but a few nations will have experienced it somehow.

"People have been experiencing drought for 5,000 years, but what we see now is totally different," Mizutori explained. "Human activities are aggravating the drought and amplifying its effects," threatening to stymie efforts to bring people out of poverty.

The developed countries have not been spared. Drought has hit the United States, Australia, and southern Europe in recent years. Drought costs the US more than $6 billion in direct expenditures each year, and the EU around 9 billion (7.7 billion), although these figures are likely to be grossly underestimated.

According to the research, population expansion exposes more people in many places to the effects of drought.

Related Article: Megadrought 2021: The Worst Drought Suffered by the US West in 1,200 Years



Large-Scale Impacts

According to Roger Pulwarty, a senior scientist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and one of the report's co-authors, drought affects more than just agriculture.

He cited the Danube in Europe, where repeated droughts have harmed transportation, tourism, business, and energy generation in recent years. He stated, "We need a modernized approach to drought." "We need to think about how to manage resources like rivers and huge watersheds," says the author.

Worsened By Climate Change

Drought is exacerbated by changing rainfall patterns as a result of climate change. Still, the research also points to inefficient water usage, soil degradation due to intensive agriculture, and lousy farming methods as contributing factors. According to the report, deforestation, misuse of fertilizers and pesticides, overgrazing, and over-extraction of water for agriculture are serious issues.

Immediate Action

Mizutori urged governments to change and regulate how water is collected, stored, and used and how land is managed to help prevent drought. She added that sophisticated weather forecasting techniques were now available and that early warning systems might help those in peril.

Working with local people was critical, she added since local and indigenous knowledge helped advise where and how to conserve water and forecast the effects of dry seasons.

The paper, titled Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction: Special Report on Drought 2021, was released on Thursday and will be used to inform discussions at the UN's Cop26 climate conference, which will be held in Glasgow in November.

Also Read: Megadrought Ravages the American West, Climate Change Worsens the Situation

For more climate and weather updates, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
The lawyer representing MDC Alliance vice president Tendai Biti in the case in which he is alleged to have manhandled a Russian national during an altercation outside Harare Magistrates Court, failed to show up for trial last Friday despite proposing that date.

Mr Alec Muchadehama sent his representative, Mr Jeremiah Bhamu, to seek postponement of the matter to July 8 saying he was engaged at the Supreme Court.

I was given the accuseds file by Mr Muchadehamas personal assistant this morning and she told me that he was attending a Supreme Court matter. Mr Muchadehama gave me instructions that he will be available on July 8, he said.

Responding to the application, senior prosecutor Mr Micheal Reza told the court that he was shocked by Mr Muchadehamas absence since he was the one who suggested that date.

There is nothing before the court to show that he is engaged at the Supreme Court except for bold statements submitted by Mr Bhamu. Mr Muchadehama is not being candid with the court, we have no guarantee that he will show up for trial on July 8, said Mr Reza, adding that the defence was just not ready for trial.

He urged the court to speak to Mr Muchadehama to take court proceedings seriously.Harare regional magistrate Mrs Vongai Muchuchuti Guwuriro deferred the matter to July 8 for trial commencement.

Biti recently had his application for the recusal of Mr Reza dismissed due to lack of merit. In her ruling, Mrs Guwuriro said the court was not convinced that Mr Reza was likely to affect fairness in the trial.

The defence provided nothing before the court which proved that Mr Reza was likely to prosecute unfairly in this trial, she said.

She further ruled that the defense did not provide reasonable grounds on why Mr Reza should be recused from the matter.

It is the States case that Ms Tatiana Aleshina was allegedly insulted and assaulted by Biti outside the court but in the premises.

Ms Aleshina filed a report with the police and has also lodged two further complaints with the Law Society of Zimbabwe.

Ms Aleshina wants Biti investigated for alleged gross unprofessional conduct and alleges she and her workmates were intimidated and verbally abused outside the court each time they came for proceedings.

Ms Aleshina is one of the witnesses in the George Katsimberis criminal case involving alleged fraud regarding a joint venture with Pokugara Properties to build cluster houses in Harares Borrowdale suburb.

In the matter, Katsimberis is accused of using plans that were not approved by council which led to the show house being demolished. Ms Aleshina is the chief operating officer of Pokugara Properties.

She claimed that on August 29 last year as she was about to leave the court gallery after a court session and in the company of her workmate Mr Simbarashe Kadye, the companys chief finance officer, Biti confronted them and said: I am going to take your house, clothes and panties and leave you with nothing. I am not joking!

Biti then allegedly turned to Ms Aleshina reportedly shouting that she was very stupid and threatened her.

It was clear to all people who were in the court gallery that Mr Biti took delight not only in verbally abusing me, but in trying to intimidate me and felt that, as a woman and foreigner of Russian origin, I was a nonentity to him and that he would use every extra judicial system means to crush me or harm or destroy me for daring to be a witness in the criminal matter against his client, she stated in her complaint. Herald


MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa yesterday said the ongoing demolitions of illegal structures by government was a signal for the people of Zimbabwe to say enough is enough and converge to rescue themselves from oppression.

The government last week destroyed illegal structures in Harare under heavy police presence.

At the weekend, police blocked all roads leading to Mbare and government, working with the municipal police demolished structures in Mbare, including those in the Mupedzanhamo flea market area where hundreds of informal traders have been operating from.

Chamisa yesterday told NewsDay that the demolitions were heartless and brutal.

They dont even make an effort to create jobs and when people try to survive peacefully and patriotically, they go after them. It is cruel, heartless, irresponsible and incapable leadership. Central government is inflicting terror on the people while putting on the mask of the city council, Chamisa said.

He said the brutality and barbarism by the government was a call for people to converge. We can get angry and condemn this, but the issue is it is now time for peoples convergence to end all this. It is no longer about political parties when our humanity and dignity is under attack. There is no better time to converge than now. People cant wait for any other signal. The oppressors are giving us a signal. This is a call for citizens to converge and a new consensus to save ourselves. You cannot finish poverty by finishing the poor.

The MDC Alliance leader said government was not serious about dealing with peoples concerns, including creating employment.

That is the problem when the government is a Twabam government and does not care about its own people. Never expect serious leadership from a Twabam government that plays comedy with peoples lives. People are suffering and crying for help, yet you continue inflicting more pain. Its a pity we dont control that. If our peoples mayor (Jacob Mafume) and peoples councillors were there and not recalled, we would have ordered them to stop this madness.

It is not wise for authorities to provoke people. Its not always that provocation will not get a reply, one day it will get a reply. It is not right and why always target May, June and July? Murambatsvina (2005) was around this time; demolitions last were also around this time as if it is demonic and cultic that you have to inflict pain during this period of time when it is winter.

In a statement, the Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (Viset) said they would challenge the demolitions.

We condemn the brutality we witnessed in Mbare. We continue to see violation of our right to survive and we will challenge this using all lawful means. A number of our members were affected and we witnessed looting of our merchandise and Muguti (Harare development co-ordinator Tafadzwa) should be held personally responsible for what is happening, Viset leader Samuel Wadzai said.

This is not what we expect from a government that claims to be representing the people.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) blamed government for failing to improve the economic situation, resulting in unemployed citizens eking out a living through vending.

While city council claims the structures were illegal, the manner of the demolitions is inhumane as it amounts to inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment which is prohibited in section 53 of the Constitution. Zimbabwe has a legacy of destroying peoples livelihoods instead of improving the lives of its citizens. In 2005, governments Operation Murambatsvina left over 700 000 Zimbabweans homeless and without any source of livelihoods and some are still destitute up to today.

ZimRights said the demolitions violated the rights of Mbare residents by causing air and noise pollution without warning.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has remained mum about the ongoing demolitions. Newsday
Unvaccinated people are dominating the present run of Covid-19 positive cases, with most infected people showing symptoms and most clusters of infection being initiated by someone who became infected outside Zimbabwe, says Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr John Mangwiro.

While the vaccines were helping, he said, vaccinated people needed to keep wearing face masks, sanitising and observing social distancing.

With the Ministry of Health and Child Care pushing vaccination, progress can be maintained since Zimbabwe was set to take delivery of another large batch of vaccines this week as the Government steps up efforts to speed up the vaccination programme.

Said Dr Mangwiro: The positive cases we are getting are mostly those who are not vaccinated, and we are finding out that most of them are asymptomatic. The hotspots are mainly Mashonaland West, Bulawayo, Manicaland.

Mass vaccination in border towns had been critical with low cases in those areas. Fortunately, our border towns like Victoria Falls where we had our first mass vaccination and the uptake was good. I was talking to Dr Mamvura, the District Medical Officer for Victoria Falls, and his cases are quite low, about six. Also Plumtree did a massive campaign to vaccinate, and so figures are very low.

Statistics from border towns, Dr Mangwiro said, showed that most of the new cases were imported, meaning they came from other countries and not from within.

You can see that vaccination is an advantage and we encourage people to get vaccinated.

Zimbabwe has been vaccinating its citizens using the highly rated Chinese-made Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines, which have both been granted emergency use authorisation by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and a combined 1,7 million doses of the two vaccines has formed the mainstay of the Zimbabwean vaccination effort.

In addition, India has donated 37 000 doses of Covaxin while 25 000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine were procured by a mining company.

Research conducted by the Gamaleya National Research Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund revealed that the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine showed a 97,6 percent efficacy.

Added Dr Mangwiro: More vaccines are expected in the country this coming week and we encourage people to get vaccinated and keep up the pressure and momentum on vaccination.

He encouraged those that have already been vaccinated to continue adhering to the prescribed protocols such as wearing face masks, staying indoors unless it becomes extremely necessary to go out, washing hands, sanitisation and maintaining social distance, to minimise chances of them getting infected.

Zimbabwe introduced a new range of restrictions recently and the Government encouraged people to adhere to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Let us continue to take care, to social distance and listen to what has been directed by President Mnangagwa, if there is a lockdown let us listen, if there are restrictions let us listen. We get very worried if there is business as usual in some areas, said Dr Mangwiro. Herald
Herald ive blog

1150: President Mnangagwa has finished his address. Fr Ribeiro will now be carried to his final resting place.

1140: The decision to honour him in this way was befitting and unanimous. You have given us one of your own so that we bury him with his fellow compatriots. He followed the steps of Jesus Christ by helping the poor,

1138: He was and remains special in our hearts, I am personally pained by his demise, allow me to say thank you for being a servant of God.

1136: President Mnangagwa is now addressing the mourners. He says a dark cloud hovers over the Roman Catholic church and the nation at large.

We mourn a great son of the soil.

1134: We saw a musician Oliver Mtukudzi being declared a national hero, we saw Soul Jah Luv and Anne Nhira being declared heroes and for the first time in the history of this country we are seeing a man of God being buried here at the Heroes Acre, indeed we are seeing Zimbabwe being built brick by brick and stone by stone under President Mnangagwas leadership, says Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe.

1127: As a family we would like the Government and in particular the President for conferring hero status to Sekuru, we preferred that he be buried at the Chishawasha cemetery but we had to take a balanced decision considering the role Sekuru played in the liberation struggle. Sekurus life touched the souls of many Zimbabweans. We used to call him Hondo, he said Hondo was not for the war but for peace, says Family representative Dr Onsimo Dare.

1120: We are told he smuggled information in and out of prison, he smuggled the late President Mugabe and also saved the current President, he was a balanced cleric. He teaches us to be united in our diversity. The church has lost a solid composer, he composed more than 17 songs which are still popular to this day, said Deputy Vicar General Kennedy Muguti.

1111: President Mnangagwa has just arrived at the National Heroes Acre for the internment of Fr Emmanuel Ribeiro.
TEACHERS unions and school heads yesterday warned that it would be suicidal for government to allow schools to reopen for the second term next week at a time when the country is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 infections, putting learners and teachers at risk of contracting the virus.

Zimbabwe is in the throes of the third wave of COVID-19 infections, with new cases and deaths rising sharply in a fortnight, forcing government to impose localised lockdowns in Kwekwe, Hurungwe, Karoi and Kariba where the Indian variant was detected.

On Sunday, six deaths and 151 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, in addition to the 10 deaths and 293 cases recorded on Saturday. On Friday, 408 new cases were recorded, while the number of people that have succumbed to the virus since last week is nearly 50, an average of five people dying daily.

Kushinga Phikelela Polytechnic outside Marondera was closed yesterday after 16 students and lecturers tested positive from tests conducted last Friday and health authorities cordoned off the institution.

Students and lecturers, who reside at the learning institution, are not allowed to leave the premises.

The last communication I had with the provincial medical director is that after some testing was done on students and lecturers, 16 tested positive to the virus, Marondera district development co-ordinator Clemence Masawi said yesterday.

School heads and teachers unions pleaded with government to postpone the opening of schools to August, saying current measures were inadequate to protect learners and teachers.

We suggest that all schools remain closed throughout the winter season and consider reopening when it is warmer and relatively safer. That should be around mid-August, Zimbabwe National Union of School Heads president John Muzamani said.

When the time to reopen schools comes, the government needs to consider reopening first those schools in districts that would not be under localised lockdown. Those schools in hotspots need to remain closed and be opened on a case-by-case basis and under strict monitoring. Testing and vaccinating of teachers must be done first every time a school reopens.

Muzamani said schools should be treated as separate entities, such that if a school has recorded COVID-19 cases, government should close it and put it under surveillance until the situation returns to normal.

Zimbabwe Teachers Union secretary-general Goodwill Taderera said: I am afraid, teachers have died and opening schools is tantamount to taking teachers into theatre. It looks like prevalence is high in higher learning institutions and high schools; a deliberate testing might actually reveal a time bomb.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Raymond Majongwe said schools had inadequate sanitisers and testing kits to ensure safety when they open next week.

There are no sanitisers; the situation on the ground is that teachers are vulnerable, kids are coming from everywhere and are not being tested, and if we open schools without taking full cognisance of the realities on the ground, we could actually be walking into a COVID-19 minefield and cause problems for our country, Majongwe said.

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Obert Masaraure added: The biggest threat to opening of schools on June 28 is teacher incapacitation. The spread of COVID-19 will be uncontrollable in the absence of teachers.

Blanket opening of schools will be suicidal, given the lack of preparedness for schools to adhere to standard operating procedures. Our schools are potential super-spreaders. We may risk the lives of the adult population which cohabits with learners of school-going age, Masaraure said.

However, we have areas where no cases of COVID-19 have been reported, with a properly devolved education management system, such areas could afford to open. It is also unfortunate that outside the COVID-19 scare teachers are still incapacitated and wont be able to report for duty to monitor children.

Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro said there were currently no plans to change the opening dates for schools. As of today, there is no directive to the contrary. If there are any adjustments to the school calendar, the government will announce, Ndoro told NewsDay.

The country has targeted to vaccinate 60% of its population, about 10 million people to achieve herd immunity. However, only 432 572 people, nearly 3% of the population, has been fully vaccinated while 701 348 had received the first jab by June 19, 2021. Newsday


Two South African soldiers aged 27 and 38 were on Friday evening arrested along with a 30-year-old foreigner when using an army vehicle to transport 12 crates of cigarettes worth R160 000 smuggled from Zimbabwe.

The army men and the foreigner, whose names are yet to be released by South Africas police services, are expected to appear at the Musina Magistrates Court soon. Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo confirmed the arrest yesterday.

The three were intercepted near Baobab Truck Stop along the N1 highway following a tip-off while on their way to meet a potential buyer.

The police at Beitbridge received information about an army vehicle which was loaded with illicit cigarettes which were to be delivered to an unidentified buyer around Musina, said Brig Mojapelo.

They then reacted by staging a stop and search operation next to the Baobab Truck Park along the N1 road north of Musina. The army vehicle fitting the description given approached and the members pulled it over.

Upon being stopped by police, the two uniformed soldiers and a civilian wearing an army jacket, disembarked from the vehicle.

Brig Mojapelo said the vehicle was then searched and 12 crates of Remmington Gold cigarettes valued at R160 000 were found packed in the back of the vehicle. The civilian was immediately arrested but the armed soldiers reportedly became confrontational and refused to be arrested.

The police then confiscated the said vehicle. The soldiers were later brought to the police station by their commander and were then detained. They will be charged with possession of illicit cigarettes, defeating the ends of Justice and resisting arrest, said Brig Mojapelo.

The undocumented foreigner will be charged with impersonating members of South Africas National Defence Forces and contravening a section of the Immigration Act.

Limpopo Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe commended her subordinates reacting swiftly to the tip-off and apprehending the suspects. Herald
The state currently has about $5.2 billion on hand from Congressional aid packages that is earmarked for pay off peoples rent, an amount that should be more than enough to cover all of the unpaid rent in the state, Jason Elliott, senior counselor to Newsom on housing and homelessness, told the Associated Press.
Biden has said 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine stockpiled in the U.S. will make up the bulk of his administrations first batch of international shipments. However, the president has also said he wont send out the AstraZeneca shots until the vaccine earns emergency authorization from the FDA, and as of Monday, the agencys review was still ongoing.
A. Even if your cousin is convicted, I doubt immigration will try to deport him. Still, it is best to consult with an immigration law expert. He can become a U.S. citizen despite his arrest. Immigration law considers a theft offense to be a crime involving moral turpitude. With some exceptions, immigration can only deport a permanent resident who committed a crime involving moral turpitude if the crime is one for which a judge could impose a penalty of one or more years.
I often vented to him my frustrations. I knew if there was one other person on the planet that got it, it would be him. Those were the days where I had to lean on him. It weighed very heavily on me to stand up to a giant like the NYPD and risk your career and livelihood.
The NYPD has a lot of internal names for the arrest quota, but they all mean the same thing. That officers are supposed to bring in a certain amount of arrests and issue a certain number of summonses per month, Officer Shawn Smalls, who is Black and retired in 2011, says in one of the new affidavits.
If you talk to family medicine or primary care doctors, they will tell you with certainty that ignoring medical issues related to dental, vision and hearing often devolves into far more serious medical problems for people  especially seniors  that cost more to treat and are harder to remedy, Schumer said during a news conference Sunday. With the current Medicare platform, those three things are just left out, like its no big deal. But it is a big deal and we should fix it.
And the zero total is especially stark compared with the two years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, when 69 juries in Kings County handed down verdicts for that most serious offense  the most of any borough.
I wish there was a way for the entire city to sit in that living room and hear that family, Adams said. That little boy wont leave his dads lap. ...That mother is shattered. Every time she looks at the video she relives it.
Prosecutors said Aponte called someone after the attack  it was not clear who  and confessed to what he had done during a rambling 13-minute phone call. He confessed a second time under questioning by the NYPD, they said.
Winfields mother, Veronica Winfield Pottinger, recalled what her son told her of the incident. He knew just by looking at the guys face that he was going to shoot him no matter what, she said. When the guy asked for his wallet he gave him everything. He still knew he was going to get shot.
Sean Robinson of Stamford, Conn., was sitting with a friend in a Ford Mustang in East Williamsburg when they were confronted by a gun-toting crook about 12:35 a.m. on Monday, June 14, 2021. Robinson resisted and was shot in the back by the crook, who snatched the dying mans gold chains.
An Oregon man wanted in three murders, including his own father, found a woman sitting in her car during a lunch break, held her at gunpoint and forced her to drive him 2,000 miles to Wisconsin, where he surrendered Sunday, according to local officials.
Nine family members had set out for a day of tubing and fun on the water in North Carolina earlier in the week, but as they floated along the Dan River in Eden Wednesday evening, they dropped over an 8-foot dam near the Duke Energy Steam Station. Four were rescued the next day, and the bodies of three other family members were found later that day about 3 miles from the dam.
The incident occurred Saturday night at Nifty Fiftys, a diner in Turnersville, about 20 miles southeast of Philadelphia when a group of five walked out on a $70 bill, according to WPVI. The 20-year-old server, who was not identified, ran after the group and argued with them in the parking lot.
When Rick and Beth received prenatal counseling on what to expect with a baby born so early, they were given a 0% chance of survival by our neonatology team, Dr. Stacy Kern, the tiny tots neonatologist, told the Guinness Book of World Records. I knew the first few weeks of Richards life would be very difficult, but I felt that if he could make it through that, he would be a survivor.
In August 2020, the Tulare County Sheriffs Office seized another $294,000 worth of pistachios after the bandits stole the identity of a legitimate trucking company, then earned contracts to deliver two tractor-trailers of the nuts. Instead, the suspects then removed all identifying labels and sold the pistachios to an unsuspecting buyer, according to police.
At a press conference Monday afternoon, Detective Ed Brady of the Arvada Police Department confirmed the death of the officer and announced that two others, including a bystander and one of the suspects was also killed during the firefight.
Stacy Lentz and Kurt Kelly, co-owners of the West Village landmark, said they would be instituting the ban Friday in support of the Keep Your Pride campaign, a recently launched effort highlighting five companies that it says advertise support during Pride but have also made contributions to anti-LGBTQ lawmakers.
He was there every day, hed come in, pick up his supplies, and just hand them out. He was really a committed volunteer, and he has been doing that since we opened in the Bronx office, Adams said.
Yang, a businessman who had been leading in the polls until recent weeks, repeated that hed rank Garcia his second choice on the ballot. Garcia encouraged her supporters to rank Yang second  an apparent attempt by the two centrist candidates to discourage their followers from supporting Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who has been polling at No. 1.
It sent the wrong signal and the wrong message, Adams said of the ranked-choice alliance. I can say this: that African-Americans are very clear on voter suppression. We know about a poll tax. We know about the fight that weve had historically  how you had to go through hurdles to vote. And so they feel based on their perception that it suppressed the vote, then I respect their feelings. Its not for me to interpret their feelings.
Many New Yorkers are in the same boat as Jaward. Twelve percent of voters were undecided as of earlier this month, according to a PIX11/NewsNation/Emerson College poll. Crime was found to be the top issue in the race to 31% of survey respondents, outpolling every other issue.
Its something that none of us whove been watching this stuff for years know anything about, Davidoff said. What we do feel, at least from my point of view and those Ive spoken to, is that Election Night we will not see a clear winner.
Officials did not disclose any further details of the incident, but local Italian newspapers including the Corriere della Sera said that boat suffered severe damage near the bow, and that the man, 37, incurred major abdominal wounds that proved fatal. The paper also reported that one of the legs of the woman, 25, was partially torn off.
Toronto Police said in a news release that the girl, along with another toddler, consumed toxic breakfast cereal in March, believed to have been administered to them by Francis Ngugi. The second child reportedly survived after a lengthy hospital stay.
Just last week I was endorsed by the Captains Endowment Union, whose members make up the top brass of the NYPD. This was also the union that represents Eric Adams. It tells you everything you need to know that his former colleagues believe I am best equipped to make the city safer.
This is it, New York: Soon we will pick a new path for our city by choosing a new mayor. The candidates have spent the better part of the last year telling you about what they will do with the job  and that is important. But with primary day almost here, now I think you should be asking one final question: What is their lived experience?
All I had to do was take a pill in the morning and the night, and boom, life was pretty much normal, he said, noting he even appeared on Today for a Friends reunion during that time.
We intend to go into the courtroom and let the jury know that were better than this, America. Were better than this, Planet Fitness, Crump said. You cannot discriminate against Black women and expect nobody to stand with Black women. We stand with Tunica and we will continue to stand with Tunica.
The gala is the finale of the international competition in which dancers compete for cash prizes, scholarships and company contracts. The winners perform at the gala, as well as invited guests such as Broad and Sambola. This years guest artists also include principal dancers and soloists from New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre in New York, a winner of So You Think You Can Dance Canada and other international guests from Cuba.
The fence posts went in at the park Friday, sending the city scrambling to discover what went wrong. Either the city had inadvertently been using private land as a public park for as long as anyone could remember, or its the castles property owner who erred and needs to remove the fence posts.
The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed that the victims were an 18-year-old female student and a 66-year-old male flying instructor. The plane had departed from the nearby Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport in Florida.
Some have argued this effort curtails First Amendment rights. I ask  in what way? As it must, the proposed ordinance allows picketers and protestors alternative public spaces to clearly convey and communicate their message, wrote Demings, a former Orlando police chief and Orange County sheriff. At the same time, the peace and privacy of the person being targeted and their neighbors are protected while in their home. The ordinance is not designed to stop protesting, but rather to locate those who choose to voice their views in a public place the opportunity to do so without interfering with others right to privacy.
A handful of major newspapers are paying attention. But most news coverage, especially on television, continues to underplay the climate story, regarding it as too complicated, or disheartening, or controversial. Last month, we asked the worlds press to commit to treating climate change as the emergency that scientists say it is; their response was dispiriting.
Peaceful protests have brought about change both locally and nationally in our country, and they remain a part of the fabric of American life. I have personally participated in public protests and I will continue to fight to preserve the right of others to do so. Why? Because it is an effective means to bring about change. There is no question change is needed to adequately address systematic racism and discriminatory laws and practices which have negatively impacted minorities in America. But to reiterate, this is about protecting the tranquility and privacy of citizens while in their residences, but also allowing sufficient alternative avenues for freedom of expression in public places.
I usually agree with opinions stated by Michael Zais in the Central Florida 100 column. On June 20, Mr. Zais wrote a condemnation of the Biden administration for a federal judges denial of a permit for fireworks at Mount Rushmore. A quick search shows that fireworks have been banned there since 2009 as the surrounding area is highly susceptible to wildfires. When then-president Donald Trump gave a campaign speech followed by fireworks last summer, he ignored guidance from both the National Park Service and local officials. The current governor of South Dakota has now politicized this issue, and right-leaning sources have latched on to it as yet another stain on the Biden administration. Im no fan of Bidens, but I do favor truth and responsibility.
On Friday though, a federal judge ruled in favor of Florida by allowing a temporary injunction against the CDC and its conditional sail order, but that injunction wont go into effect until July 18, meaning that if cruise ships want to sail from the U.S., they will still need to follow the CDC rules.
If it does become a tropical storm, or a closed circulating system with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph or more, it will be the fourth named storm of the year and receive the name Danny.
Conakry, Guinea (PANA) - The Guinean government says it banned the logging and transport of wood before July 2, the start of the three-month reforestation period, because of "the damaging effects of climate change", a result of man's actions on the country's vegetation cover
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
The company also announced that its losses for year ending December 2020 narrowed to 10.4mln from 26.9mln the previous year

( ), an Irish-based oil and gas explorer, said non-executive chairman Pat Plunkett will step down from the board following an Annual General Meeting on July 22.

James Menton, currently senior independent non-executive director, will assume the role of chairman.

After five years with Providence I have decided to step down from the board to devote more time to my other business interests, said Plunkett. Following the recent strategic decision by the board to take the management and financing of the Barryroe project in-house, this is an opportune time to hand over to new leadership.

In April, the company announced the termination of a partnership to develop the Barryroe oil field offshore Ireland.

READ: Providence Resources ends farm-out for Barryroe project

Barryroe remains one of Europes largest untapped oil projects. It contains more than 700mln barrels of oil in place and nine years ago test production rates in excess of 3,500 barrels per day beat expectations.

Despite the many challenges for the industry and for Providence over the past five years, the company is now well placed to finally bring the Barryroe project to fruition in the coming years, said Plunkett.

The Standard Exploration License (SEL1/11) for Barryroe expires in July 2021 and the company has applied for a Lease Undertaking License. It said it expects to be granted this follow-on permit.

In a separate announcement, the company said its losses for year ending December 2020 narrowed to 10.4mln (8.9mln) from 26.9mln the previous year.

It had no debt as at 31 December 2020.
( ) is debuting on the Australian Securities Exchange, with plans to list on London's AIM in the near future.

The resources company owns the Panton platinum group metals (PGM) project located 60 kilometres north of Halls Creek in the East Kimberley Region of Western Australia.

Director Justin Tremain told Proactive that Panton is Australia's highest-grade PGM project and is rich in palladium. With PGM prices at record highs, its entry to the sector is timeous.
David Lufkin is due to be sentenced on Monday after pleading guilty to offences relating to corrupt offers and payments made to influence the award of contracts in the UAE, Iraq and Saudi Arabia

( ) shares slipped on Monday as its former head of global sales, David Lufkin, headed to court to be sentenced after pleading guilty to bribery offences in January.

According to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), which has been investigating Petrofac since 2017, the offences relate to corrupt offers and payments made between 2012 and 2018 to influence the award of contracts to Petrofac in the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Saudi Arabia totalling around US$7.5bn.

However, a Guardian report on Sunday said details examined by the SFO indicated that the alleged payments made by Petrofac may have been wider the previously known, covering contracts awarded to the firm across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Other payments being scrutinised, according to documents and sources close to the matter, include those relating to contracts awarded to Petrofac in Iran, Syria, Bahrain and Kazakhstan.

Petrofacs woes are also threatening to embroil several members of the UKs Conservative Party, with former Prime Minister David having promoted Petrofac to the Bahraini royal family after he left Downing Street in 2016. His successor, Theresa May, also reportedly advocated for the firm in a meeting with the same royals that same year, although Petrofac denies it has received any preferential treatment from the UK government.

Petrofacs founder and former chief executive, Ayman Asfari, is also a large donor to the Tory party, having donated over 800,000 to the Conservatives in a personal capacity alongside his wife.

Asfari was arrested and interviewed by the SFO as part of its investigation into Petrofac, however, he was released without charge after being question under caution in 2017.

Shares in Petrofac slumped 3.7% to 120p in early deals.
Private equity CD&R may come back with a higher offer, while Amazon may feel compelled to gate-crash the party

Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC ( ) soared on Monday morning as investors may be anticipating a bidding war.

The supermarket giant recently rejected the unsolicited 5.5bn takeover approach from US private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice on the grounds that it significantly undervalued the business.

It was priced at 230p per share, which is now below the current level following this mornings rally. Under takeover rules CD&R has until 17 July to make a formal offer.

CD&R arent going away and we suspect a deal can be done in the 250p-260p area, said independent retail analyst Nick Bubb.

If Amazon was ever going to bid for its UK wholesale partner Morrisons, to build a bigger physical presence in the UK grocery market, its hard to avoid the view that it would have done it by now, but its possible that Amazon will be prompted by the CD&R approach to gate-crash the party and come in with an offer themselves.

A potential private buyout is concerning Labour as previous deals of this kind have led to job cuts.

Our supermarkets that play a role at the heart of our communities need owners that put the long-term interests of the business and its employees first, Seema Malhotra, shadow minister for business and consumers, was reported as saying by The Times.

When Debenhams went bust we saw private equity firms walk away while employees lost their jobs and staff who have paid into the pension scheme were left out of pocket. Too often dodgy private equity firms load the companies with debt and leave while pocketing the dividends. This has to end.

Morrisons is one of the largest private-sector employers in the UK with 118,000 staff at almost 500 stores, so the government may be under pressure to intervene in a potential deal to protect jobs.

The stock has traded sideways during the past year, despite supermarkets benefitted from COVID-19 lockdowns, as investors have been concerned about the hyper-competitiveness of the market.

However, some analysts say the deals with Amazon and McColls, as well as the online service, make for a strategy that may have looked enticing for the private bidders.

Morrisons is a slam-dunk. But you can see the value case for the shares and that must be the key attraction for CD&R, said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.

The issue now is how the big shareholders respond and whether they  and the Morrisons board  feel they can squeeze out a higher bid or feel sufficiently confident in Morrisons strategy and long-term competitive position to spurn the offer altogether.

Shares climbed 31% to 234.65p on Monday morning.
McDonald's is already one of the UK and Ireland's biggest employers

McDonald's staff are known as crew members. Photo Image: McDonalds Corp

Fast food giant McDonalds Corp ( ) plans to open 50 new outlets and create about 20,000 new positions in the UK this year.

Paul Pomroy, chief executive for UK and Ireland, said the ubiquitous burger chain is also looking to open another 100 branches over the next two years.

McDonald's is already one of the UK and Ireland's biggest employers with 130,000 staff working at 1,400 restaurants.

The 20,000 new roles will be created in existing outlets, as government Coronavirus guidelines relax, and in the new restaurants.
The company added that targets appear to be close to the surface, with minimal sand cover and estimated intercept depths of 120m to 200m

( ) announced "highly encouraging" results from further soil sampling and geological mapping on the Morula target, which is now its highest priority exploration target at the South Ghanzi project in the Kalahari Copper Belt.

Since mid-May, the company said it has completed and analysed samples from 16km of infill soil-sampling at Morula, which confirms that the conductor/anomaly extends along strike for at least 12km.

The South Ghanzi project, where Kavango is the operator and which is held in a 50/50 joint venture with (LSE:POW),

Drilling is now planned as soon as the South Ghanzi environmental management plan (EMP) is approved.

Two areas, Morula and Acacia, have been identified as the highest priority targets in the short-term.

Infill soil sampling of Morula has identified four sample lines, each 4km long and 1km apart, where samples every 100m found anomalous levels of copper (35ppm to 68ppm) and zinc (59pmm to 111ppm), which the company said correlate closely with results from the original seven soil-sampling lines.A clearly defined mineralised zone of 12km has been identified on a south-westerly trend, parallel to two steep anticlinal structures.

Morula is open along strike in both directions, Kavango said, with an assessment of optimal drill locations is now underway at Morula and Acacia.

The company added that targets appear to be close to the surface, with minimal Kalahari sand cover and estimated intercept depths of 120m to 200m.

Chief executive Michael Foster said: "Following identification of the Acacia and Morula conductor/soil anomalies we've focussed our exploration efforts on the Morula target over recent weeks.

"These initial results are highly encouraging. They emphasise the potential and scale of this 12km long mineralised zone. Morula is rapidly developing into one of the most exciting drill targets in our entire portfolio.

"We plan to start drilling here as soon as we can, after we have received approval of our EMP."
It is a low risk, high profit business for big banks

Transaction banking is the services offered by a bank to help corporate clients move cash and securities safely around the global financial system, making use of a banks worldwide liquidity.

It can be part of the array of services offered by investment banks or can be the focus of a specialist transaction bank.

Serving corporate clients and financial institutions, a banks transaction banking services might include helping clients trade finance for deals, make cross-border payments, larger domestic payments, risk mitigation, cash management and trust & securities services.

The term has been in the news this week as Group ( ) launched a 35bn transaction bank in the UK to build on its strength in the US seen last year after only starting operations in June.

The Vampire Squid says the transaction bank helps clients improve the efficiency of their treasury departments, with self-service client onboarding and account opening as well as secure mobile authentication liquidity management, virtual accounts, payments, and escrow services.

Growing market share in transaction banking is also one of s stated strategic targets.

Being a large global bank is key.

Similar to the world of telecommunications, where customers can only speak to each other when they both have a phone connected to a network, transaction banking services can only be provided if providers and users are hooked up to a common network, said Ruth Wandhofer in her book, Transaction Banking and the Impact of Regulatory Change.

The existence of a network, however, also implies that collaboration is at play. Without participants collaborating in the creation of the network  a payment system, for example  there would otherwise be no network.

It is a low risk, high profit business, according to Global Banking & Finance Review (https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/overview-of-transaction-banking-and-the-role-of-transaction-banking-in-the-global-economy/).
The Swiss bank rates Vodafone as 'outperform' but says changes are needed for shares to recover.

( ) needs to focus and build-up its presence in key territories, according to analysts at .

Portfolio streamlining to better position the business was one of two key factors that Vodafone should address to push the telco share into recovery, Credit Suisse said in a note.

Whilst retaining an outperform rating for Vodafone the Swiss bank suggested it is presently too thinly spread.

Vodafone Europe earnings (EBITDA) margin is below incumbent peers domestic businesses (34% vs ~39% respectively), as local scale is arguably more important than cross-border scale, analyst Jakob Bluestone said in a note.

We believe refocusing the portfolio to focus on businesses with strong operating free cash flow margin (e.g. Germany, Vodacom, Italy) or room to grow into strong operating free cash flow generation (in the UK) could allow sharper operational focus.

This could ultimately deliver the balance sheet to the point where Vodafone can buy back its own shares.

Bluestone reckons buy-backs would add value for shareholders but noted that Vodafone has too much leverage do go ahead with a programme at present.

An organic rebound in revenue and earnings (EBITDA), following capex investment, was the other factor highlighted by Credit Suisse.

The precise revenue impact still remains to be seen, but we expect growth to accelerate as of first quarter of the 2022 financial year as the COVID drags fall away and in the second half of 2022 Southern Europe starts to benefit from EU recovery funds, the analyst added.

The Credit Suisse outperform rating comes with a 150p price target which suggests around 16% to the current price of 128.78p.
The agreement provides the foundation for the expandable plant development and also BlackEarths large-scale graphite concentrate plant in Madagascar.

( ) has signed an offtake and sales agreement with leading Austria-based graphite processor Grafitbergbau Kaisersberg GmbH to sell up to 2,500 tonnes per annum of expandable graphite worth around US$7.5 million.

This agreement is set to begin as soon as the proposed BlackEarth/Metachem expandable graphite plant development is completed.

The deal, which represents an endorsement of Metachems product quality as well as the proposed supply of expandable graphite, has been facilitated by BlackEarths sales and marketing partner in Europe, LuxCarbon.

It is intended to be the first of several planned offtake and supply agreements.

Shares have jumped more than 17% at the opening to 11.5 cents.

Enormous boost to planned JV

Managing director Tom Revy said: This agreement provides an enormous boost to our planned JV with Metachem and the development of our plant in the leading graphite processing location of India.

By making this commitment to buy our product in the future, Grafitbergbau has shown enormous confidence in BlackEarth/Metachem and not only is this an endorsement of the expandable graphite produced by Metachem and what is proposed, the agreement also ensures we now have commitments in advance for our future production in India.

The agreement also assists to underpin our proposed plant development in Madagascar, as concentrate from this development will be provided to our downstream operations with Metachem as soon as this is available.

Our partners in Germany, LuxCarbon, have been instrumental in creating this offtake opportunity for us and were excited to be dealing with Grafitbergbau, a company that is one of the largest buyers and developers of expandable graphite products in Europe.

BlackEarth is well-positioned for expansion with a projected cash position at June 30, 2021, of around A$6.7 million.

Solution-oriented graphite company

Over the last 50 years, Grafitbergbau has developed into a globally active, customer and solution-oriented graphite company.

The company has focused on the development of new applications over the past 30 years in cooperation with customers, universities, and international research institutions.

As a result of this, Grafitbergbau has created high-quality graphite downstream and niche products for the national and international markets and has become a leading supplier to Tier 1 companies in Europe and Internationally.

Grafitbergbau uses its developed and enhanced products for fire-resistant applications, radiation controls, and a variety of other downstream uses and implementation into the EV and alternative energy markets.

Application of expandable graphite

Around 35% of expandable graphite production is processed into fire retardants.

This is the single biggest end-market for expandable graphite.

The remaining product is processed into flexible graphite which is the precursor to a number of end products such as graphite foils for use in the automotive, EV and alternative energy sectors.

Rapid demand growth is also forecast due to the increasing use of high energy density batteries in mobile devices.

The global expandable graphite market is expected to grow from US$202.8 million in 2020 to around US$351.9 million by 2027.

Such growth and demand for a range of products and applications provides BlackEarth with an enormous opportunity.
Further high-grade zinc results, uncovered during work across Alta Zincs Gorno Project, have expanded the assets mineralisation within three key areas.

High-grade zinc leads discovered within Alta Zinc's Gorno Mine have expanded the project's mineralisation.

Alta Zinc Ltds (ASX:AZI) latest bout of exploration has uncovered multiple high-grade zinc intersections with added lead and silver at the Gorno Project in northern Italy.

Recently, the explorer drilled nine holes and evaluated five channel samples at the project in a bid to expand its mineralisation footprint.

Promisingly, results have extended the known mineralisation across three key areas within the Gorno Project - Ponente West, Ponente Central and Pian Brecca South.

Drilling continues as Alta Zinc attempts to further expand the known mineralisation at Gorno into new areas.

With fresh assays in tow, a broader mineral resource update is slated for the first half of July.

Drilling leads to several new areas

Alta Zinc managing director Geraint Harris commented on the findings today.

We are very pleased that our multi-area exploration strategy has been successful in extending mineralisation at Pian Brecca and Ponente.

These results together with those from our last 18 months of successful exploration will support our upcoming mineral resource estimate (MRE) and build a platform for future project development.

Our drilling has now lead us into several new areas to continue expanding the mineralisation footprint outside of and in addition to the upcoming MRE.

The aim is to continue to deliver on the significant high-grade mineral growth potential that the Gorno District is providing.

Results are in at Ponente West

At Ponente West, fresh results extended mineralisation 180 metres north and 90 metres east.

Drilling in the area uncovered:

1.8 metres at 13.7% zinc, 0.2% lead and 2 g/t silver from 40.1 metres;

2.6 metres at 8.6% zinc, 1.4% lead and 14 g/t silver from 53 metres; and

3 metres at 12.4% zinc, 2.2% lead and 39 g/t silver from 10.3 metres.

Additionally, Alta Zinc uncovered more new mineralisation at Ponente West another 260 metres to the east, where channel sampling returned high-grade mineralisation from the Ponente Central area.

Finally, mineralisation may also lie a further 300 metres to the north, where historical drilling has previously intersected mineralisation within the Cascine area.

Channel sampling at Ponente Central

Meanwhile, over at Ponente Central, Alta Zinc conducted channel sampling over two sites.

The explorer uncovered:

2 metres at 20.7% zinc, 6.2% lead and 50 g/t silver; and

2 metres at 30.4% zinc, 6.2% lead and 38 g/t silver.

Ultimately, the sampling program nods to high-grade mineralisation along Pontente Centrals western edge, where significant sulphide mineralisation is visible on the sidewalls.

Theres also strong evidence that mineralisation extends south into an area of historical drilling - an area that will be tested from existing development in the area.

All in all, Alta Zinc believes the extensions to the north, south and east of both Ponente assets represent a suite of tangible and accessible near-term exploration targets.

The company can assess both areas' mineral resource growth potential after it executes the resource update.

Work progresses at Pian Bracca

Recently, geological and structural mapping at Pian Bracca South uncovered significant mineral enrichment, travelling in a north-south direction.

Alta Zinc conducted channel sampling in this area, returning:

2.4 metres at 26.8% zinc, 6.5% lead and 65 g/t silver;

2.4 metres at 21% zinc, 6.6% lead and 67 g/t silver; and

2.6 metres at 20% zinc, 5% lead and 65 g/t silver.

Meanwhile, at Pian Bracca Central, the ASX-lister drilled hole PBD52 to test an east-west trending fault.

This unexpectedly extended mineralisation to the south, returning 4.8 metres at 3.1% zinc and 0.7% led from 25.6 metres, including a 1.4-metre intersection at 5.5% zinc and 1.9% lead.
The report indicated a resource/reserve update is expected to be released ahead of, or in parallel with the Stage Two Feasibility Study (expected in the September quarter of 2021) for the companys Bellevue Gold Project.

The historic project has a current resource of 2.7 million ounces at ~10 g/t.

( ) has secured a speculative buy rating and a price target of A$1.25 from Ltd in a report released by analyst Tim McCormack and associate analyst Tyson Kestel.

The analysts said they viewed the companys historic Bellevue Gold Project in Western Australia, with a current resource of 2.7 million ounces at ~10 g/t, as the highest grade gold development project in Australia.

We view the project as a likely development prospect and also an increasingly attractive takeover target, with a number of majors operating in the region.

We maintain a SPECULATIVE BUY rating, and expect the ongoing exploration results to underpin improving project economics as the company moves through iterations of studies towards production.

Strong grade control drilling results

The company recently released a suite of high-grade results from the first 34 holes of its grade control drill program at the planned Tribune open pit.

The report said: The drilling, undertaken on 10 metre x 10 metre spacing, demonstrates the strong continuity of high-grade mineralisation at Tribune, in our view.

Notable intercepts 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; and

2 metres at 48.9 g/t from 20 metres.

The drilling covers the southern section of the planned open pit with the weighted average grade of reported intercepts ~12 g/t (Tribune Resource 0.25 million ounces at ~7.5 g/ t).

The analysts said: This serves as a strong reminder that historical production at the mine tended to positively reconcile, in our view.

Stage Two feasibility plans

The report also noted the companys main focus of the Stage Two Feasibility Study is bringing open pit material from the Tribune, Vanguard and Hamilton Lode areas into the ore reserve inventory.

The inclusion of high-grade 'starter pits' in the Stage Two Feasibility Study could, in our view, improve the economics of the project with open pits contributing only ~2% of the ounces in the Stage 1 LOM inventory.

Underground development continues

Underground development continues ahead of schedule with over 2,000 metres completed towards the primary Deacon and Viago lodes.

The company has now commenced an additional decline towards the Armand and Marceline lodes with the aim of allowing further drilling platforms for grade control and Resource growth drilling.

The Marceline lode hosts a resource of 310,000 ounces at 9.7 g/t gold (130,000 ounces at 10.1 g/t gold in the Indicated category), which was not included in the Stage 1 Feasibility.

The analysts said: The company has highlighted that drilling at Marceline and Deacon North is being prioritised with up to six surface rigs and two underground rigs targeting the lodes with a view to defining additional resources and reserves.

We expect a resource/reserve update to be released ahead of, or in parallel with the Stage Two Feasibility Study (expected in the SepQ'21).

New substantial shareholder

Also displaying confidence in BGL is CI Investments Inc which has become a substantial shareholder.

The Canadian investment fund manager has accumulated a 5.08% holding through a series of purchases from February 23 to June 9, 2021, and now holds 43,214,654 shares.
The company is confident that there is potential for the kaolin-halloysite material at the Noombenberry Project to extend both north and south of the Cloud Nine deposit for up to 100 kilometres.

The drilling campaign is expected to be completed in early July.

( ) (FRA:XL5) has commenced of the next phase of aircore drilling at its Noombenberry Kaolin-Halloysite Project, where it recently released a 207 million tonne inferred Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) at the Cloud Nine Deposit.

The planned drilling aims to test for kaolinized granitic material for a further 4.5 kilometres to the north of the Cloud Nine deposit - with the company confident it could potentially extend both north and south for up to 100 kilometres.

An initial 3,700 metres of aircore drilling will be completed on a 400 meter by 400-

meter grid pattern.

The rig will then move back to complete selective infill drilling within the Cloud Nine deposit with the aim of increasing confidence in the existing inferred resource in select areas to enable a JORC Indicated or Measured classification.

Potentially expanding Cloud Nine

Latin Resources exploration manager Tony Greenaway said: With the drilling rig back out on site, we are looking forward to the potential of significantly expanding our Cloud Nine Halloysite-Kaolin Deposit.

We are testing a new area that is equal in size to the footprint of the existing Cloud Nine resource, so there is significant potential for resource growth.

We will also be completing some infill drilling within the existing inferred resource, with the aim of better defining some of the known high-grade zones and increasing our confidence levels to enable an upgrade to indicated or measured status.

The company expects the drilling campaign will be completed in early July 2021, followed immediately by the 2nd phase infill drilling, with all composite samples to be dispatched to various specialised laboratories in South Australia for detailed analysis.

Current drilling program at the Noombenberry Kaolin-Halloysite Project, directly north of the initial aircore drilling covering the Cloud Nine Deposit.

Cloud Nine PFS planned

Latin believes that Cloud Nine has the potential to become the single-largest undeveloped Kaolin-Halloysite deposit in Australia, with substantial potential for future growth as the mineralisation is open in all directions.

The Cloud Nine inferred mineral resource of 207 million tonnes of kaolinised granite comprises two separate domains:

123 million tonnes of bright white kaolin-bearing material; and

84 million tonnes of kaolin/halloysite-bearing material.

The company aims to commence technical studies to feed into a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) in the near term, which will consider supply to a range of traditional end-users of kaolin-halloysite.

The PFS will also investigate the potential for downstream marketing of the high-grade halloysite to emerging new applications, including the carbon-capture and hydrogen storage markets.
At the close of the offer period on June 18, 2021, STAM had acceptances for 1,100,532 shares, equivalent to 1.95% of the shareholding of the company, taking its total holding to 28.18%.

The company jad advised shareholders to reject the offer by taking no action.

( ) has advised that the takeover bid by Samuel Terry Asset Management Pty Ltd as trustee for Samuel Terry Absolute Return Active Fund (STAM) has been unsuccessful with the offer period now closed.

At the close of the offer period at 4.10pm on June 18, 2021, STAM had acceptances for 1,100,532 shares, equivalent to 1.95% of the shareholding of the company. This takes STAMs total holding in KPT to 28.18%.

Shares have been as much as 6.19% higher today to $1.115.

Offer undervalued KPT

The board acknowledges the support received from KPT shareholders and looks forward to continuing with its recovery strategy as described in the target statement.

KPT chairman Paul McKenzie said Shareholders have accepted the view of the company board that the offer undervalued KPT and have endorsed the strategy as outlined in the target statement, which identifies the value drivers for the business, focusing on monetising the fire-affected assets to release the full value of the land.

On behalf of my board, I wish to extend our gratitude for the support received, and reaffirm our commitment to working in the interests of all shareholders towards rebuilding the business.

Smith Bay Seaport

Central to the companys strategy to monetise its forestry assets is the proposed seaport at Smith Bay, which is currently subject to a major project planning process that commenced in October 2016 and has run for more than four years.

At the present time, KPT is unable to advise when the responsible minister, the Minister for Planning, may make a decision, nor what that decision may be, as the process is not bound by time or outcome.

In February 2021 KPT commenced sales to mainland customers by SeaLink ferry and in March 2021 the first barge of logs destined for a South Korean customer was dispatched from Kingscote.

The company will continue to use these alternative sites while the approval process for the Smith Bay Seaport remains unresolved.
The company believes it has identified a globally significant, strategic rutile province across its large ground holding in Malawi.

The company recently established a world-class maiden rutile mineral resource estimate for the Kasiya prospect.

( ) ( ) managing director Dr Julian Stephens has demonstrated his faith in the companys rutile and graphite strategy by the exercise of unlisted options.

On June 18 Stephens exercised 2 million 10-cent options and in doing so has increased the number of securities held in an indirect interest to 13.3 million.

Kasiya maiden resource estimate

The company recently established a maiden rutile mineral resource estimate for the Kasiya prospect in Malawi of 644 million tonnes at 1.01% rutile, including a high-grade component of 137 million tonnes at 1.41% rutile.

This major technical milestone makes Kasiya one of the world's largest rutile deposits.

A scoping study is underway to unlock this large-scale natural rutile project with a focus on ESG and sustainability.

Substantial additional resource growth is expected with the maiden estimate covering 49 square kilometres or just 43% of the total 114 square kilometres drill-defined rutile-mineralised footprint.

"A remarkable result"

Stephens said at the time: It is a remarkable result to achieve the maiden JORC mineral resource estimate of this scale, grade and global significance in under 18 months since discovery.

"We believe this maiden resource is just the beginning and expect to upgrade and expand the resource over the coming quarters.

"The company is surging forward with the Kasiya Scoping Study which will target a large-scale natural rutile operation to help address the supply deficit and reduce the titanium industrys environmental footprint.

The rutile market is in supply deficit with prices rising steadily over the last 12 months.

This is due to increased demand coupled with existing global rutile reserves being in overall decline and limited additional supply forecast to come online in the near to medium term.
The companys main focus in the near-term is to accelerate drilling at Gordons Dam, with four rigs set to be operational in July at the prospect.

The company is also focused on exploration across its projects in the Yandal Belt.

Yandal Resources Ltd (ASX:YRL) has an aggressive drilling program planned for its Gordons Dam discovery, 30 kilometres north of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

A total of four rigs will be operational in July at Gordons Dam and the new Malone prospect  as part of the companys planned 100,000 metres of drilling across all of its projects for 2021.

In the near term, the company also expects to release new drilling updates from its Yandal Belt brownfields projects, including the Sims Find prospect.

Yandal is also preparing for investor site visits to Gordons Dam during the upcoming Diggers and Dealers conference in August.

Gordons Gold Project

At Gordons Dam, high-grade oxide and shallow bedrock intercepts from reverse circulation (RC) drilling and diamond drilling demonstrate the enormous potential for a significant gold deposit (targeting a Kanowna Belle style deposit +10 million ounces).

RC intercepts include:

2 metres at 10.83 g/t including 1 metre at 20.68 g/t from 118 metres;

2 metres at 11.10 g/t including 1 metre at 20.41 g/t from 73 metres;

8 metres at 11.03 g/t including 1 metre at 73.12 g/t from 36 metres;

8 metres at 7.47 g/t including 3 metres at 18.31 g/t from 34 metres;

4 metres at 9.48 g/t from 100 metres;

8 metres at 7.33 g/t including 1 metre at 47.69 g/t from 35 metres; and

51 metres at 1.41 g/t including 1 metre at 52.81 g/t from 35 metres.

Bedrock mineralisation has currently intersected over 1.5 kilometres of strike length and remains open within a combined 14 kilometres of target horizons.

Malone prospect

Numerous assay results pending from RC and diamond drilling at the New Malone prospect 500 metres west of Gordons Dam returned highly anomalous aircore (AC) intercepts at or near the bedrock interface including:

5 metres at 1.94 g/t including 1 metre at 8.21 g/t from 65 metres;

4 metres at 1.52 g/t from 83 metres at end-of-hole;

9 metres at 1.39 g/t including 2 metres at 4.73 g/t from 58 metres; and

3 metres at 1.48 g/t from 84 metres at end-of-hole.

The Gordons Dam and Malone targets

Yandal Belt brownfields exploration

The company is also focused on exploration across its projects in the Yandal Belt, where it holds 55 kilometres strike of contiguous mining tenements over the highly prospective Yandal Greenstone Belt (472 square kilometres).

The landholding contains multiple brownfields deposits and prospects 40-70 kilometres from the Jundee, Bronzewing and Wiluna gold plants  where there has been no exploration of major gold-bearing structures for 25 years.

Yandal plans to aggressively drill ineffectively tested areas within about 8 kilometres of known mineralisation to make new discoveries and rapidly add ounces.

Barwidgee Project

New high-grade RC intercepts at Sims Find include:

8 metres at 24.30 g/t including 1 metre at 129 g/t from 9 metres;

3 metres at 20.85 g/t including 1 metre at 62.25 g/t from 30 metres;

5 metres at 6.53 g/t including 1 metre at 30.40 g/t from 17 metres; and

2 metres at 9.06 g/t including 1 metre at 17.90 g/t from 48 metres.

All areas outside of the current Sims Find footprint have received only shallow reconnaissance style exploration drilling that the company considers ineffective in most areas.

The 3,000 metres Phase 1 RC follow-up drilling is complete and assays are pending.

Yandals strategy is to complete downhole televiewer logging on mineralised holes to interpret structure and follow-up with substantial RC and diamond drilling.

Ironstone Well Project

The majority of historic exploration has been focused along the Barwidgee Shear Zone, and the companys strategy is to intensify exploration drilling to test prospective geology in areas where there has been limited effective exploration outside and adjacent to historic deposit areas.

New high-grade RC intercepts at Flinders Park to date include:

14 metres at 4.39 g/t from 45 metres including 1 metre at 42.47 g/t; and

13 metres at 2.90 g/t from 36 metres including 1 metre at 21.05 g/t.

The companys plan at Flushing Meadows (which is more than 2 kilometres long and open at depth) is to drill beneath 250 metres and grow the 268,000-ounce resource.

The Oblique and Quarter Moon prospects are both 1 kilometre long and open with virtually no effective drilling within 4 kilometres.

Drill site preparation is now underway with high-impact drilling to follow.

Initial broad spaced lines for AC to bedrock (~100 metres depth) have commenced with deep RC and diamond drilling to 350 metres to follow.

The company's landholding in the Yandal Belt.

Mt McClure Project

The company has also scheduled deep RC/diamond drilling at its Mt McClure Project, which was historically mined (100,000 ounces).

Significant mineralisation occurs beneath and along strike from all pits with two high priority targets defined with recent drilling at the Sulphur (RC intercepts up to 12.24 g/t) and Parmelia prospects (multiple zones with RC intercepts up to 7.13 g/t).

The drilling is scheduled for July.
It plans to complete an exploration program at Emmie Bluff Deeps and is on track to deliver a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate at the Copper-Cobalt deposit in the second half of 2021.

Coda will be well funded with around $21.5 million cash after the costs of the placement

( ) has received firm commitments for a placement of 12 million shares at $1.20 per share to raise $ 14.4 million before costs, which together with existing cash reserves, will be used to fund an ambitious and fast-paced exploration program at the companys 70%-owned Elizabeth Creek Copper Project in South Australia.

The company plans to complete an exploration program at Emmie Bluff Deeps and is on track to deliver a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate at the Copper-Cobalt deposit in the second half of 2021.

The placement was managed by CPS Capital and was very well supported with bids received exceeding the targeted amount by over 100%.

Next six months transformational for Coda

Coda Minerals chairman Keith Jones said: We are absolutely delighted with the strong support received from the market.

The very high level of interest from investors has translated into a strongly supported $14.4 million placement, which has really set the company up for success.

The proceeds will boost our total cash to $21.5 million, allowing us to progress an ambitious work program including a comprehensive program of deep holes at Emmie Bluff Deeps, resource drilling at the Emmie Bluff copper-cobalt deposit plus an aggressive regional exploration program.

The next six months promises to be a transformational period for Coda shareholders.

Placement details

The issue price of $ 1.20 per share represents a 4.1% discount to the 5-day volume-weighted average price (VWAP), and a 3.7% discount to the 10-day VWAP of the company up to close on 16th June 2021.

Settlement of the placement is expected to occur on 25 June 2021 with allotment to occur on 28 June 2021.

Performance rights

Following completion of all conditions precedent for the River Farmin Agreement, Coda will also issue 250,000 new shares and 500,000 performance rights to Wilgus Investments Pty Ltd on 28 June 2021.

Upon completion of the share issues, the companys issued capital will increase to 97,767,184 shares, with the 12,000,000 new shares issued under the placement representing around 12.3% of the expanded share capital.
It provides a strong cash balance of around $5 million to execute an aggressive exploration program over the Novales-Udias Project, including follow-up drilling at the San Jose Mine.

The company plans to restart the drilling program with contractor discussions in advance stages

( ) has received binding commitments for a placement to raise $4.25 million by issuing 53,125,000 shares at a price of $0.08 per new share.

The placement, which was oversubscribed and well supported by a number of existing shareholders, will introduce several new, high-quality institutional and sophisticated investors, whilst also being well supported by existing significant shareholders of the company, including its managing director Stewart Dickson.

Notable investor interest from North America, UK, Europe and Asia for the placement represents a strong endorsement of Variscans recent zinc-lead discovery and planned follow-up drilling campaign.

Pleased with the outcome

Variscan's MD and chief executive officer Stewart Dickson said: We are pleased with the outcome of the placement that was well supported by existing shareholders and a number of new institutional investors.

The placement received very strong interest with demand exceeding the funds ultimately being sought by the company and utilising available placement capacity in a quickly executed transaction.

With the recent success drilling at the San Jose Mine, we are excited to continue the momentum by accelerating exploration efforts throughout the remainder of 2021.

Aggressive exploration program

The placement will position Variscan with a strong cash balance of around $5 million to execute an aggressive exploration program over the Novales-Udias Project, including follow-up drilling at the San Jose Mine and drilling high priority targets on the highly prospective surrounding Buenahora licence area.

The drilling program is set to re-start shortly with contractor discussions well advanced and assay results from an additional 30 drill holes expected in the coming weeks with occurrences of visible zinc mineralization from logging noted.

Placement details

The issue price of $0.08 represents a 14.8% discount to Variscans last closing price of $0.094 per share on June 16, 2021, a 13.9% discount to the 15-day VWAP of $0.093 per share.

The company will issue 31,201,798 shares using the companys existing 15% placement capacity in accordance with Listing Rule 7.1 while 21,298,202 shares will be issued under the companys existing 10% placement capacity in accordance with Listing Rule 7.1A.

The balance of 625,000 shares for $50,000 will be taken up by an entity associated with managing director Dickson, subject to shareholder approval.

New shares issued under the placement will rank equally with existing shares on issue.

Settlement of the first tranche of the placement is scheduled to occur on June 25, 2021, with the issue and trading of new shares expected to start on 28 June 2021.

acted as lead manager to the placement.

Looking ahead

The companys immediate focus is progressing with the following key activities:

Receiving and interpreting assay results from drilling at the SouthWest Zone of the San Jose Mine;

Mapping and sampling of surface drill targets over the Buenahora license area;

Surface drilling permitting application pending;

Surface and/or follow-up underground drilling in Q3 2021; and

Mapping and sampling of drill targets over the Guajaraz Project in Castilla La Mancha.

A notice of the general meeting will be circulated in due course.
Holista CollTech (ASX:HCT) is a biotechnology company that develops natural ingredients and wellness products. It is the only company producing sheep (ovine) collagen for cosmetic and biomedical applications.

Holista Colltech receives maiden order for SARS-CoV-2 test kits from Malaysia

Holista CollTech Ltd (ASX:HCT) has received permission from the Medical Devices Authority (MDA) of Malaysia to import and distribute an antigen-based SARS-CoV-2 rapid test kit (RTK-AG) developed and manufactured by Guangdong Hecin Scientific Inc. of China.

The company will distribute the kit in Malaysia through its long-term partner, Zuellig Pharma, with strict adherence to conditions imposed by the MDA.

With the approval, the company has already secured an initial order for 15,000 units worth $95,000 in Malaysia.



Special access to import kits

MDA has stipulated that Holista can import up to 45,000 units of the antigen rapid test kits to Malaysia within the first three months of the permission for importing medical devices under the Medical Device (Exemption) Order dated June 14, 2021.

The first 15,000 units will be shipped by the end of June 2021, and the order marks the first commercial transaction of SARS-CoV-2 test kits by the company.

These test kits will be used to detect the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 viral antigen from nasal swabs within 15 minutes.

It is for screening purposes by healthcare professionals and not the sole basis for diagnosis and exclusion decisions.

The maiden order was from Klinik Mutiara, part of Amegajaya Sdn Bhd, a medical consultancy that works closely with Malaysia's Ministry of Health and related agencies.
The acquisition gives Valens a significant presence in the largest cannabinoid market in the world, representing a big step in its international expansion strategy and furthering its vision of becoming a global manufacturer of cannabis consumer packaged goods

Valens expects to launch Green Roads products in the Canadian market in the second half of fiscal 202

Inc. ( ) ( ) (FRA:7LV) has announced that it has closed its acquisition of US company Green Roads, as well as its manufacturing subsidiary as it expands its business globally.

Valens, a leading manufacturer of cannabis products, will pay US$40 million for Green Roads, plus up to an additional US$20 million in contingent consideration payable upon the purchased business achieving certain profit milestones. If all the milestones are met, the transaction represents around 4.5x 2022 earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA).

Following the acquisition, Valens said it has a significant presence in the largest cannabinoid market in the world, representing a big step in its international expansion strategy and furthering its vision of becoming a global manufacturer of cannabis consumer packaged goods. Buying Green Roads gives it direct entry into the US market with a trusted and leading CBD health and wellness brand, an established manufacturing and distribution platform with a global reach, highly experienced leadership team with a strong knowledge of the US consumer landscape. and a proven track record in cannabis consumer packaged goods manufacturing.

Valens said it also strengthened its position in the Canadian market with an expanded offering through the introduction of various CBD products from Green Roads. It expects to launch Green Roads products in the Canadian market in the second half of fiscal 2021.

Valens' entry into the US market is anticipated to open global distribution opportunities, with Green Roads and Valens-manufactured products collectively already sold in over 11 countries in several formats. The company is currently engaged in late-stage discussions regarding various international distribution opportunities in Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe.

"We expect to realize strong synergies and to aggressively pursue various strategic opportunities that are now available to our combined business through this transaction, including expanding the distribution of our ever-growing product offerings overseas and further disrupting the North American market with innovative cannabis products," Valens CEO, co-founder and chair Tyler Robson said in a statement.

"The combination of Valens and Green Roads makes for an unbeatable team, diversified distribution network, and unparalleled product development and manufacturing platform, which we expect will provide us the footprint to become one of the biggest players in the global cannabis health and wellness market."

Valens provides proprietary cannabis processing services across five core technologies, in addition to best-in-class product development, formulation and manufacturing of cannabis consumer packaged goods.

Contact the author: stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com
Leal has been with HempFusion since July 2019 and has been helping in every aspect of the companys financial reporting

Bruce Valentine stepped down as HempFusion's CFO on June 16, 2021, due to the unexpected passing of his mother and the resulting duties that ensued

Wellness Inc ( ) ( ) (FRA:8OO), a top CBD and probiotic supplements company, said it has promoted Maria Leal, the companys VP and controller, to interim chief financial officer (CFO).

Leal holds a CPA and an MBA and has a strong track record in financial management having served in various senior financial accounting positions during her more than 20-year career. Leal has been with HempFusion since July 2019 and has been helping in every aspect of the companys financial reporting.

The Denver, Colorado-based health and wellness company thanked Bruce Valentine for his service to HempFusion. Valentine stepped down as CFO on June 16, 2021, due to the unexpected passing of his mother and the resulting duties that ensued.

On behalf of the company and the employees of HempFusion, we send our deepest condolences to Bruce and his family for their loss, HempFusion co-founder and CEO Jason Mitchell said in a statement.

I would like to thank Bruce for his contributions to the company. The board has begun a process to appoint a successor to Valentine and a further announcement will be made in due course. In the meantime, the board has full confidence that Ms Leal will succeed in shepherding HempFusions finance and accounting functions.

Mitchell noted that Leal has been an integral part of the development and implementation of HempFusions financial planning and accounting functions over the past several years.

HempFusion Wellness enjoys high visibility as its family of brands  HempFusion, Probulin Probiotics, Biome Research, and HF Labs  are widely distributed to some 4,000 retailers spread across the US and international locations.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
The company has mobilized seven drill rigs, which will cover extensive silver-gold vein systems over a combined 75m strike length on the Plomosas, San Marcial and La Trinidad areas

GR Silver told investors that its focus is now turning to silver- and gold-rich veins that have seen little to no exploration activity"

Ltd ( ) (OTCQB:GRLSF) (FRA:GPE) has kicked off a 14,000-metres (m) drill program on its silver properties in the Rosaria Mining District of Mexico to test new prospective high-grade veins.

The company said it had mobilized seven drill rigs for the program, which will cover extensive silver-gold vein systems over a combined 75m strike length on the Plomosas, San Marcial and La Trinidad areas in the state of Sinaloa.

Vancouver-based GR Silver recently wrapped up drill programs at the Plomosas and San Juan areas within the wider Plomosas Silver Project.

In a statement, GR Silver told investors that its focus is now turning to silver- and gold-rich veins that have seen little to no exploration activity, including untested targets first identified through the companys mapping and prospecting teams.

Two drill rigs have started turning at the gold-rich epithermal mineralization in the Plomosas South to provide step-out extension potential to the resource estimate that is currently in the works on the Plomosas Mine Area, according to the company.

Among the new areas to be drilled is the GAP Area system, which connects the San Marcial and San Juan areas, and the Loma Dorada structure, where GR Silver recently revealed high-grade results, including 0.65m at 10,777 grams per ton (g/t) silver equivalent.

"With the mobilization of seven rigs, we can now begin to test new Ag-Au [silver-gold] vein targets that we have had our eyes on for some time, GR Silvers vice president of exploration Honza Catchpole told shareholders.

Our goal is to test a series of new project drill sites that can prove we are dealing with an expansive silver- and gold-rich system of veins and hydrothermal breccias. Additionally, we aim to connect the proven mineralized structures of the Plomosas and San Marcial Projects by filling the geological gaps in places where we have already mapped important vein structures on surface.

Catchpole added that the firm expects the drilling program to significantly expand the strike length of our vein system in the key structural trends.

The 6,574-hectare Plomosas project houses a historical lead-zinc-silver-gold underground mine that produced around 8 million ounces of silver, 73 million pounds of lead and 28 million pounds of zinc.

Contact Angela at angela@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas
Starting in Mexico, sales of SekurMessenger will expand to other Latin American countries as the business grows

GlobeX expects to generate yearly gross sales of US$1.5 million annually by the end of 2022 for SekurMessenger

Ltd ( ) ( ) (FRA:GDT) has officially started the commercial launch of SekurMessenger -- its Swiss-hosted messaging security and privacy solution -- in Latin America.

The company in January had announced it would be launching SekurMessenger, which offers encrypted instant messaging, secure voice recording transfer, and secure file transfer, with America Movi's Telcel mobile operator in Mexico.

GlobeX said the secure messaging service has been fully integrated with Telcel's billing and provisioning platform and the company has performed sales training to Telcel's corporate sales managers and is already receiving requests for the solution.

GlobeX is now moving towards training Telcel's vast distributors' network throughout Mexico City first and nationwide in the next six months. Telcel independent distributors generate over 70% of mobile phone line sales in Mexico for Telcel.

The company said sales of SekurMessenger will start first in Mexico and expand to other countries where America Movi operates through its Claro brand, such as Colombia and other Latin American countries as the business grows over the coming years. GlobeX estimates that sales to other Latin American countries served by the Claro brand will start in the second half of 2022.

Telcel is the largest mobile operator in Mexico, with over 75 million mobile subscribers. America Movil (NYSE:AMX) is the seventh-largest telecom operator in the world with over 277 million mobile subscribers in over 20 countries throughout Latin America and Europe.

GlobeX said it expects to generate yearly gross sales of US$1.5 million per year by the end of 2022 for SekurMessenger, with an increase of 50% for 2023 in Mexico alone.

Sales in Colombia and Panama through cybersecurity distributor Micronet are planned to start no later than the first quarter of 2022, the company added.

Recent data breaches

Meanwhile, GlobeX said that recent data breaches in messaging applications and in particular in the WhatsApp application have created a certain urgency for businesses and data privacy advocates to protect their communications from cyber-attacks and identity theft via mobile and desktop devices.

There is a growing demand to replace WhatsApp as a business messaging solution in Mexico, and in the world in general, and SekurMessenger is here to satisfy that demand," said Globex CEO Alain Ghian in a statement.

We are also excited to expand to other countries of Central and Latin America in the coming years, as we plan to launch with other partners in the region as well. With security and privacy becoming a global concern, and the new WhatsApp rules to share all users' data with Facebook, we have seen a surge in demand and inquiries for our secure and private communications solutions."

Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham
The study shows the company's Advanced Oxidation System (AOS) generates less disinfection by-products than common wastewater treatment technologies

Dr Greg Goss, the paper's author described BioLargo's AOS as 'a major technical breakthrough for the treatment of micropollutants'

BioLargo Inc ( ) has announced the publication of a peer-reviewed scientific paper that confirms the safety of water treated by its Advanced Oxidation System (AOS), an energy-efficient industrial water disinfection technology.

The Westminster, California-based company said the paper, which focused on quantifying the disinfection by-products generated by the AOS, represents a critical milestone in the commercialization of the companys innovative water treatment technology.

BioLargo noted that its ground-breaking AOS technology provides high-level disinfection and consumes less electricity than competing technologies such as UV and ozone-based systems. Significantly, the AOS removes pharmaceutical micropollutants from water to provide added value across diverse water treatment applications, including municipal wastewater treatment.

READ: BioLargo says PFAS toxic chemicals solution hits major technical milestone, paving way for commercial trials

The study, led by the laboratory of Dr Susana Kimura-Hara at the University of Calgary, assessed the disinfection by-products (DBPs) generated by the companys AOS. The paper concluded that the levels of DBPs generated by the AOS were comparable to those found in ordinary tap water, said the company.

As all water treatment technologies generate DBPs, the quantity and relative safety of disinfection byproducts generated by a given water treatment technology is an important consideration for customers deciding which technology to select for their needs, BioLargo noted.

The results of this study, therefore, represent a key milestone for the AOS, which has a municipal wastewater treatment demonstration pilot underway near Montreal, Quebec, and is currently being readied for commercial trials, it added.

The study corroborates the results of another peer-reviewed paper published earlier this year that showed the AOS does not increase the toxicity of treated water. Notably, that study also showed the AOS to be capable of negating the negative effects of two hard-to-treat micropollutants.

Dr Greg Goss, the new paper's author described the AOS as "a major technical breakthrough for the treatment of micropollutants."

The BioLargo Water Division has designed the Advanced Oxidation System, to eliminate waterborne pathogens and recalcitrant contaminants with better energy-efficiency and lower operational costs than current technologies.

The company is also developing its Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator (AEC), which eliminates a toxic soup of chemicals from water. The chemicals, resistant to breaking down in the environment, are known as per and fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. According to media reports, some have been linked to cancers, liver damage, low birth weight and other health problems.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
The company is now moving forward with the initial planning and negotiations for a follow-up Phase 2 study testing Ampligen as a potential broad-spectrum respiratory virus prophylaxis

A total of 40 healthy subjects received either Ampligen or a placebo in the trial

(NYSEAMERICAN:AIM) has announced that all subjects have completed treatment in the Phase 1 clinical study to assess the safety, tolerability, and biological activity of its flagship drug Ampligen as a potential intranasal therapy.

The Ocala, Florida-based immuno-pharma company said a final study report is expected in the third quarter of 2021.

A total of 40 healthy subjects received either Ampligen or a placebo in the trial, with the Ampligen given at four escalating dosages across four cohorts, to a maximum level of 1,250 micrograms. The study reported no severe adverse events at any dosage level.

Ampligen has already been featured in a publication containing state-of-the-art methodologies in the peer-reviewed medical journal "Cancers" as a potential treatment option for cancer patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. The studys authors stated that Ampligen has the potential to reduce the severity of the coronavirus (COVID-19), which has so far caused more than 3.7 million deaths globally. Unlike other drugs tailored to combat specific diseases, AIM said Ampligen targets and amplifies the natural immune system pathways that fight viruses.

"With these positive preliminary results in hand, the company is now moving forward with the initial planning and negotiations for a follow-up Phase 2 study testing Ampligen as a potential broad-spectrum respiratory virus prophylaxis," AIM said in a statement.

"This Phase 2 study will test this proposition in humans. A successful Phase 2 study could also establish Ampligen as a potential prophylaxis against future viral variants and future novel respiratory viruses for which there are no current therapies."

AIM said an Ampligen prophylaxis could potentially benefit vulnerable populations who are at increased risk of transmission due to their environments, such as hospital workers; people on cruises, cargo or military ships; people on commercial airplanes; and service personnel in close quarters on military installations.

AIM is an immuno-pharma company focused on the research and development of therapeutics to treat multiple types of cancers, immune disorders, and viral diseases, including COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Contact the author: stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com
North Arrow Minerals (CVE: NAR) CEO Ken Armstrong joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share details the company is starting a 5.6 million dollar bulk sampling program at the Naujaat Diamond Project in Nunavut. That program, which will be funded by partner Burgundy Diamond Mines, will last through the end of August collecting up to 2,000 tonnes from the Q1-4 kimberlite.

Armstrong telling Proactive the sample will be shipped south in September, with processing and diamond recovery expected to start in Q4 2021.
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Bankruptcy case of Russian restaurateur Beloivan set for mid-August

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

10:38 21/06/2021

MOSCOW, June 21 (RAPSI)  The Moscow Commercial Court has scheduled consideration of a claim for bankruptcy of the owner of Tavern Taras Bulba restaurant chain Yury Beloivan, put on the international wanted list in a tax evasion case, for August 16, according to court records.

This March, the Moscow City Court upheld the issuance of an arrest warrant against Beloivan, who stands charged with evading 57 million rubles in taxes (about $775,000).

The ruling was issued by the Presnensky District Court of Moscow in late February. According to it, the defendant is to be placed in detention for two months after his actual arrest.

A case over concealing financial assets determined to be the source of payment of tax arrears was opened against him in February 2020. Following that, the defendant repeatedly failed to respond to calls for questioning. In July 2020, Russias Investigative Committee put Beloivan on the federal wanted list.

Investigators believe that in 2014 through 2015 probes into Zolotoy Rassvet company managing Beloivans restaurants, among them Tavern Taras Bulba chain, conducted by a tax authority, revealed tax arrears amounting to 57 million rubles ($775,000); in order to avoid this payment the defendant liquidated the said managing company transferring respective operations to a new company Lider K.

In July 2019, Moscows Basmanny District Court passed a 2-year prison sentence on Beloivan for tax evasion amounting to over 650 million rubles (about $9 million at the current exchange rate). Later in the year, the Moscow City Court reduced his sentence from 24 to 21 months. In early November 2019, Moscows Preobrazhensky District Court released him from serving sentence because of his illness.




Alleged organizer of group of death put in detention

 Moskva city news agency

12:16 21/06/2021

MOSCOW, June 21 (RAPSI)  A court has ordered detention of a resident of the Stavropol Region charged with organizing so-called online groups of death and death of two teenagers, RAPSI has learnt from the Investigative Committees press service.

Investigators believe the 19-year loca resident is involved in the death of two minors who were the members of his groups of death in one of the messengers. Ordered by the defendant the teens carried out devious tasks and died on a railway in the Lipetsk Region.

Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin demanded thorough investigation into the alleged organizer of the group of death.
Russias Human Rights Council member criticizes Ukrainian law on indigenous peoples

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

15:59 21/06/2021

MOSCOW, June 21 (RAPSI)  The draft law on the indigenous peoples of Ukraine is a tool for playing the Crimean card in the international arena, member of the Russian Presidential Human Rights Council, chairman of the NOM Association Alexander Brod has observed.

When interviewed by RAPSI, the human rights activist reminded that since the adoption of the first post-Soviet version of the Ukrainian Constitution in June 1996, the concept of "indigenous peoples" has appeared in the legal framework of this country. Thus, the rights thereof, as well as the need for the adoption of special legal acts taking into account relevant international standards were mentioned in this document. Nevertheless, Brod noted, no practical steps to adopt the respective laws had been taken despite repeated appeals from the OSCE and international human rights organizations.

One of the major challenges for developing protection mechanisms for indigenous peoples is the lack of a clear definition thereof, since there is no any unambiguous definition in international law, Brod said. Thus, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by a General Assembly resolution in 2007, contains 48 paragraphs, which spell out the rights of indigenous peoples in detail. However, the very concept of indigenous peoples is absent from the document. Legal scholars have pointed out this legal uncertainty in their writings. It was also emphasized that, in fact, the problem of indigenous peoples was traditionally interpreted in the context of decolonization. As such were defined those ethnic and racial communities that lived in a particular territory, as autochthons, but then were subjected to pressure from the colonialists (assimilation policy, repression, deportation). This understanding was present in various comments of experts and UN officials, but in the end was not included in the Declaration of September 13, 2007, the human rights activist said.

The rights activist noted that it was in this context that the Ukrainian authorities considered the problem of indigenous peoples until 2014. Before the tragic events of the Euromaidan, they had been in no hurry to introduce this issue in the legislation. For two decades, the OSCE recommended Kiev to adopt an act recognizing the Crimean Tatars as an indigenous people. But the Ukrainian authorities were in no hurry with this. However, they were also careful in resolving other issues, whether it was the rehabilitation of the Crimean Tatars who suffered from Stalin's deportation or the legitimization of the Kurultai, which claimed to express the opinion of the entire Crimean Tatar community of the country. In the same Kurultai, which declared back in 1991 an independent Crimean Tatar statehood, the authorities saw a separatist threat, Brod said.

According to the Human Rights Council member, the situation changed dramatically in February-March 2014, when Kiev faced efforts of self-determination and becoming a part of Russia on the part of the population of the Crimean peninsula. He reminded that then the Kurultai and the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people became strategic allies of the new Ukrainian authorities. Those began to promoted these organizations almost as the only representatives of the opinion of all Crimean Tatars, although in reality, until 2014, and after the accession of the peninsula to Russia, various public organizations of the Crimean Tatars operated on its territory. At the same time, many leaders of this movement were integrated into the power structures of two new subjects within Russia, and the language of the Crimean Tatars became the third state language in the Russian Crimea. But the authorities of post-Maidan Ukraine and their Western allies prefer not to see this diversity, reducing the entire problem of the Crimean Tatars to the activities of the Mejlis, Brod noted. According to him, it is significant that the very introduction of the bill on the indigenous peoples of Ukraine to the Verkhovna Rada was made by President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 18 of this year, on the Day of Remembrance of the deportations of the peoples of Crimea. However, in the text of the law, only the Crimean Tatars, Karaites and Krymchaks were defined as indigenous peoples, although among the victims of Stalin's deportations there were also Armenians, Bulgarians, Greeks who had lived on the peninsula until May 1944. There is an attempt to use the concept of "indigenous peoples" (which in international law is tied to the processes of colonization-decolonization) to promote the anti-Russian Crimean discourse on the world stage, in which the Mejlis and Kurultay will be portrayed as spokespersons for the "indigenous people" of Ukraine, which are being discriminated by Russia and protected against this discrimination by Kiev. This plan is a simple one as it seeks to play on the feelings of the Crimean Tatars, to equate the crimes of the Stalinist regime with the so-called "Russian occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol." To advance this goal, the so-called "Crimean Platform" should be convened in August 2021; in its framework representatives of thirty countries should condemn Moscow for "annexation and occupation, Brod stressed.

The human rights activist also reminded that today representatives of Kiev say that the text of the bill has nothing to do with discriminatory practices and fully complies with all UN standards. However, on the example of the peoples of Crimea, we already see their division into first and second grade. After all, the Greeks, Bulgarians and Armenians have the right to "roots" on the peninsula no less than the Crimean Tatars. But the most important thing is the key definition of the bill. According to its text, only that an autochthonous ethnic community, which has formed on the territory of Ukraine, is a bearer of a distinctive language and culture, has traditional, social, cultural or representative bodies, considers itself an indigenous people of Ukraine, is an ethnic minority in the country and does not have its own sovereign state outside Ukraine. As a result, only the Crimean Tatars, Krymchaks and Karaites fell under this definition, Brod explained.

He also noted that in the 2007 UN Declaration such restrictions as the presence or absence of "one's own state" are not spelled out. Moreover, the residents of Crimea, about whom the representatives of the Kiev authorities, including the Crimean Tatars, are concerned, now have Russian passports. And, therefore, they are not citizens of Ukraine. Their participation in the social and political life of Crimea and Sevastopol as part of Russia is completely ignored. On the other hand, Article 7 of the draft law states that the indigenous peoples of Ukraine, through their representative bodies, have the right to determine priorities and develop strategies to realize their right to development. This right includes participation in the development and implementation of state and regional programs, as well as other strategic and program documents on the basis of free, prior and informed consent on issues related to the rights and legitimate interests of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine, as well as the integration processes of Ukrainian society. Again, there is an identification of the entire Crimean Tartar people with the Kurultai and the Mejlis, which Kiev, without any election procedures, recognized as the spokespersons for the interests of the "indigenous groups", Brod emphasized.

As the Human Rights Council member noted, at the same time, not a single ethnic minority on the territory of Ukraine is mentioned in the draft law in spite of the fact that, for instance, in the Beregovsky district of the Transcarpathian region of the country, the Hungarians make up 43% of the district's population. According to the 2001 census, there were 258.6 thousand Moldovans, 151 thousand Romanians, 144 thousand Poles in Ukraine. Even if the thesis that small ethnic groups are indigenous peoples is to be accepted, then all the representatives of different peoples listed above were formed in Ukraine and did not know another homeland. However, they did not fall under the definition of "indigenous peoples", just as the Transcarpathian Rusyns, who have their own identity, did not fall into this category, Brod said.

According to him, in Ukraine there is no special law that would determine the legal status of indigenous peoples of Ukraine and establish clear guarantees for the realization of their right to self-determination. On the contrary, the proposed project directly contradicts the interpretations of the UN. No less indicative are the predictions given by the authors of the project that the adoption of this act will allow the indigenous peoples of Ukraine to fully enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms defined by the norms of international law, as well as provided for in the Constitution and laws of Ukraine." It is not an idle question to what extent the division of the population into privileged and second-class people can help to promote high standards in the field of human rights, Brod said.

The human rights activist stressed that the central issue of the current discussion is the absence of the Russians among the "indigenous peoples" of Ukraine. Brod noted that the answer is easy to get if one turns to the above-mentioned UN declaration. Thus, Article 2 of the document states that indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal to all other peoples and individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination, in the exercise of their rights, in particular that based on their indigenous origin or identity. Even more eloquent is Article 3: Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development." By adopting these norms, the authorities in Kiev will be forced to recognize the right of the Crimeans (including the Crimean Tatars) to express their will regarding the status of the peninsula, the right of Donbass residents to protect their cultural and linguistic rights (from the first days of the confrontation in southeastern Ukraine, opponents of the Euromaidan positioned themselves as supporters of federalization, not separatists). In the current conditions, these realities are unacceptable for the Ukrainian authorities. And therefore they give their own original interpretations of the concept of indigenous peoples, taking advantage of the existing legal inaccuracy in the definition of this phenomenon itself, Brod observed. Also, the second paragraph of Article 3 of the draft law states that indigenous peoples have the right to equal legal protection. Any discrimination against the indigenous peoples of Ukraine in the exercise of their rights is prohibited. However, why in this case Kiev singles out only three groups out of all the ethnic diversity of Ukraine, and in fact promotes a number of loyal socio-political structures? Discrimination against the Russians in Ukraine continues as exemplified by restrictions on education in Russian, rabid anti-Russian rhetoric, insult to WWII veterans, not to mention the shelling of Donbass, as a result of which civilians are killed and civilian objects are destroyed, the Human Rights Council member stressed.

According to Brod, the draft law on indigenous peoples is nothing more than a tool for playing the Crimean card in the international arena. Kiev, under both Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, refrains from making contact with representatives of the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass. And thus there is a slowdown in the peace process, negotiations are not substantively conducted. In these conditions, it is important to turn the attention of the world community to Crimea, to present the position of Kiev as a defender of "small indigenous peoples" from the "Russian occupation", and also to provoke interethnic contradictions on the peninsula. This project has nothing to do with the rights of ethnic minorities inside Ukraine, the human rights activist concluded.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
While new state Congress chief, K. Sudhakaran has opened up against his old foe, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan now faces an outburst from former CPI-M leader from his home Pinarayi village in Kannur district, Pandayala Shaji, who calls him a "gangster".

Shaji is son of Pandya Gopalan, the volunteer 'captain' of the undivided Communist Party in the state which was formed at Parappuram in Pinarayi village in 1939 in presence of legends like E.M.S. Namboodiripad, A.K. Gopalan, N.E. Balram and P. KrishnaPillai.

Vijayan was the most trusted disciple of Pandyala Gopalan Master but Shaji had differences of opinion with Vijayan and he left the party to join the Communist Marxist Party.

In an interview with IANS, he sought to show how Vijayan had long displayed "dictatorial tendencies" and why he left the party.

A leader of the Student Federation of India (SFI) and one of the party's foremost orators, Shaji left after he assaulted by alleged CPI-M goons when his father was presiding over a public meeting at Thalassery in which the main speaker was Vijayan.

Following are excepts of the interview.

Q: Your father, late Pandiyala Gopalan Master, was a founder leader of the Communist party in the country and one of the towering leaders of the Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) after it was formed in 1964. Why then you are against the party?

A: I cannot tolerate with the dictatorship politics in the CP1-M practiced by Pinarayi Vijayan and I became an eyesore to him after I led a public programme in Thalassery town in which I shouted slogans against Vijayan owing to differences of opinion related to the job of certain private college teachers.

I was with the teachers who were to lose their jobs when the institution where they were teaching was being taken over by an educational cooperative society in Pinarayi town. Vijayan was for expelling the teachers and taking over the institution and starting it afresh. This led to a difference of opinion and it reached the streets wherein I led a procession and shouted slogans against Vijayan. This was one issue Vijayan could not forget as he is a person who will never tolerate criticisms even from the son of his mentor and political leader, Pandiyala Gopalan Master.

Q: You were attacked when your father was presiding over a public programme of the CPI-M in Thalassery. What was the reason for the attack?

A: I was almost killed and am still living with multiple injuries. My hand was broken in four places and my leg was smashed with iron rods and pipes. I left the CPI-M when the party split and the dynamic political leader and another Guru of Pinarayi Vijayan, the late M.V. Raghavan (MVR)formed the Communist Marxist Party (CMP). I joined with MVR and his fledgling political outfit, CMP and we faced violent opposition throughout Kerala with special emphasis in my home district Kannur.

Vijayan was the CPI-M district Secretary in Kannur those days and I was his neighbour. My father was still continuing with the party and one evening while my father was presiding over a public program on February 11, 1992 at Thalassery town, in which Vijayan was the major speaker, I was assaulted by known CPI-M criminals in my home town at around 6.30 pm. Roads on the two sides were blocked by the CPI-M men who has a brutal majority in that town and I was hit. No one dared to touch me and no vehicles were allowed.

Later a group of Congress leaders who had come to know of this came and picked me up and I was admitted at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Karnataka. I had to undergo treatment for one year and three months there so that I could stand up... the attack was that brutal and I am still suffering from it. It was totally the handiwork of Pinarayi Vijayan.

Q: Were you an office bearer of CPI-M before you joined CMP?

A: I was the unit secretary of the Student Federation of India, at Thalassery Christ College which had 10,000 students. I was the unit secretary of the largest SFI unit in the state and hence I was close to all the SFI leaders across the state. More than that, I was a party member and SFI district committee member. Later I left the party sacrificing all the benefits that I could have accrued given the proximity our family had with Vijayan. I could not stand the dictatorial trends of Pinarayi Vijayan even during my college days as he would never allow any else to speak against his opinion even within the party. There was no inner-party democracy in the CPI-M and Vijayan is never a communist. For someone to be a communist he should have care and love for others which sadly he does not have.

Q: You have termed Pinarayi Vijayan as a gangster rather than a political leader, why?

A: Everyone in Kannur district knows who Vijayan is. He is thriving on the strength of the party which is carrying on not because of any ideology but due to the capital it has. It has several institutions, huge money, and several assets and hence people get employment, children get jobs, and admission in party-run schools, colleges, and the party have their own cooperative banks. These banks and the lure of jobs are that big, people even though they want to leave the dictatorship will not as everything in one's life is dependent on the party. Other than the attack on me, Vijayan had planned, conspired, and executed several murders in Kannur district on his political opponents and his tenure as CPI-M Kannur district secretary saw several violent political attacks in Kannur district.
"Congress Partys position, reiterated yesterday, that full Statehood must be restored to J&K should clear any doubt or ambiguity. What was made under the Constitution cannot be unmade by an Act of Parliament misinterpreting and misusing the provisions of the Constitution," Chidambaram said in first of his series of tweets on the matter.

He also recalled that several cases challenging Centre's move have been pending in the Supreme Court. "Please remember that the dismembering of J&K has been challenged in the Supreme Court and the cases are pending for nearly two years," the Congress leader said.

"In the monsoon session, Parliament should repeal the offending laws and restore the status quo ante in J&K That is the only way to draw the starting line for a political resolution of the Kashmir issue," he added.

Congress Partys position, reiterated yesterday, that full Statehood must be restored to J&K should clear any doubt or ambiguity



What was made under the Constitution cannot be unmade by an Act of Parliament misinterpreting and misusing the provisions of the Constitution  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) June 21, 2021

Chidambaram further asserted that the rights and wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir must be respected.

His remarks came after invitations were sent out to 14 political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir, including four former chief ministers, for participation in a high-level meeting to be chaired by PM Narendra Modi at his residence here at 3 PM on June 24.

The meeting is expected to set the road map for holding assembly elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Congress, which was targeting the right-wing leaders over the alleged scam in purchase of land for the Ram temple trust, has now landed in a major controversy itself.

State Congress media convenor Lalan Kumar has been caught in the donation controversy.

In a donation appeal, published as an advertisement in a local newspaper, Lalan Kumar has put photographs of party interim president Sonia Gandhi, MP Rahul Gandhi, state in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and state president Ajay Kumar Lallu.

He has appealed for donations in his personal account, for providing aid to corona victims under the campaign named 'Madad Hamari Pahal'.

Lalan Kumar has asked for donations from the general public for the sanitization drive, ration for every household and for helping everyone.

A party worker called up Lalan Kumar and raised a strong objection to taking money in his personal account. The audio of the conversation has gone viral on social media.

Lalan Kumar is preparing to contest elections from Bakshi Ka Talab Assembly constituency. He has been active in the area since the past several months and keeps posting photographs of his social work in the area.

While Lalan Kumar insists that he has done no wrong and is merely following the party's diktat of helping the needy. "Efforts have been started to raise funds only at the behest of the people. Every penny received in donation will be given to the donor," he said.

The state Congress, however, has taken serious note of the controversy.

Congress media department chairman Naseemuddin Siddiqui said that the party did not allow this and it is a personal matter of Lalan Kumar. He said that Lalan Kumar should not have used the party's name for this.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Disciplinary Committee member Ajay Rai said that the practice was wrong and no leader can ask for donations in a personal account in the name of the party.

"The matter has just come to my notice. This will be discussed in the party," he said.
A day after a Shiv Sena legislator wrote a damning letter urging the leadership to patch up with BJP, the party has distanced itself from his suggestions, while the Congress has assured that there is "no threat" to the Maha Vikas Aghadi government headed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, here on Monday.

The letter to Thackeray, recently sent by Pratap Sarnaik, MLA from Thane's Ovala-Majiwada constituency - who along with his family is facing the heat of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) since the past 7 months - demands the Shiv Sena should hug the BJP for the benefit of the party.

The beleaguered Sarnaik pointed out how he and other Sena leaders like minister Anil Parab and ex-minister Ravindra Waikar plus their families were being hounded by several central investigation agencies, but if Sena-BJP come together, they will be spared of the harassment.

Interestingly, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis dismissed it as the Sena's internal matter and claimed the party was not interested in tying up with its ex-ally, but union minister of state Ramdas Athawale again prodded the Sena to return to the BJP fold.

Rushing to sympathise with Sarnaik, Congress state Spokesperson Sachin Sawant said that from the letter's content, it is clear the kind of mental tortures he is being subjected to by the Central agencies.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is blatantly misusing the probe agencies to destabilize the MVA government. The BJP is stooping so low to grab power by any means," Sawant said sharply.

Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavlamban Mission (VNSSM) President Kishore Tiwari - accorded a MoS status - warned that this could be a conspiracy by the BJP to derail the MVA government since Thackeray is now poised to assume 'a big role in central politics'.

"The BJP is worried with regional parties becoming strong in so many states like Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and recently in West Bengal. They apprehend a serious challenge to Modi from these regional leaders," Tiwari pointed out.

Sarnaik's letter came a day after Thackeray - while reacting to Congress President Nana Patole and Mumbai chief Bhai Jagtap's clamour for going along in the upcoming civic elections due in the first quarter of 2022 - said without mincing words that people would "beat with chappals" those who talk of solo politics without working for solutions to people's problems.
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/20/2021 -- According to the new market research report "Aircraft Filters Market by Aircraft Type (Fixed Wing, Rotary Wing, UAV), Sales Channel (OEM, Aftermarket), Type (Fluid, Air), Application (Engine, Hydraulic System, Avionics, Cabin, Pneumatic system), Material, Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Aircraft Filters Market size is projected to grow from USD 823 million in 2021 to USD 1,002 million by 2026, at a CAGR of 4.0% from 2021 to 2026. The market is driven by various factors, such as increase in aircraft renewals and aircraft deliveries.



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The aircraft filters market includes major players Parker Hannifin Corporation (US), Donaldson Inc. (US), Safran (France), Porvair PLC (UK), and Freudenberg & Co.KG (Germany). These players have spread their business across various countries includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. COVID-19 has impacted their businesses as well. Industry experts believe that COVID-19 has affected aircraft filters production and services by 710% globally in 2020.



Importance of hydraulic fluids in lubrication system will drive the demand for hydraulic system segment



The hydraulic system segment is expected to be the largest market by value. Hydraulic fluids play a crucial role in aircraft systems for lubrication, creating an energy transmission channel as well as providing a means for heat transfer. Most hydraulic system failures are caused due to contamination within the systems. These systems cannot perform if any of their functions are compromised. Contamination can lead to losses by way of high maintenance costs, increased downtime, and high replacement costs. The purpose of hydraulic filters is twofold: to keep the oil clean and to reduce on-going maintenance costs. Hydraulic filters will always play a crucial role in aircraft and aircraft systems since they are required in all functions like landing and takeoff gear systems, braking systems, wings, etc. Hence, even when electric aircraft become prominent, hydraulics would be a necessary part of their aircraft systems. The future of the aircraft filters market is based on the performance of this segment.



The air filter segment is projected to witness a higher CAGR during the forecast period



Based on type, the air filter segment is projected to be the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft filters market during the forecast period. The growth of the air filter segment of the aircraft filters market can be attributed to 2 major purposes.



Passenger/crew cabin air supply - Cabin air supply is an artificially controlled supply of air that ensures that air pressure and air composition inside the cabin/aircraft fuselage is maintained within the required limits. The filters inside the aircraft cabin play an important role in the recirculation of air and its filtering.

Aircraft engine intake air supply - These filters filter the intake air necessary for aircraft engines, whether reciprocating engines or jet engines, to purify the air and remove debris, dust, or other contaminants.

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicles segment is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period



Based on the platform, the unmanned aerial vehicles segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft filters market during the forecast period. UAVs are a relatively newer concept in the field of aviation and are a hybrid version of fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. These aircraft have a wide range of applications ranging from civilian purposes like goods delivery and military purposes like surveillance and reconnaissance to research purposes like studying the relief features and vegetation cover of a region.



Browse in-depth TOC on "Aircraft Filters Market"



603  Tables

52  Figures

331  Pages



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The OEM segment is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period



Based on the sales channel, the OEM segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR rate for the aircraft filters market during the forecast period. OEMs procure aircraft filters from their manufacturers. The restructuring of fleets by airlines as well as their expansion are anticipated to boost new aircraft sales, in turn driving the OEM demand for filters.



The aluminium and plastic segments are projected to witness the highest CAGRs during the forecast period



Based on the material, the aluminium and plastic segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR rates for the aircraft filters market during the forecast period.



There are two major types of aluminum air filters:



Temporary use air filters

Lifetime air filters

Plastic fuel filters are manufactured for pipeline fuel distribution systems inside aircraft. These filters inhibit the ability of water particles to coalesce in a fuel filter/separator system. They also act as biofilters that remove microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, which have the ability to flourish in jet fuel. Their growth may result in solids that plug fuel filters.



The North America market is projected to contribute the largest share from 2021 to 2026



North America is projected to be the largest regional share of the aircraft filters market during the forecast period. The market is in the growing stage in North America, with leading aircraft manufacturers, aircraft filter manufacturers, and distributors present in the region. The countries considered for market analysis in this region are the US and Canada. The manufacturing operations of raw materials, components, and assembly lines of aircraft filters have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Aircraft systems, which include aircraft filters, are of prime importance due to their use in the commercial and defense sectors.



The general & business aviation industry in North America is one of the most developed in the world. Further expansion of this industry and the increasing demand for light aircraft and business jets are set to boost the aircraft filters market in the region. As the pandemic recedes and businesses & tourism return to normal levels, the aircraft filters market in North America is expected to grow steadily.



Related Reports:

Aircraft Pumps Market by Type (Hydraulic pumps, Fuel pumps, Lube and scavenge pumps, Water and waste water pumps, Air conditioning and cooling pumps), Pressure, End Use (OEM, Aftermarket), Technology, Aircraft Type and Region - Forecast to 2026



Aerospace Bearings Market by Type (Ball Bearing, Roller Bearing, Plain Bearing), Material (Metal, Metal Polymer & Engineered Plastic, Fiber Reinforced Plastic, Ceramic), Application, Platform, Sales Channel, Region - Global Forecast to 2026



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Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/21/2021 -- The report "Cell Dissociation Market by Product (Enzymatic (Collagenase, Trypsin, DNase, Elastase) Non-enzymatic), Type (Tissue Dissociation), Tissue (Connective, Epithelial), End User (Pharmaceutical, Research Institutes)  Global Forecast", is expected to reach USD 440.5 Million by 2023, at a CAGR of 12.8%.



What Drives the Market Growth?



The Factors driving the growth of this market include rising R&D investment in the pharmaceutical & biotechnological companies, increasing number of cell culture studies in research institutes and rising government & non-profit organizations focus on chronic diseases research.



Browse 75 market data Tables and 27 Figures spread through 114 Pages and in-depth TOC.

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Cell Dissociation Market Segmentation in Detailed:



The end user segment is further segmented into pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, research & academic institutes, and other end users. The pharmaceutical & biotechnology segment is estimated to register highest growth rate during the forecast period. This is mainly due to rising R&D investments in order to introduce new drugs into the market.



The products in the cell dissociation market include enzymatic dissociation products, non-enzymatic dissociation products and instruments & accessories. In 2018, the enzymatic dissociation products segment is expected to hold the largest share of the market. Increasing demand for enzymatic dissociation products in the pharmaceutical & biotechnological companies is the major driving factor of this segment.



Geographical View in-detailed:



The cell dissociation market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW). North America dominated the market in 2017. This is mainly due to factors such as the rising government funding for cancer research, increasing research on infectious diseases in the research institutes, rising R&D investments in the life sciences industry and presence of all key players in the region.



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Global Key Leaders:



Key players in the cell dissociation market include Thermo Fisher Scientific (US), Merck KGaA (Germany), Roche (Switzerland), Miltenyi Biotec (Germany), HiMedia Laboratories (India), STEMCELL Technologies (Canada), BD (US), ATCC (US), PAN-Biotech (Germany), and GE Healthcare (US).



Most companies in the cell dissociation market adopted expansions, acquisitions, and agreements as the key business growth strategy.



Thermo Fischer Scientific held the leading position in the market. The company has a strong product portfolio. The company offers enzymatic and non-enzymatic dissociation products. In order to strengthen its position, the company mainly focuses on the expansion of its business channels. For instance, in 2016, the company opened its new global headquarters at 168 Third Avenue in Massachusetts (US).
Berlin, Germany -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/21/2021 -- Over the last few decades, technological developments have provided new challenges and opportunities for the supply chain and logistics industry. This doesn't appear to be slowing down as we move into the age of 5G. Although the long-term capabilities of 5G won't be fully comprehended for a few more years, this new technology offers improved communication abilities through faster data speeds with less latency. Thanks to the fast data speeds 5G provides, manufacturing, and other sectors such as procurement and logistics, will be able to perform very accurate processes. Smart factories can harness these benefits allowing them to function at optimum efficiency, allowing them to alter operations in real time thanks to analytics, artificial intelligence, and sophisticated robotics. These advantages can be used on a single assembly line or across several factories (Grijpink et al. 2020). At present, there's a wealth of opportunities for manufacturing professionals across Germany, specifically in industrial hubs such as Bremen.



As an industry-leading manufacturing recruiter, DSJ Global is dedicated to providing effective permanent, contract, and multi-hire recruitment solutions to a number of specialised sectors across the logistics and supply chain industry. Since its inception in 2008, DSJ Global has grown exponentially, culminating in the creation of an internationally recognised network of over one million mid-to-senior industry professionals located globally, who inform the consultants at DSJ Global of key market trends and developments. To support it's recruiting beyond borders strategy, the organisation employs over 750 consultants in 12 different office locations globally. This internationality allows the firm to ensure that they are providing their candidates with the best possible opportunities, whilst guaranteeing their clients that they will receive the finest talent. As part of the distinguished Phaidon International Group, DSJ Global is the chosen supply chain recruiting agency for hundreds of industry-leading organisations. The firm is focused on delivering tailored recruiting strategies that yield first-rate results, adjusting their approach to align with each client and candidate.



Logistics and supply chain professionals will find ample work opportunities across Germany, from Berlin to Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, and beyond. As the EU's leading economy, Germany is a thriving major logistics hub, making it a viable Europe-wide delivery centre, with immediate direct access to hundreds of millions of consumers. Positions currently available through DSJ Global include: Planning Manager, Global Cat Man  Propulsion, Regional Indirect Procurement Manager, Global Category Manager  API, Supply Chain Specialist, Supply Chain Inventory Manager, Lead Buyer Directs, Director of Supply Chain, Strategic Buyer IT, Sr Procurement Manager, Commodity Buyer  Raw Materials. These are just a handful of some of the exciting opportunities available throughout Germany. Explore more opportunities like these on our website.



"Like many sectors, 2020 marked a defining moment for recruitment. Challenged by uncertainty, but unwavering in our commitment to our clients, we enter 2021 with a sense of duty to clients and candidates", commented Matt Wood, Managing Director at DSJ Global. He went onto say, "as we reflect on the challenges of virtually securing and retaining talent, we're inspired by a team who have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt and continue to help all our clients secure top talent on a global scale."



To find out more about Supply Chain Recruitment Agency in Germany, visit https://www.dsjglobal.de



For any media enquiries please contact Gary Elliott at Iconic Digital  020 7100 0726.



For all other enquiries please contact DSJ Global DE: +49 30 72 62 11 444.



For more information about DSJ Global services, please go to

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About DSJ Global DE

DSJ Global DE is transforming the process of recruitment to make it more agile and adaptable to the challenges that businesses in the logistics and supply chain industry face today.
Berlin, Germany -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/21/2021 -- The development of more effective drug treatments to help those infected with COVID-19 is underway across Germany. Medicines of varying types, such as antiviral medicines, cardiovascular medicines, dampening immunomodulators, and medicines for lung function are being developed to help those suffering from the virus. According to the American organisation BIO, more than 600 different drugs are now being investigated to determine whether they can aid in combatting COVID-19 in any way. Most have previously been authorised or are in the process of being authorised for another illness. Repurposing drugs tends to be a faster way to yield development, rather than researching medications from scratch.



EPM Scientific recruits for a range of positions across the life sciences industry, including R&D jobs, medical communications careers, and pharmacovigilance jobs, on a permanent, contract, and multi-hire basis. The German team is based in Berlin and has a comprehensive understanding of the country's life science market, distinguishing them as an industry-leading firm with respect to their industry ties and experience. The advisory team at EPM Scientific is spread across 12 global office locations, bestowing them with a multi-national presence as well as an unrivalled local expertise. EPM Scientific is the preferred recruiting partner for hundreds of acclaimed organisations across the world as part of the prestigious Phaidon International Group. Since its inception, the firm has played an active role in the creation of a network of industry experts which supports their ability to yield effective recruitment solutions. The firm has invested a significant amount in the ongoing training of its advisors and consultants to guarantee that only the best-in-class recruitment methodology is deployed to leverage the greatest possible outcomes for both clients and candidates.



EPM Scientific provides clients with world-class talent whilst offering candidates a high dree of support and guidance at every stage of the recruitment process. When it comes to talent acquisition, EPM Scientific are innovators and thought-leaders in their sector. Presently, there are several interesting and exciting career prospects available through EPM Scientific. Current positions include, Combination Products Quality Compliance Specialist, Principal Biostatistician, Customer Service Engineer Kassel, QC Manager, Senior Biostatistician, Business Development Manager NGS, Utility & Facilities Leader, Clinical Research Associate, Non-clinical Safety Lead, and Medical Science Manager. These positions represent a few of the exciting opportunities available through EPM Scientific. Get in touch with a member of the team today to explore your next career move or to secure business-critical talent for your organisation.



"Like many sectors, 2020 marked a defining moment for recruitment. Challenged by uncertainty, but unwavering in our commitment to our clients, we enter 2021 with a sense of duty to clients and candidates", commented Zach Stamp, Managing Director at EPM Scientific. He went onto say, "as we reflect on the challenges of virtually securing and retaining talent, we're inspired by a team who have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt and continue to help all our clients secure top talent on a global scale."



To find out more information about Pharmaceutical R&D Recruitment in Germany visit



https://www.epmscientific.de/disciplines/safety-pharmacovigilance.



For any media enquiries please contact Gary Elliott at Iconic Digital  020 7100 0726.



For all other enquiries please contact EPM Scientific DE: +49 30 72 62 11 444.



- For more information about EPM Scientific DE services, please go to

https://www.epmscientific.de.



About EPM Scientific DE

EPM Scientific DE partners with organisations across the fast expanding pharmacovigilance sector. The firm's 750+ employees support growth and development among enterprises where innovation and insight will be crucial to both current and future generations.
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have captured an amazing new photo of the interacting galaxy system IC 1623.

IC 1623 is located some 274 million light-years away in the constellation of Cetus.

Also known as Arp 236, ESO 541-23 and IRAS 01053-1746, the galaxy pair was discovered on November 19, 1897 by the American astronomer Lewis Swift.

This interacting pair of galaxies is a familiar sight, Hubble astronomers said.

Hubble captured IC 1623 in 2008 using two filters at optical and infrared wavelengths using the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS).

This new image incorporates new data from the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), and combines observations taken in eight filters spanning infrared to ultraviolet wavelengths to reveal the finer details of IC 1623.

One of the two galaxies in the IC 1623 system has a substantial amount of warm and dense gas. Such gas is also found in the overlap region connecting the two nuclei.

The pair is approaching the final stage of its merger, when a violent central inflow of gas will trigger intense starburst activity that could boost the infrared luminosity above the ultra-luminous threshold.

The two galaxies are in the final stages of merging, and we expect a powerful inflow of gas to ignite a frenzied burst of star formation in the resulting compact starburst galaxy, the astronomers said.

Future observations of the galaxy pair with the NASA/ESA/CASA James Webb Space Telescope will shed more light on the processes powering extreme star formation in environments such as IC 1623.
Astrophysical observations show that supermassive black holes exist when the Universe is just 800 million years old after the Big Bang (just 6% of its current age). The origin of these compact objects is still a mystery; in particular, it is extremely puzzling how they could become so massive in such a cosmologically short time interval. A trio of theoretical physicists from the University of California, Riverside and the University of Chicagos Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics proposes a scenario where a halo of self-interacting dark matter experiences instability and its central region collapses into a seed black hole.

In astrophysics, a popular mechanism used to explain supermassive black holes 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 supermassive black holes  unless the seed black hole experienced an extremely fast growth rate, said Dr. Hai-Bo Yu, an astronomer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Riverside.

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.

It takes time for black holes to grow massive by accreting surrounding matter, added Dr. 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.

The explanation the researchers 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.

The central halo, which would collapse into a black hole, has angular momentum, meaning, it rotates, Dr. Yu said.

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. Thus, it can grow into a supermassive black hole in a relatively short timescale, Dr. Yu said.

The teams hypothesis is novel in that the authors identify the importance of baryons 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, a graduate student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Riverside.

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.

The teams paper was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

_____

Wei-Xiang Feng et al. 2021. Seeding Supermassive Black Holes with Self-interacting Dark Matter: A Unified Scenario with Baryons. ApJL 914, L26; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ac04b0
A team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego, the Universidad Nacional de La Plata and the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind has demonstrated a vocal synthesizer for birdsong, realized by mapping brain activity recorded from electrode arrays implanted into bird brain tissue. The team was able to reproduce the complex vocalizations of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) down to the pitch, volume and timbre of the original. The results, published June 16, 2021 in the journal Current Biology, provide proof of concept that high-dimensional, complex natural behaviors can be directly synthesized from ongoing neural activity; this may inspire similar approaches to prosthetics in humans and other species by exploiting knowledge of the peripheral systems and the temporal structure of their output.

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 University of California, San Diegos Professor Timothy Gentner.

Now imagine a vocal prosthesis that enables you to communicate naturally with speech, saying out loud what youre thinking nearly as youre thinking it. That is our ultimate goal, and it is the next frontier in functional recovery.

In many peoples minds, going from a songbird model to a system that will eventually go into humans is a pretty big evolutionary jump, added University of California, San Diegos Professor Vikash Gilja.

But its a model that gives us a complex behavior that we dont have access to in typical primate models that are commonly used for neural prosthesis research.

The researchers 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 scientists 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, Professor Gentner said.

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 authors then trained their algorithms to map neural activity directly to these representations.

This approach 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, Professor Gilja said.

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 teams next step is to demonstrate that their system can reconstruct birdsong from neural activity in real time.

_____

Ezequiel M. Arneodo et al. Neurally driven synthesis of learned, complex vocalizations. Current Biology, published online June 16, 2021; doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.035
The 110-million-year-old footprints discovered in Kent, southern England, were left by three types of dinosaurs, including theropod, ornithopod, and ankylosaur dinosaurs.

The 110-million-year-old (Early Cretaceous epoch) dinosaur footprints were discovered in the cliffs and on the foreshore in Folkestone, where stormy conditions affect the cliff and coastal waters, and are constantly revealing new fossils.

This is the first time dinosaur footprints have been found in strata known as the Folkestone Formation and its quite an extraordinary discovery because these dinosaurs would have been the last to roam in this country before becoming extinct, said Professor David Martill, a paleontologist in the School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences at the University of Portsmouth.

The Folkestone footprints are thought to be from ankylosaurs, rugged-looking armored dinosaurs which were like living tanks; theropods, three-toed flesh-eating dinosaurs like the Tyrannosaurus rex; and ornithopods, plant-eating bird-hipped dinosaurs so-called because of their pelvic structure being a little bit similar to birds.

Most of the findings are isolated footprints, but one discovery comprises six footprints.

This trackway was likely left by an ornithopod dinosaur and assigned to the ichnogenus Ornithopodichnus.

This is a remarkable discovery because the rocks here represented the last time there was land in the British Isle of about 50 million years, during which time the dinosaurs went extinct, Professor Martill said.

We have documented the very last dinosaurs to walk in Britain.

The largest Folkestone footprint measures 80 cm (31.5 inches) in width and 65 cm (25.6 inches) in length and belongs to an Iguanodon-like dinosaur.

To find such an array of species in one place is fascinating, Professor Martill said.

These dinosaurs probably took advantage of the tidal exposures on coastal foreshores, perhaps foraging for food or taking advantage of clear migration routes.

The discovery is described in a paper published this month in the journal Proceedings of the Geologists Association.

_____

Philip T. Hadland et al. The youngest dinosaur footprints from England and their palaeoenvironmental implications. Proceedings of the Geologists Association, published online June 17, 2021; doi: 10.1016/j.pgeola.2021.04.005
There is a trivial truth which all the countries, rich and poor, big and small, should understand, or more precisely, should accept at this crucial juncture. A single country alone (or only a few countries) cannot control this global pandemic.

by Professor Jayantha Lal Ratnasekera

Vice Chancellor, Uva Wellassa University

After the completion of the World War II in 1945, the world was divided into two camps; the socialist camp led by the Soviet Union and the capitalist camp led by the US. Until the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1991, there was a regular competition between these two camps in almost all the spheres for more than four decades. Simultaneously, there was a propaganda war between them, which was called the Cold War. In the midst of the cold war, there was a fierce battle between the US and USSR for the space supremacy as well.

On 4th October, 1957, for the first time in the human history, the Soviet Union was able to launch a man-made satellite into orbit, and the satellite was named as Sputnik I. Obviously, it was a shocking news to the Western world, since they always assumed that they have a technological lead over the USSR. But, the Soviet Union was able to gain the space supremacy gradually by recording several subsequent achievements. Soviet cosmonaut, Yuri Aleksiyevich Gagarin became the first human to travel into outer space, accomplishing another major milestone in the space race. The satellite, Vostok I, carrying Yuri Gagarin completed one orbit on Earth on 12th April, 1961. Later, on 16th June, 1963, the Soviet engineer and cosmonaut, Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova became the first woman to journey into space. On 18th March, 1965, the Soviet cosmonaut, Alexei Leonov became the first person to conduct a spacewalk leaving the capsule for 12 minutes.

Of course, US was also able to achieve a major milestone by sending the first person to the moon. On 20th July, 1969, the American engineer and astronaut, Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon. Though the Western political leaders and the media did not accept the reality at that time, the USSR emerged victorious in space race of cold war period. In the meantime, there were many positives of space battle between the US and Soviet Union; the achievements in the space technology have accelerated the overall development of science and technology.

I have written this prologue about the space race of cold war times, because there is a similar battle or a race among the powerful countries these days. And it is for the supremacy in the COVID-19 vaccination. One of the forerunners in this competition, Russia has named its COVID vaccine as Sputnik V purposefully, to remind the world about achievements of Soviet Union in space technology. (The Russian word sputnik has two meanings, i.e. travelling companion and satellite.) By becoming the first country to submit an application to the World Health Organization (WHO) for vaccine registration, Russia has achieved a milestone in the COVID-19 vaccination race. An Eastern European diplomat has said, "the search for vaccines in 2020 was rather similar to the race for space flight in the 1950s. Once again many outsiders have underestimated Russia. This is potentially the most powerful tool of soft power that Moscow has had in its hands for generations.", BBC reported recently.

Though Russia had to wait for a long time to get the WHO approval for its Sputnik V vaccine, more than 60 countries have already approved it for emergency use. Though the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is yet to approve the Russian vaccine, two EU countries, Hungary and Slovakia, have already started inoculating their citizens with it. Further, it was reported that France and Germany are ready to buy Sputnik V vaccine when the EMA grants its approval. While the Western world is delaying the approval of Sputnik V vaccine, Russia has developed a one-dose vaccine named as Sputnik Light with an efficacy rate of 79.4%. Sputnik Light was approved for emergency use in Russia in May, and definitely could speed up the vaccination drive in many countries, since most of the current vaccines are administered in two doses.

It is understood that the vaccine approving mechanism need to be very stringent and based on the accurate data and information. However, during this pandemic, the usual procedures and regulations have been relaxed to a great extent in almost all the countries. In this regard, it has to be noted that WHO has approved the Pfizer vaccine in less than two months, since WHO relies on the recommendations and approvals of the EMA. On the other hand, Russian and Chinese vaccine candidates (Sputnik V, Sinopharm and Sinovac) had to wait for months for WHO approval. If the WHO feels that the regulatory standards are not adequate in some countries, then it could collaborate with the national medicines regulatory authorities to ensure the required standards are met, some experts suggest. It would facilitate not only the WHO approving process, but also would accelerate the global COVID-19 vaccine production and distribution.

As per the WHO records, currently there are 102 COVID-19 vaccine candidates undergoing clinical trials and 185 candidates are in pre-clinical development. Recently, Iran has authorized its homegrown vaccine for emergency use, bringing the total number of COVID-19 vaccines inoculated globally to 16. Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm, Sinovac are the most used COVID-19 vaccines at present worldwide. As of 16th June, 20.9% (2.5 billion) of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 6.29% of the global population or 480 million people were fully vaccinated; received both doses.

However, the high-income countries are already far ahead in their vaccination drives in comparison with the low-income ones. For example, 44.4% (146 million) of the total population of US have received both doses of the vaccine, whereas 45.3% (30.2 million) of the total population of UK have received both doses. The countries like Germany, France, Italy, Spain have also fully vaccinated more than 20% of their population. In other words, the rich countries with 16% of the global population, have accounted for more than half of the vaccine doses already injected. Only 0.8% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose, and there are some countries that have not received a single dose yet. This clearly shows the inequality, inequity and injustice of the global COVID vaccination programme. Some people have even call this situation as Vaccine Racism or Vaccine Apartheid.

The COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (Covax) facility was established by the WHO in collaboration with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI Alliance), explicitly to prevent such an outcome. Covax facility is aimed at expediting the COVID-19 vaccine development, securing vaccine doses for all the countries and distributing them in a fair and timely manner. Covax facility aims to ensure that more vulnerable people in low-income countries also get their vaccines in time. However, Covax facility is facing difficulties in achieving its goals due to lack of funds, inadequate vaccine production, complex contractual agreements, complexities in import-export regulations etc. The facility so far raised only $ 4 billion whereas its target for the year 2021 is $ 6.8 billion. Another major bottleneck is the inadequate COVID vaccine production. India was supposed to produce 70% of the worlds COVID vaccine requirement, and the Serum Institute of India was given the rights to produce AstraZeneca vaccine. Moreover, India was supposed to provide a large quantity of the vaccine to low and middle-income countries under the Covax facility. However, India has temporarily suspended the export of the COVID vaccine due to the disastrous second wave of the pandemic started in the latter part of April.

Since the Covax facility does not prevent member countries making direct purchases from pharmaceutical companies, many rich countries have made bilateral deals with pharmaceutical companies outside the Covax facility. Within a month of the approval of first three COVID vaccines, the high-income countries have placed orders for about 85% of the estimated vaccine production for the year 2021. Most of these orders were so-called pre-orders which have made even before the regulatory approval has been granted. Some countries have ordered huge number of vaccines, sufficient to inoculate the entire population of the country 3-4 times. For example, Canada has ordered vaccine doses enough to vaccinate the entire population five times. UK to vaccinate 3.6 times, EU to vaccinate 2.7 times. Some people feel that this COVID vaccine grab by rich countries is a clear indication of the Vaccine Racism. If this trend continues, most of the low-income countries will have to wait till the end of 2022 to get their first dose, experts estimate.

Another main factor restricting increased vaccine production is the patent rights that provides a monopoly on vaccine production to the pharmaceutical companies. A patent is a type of intellectual property which give its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using or selling an invention. India and South Africa have already submitted a proposal to the World Trade Organization requesting to temporarily waive the intellectual property rights for COVID vaccines and treatments. Though, this proposal was opposed by the US and other Western countries initially, both US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vadimir Putin have recently expressed their support for a patent waiver.

However, there is a trivial truth which all the countries, rich and poor, big and small, should understand, or more precisely, should accept at this crucial juncture. A single country alone (or only a few countries) cannot control this global pandemic. A single country alone cannot escape from this global pandemic. Even if some countries have fully vaccinated their populations while some have not vaccinated at all, then the vaccinated countries will have only a short term protection. If the virus continue to circulate in any part of the world, then there is a possibility of transmitting it to the other parts of the world. There is always a possibility of mutation of the virus and emergence of more dangerous new variants. In turn, these new virus variants might spread into other countries. Recent identification of COVID patients infected with Indian delta variant in US and UK is a clear evidence for this.

On the other hand, for how long the international trade and international travel can be suspended? Can the rich countries continue their affairs alone without any contact with the poor countries? In todays globalized world, all the countries are so interconnected that a single country cannot live alone. COVID-19 global pandemic has reminded us that truth again. Thus, we, humankind as a whole, need a united concerted effort to eradicate this virus. We should not allow any kind of vaccine discrimination, vaccine racism, at this critical moment.
Biden said one goal of his trip this week was to make it clear to Putin and to China that Europe and the United States are tight, and the G7 is going to move.

by Anwar A. Khan

The administration of US President Joe Biden has continued its ongoing efforts to increase bilateral ties with Taiwan with the announcement about the return of US-Taiwan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) talks.

Despite expectations for a softer approach, the US president shows no sign of easing tensions with one of his most significant rivals  China.

US President Joe Bidens first trip abroad as president saw him meet with scores of US allies as well as a top adversary, leaving him poised to confront the country he has called the US most serious global competitor: China and its leader, President Xi Jinping.

The worlds second-largest economy was on the agenda throughout Bidens meetings earlier this month with the G7 nations, NATO, the EU and even Russian President Vladimir Putin whose country, the US president remarked, is getting squeezed by China.

Biden has long said China would be at the core of his administrations foreign policy. Yet with Putins government accused of interfering in US elections and harbouring hackers who targeted the US critical infrastructure, Biden said he needed to establish some rules of the road and predictability in the relationship with Russia.

Beijing is now the focus. However, US-China ties are far more complex and consequential for the US economy than the relationship with Russia, and Bidens window to meet and establish a productive relationship with Xi for the years ahead is closing.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan recently confirmed that planning is underway for more extensive talks with Beijing. He did not say whether an actual meeting between Biden and Xi is in the works, although one possibility is during the G20 summit in Rome in October last.

Throughout his European trip last week and in earlier meetings with groups such as the Quad  the US, Japan, India and Australia, Biden has sought to rally allies in a show of force against what it considers Beijings most egregious policies.

The Biden administrations priority has been to strengthen ties with like-minded countries as part of a broader strategy to persuade Beijing to recalibrate and revise its policies, said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

That approach has drawn attention in Beijing. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian said this week, following Bidens push for the G7 to agree on a strategy to counter Chinas influence, that the US is ill and very ill indeed.

The G7 had better take its pulse and come up with a prescription, he added.

The state of play is a surprise in Beijing. After four years of tumult under former US president Donald Trump, who praised Xi repeatedly until the COVID-19 outbreak started to take a toll on the US, officials in Beijing thought Biden would bring a softer touch to bilateral relations.

Instead, he has kept China on the defensive, even keeping in place tariffs established by Trump.

There are real questions that need to be asked about what will follow this rhetoric, said David Feith, a researcher at the Center for a New American Security and former deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs under Trump.

But it does appear significant that President Biden has strongly signalled to his own administration and to other governments that he wants to prioritise China competition in US policy and in US diplomacy, he said.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for Chinas embassy in Washington said, China and the United States have maintained communication on dialogues and exchanges at all levels.

In Europe this week, Biden sought to rally G7 and NATO leaders around an agenda that included reopening probes into the origin of the COVID-19, pushing back on Beijings heavy hand in places, such as, Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and calling for a Western competitor for Xis Belt and Road Initiative.

One of the trips headline announcements, a truce in the years-long feud between Boeing and Airbus was aimed in part at China.

The deal would protect jobs and protect technology in Europe and the United States against Chinas predatory practices, Sullivan said.

Biden said one goal of his trip this week was to make it clear to Putin and to China that Europe and the United States are tight, and the G7 is going to move.

The G7s joint statement criticised the use of forced labor in industries dominated by China and created a task force on spurring infrastructure development.

Despite pushback from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron, Biden and his aides said the statement was the blocs toughest yet on Beijing.

I think were in a contest not with China per se, but a contest with autocrats, autocratic governments around the world, as to whether or not democracies can compete with them in the rapidly changing 21st century, Biden said after the Geneva summit.

Part of that contest includes a domestic agenda aimed at competing with China, such as, beefed up spending on infrastructure and a focus on supply chain security around semiconductors and other strategic sectors.

Another element involves closer coordination with allies in Asia and beyond.

We believe that the best way to engage a more assertive China is to work with allies, partners and friends, US National Security Council Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell told an event in May last, adding that the best China policy really is a good Asia policy.

Still, at some point, the two leaders will need to meet. The aim to directly engage with Xi stems in part from Bidens belief that there is no substitute for leader-level discussions and personal engagement.

The notion that President Biden will engage in the coming months with President Xi in some way to take stock of where they are in the relationship and to ensure that they have that kind of direct communication that they found valuable with President Putin, they want to say they are very much committed to that, Sullivan told reporters. Its now just a question of when and how.

The G20 summit will be one opportunity for the two leaders to meet. This years APEC summit will be hosted virtually by New Zealand, depriving Biden and Xi of another potential venue for a meeting.

In the meantime, tensions continue to build as the two countries clash over everything from technology to Chinas militarisation of the disputed South China Sea and the status of Taiwan.

The personal relationship between the US and Chinese leaders has also frayed. Biden repeatedly met Xi over the years, including as vice president, and until recently touted what he said was his friendship with the Chinese leader. He gave a harsher assessment on the campaign trail last year, calling Xi a thug who doesnt have a democratic  with a small d  bone in his body. But he himself doesnt want to see Americas own despicable face in the mirror.

In Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Biden indicated that a more combative relationship is here to stay. After a Fox News reporter suggested that he talk to Xi old friend to old friend in a question about investigating the origins of the coronavirus, the president snapped back.

Lets get something straight, Biden said. We know each other well. Were not old friends. Its just pure business. This reveals his morally reprehensible character.

-The End 

The writer is an independent political analyst based in Dhaka, Bangladesh who writes on politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs.
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Award for receiving MIR-SAT1 telemetry The Mauritius Amateur Radio Society (MARS), is offering an Award to commemorate the deployment of the MIR-SAT1 CubeSat from the ISS, planned for June 22 at 10:55 GMT



The award is open to all participating Radio Amateurs/SWLs worldwide and will be issued to those decoding MIR-SAT1 telemetry (TLM) and forwarding it to SatNogs.



Full details of the award and links to telemetry decoders are at

https://mars3b8.wordpress.com/2021/06/19/mir-sat1-special-award/ MIR-SAT1

https://amsat-uk.org/2021/06/13/mir-sat1-to-deploy-from-iss/
Comox Valley ham radio club having its Field Day on weekend

Canadian club holding separate demonstrations June 26 and 27 instead of meeting as one group

Technology changes rapidly, but some methods like amateur or 'ham' radio persevere because they have capabilities the new media lack.

To let more people in on this secret, the local ham radio club holds its annual Field Day. This year it will take place from 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 26, to 1 p.m., Sunday, June 27 at a few locations, with social distancing provisions in mind.

We cant get together as a large group, says Yvonne Higgs, a board member of the Comox Valley Amateur Radio Club.

The event will give people a chance to learn more about how amateur radio works, as well as why it is important, as Higgs likens it to a show and tell for the group.

What were hoping to do is provide the public an overview of how ham radio can be used, she says.

Higgs says many people do not appreciate how important the tried and true technology is, especially during a crisis. In the event of a serious, widespread emergency  for example, the blackout caused in Quebec during a massive ice storm in January 1998  power sources can go done, which in turn affect many of the current technology methods people use. Ham radio, with some battery power, can keep people connected in the worst of situations.

We can contact people all over the world, she says.

As well, search and rescue teams also rely on amateur radio operations, particularly in mountain searches where cellular technology might not be accessible.

They dont have cell phone contact, Higgs says. They really have to rely on their handhelds.



Read the full Comox Valley Record story

https://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/community/comox-valley-ham-radio-club-having-its-field-day-on-weekend/
Artistic CW Keys with Ted Holland WB3AVD on QSO Today

Ted Holland, WB3AVD, describes himself as a cultural anthropologist who creates artistic telegraph or CW keys based on themes that move him, including OZs Emerald City.

His workshop is in a converted 'Church in the Middle of the Block', a mini artist's colony.

Ted is an avid QRP contest operator and local emcomm enthusiast.

Listen to the podcast

https://www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/WB3AVD
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Take the test too soon or rely on one that looks for the wrong antibodies  all too easy to do, given the befuddling array of tests now available  and you may believe yourself to still be vulnerable when you are not.
Why: 13 violations (six high priority) ranging from 31 live flies in the kitchen, food prep areas and on the dining tables, to no soap or paper towels at the hand-washing sink. Inspectors found live flies landing on clean in-use prep table and cutting board, as well as 20 live flies landing on a dining table in the outside corridor of the restaurant. Food was also stored improperly at the restaurant, with beef broth stored in Home Depot construction buckets in the walk-in cooler. Several employees werent wearing hair restraints while they were in the food prep area, inspectors noted.
I think its important to have someone who understands how the system works, someone who has the nature to keep calm in times of turmoil like we have now, she said. I dont know who the other candidates are, but he certainly would be one to seriously think about.
Sundays meeting was overshadowed by the election of Raisi in Iran, which puts hard-liners firmly in control of the government at a time when Tehran is enriching uranium at its highest levels ever, though still short of weapons-grade levels. Tensions remain high with Iran and both the U.S. and Israel, which is believed to have carried out a series of attacks targeting Iranian nuclear sites as well as assassinating the scientist who created its military atomic program decades earlier.
Economists believe that one reason more workers are quitting is simply a backlog: By some estimates, more than 5 million fewer people quit last year than would otherwise be expected, as some workers, riding out the labor markets convulsions, stuck with jobs they may have wanted to leave anyway. (And the millions of involuntary job losses during the pandemic surely accounted for some of the reduction in quitting.) Now that the economy is regaining its footing, workers may suddenly be feeling more emboldened to heed their impulses.
Cooking is just one of the ways I put my heart and soul into my work. I have a client who is in her 70s and had become closed off after having a stroke. Every day, I would talk and laugh with her to open her up, and her family told me, God bless you, our mother is blossoming under your care. Many times families have told me that having a dedicated home care worker gives them a renewed sense of hope, because it lifts a burden off their shoulders, allowing them to have careers and lead full lives.
That was bad enough, but his follow-up statement, in which he recanted his jump to conclusions without offering an apology, was worse. Its one thing to exercise poor judgment in the immediate aftermath of tragedy. Its another thing entirely to put out a statement hours later that you were mistaken without offering anything conciliatory to the many people terrorized not by the act itself, but by the thought, made all-too-real by the statement of an important local leader, that hatred and violence had come to one of the most LGBT-friendly cities in the country on the day it celebrates its diversity.
A new, unique accommodation concept - mainly aimed at the younger end of the market - is coming to the Costa del Sol soon with an anticipated opening date of December.

Adding to the already abundant supply of tourist accommodation in Malaga, the establishment is based on the model of small, prefabricated micro-rooms.

The room structures have already been set up at premises in Calle Donoso Cortes, which are about two metres high by almost four metres long and slightly less than two metres wide.

The developer of the establishment is the hotel entrepreneur Martin Schneck, who was part of the management team of the Villa Padierna hotel in Marbella and is currently in charge of the Elegant Hotels company, with two hotels in the Canary Islands and one in Palma de Mallorca.

"It is a new concept and we believe that it will be the first of its kind in Malaga, explained Schneck, who assured that he already has the permits from the city council and the tourism department to develop this business, which plans to open its doors in the early part of December.

"For now we have put the room structures in place and in September we will resume the works, when the pandemic situation is better," said the businessman.

The tourist accommodation will fall into the hostel category and the twenty micro-rooms will mostly be singles although there will be some doubles, and the bathrooms will be shared.

It is already advertised on some of the main tourist accommodation portal pages as a 'capsule hotel' under the name 'M Pods Malaga'.

Manuel Camacho, vice-president of the Costa del Sol hoteliers association, Aehcos, said he welcomed this type of business "if it legally has a place", although he expressed doubts about the success it will have.

Do we have clients in Malaga for this product? It is difficult to know, I do not know if there will be enough demand," he said.
The president of the Junta de Andalucia, Juanma Moreno, has spoken this Monday morning (21 June) regarding the national easing of the mandatory wearing of face masks in outdoor spaces as of next Saturday, 26 June, that was announced last week by Spains PM Pedro Sanchez.

Moreno said that "the Andalusian Government will not to force anyone to remove the mask", but pointed out that "we recommend that they continue to be used as a preventive measure" to prevent the spread of the disease.

The cumulative coronavirus incidence rate in the region, which continues to exceed 170 cases of Covid per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days, is one of the reasons that leads the Juntas head to make this recommendation.

"The public are not fooled, removing the mask does not mean that the Covid has disappeared, because it continues to spread among us as the Delta strain is showing and it is still a severe respiratory infection," he said during an interview on Canal Sur.

However, Juanma Moreno said that Andalucia will respect the Government's decision, although he asks Madrid for "flexibility" so that each region can "adapt the wearing of the mask" to its level of incidence. He also reiterated that the Junta still believed that its withdrawal should have been delayed until August.

"We all want to return to the previous normality," Moreno said, "but it is not reasonable that such a high-level and long-awaited decision be decided unilaterally" by the national Government.
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Punxsutawney

Punxsutawney Rotary Club celebrates 100 years of giving

Alexnelson / Alex Nelson The Punxsutawney Rotary Club members had a celebration at Gobblers Knob last week to celebrate the clubs 100th anniversary. Alexnelson / Alex Nelson Rotary International District Governor Beth Marshall, right, presents Punxsutawney Rotary President Wendy Perry with a certificate for the Rotary Club reaching 100 years. Alexnelson / Alex Nelson Rotary Club President Wendy Perry and Vice President Lacy Bair prepare to cut the 100th anniversary cake during the clubs celebration.

PUNXSUTAWNEY  The Punxsutawney Rotary Club celebrated its 100th anniversary last week, welcoming District Governor Beth Marshall to Punxsutawney.

This is our 100th anniversary, so we could also say this is 100 years of giving, and thats truly what the Rotary Club does. You know, we raise money throughout the years, and we give it back to the community when its needed, said Wendy Perry, Rotary president.

Marshall said a few words to the audience, and shared that she was asked to bring a few things from her district to the international assembly. She got a Punxsutawney Phil gift from the shop in town, and it was sent to California as a representation of the district. She was able to meet more than 500 district governors from around the world at the assembly.

Marshall then presented the Punxsutawney Rotary with its certificate for 100 years of service.

Lacy Bair was also introduced as the incoming president for the next Rotary year. Bair thanked everyone who came to the event or donated to make the event what it was. There was food and drinks available and a basket raffle for the public to participate in.

Some of the most well known events the Punxsutawney Rotary hosts are the Multiphasic Blood Screening, which is coming up in July, the radio auction, and the Circle of Trees during the holiday season.

The blood screening and radio auction are both major fundraisers for the Rotary, while the Circle of Trees is a free event for the community to enjoy.

This past year, we did Christmas on Broadway, so all the trees were a different Broadway musical. We had Cats, we had Wicked, Harry Potter, it was just amazing, and all the people who do the trees are organizations within the community, Perry said.

Once a year, the Rotary also applies for an international grant that matches the funds it spends on a community project.

Currently our project is to restore the Findley Street Cemetery. We are working on that right now, and we are going to be finishing up by the end of June, because our calendar year runs from July 1 to June 30, Perry said.

They are putting new bricks down, putting up a new railing, and adding a board that will show the site plan. She said they were working to restore the cemetery because its in the middle of town, and people still go to leave flowers on the graves there.

Perry said the Rotary has not chosen a project for the next year yet, but the members are discussing what the next project might be.

Marshall explained that as a governor, her job is to make sure and encourage the Rotary Clubs in her district to make sure they are active in the community, and putting their group out there as a resource to the community.

She said there are still new Rotary Clubs being added everyday, and the Rotary is trying to diversify to draw more young people to the organization.

Marshall said they are encouraging clubs to do a sort of spin-off of Rotary, that dont meet at a restrictive time, and dont meet with a meal to keep the cost down.

Were trying to figure out ways to make that less expensive for young professionals, and they can engage a younger community, Marshall said.
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Tweeq, an emerging FinTech platform based out of Saudi Arabia, has announced the closure of a seven-figure investment round today, co-led by STV and Raed Ventures.

Founded in early 2020 by a team of seasoned banking and tech professionals, Tweeq will allow its users to open a feature-rich spending account in a matter of seconds through their mobile app  where they can immediately start receiving and making payments, set monthly budgets and long-term financial goals, as well as monitor and manage personal spending automatically across different categories.

The funding round, which follows on the heels of the companys exclusive partnership with Mastercard and Paymentology, looks to further bolster the product development for its launch in Saudi Arabia, followed by the wider MENA region. Users can join the waiting list today by downloading Tweeq through the app stores of Apple and Google Play.

Saeed Albuhairi, Co-Founder and CEO at Tweeq, says: Tweeq is aiming to provide an unparalleled customer experience and a better modern alternative to the traditional banking account. We are working hard to obtain the necessary licenses and approvals to conduct our business under the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA)s supervision to achieve the Kingdom's ambition of developing a diversified and effective financial sector. Tweeq is looking forward to continue being part of, and contributing to, this flourishing ecosystem.

Lagging quality of digital experiences and customer service is driving customers in Saudi Arabia away from traditional financial institutions and towards consumer-first FinTech startups, according to the Boston Consulting Group. 89% of Saudis are willing to open an account with a FinTech startup that does not have any brick-and-mortar branches, while a McKinsey report shows that over 80% of urban consumers in Saudi Arabia prefer to deal with financial institutions digitally.

This appetite is especially high among the younger population, who represent a significant share of the population  66% are under the age of 29. These dynamics highlight the sizable opportunity to digitise this multi-billion dollar market.

Ahmad AlNaimi, Partner at STV, highlights: Our investment in Tweeq excites us deeply; we are confident in their ability to become a FinTech leader that will transform and grow the financial sector in Saudi Arabia and beyond. As financial regulators open the doors to challengers and innovators, the region is destined to witness the same shift that swept the financial sectors in the United States, Europe, China, and India. We believe that Mena will witness an even bigger shift, fueled by a younger population and increasingly progressive regulators.

Omar Almajdouie, Co-Founder and CEO at Raed Ventures, echoes the sentiment: Saeed, Mohammed, Abdulaziz and Abdullah, the founders of Tweeq, each have distinguished capabilities in the field of banking. But this wasnt the only reason for choosing Tweeq over their peers. The most important qualities that make them an outstanding team is their vision for transforming banking services and their ability to lead this transformation.-- TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain FinTech Bay has launched the 3rd Georgetown FinTech Program supported by Tamkeens Individual Development Platform; accepting applications for its new cohort and creating opportunities for Bahrainis in a fast-changing digital economy.



The Georgetown FinTech Program is a 12 week professional development course in FinTech delivered by Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, ranked among the best in the world for entrepreneurship by Bloomberg. Since the programs launch in, the Georgetown FinTech Program has trained over 100 participants.



The program is delivered virtually through a combination of live and online modules and is certified by Georgetown McDonough School of Business. The certification comprises seven modules and four case studies led by Professor Jim Angel, a prominent figure within the FinTech landscape and co-inventor of 12 FinTech patents.



Additionally, the course will be hosting local and international guest speakers, the entrepreneurial community, and thought leaders from the financial services industry. The program structure encompasses in-depth and insightful sessions exploring the ever-evolving financial technology industry and underlying infrastructure, experiential modules and practical FinTech use cases within the key sectors of the economy.



Khalid Dannish, CEO of Bahrain FinTech Bay, said: FinTech is such a dynamic industry, with new business models, technologies, regulatory reforms and use cases its crucial that professionals and ecosystem stakeholders are kept up to date, understand the fundamentals driving this change and can identify opportunities for growth.



The Georgetown FinTech Program equips candidates with skillsets but most importantly mindsets, exploring key themes within fintech, reverse engineering successful fintech use cases, whilst also taking into account insights from guest speakers from both global and regional fintech ecosystems to provide a global perspective though a localized lens. Our partnership with Georgetown University reflects our commitment to bringing world class academic and entrepreneurial education in fintech to MENA against the backdrop of rapid growth in the region.



Ali Hasan, Director of Individual Programs at Tamkeen, said: We are pleased to support the launch of the 3rd edition alongside Bahrain FinTech Bay. The program allows professionals to explore the future skill requirements of Bahrain's financial services industry, as well as that of FinTech startups, and gain practical knowledge of the field.



Theres not a better time to develop the practical skills and leading experience of Bahrainis in the latest FinTech trends which are changing now, more than ever. Its part of Tamkeens ongoing commitment to support local talent, preparing them for the future market needs.  TradeArabia News Service
Egypt-based Trella, a leading digital freight marketplace in MENAP, has announced the successful completion of a $42 million funding round, comprising $30 million new equity and $12 million debt facilities.



The equity element was led by Maersk Growth - the corporate venture arm of global multinational A.P. Moller  Maersk, and Raed Ventures - a Saudi Arabian Venture Capital firm. Other participating investors include Algebra Ventures, Vision Ventures, Next Billion Ventures, Venture Souq, Foundation Ventures and Flexport. The debt facilities are being provided by Lendable - the next generation lending platform and other local financial institutions.



Proceeds will be used by Trella to invest in tech capacity and product development to fuel growth, accelerate the companys journey to reducing the costs of moving goods, and continue being the regional market leader.



Trella is a technology platform reinventing trucking across emerging markets, and has a current market presence in three countries; its home market - Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.



Omar Hagrass, Chief Executive Officer of Trella, said: This $42 million funding round is a huge endorsement of Trellas capabilities, business model and market opportunity. We have a strong diversity of investors and we thank all participants for their support. It is great to have Maersk, as a shipper customer that uses Trella, invested in our future growth.



The MENAP freight market is a significant one and urgently needs the transparency, reliability and efficiency that Trella and its technology platform provides. We are trusted and used by some of the worlds most recognisable brands, and look forward to working with our partners to scale across MENAP.



Omar Almajdouie, Founding Partner of Raed VC, said: Our unwavering belief in the founders coupled with the booming freight sector made the opportunity to lead Trellas investment round very exciting. Trellas product innovation has enabled them to grow significantly in the past year despite the tough operating environment. This is a testament to their resilient business model and strong team. We are excited to support the team in their growth journey.



Jeppe Hoier, Partner at Maersk Growth, said: We are currently experiencing a rapid development in trucking, as transportation of goods has become accessible to even the smallest companies due to new digital solutions. Trellas platform is an excellent example of this democratization of the logistics sector. Trella is at the same time our first investment on the African continent founded by a team with significant experience from the start-up scene.  TradeArabia News Service
Omans National Detergent Company (NDC) said that its Farah Brand of health and hygiene products has achieved over 40% market share in hand sanitisers in the Sultanate.



The success of Farah is the combination of a the best product developed through customer insights and strong support for products produced in Oman by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Commerce & Industry and local retailers, like Lulu and Muscat Pharmacy, who favour Omani products, said Anish Kumar, Head of Marketing and Sales for NDC.



The customers wanted a non-sticky product with a beautiful fragrance, said Ratheesh Mallia, Brand Manager for Farah. We were able to execute on this by using the finest purity raw materials and a rose fragrance inspired by the roses of Jebel Akhdar. The product is also one of the only products in the GCC to carry the drug facts label, giving customers the confidence they will be combating Covid-19 with the best product available. Keeping the family safe in these times is a top priority. NDC also developed and patented the 20ml pocket sanitizer by Farah making safety convenient for our customers.



The support from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion were needed to meet all regulatory requirements in Oman and the GCC, said Nasser Al Rawahi, Head of HR and Administration for NDC.



NDC also highlighted the decision from the Royal Oman Police to source locally made products. The ROP sees value in not only Farah but also Bahar, Pinex and a full range of Omani produced products, said Ahmed Jaffer, Sales for NDC.  TradeArabia News Service
G42 Healthcare, a leading health-tech company based in Abu Dhabi, said it has partnered with Seegene, a global biotechnology company specialising in molecular diagnostics, to offer fully equipped mobile diagnostics and testing laboratories across the Mena region.

The partnership will offer the innovative Seegene Mobile Station  a laboratory-on-wheels facility providing optimised molecular diagnosis and tests at any location to safeguard the health of communities.

The services will be on offer in all the GCC countries as well as Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, Syria and Yemen.

The Seegene Mobile Station conforms with the WHO guidelines of BioSafety Level-2 and offers automated testing with minimum supervision.

It has all essential equipment, RT-PCR reagents, consumables, IT solutions, and technical support for diagnostic testing, is transportable by ship or land and can be made operational within few days.

On the new venture, Ashish Koshy, the CEO of G42 Healthcare, said: "We are proud to enter into a collaboration with Seegene which offers equitable access to healthcare anywhere in the Pan-Arab region. This is part of our joint efforts with international organisations to share our knowledge and expertise to future proof the health of nations."

"At G42 Healthcare, our commitment is to uphold patient health and reinforce our credentials as a transformation enabler in healthcare for the good of all humanity," he stated after signing the deal with James Park, Seegene Executive Director during the Medlab Middle East Exhibition, the largest medical laboratory exhibition and congress in the Middle East currently under way in Dubai.

"The mobile testing services will further augment our business portfolio across the Mena region and help in reaching out to various markets, ensuring swift detection, and allowing patients to benefit from the most informed decision possible, regardless of the location," he added.

Park said the Seegene Mobile Station will contribute to the development of innovative solutions to bring healthy life for everyone by creating a new diagnostic paradigm. It also includes an equipment room and an extraction room.

It encompasses a container with biosafety level-2 laboratory for the extraction room, collection device, instruments compatible with all Seegene assays, IT solution with Seegene Viewer, Reagent and Consumables, and technical support.

"It will offer the most innovative mobile molecular diagnostic, testing and laboratory services and is part of our commitment to supporting the healthcare community in combatting Covid-19 infections, with a broad portfolio of research and development tools and diagnostics," he noted.

"The all-in-one platform enables 2,000 tests per day including 225 pathogens in 10 different criteria and offers a streamlined automated workflow from pre-extraction to data analysis," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Dubai has eased travel restrictions for its residents from certain countries, including India, if they have received two doses of a UAE-approved vaccine, said a report.

The Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai, headed by Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced updates to Dubai's travel protocols for inbound passengers from South Africa, Nigeria and India, effective from June 23, the Gulf News reported.

As per new rule, only passengers with a valid residence visa who have received two doses of a UAE-approved vaccine, are allowed to travel to Dubai.

Currently, the UAE government has approved only four vaccines which are Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik V and Oxford-AstraZeneca.

However, from South Africa and Nigeria, non-residence passengers are also allowed to travel subject to the vaccination and PCR test conditions.

A negative test certificate from a PCR test taken 48 hours before departure is required, the report said.

UAE nationals are exempted from this requirement. Only QR-coded negative PCR test certificates are accepted, it said.

Furthermore, passengers from India are required to undergo a rapid PCR test four hours prior to departure to Dubai. They must also undergo another PCR test on arrival in Dubai. In addition, following arrival, passengers from India should undergo institutional quarantine until they receive their PCR test result, which is expected within 24 hours, the report added.
Islamabad, Jun 21 (UNI) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has stated that there will be no need for nuclear deterrents once the Kashmir issue is resolved.

The assertion from Pakistan's premier came during an interview to HBO with journalist Jonathan Swan, Dawn reported.

"The moment there is a settlement on Kashmir, the two neighbours would live as civilised people. We will not need to have nuclear deterrents," Mr Khan said.

However, the Pakistan Prime Minister rejected an intelligence report that his country has the fastest-growing nuclear arsenal anywhere in the world.

"I don't know where they've come up with this. Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is simply a deterrent, to protect ourselves," he said.

"As far as I know, it's not an offensive thing. Any country which has a neighbour seven times its size would be worried."

When the journalist asked why Pakistan does not raise its voice over the atrocities meted to Uighur Muslims, Mr Khan said all issues were discussed with China "behind closed doors".

"China has been one of the greatest friends to us in our most difficult times. When we were really struggling, China came to our rescue. We respect the way they are and whatever issues we have, we speak behind closed doors," Mr Khan said.

The hostility between India and Pakistan has eased in recent months against the backdrop of back channels talks between the two neighbours. In a much recent development, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited political parties of Jammu and Kashmir for talks in New Delhi, the first time since the abrogation of Article 370.

UNI XC-PS SB 1545
UW Professors Named Wyoming Excellence Chairs

The University of Wyoming has recognized the exceptional scholarship and teaching of four UW professors by naming them Wyoming Excellence Chairs.

They are:

-- Mohamed Ahmed, the Williams and Person Professor/Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, and Construction Management, and also the director of the Driving Simulation and Human Factors Lab.

-- Dario Grana, an associate professor in the School of Energy Resources and the Department of Geology and Geophysics.

-- Scott Henkel, director of the Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research and an associate professor in the departments of English, and African American and Diaspora Studies.

-- Kevin Monteith, an associate professor in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, and Department of Zoology and Physiology, with affiliation with the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.

The 2006 Wyoming State Legislature established the Excellence in Higher Education Endowment, which included a $70 million endowment to create senior faculty positions for highly distinguished scholars and educators at UW. The legislation states that the endowed positions must expand university instruction and research in disciplines related to economic and social challenges facing Wyoming.

The UW Wyoming Excellence chairs are nationally and internationally recognized leaders in their fields.

Ahmed is recognized for scholarship in advanced road safety management. Through the integration of statistical inference, complex computing techniques and machine learning, he extracts information from large datasets to address safety trends and patterns; estimate collision risk; assess the performance of emerging technologies; and make evidence-based safety decisions.

Since joining the university, Ahmed has developed a creative and innovative road safety research program that is unique within North America. Ahmed has fostered partnerships with industry and all levels of government, and he has helped raise close to $10 million in research funding during his tenure at UW. He and his research group at UW have published 57 peer-reviewed journal articles, 108 refereed conference publications and 42 technical reports.

Dr. Ahmeds connected vehicle research is truly cutting edge and is highly valued by the Wyoming Department of Transportation, the state and the U.S. Department of Transportation, says Cameron Wright, acting dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. His extremely positive professional recognition and notoriety enhance the reputation of UW, bring in considerable research funding and attract high-quality students. Dr. Ahmed is one of our stars.

Grana is recognized for his work in advancing the development of innovative quantitative methods to improve the characterization of subsurface reservoirs. In 2014, he was honored with the Eni Award for developing an innovative method to obtain information about oil and gas reservoirs using seismic techniques.

Grana has been a champion for diversity and inclusion on the UW campus in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Tackling issues of implicit bias and systemic racism, Grana developed a course in the fall of 2020 examining those topics called Diversity and Inclusion in Geoscience. In conjunction with his course, Grana has started a discussion group for first-generation students in geology, geophysics and energy resources to help them combat feelings of isolation -- and to better integrate and network with upperclassmen and professionals.

Dr. Grana regularly demonstrates research excellence, an aptitude for initiative and service activities, and a proactive approach to all he does, says Holly Krutka, executive director of UWs School of Energy Resources. My team and I are continuously grateful for Dr. Granas collaboration with us. I extended my gratitude to Academic Affairs for recognizing Dr. Granas unique contributions and recognizing him with this much-deserved Wyoming Excellence Chair.

Henkel is recognized for his outstanding leadership and scholarship in the humanities. He is the author of Direct Democracy: Collective Power, the Swarm, and the Literatures of the Americas, which won a C.L.R. James Award for Best Published Book for Academic or General Audiences from the Working-Class Studies Association in 2018. Henkels research expertise is on the relationship among democracy, labor and slavery in the Americas during the 19th century; he has published about the literatures of the Caribbean, Latin America and the multiethnic literatures of the United States, as well as the history and future of the land-grant university mission.

Henkel is the principal investigator for the team of UW faculty and Wyoming public servants affiliated with the Democracy Laboratory, a project of the Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research, which addresses Wyomings and the nations grandest challenges: making liberty and justice for all a fact of life rather than a distant dream. The Democracy Lab is an intergenerational enterprise, bringing together undergraduates, graduate students, UW faculty, visiting researchers and the community, and builds a pipeline for rising leaders.

Dr. Henkels trenchant scholarship on democracy, public service, free speech and political movements, along with his work in leading the Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research, clearly demonstrates his outstanding contributions to the humanities in Wyoming, says Anne Alexander, vice provost for strategic planning and initiatives. He exemplifies the spirit and intention of the Wyoming Excellence Chairs.

Monteith is recognized for his scholarship and teaching in natural resource science. His research focuses on integrating nutrition, population and quantitative ecology to understand behavior, resource allocation and life history to reveal the mechanisms underpinning fitness and population dynamics of large mammals from mule deer and elk to bighorn sheep, pronghorn and moose.

Monteith actively mentors a robust and diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students in his research, and he works to prepare them for impactful careers. His research program is grounded within a strong conceptual framework that builds on ecological theory and, importantly, informs on-the-ground management efforts of wildlife and habitat.

Monteith employs intensive field studies with longitudinal monitoring of individual animals. Many of his current efforts are centered on establishing a protocol for habitat-based, sustainable management of ungulate populations, while investigating the effects of predation, habitat alteration, climate change, migration strategies, disease, growth and novel disturbance through the lens of nutrition. His research has impact around the state and the globe, and it has resulted in more than 80 publications in leading scientific journals.

Dr. Monteiths efforts to have impact on the management of our wild and working lands are exemplary, says John Koprowski, dean of the Haub School. From the classroom to the field, he demonstrates the passion and productivity that one expects from a leading scientist committed to stewardship and sustainability of our wildlife and other natural resources.
UW to Move to New COVID-19 Testing Program in July

The University of Wyoming will move to a new COVID-19 testing program starting the week of July 5 as part of the summer plan approved by the universitys Board of Trustees.

Each week, 3 percent of UWs active employees, students enrolled in in-person classes and those living on campus will be randomly selected and receive emails to schedule their diagnostic tests. Those who are selected will have the ability to opt out of the tests if theyve been fully vaccinated; been tested within the previous five days; or are on vacation or have other unforeseen issues that particular week.

Those who opt out because theyve been fully vaccinated will be removed from random sampling in subsequent weeks as well.

Testing will take place Monday-Friday from 9-11 a.m. in the basement of the Wyoming Union. Masks are required at UWs testing and other clinical sites. No testing will take place Monday, July 5.

Members of the UW community and the public also have the ability to be tested voluntarily for COVID-19 as part of the summer program.
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Halls Sophie Garner-MacKinnon has been named the 2020-21 Gatorade Connecticut Softball Player of the Year, according to a release from Gatorade. Garner-MacKinnon is the first Gatorade Connecticut Softball Player of the Year to be chosen from Hall High School.
Five Arrested in Multi-Agency Drug Investigation

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - A drug investigation that began last week resulted in five arrests and seizure of large quantities of meth and money.At a press conference on Monday, McCracken County Sheriff Matt said that on Thursday, detectives pulled over 34-year-old Sylvia Priscilla Fiers, and a search led to the seizure of 3.5 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and over $5,000 in cash.Detectives began surveillance at a hotel on Husband Road, which led to the arrest of 49-year-old Jose Luis Lopez of Denver, Colorado. A search of his room found two pounds of meth, and a search of his vehicle uncovered two more pounds of meth hidden in a door panel. Over $20,000 in suspected drug money was reportedly found in a hidden compartment under the seat.On Friday, detectives learned that 44-year-old Kristopher Johnson of Louisville might be selling large amounts of meth in the area. Using a cooperating witness, detectives contacted Johnson to set up a deal. After he arrived at a hotel on Cairo Road with two lookouts, all three were arrested. Detectives seized a pound of meth that Johnson brought to sell, along with more meth that was allegedly hidden inside a fake beverage can in his vehicle. Also, $4,500 in suspected drug money was confiscated.The other men arrested were 45-year-old Demetrius Coatley and 30-year-old Kyle Bratcher, both of Louisville.Officials say Johnson has previous convictions for robbery, gun possession by a convicted felon, and meth trafficking. He was convicted for murder in Graves County in 2000. He was out on bond from a May 2021 arrest in Breckinridge County for meth trafficking.In all, detectives seized about 8.5 pounds of methamphetamine and approximately $30,000 in suspected drug proceeds. If sold by the gram, the value of the meth would have a street value of $380,000.All five people were taken to McCracken County Jail.Carter said his agency was assisted by the Graves County Sheriff's Office, the Marshall County Sheriff's Office, and the Paducah branch of the DEA.Carter and other officials gave a united front at the press conference and discussed how they are working together to fight drug trafficking and other crime that is likely related to drug activity (see related story at link below).Here is the press conference from Monday afternoon:On the Net:
Southside Rise & Shine in Uppertown This Week

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Paducah's Southside Rise and Shine neighborhood spruce-up event will spotlight the Uppertown neighborhood this week. The neighborhood is encouraged to dispose of garbage and beautify their homes and yards.From Tuesday through Sunday, the Public Works Department will place yellow garbage rollouts and dumpsters around the neighborhood for disposal of litter and garbage. Bulky items, including tires and appliances, can be placed in front of a home next to the street for free collection.Tires taken to dumpsters should be kept separate from other items and placed beside the dumpsters, not in them.A neighborhood ice cream social will be held at the 9th Street Church of Christ on Sunday from 1 until 4 p.m. During the celebration, meet your neighbors, talk about your neighborhood, pick up litter, and enjoy some ice cream.Click here to see the neighborhood schedule and other information, including celebration sites and dumpster locations. There is a link to a neighborhood map searchable by address for anyone uncertain of their neighborhood's name.
Woman Charged with Battery, Child Abduction

By West Kentucky Star Staff

METROPOLIS - A Metropolis woman was arrested Thursday after police said she abducted a child and assaulted two people.The Metropolis Police Department said officers responded to a report that a baby had been taken from a Department of Healthcare & Family Services custodian by force at a home in the 200 block of E. 9th Street.Officers said they learned 32-year-old Amber Gilbert, who is homeless, had her child taken by DCFS and placed in the care of the victims. Officers saw Gilbert holding a baby, and she was reportedly yelling and cursing at the custodians.Officers learned that Gilbert had showed up at the home attempting to sell an item and learned that the baby was there. Officers said Gilbert struck two victims and snatched the baby from one of them.Gilbert left the home with the child, but officers arrived before she could leave the area. She was arrested and charged with two counts of domestic battery and child abduction.She was booked into the Massac County Detention Center.
Almo Man Arrested on Drug Charges

By West Kentucky Star Staff

CALLOWAY COUNTY - A traffic stop Sunday afternoon led to the arrest of an Almo man on drug and other charges.Calloway County deputies stopped a vehicle at the intersection of US 641 and US 80 for an alleged traffic violation.Deputies searched the vehicle and reportedly found a container of suspected hallucinogenic mushrooms.The driver, 32-year-old Martin Hill, was arrested and charged with second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (hallucinogen), possession of drug paraphernalia, and various traffic-related charges.He was lodged in the Calloway County Jail.
Kayaker Makes Solo Speed Attempt On Mississippi

By West Kentucky Star Staff

HICKMAN - A Missouri nurse attempting to set a new kayaking record paddled through our area over the weekend.Kansas City's Traci Lynn Martin is attempting set the Mississippi River speed record for a female on a solo trip the length of the river. She started at the river's headwaters in northern Minnesota on May 17, and stayed overnight at Hickman Harbor on Saturday.She hopes to reach the Gulf of Mexico by the Fourth of July. That trip of less than 45 days would smash the current mark of 61 days.Although an entry in the Guinness book would be a nice reward, Martin's real objective is to raise awareness for those who suffer from chronic pain. Martin was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2010. She wants to set an example for other sufferers to stay active and not shut down from daily activities because of the pain.She is already famous in kayaking circles in 2017 after she circumnavigated the three largest Great Lakes -- Huron, Michigan and Superior. An attempt in 2020 to conquer all five Great Lakes in less than a year fell just 200 miles short after a winter storm on Lake Erie stopped her after 3,500 miles on the water.You can follow Traci's adventure on her Facebook page, Just Around the Pointe. You can also view a satellite map at the link below.On the Net:
River Sediment Shuts Down Dorena-Hickman Ferry

By West Kentucky Star Staff

HICKMAN - The Dorena-Hickman Ferry has halted service until further notice.The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said the ferry shut down around noon Sunday due to accumulated sand that is blocking access to the Missouri Landing, preventing the ferry from being able to load and unload vehicles.Captain Jeremy Newsom said he is optimistic a contractor with a long-reach track hoe capable of moving the sediment could be at the site within a few days.Drivers can check on the ferry's operating schedule and status by calling 731-693-0210 or by visiting the link below.On the Net:
Traffic Stop Leads To Drug Arrest In Graves County

By West Kentucky Star Staff

GRAVES COUNTY - A Tennessee man was arrested on drug charges following a routine traffic stop in Graves County on Saturday night.After being stopped for a traffic violation on Purchase Parkway, 25-year-old Jakyron Burnside of Union City, Tennessee was initially arrested when it was discovered that he was driving with a suspended license and had an outstanding bench warrant for his arrest for a probation violation out of Graves County District Court.Deputies say when searching Burnside they found a white powdery substance folded up in a dollar bill. According to deputies Burnside then told them it was cocaine. They also say they found marijuana, oxycodone pills and an open bottle of an alcoholic beverage in Burnside's vehicle.Burnside was taken to the Graves County Jail on traffic offenses as well as charges of driving on a DUI suspended license, possession of marijuana, drug paraphernalia  buy/possess, possession of controlled substance 1st offense, 2nd offense, prescription controlled substance not in original container, possession of an open alcoholic beverage container in a motor vehicle, probation violation and possession of a controlled substance 1st degree, 1st offense  cocaine.
Crash During Tropical Storm Kills 10 in Alabama

By The Associated Press

ATLANTA - Tropical Depression Claudette claimed 12 lives in Alabama as the storm swept across the southeastern U.S., causing flash flooding and spurring tornadoes that destroyed dozens of homes.Ten people, including nine children, were killed Saturday in a 15-vehicle crash about 35 miles south of Montgomery on Interstate 65, according to Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock.He said the vehicles likely hydroplaned on wet roads, with eight children, ages 4 to 17, killed in a van belonging to a youth ranch operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association for abused or neglected children. A man and a 9-month-old baby died in a separate vehicle. Multiple people were also injured.Meanwhile, a 24-year-old man and a 3-year-old boy were killed when a tree fell on their house just outside the Tuscaloosa city limits Saturday, Capt. Marty Sellers of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit told The Tuscaloosa News.The deaths occurred as drenching rains pelted northern Alabama and Georgia late Saturday. As much as 12 inches of rain was reported earlier from Claudette along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.Flash flood watches were posted Sunday for northern Georgia, most of South Carolina, the North Carolina coast and parts of southeast Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. A tropical storm warning was in effect in North Carolina from the Little River Inlet to the town of Duck on the Outer Banks. A tropical storm watch was issued from South Santee River, South Carolina, to the Little River Inlet, forecasters said.The eight girls killed in the van were returning to a youth ranch operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association near Camp Hill, northeast of Montgomery, from a week at the beach in Gulf Shores, youth ranches CEO Michael Smith told The Associated Press. He said the director of the Tallapoosa County ranch survived the crash and was hospitalized in Montgomery. At least one of the dead was a child of the director, Smith said.This is the worst tragedy I've been a part of in my life, said Smith, who was driving Sunday to Camp Hill to talk to the remaining residents, who had returned from Gulf Shores in a separate van and did not see the wreck.Words cannot explain what I saw, Smith said of the accident site, which he visited Saturday. We love these girls like they're our own children.Garlock said the location of the wreck is notorious" for hydroplaning, as the northbound highway curves down a hill to a small creek. Traffic on that stretch of I-65 is usually filled with vacationers driving to and from Gulf of Mexico beaches on summer weekends.Butler County has had one of the most terrible traffic accidents," county Sheriff Danny Bond wrote on Facebook, adding: I believe is the worst ever in our county."The Tallapoosa County school system said counselors would be available Sunday at Reeltown High School, where some of the ranch residents were students. Smith said the ranch, which is Christian-based, would likely have a memorial service later, asking for prayers as he began to cry.National Hurricane Center forecasters predicted Claudette would strengthen back to tropical storm status Monday over eastern North Carolina before heading out to sea in the Atlantic Ocean.More than 20 people were rescued Saturday by boat due to flooding in Northport, Alabama, WVUA-TV reported. The Tuscaloosa County Emergency Management Agency tweeted that local Red Cross volunteers were on hand to help those who were affected. A shelter was opened in Northport.Claudette was declared organized enough to qualify as a named tropical storm early Saturday morning, after the storms center of circulation had come ashore southwest of New Orleans.Shortly after landfall, a suspected tornado spurred by the storm demolished or badly damaged at least 50 homes in a small town in Alabama, just north of the Florida border.Sheriff Heath Jackson in Escambia County said a suspected tornado pretty much leveled a mobile home park, toppled trees onto houses and ripped the roof off of a high school gym. Most of the damage was done in or near the towns of Brewton and East Brewton, about 48 miles north of Pensacola, Florida.It kind of affected everybody, Jackson said. But with those mobile homes being built so close together it can take a toll on them a lot more than it can on houses that are spread apart.Tornadoes were also reported in southwest Georgia.Damage from the storm was also felt in north Florida, where winds  in some cases reaching 85 mph  caused an 18-wheeler to flip on its side.The storm also dumped flooding rains north of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana and along the Mississippi coast, inundating streets and, in some areas, pushing water into homes. Later, the storm was drenching the Florida Panhandle and, well inland, a broad expanse of Alabama.Forecasters said the system could still dump 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) of rain in the region, with isolated accumulations of 8 inches possible.
Beshear Signals Effort to Coax More Back to Work

By The Associated Press

FRANKFORT - Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says he plans to offer incentives to entice more people back to work to help resolve labor shortages.Republican lawmakers and businesses blame the lack of enough workers on enhanced jobless benefits.The Democratic governor has steadfastly defended the $300 in extra weekly federal unemployment payments.He said Thursday that the supplemental benefits inject $34 million each week into Kentuckys economy, benefiting retailers, grocery stores and restaurants.Beshear says his administration is working on the incentive program. He says he hopes to have an announcement on the initiative next week.
Public Asked to Report Dying Birds

By The Associated Press

FRANKFORT - Kentucky officials are asking residents to stop feeding birds and for anyone who encounters a sick or dying bird to report it online.The Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has been receiving reports of sick and dying birds with swollen eyes with crusty discharge and neurological signs. Similar problems have been reported in Indiana; Maryland; Ohio; Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and West Virginia.The agency says reports of sick and dying birds in Kentucky have come from Jefferson, Kenton and Boone counties.To report sick or dying birds online, visit the Bird Mortality Event webpage on the departments website.
Independence Day will be extra special this year for many reasons. Like many other things in life, you dont really understand the importance of something until you cant experience it. On Sunday, I will have a whole new level of appreciation for celebrating our wonderful country.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-20 18:35:39|Editor: huaxia

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Suspected Taliban insurgents are seen under custody in Asadabad, capital of Kunar Province, Afghanistan, June 20, 2021. Ten suspected Taliban insurgents have been arrested in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar Province, the provincial governor said Sunday. (Photo by Emran Waak/Xinhua)

KABUL, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Ten suspected Taliban insurgents have been arrested in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province, the provincial governor said Sunday.

"The Special Operations Forces of National Directorate of Security (NDS) launched targeted operations in Kunar province in recent days, arresting 10 suspects and seizing weapons and ammunition," governor Mohammad Iqbal Sayyed told reporters.

The NDS is the country's national intelligence agency.

The security forces also seized 51 rounds of different type of landmines, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and roadside bombs during the operations, he said.

The mountainous province has been the scene of battles between Taliban militants and security forces in recent years.

The Taliban militant group has not made a comment on the report so far. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-20 22:42:19|Editor: huaxia

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Mobile photo shows the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, capital of China, May 12, 2019. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Preparations for the art performance celebrating the centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) are proceeding smoothly.

Titled "Great Journey," the performance is set to be held at the National Stadium ahead of July 1 this year.

People from various walks of life, including Party and state leaders, representative honorees, grassroots Party members, and representatives of the public, will watch the show at the stadium.

Featuring integrated use of various artistic forms, the event will depict how the Chinese people, under the leadership of the CPC, have carried out revolution, construction and reform over the past 100 years.

It will extol the historic achievements and shifts that China, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, has seen since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, and demonstrate the bright prospect of fully building a modern socialist China. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-20 23:59:03|Editor: huaxia

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GUIYANG, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua has urged more efforts in accelerating the development of key counties assisted in the country's rural vitalization drive.

Hu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when attending a work conference in Guizhou Province recently. He called for efforts to consolidate the poverty alleviation achievements and ensure that the counties will not lag behind in rural vitalization.

The overall economic and social development of the counties remains at a relatively low level after the country wins a complete victory against poverty, he said, stressing the need to prioritize work in maintaining and expanding poverty relief achievements.

More work should be done to promote the continuous income increase of people lifted out of poverty, ramp up the industries with assistance from developed regions, and enhance the development of local economy.

He also underscored measures to speed up social and cultural development of the counties, as well as the development of education and medical service. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 01:42:04|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Israeli security forces said on Sunday that eight Arab suspects have been arrested for the killing of a Jewish man in central Israel in May amid a wave of ethnic violence.

Israel's police and Shin Bet security service said in a joint statement that six of the suspects are Palestinian citizens of Israel and the other two are Palestinian residents of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

They have been arrested on suspicion of throwing rocks at the car of Yigal Yehoshua, 57, in Lod, a mixed Arab-Jewish city east of Tel Aviv, on May 11. Yehoshua died of his wounds in hospital on May 17, and his kidney was donated to an Arab woman.

The Israeli prosecution plans to indict seven of the suspects with the charge of terrorist murder, according to a statement of the State Attorney's office. The other suspect is expected to be charged with attempting to destroy evidence.

The killing was carried out amid a spate of violence sparked by clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police in East Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque compound during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. The clashes later led to the May 10-21 conflict between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, that has left over 250 Palestinians and 12 Israelis dead. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 02:30:12|Editor: huaxia

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Combo photo of U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani. (Xinhua)

The visit "will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan as the military drawdown continues," a White House spokesperson said.

WASHINGTON, June 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden will host Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Chairman of High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah at the White House on June 25, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Sunday.

The visit "will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan as the military drawdown continues," Psaki said in a statement.

The United States is committed to providing assistance to support the Afghan people and remains deeply engaged with Kabul to ensure "the country never again becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups who pose a threat to the U.S. homeland," she added.

The visit will come amid a deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. Taliban militants have been continuing heavy fighting against government forces since the drawdown of U.S. troops on May 1.

Taliban said they captured more than 40 suburban districts over the past month.

Biden announced in April that all U.S. troops would leave Afghanistan before Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that drew the United States into its longest war. U.S. military said earlier this month that it had completed more than half of the withdrawal. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 07:32:20|Editor: huaxia

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A refugee child is seen at Ritsona refugee camp in Ritsona, Greece, on June 20, 2021, World Refugee Day. Residents of Ritsona refugee camp, an hour's drive northwest of Athens, marked World Refugee Day on Sunday with a symbolic demonstration held around the site that hosts about 3,000 people. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 10:06:23|Editor: huaxia

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A worker wearing protective suits sprays disinfectant to a residential area in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 19, 2021. (Photo by Dasril Roszandi/Xinhua)

The country has set up a target of inoculating 181.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to achieve herd immunity.



JAKARTA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Another batch of COVID-19 vaccines produced by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac arrived at the Soekarno Hatta Airport in Indonesia on Sunday, according to the health ministry.

In January 2021, Indonesia's Food and Drug Authority issued an emergency use authorization for the Sinovac vaccines amid efforts to fight the pandemic.

Indonesia has signed agreements on the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines through bilateral and multilateral cooperations as well as domestic research explorations.

The country has set up a target of inoculating 181.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to achieve herd immunity.

So far, authorities have administered 40.34 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including 12.21 million doses for the second shot.

People wait in lines for registration before receiving COVID-19 vaccines during a mass vaccination in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, June 14, 2021. (Photo by Joni/Xinhua) 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 11:13:28|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, June 21 (Xinhua) -- China, led by the Communist Party of China (CPC), has accomplished an extraordinary success in eradicating absolute poverty and upholding multilateralism, Dogu Perincek, chairman of Turkey's Patriotic Party, has said.

Perincek, a well-known politician in his country, has paid several visits to China, during which he was most impressed by the tremendous efforts that Chinese people have put in creating a better life.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Perincek said that the New China was one of the poorest countries when established in 1949, "but the country created a 'miracle' in such a short time" as it developed to become an engine of world economy.

"We can call this century-old history a heroic history or a legendary history of the CPC," he said, speaking of the upcoming 100th anniversary of its founding early next month, with a belief that the party will lead China to another century of great success.

Perincek noted that the CPC, the world's largest political party with more than 90 million members, has acted "equally and sincerely" in its relations with other parties.

"It does not impose its position," he stressed. "When telling its stories, it always says 'these are our experiences.'"

In his view, the CPC is truly "admirable" for respecting other parties' choices of path in line with each country's unique conditions.

Perincek also spoke highly of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, saying the book "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" has showcased the Chinese president's exceptional leadership skills.

Hailing China's success in securing a "complete victory" in the fight against poverty, Perincek said "this is a great historic achievement for humanity."

Perincek said China also achieved a peerless success in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

China is actively promoting multilateral cooperation and building a community with a shared future for mankind, Perincek said.

"It is not egotistic and not selfish. And in this respect, it represents humanity's hopes and aspirations," he noted. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 11:13:58|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- At the age of 103, Zhang Shouzhong, a retired Second World War veteran, insists on doing two things every day: studying the policies and knowledge of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and doing some outdoor exercises.

Living by himself in a community in the northwest of Beijing, Zhang maintains an independent and self-disciplined life, and sticks to the oath he made in joining the CPC, after he became a Party member in July last year.

The veteran had cherished the dream for more than 80 years, but having served in the Kuomintang (KMT) forces during the war, he never acted upon it.

The shift in his mindset came in 2015, when Zhang received a medallion to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, which was issued by the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission.

"With the medal, I believe that the veterans like me were not forgotten," he said.

In March 2018, Zhang submitted his application to join the Party to the Party branch of his local community in Haidian District of Beijing.

"Over the past century, I have experienced profound social changes, from the suffering in the old society to the sweet life under the leadership of the Communist Party of China," Zhang wrote in his application letter.

In 1936, 19-year-old Zhang joined the KMT troops and became a driver. In 1937, when the KMT united with the CPC in the war against Japanese aggression, Zhang was sent to drive for the Eighth Route Army led by the CPC.

"I was surprised by the equal relations between soldiers and officers of the Eighth Route Army. The commander ate and slept together with us. The food was simple. We only had steamed bread, no meat, no vegetables, not even pickles," Zhang recalled.

He said the seeds of joining the CPC were planted in his heart at that time. But he hesitated due to his working experience for the KMT. He did not join the CPC or the KMT at that time.

In August 1945, Zhang witnessed the ceremony to mark the Japanese surrender in Zhijiang, central China's Hunan Province.

After the founding of New China, Zhou worked as a driver in Beijing Forestry College, the predecessor of Beijing Forestry University.

After retirement, Zhang was re-hired by the school to help with some back-office work, such as writing posters with his handsome calligraphy. He retired in the real sense at the age of 83.

Turning 104 in September, Zhang has no worries about living a solitary life, as he believes the elderly care services in his community are reliable.

He said community workers make regular door-to-door visits to the elderly and offer free services such as haircuts. All the residents aged over 80 enjoy family doctor hotline service.

"Our Party has gone through 100 years of glorious history and is still full of vigor," he said. "I have full confidence in the Party." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 12:42:38|Editor: huaxia

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SEOUL, June 21 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. nuclear envoy said on Monday that the United States hoped for a positive response from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over its dialogue offer.

Sung Kim, the newly appointed U.S. special envoy for the DPRK, made the remarks in Seoul during the trilateral talks with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Noh Kyu-duk and Takehiro Funakoshi, according to Yonhap news agency.

"We continue to hope that the DPRK will respond positively to our outreach and our offer to meet anywhere, anytime without preconditions," Sung Kim was quoted as saying.

The U.S. envoy arrived here Saturday for a five-day visit, marking his first trip since he took office last month. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 13:20:04|Editor: huaxia

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VIENNA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Talks on restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), showed positive signal of finalizing the agreement and finding solutions to the Iranian nuclear issue, officials said on Sunday.

During a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission wrapped up on Sunday, representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran agreed on many important issues concerning the revival of the JCPOA.

Talks to revive the JCPOA are "closer to a deal," said Enrique Mora, deputy secretary-general and political director of the European External Action Service.

He said that they have made progress on a number of technical issues, and have more clarity on technical documents.

The documents for an agreement on the revival of the JCPOA are almost ready, senior Iranian nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying on Sunday.

"We are closer to an agreement ever than before, but bridging the gaps ... requires decisions by the parties," he said, adding that some issues still need to be resolved.

The U.S. government withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its JCPOA commitments from May 2019.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that Washington and Tehran remain divided over how to achieve a mutual return to compliance with the nuclear deal.

"What I would say is that there is still a fair distance to travel on some of the key issues, including on sanctions and on the nuclear commitments that Iran has to make," Sullivan said.

"But the arrow has been pointed in the right direction in terms of the work that's getting done in Vienna," he continued. "We will see if the Iranian negotiators come to the next round of talks, prepared to make the hard choices."

"We are closer to a deal, but we are not still there," Mora told reporters after the meeting.

Mora voiced hope that in the next round, delegations will come back from capitals "with clearer instructions, clearer ideas on how to finally close the deal."

For the next few days, negotiations will be stopped and the parties will return to their capitals, not for further consultations but for decision making, Araqchi noted, expressing the hope for finalizing the agreement in the next session of the meeting.

"Welcomed progress made over last weeks, but difficult decisions remain. It is important to seize the political opportunity, and for all to be flexible," EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell tweeted on Friday.

China acknowledges the EU's efforts to pursue a return to compliance with the Iran nuclear deal, and hopes that the EU will continue to play its coordinating role, and work with all parties concerned to help bring about an expeditious political solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said ealier this month.

The JCPOA Joint Commission began to meet in offline format on April 6 in Vienna to continue previous discussions in view of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and on how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 13:55:29|Editor: huaxia

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Lin Jie Kong (L), director of "Chopsticks or Fork?", and Jennifer Wong, hostess of the program, sample a dish at the New Bo Wa Restaurant in Moree in northern New South Wales, Australia, on Oct. 21, 2020. (Xinhua)

SYDNEY, June 21 (Xinhua) -- If variety is the spice of life, then Jennifer Wong's bustling existence is akin to a generous bowl of Mapo Tofu with extra chili sauce.

To push the food analogy a little further, the Chinese-Australian TV presenter/radio producer/podcaster and food enthusiast's career is like a yum cha banquet of creativity and she is tempted to try everything on the trolley.

"I started out as a freelancer, so it paid to be as adaptable as possible, but everything I do is about communicating and connecting with an audience," Wong told Xinhua.

That unquenchable desire to share her thoughts, has led to Wong doing stand-up comedy routines on stages big and small in major Australian cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Perth as well as Scotland's renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe and in Shanghai.

The topics she often explores are deeply personal, such as mental health and the hidden pitfalls of language miscommunications, yet they strike a common chord and a funny bone with audiences in far-flung destinations.

"My humor is about myself, my experiences; I never want to poke fun at anyone," she said. "I just talk about subjects that have meaning to me, that will hopefully also resonate with an audience."

One subject dear to her heart is eating; in particular, Chinese cuisine with a distinctive Aussie influence. They are the sort of dishes where heaps of juicy battered prawns are bathed in honey or mouth-sized portions of crunchy pork bask in their delectable sweet and sour sauce. For many Australians, they are dishes that tastefully evoke childhood memories of family celebrations at their friendly local Chinese restaurant.

As such, it is no surprise that Wong's latest project, the six-part online program "Chopsticks or Fork?" has proven a winning recipe for Australia's national broadcaster, the ABC.

The program, like much of what Wong does, deftly mixed diverse ingredients such as a dash of a travel show, as she and director Lin Jie Kong visited rural townships, and a generous dollop of cooking show as the duo sample the offerings at beloved restaurants.

"We wanted to celebrate Chinese restaurants and communities in regional Australia, because Chinese restaurants are such an integral part of Australian life. We wanted to share our curiosity about these institutions with viewers, who no doubt have their own favorite Chinese restaurant memories," said Wong.

Along the way, Wong amiably chatted to the hard-working chefs and their families and quickly discovers the how, why and when behind their chosen profession and their destination in Australia. She also interviewed contented, loyal customers who, between bites, told her what just makes the local Chinese restaurant such a welcome part of their community.

A common feature of the restaurants is their longevity, with many of the family businesses spanning decades as retiring chefs hand over their woks to the next generation to keep the spring rolls rolling merrily along.

So did filming the series ever made Wong wish that she too could settle down and set up shop in a picturesque rural town?

"I loved all six places we visited in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, and the Northern Territory, and could definitely see myself spending a few months in each place," she said.

"But I love city life too much, and bookshops and cafes. And also the huge range of Chinese food you can get in Sydney, with cuisines from Chongqing to Xi'an, Shanghai to Yunnan. I would miss that too much."

What a food enthusiast. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 14:03:20|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on June 20, 2021 shows a meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria. (EU Delegation Vienna/Handout via Xinhua)

"We are closer to an agreement ever than before, but bridging the gaps ... requires decisions by the parties," said senior Iranian nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi, adding that some issues still need to be resolved.

VIENNA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Talks on restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), showed positive signal of finalizing the agreement and finding solutions to the Iranian nuclear issue, officials said on Sunday.

During a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission wrapped up on Sunday, representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran agreed on many important issues concerning the revival of the JCPOA.

Talks to revive the JCPOA are "closer to a deal," said Enrique Mora, deputy secretary-general and political director of the European External Action Service.

He said that they have made progress on a number of technical issues, and have more clarity on technical documents.

The documents for an agreement on the revival of the JCPOA are almost ready, senior Iranian nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying on Sunday.

Photo taken on March 11, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

"We are closer to an agreement ever than before, but bridging the gaps ... requires decisions by the parties," he said, adding that some issues still need to be resolved.

The U.S. government withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its JCPOA commitments from May 2019.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that Washington and Tehran remain divided over how to achieve a mutual return to compliance with the nuclear deal.

"What I would say is that there is still a fair distance to travel on some of the key issues, including on sanctions and on the nuclear commitments that Iran has to make," Sullivan said.

"But the arrow has been pointed in the right direction in terms of the work that's getting done in Vienna," he continued. "We will see if the Iranian negotiators come to the next round of talks, prepared to make the hard choices."

"We are closer to a deal, but we are not still there," Mora told reporters after the meeting.

A man walks past a board showing the rates of currencies at a currency exchange center in central Tehran, Iran, Oct. 14, 2020. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua)

Mora voiced hope that in the next round, delegations will come back from capitals "with clearer instructions, clearer ideas on how to finally close the deal."

For the next few days, negotiations will be stopped and the parties will return to their capitals, not for further consultations but for decision making, Araqchi noted, expressing the hope for finalizing the agreement in the next session of the meeting.

"Welcomed progress made over last weeks, but difficult decisions remain. It is important to seize the political opportunity, and for all to be flexible," EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell tweeted on Friday.

China acknowledges the EU's efforts to pursue a return to compliance with the Iran nuclear deal, and hopes that the EU will continue to play its coordinating role, and work with all parties concerned to help bring about an expeditious political solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said earlier this month.

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. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 15:20:58|Editor: huaxia

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More than 1 billion doses of #COVID19 vaccines have been administered in China. The country's speed of vaccine administration has been hailed by an Egyptian expert. #GLOBALink

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 16:20:59|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Sunday expressed concern over the disappearance of a Yemeni child refugee in Libya.

"UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and UNICEF Libya are deeply concerned about the disappearance of a Yemeni child, reported to have been abducted last week in Tripoli," said a joint statement.

"Refugee and displaced children are exposed to various risks, and it is important that authorities and institutions mandated to ensure their well-being associate their efforts to ensure the protection of this vulnerable group of persons," the statement said.

UNHCR and UNICEF reiterated the gravity of this incident and the need for immediate action to ensure the safe release of the child.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.

Rescued migrants end up inside overcrowded reception centers across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 16:30:11|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese research team has recently revealed the emerging risks of declining oxygen levels in large cities around the world, raising concerns over people's health and the potential for sustainable development in major cities.

A research team from Lanzhou University investigated oxygen balances and related risks in 391 cities worldwide with a population of more than 1 million. They studied the oxygen index, the ratio of oxygen consumption to oxygen production.

The results of the study show that global urban areas, covering 3.8 percent of the global land surface, accounted for approximately 39 percent of terrestrial oxygen consumption during the 2001-2015 period, said Huang Jianping, leader of the research team from the College of Atmospheric Science at Lanzhou University.

It is estimated that 75 percent of cities with a population of more than 5 million had oxygen indexes greater than 100.

The study also revealed that high population density and large-scale urban expansion not only increase the consumption of natural resources but also reduce the stability of an ecosystem.

"Notably, people living in large cities with excessively large oxygen index values would likely be exposed to severe hypoxia in extremely calm weather," said Huang.

"The study results warn that the long-term hypoxia environment will bring great harm to urban populations. Also, with the lack of oxygen, urban residents might face more frequent occurrences of high-temperature heat waves and severe water withdrawals," he added.

The study results have been published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 18:08:21|Editor: huaxia

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A customer buys drinks at a liquor store in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on June 21, 2021. Sri Lankan authorities on Monday temporarily lifted a nationwide travel restriction which was imposed in May to allow essential work of people. (Photo by Ajith Perera/Xinhua)

COLOMBO, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan authorities on Monday temporarily lifted a nationwide travel restriction which was imposed in May to allow essential work of people.

Army Commander and Head of the National Operations Center for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak Gen. Shavendra Silva told Xinhua that the country-wide travel restriction was lifted for three days from Monday to allow the public to leave their homes for essential work.

However, he said only two people from every house were allowed to leave home for essential work while private and state-owned companies were urged to operate on very minimum staff.

Silva said Sri Lanka continued to report a very high number of COVID-19 patients and deaths, calling the public to behave responsibly till the nationwide travel restriction is re-imposed again on Wednesday night.

According to fresh guidelines issued by the Health Ministry on Sunday, supermarkets across Sri Lanka can function on a 25-percent capacity per time while grocery stores will be allowed to take in only three people per time.

Restaurants will remain closed for dine-in while all public gatherings and weddings will continue to be suspended.

Sri Lanka will re-impose the nationwide travel restriction on Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. and lift it again on Friday 4:00 a.m. local time.

The country is presently facing a third wave of the COVID-19 virus with the new variants causing a rapid spread.

Since April, over 100,000 new patients have been detected from a new cluster which has led to hospitals functioning on full capacity, health officials have said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 18:11:05|Editor: huaxia

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GARDEZ, Afghanistan, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Five civilians were killed and four others wounded as a roadside bomb struck a vehicle in Ahmad Abad district of Afghanistan's eastern Paktia province on Monday, provincial government spokesman Abdul Rahman Mangal said.

"The deadly roadside bombing which targeted a civilian vehicle in Machalgo area of Ahmad Abad district at around noon today claimed five lives including a woman, two children and two men and also injured four others. All the victims are civilians," Mangal told Xinhua.

All the victims are members of the same family who were going to attend a funeral service in the neighboring village, the official added.

The official blamed the Taliban militant group for the bombing, saying the armed group often conducts subversive activities to terrorize the locals.

The Taliban outfit, which is active in parts of Paktia province, has yet to make comment. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 18:11:15|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Naftali Bennett on his assuming office as Israel's prime minister.

In his message, Li said that in recent years, China-Israel relations have been developing steadily, and practical cooperation in various fields has been continuously promoted.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to its relations with Israel, said Li, noting that China stands ready to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation with Israel, expand friendly exchanges at all levels, and push for greater development of the China-Israel innovative comprehensive partnership. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 18:15:11|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported on Monday 5,249 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,364,239.

The death toll climbed to 23,749 after 128 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

The Philippines, which has more than 110 million population, has tested more than 13 million people since the outbreak in January 2020.

The Philippines has detected four additional cases of the more transmissible Delta coronavirus variant first found in India, bringing the total cases in the country to 17, the DOH said on Monday.

The DOH said three of the four cases were detected in the samples taken from returning overseas Filipinos from the MV Eastern Hope, a ship currently docked in South Korea. The fourth case is an overseas Filipino returning from Saudi Arabia on May 24. The patient has recovered and is now under strict home quarantine, the DOH added.

Of the 17 Delta variant patients, one died while the rest have either recovered or are recuperating, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online briefing.

"There is no community transmission of the Delta variant in the country," Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Executive Director Cynthia Saloma said in a televised press conference.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has issued a directive to tighten border control to prevent further entry of the rapidly spreading Delta variant.

Vergeire said that the government is "on heightened alert," adding that "all local governments have been alerted on the need to watch out for the Delta variant across our borders."

The Philippines' ban on travelers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman and the United Arab Emirates is in place until June 30 to prevent the entry of the Delta variant. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 19:35:51|Editor: huaxia

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Li Zhanshu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, attends a symposium commemorating the 100th birth anniversary of Chen Muhua, a late senior official, in Beijing, capital of China, June 21, 2021. Chen once played a leading role in China's economic affairs and work related to women and children. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- A symposium commemorating the 100th birth anniversary of Chen Muhua, a late senior official who once played a leading role in China's economic affairs and work related to women and children, was held in Beijing on Monday.

Li Zhanshu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, attended the symposium and met Chen's family before the event.

Chen, who died of illness in 2011 at the age of 90, held several key official posts during her career. She was vice chairperson of the standing committees of the seventh and eighth national people's congresses and worked as vice premier of the State Council, state councilor and president of the All-China Women's Federation.

After recalling her glorious life, Hu Chunhua, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and China's vice premier, urged the floor to learn from Chen's loyalty to her belief and the Party, as well as her dedication to the people and make unremitting efforts to realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 19:59:17|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that China is ready to work with the Republic of the Congo to deepen political mutual trust and share more governance experience with each other to push for greater development of bilateral ties.

In a telephone conversation with Denis Sassou Nguesso, president of the Republic of the Congo, Xi said China is willing to jointly strive for new progress in the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two sides, so as to bring more benefits to the two peoples. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 20:28:41|Editor: huaxia

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A voter casts her ballot at a polling station in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on June 21, 2021. Voters went to the polls in Ethiopia on Monday for the twice delayed sixth general elections. Millions of Ethiopians are voting their representatives, both for the House of Peoples' Representatives (HoPR) - the lower house of the Ethiopian parliament, as well as for the regional state councils as more than 9,000 candidates run at the federal and regional levels. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua)

ADDIS ABABA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Voters went to the polls in Ethiopia on Monday for the twice delayed sixth general elections.

Millions of Ethiopians are voting their representatives, both for the House of Peoples' Representatives (HoPR) - the lower house of the Ethiopian parliament, as well as for the regional state councils as more than 9,000 candidates run at the federal and regional levels.

The elections are being held in seven of the 10 regional states, with voters expected to choose candidates vying for 440 of the 547 HoPR seats in the east African country, according to the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE).

Including in the conflict-affected Tigray regional state, the election was postponed for 107 of the 547 parliamentary seats due to violence, and irregularities and defects in ballot papers.

The election for some of the constituencies is now rescheduled for Sept. 6.

The government has promised to hold a free, fair, and credible election for voters to choose candidates from 46 regional and national parties.

Alem Sisay, 62, who arrived at a polling station at the Akaki neighborhood on the outskirts of the capital, Addis Ababa, before voting started at 6:00 a.m., told Xinhua correspondents that she came to vote for the betterment of her country.

Another voter, 27-year-old Adisu Lemma, was also waiting for his turn among a large crowd in the Kaliti neighborhood.

"This is my first time voting. I came here early in the morning to exercise my right and vote for a party that I believe will lead the country and my city to a better path," Lemma told Xinhua.

Preliminary results of the voting are set to be announced within five days.

At the federal level, the political party or coalition that wins the majority in the 547-seats HoPR will form a government, and approve the appointment of the prime minister and the council of ministers. At the regional state level, the party or coalition capturing a majority of seats in the council gets to appoint the regional head and regional cabinet members.

Ethiopia's ruling Prosperity Party is running for the first time in its current stature. In 2019, three of the four members of the former ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Front (EPRDF), dissolved the EPRDF and formed the Prosperity Party.

The ruling party, which is widely expected to win the polls, competes with the main opposition party, the Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice led by veteran politician Berhanu Nega. Various regional and ethnic political parties are also competing across the regions and in the capital, Addis Ababa.

The election was held amid challenges like recurrent conflicts in parts of the country and the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted the NEBE to move the date of the balloting from the initially scheduled August 2020 to June 5 this year and then to Monday, June 21.

While fears linger over a repetition of violence seen in 2005 after Ethiopia's third general election, many believe that it is less probable this time around as elections are delayed in fragile areas.

Experts also argued that the promise and assertion by the government to hold a credible and fair election is facilitating the electoral process despite global and domestic challenges. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 20:54:40|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that China is ready to join Finland in giving play to complementary strengths, and making two-way trade bigger and stronger.

In a telephone conversation with his Finnish counterpart, Sauli Niinisto, Xi also said that Finnish firms are welcome to keep sharing the dividends brought by China's development, voicing his hope that Finland can continue to support bilateral cooperation in investment and other fields with an open attitude. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 20:58:36|Editor: huaxia

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-- Having undergone ravages of ethnic cleansing and genocide by the U.S. government in history, Native Americans have still been unfairly discriminated against and treated as second-class citizens with their rights being trampled on even today.

-- African Americans make up 13 percent of the U.S. population but account for 28 percent of those killed by U.S. police in 2020, which are approximately three times more likely to be killed than their white peers, according to Mapping Police Violence, a collection of interactive tools, maps, and figures that illustrate police violence in the United States.

-- Politicians shed tears for the victims, denounced the criminals, and pledged to take measures to prevent the crimes from happening again, none of which has managed to stop gun violence from escalating to a new high.

BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- While Washington has been pointing an accusing finger at other countries on unfounded and ill-willed grounds, human rights tragedies happening within the U.S. territory expose that Washington is nothing but a double-dealer.

Almost every day, rising discrimination against ethnic minorities, raging gun crimes and collapsed line of defense against the COVID-19 pandemic have been stoking fears and claiming lives across the country, tearing down Washington's fig leaf and laying bare its own human rights atrocities stained with blood and tears.





DETERIORATING SITUATION OF INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Having undergone ravages of ethnic cleansing and genocide by the U.S. government in history, Native Americans have still been unfairly discriminated against and treated as second-class citizens with their rights being trampled on even today.

Photo taken on June 8, 2020 shows a protester holding a sign that reads "Black Lives Matter" near the White House during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd in Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

According to a report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the implications to human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, which was issued on Aug. 5, 2020 pursuant to the Human Rights Council resolution 36/15, the indigenous peoples in the United States are regularly exposed to toxic pollutants, including nuclear waste, released or produced by extractive industries, agriculture, and manufacturing.

Another UN report said that amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospitalization rate among the indigenous peoples and ethnic minority groups is five times that of non-Hispanic whites, with the death rate far higher than their white peers.





RISING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST ETHNIC MINORITIES

African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans and other ethnic minorities in the United States have been suffering blatant racial discrimination since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

According to an NBC News report, one in four Asian American youths experience racially motivated bullying. Those irresponsible remarks by some Washington politicians have sharply incited hatred and resentment towards Asian Americans. The UN human rights independent expert Tendayi Achiume said media and political leaders who have inflamed the rise of xenophobia and racial hatred amid the pandemic are "entrepreneurs of intolerance," a UN tweet said.

An FBI report released in 2020 showed that 57.6 percent of the 8,302 single-bias hate crime offenses reported by law enforcement agencies in 2019 were motivated by issues concerning race, ethnicity, or ancestry. Among the 4,930 victims of racial hate crimes, as many as 2,391 were of African descent.

Relatives mourn for victims of a mass shooting in San Jose, California, the United States, May 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

African Americans make up 13 percent of the U.S. population but account for 28 percent of those killed by U.S. police in 2020, which are approximately three times more likely to be killed than their white peers, according to Mapping Police Violence, a collection of interactive tools, maps, and figures that illustrate police violence in the United States.

During the pandemic, incidence and death rates in the United States showed significant racial differences, with incidence, hospitalization, and death rates among African Americans being three times, five times, and twice that of their white peers respectively, according to a report submitted on August 21, 2020 by the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent to the UN Human Rights Council.





RAGING GUN VIOLENCE

Vowing to crack down on gun violence has already become a procedural political show of successive U.S. governments.

Politicians shed tears for the victims, denounced the criminals, and pledged to take measures to prevent the crimes from happening again, none of which has managed to stop gun violence from escalating to a new high.

According to data from Gun Violence Archive, an online site that collects gun violence statistics in the United States, more than 41,500 Americans died from gun violence in 2020, or more than 110 on a daily basis, setting a new record for gun violence casualties. And there were 592 mass shootings nationwide, equivalent to a daily average of more than 1.6.

Images of New Yorkers lost to the COVID-19 pandemic are projected onto the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, the United States, March 14, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

In 2021, the momentum of gun violence has shown no sign of deceleration. Gun Violence Archive's data shows that as of Sunday, about 20,611 people have died from gun violence, and more than 290 mass shootings have occurred nationwide.

As one of the deadliest shootings this year, nine people including the suspect, were killed and at least another injured last month after a shooting at a Valley Transportation Authority yard north of downtown San Jose in the U.S. state of California.





BOTCHED ENDEAVORS AGAINST COVID-19

While bragging about the progress it has made in inoculating the American people, the United States is still the country with the world's most infections and deaths.

According to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, U.S. COVID-19 deaths have reached 601,826 and the number of confirmed cases has exceeded 33 million as of Sunday.

Most of the infections and deaths could have been prevented if the U.S. government had played its due role in leading its people to exercise coordinated and stringent anti-COVID measures, instead of attempting to shift responsibilities and sling mud at other countries.

Photo taken on Aug. 7, 2019 shows Indian American Priscilla Perez taking part in a rally for gun control and anti-racism in El Paso, Texas, the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

For months, despite repeated warning and advice of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. authorities had been refusing to urge people to wear masks and maintain social distancing.

Data speak for themselves. With a population of less than 5 percent of the world's total, the United States accounted for more than 18 percent of all the confirmed cases and more than 15 percent of the deaths as of Sunday.

"It is a slaughter," William Foege, epidemiologist and former head of the U.S. CDC, said in a letter, denouncing the U.S. government for politicizing the fight against the deadly pathogen.

(Video reporters: Deng Min, Shi Zhongyu, Yang Yiran, Yu Fuqing, Liu Chang and Yang Yi; Video editor: Luo Hui)


Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 21:00:19|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, June 21 (Xinhua) -- China, led by the Communist Party of China (CPC), has accomplished an extraordinary success in eradicating absolute poverty and upholding multilateralism, Dogu Perincek, chairman of Turkey's Patriotic Party, has said.

Perincek, a well-known politician in his country, has paid several visits to China, during which he was most impressed by the tremendous efforts that Chinese people have put in creating a better life.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Perincek said that the New China was one of the poorest countries when established in 1949, "but the country created a 'miracle' in such a short time" as it developed to become an engine of world economy.

"We can call this century-old history a heroic history or a legendary history of the CPC," he said, speaking of the upcoming 100th anniversary of its founding early next month, with a belief that the party will lead China to another century of great success.

Perincek noted that the CPC, the world's largest political party with more than 90 million members, has acted "equally and sincerely" in its relations with other parties.

"It does not impose its position," he stressed. "When telling its stories, it always says 'these are our experiences.'"

In his view, the CPC is truly "admirable" for respecting other parties' choices of path in line with each country's unique conditions.

Perincek also spoke highly of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, saying the book "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" has showcased the Chinese president's exceptional leadership skills.

Hailing China's success in securing a "complete victory" in the fight against poverty, Perincek said "this is a great historic achievement for humanity."

Perincek said China also achieved a peerless success in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

China is actively promoting multilateral cooperation and building a community with a shared future for mankind, Perincek said.

"It is not egotistic and not selfish. And in this respect, it represents humanity's hopes and aspirations," he noted. (Video reporter: Wang Feng; Video editor: Liu Ruoshi)




Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 21:02:42|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Igbal Abdi has been using Kenya's Mombasa port to import electronic goods for his clients who are based in the northeast region of the country.

The 55-year-old trader transports his cargo from the Mombasa port to Garissa town, a distance of 400 km, which is a tedious ordeal given the poor state of the highway road.

The inauguration of the first berth of the Lamu port in May, however, has raised Abdi's hope and confidence in business.

During the launch, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said the port will open up northern Kenya to the rest of the world and also provide a convenient gateway for South Sudan and Ethiopia.

Lamu port, about 240 km north of Mombasa along the Indian Ocean coastline, is the country's second commercial port and is only 240 km away from Garissa town.

Abdi told Xinhua Monday that he plans to begin using the Lamu port because it is closer to his destination as compared to the Mombasa port. "I hope to be able to deliver goods on a more timely basis," he noted.

China Communications Construction Company undertook the construction of the first of the 32 berths of the 310 billion shillings (about 2.9 billion U.S. dollars) facility. It can handle large vessels with a carrying capacity ranging from 12,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 18,000 TEUs.

According to the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), the first three berths will be financed by the government while the remaining 29 berths will be financed by the private sector.

The facility is part of the regional Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport corridor project that seeks to provide road, rail and pipeline links between the seaport and Kenya's northern neighbors of South Sudan and Ethiopia. The government will roll out lower charges for use of the facility for a temporary period in order to encourage more shippers to use the port.

Moses Ikiara, managing director of Kenya Investment Authority, said that a special economic zone will be built next to Lamu Port to manufacture goods for both local and international markets. Ikiara noted that the port facility is an ideal location to attract investments due to its proximity and convenience to the international markets.

Larry Mugambi, an importer, is also excited about the prospects of using the Lamu port to bring goods into the country. Mugabi, 50, currently uses the port of Mombasa as a gateway to deliver his goods to Isiolo town 700 km away. He noted that by using Lamu port, he will save both costs and time as the distance between Lamu to Isiolo is only 470 km.

Abdul Mohammed, who is based in Garissa, is also keen to utilize the port in order to export his livestock to overseas markets. Mohammed told Xinhua that transportation of his animals to the port of Lamu will also result in higher profits due to the shorter distance.

As a cornerstone of the Kenyan government's Vision 2030 development plan, it is now branded as a "game-changer" project. It aims to integrate marginalized northern Kenya into the Kenyan economy and the nation. There are also plans to establish numerous industrial areas along the corridor. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 21:04:05|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, June 21 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday that Britain could be in a "rough winter" as pressure on the National Health Service (NHS) could be huge due to possible new disease on top of coronavirus.

"You can never exclude that there will be some new disease, some new horror that we simply haven't budgeted for or accounted for," said Johnson as he did not rule out the prospect of further lockdowns in the winter.

"Obviously there are big pressures on the NHS, which is all the more reason to reduce the number of COVID cases now, give the NHS the breathing space it needs to get on with dealing with all those other pressures," he said during a visit to a laboratory in Hertfordshire, southern England.

"We're certainly going to be putting in the investment to make sure that they can," he said.

The prime minister said cases of the Delta variant first identified in India are still rising and the public have to remain cautious.

"It's going up by about 30 percent a week in cases, hospitalizations are up by roughly the same amount and so, sadly, are ICU (intensive care units) admissions into intensive care," he said.

"We've got to be cautious but we'll be following the data the whole time. But looking at where we are, the efficacy of the vaccine against all variants that we can currently see...I think it is looking good for July 19 to be that terminus point."

Johnson has announced a four-week delay to the final step of England's roadmap out of COVID-19 restrictions until July 19, amid a surge in cases of the Delta variant.

Recent data published by Public Health England showed the AstraZeneca vaccine is 92 percent effective against hospitalization from the Delta variant after two doses, and the Pfizer vaccine is 96 percent effective against hospitalisation after two doses.

Nearly 43 million people have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine while more than 31.3 million people have been fully vaccinated with a second dose, according to the latest official figures.

Experts have warned that coronavirus may continue to evolve for years to come, and eventually it is likely current vaccines will fail to protect against transmission, infection, or even against disease caused by newer variants.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 21:43:56|Editor: huaxia

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GAZA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Yehya Sinwar, leader of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip, said on Monday that his meeting with a UN delegation over Gaza's humanitarian situation was "completely negative."

Sinwar made the remark in a news briefing after a meeting in Gaza city with a senior UN delegation, including the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland.

Israel "is blackmailing the Palestinian factions including Hamas in solving the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip," he said, warning that the situation might escalate again if the issue remains unsolved.

The UN delegation "heard from us with interest and deep concerns, but unfortunately there are no indications of any good intentions toward solving the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip," he added.

Meanwhile, Sinwar announced that a meeting will be held for the leaders of the Palestinian factions in Gaza "to decide on what will be our next step."

The meeting comes as Hamas leaders and the Palestinian factions in Gaza are making contacts with international and Arab parties with the aim of improving the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave.

The meeting also aims to consolidate an Egypt-brokered cease-fire between Hamas and Israel that ended their 11-day war on May 21.

The Palestinian factions demand that Israel abide by the cease-fire, which includes expanding the fishing area, starting the implementation of infrastructure projects, and lifting restrictions on importing and exporting goods.

Hamas and the entire Palestinian factions also demand Israel allow the transfer of the Qatari financial grant for humanitarian support in the Gaza Strip and the entry of building materials to start the reconstruction process. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 21:50:15|Editor: huaxia

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Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, attends the opening meeting of the 17th session of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, June 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on Monday opened its 17th session on implementing the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and fostering the new development paradigm.

Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, attended the opening meeting.

State Councilor Wang Yong delivered a report and heard suggestions from members of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee at the meeting.

Pushing implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan and fostering the new development paradigm are of great and far-reaching significance in fully building a modern socialist country, Wang Yong pointed out.

He urged coordinated efforts to properly handle relations between supply and demand, independence and opening up, the whole and the part, government and market, and development and security, among others factors.

The targets and tasks must be further detailed, while the unified planning system must be improved, Wang Yong said, urging solid work on key projects and improved policy coordination to promote the full implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan.

Zhang Qingli, vice chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, who presided over the meeting, asked members of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee to pool their wisdom and make contributions to the implementation of the plan.

During the session, the political advisors will hold discussions on a range of topics including furthering supply-side structural reform, pursuing the strategy of expanding domestic demand, and speeding up independent innovation in science and technology. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 21:53:50|Editor: huaxia

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Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi attends his first press conference after winning the election in Tehran, Iran, on June 21, 2021. Raisi said on Monday that the United States must lift "all unjust sanctions" on Iran and Europe abide by their commitments under the 2015 nuclear agreement. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua)

TEHRAN, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday that the United States must lift "all unjust sanctions" on Iran and Europe abide by their commitments under the 2015 nuclear agreement.

"What I am saying to the United States is that according to the nuclear deal, you were obliged to lift all sanctions and you did not. Go back and fulfill your commitments," Raisi said when asked about his message to the United States and the European countries at his first press conference held after election.

Addressing European partners in the nuclear agreement, the Iranian president-elect said they should not succumb to the "pressures and foreign policies" of Washington but instead fulfill their commitments under the deal.

Iran, he noted, will negotiate neither its regional policies nor its national defense with foreign parties.

When asked whether he is ready to meet U.S. President Joe Biden in case all U.S. sanctions on Iran are cancelled and Iran's demands are met, Raisi just said "no."

Judiciary Chief Raisi won Iran's presidential race by securing over 60 percent of votes, the Iranian Interior Ministry announced Saturday. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 23:00:33|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that China is ready to work with the Republic of the Congo to deepen political mutual trust and share more governance experience with each other to push for greater development of bilateral ties.

In a telephone conversation with Denis Sassou Nguesso, president of the Republic of the Congo, Xi said China is willing to jointly strive for new progress in the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two sides, so as to bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Xi pointed out that the friendship between China and the Republic of the Congo has a long history, and the two sides have always supported and helped each other, and worked closely in international and regional affairs to safeguard international fairness and justice and the common interests of developing countries.

Since last year, China and the Republic of the Congo have jointly fought against the COVID-19 pandemic and together promoted the resumption of work and production, with their relevant practical cooperation projects progressing smoothly and their friendship and cooperation ever deepened, he said.

Xi emphasized that China supports the Republic of the Congo in taking a development path that suits its national conditions, supports it in safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and supports it in transforming its advantages in resources and geographical position into development advantages.

China will encourage more capable companies to invest in the Republic of the Congo, and is willing to deepen cooperation with the Republic of the Congo in such areas as medical care and health, agriculture, and people's livelihood, provide vaccines and other support for the Republic of the Congo's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, help the Republic of the Congo's drive of industrialization and economic diversification, and promote the economic and social development of the Republic of the Congo, Xi said.

China and Africa have jointly proposed the "Initiative on Partnership for Africa's Development" to the international community, Xi said, adding that China is willing to work with the Republic of the Congo to have more countries participate to jointly support the development of Africa.

Xi said China welcomes the Republic of the Congo's active participation in the next meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to jointly create a new prospect in China-Africa relations. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 00:03:03|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Monday launched the first phase of the green cities regional actions program for Africa.

Qu Dongyu, FAO director-general, said that the initiative aims at creating green jobs for the burgeoning youthful population residing in African cities.

"The initiative targets clean and small satellite cities in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that will discourage rural-urban migration of people," he said during the virtual signing ceremony.

Qu urged city managers to share best practices on greening urban spaces, adding that FAO is keen to support African municipalities and come up with strategies that promote climate resilience.

Maimunah Mohd Sharif, executive director of the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) said the greening initiative is aligned with urban and territorial planning, public spaces, policy, legislation, governance and urban-rural linkages.

She said the initiative is an important instrument to support the acceleration of the implementation of the Agenda 2030 and the New Urban Agenda.

The UN-Habitat official said that lessons and challenges stemming from the COVID-19 crisis point to the need for establishing a new social contract for a resilient community, adding that the green cities initiative will strengthen action on the pandemic.

The initiative was endorsed by city officials from Praia in Cape Verde, Kisumu and Nairobi in Kenya, Antananarivo in Madagascar, Quelimane in Mozambique and Kigali in Rwanda.

It is part of FAO's green cities initiative and targets small, medium and large African cities with innovative "quick win" actions and tailor-made training to boost the capacity of stakeholders to integrate food systems, urban and peri-urban agriculture and urban forestry in local planning and actions.

The initiative that targets to reach 1,000 cities by 2030 will be implemented in metropolitan, medium and small cities in developing countries.

FAO launched the Green Cities Initiative and Action Plan in September 2020 at a high-level event during the 75th session of the UN General Assembly to trigger transformative actions for cities to become greener, cleaner, more resilient and regenerative. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 00:09:19|Editor: huaxia

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Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi attends his first press conference after winning the election in Tehran, Iran, on June 21, 2021. (Photo by Ahmad Halabisaz/Xinhua)

"What I am saying to the United States is that according to the nuclear deal, you were obliged to lift all sanctions and you did not," Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi says at his first press conference held after election.



TEHRAN, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday that the United States must lift "all unjust sanctions" on Iran and Europe abide by their commitments under the 2015 nuclear agreement.

"What I am saying to the United States is that according to the nuclear deal, you were obliged to lift all sanctions and you did not. Go back and fulfill your commitments," Raisi said when asked about his message to the United States and the European countries at his first press conference held after election.



Addressing European partners in the nuclear agreement, the Iranian president-elect said they should not succumb to the "pressures and foreign policies" of Washington but instead fulfill their commitments under the deal.

Iran, he noted, will negotiate neither its regional policies nor its national defense with foreign parties.

When asked whether he is ready to meet U.S. President Joe Biden in case all U.S. sanctions on Iran are cancelled and Iran's demands are met, Raisi just said "no."

Judiciary Chief Raisi won Iran's presidential race by securing over 60 percent of votes, the Iranian Interior Ministry announced Saturday. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 00:14:03|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Political parties, political leaders and friendly individuals in other countries are extending warm congratulations on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

In messages addressed to General Secretary Xi Jinping of the CPC Central Committee or to the CPC Central Committee, they spoke highly of the splendid achievements the CPC has made during the past century, and conveyed their wishes to boost exchanges and cooperation with the CPC.

The following is an edited summary of some of these messages.

Under Xi's leadership, the Chinese people have scored a complete victory in the fight against poverty, which has won worldwide acclaim, said Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

Nepal expects to work with China to promote the building of a beautiful world featuring lasting peace and common prosperity, added Oli, also president of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist).

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Keith Rowley underlined the CPC's exploration of the path to national prosperity and rejuvenation.

China has made hard-won achievements in its economic development, poverty alleviation, social progress and other areas, said Rowley, also the leader of the People's National Movement party.

Bob Loughman, leader of the Vanua'aku Pati and Vanuatu's prime minister, said the CPC, with its strong leadership and outstanding ability to govern the country and the party, has led China to achieve remarkable achievements in political, economic and social sectors as well as international affairs.

Robert Abela, leader of Malta's Labour Party and Malta's prime minister, congratulated the CPC on celebrating the historic moment of its 100th anniversary, adding that Malta-China relationship has achieved remarkable progress in recent years.

Abela said Malta's Labour Party attaches great importance to its relations with the CPC and stands ready to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation between the two parties so as to promote the development of Malta-China relations.

Sultan al-Barakani, deputy secretary-general of General People's Congress Party of Yemen and speaker of the Yemeni parliament, expressed admiration for the achievements made by the CPC in pursuing freedom, carrying out construction and promoting development as well as its leading role in the world in sectors of economy and good governance.

Al-Barakani said that the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by General Secretary Xi has been leading China in building a bridge that connects the whole world.

Ban Ki-moon, former United Nations secretary-general and chairman of Ban Ki-moon Foundation For a Better Future, said by implementing continuous, stable and sustainable macro policies, China has made great progress in economic and social development with people's wellbeing continuously improved, setting a model for global development.

Ban also wished China continued prosperity and greater progress under Xi's leadership. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 02:53:00|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed and three others were injured on Monday after five cars collided on the Saadiyat highway in Mount Lebanon, the National News Agency reported.

Suffering from an unprecedented economic and financial crisis, the country lacks sufficient budget for road safety. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 03:02:02|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, June 21 (Xinhua) -- While the White House claimed milestone of administering over 300 million COVID-19 vaccine shots in the first 150 days since U.S. President Joe Biden took office, the highly contagious Delta variant continues threatening the country, especially in states with the lowest vaccination numbers.

About 45.1 percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and 53.3 percent of the population has received at least one shot as of Sunday, according to latest data of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

But some states -- such as Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Wyoming -- have fully vaccinated less than 35 percent of residents.

The Delta variant, which is believed to be more transmissible and cause more severe disease, could cause an upsurge in infections, but the levels will vary depending on the rates of vaccination in each area, said Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Models for Delta's spread show the fall could see a peak of around 20 percent of the infections the United States recorded in January, but the distribution of those predicted surges is not even across all areas, Gottlieb said in an interview with CBS on Sunday.

"Connecticut, for example where I am, shows no upsurge of infection, but Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, show very substantial upsurges of infection. That's based entirely on how much population wide immunity you have based on vaccination," he said.

The Delta variant, which was initially identified in India in December 2020 and first detected in the United States in March 2021, has already been detected in over 40 U.S. states, according to the CDC.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky warned this variant is expected to become the dominant strain in the Untied States, adding it is more transmissible than others.

"As worrisome as this Delta strain is with regard to its hyper transmissibility, our vaccines work," Walensky said.

New research suggests less vaccinated areas are at risk. Scientists at Helix analyzed nearly 20,000 COVID-19 tests collected since April and found the Delta variant is quickly rising in counties with fewer vaccinated residents, according to a CNN report.

Experts have stressed vaccines are the key to containing the variants and reopening the country safely.

So far, studies suggest that the current authorized vaccines work on the circulating variants, said the CDC.

Research are still underway on how long protection from the COVID-19 vaccines will last, and when a booster is required, 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.

He urged more people to get vaccinated as soon as possible to keep the variants from taking hold. Zhang also stressed the importance of keeping social distance, wearing masks and personal hygiene as vaccines could not offer 100 percent protection. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 03:19:38|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Armed conflict drives more than 732,000 people from their northern Mozambique homes in one of the world's fastest-growing displacement crises, UN humanitarians said on Monday.

Of those uprooted, 30 percent of them fled more than once, according to UN figures. The displacements are generating dire humanitarian needs across the region, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The number of people displaced due to attacks and violence in Cabo Delgado increased by nearly 650 percent in 2020 alone.

Humanitarian organizations are scaling up the response and have assisted more than 700,000 people in the first five months of 2021.

"The attack on Palma on March 24 and subsequent clashes across the district have forced nearly 70,000 people from their homes," the humanitarian office said. "Many had to walk for days, with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, arriving at their destinations hungry, exhausted, traumatized and injured."

Many affected people are also trying to seek asylum in Tanzania. However, Tanzania authorities regularly return them to Mozambique, OCHA said. The UN Refugee Agency reported nearly 10,000 people repatriated after entering Tanzania, half of them since May alone.

Repeated displacement and the destruction of livelihoods are exhausting families' scarce resources, OCHA said. It leads to a severe hunger crisis on top of multiple health and protection emergencies.

The humanitarian response is falling short of needs due to insecurity, access challenges and underfunding, the office said.

Aid agencies in Mozambique have received about 11 percent of the 254 million U.S. dollars required to assist and protect 1.1 million people in the areas of Cabo Delgado, Niassa and Nampula, OCHA said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 06:09:22|Editor: huaxia

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Then U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan speaks during a press conference in Washington D.C., the United States, on Dec. 14, 2017. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

Russian ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov has returned to Washington D.C., a State Department spokesperson said.

WASHINGTON, June 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan will return to Moscow this week, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday.

"We remain committed to open channels of communication with the Russian government," Price told reporters in a phone brief. "Both as a means to advance U.S. interests but also to reduce the risk of miscalculation between our two countries."

He also said Russian ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov had returned to Washington D.C.

Tensions escalated between Washington and Moscow earlier this year. The Russian Foreign Ministry recalled Antonov in March to conduct high-level consultations in Moscow. Sullivan left Russia for similar reasons in April.

President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in Geneva last week that their respective ambassadors would return to their posts soon.

U.S.-Russia relations are at their lowest point in years. The two sides have sharp differences over Ukraine, cybersecurity, human rights, and U.S. election interference.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that the Biden administration is preparing additional sanctions against Russia over the alleged poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

The U.S. intelligence community assessed that officers of Russia's Federal Security Service used a nerve agent known as Novichok to poison Navalny on Aug. 20, 2020.

Russia has repeatedly denied such accusations, saying the Navalny case is a purely domestic affair and foreign intervention is not allowed. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 20:54:19|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian army on Monday said troops in the country's northeast region killed over 20 Boko Haram militants in an operation aimed at rooting out the group from their camps.

Army spokesperson Onyema Nwachukwu said in a statement that the militants were hit in their camp around Wartek in the general area of Lambua forest located in the northern state of Borno on Sunday.

The troops acted on credible intelligence and penetrated deep into the Lambua forest during that operation with support from Nigerian air force, Onyema said.

"The gallant troops overran the position of the terrorists with heavy volume of fire from both land and air, killing over 20 insurgents," he said.

They also recovered heavy fighting equipment from the militants, he disclosed.

Boko Haram has been trying to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria since 2009. The terror group has also extended its attacks to other countries in the Lake Chad Basin. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 21:12:28|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Kenya plans to harness technology in order to boost insurance penetration in the country, the insurance regulator said on Monday.

Godfrey Kiptum, CEO of Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) told journalists in Nairobi that the use of Internet of things, blockchain, Big Data, application programming interface, machine learning and artificial intelligence can help tackle the problem of low uptake of insurance products in the country.

"Harnessing technology is seen as one of the levers we can use to boost insurance penetration in Kenya," Kiptum said.

According to the insurance regulator, less than three percent of the population has insurance.

Kiptum noted that the government is prioritizing the increasing population with access to insurance because it is a key pillar of financial inclusion.

He said that many Kenyans believe they are not insurable, hence the need to encourage and motivate local innovators to come up with more solutions to meet the needs of low-income persons.

Kiptum revealed that providing affordable insurance is one way of lifting low-income households out of poverty through micro-insurance which is an effective risk mitigation tool and an essential component for social protection. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 21:33:40|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Robust investments in climate research is key to inform the development of policies that boost the resilience of African communities in the face of extreme weather events, scientists said in Nairobi on Monday.

Catherine Ngila, acting executive director of Nairobi-based African Academy of Sciences said that tackling under-funding towards climate research in the continent should be at the heart of its green pandemic recovery efforts.

"We need to mobilize resources to support African researchers to come up with expertise that is required to tackle the climate crisis in the continent," said Ngila.

She said that African governments should leverage a partnership with industry and local philanthropies to boost climate research funding amid declining support from overseas donors.

According to Ngila, establishing a vibrant research and development infrastructure, training, mentorship and provision of grants to upcoming African climate researchers is key to hastening green transition.

Kenya is hosting the virtual climate research summit convened by AAS and UN Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA) to discuss innovative ways to scale up research and boost coping mechanisms for communities grappling with recurrent droughts, floods and spread of vector-borne diseases.

Jean-Paul Adam, director for Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management at UN-ECA said that investing in climate research will help inform mitigation and adaptation strategies required to accelerate low carbon development in the continent.

Adam said that climate research should focus on how to build the resilience of vulnerable groups like women besides promoting local solutions to climatic shocks that have escalated poverty, water stress, hunger and inequality in Africa.

Joseph Mukabana, director, Regional Office for Africa and Least Developed Countries at World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that harmonized research initiatives are key to strengthen climate adaptation in Africa targeting critical sectors like agriculture, health and energy.

Mithika Mwenda, executive director of Nairobi-based Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, said that people-centered research is key to hasten the realization of a just, green and inclusive growth in the continent. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 21:34:31|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government on Monday released the funeral program of the country's first President Kenneth Kaunda which will see processions being held in the country's 10 provinces.

Kaunda, 97, died on June 17. The government has announced a 21-day mourning period.

Vice-President Inonge Wina said funeral processions, to commence on June 23, will see the remains of the former president be taken around provincial capitals.

She said that the processions will be held under strict COVID-19 regulations.

"However, the entire procession including the church service will be carried live on TV. This arrangement will enable millions of viewers at home to follow the proceedings and have a closer view of the remains of the late president," she said.

The provincial programs include route lining where residents in the provinces shall line designated routes to view the cortege and pay their last respects, she added.

She further said a state funeral will be held on July 2 at the National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka, the country's capital. The former president will be buried on July 7. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 22:09:54|Editor: huaxia

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MANDERA, Kenya, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Two civilians were killed in an attack in northeast Kenya's Mandera County early Monday, the police said.

Rono Bunei, northeastern regional police commander said al-Shabab gunmen killed a truck driver and his turnboy working on a road in Mandera South near the Kenya-Somalia border. They also torched the truck before they escaped toward the Kenya-Somalia border.

In another incident, the militants suspected to have crossed from neighboring Somalia attempted to hijack a van but the incident turned tragic when one of them was run over and killed by the speeding vehicle in Jabibarr area.

The police said the driver later stopped the vehicle a few kilometers ahead along Rhamu-Elwak road and escaped on foot leaving the vehicle behind in unclear circumstances.

Bunei said more security officers have been dispatched to hunt on the militants who are operating in the area and harassing motorists. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 02:00:56|Editor: huaxia

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KAMPALA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Monday swore in the country's vice president, prime minister and dozens of ministers.

Museveni presided over the swearing-in ceremony of Vice President Jessica Alupo, Prime Minister and leader of government business in parliament Robinah Nabbanja, cabinet and state ministers at Kololo Independence Grounds in the capital Kampala.

Alupo, former education minister, replaced sacked Edward Ssekandi, and Nabbanja, former state minister for health in-charge of general duties, replaced Ruhakana Rugunda.

"This cabinet should decisively push Uganda into middle-income status. We have the issue of coronavirus but we shall resolve and deal with it decisively," said Museveni, adding that this government must be able to deliver service.

Museveni, who was sworn in on May 12 for his sixth five-year term in office, appointed on June 9 an 81-member cabinet, sacked 37 former ministers, reshuffled and named new ones. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 11:56:41|Editor: huaxia

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SEOUL, June 21 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export posted double-digit growth in the first 20 days of June, indicating the global demand recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic shock, customs office data showed Monday.

Export, which takes up around half of the export-driven economy, amounted to 32.4 billion U.S. dollars in the June 1-20 period, up 29.5 percent from the same period of last year, according to Korea Customs Service.

The daily average export surged 33.7 percent in the 20-day period due to strong demand for major export items.

Semiconductor shipment jumped 28.5 percent, and the export for telecommunication devices such as smartphone increased 15.8 percent.

Export for automobiles and oil products soared 62.2 percent and 58.6 percent respectively, but those for ships and computers declined in the cited period.

Export to China, South Korea's biggest trading partner, gained 7.9 percent, and those to the United States and the European Union (EU) spiked more than 40 percent.

Shipment to Vietnam, Japan and the Middle East all expanded in double figures for the first 20 days of this month.

Import advanced 29.1 percent over the year to 32.1 billion dollars in the 20-day period, sending the trade surplus to 0.3 billion dollars.

Crude oil import more than doubled in the period, and those for chips, oil products and cars rose in double digits. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 12:03:39|Editor: huaxia

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SEOUL, June 21 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in's approval rating rose 1.1 percentage points over the week to 39.6 percent last week, a weekly poll showed Monday.

The negative assessment on Moon's conduct of state affairs slipped 0.9 percentage points to 56.7 percent, according to the Realmeter survey.

Support for Moon's ruling Democratic Party added 0.2 percentage points to 29.4 percent last week.

The main conservative opposition People Power Party garnered 39.7 percent of support last week, up 0.6 percentage points from the previous week.

The minor center-right People's Party gained 6.7 percent of approval score, followed by the minor center-left Open Democratic Party with 5.7 percent and the minor progressive Justice Party with 3.5 percent each.

The results were based on a poll of 2,514 voters conducted from last Monday to Friday. It had plus and minus 2.0 percentage points in margin of error with a 95 percent confidence level. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 14:35:50|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, June 21 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand is providing additional support for Fiji to mitigate the effects of the current COVID-19 outbreak on vulnerable households, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said on Monday.

Recognizing the increasingly challenging situation in Fiji, New Zealand will provide an additional package of assistance to support the government of Fiji and Fijians most affected by the current outbreak, Mahuta said in a statement.

The assistance includes up to 5 million New Zealand dollars (3.48 million U.S. dollars) for the government to deliver COVID-19 operations, and 5 million New Zealand dollars to local civil society organizations working directly with households to mitigate poverty risks, including through the provision of food rations, Mahuta said.

In addition, New Zealand is embedding two medical specialists into a Medical Assistance Team (MAT) along with its Australian partners to support Fiji in its COVID-19 response, she said.

The announcement furthers New Zealand's package of assistance to date, which includes budget support, operational funding, supplies and equipment, the minister said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 14:45:22|Editor: huaxia

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VIENTIANE, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Laos has kicked off the COVID-19 vaccination drive for people aged over 60 with China's Sinopharm vaccine.

The World Health Organization and the Lao Ministry of Health have given the greenlight to vaccinating citizens aged over 60 with the Sinopharm vaccine, as well as those with underlying health conditions, according to a report released by Center of Information and Education for Health under the Lao Ministry of Health on Monday.

China's vaccines are safe, reliable and efficient, Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune said at a handover ceremony of the third batch of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines in the Lao capital Vientiane last week.

Kikeo said the Lao side has already vaccinated frontline high-risk border personnel, medical workers and some citizens with Sinopharm vaccine.

So far more than 700,000 people in Laos have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines, while over 400,000 people have received the second dose.

The Lao Ministry of Health is planning to vaccinate 50 percent of the country's 7.2-million population by the end of this year. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 15:12:36|Editor: huaxia

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TALUQAN, Afghanistan, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Afghan government forces in an overnight counter-offensive have recaptured two districts in the northern Takhar province, an army spokesman in the northern region, Abdul Hadi Nazari said Monday.

"The security forces launched a counter-offensive early Monday in Khawja Ghar and Bangi districts and have regained control of them, forcing the insurgents to flee," Nazari told Xinhua.

Without providing more details, the official said the government forces are in control of both the restive districts.

The Taliban militants have overrun a number of districts in the northern Takhar province and have been mounting pressure on Takhar's provincial capital Taluqan city.

The militant group has not made comment on the report yet. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 17:07:12|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ) will receive a funding boost to respond to emerging doping challenges across international sports.

The additional 4.3 million NZ dollars (about 2.99 million U.S. dollars) over three years comes from the Sport Recovery Fund announced last year. It will help DFSNZ improve athletes' understanding of the risks of doping, as well as enhance its testing program to keep up with changes in technology.

DFSNZ will be introducing improved testing and enhancing their doping investigation capabilities. This includes the introduction of new testing techniques - like Dried Blood Spot testing, Minister of Sport and Recreation Grant Robertson said in a statement on Monday.

DFSNZ "has a strong international reputation in anti-doping, providing leadership on doping issues in Oceania and further afield," Robertson said.

"This additional investment will allow the agency to work with our athletes and support personnel to preserve and build a culture of clean sport - both in New Zealand and internationally," he added.

DFSNZ is New Zealand's National Anti-Doping Organization which provides technical advice on anti-doping, carries out New Zealand's anti-doping program, and is a signatory to the WADA Code.

Its activities include the education of athletes across the sporting community, athlete testing, investigating evidence of doping, as well as working alongside national and international organizations to share best practices and influence policy development, according to DFSNZ. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 17:47:11|Editor: huaxia

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A worker disinfects a fresh market in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 21, 2021. Thailand reported 3,175 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, marking the fifth consecutive day recording over 3,000 coronavirus infections as it was gradually easing restrictions for economic recovery. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)

BANGKOK, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Thailand reported 3,175 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, marking the fifth consecutive day recording over 3,000 coronavirus infections as it was gradually easing restrictions for economic recovery.

With the new infections, the number of cumulative cases in Thailand rose to 221,306, with over 85 percent of them recorded since April 1 when the third wave of the pandemic hit and quickly spread across the country.

An additional 29 deaths from COVID-19 were recorded on Monday, taking the total fatalities to 1,658, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration.

While the COVID-19 situation in Thailand remains severe, especially in the capital Bangkok and its neighboring provinces, the Thai government was easing restrictions nationwide gradually.

Effective from Monday, restaurants in Bangkok can serve food till 11 p.m., while swimming pools, educational institutions, libraries and stadiums are allowed to reopen.

As of Sunday, Thailand has administered over 7.67 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, of which 3.58 million doses were given after a mass inoculation drive began on June 7.

After more than 400,000 doses were given on the first two days of the campaign, the daily vaccine rollout saw a gradual decline with less than 100,000 doses administered on Sunday.

The Thai government has recently diversified its vaccine procurement by allowing private sectors to import more vaccines from different producers.

Thailand received a batch of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines Sunday to support its fight against the worst wave of the virus' outbreak so far for the Southeast Asian country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 19:46:37|Editor: huaxia

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KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Five civilians including children were killed and eight others injured as a mortar mine struck a residential area in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz city on Monday morning, provincial government spokesman Esmatullah Muradi said.

The official said Taliban militants fired the mortar mine which hit a residential area in the Zakhil village of Kunduz city, killing five civilians including women and children and injuring eight others.

Taliban militants who have been mounting pressure around Kunduz city, the capital of Kunduz province, 250 km north of the national capital Kabul, have not yet made comment on the incident.

The incident marked the second attack since Monday morning that claimed the lives of non-combatants including women and children.

Earlier in the day, an attack took place in Ahmad Abad district of the eastern Paktia province, killing five civilians including a woman, two children and two men and injuring four others. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 20:34:50|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The number of people infected with the dengue fever has risen to 8,139 in Sri Lanka so far this year with the capital Colombo having the highest tally, local media reported Monday.

National Dengue Control Unit Director Dr. Aruna Jayasekara was quoted by the local Sunday Morning newspaper as saying that most recently, 305 confirmed dengue cases were reported and 88 of them in Colombo.

Jayasekara asked the public to remain vigilant and take precautionary measures to help curb the spread of the dengue virus, adding that the high risk areas were being closely monitored, and special work teams had been deployed there.

According to official data, April saw the highest number of dengue cases with 1,860 infections.

Medical experts have urged the public to seek immediate medical service if they suffer high fever, uncontrolled vomiting, abdominal pain, or dizziness among other symptoms of the dengue fever. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 00:15:07|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Britain has reported another 9,284 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,630,040, according to official figures released Sunday.

The country also recorded another six coronavirus-related death. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 127,976. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

British scientists on Sunday warned of "pretty miserable winter" ahead for the country due to likely emergence of new respiratory viruses, with further lockdowns a possibility.

Professor Calum Semple, member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), a British government advisory body, said that children and elderly people will be especially vulnerable to endemic viruses at the end of the year.

Scientists have warned that a third wave of coronavirus infections is "definitely under way" in England due to the fast spread of the Delta variant first identified in India, even though hospital admissions will hopefully not be on the same scale as in January.

The recent data published by Public Health England showed the AstraZeneca vaccine is 92 percent effective against hospitalization from the Delta variant after two doses, and the Pfizer vaccine is 96 percent effective against hospitalization after two doses.

Nearly 43 million people have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine while more than 31.3 million people have been fully vaccinated with a second dose, according to the latest official figures.

Experts have warned that coronavirus may continue to evolve for years to come, and eventually it is likely current vaccines will fail to protect against transmission, infection, or even against disease caused by newer variants.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 00:26:17|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on June 20, 2021 shows a meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria. Talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are "closer to a deal," said a European Union (EU) official on Sunday after the latest meeting that wrapped up the previous six rounds of negotiations. (EU Delegation Vienna/Handout via Xinhua)

VIENNA, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are "closer to a deal," said a European Union (EU) official on Sunday after the latest meeting that wrapped up the previous six rounds of negotiations.

"We are closer to a deal, but we are not still there," Enrique Mora, deputy secretary-general and political director of the European External Action Service, told reporters following a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission, attended by representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran.

"We have made progress on a number of technical issues. We have now more clarity on technical documents, all of them quite complex. And that clarity allows us to have also a clear idea of what the political problems are," Mora said, adding that they are "closer (to a deal) than one week ago."

Meanwhile, all participants will travel back to their capitals for consultations. Mora said that he hopes that in the next round, delegations will come back from capitals "with clearer instructions, clearer ideas on how to finally close the deal."

The EU diplomat also noted that this round of talks has taken place "against important political developments," citing the recent meeting of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and the U.S. officials in the EU-U.S. summit and Borrell's meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

"Welcomed progress made over last weeks, but difficult decisions remain. It is important to seize the political opportunity, and for all to be flexible. In view of today's Presidential elections, I called for continued commitment by Iran," Borrell tweeted Friday after meeting with Zarif.

Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister and top nuclear negotiator, told reporters before the meeting that documents for an agreement on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal are almost ready, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"We are closer to an agreement ever than before, but bridging the gaps ... requires decisions by the parties," he said, adding that some issues still need to be resolved.

The U.S. administration under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally reimposed sanctions on Iran. In response to the U.S. moves, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its JCPOA commitments from May 2019.

The JCPOA Joint Commission began to meet in offline format on April 6 in Vienna to continue previous discussions in view of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and on how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 18:35:41|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish tourism industry is ready for the arrival of Russian tourists after Moscow announced that the flights between the two countries would resume on June 22, but the COVID-19 pandemic raises concerns.

Sector insiders said the return of Russian travellers would be a relief for the economy, but as the pandemic is not over yet, the coronavirus-related rules should be strictly implemented.

"We are happy in terms of the economy, but we need to take our measures for health," Ertan Ustaoglu, president of the Turkish Small Hotels Association, was quoted as saying by local media.

Sururi Corabatir, head of the Turkish Hoteliers Federation, said the industry is fully implementing the Safe Tourism Certificate program and confident in itself.

"We will continue on our way without complacency ... without compromising the measures," Corabatir told reporters, noting the Turkish sector has been eagerly awaiting this decision for months.

Nalan Yesilyurt, a board member of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, told Xinhua that the Russian market is significantly important for Turkey's coastal regions, especially for the Mediterranean province of Antalya which Russian tourists visit the most.

"However, the news saying that COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Russia is alarming for the health," she said.

According to the Turkish Civil Aviation General Directorate, it will be mandatory for Russian tourists to submit a document issued by the official authorities showing that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 at least 14 days before entering Turkey or they had the disease in the past six months. Otherwise, a negative PCR test report will be required.

The Turkish government earlier announced that the tourism employees would get their COVID-19 inoculation done before the tourism season in June.

Turkey started its mass vaccination campaign in January, and the total number of vaccines administered has approached 42 million by Monday.

Serdar Karcilioglu, head of the Bodrum Professional Hotel Managers Association, took a distant attitude toward the arrival of Russian tourists in terms of the volume of their contribution to the economy.

He said 90 percent of Russians have already made their holiday reservations and preferred Europe.

"Turkey expects to lure only 1.5 million tourists at most, a significantly low figure for the industry," Karcilioglu was quoted as saying by the Cumhuriyet daily.

After receiving 45 million tourists in 2019 and generating a total of 34.5 billion dollars in revenue, Turkey suffered losses of over 70 percent in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Russia had extended its flight ban on Turkey until June 21 because of the increasing COVID-19 daily cases in the country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 20:42:01|Editor: huaxia

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HELSINKI, June 21 (Xinhua) -- China's focus on environmentally-friendly paper industry technologies has a direct impact on Finnish providers. And for Finnish industrial equipment producer Valmet, the Chinese demand now plays a key role in its overall performance, local business daily Kauppalehti reported Monday.

In 2020, some 13 percent of the annual turnover of Valmet came from its Chinese business. Chinese orders amounted to 885 million euros last year, accounting for 24 percent of all its orders, the report quoted the company's chief executive officer (CEO) Pasi Laine as saying, adding that the year 2020 was exceptional for the company.

The positive trend for Valmet -- the developer and supplier of technologies, equipment, automation systems and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries -- continued in 2021. Five of the big orders so far are from China. The largest one, for the Fujian Liansheng Paper Industry Co. Ltd in southeastern China's Fujian Province, is worth 200-240 million euros, Laine disclosed.

The development of China's logistics and express industry has been driving the demand for paper and pulp products. Meanwhile, as China is pursuing sustainable development, optimizing the industrial structure and energy structure, and carrying out intelligent manufacturing and green upgrades are becoming the inevitable choice for the country's paper industry in the context of economic transformation, which releases a huge demand for more advanced and environmental-friendly technologies in the field.

It is a new trend that pulp production plants are being built in China and require more technology and equipment. For example, Chinese paper manufacturer Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Limited has ordered pulp technology from Valmet, the business daily reported, describing this trend as a "supercycle of paper and pulp investments."

"Last year the largest orders of Valmet were related to the increased demand for folding box boards in China," said Laine, noting that the increase in the standard of life in China triggered the demand for better packages.

Demand for recyclable and environment friendly packaging material increases. And pulp production lines equipped with better technology are being built in China so that the industry can be integrated in an energy-efficient way, Laine explained.

Tomi Amberla, director of AFRY Management Consulting, estimated to Kauppalehti that development in the pulp sector in China would mean a production increase of 22 million tonnes and this would be a marked increase globally. The current global demand for pulp is around 70 million tonnes.

Amberla also noted that Chinese recovery measures following COVID-19 pandemic and the country's transition to greener development are incentives for investments. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 21:39:49|Editor: huaxia

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ATHENS, June 21 (Xinhua) -- A single-engine aircraft crashed in mainland Greece on Monday, killing the pilot and a passenger on board, the Greek national news agency AMNA reported.

The plane crashed and caught fire in a small community on the outskirts of the city of Pyrgos in the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece.

Firefighters found the pilot and the passenger unconscious, the Fire Brigade said in an e-mailed press statement. Shortly afterwards local police announced they were both dead.

The police launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

The plane was owned by the pilot, who was a teacher. It had taken off from the air club of Messolonghi, a town in western Greece, and according to the flight plan, it was to return there after a short flight over the western Peloponnese, George Prevezanos, director of the air club, told the local newspaper Ta Nea (The News). Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 23:32:04|Editor: huaxia

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NICOSIA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus' Health Ministry added on Monday nine countries in Europe to its low risk category for travel purposes based on their coronavirus epidemiological situation.

According to the statement issued Monday, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Finland, Slovakia and Norway were taken from the medium risk orange group to the low risk Green group.

Effective from Thursday, they will join Malta, Poland, Romania, Iceland and third countries Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Israel in the category where passengers do not need to present a negative test for COVID-19 or self-isolate on arrival in the island.

Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia and Sweden were moved from the high risk Red group to the Orange group, where they joined Portugal, Ireland and Luxembourg.

Other countries on the Orange list are third countries China, Britain, USA and Japan. Travelers from this category are required to present a negative PCR laboratory test taken less than 72 hours before departure.

Countries including Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Monaco and San Marino are still in the high risk Red category. Passengers from this category are required to present a laboratory test taken less than 72 hours before departure and also take a laboratory test upon arrival in Cyprus at their own expense.

The ministry statement noted that the classification is based on data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 05:55:23|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Monday announced new sanctions against 78 individuals and eight entities in Belarus, partially in response to the diversion of a commercial flight to Minsk last month.

Seven of the individuals and one entity had sanctions issued in connection with what the EU believed a forced landing of the Ryanair passenger plane by Minsk and the alleged arrest of a dissident journalist on board.

The bloc is also preparing a series of economic measures against Belarus, said Josep Borrell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy following an EU foreign ministers' meeting.

The Council of the EU said that four rounds of restrictive measures on Belarus now apply to a total of 166 persons and 15 entities. Borrell said he did not exclude a fifth round of sanctions.

The move came nearly a month after a Ryanair passenger plane en route from Athens to Vilnius was diverted to land in Minsk on May 23.

The Irish airline said that the flight FR4978 was directed to an airport in Minsk as crew on the plane had been alerted to a possible security threat by Belarusian authorities, adding that nothing untoward was found.

Belarusian Transport Ministry Aviation Department Director Artem Sikorsky told reporters on May 24, in response to the incident, that the country had received a bomb threat.

"Belarus has always opposed, in words and deeds, confrontation. We are for dialogue and understanding. But being a sovereign state, we will respond decisively, though with regret, to the unfriendly actions in order to protect our national interests," the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in response to the last round of EU sanctions in October 2020. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 05:58:32|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Monday announced new sanctions against 78 individuals and eight entities in Belarus, partially in response to the diversion of a commercial flight to Minsk last month.

Seven of the individuals and one entity had sanctions issued in connection with what the EU believed a forced landing of the Ryanair passenger plane by Minsk and the alleged arrest of a dissident journalist on board.

The bloc is also preparing a series of economic measures against Belarus, said Josep Borrell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy following an EU foreign ministers' meeting.

The Council of the EU said that four rounds of restrictive measures on Belarus now apply to a total of 166 persons and 15 entities. Borrell said he did not exclude a fifth round of sanctions.

The move came nearly a month after a Ryanair passenger plane en route from Athens to Vilnius was diverted to land in Minsk on May 23.

The Irish airline said that the flight FR4978 was directed to an airport in Minsk as crew on the plane had been alerted to a possible security threat by Belarusian authorities, adding that nothing untoward was found.

Belarusian Transport Ministry Aviation Department Director Artem Sikorsky told reporters on May 24, in response to the incident, that the country had received a bomb threat.

"Belarus has always opposed, in words and deeds, confrontation. We are for dialogue and understanding. But being a sovereign state, we will respond decisively, though with regret, to the unfriendly actions in order to protect our national interests," the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in response to the last round of EU sanctions in October 2020. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 21:33:19|Editor: huaxia

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OTTAWA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Some members of the Parliament of Canada have slammed the country as a racist, hypocritical failure, a Canadian newspaper has reported.

During an official farewell speech to the parliament on June 15, MP for Nunavut Mumilaaq Qaqqaq excoriated Canada as a country built on the oppression of indigenous people, with its history "stained with blood," according to The Globe and Mail.

"The reality is that this institution and the country has been created off the backs, trauma and displacement of Indigenous People," she told the House of Commons.

Also during the farewell, Bloc Quebecois MP Simon Marcil blasted Canada's treatment of indigenous people, saying that the notion of Canada as a progressive, environmentally friendly, egalitarian and democratic country is false on all fronts.

A reported discovery of the remains of 215 indigenous children at a former residential school in western Canada has recently shocked Canadian people.

The discovery and the killing of four members of a Muslim family in London of Canada's Ontario province earlier this June are stark reminders of the "long journey" ahead to achieve true equality and inclusiveness, said Liberal MP Navdeep Bains during the farewell. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-21 21:41:01|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, June 21 (Xinhua) -- A recent investigation by the Washington Post has revealed that the truth and devastation of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre was intentionally covered up under the complicity of local governments and media outlets.

Back in 1921, Greenwood, a district in Tulsa City of the Oklahoma State, had been one of the richest African American communities in the country. It was soon burned to ashes in the Tulsa event.

The destruction was triggered after Dick Rowland, a 19-year-old African American, was accused of assaulting a White elevator operator Sarah Page in downtown Tulsa. The charge against Rowland finally evolved into a clash between local White mobs and Black veterans, said a report published by the Washington Post in late May.

"What followed was a rampage that historians think left as many as 300 dead and 10,000 homeless," the report said.

However, no one was held accountable for the casualties and property destruction, with insurance claims filed by homeowners and businesses rejected, which partly reflected that the racism rooted in the U.S. institution is the main cause of the tragedy.

"The city police department and the county sheriff's office deputized and armed white Tulsans to murder, loot, and burn the nearly 40 city blocks of the Greenwood District," according to a reparation lawsuit submitted by three survivors last year against Tulsa City, Tulsa County, Oklahoma State and the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce, the Washington Post reported.

"The State National Guard participated with this angry white mob in killing and looting and destroying the property of Black residents of Greenwood. The city, sheriff, chamber, and county targeted Black community leaders and victims of the massacre for prosecution as instigators of the massacre -- despite knowing who were truly responsible," the lawsuit said.

The victims' efforts have already failed. In 2015, the Supreme Court dismissed without comment an earlier lawsuit against Tulsa, its police department and the state, while lower courts had ruled that a two-year statute of limitations on claims had expired in 1923.

Meanwhile, media coverage were also reticent about what had happened in Tulsa. "For decades after the massacre, there was silence about what happened. Few in Tulsa learned about it at school, or at church, or at family dinner tables," the Washington Post said.

"Slowly, those who'd witnessed the violence died, taking their memories with them," the report added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-22 00:09:18|Editor: huaxia

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CHICAGO, June 21 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were injured, one critically, when a tornado tore through Chicago's western suburbs Sunday night, the Chicago Tribune reported on Monday.

The tornado first hit Naperville around 11:10 p.m. At least five people were injured there, one of them critically, according to Kate Schultz, a spokeswoman for the Naperville city manager's office. Sixteen homes have been deemed uninhabitable by city engineers and at least 10 people have been displaced.

At least 125 home damage reports had come in from Naperville alone, Schultz said.

The tornado then swept to the southwest suburban Village of Woodridge around 11:30 p.m. Authorities in Woodridge said no significant injuries had been reported there. "The tornado traveled east to the Lemont Road area of Woodridge. The Village of Woodridge is assisting those affected by the tornado and assessing the damage," Woodridge police spokesman Jim Hoff wrote in an emailed statement.

There's evidence the tornado also touched down in Darien, said Matt Friedlein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Residents near Darien and Burr Ridge, about 20 miles southwest of Chicago, had been urged to take cover around 11:15 p.m. As of 8 a.m. Monday, few details about damage in the smallest of the three affected suburbs had not been released.

The threat for wind damage remained for a few hours as the line of storms moved over northern Illinois and into northwestern Indiana, until 2 a.m. when the severe threat was declared over.

The tornado launched debris more than 10,000 feet into the atmosphere with possible wind speeds of 135 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. Enditem
By Marty Schottenheimer

Special to ESPN.com Eddie George's running style lends itself to the nature of the Titans' blocking unit. The Tennessee offensive line is big and physical, with an ability to move people up front. The problem defensively against George is that he will make yards if he gets into the hole. Even if a defender is in position to make the tackle, George will still gain four or five yards because he is so big and powerful. Fletcher's difficulty will be always contending with a blocker to get to George. On the inside plays, he will have to shed the block of a guard, center or fullback on the inside plays. He has outstanding speed for a linebacker and can run the play down if he hangs back and waits for the ball to declare outside. The Titans, though, are primarily an inside running team. They run the gap play off tackle, where they block down, cut the defense and turn the off guard and another blocker in the hole where Fletcher will be hit at the point of attack. There will always be someone for Fletcher to contend with. The important thing is who wins the battle of contact. Does the ballcarrier fall forward or does he go straight down or backward? Ultimately, every time a back gets forward yardage, it shortens the down and distance -- and George will rarely be denied.

By Mike Golic

Special to ESPN.com London Fletcher is about six inches shorter than Eddie George. He might not have the height, but the Rams linebacker has the weight and the speed to contend with the Titans running back. Linebackers are taught to keep the running back in their hip pocket. If George is trying to go wide, a linebacker like Fletcher will try to flow out to stop him. Fletcher has 4.3 speed in the 40, so he can go behind or underneath the guard or tackle blocks and have the speed to catch George. Instead of flowing behind the line of scrimmage, where George can drive Fletcher and gain some extra yards, Fletcher can attack in a hurry and catch George either for a loss or a short gain before George can reach top speed. Fletcher's speed gives him an advantage over other linebackers. To see how fast he is, all you have to do is watch a play against Minnesota. It was zone coverage, but he ended up running deep stride for stride with Cris Carter. Not only does Fletcher have incredible speed, but he is also compact. Fletcher will not take on 300-pound blockers straight on, but will hit their edges and make them miss. He also has an instinctive willingness to take a chance. If a linebacker hesitates, it's too late. Fletcher doesn't have that problem. He can identify angles and where to attack and make the play.
As the world is being plagued with Covid-19 pandemic, China, just like any other countries has accelerated transformation into the online education when the pandemic first started. This was made possible with its policy foundation in place for partnerships between national and local government, private sector and civil society in mobilizing the national cloud platform for educational resources and public services. The level of preparedness in cushioning the impact on disruption to the teaching and learning and technology adoption in education is remarkable.

Moving forward, how would the future trend in higher education in a country with a population exceeding 1.4 billion looks like? To answer this question, it is interesting to look at how China has moved and transformed over last few decades into a fast-growing economy, once known for its low-cost labor of production to the center stage of high technology production adopting automation, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) which are part of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0).

Although the phrase "Industrie 4.0" was coined by German, the concept of a fourth industrial revolution has struck a chord with enterprises all around the world. Although many people connect cutting-edge industrial technology with the West, countries all around the world have been working hard to obtain a competitive advantage. As one of the largest emerging economies, it is important for China to focus on IR4.0 in spurring its economy since manufacturing contributed 27% of Chinas GDP in 2019 based on World Bank reports. China has taken the IR 4.0 agenda seriously and has made preparation and investment in huge infrastructure to secure its future. This can be seen with Chinas action plan known as Made in China 2025 (MiC2025) to support the development of Chinese service-oriented manufacturing which aims to enhance the overall efficiency and quality of Chinese manufacturing. One component of MiC2025 is the fast growth of automation and the other one is the emphasis on service-oriented manufacturing. The deployments of IoT took place across all key sectors namely manufacturing, energy and resources, public services, healthcare, education and transportation.

The Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in China is set to bring together high-level leaders from government, industry and other sectors of society to enhance worldwide collaboration in research and technology. Based on report by International Data Corporation (IDC), in terms of global spending, China accounted for 29% of total robotics investment in 2017 and 28% in IoT. One third of the worlds Industry IoT connection will come from China by 2025 according to a report by GSMA. Hence, IoT, artificial intelligence and autonomous mobility are just some of the examples of new technologies that are altering lives and revolutionizing companies. The government of China is very supportive through its Public-Private Platform in joint research and co-design, producing prototype and facilitate adoption of such technologies and continuously encouraging companies to increase productivity and drive efficiencies by streamlining and automating manufacturing processes via internet connectivity.

With the landscape of IR4.0 setting the scene, there has been increasing trend of students going into technology related courses at the tertiary level locally and abroad to meet the manpower needs of the industry and more students are being trained in such areas. There are lots of demand in such skills areas and bridging the huge shortage in the industry. This trend is supported by the finding of The World Economic Forum on The Future Job Report 2020 where it was reported that the ability of global companies to harness the growth potential of new technological adoption is hindered by skills shortages. Among the top such skills shortage are as follows: 1. 3D/4D modelling; 2. artificial intelligence; 3. machine learning; 4. neural networks & NLP augmented reality and 5. big data analytics. In the specific report for China on current skills areas of focus for reskilling/upskilling programs in the workforce, the top few skills highlighted are analytical thinking and innovation, leadership and social influence, active learning strategies, technology design and programming and critical thinking and analysis. The current workforce needs to be reskilled on such areas by 2025.

The World Economic Forum on the Future Job Report also reported that jobs that are decreasing in demand across industries are jobs related to data entry, administrative and executive secretaries, accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, accountants, auditors as well as assembly and factory workers. Adoption of new technologies is said to be the most important attribute for any employer to look for in a candidate. The trend of higher education institutions preparing students for IR4.0 and students pursuing courses related to future job demand in IR4.0 skills areas are getting traction. It is no longer traditional courses that are taught in the higher education institutions that are popular among students but courses that meet future job demand and job positions that yet to exist today especially in technology related areas are getting more and more popular across China as well as globally.

Unlike decades ago, where numerical, reading and writing skills are important but in todays technology era, the younger children in schools are learning programming skills at a very young age and some argued that it is a necessary skill for future job requirement and producing future-proofing talents to meet the demand of the IR 4.0.

As one of the most dynamic and quickest developing economies, China currently graduating 8 million students from its higher education institutions each year. This is higher than the total number of graduates from the United States and India. This figure is anticipated to triple by the beginning of the following decade. In the past, Chinese students have also been going to Western institutions to study, predominately countries such as United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia. However, countries in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia and Thailand are increasingly a popular destination for students. Many graduates were observed to remain in the host countries to work after graduation. However, between 2009 and 2018, the proportion of Chinese students who returned to the Mainland China after finishing their studies grew from 40% to about 80%. Such phenomena is attributed to better job prospects as a result of aggressive economic policies. The expanding Chinese economy is, unsurprisingly, one of the causes enticing Chinese students to return home after graduation especially if their talents are a fit for China's burgeoning tech industry, which increased by approximately 10% between 2015 and 2016 and expected to continue to grow further.

With the commitment of China in advancing technology infrastructure, emphasizing the importance of the development of automation, artificial intelligence and IoT across all key economic sectors and increasing trend of the younger generation moving towards pursuing technology related courses and training in such areas, China will be well-prepared for its future workforce that is equipped with a future-proof, employable skills that meet the demand of the industry. Such well-equipped and well-prepared workforce are crucial to further advance the countrys role to be the leading global economy.

Dr. Teh Choon Jin.The author is Senior Director at Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU), Malaysia and Deputy General Secretary, National Association of Private Educational Institutions (NAPEI), Malaysia.

(APD)
STEPANAKERT, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan has addressed a message to caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on the snap parliamentary elections held on June 20, the Artsakh Presidents Office told Armenpress.

The message reads:

Dear Mr. Pashinyan, after the 44-day Azerbaijani-Turkish military aggression, the logical solution to the unstable domestic political situation in Armenia was the holding of snap elections. I am happy that Armenias state structures and people managed to hold democratic elections, despite the numerous external and internal difficulties and challenges.

Taking into account the preliminary results of the elections, I wish success to you and your team on the path of exercising the trust received by the majority of voters. I hope the results of the elections will enable Armenias authorities to strengthen the security and foreign policy positions damaged by the war, restore public solidarity on solving national issues, as well as carry out consistent and productive works in protecting the rights of Artsakh-Armenians, eliminating the consequences of the war and towards the international recognition of the Republic of Artsakh.

I also wish success to the remaining political forces who received certain trust from the people. I am sure each vote received should be served for national interests and dreams in a stable, constructive and respectful political environment. The consequences of the war and the existing challenges do not leave other alternative to us than resisting them and making the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh more secure and prosperous homeland for our people for the sake of future generations.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan paid tribute to the memory of the heroes fallen at the Artsakh wars in Yerablur military pantheon.

Parents of fallen servicemen, as well as other citizens were approaching Pashinyan at the pantheon, expressing their support.

The caretaker PM laid flowers at the tombs of the fallen servicemen and knelt before them all.

He also laid flowers at the tombs of Commanders Vazgen Sargsyan and Andranik Ozanyan.

Armenia held snap parliamentary elections on June 20.

Pashinyans Civil Contract party received 53.92% of the votes.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. Armenian citizens, who cast their ballot in the early parliamentary elections, have supported the deepening of the relations with Russia. Anti-Russian forces havent received even 1% of the vote, Viktor Vodolatsky, first deputy chairman of the Russian State Dumas Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Compatriots, said, reports TASS.

The lawmaker said during the elections in Armenia quite active voter turnout was registered already before the daytime, there have been queues in polling stations. According to him, one of the key issues for the voters has been the further deepening of the relations with Russia in socio-economic and political direction. They are the people who voted also in favor of Nikol Pashinyan.

Viktor Vodolatsky said the parties which lost the elections should make a difficult decision for themselves and sit around the negotiation table.

Its necessary to sit around a table, do not provoke people to the streets, do not provoke clashes, but to sit and agree on for the benefit of Armenia, the MP said.

Armenia held snap parliamentary elections on June 20.

The Central Electoral Commission has formed and signed the protocol on the preliminary results of the snap parliamentary elections.

Accordingly, the Civil Contract party led by caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received 53.92% of the votes, the Armenia bloc led by 2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan  21.04%, I Have the Honor bloc  5.23%, CEC Chairman Tigran Mukuchyan said at the Committees extraordinary session.

1 million 282 thousand 411 citizens or 49.4% of the voters cast their ballot in the early elections.

4682 ballots were declared invalid.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. The Eurasian Economic Commission is working on the draft international treaty on creating the Unions common gas market, Chairman of the EEC Board Mikhail Myasnikovich said during a briefing today, summing up the results of the meeting with the business community of Belarus.

Its not the first year that this topic is being discussed, and we have set a task before us to make this document ready this year and send it to the member states for conducting internal procedures. Common gas market means equal conditions for economic entities, he said.

According to the EEC Board Chairman, the next issue within the EAEU relates to cargo transportation. And for solving this issue, the Eurasian Economic Commission is currently drafting a very big and contemporary agreement on electronic-navigation seals which will accompany the cargo transported in the EAEU territory and will allow to facilitate several administrative issues during inspections, he said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, 21 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 21 June, USD exchange rate down by 0.44 drams to 513.29 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.45 drams to 610.71 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.09 drams to 7.03 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.05 drams to 711.93 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 117.57 drams to 29260.86 drams. Silver price down by 3.84 drams to 435.42 drams. Platinum price down by 411.54 drams to 17657.84 drams.
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. President of the European Council Charles Michel congratulated caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan over the victory of ''Civil Contract'' Party in the early parliamentary elections.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister, Charles MIchel emphasized that the EU stands with Armenia, supporting the effective implementation of deep reforms. At the same time, the President of the Council underlined that the EU is also ready to support the activities aimed at the stabilization of the region and comprehensive settlement of the conflicts.
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian received on June 21 OSCE ODIHR Director Matteo Mecacci and OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella, who carried out observer mission during Armenia;s early parliamentary elections.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the President's Office, the guests presented information to President Sarkissian about the works done during the observer mission, provided their remarks over the electoral process, as well as delivered the full version of their report.

President Sarkissian thanked the heads of the institutions and the observer mission for their works. The sides exchanged views on the importance of strengthening democratic values and institutions in Armenia, as well as the cooperation between the OSCE ODIHR and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly with Armenia. In particular, they referred to the cooperation with the presidential institution.

The OSCE ODIHR Director and the OSCE PA Secretary General noted that their institutions have been cooperating with Armenia for years and are ready to continue supporting the capacity building of democratic institutions.
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, ARMENPRESS. Acting Defense Minister of Armenia Vagharshak Harutyunyan held a phone conversation with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu on June 21.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Defense Ministry of Armenia, the Russian Defense Minister congratulated Vagharshak Harutyunyan on the occasion of the early parliamentary elections and the victory of the ruling party.

The two Defense Ministers discussed the situation in the bordering areas of Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces and the ways to solve the situation.

The Armenian and Russian Defense Ministers expressed satisfaction for the dynamically developing Armenian-Russian cooperation in the sphere of defense.

The sides also referred to other regional issues.
Tropical Depression Claudette claimed 12 lives in Alabama as the storm swept across the southeastern US, causing flash flooding and spurring tornadoes that destroyed dozens of homes.

Ten people, including nine children, were killed on Saturday (local time) in a fiery multi-vehicle crash about 55 kilometres south of Montgomery on Interstate 65, according to Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock.

He said the vehicles likely hydroplaned on wet roads, with eight children, aged 4 to 17, killed in a van belonging to a youth ranch for abused or neglected children operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association.

The crash involved 15 vehicles, Mr Garlock said, according Fox29.

Two people died in separate vehicle, Mr Garlock told local news outlets. The victims were 29-year-old Cody Fox and his nine-month-old daughter, Ariana, both of Marion County, Tennessee.

Ten people have died in this 15-vehicle crash in Alabama. Source: Ricky Scott

He was a great guy and were really gonna miss him, Aaron Sanders, who worked with Mr Fox at the emergency management agency in Marion County, said.

He said Mr Fox also ran a hot tub business with his father and doted on his daughter.

He just loved her to death and that was his life," Mr Sanders said.

Multiple people were also injured in the pile-up.

The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted it was sending 10 investigators to the area on Sunday to investigate the crash, which photos showed included at least four burned vehicles, including two large trucks.

It said the inquiry would focus on vehicle technologies such as forward collision warning systems, fuel tank integrity and occupant survivability.

More than 300mm falls during deadly storm

Meanwhile, a 24-year-old man and a three-year-old boy were killed when a tree fell on their house just outside the Tuscaloosa city limits Saturday, Captain Jack Kennedy, of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, said.

The deaths occurred as drenching rains pelted northern Alabama and Georgia late on Saturday. As much as 304mm of rain was reported earlier from Claudette along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Story continues

Flash flood watches were posted Sunday for northern Georgia, most of South Carolina, the North Carolina coast, parts of southeast Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. A tropical storm warning was in effect in North Carolina from the Little River Inlet to the town of Duck on the Outer Banks. A tropical storm watch was issued from South Santee River, South Carolina, to the Little River Inlet, forecasters said.

Search efforts were also under way for a man believed to have fallen into the water during flash flooding in Birmingham, WBRC-TV reported. Crews were using boats to search Pebble Creek.

The eight children killed in the van were returning to a youth ranch near Camp Hill, northeast of Montgomery, from a week at the beach in Gulf Shores, youth ranches CEO Michael Smith told The Associated Press. The van caught fire after the wreck.

Candice Gulley, the director of the Tallapoosa County ranch, was pulled from the flames and remained hospitalised in Montgomery in serious but stable condition.

Shes going to survive her physical injuries," Mr Smith said.

Debris from the flooding and rainfall seen along a roadway in Northport, Alabama. Source: AAP

Two of the dead in the van were Ms Gulley's children, ages 4 and 16. Four others were ranch residents and two were guests, Mr Smith said.

This is the worst tragedy I've been a part of in my life, Mr Smith said.

He had driven on Sunday to the ranch to talk to the remaining residents who had returned from Gulf Shores in a separate van and did not see the wreck.

Words cannot explain what I saw," he said.

We love these girls like they're our own children.

Mr Garlock said the location of the wreck was notorious" for hydroplaning as the northbound highway curves down a hill to a small creek. Traffic on that stretch of I-65 is usually filled with vacationers driving to and from Gulf of Mexico beaches on summer weekends.

Butler County has had one of the most terrible traffic accidents," county Sheriff Danny Bond wrote on Facebook, adding: I believe is the worst ever in our county."

A man assesses damage around the neighbourhood. Source: 11 Alive

Lone survivor of pile-up was director of youth ranch

The Tallapoosa County school system said counsellors would be available on Sunday at the 225-student Reeltown High School, where some of the ranch residents were students. Mr Smith said the ranch, which is Christian-based, would likely have a memorial service later, asking for prayers as he began to cry.

A GoFundMe account was set up for Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch to help offset the costs of funeral expenses, medical costs for the injured and counselling for those impacted.

Ms Gulley, the lone survivor from the van, had worked with children for years, beginning when she and her husband were house parents at the ranch for seven years.

During those years, there have been 74 girls that have come through our house and called us mum and dad, she told the Opelika-Auburn News in August 2019.

She said she then became a relief parent, working on fundraising and being involved in the community, before she became the ranch director.

My heart goes out to the loved ones of all who perished, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said in a statement.

Top winds from Claudette remained near 45 km/h on Sunday. National Hurricane Center forecasters predicted it would strengthen back to tropical storm status Monday over eastern North Carolina before heading out to sea in the Atlantic Ocean.

The centre of Claudettes disorganised circulation was located about 15 kilometres west-southwest of Athens, Georgia, on Sunday afternoon. It was moving east-northeast at 28 km/h, the National Hurricane Center said.

Claudette brought 300mm of rain to some areas. Source: Fox 8

Aside from rainy weather, it seemed to be business as usual along North Carolinas Outer Banks on Sunday.

At Ace Hardware in Avon, shift manager David Swartwood said they were preparing for whatever might come, but the overall sense was it wouldnt be that bad. He said winds from the south dont usually cause huge flooding problems, so we dont really anticipate any bad scenarios.

Everybody here has been through it many, many times, so were used to the drill, he said.

Weve been prepared.

For the hardware store, he said, that means having supplies like flashlights, batteries, tarps, generators, ropes and sandbags on hand. As of Sunday morning, there wasnt a huge rush for those items.

At Stack em High in Kill Devil Hills, a restaurant that specialises in pancakes, co-owner Dawn Kiousis said Sunday morning restaurant service was busy.

Were serving just like normal, she said. As far as Im aware, its not going to be too much of a hazard for us.

You keep your eye on the weather and you prepare as much stuff in advance as you can, she said.

Just know shes gonna win. Mother nature is going to do what shes going to do, so you just prepare.

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"We're planning the biggest and best fair in our 180-year history and investing more than ever in the greatest free music lineup at any fair in America," he said. "Moving our biggest shows to the 15-acre Chevy Park stage means more people than ever will be able to enjoy these concerts and have plenty of room to feel safe and comfortable and dance if the spirit moves them."

The New York Experience festival grounds is a grassy area near a pond at the west end of the fairgrounds. It was added in 2017  one of the improvements to the fairgrounds that was supported by the state's $120 million investment. The venue offers more space than Chevy Court, which is located near the main gate and between some of the fair's most popular buildings.

At Chevy Court, large crowds could create traffic jams on nearby walkways. There also isn't much room to spread out  a new concern due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the fair is scheduling national touring acts, there will be local and regional performers. Booking those concerts will depend on the available openings, according to the fair.

The fair will run from Aug. 20 through Sept. 6.

The fair's concert lineup so far:

Date Chevy Park 2pm Chevy Park 8 pm Chevy Court 2 pm Chevy Court 7 pm August 20 Nas LOCASH August 21 98 Degrees RATT August 22 Brothers Osborne August 23 Foreigner Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra. Bishop Briggs August 24 Train The Spinners Dire Straits Legacy August 25 Jameson Rodgers REO Speedwagon Russell Dickerson August 26 Bell Biv Devoe Three Dog Night August 27 Sister Sledge Melissa Etheridge August 28 The Beach Boys Great White/Vixen August 29 Noah Cyrus Dropkick Murphys Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes August 30 Hermans Hermits starring Peter Noone Grandson August 31 Halestorm Oak Ridge Boys Jamey Johnson September 1 Sheena Easton Blue Oyster Cult September 2 Starship w/Mickey Thomas September 3 Uncle Kracker September 4 September 5 September 6

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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In President Bidens 2021 Peace Officer Memorial Day and Police Week proclamation, he accurately stated, We must also stop tasking law enforcement with problems that are far beyond their jurisdictions. From providing emergency health care to resolving school discipline issues, our communities rely on the police to perform services that often should be the duty of other institutions. We then accuse the police of failure when responsibility lies with public policy choices they did not make. Supporting our law enforcement officers requires that we invest in underfunded public systems that provide health care, counseling, housing, education, and other social services.

Unfortunately, these topics are riddled with entrenched positions, usually based on race or class or personal politics, where meaningful and respectful dialogue is the exception and not the norm. In Auburn and Cayuga County, law enforcement and social justice advocates continue to tackle the implications of national issues. However, folks involved in these group discussions and pre-COVID-19 community meetings remain driven and assertively centered on creating a community public safety mindset where there is fair and unbiased law enforcement at the local level to ameliorate and alleviate negative national issues from infesting our community.

All duly sworn and licensed officers understand that they are held to a higher standard and level of scrutiny regarding how they function and carry out their job responsibilities as contrasted with other professions. Society should be more sensitive to the emotional and physical implications officers are subject to and understand the clear majority of law enforcement officers are hard-working, community-focused, responsible and dedicated adherents to the mission and standards of their departments and oath they have sworn to uphold. It is indicative of a polarized society that all too often, the unflattering and inappropriate behavior of the few police miscreants are able to cast the entire profession in a negative modality. While there are intrinsic differences of opinion on interpreting statistics that may indicate unfair policing based on race, there may be the need to separate sanctioned policy and practices from the individual behavior of some officers. And there needs to be a recognition of race-based policing practices that are historically well-documented and tend to influence the thinking of those groups who have carried the brunt of such inappropriate policing behavior.
The Yavapai County Sheriffs office has placed the community of Paulden on the set status for potential evacuations, Fletcher said.

Fire managers believe the fire was ignited by a dry thunderstorm that passed across the region late last week. Fire managers believe the same storm ignited as many as five other fires north of Paulden and west of Highway 89, but so far, all those fires are significantly smaller than the Rafael Fire.

Those fires are being called the Rock Butte Fires.

The total acreage of all of them is estimated to be about 1,800 acres. A type three incident management team appears to be working on the Rafael Fire and the other smaller blazes in the area.

But Fletcher said a type 1 team is scheduled to take over management of the Rafael Fire Monday morning.

Fletcher said the type 1 team will be better equipped to coordinate efforts on the Rafael Fire which has the challenges of being in somewhat difficult terrain and covering multiple jurisdictions, as well as having grown rapidly.

At the moment, there appears to be about 65 personnel working the Rafael Fire although Fletcher said they hope to bring in additional manpower.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  President Joe Bidens special envoy for North Korea said Monday he hopes to see a positive reaction from the North soon on U.S. offers for talks after North Korea's leader ordered officials to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation.

Sung Kim, Bidens special representative for North Korea, was in Seoul to speak with South Korean and Japanese officials about the United States stalled diplomacy with the North over its nuclear program and U.S.-led sanctions.

The trilateral talks followed a North Korean political conference last week where leader Kim Jong Un called for stronger efforts to improve his nations economy, further battered last year by pandemic border closures and now facing worsening food shortages.

The U.S. envoy said the allies took note of the North Korean leaders comments and are hoping the North will respond positively to the proposal of a meeting.

We continue to hope that the DPRK will respond positively to our outreach and our offer to meet anywhere, anytime without preconditions, Sung Kim said during his meeting with the South Korean and Japanese nuclear envoys, Noh Kyu-duk and Takehiro Funakoshi. He was referring to the Norths official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.
Tony Quinones, 55, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, told the New York Times that he had been riding for about six minutes with other cyclists ages 55 and over when a black pickup that had been driving in the opposite direction crossed over three lanes and headed toward the cyclists.

He assumed the driver was turning into a parking lot. Instead, the driver plowed directly into the cyclists who had been ahead of Quinones, he said.

I dont know who the heck this guy is, or what his motive was, Quinones told the Times. But he intentionally did not go left into a parking lot. He drove his truck directly and intentionally into our group, and you could hear him accelerate until he hit that telephone pole.

Quinones said he had seen bikes and bodies flying.

After the driver hit a telephone pole, cyclists ran up to the truck and started pounding on the windows, screaming at the driver to get out, he told the Times.

But rather than stop, the driver hit the accelerator and backed out, drove down the road, made a U-turn and then headed back toward the cyclists, Quinones said.
Records show Chock was given probation in 2012 but violated the conditions of it in May 2013. According to court paperwork, Chock rejected a chance at continuing probation and requested prison time. He was sentenced to two years and eight months but got more than 280 days credit for time served before sentencing. Online Arizona Department of Corrections records indicate he went to prison in May 2013 but was paroled in October 2014.

On Saturday, Chock is accused of speeding his truck into bike racers gathered just before 7:30 a.m. for the annual 58-mile Bike the Bluff race, which had drawn hundreds of participants. Witnesses described seeing the bodies of cyclists flying left and right.

Seven cyclists were rushed to hospitals, and six were listed in critical condition. The other was in stable condition. Sleighter said she had no update on how they are doing.

After the truck's driver hit a telephone pole, cyclists ran up to the truck and started pounding on the windows, screaming at the driver to get out. Instead of stopping, Quinones said the driver hit the accelerator and backed out, drove down the road, made a U-turn and then headed back toward the cyclists but did not hit them again and drove away.
The fast-growing Las Vegas area lacks the housing supply to meet projected population growth. A 2019 University of Nevada, Las Vegas, study that Cortez Masto's legislation references projected the population in Clark County would increase 35%, to 3.1 million residents, by 2060. That spike will be difficult to accommodate without building in existing communities or public lands.

Due to this federal ownership, our options for planning and development are very constrained and require constant coordination with federal agencies, Clark County Air Quality Department Director Marcie Henson said.

Growth may stretch an already limited water supply. Water officials support the proposal, which allocates funding to maintaining the channels used to recycle wastewater through Lake Mead. The region has enacted some of the U.S. West's most aggressive conservation measures, including an outright ban on decorative grass in certain places, to prepare for growth.

Last year, water officials projected a worst-case scenario in which consumption patterns and climate change could force them to find other supplies as soon as 2056. Critics say the projections are concerning.
In Arizona, sportsmen and women are witnessing changes to our landscape brought on by our warming climate. What little snowpack we have isnt lasting through February and longer, and dryer summers are leading to more catastrophic wildfires, which were already seeing. Fire season started at the beginning of March, with multiple fires currently burning across Arizona. Our flora and fauna are suffering, and all of this is having a direct effect on the ecosystems and wildlife we strive to protect.

Lets bury the hatchet on how we arrived at this destination and work together to solve this pressing issue that will affect our hunting and fishing heritage for future generations.

Arizona's sportsmen and women's conservation groups work hard to complete on-the-ground restoration projects, but we can't do it alone. There needs to be leadership at the federal level to pass common sense climate change legislation, which will help conserve our public lands that are such a vital resource to our economy and way of life.
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China's domestic tourism is poised to heat up during the forthcoming summer vacation, following a smooth vaccination drive and the economy largely invigorated, with Generation Z travelers expected to boost new bookings. Ninety-five percent of travelers are looking forward to a trip this summer, and two-thirds are planning or have already booked one, according to an Airbnb report.

Titled "2021 Airbnb Summer Tourism Report," the report is based on a survey conducted in May 2021 among 1,200 Chinese adults between 18 and 50 years old, who have travel experiences in the past two years and have travel and accommodation plan in the next six months. About 84 percent of interviewees said they are planning for long-distance travels to other provinces this summer.

The report also shows that the Generation Z will become the main force this summer, as 72 percent of those born between 1995 and 1999, and 68 percent of those born between 2000 and 2009 are planning or have already booked a summer trip, far beyond the average.

And they prefer evening activities, ranging from night markets, stars camping to theme parks. Travels to such places, like the Central Avenue in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, the desert in Zhongwei, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Shanghai Disneyland Resort have gained much more popularity than that of 2019.

Parents are more likely to bring children on the trip during summer vacation, and they see it as an educational opportunity outside the classroom. According to the report, 59 percent of family travelers with children favor rural tourism and 41 percent like to experience cultural tourism, such as museum tours.




These simple quotation marks signaled doubt over the legitimacy of this confession, while teaching newspaper readers to be suspicious of so-called legal facts.

As sociologist Mary Pattillo notes in her book Black on the Block, the Defenders strategic use of quotation marks called into question official accounts of Nixon as a murderer. In doing so, the paper highlighted the unfair treatment of Black people by the media, police and court system.

The code of the question mark

Similarly, Black activists used question marks to criticize mainstream accounts of events during the Jim Crow era.

In her 1892 pamphlet Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases, anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells used question marks in parentheses on four occasions to interrogate descriptions of crimes supposedly committed by Black Americans.

For example, she wrote, So great is Southern hate and prejudice, they legally(?) hung poor little thirteen year old Mildrey Brown at Columbia, S. C., Oct. 7th, on the circumstantial evidence that she poisoned a white infant.
Southeast Community College is now offering a Biotechnology program with Certificate, Diploma and Associate degree options. Some classes can be taken as early as the upcoming summer term, while the major portion of the program begins this fall semester. Core classes will be at the Lincoln Campus, while others are available in Beatrice and online. This is the only program of its kind in Nebraska.

Biotechnology is a great career field for those who love learning about science and want to apply that knowledge to help create solutions to the challenges our society faces in important areas like healthcare, food and fuel, said Tracy Niday, program Co-Director.

Interested students can explore the three award options: A Certificate (two semesters), a Diploma (three semesters) or an Associate of Science degree (four semesters). All courses are transferable to a four-year institution as either a degree requirement or a science elective. Students should check with their transfer institution to ensure transferability.

Co-Director Misty Wehling said there are many career options in this field, including lab and research assistants, cell culture technicians, animal lab technologists, quality control analysts, and more.
The optional masking policy became effective at 8 a.m. Monday. Upham said the district is continuing to work on distancing and he reiterated that people can wear masks if they choose. He also encouraged people who are feeling sick to stay home.

"We're hoping that everyone that can be vaccinated does get vaccinated," he said.

Upham said the district plans on continuing to monitor metrics about the spread of COVID-19 in schools. The superintendent said he doesn't know what the district's vaccination rate is for employees. The district had been tracking those numbers but disclosures were voluntary, something Upham said might have kept them lower than they were in reality.

Montana's Department of Public Health and Human Services reports that 46% of the state's eligible population has been vaccinated. In Yellowstone County the percentage of eligible people vaccinated is 44%. In an April Board of Trustees meeting Yellowstone County Health Officer John Felton had said he thought it was unlikely the county could get to a 75% immunizaton rate, something he tied to a local population immunity goal.

DPHHS, in its last school COVID-19 case report issued in late May, put the total number of cases associated with K-12 schools at 8,776 with 6,443 students having tested positive.
A 30-year-old woman on a mid-afternoon hike in Yellowstone National Park on Sunday was injured during what park officials are describing as an "encounter" with a bison.

Her injuries were "significant," and the woman was flown to a hospital for treatment, according to Linda Veress, a public information specialist with Yellowstone National Park.

Details about the incident remained limited Monday. Veress said the woman had been hiking with a companion near Storm Point Trail. The trailhead is located on the northern end of Yellowstone Lake.

"We're not clear how the encounter with the bison occurred," Veress said by email. The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Medical Center in Idaho Falls.

Veress said the park did not have any other information on the encounter at the time of her email and that the park did not have photos or videos of the encounter.
A Tennessee man who operated an illegal outfitting operation out of Blaine County pleaded guilty after an investigation found he provided unlicensed outfitting services to big game hunters from at least 12 states.

Jason Taylor, from Fayetteville, Tennessee, pleaded guilty May 24 in Blaine County District Court to three misdemeanor counts of outfitting without a license. Taylor was ordered to pay more than $11,500 in fines and restitution, and has lost his privileges to hunt, fish or trap for six years in Montana and all states that are part of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.

District Judge Yvonne Laird also sentenced Taylor to three years in jail, all of which was suspended.

Taylor, who was a licensed guide, was in the process of purchasing the outfitting business Bear Paw Hunts. Until the sale of the business was completed, Taylor had agreed to operate as a guide under the previous owners outfitting license until he was able to obtain his own outfitters license.
The Deep Creek Canyon fire between Townsend and White Sulphur Springs burning since June 13 is now 48% contained, U.S. Forest officials said Sunday, noting firefighters continue to make great progress mopping up hot spots along the perimeter.

Crews are being assisted by heavy equipment and more favorable weather conditions, officials said of the blaze that is now a week old. Earlier in the day officials reported the fire was 15% contained.

They said there was minimal fire activity Saturday with the wind pushing the fire back into previously burned areas. This helped firefighters secure more of the fire's perimeter. Officials said Sunday-morning rain was expected to taper off in the evening. The size of the blaze remained at 4,648 acres, which is about what it has been at since Friday. The fire has spread northeast and south of U.S. Highway 12 in the Deep Creek Canyon area.

"Smoldering and creeping best describe (today's) fire activity," officials said Sunday, adding 0.20 to 0.40 inches of rain fell across the fire Sunday morning with temperatures in the 50s and humidity in the 60s.
A Bismarck man with a history of drug and weapon convictions faces numerous charges after police said they found drugs along with a stolen rifle and ammunition in his apartment.

Michael Heinrich, 30, was charged Monday with three counts of theft, unlawful possession of a firearm, and two drug crimes after being arrested Friday for parole violations.

Bismarck police that morning located a stolen pickup that was also the suspect vehicle in a gas drive-off, according to an affidavit. The pickup was impounded and officers found items they say belonged to Heinrich.

A search of his apartment in the 800 block of Anderson Street by police and North Dakota Parole and Probation officers uncovered an AR-style rifle, several fully loaded magazines and a bulletproof vest, all of which were confirmed to have been stolen. Police also found brass knuckles, methamphetamine, scales and syringes in the apartment, authorities said.

The pickup was stolen June 13 from the 700 block of North Second Street, police said. Its unclear from where the rifle was stolen. The other items were taken June 16 from a vehicle parked at a Bismarck motel, according to authorities.
Testing and vaccines

A comprehensive list of free COVID-19 testing offered by local public health units in North Dakota can be found at health.nd.gov/covidtesting.

In Bismarck, PCR and rapid antigen tests are administered Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Monday and Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the strip mall at 2805 Morrison Ave., Suite A.

North Dakotans can go to vaccinefinder.org or call 866-207-2880 to see where COVID-19 vaccine is available near them.

Both Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health and Custer Health in Mandan are hosting vaccination clinics and are offering vaccine to the general public.
North Dakotas Republican Party has elected a Mandan-area businessman as its new chairman.

The partys State Committee on Saturday in Medora elected Perrie Schafer, of Captains Landing Township, in a 35-19 vote.

The vote comes at a time when Republicans are dominating North Dakota politics but also experiencing intraparty unrest over the direction of the party.

Bob Wheeler, of Underwood, who ran unsuccessfully in the June 2020 Republican primary for District 8 House, also vied for the top party spot but came up short.

Schafer is founder of Environmental Services Ltd. He also founded and led Schafer Financial Group as CEO for 38 years, and he heads up a real estate investment firm, ESL Management.

Since 2017, hes been GOP chairman in District 31, a swath that includes parts of Morton and Hettinger counties and all of Grant and Sioux counties.

Schafer, 61, said he thinks his leadership skills can guide this party in a real positive direction.
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Businesses in Bismarck-Mandan have come up with a clever way to try to prevent the thefts of catalytic converters from vehicles. Thieves have been targeting catalytic converters because they can be sold for the precious metals they contain. Its a growing problem that can have significant consequences. Replacing the part can cost $3,000, but often the part is difficult to find. In some cases, car dealers have been unable to sell vehicles due to the thefts. Three area businesses have planned events to allow car owners to get their catalytic converters engraved with an identification number to deter the thefts. The code will include information from the vehicle identification number, making it possible to trace the device.
The state of North Dakota holds more than $107 million in unclaimed property, and many people who are entitled to some of it aren't aware.

The unclaimed property is managed by the Board of University and School Lands, which uses interest earned off the property to help fund public education.

The 2021 Legislature made some changes to make it easier for people to claim what they're entitled to. State Land Commissioner Jodi Smith said the changes taking effect July 1 make the process more seamless.

"For example, we have something called 'FastTrack,'" Smith told Prairie Public. "You enter your information into the system, and it matches the information we have. I don't even have to touch it. The check is automatically mailed out to you."

Smith said there are some complex situations, such as estate plans, in which the Department needs more information, but thats become more simplified.
Society today is pulled between two opposite views towards the environment. At one extreme, some see the environment as only a source of profit and gain, but ignore any larger responsibilities. At the other extreme, some recognize an obligation to nature, but think that the only way to protect the environment is through stifling regulation and the expansion of government. Both of these philosophies contain elements of the truth, but neither are complete. It is possible to develop effective government policies that both protect the environment and benefit the economy. []

Mankind has an unquestionable obligation to protect the environment. As Pope Benedict XVI explained in the encyclical Caritas in Veritate, the environment is Gods gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations, and towards humanity as a whole. These obligations, however, do not mean that businesses and society cannot use the environment for economic gain. Instead, these responsibilities imply that we must see the natural world as a gift from God, meant to be used and enjoyed, but also protected for the benefit of others.

With that in mind, its important to examine how President Joe Bidens plans to deal with environmental stewardship stack up. During the 2020 presidential campaign, President Biden promised that he would not just tinker around the edges when it comes to addressing Americas climate policy. Instead he pledged to rejoin the Paris Climate Accords, set ambitious standards for reducing Americas greenhouse gas emissions, all with the stated goal of ushering in a green revolution in the United States. Addressing climate change remained at the top of his agenda during his first trip overseas as President. After President Bidens meeting with the Group of Seven countries in the United Kingdom last week, many of Americas allies agreed to adopt similar policies.

After three days of meetings, the G-7 published a report titled Our Shared Agenda for Global Action to Build Back Better. Embracing a green revolution is a central tenant in that shared agenda. The member nations called for net zero emissions by 2050, increased conservation efforts, and other policies to halt the rise in global temperatures. With President Bidens increased focus on the environment, it is worth considering what our obligations are to the environment, what policies are the most effective at stopping climate change, and what Americas green revolution should look like.

Society today is pulled between two opposite views towards the environment. At one extreme, some see the environment as only a source of profit and gain, but ignore any larger responsibilities. At the other extreme, some recognize an obligation to nature, but think that the only way to protect the environment is through stifling regulation and the expansion of government. Both of these philosophies contain elements of the truth, but neither are complete. The laissez faire approach has engendered immense inequality, injustice and acts of violence against the majority of humanity, since resources end up in the hands of the first comer or the most powerful: the winner takes all. On the other hand, the protectionist approach ignores the costs to human freedom and economic prosperity that attend government expansion. Instead, America must seek a middle course. It is possible to develop effective government policies that both protect the environment and benefit the economy.

An effective solution to climate change must include a focus on private innovation, open markets, and free trade. The government must adjust tax and regulatory structures to favor investment in renewable energies; it must create open and competitive energy markets; and it must promote free trade to spread green technologies around the globe.

Reforming government regulations and the tax code will reduce the upfront costs to green technology and incentivize green energy production in the long run. Businesses suffer high fixed costs when they choose to adopt green technology. After installation, however, renewable energy is cheaper than fossil fuels. The tax code, therefore, must help businesses that adopt green technologies. Congress must create a tax credit for green energy similar to the Intangible Drilling Costs (IDC) credit enjoyed by fossil fuel companies. The IDC allows oil and gas producers to write off all expenses that are incident to and necessary for developing wells and other energy production facilities. Expanding this provision would benefit the renewable energy industry and decrease the costs for businesses adopting green technology.

Companies also need an incentive to stay in the green energy market for the long term. Performance-based incentives (PBIs) that reward high energy production over time can provide this incentive. State PBI programs subsidizing companies based on the amount of clean energy they produce would increase the profitability of green technologies. This incentive, combined with lower maintenance costs compared to fossil fuels, will draw new companies to sector that are able to compete against traditional energy producers. This will foster the long-term growth of the green energy industry and will pave the way for a transition to renewable energy, which is critical to arresting global warming.

Second, the government should open energy markets for competition among all energy sources. Traditionally, government regulators have viewed energy production as a natural monopoly created by high startup costs and economies of scale. Regulators used this as an excuse to involve themselves in all parts of the energy sector. Then, in the early 1990s, some states moved toward competition and deregulation in their energy markets to curtail high prices. They awarded contracts to the lowest bidding company and allowed supply and demand to determine consumer energy prices within a wholesale market. These reforms worked. Between 1982 and 1996, the real price of gasoline fell to $3 from $6. These facts illustrate the power that pro-market reforms have to increase renewable production, while also reducing consumer prices. The federal government should open energy markets to competition, which will allow profitable and low-cost green energy sources to thrive.

The final part of the free-market green revolution is free trade. Once U.S companies develop new green technologies, it is critical to export them abroad. Free trade will help global efforts against climate change and ensure the success of American businesses. The best way to promote domestic exports is through free trade agreements and the single most important free trade agreement for the future of green energy is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP originally included 6 of the 20 largest energy consuming nations in the world, before the United States pulled out of the agreement. Had the TPP gone into effect, the renewable energy industry would have saved roughly $24 million per year in reduced tariffs. Instead, U.S energy companies have to face tariffs as high as 30% on their green energy exports. Americas first and most important step toward increasing the export of green technology is rejoining the TPP. This will boost the American economy by reducing tariffs and other trade barriers, while also disseminating green technologies abroad. Climate change affects the entire planet, so it is critical that new renewable energies spread around the globe.

A green revolution does not require new regulations, the expansion of government, or the destruction of the American economy. President Bidens renewed focus on protecting the environment must also include a commitment to innovation, open markets, as well as free trade. With the right policies, it is possible to both stop climate change and grow American business.
Governments should have taken a laissez-faire approach to managing the pandemic, respecting the social nature of individuals while allowing communities to innovate their own responses. []

During the COVID-19 pandemic, pressure was put on the federal government to override the rights of the states and impose sweeping lockdown policies. This was only partially the case, since most states underwent lockdown and quarantine measures of their own. Such policies soon went under the microscope of public opinion to determine their validity, and the results have been mixed, at best.

After numerous stimulus packages, massive unemployment benefits, and overly strict enforcement of mask-wearing, everyone has been through a lot in the past year. But, throughout this pandemic, something else was put under particular stress: the dignity and social nature of the individual.

One prevalent theme in Catholic Social Teaching is the dignity of the human person. Man is made in the image and likeness of God, as seen in paragraph 1700 of the catechism of the Catholic Church, and we are called to love others, as they, too, are made in his image. Some would argue that these lockdowns were made out of respect for the dignity of others; however, the opposite is true, since lockdown policies also violate the social nature of humankind.

Humans are social by nature, as shown by what many scholars refer to as the creation mandate. In the book of Genesis, the creator tries to create a suitable partner for Adam by making numerous different creatures, but only when God creates an additional human does Adam find a suitable partner. From the onset of creation, we find that humans are inherently social by nature and require other humans to fulfill our vocations, which are given to us by God.

By cutting us off from in-person relationships, the lockdown policies denied this social nature. Instead, we should have taken a community approach. The catechism does say in paragraph 1919 that human communities do need authority; however, in paragraph 1923 is says that political authority needs to guarantee the conditions for humans to exercise freedom. To continue, paragraph 1925states that the common good needs to promote the fundamental rights of the person, as well as develop the worldly and spiritual needs of society. In this case, lockdown policies go against the teachings of the Catholic Church by denying people from actively practicing their religion in a community. This leads to a denial of the freedoms which paragraph 1923 specifies, as well as the common good in paragraph 1925.

To continue, paragraph 79 of Pope Pius Quadragesimo Anno dictates that it is grievous evil, as well as a bastardization of the right order, to distribute to a greater association that which a lesser organization, or community in this case, can accomplish. From here, we can see the religious implications: A mandate from higher governments over smaller communities is morally incorrect. Christian teachings require communities to make the proper decisions to keep their community safe.

From this, the conclusion can be drawn that governments should have taken a laissez-faire approach and allowed individual communities to create their own lockdown guidelines. This would have allowed more personalized approaches to preserving life, the economy, and the overall prosperity of a community by allowing humankind to engage with one another, rather than denying our inherent social nature and our ability to participate in community religious ceremonies.

Hopefully, this failure of policy can lead to more localized approaches to the problems our country endures, and create a method of preserving our social nature and fundamental rights of a community.
Should I or shouldnt I do AU?

That is the question I have heard hundreds of times regarding attending Acton University Online 2021. More than 2,400 people have already made up their own minds and have registered to participate in our annual summer gathering of minds this coming June 23-24 (10:00 am-5:00 pm EDT) for a conference ranked the best international academic event hosted by think tanks that consistently defend the free economy.

My answer, therefore, is always the same: Yes, of course, you should!

Before a pandemic forced the Acton Institute to move this massive in-person global gathering to a live-streaming platform, real financial factors and weighing the opportunity costs of spending 3-4 days away from home or work each June made the should/shouldnt dilemma a real one.

However, those who traveled to Grand Rapids more often than not told me they were more than willing to return to Michigan (a.k.a. to do Mich-again) since the investment of time and money had paid real dividends: intellectually, socially, and spiritually speaking, their lives were deeply impacted.

To boot, this year, it is even easier for anyone to repeat the Acton University experience, now being online, and thus eliminating 90-95% of normal expenses and with zero travel.

Before I get to the top reasons to attend Acton University: IF you are still wavering about whether or not to do AU, then contact me and I will facilitate making you a last-minute offer you might find difficult to refuse!

Admittedly, I am an employee of the Acton Institute, running its office in Rome and other programming in Europe since 2007. This makes me a veritable Actonite and, thus, more than a little biased toward my love relationship with Acton University. Yet, verily, I also write this brief blog with another full disclosure: my passion for our think tanks mission of promoting a free and virtuous society sustained by sound economic principles is renourished and recharged every year by Acton University. Simply put, my bottomless pit of energy and enthusiasm for all things Acton is, in very large part, drawn from the deep refreshing well-water of Acton University.

At any rate, in my humble opinion, here are the top reasons why you should attend Acton University this coming Wednesday and Thursday.

Firstly, Acton University is a humanity-focused event, more than any other I have ever attended around the globe. Believe me, in my line of work, I have attended a lot and in multiple countries. When we gather students of life interested in liberty, faith, and economics we do so purposefully from all walks, all nations, and all religions. On average for the in-person version of Acton University, (which God-willing will resume in the summer of 2022), we welcome 1100 persons from over 80 countries. They range from: the unemployed, CEOs, top brass military, seminarians, university professors, pastors, nuns, construction workers, doctors, nurses, business owners, hedge funder operators, tour guides, psychologists, plumbers, bus drivers, journalists, politicians. You name one, and you can bet your bottom dollar that the particular profession (or life status) is well presented at AU. One of the reasons for this variegated participation is that much conversation centers on the true vocational value of work and its determining role in Gods providential plan for a better world.

Another strong reason to attend Acton University has to with the fundamentals of dialogue that arise from everyone having taken the core curriculum. This is where the concept of a university experience begins with a few required seminars in moral anthropology (dignity, creativity, freedom), basic economics (natural laws and purpose of markets), and theological fundamentals (God and man in His ordered creation). These few seminars help weave common threads for all the hundreds of other conversations that take place at AU. This years online edition is a very compact version of what is usually offered (100+ seminars and workshops), but still, there will be a whole host of stimulating courses, panels, and plenary speeches (43 in total to choose from) that build on the content of the required seminars.

And then, of course, there is this years star-studded roster of 66 speakers. They will not gather under one roof at the Devos Place convention center but rather with you live on the same digital platform. As a small sample of the many impressive speakers and their classes during the two-day schedule, there is:

George Ayittey, a popular TED speaker on the cheetah generation of African entrepreneurs. He is also the founder and president of the Free Africa Foundation who made famous the economic maxim: African solutions for African problems. Ayittey will speak on Entrepreneurship for Africa.

Ryan T. Anderson of the Heritage Foundation and founder/editor of The Public Discourse. This year Anderson, a regular AU lecturer, will be teaching Getting Social Justice Right, focusing on some secular misnomers of social justice and getting to the heart of the Churchs original teachings of dignity, society, and charity.

Mustafa Akyol of the Cato Institute and a Turkish contributing editorialist for the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Washington Post. Akyol will be leading two intriguing seminars: Are Liberty and Islam Compatible? and Islam, Reason, and Freedom.

Betsy Devos, a former U.S. Secretary of Education under the Trump Administration, is an avowed promoter of the voucher system in public schools. Devos will be discussing Education and Entrepreneurial Disruption.

Obianuju Ekeocha, a Nigerian biomedical expert, documentary filmmaker, and leading advocate of pro-life issues as president of Culture of Life Africa. Her much-anticipated seminar is People: Africas Most Valuable Resource.

Declan Ganley, a distinguished Irish entrepreneur, inventor, and owner of several patents. He will be leading the panel discussion: Big, Tech, Big Government, and Privacy.

Rev. Philip Larrey, a renowned philosopher at the Vaticans Pontifical Lateran University. As one of the worlds top ethicists in matters related to A.I., Larrey will lecture on Artificial Intelligence, Religion, and Anthropology.

Jeff Sandefer, founder of the Acton School of Business, one of Americas top MBA programs inspired by Acton Institutes mission. He is also the founder of Acton Academy, a K-12 private school system that combines the Socratic method, high-tech learning, and entrepreneurial skills to form children and teens as future leaders of change. He will join Betsy Devos in discussing Education and Entrepreneurial Disruption.

Rev. Robert Sirico, Samuel Gregg, Michael Matheson Miller of the Acton Institute and who need no introduction. The three of them will be leading several different seminars, panels, and plenary discussions, among which are the sessions dedicated to The Free and Virtuous Society; The Case Against Economic Nationalism; and The Tocqueville Option: Social and Technical Decentralization.

Last, and certainly not least, is the main reason: you and the people you will meet from nearly 100 nations and all habitable continents, from Argentina to Zambia. You will have the chance to make friendships in break-out discussion groups and private chat rooms.

Fortunately, many of the returning 2021 online participants have met in person in past in-person editions of Acton University. If you are a newcomer, they will indeed warmly welcome you, along with all the Acton staff, as a most valued contributor to the world of ideas that bring about true human flourishing.
The British Library has a rich collection of Persian manuscripts, including finely illustrated and decorated manuscripts of the Iranian national epic, the Shahnamah of Ferdowsi, but also including a copy of the Razmnamah, the Persian version of the Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata.

In this blog, I would like to highlight the similarities between two major heroic characters in the Shahnamah and the Mahabharata: Rustam and Arjuna. Common features and episodes involving these characters can be seen as an example of cultural exchanges between Iran and India which date back to ancient times, even though there is still no consensus among scholars about the extent of the influences of thought and culture of the two nations on each other. Due to the different cultural and geographical environments in which the epics were formed, like any other stories with common roots, the stories of Rustam and Arjuna also have differences. But these differences cannot prevent us from seeing the similarities between the two characters, indicating that the stories must have originated from a common source.

The Mahabharata, which is attributed to the sage Vyasa, was written over centuries and focuses on the war between two families of cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, who compete for the throne of Hastinapur. The Pandava brothers were Yudhisthira, Arjuna, Bhima, Nakula and Sahadeva.

Like the Mahabharata, Iranian epic stories were also narrated orally over centuries by storytellers, although the Shahnamah was written by the poet, Ferdowsi. As a Muslim poet, Ferdowsi homogenized the stories and emphasized the belief in one god in the spirit of the stories. Nevertheless, the presence of a few powerful ancient gods  such as Zurvan, Mithra, and Anahita  in the deep layers of the stories is still discernible. Many scholars have compared characters of the Shahnamah with gods and goddesses, and Zal, the father of Rustam is one of them. There are obvious vestiges of the worshiping of other gods in the Shahnamah; for example Fereydun and Zal are Sun worshipers.

In the discussion below, I have compiled some of the most striking examples of similarities and parallels in the stories about Rustam and Arjuna, with illustrations from two Mughal Persian manuscripts in the British Librarys collection: a late 15th-century copy of the Shahnamah with early 17th-century paintings (Add 5600) and a copy of the Razmnamah of 1598 (Or 12076).

Like Arjuna in the Mahabharata, Rustam is one of the most important heroes in the Shahnamah and the central character of many stories. Arjuna was born to the god Indra, and Rustam is the son of Zal and Rudabah.



Zal and Rudabah. Shahnamah, Mughal, early 17th century. Artist: Qasim. British Library, Add 5600, f. 42v



Zal was born with white hair, which scared his father Sam enough to abandon his child, thinking he was a devil. In the Mahabharata Pandu, Arjunas father was also born extremely pale.

In an interesting article, Mihrdad Bahar has highlighted the similarities between Rustam and Indra, the god with whom Kunti, Arjuna's mother, conceived her child. Bahar notes that Indra and Rustam are both born by caesarean section, they are both large, both eat a lot and drink too much wine, and both have a club. In the Mahabharata, these traits are also given to Bhima and Arjuna, but as mentioned above, Arjuna was born of Indra.

Rustam and Arjuna both marry a woman outside their city or land. In the Shahnamah, Rustam marries Tahminah, the daughter of king of Samangan, and returns to Sistan after spending a short time with her. Tahminah gives birth to a baby boy and calls him Suhrab. Suhrab later tries to invade Iran and unknowingly fights with his own father, and is eventually killed by Rustam.



Rustam kills Suhrab in battle. Shahnamah, Mughal, early 17th century. Artist: Qasim. British Library, Add 5600, f. 99r

In the Mahabharata, Arjuna marries Chitrangda, Raja Manpour's daughter. Raja Manpour agrees to the marriage on the condition that if his daughter becomes pregnant, the child will stay with him, which Arjuna accepts. Like Tahminah, Chitrangada gives birth to a baby boy, called Babruvahana. In time, Babruvahana too fights with his own father, Arjuna, although unlike Rustam, Arjuna does indeed recognize his son.

In both stories, the surviving hero goes in search of a magic medicine to revive the wounded or killed hero. In the Shahnamah, this medicine is called Nushdaru and in the Mahabharata, Samjioni. Nushdaru is held by Kay Kavus, the king of Iran. Kay Kavus is afraid that Suhrab will join forces with Rustam after his recovery, and overthrow him from power. Therefore Kay Kavus refuses to give the medicine to Rustam, and Suhrab consequently dies. In the Mahabharata, however, when Babruvahana goes in search of Samjioni he manages to find it, and thus saves Arjuna from death.



Battle between Babhruvahana, son of Arjuna, and the snakes, for Samjioni. Razmnamah, Mughal, 1598. Artist: Sangha. British Library, Or 12076, f. 71r

Despite the differences, both stories have a similar plot, involving the murder of a family member. In both epics, the fathers cause the war with their sons. Suhrab and Babruvahana both plea with their fathers to stop the war, but in both cases the fathers refuse.



Babruvahana kneels at Arjunas feet in Manipur, but Arjuna treats his son with contempt. Razmnamah, Mughal, 1598. Artist: Khem. British Library, Or 12076, f. 44r

Another parallel in stories about Rustam and Arjuna is that both heroes kill their stepbrothers, with Arjuna killing Karna and Rustam killing Shaghad.



Rustam, impaled in the pit of spears, shoots Shaghad through the tree trunk. Shahnamah, Mughal, early 17th century. Artist: Bhagvati. British Library, Add 5600, f. 338v

In the Shahnamah, Shaghad is born from another mother from Rustam. Meanwhile, in the Mahabharata, Karna has a different father from Arjuna, for before Kunti marries Pandu, she conceives Karna with Surya. In both epics, both stepbrothers join the enemies of their brothers. In the Mahabharata, Karna joins Kauravas army, and in the Shahnamah, Shaghad allies with the king of Kabul.

In both stories, Rustam and Arjuna also go on adventurous and dangerous journeys to help the king. In the Shahnamah, these journeys of Rustam are called Haft Khan ('Seven trials'). Rustam, who was a teenager at the time, was commissioned by Zal to go to Mazandaran to rescue Kay Kavus, the king of Iran. Kay Kavus had been deceived by the devil and had gone to Mazandaran, where he had been captured by a white demon. Rustam was forced to take a shorter route to rescue him immediately, but thereby had to confront seven dangers lurking on his way.



Rustam kills the white demon (Div). Shahnamah, Mughal, early 17th century. Artist: Qasim. British Library, Add 5600, f. 75v



In Arjunas story, the hero's journey takes a year. To help his brother, Yudhisthira, Arjuna has to undertake a quest called Ashwamedha Yagya. As part of this formal undertaking, he must take a sacrificial horse into the country for a year to fight the opposition, and at the end return the horse to his brother's capital for sacrifice. It was during this trip that Arjuna got into a fight with his son Babruvahana and was killed by him, before being revived with the remedy Samjioni.

The Persian manuscripts reproduced in this blog, together with several other illustrated copies of the Shahnamah, have been fully digitised and can be accessed on the Librarys Digitised Manuscripts portal, and the Digital access to Persian manuscripts page.

Further reading

Bahar, Mihrdad, Pizhuhishi dar asatir-i Iran, Tihran: Agah, 1375 (1996).

Darmesteter, M.J. Points de contact entre le Mahabharataa et le Shahnamah, Journal asiatique, (1887) 15, pp.38-75.

Mukhtari, Muhammad, Usturah-i Zal, Tehran, Nashr-e Qatrah, 1997.

Sims-Williams, Ursula, Razmnamah: the Persian Mahabharata, 2016.

Alireza Sedighi, British Library



I am grateful to my colleagues Pasquale Manzo, Pardad Chamsaz and Arani IIankuberan for their comments.
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The price of Lydalls shares skyrocketed on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday on news of the Unifrax deal. Shares were trading at over $60 per share on Monday afternoon, after closing at $33.29 on Friday.

Lydall traces its roots in Connecticut to 1869, and has played a role in supporting frontline workers during the pandemic. During 2020, the company said it supplied enough fine fiber meltblown filtration media for nearly 1 billion face masks.

We are excited about the combination of Lydall and Unifrax, said Sara Greenstein, Lydalls president and CEO. With this transaction, we are creating a leader in specialty filtration and advanced materials with over 250 years of combined expertise and experience delivering innovative and compelling solutions to customers worldwide.

Unifraxs deal for Lydall is set to close in the second half of the year, pending approval by regulators and Lydall shareholders. Lydall shareholders are set to receive $62.10 per share as part of the acquisition.

Meanwhile, hourly workers at Unifraxs plant on Fire Tower Drive started returning to their shifts on Sunday, after ratifying a three-year deal on Friday.
As the Bangladeshi community in Buffalo continues to grow, restaurateurs efforts to feed its people have diversified tremendously. The rest of us, who get to horn in on their cooking, reap the rewards.

On Bailey Avenue in Lovejoy, the former Neapolis Family Restaurant has gone from Greek-American to Bangladeshi-Indian. The place offers kababs instead of souvlaki, 49 curries instead of Texas hot sauce and smooth service you would expect from operators who made their careers in five-star Manhattan hotels.

Karim Mohammed is a Bangladeshi fellow who honed his service skills over 25 years at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City. During the pandemic, Mohammed and his four partners decided it was time to strike out on their own.

As-salam means peaceful greeting in Arabic, and the reception follows suit. The restaurants name uses the word dinner but one look inside and diner is more like it. Theres spiffy turquoise booths as well as tables. A row of high-backed stools along the counter offer the promise of quick lunch, with a side of lumbar support.

Service is snappy, too, getting welcoming samosas ($4.99/two) in front of guests with dispatch. Stuffed with spiced potato and peas, the deep-fried turnovers pastry was admirably tender, foreshadowing adept cooking to come.
Those people can travel to Canada without enduring a quarantine starting at 11:59 p.m. July 5 if they are fully vaccinated. However, those individuals must have a Covid-19 test both before leaving for Canada and when they arrive.

Canadian officials announced last week that the border won't be fully reopened until at least July 21, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a similar statement Sunday.

A day later at a Monday news conference, Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu spoke about what it would take for officials to more fully open the border.

"One metric that Canadians can watch for is the rate of fully vaccinated Canadians that is at least 75%," she said.

The Canadian government had previously said 75% of Canadians would have to have one shot and 20% fully vaccinated before it could loosen travel restrictions.

The nation is approaching those goals. Some 66.5% of Canadians have received one shot as of Sunday, while 18.8% have been fully vaccinated.
During the arrest, the negative cocaine test dominated the officers' conversation. At one point, Moffett showed Davidson the test swab to prove his point. Davidson peered at it from inches away. He agreed with his partner that the swab did not indicate cocaine.

They then guessed what the substance might be since it wasnt coke. Was it fentanyl, PCP, meth or vitamins, they wondered.

Inspector Robert V. Rosenswie, the head of Internal Affairs, saw Davidsons answer as a lie. Writing up the paperwork alleging perjury, he said Davidson reported no test was done when a test had been conducted in front of the officer.

Probe almost derailed

The Internal Affairs file shows the wheels of the investigation turned slowly. Before the matter reached Lewis, it was examined within the C District, where Moffett and Davidson are assigned. The district inquiry focused mainly on whether Moffett and Davidson were rude to Eaton. A captain concluded they hadnt been.

After watching the body camera footage, I am proud of the way these officers speak and treat the public," Capt. Jason R. Whitenight wrote in a memo. I respectfully request that this case be deemed unfounded.
Donald F. Howlands father wanted to cross the Atlantic and defend America in World War I, but after enlisting he was sent to Texas and assigned to an Army cavalry unit complete with horses.

For Donald and his two brothers, their dads stories about his horse, whose name was Pete, evoked images of another time when soldiers sat proudly atop their mounts and prepared to charge into battle.

And while their dad was denied the chance to fight for the country, his patriotism inspired his sons to take up arms and defend America in World War II.

We were brought up to love our country, the 96-year-old Howland said.

Living out that kind of love proved dangerous. A City of Tonawanda High School graduate, Howland would earn five battle stars and the Combat Infantry badge as he and members of Cannon Company, part of the Armys 2nd Infantry Division, fought their way across Europe.

A day after the June 6, 1944, D-Day Invasion, Howlands company set foot on the Normandy beach head and was put to work shelling the enemy with their six Howitzers. This piece of artillery proved invaluable. It was a nimble cannon mounted on two wheels for towing and able to accurately strike targets as far as 7 miles away.

The enemy sought to destroy the Howitzers and their crews from the air.

We were sent to the Battle of St. Lo and were strafed by a plane. We hit the ground and I could hear the bullets pounding into the earth, Howland said.

Stories of Honor: Recollections from local war veterans For years, The Buffalo News has been telling the stories of Western New York veterans who served our country in the armed services in World Wa

Weeks later that summer at the Battle of Brest, the Germans had turned their massive coastal guns inland and were bombarding Allied forces.

"The shells sounded like freight cars and you could almost reach up and touch them," Howland said. "My captain asked me to pray Hail Marys. We said a few together and survived."

In the Battle of the Bulge during the winter of 1944-45, he said he was fortunate to be spared the misery many soldiers experienced in one of Europes worst winters on record.

We lived three men to a foxhole that was covered and had a small pot belly stove, he said.

The enemy did its best to make life uncomfortable.

We were in Elsenborn, Belgium, and there was quite a lot of snow and I was sent with another soldier to see if we could repair a telephone wire. Part of my duties was as a radio man. We had to go up a hill in the open. All of a sudden, we got fired on by an 88-millimeter gun. We dove into snow and when it stopped, we ran to the foxhole and the enemy started firing again. It was all very fast. It lasted seconds, he said.

In Leipzig, Germany, Howland recalled yet another close call when he and his captain went on a reconnaissance mission to scout out a suitable location for their Howitzers.

We had gone past the front lines and came under fire from German riflemen. There were bullets flying all around us. I could hear them. The captain said, Lets get the hell out of here, and we jumped in the Jeep, Howland said.

But the incident that haunts his memories is of a German soldier who was not so lucky.

We were out stringing telephone cable in a field and we spotted a dead German all by himself. The guy I was with said, Lets go look at this, and I said, Nah, I dont want to. He said, Come on. So anyway I went with him.

The German was a young kid like me. He looked about the same age I was, which was 19.

"I thought what a shame it was that a good lookin young kid like this is lying dead in a field.

Howlands unit later advanced into Czechoslovakia for the final weeks of the war in the spring of 1945 before being sent to a tent city in the French port of Le Havre, where he would sail for home in July.

He recalls the moment he walked into his parents Elmwood Park home in Tonawanda like it was yesterday.

I hadnt seen my brother Ben for four years. He had fought in the Pacific. He was there and he stared at me. It was like he couldnt take his eyes off me. My sister and mother cried. My dad didnt cry, but he was overcome with emotion.

The war behind him, Howland became an accountant, married the former Dorothy Prisaznuk and they raised three daughters and a son. The Amherst resident worked full-time until he was 69 and then part-time for another 15 years.

When asked if he thinks about his military service, Howland said: Sometimes I do and sometimes I just want to forget.

But Howland said he realizes the merit in telling his story to let others know freedom comes at a cost.

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OLAF FUB SEZ: According to French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, born on this date in 1905, In love, one and one are one.

. . .

HAPPY RETURNS  It began in June 1981 with students hurling rocks and bottles at police officers who came to break up an unofficial party held by graduating seniors from the North Tonawanda High School.

The next June, a 40-year tradition began, with North Tonawanda Police and local businesses sponsoring the senior class party. The annual hot dog roast honoring seniors will be held from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. today at Gratwick Fire Company, 110 Ward Road.

It began in a very ugly way when we were sent over there to break up the students party, said retired North Tonawanda Police Capt. Gabe DiBernardo. The next year, we offered to sponsor it and weve done so ever since. The only year we missed was last year, with the pandemic.

. . .
Sundays ballot involved 21 political parties and four electoral blocs. Despite the high emotions over the war defeat and the calls for Pashinyan to resign, turnout was lukewarm  only 49% of eligible voters cast ballots.

A bloc affiliated with another former president, Serzh Sargsyan, came third with 5.2%, and another party had nearly 4%. Blocs need 7% to get into parliament and parties need 5%. However Armenias laws allow a party or bloc that came third to get seats if only two political forces pass the threshold to get into parliament.

Pashinyan's party showed a strong lead early into the count, and the acting prime minister claimed victory hours before all the precincts were counted.

We have overcome these tough times, and now its time to stand up and go forward, Pashinyan said in a televised address at the partys headquarters.

The Armenia Alliance led by his main opponent Kocharyan has refused to accept the results of the vote and promised to contest them in the Constitutional Court. We have legitimate reasons to maintain that the official results of the election don't represent the real state of play, the bloc said in a statement. According to our observations and information from local headquarters, numerous violations took place long before the election day.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James proposed police reform legislation, The Police Accountability Act, is nothing short of a politically motivated hit job, targeting the men and women of law enforcement, who bravely serve their communities every day.

James proposal is in direct response to the case of the Rochester police officers who attempted to subdue Daniel Prude in February. A Monroe County grand jury returned a no true bill after listening to the facts presented by prosecutors from her own office.

At the time, James said she was extremely disappointed that the outcome was not different. She promised a multifaceted effort to amend New Yorks use-of-force law from one of subjective, simple necessity, to one of absolute, last resort, exhausting all other non-lethal means before resorting to deadly force.

Besides establishing a last resort standard, it would also remove a section of state law that authorizes police to use deadly force if there is a suspicion that a person committed a particular crime.
Like the rest of the country, Erie County is making progress on vaccinating residents, though the pace has slowed significantly. And while New York State relaxed pandemic restrictions upon hitting the threshold of 70% of adults with at least one shot, Erie County is not that far along. Here, about 58% of residents have had at least one shot and about 51% are fully vaccinated. In some parts of the county, rates are higher than that, but in others, they are notably lower.

Thus, were the Bills to have hosted a game on Sunday, almost half of the fans attending would have posed a threat to themselves and to others who could spread the virus further. Poloncarzs approach could have improved the odds.

Nevertheless, the county and the Bills can still help. Bills-themed vaccination clinics around the county could draw unimmunized fans. A great spot for one would be in the parking lot at Highmark Stadium.

That could begin now and, if useful, continue even on game days. Newly inoculated fans would not be protected immediately after a shot, but it would count as a win, anyway. Drawings for free tickets could also be an irresistible lure, as free lottery tickets have proved to be.
Its a typical primary day in Western New York, especially when the Buffalo mayor is on the ballot. In a cynical acknowledgement of their chances of winning that office  something less than slim to none  Republicans are running no candidates in the city. With that, they may be able to depress the Democratic vote this November and increase their chances of holding onto the sheriffs and comptrollers offices.

Unfortunately, that strategy also deprives Buffalos Republicans of the chance to influence the direction of the city, since the primary will be tantamount to election for that office. The same goes for the Erie County Legislatures District 1 seat, which lies entirely within the city. And in failing ever to make their case, it also helps to ensure that the city will remain overwhelmingly Democratic.

As with November, though, all eligible voters should make their way to the polls to choose their parties nominees. In addition to the Democratic campaigns for mayor and county Legislature, contested primaries include races for Erie County sheriff, in which Republicans will choose between two candidates while Democrats will pick among three. In addition, Democrats will choose between two candidates for county comptroller. The winner in each of those races will face a general election opponent.
Two articles in the June 15 Buffalo News deserve more attention. There is a major concern that voting rights are being suppressed and the following examples ought to be alarming.

Fourteen states enacted laws to curtail early and mail-in voting, limit polling places and empower supporters of a particular party to police polling, i.e. fining someone giving a voter that is in line a glass of water.

Advocates for the disabled, a powerful block of 38 million disabled voters, worry that partisan poll watchers would misinterpret someone aiding a disabled voter to vote as fraud.

Other measures in Republican states demand a doctors note from indefinitely confined voters so they can mail in their vote and they limit who can return a disabled voters ballot to immediate family members or a legal guardian no matter how far away they live.

Among those who are warning about this hampering of democracy are Angus King, independent senator from Maine.

Kings warning is alarming. He called American democracy a 240-year experiment that runs against the tide of human history, and that tide usually leads from and back to authoritarianism.
Michael Loccisano/Getty; Kevork Djansezian/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Alex Rodriguez (left) and Lindsay Shookus

Alex Rodriguez was spotted hanging out with Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay Shookus at a Hamptons party over the weekend, PEOPLE can confirm.

Shookus - who famously dated Ben Affleck off-and-on from 2017 to 2019 - and Rodriguez were seen sitting next to each other in a video re-shared by Deuxmoi on Instagram this week. According to Page Six, Rodriguez was attending Shookus' birthday party, where magician Josh Beckerman performed. At the party, Rodriguez was joined by his business partner Marc Lore.

Rodriguez's rep tells PEOPLE that Shookus, 41, and the retired New York Yankee, 45, "have been friends for 15 years. There is nothing there at all."

Affleck, of course, has recently rekindled his romance with former fiancee Jennifer Lopez shortly after she and Rodriguez ended their own engagement in April. Lopez and Rodriguez got engaged in the Bahamas in March 2019 after dating for two years.

Never miss a story - sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Shookus and Affleck broke up in August 2018, though were spotted hanging out together in March 2019 before splitting again in April. Shookus last sparked romance rumors with Jon Hamm in fall 2019, though a source close to the producer told PEOPLE at the time that she and Hamm "have been friends for over a decade."

A source told PEOPLE back in May that Rodriguez was "not thrilled" about Lopez, 51, spending time with Affleck, 48, 17 years after the latter two broke off their own engagement in 2004.

RELATED: Jennifer Lopez 'Is in Touch' with Ben Affleck 'Every Day' After Reuniting in Montana: Source

RELATED VIDEO: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez Were 'Very Much Into Each Other' During Miami Gym Outing: Source

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In May, Rodriguez shared his newly-single mindset on his Instagram Story. "I am about to step into a new beginning in my life. Anything that doesn't serve me is clearing out of my life," a text post on his story read.

It continued, "New energy is emerging. New levels are unlocking for me mentally, physically, and spiritually. I am remaining patient and know that this new phase of my life is coming."

Listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day for more on Alex Rodriguez and Lindsay Shookus.
As health indicators improve, the French nationwide curfew was lifted on Sunday, marking a new stage in the slow return to pre-Covid normality. The move came on the eve of the annual Fete de la Musique, celebrated across the country every year on midsummer's day, 21 June.

For the first time since 30 October 2020 (with a brief exception at Christmas), the French will be able to enjoy their evenings for as long as they like, starting on Sunday - 10 days earlier than planned.

France has been one of the last countries to maintain a curfew along with Italy and Greece.

Initially introduced at 9pm, it was gradually brought forward to 6pm in mid-January before being pushed back to 7pm in March, 9pm in May and 11pm on 9 June.

The announcement was made by the government last Wednesday, ahead of its declatration that the obligatory wearing of masks outdoors was being scrapped as of Thursday.

PM Castex denies political point-scoring

Many among the opposition in France have been sceptical of the motivation behind the move, in view of the first round of regional elections which took place on Sunday.

Rejecting comments that the further lifting of restrictions was a political "gift", Prime Minister Jean Castex said it was justified due to the "faster than hoped-for improvement in the health situation".

"With 2,000 to 3,000 cases a day, it is no longer the virus that is tracking us, it is us that are tracking it," Health Minister Olivier Veran told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper.

Meanwhile the vaccination campaign is continuing, with France on target to have 35 million people fully vaccinated by the end of August.

Figures released on Saturday indicate that 18 million French people are already fully vaccinated.

Nightclubs opening this summer

However, vigilance continues and the health regulations in public places and at outdoor events remain in place until 30 June.

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With mini-concerts authorised in bars and restaurants, the Fete de la Musique will return to its familiar format on Monday, but the wearing of masks is still recommended outside during concerts. Gatherings of more than ten people in public are still forbidden

Yet the real return to pre-pandemic nightlife will be through the reopening of nightclubs over the summer. Such venues have been completely shut down for the past 15 months.

On Monday, President Emmanuel Macron is expected to meet with concert promoters and the nightclub owners to discuss health regulations, ventilation systems and a potential "health pass" to allow clubs reopen.
Former AIADMK minister M Manikandan, who has been booked under charges of cheating and rape, has been sent to judicial custody till July 2 after he was arrested by the Chennai police in Bengaluru on Sunday. Special teams set up to arrest the Former IT Minister brought Manikandan to Chennai, after he was allegedly absconding as the Madras High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea. According to reports, the police is said to have questioned Manikandan for nearly two hours on Sunday.

The Adyar All-Women Police Station has registered a case against Manikandan under sections 376 (rape), 313 (causing miscarriage without womens consent), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 417 (punishment for cheating) and 506(i) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. The case was registered after a complaint by a 32-year-old actor who said that Manikandan had been in a live-in relationship with her for five years and promised to marry her. He had allegedly impregnated the woman and forced her to undergo an abortion. The woman, a Malaysian-born Indian, who is also an actor in the Tamil film industry, alleged that the ex-minister also threatened her and her family.

Reports further claim that Manikandan met the woman in 2017, and befriended her under the pretext of investing in a business in Malaysia. Subsequently, the minister expressed his wish to marry her, while he was already married. Manikandan has denied all allegations with his counsel even arguing in court that the woman tried to extort money from the AIADMK leader and had filed a false complaint to defame the ex-minister.

However, the Madras High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea and also refused to grant him interim protection from arrest. The court while rejecting the anticipatory bail application had noted that the charges against him were serious and that he could tamper with the evidence given the fact that he was holding a powerful post in the state of Tamil Nadu as an ex-minister. Manikandan was elected to the Tamil Nadu Assembly from Ramanathapuram constituency and held office between 2016 and 2019.
US heatwave: Temperatures in Las Vegas hit 115F on 17 June (Getty Images)

Record setting high temperatures in Las Vegas has left residents reeling in the oppressive heat.

Mid-week last week, the desert city experienced temperatures as high as 116 degrees (46.6 C), which the state has never reached this early in the year.

The Guardian reported that dust and smoke from nearby wildfires added to the discomfort residents felt as they staggered through the blazing heat.

"I am dying  I feel like I'm going to pass out," a woman named Violet told The Guardian.

Climate researchers predict that the heatwave is only the first of several to hit the American Southwest due to the ongoing climate crisis.

The city is located near the centre of the Mojave Desert, where what meager water supplies available have been drying due to the increased heat and decreased rainfall in the region due to climate change. That region of the US is warming faster than almost anywhere else in the country, according to climate scientists.

The region is also experiencing a "megadrought" brought on by below-average snowmelt refilling major water sources, including the Colorado River.

Experts expect the situation in Las Vegas will continue to worsen as the summer months wear on.

Nevadas climate is changing, the state governments Climate Initiative website concluded. In fact, Nevadans say, they are already noticing and impacted by these changes. Climate change has come home.

A valet who spoke with The Guardian said car temperatures can reach 140 degrees, and that he has seen people pass out and begin shaking from the heat.

"It's brutal," he said.

Another Las Vegas worker, security guard Rafael Martinez, said he has seen people "pass out all the time."

"I am sweating and I feel the heat, but I am not one to complain," he said. "If you stand in the sun you are going to dry out."

As temperatures rise, so do heat-related deaths.

The Desert Research Institute conducted a study of the years between 2007 and 2016, finding that heat-related deaths rose in Las Vegas from seven in 2007 to more than 45 in 2016.

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While air conditioning can help stave off heat-related illnesses, poorer residents may not be able to afford effective in-home cooling. And for those without homes  Las Vegas is home to more than 6,000 homeless individuals  there is little respite from the heat.

Not only can heat kill, it can also increase the risk of chronic kidney disease as well slow down cognitive function.

Higher temperatures also pose problems for animals in the region. Desert birds in the Mojave have seen declining populations caused by a lack of water sources and farmers raising pigs have expressed difficulty keeping them cool.

A farmer speaking with The Guardian told them that they need to douse pigs in water regularly to keep them from overheating.

Read More

UK weather: The latest Met Office forecast

World will fail unless climate and nature crises are tackled together, says major report

World-leading scientists launch international climate crisis advisory group
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's health minister said on Monday Japan's government would donate some AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, as the Southeast Asian country seeks to shore-up supplies after some early delays in its vaccinations.

An agreement would be signed on Thursday with the vaccines to be delivered around July, Anutin Charnvirakul said in a statement, which did not specify the quantity.

Thailand's mass vaccination drive, which started this month, relies heavily on AstraZeneca shots produced locally by a company owned by its king, which experienced some delays, also impacting Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Thailand has for nearly three months been fighting its most severe coronavirus outbreak so far, which has accounted for 95% of its COVID-19 deaths.

It has planned a phased reopening to foreign tourists over the coming months, starting with the resort island of Phuket in July, but much depends on its progress in vaccinations.

Thailand has also used the Sinovac vaccine, some of which was donated by China, and has fully vaccinated 2.1 million of its more than 66 million people.

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Martin Petty)
Logistics and transportation of Container Cargo ship and Cargo plane with working crane bridge in shipyard at sunrise

Britain is to start negotiations to join a free trade area which could grant businesses access to "some of the biggest economies of the present and future", the government has said.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is made up of 11 nations, including Australia, Canada and Japan.

Membership would reduce tariffs on exports such as cars and whisky.

The trade area covers a market of around 500 million people.

New Zealand, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam are also founder members of the trade agreement, which was established in 2018. The UK applied to join the bloc in January following Brexit.

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said the trade area was the "part of the world where Britain's greatest opportunities lie".

Being granted membership would be a "glittering post-Brexit prize that I want us to seize", she said.

Liz Truss said the deal would benefit farmers in the UK

Ms Truss said membership would help "farmers, makers and innovators sell to some of the biggest economies of the present and future, but without ceding control over our laws, borders or money".

However, there has already been a political backlash against the UK's recently agreed free trade deal with Australia. UK farmers say imports from Australia could undercut them on price and undermine welfare standards.

The UK is the first non-founding country to apply to join the CPTPP and would be its second biggest economy after Japan, if negotiations succeed.

The free trade agreement aims to reduce trade tariffs - a form of border tax - between member countries and includes a promise to eliminate or reduce 95% of charges on traded goods.

In return, countries must cooperate on regulations, such as food standards. However, these standards and regulations do not have to be identical, and member countries can strike their own trade deals.

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Analysis box by Dharshini David, global trade correspondent

Liz Truss will start the (virtual) talks on Tuesday to join the 11-strong trans-Pacific trading club, and she'll do so from the very room where Winston Churchill oversaw the War effort. The aim is to showcase post-Brexit ambitions.

But it is more about strategy than scale. With deals already in place with eight of the CPTPP members, joining may add as little as 0.1% to the size of the UK economy, and it's not clear yet what the UK will have to concede to get the deal, nor how quickly it will happen.

The real boost will come if others sign up to this pact. So far, America under President Joe Biden hasn't expressed an interest to do so - nor, as the trade secretary admitted to me, has it set a date to resume talks on a UK-US bilateral deal, paused earlier this year.

As trading partners go, the US is twice as important to the UK as all the CPTPP nations put together.

Meanwhile, some economists have flagged up that trade with the EU may have been dampened to the tune of several billions of pounds by the new trading arrangements with that bloc, with fresh food particularly hard hit.

The Department for International Trade (DFIT) said exports to countries in the Asia-Pacific bloc were set to increase by 65%, around 37bn, between now and 2030.

"Joining would boost this growth and support British jobs. These benefits would increase over time, with the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan and the Republic of Korea all having expressed interest in joining," a DFIT statement said.

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PARIS (Reuters) - French media group Vivendi will seek investor support on Tuesday to spin off its prized Universal music business, a plan criticized by activist funds for benefiting top shareholder Vincent Bollore more than smaller investors.

The world's biggest music label, home to pop stars such as Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, is valued at 33 billion euros ($39 billion) by Vivendi, or more than the group's own market value.

While the spin-off looks set to clear a first hurdle with backing at the June 22 shareholder meeting, a backlash is brewing over the transaction's structure and Vivendi's secretive governance. This has set the scene for a stand-off between Bollore and some investors who hope to pressure the group to yield more cash or provide clarity over its long-term plans.

The stakes are high, including for investors who plan to take a direct slice of Universal Music Group (UMG).

William Ackman's Pershing Square Tontine Holdings, a special purpose acquisition vehicle, has signed a deal to buy 10% of the music business. A consortium led by Chinese giant Tencent already has a 20% chunk.

Bollore, Vivendi's controlling shareholder with 27%, is seeking to cash in by listing UMG in Amsterdam, and distributing 60% of Universal's shares to Vivendi investors.

U.S. investment fund Artisan Partners, which has declined to comment on the size of its stake in Vivendi, opposed the distribution structure earlier this month and said that the sale of chunks of UMG ahead of its listing was detrimental to minority shareholders.

EXTRA CASH DIVIDEND

However, the spin-off has already won some investor backing, with proxy advisors Glass Lewis and ISS advising a vote in favor and Norway's $1.35 trillion sovereign wealth fund, with a 1.49% stake in Vivendi, saying it would back the resolution.

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Even activist fund Bluebell Capital Partners, which has also publicly questioned the spin-off, said it would give it the thumbs up.

"We will vote in favor of the spin-off because this is happening and no one will be able to stop it," said Giuseppe Bivona, a partner at Bluebell.

But Bluebell, which is asking for an extra cash dividend of around 3 billion euros to make the deal more attractive, has along with proxy advisors taken aim at another proposed resolution, which would allow Vivendi to buy back and cancel its shares for up to 50% of its capital.

The fund has questioned whether it could allow Bollore to increase his stake in Vivendi without making a tender offer. Bollore's family-owned group pledged that it will not request an exemption to file a tender offer on Vivendi's shares if it crosses the 30% threshold in capital ownership.

Billionaire hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb's Third Point, which owns a substantial stake in Vivendi, has not publicly said whether it would support the Universal spin-off or not.

(Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain, Sarah White, Pamela Barbaglia and Gwenaelle Barzic; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
By the time you read this article, several significant things will have taken place.

Ethiopia's general election had been postponed to Monday 21 June. Two diametrically opposed visions are in play: Prime Minister Dr Abiy's (a committed Ethiopian and Protestant Christian) vision of a strong, united, multi-ethnic, multi-religious Ethiopia versus the dream of ethno-nationalists who would dismantle Ethiopia along ethnic lines through widespread cleansing of minorities and causing gross insecurity nationwide. Those most at risk are the mostly Orthodox Christian ethnic Amhara, multitudes of whom have long lived as ethnic minorities outside of Amhara State.

The Algerian parliamentary election was due to take place on 12 June. The election was postponed from April, as Algerians continue to demand systemic structural change. Some are predicting that Islamists will win the election, but that is uncertain, among suggestions that pro-democracy forces may boycott the election.

In Iran a presidential election would have been held on 18 June. The ruling Guardian Council seeks to control this by hand-picking the candidates, making the election a sham. For both Algeria and Iran these elections will have consequences for Christians in those countries. However, let us remember that 'The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord' (Proverbs Chapter 16, verse 33 ESV) 'who works all things according to the counsel of his will' (from Ephesians Chapter 1, verse 11 ESV).

Meanwhile Christians remain imperiled in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Burkina Faso.

Pakistan

Pakistans blasphemy law seems to give license to powerful Islamic fundamentalists to harass and imprison Christians, using accusations that have no basis in truth and have not been verified by impartial authorities. Any attempts to amend the legislation have met with death threats, assassinations and destructive riots.

However, there has been a breakthrough! On 3 June 2021 the Lahore High Court accepted the appeal of Christians Shafqat Emmanuel (49) and his wife Shagufta Kausar (52), acquitting them of the charge of blasphemy. In prison since being falsely accused in 2013, the couple have been on death row since 2014.

Their appeal was handled by attorney Saif ul-Malook (who represented Asia Bibi). They urgently need trustworthy security, medical care and asylum overseas. Partially paralysed since 2004, Shafqat has spent the last eight years confined to a prison bed with minimal assistance or medical care. He is covered in painful bedsores and is seriously unwell; many feared he would die in prison. Separated from each other and their four children, Shafqat and Shagufta have suffered depression.

The European Union (EU) instituted the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) to help developing countries integrate into the world economy by removing import duties from products coming into the EU market from vulnerable developing countries.

In December 2017, the EU had taken a stand against injustice by warning Pakistan that its GSP+ Trade Agreement with the EU - enabling Pakistan to earn billions of dollars of trade income - would be at risk should Asia Bibi be denied justice. This moral stand highlighted the blasphemy law and secured justice for Asia Bibi and helped Shafqat and Shagufta. Determined to maintain its pressure on Pakistan, the EU passed a motion in April 2021 to review Pakistan's GPS+ trade status.

Let us give thanks to Almighty God for the justice received for this family and pray for peace and healing for them. Praise God for the courage and moral conviction displayed by the Justices who ruled rightly, despite threats and intimidation from Islamic fundamentalists. Surely this courage was a gift from God 'in answer to the prayers of many' (2 Corinthians Chapter 1, verse 11).

Give thanks also for the courage and faithfulness of attorney Saif ul-Malook who has defended accused and persecuted Christians despite protests against his work and threats on his life; may the Lord grant him the greatest gift and open his heart to receive the Gospel.

Give thanks also for the EUs attempt to call out injustice in Pakistan, bringing it to the world stage.

Afghanistan

While the US-led campaign from 2001 to 2021 achieved little in terms of enduring freedom, it opened a window of opportunity for Afghans to become Christians and do amazing things. Despite severe repression and persecution from the government, the Taliban and Muslim society, the number of Christians in Afghanistan was estimated to have grown to between 2000 and 3000 in 2013, an increase from a couple of hundred a decade earlier.

As Western troops withdraw, this window of opportunity will close. Afghans face the prospect of civil war and exploitation by outside interests such as Pakistan, Russia, Turkey and China. The biggest losers will be the Afghan people, in particular Afghan women and Christians.

This article from the University of Notre Dame gives an interesting and concise history of Christianity in Afghanistan, including a summary of the current situation and Christian responses to persecution. It stresses that unless Afghan Christians can leave the country and meet and worship freely, they must hide their identity. Bibles and any other printed material are forbidden.

Let us pray that God would give Afghan Christians all the wisdom and understanding they will need to stay ahead of - or be able to overcome - every evil scheme designed to silence, crush and eliminate the Afghan Church; may the Lord preserve his Church in Afghanistan. 'I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it' (Jesus, from Matthew 16:18 ESV).

Pray that more and more Afghan Muslims seek and find that better way - the way of Jesus Christ. 'For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.' John Chapter 3, verse 17 ESV



Burkina Faso

On Tuesday evening 18 May, Christians had gathered for a baptism in Burkina Faso's far north when gunmen stormed the celebration and opened fire. The attack took place in Adjarara, in Oudalan Province, close to the border with Mali. Islamic State and al-Qaeda operate in the area, but no group has claimed responsibility. Many people have reportedly fled the area.

On 20 May Islamic State released photos within its weekly Al-Naba newsletter purporting to show its men enacting hudud punishments - specifically amputations - in the market in Tin-Hama, Gao Region.

May our God comfort those who mourn; heal those who are wounded in body, mind and/or spirit; and provide the needs of all who look to him in faith or even just in desperation.

May God be an awakening and revealing light to Muslims and others who are struggling in darkness (John Chapter 8, verse 12); and a consuming fire to those who would bring bloodshed, suffering, repression and evil to Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and the wider Sahel region (Isaiah Chapter 59, verses 14-19).

May God grace the government of Burkina Faso - and especially President Roch Marc Christian Kabore (a devout Catholic) - with all the wisdom and insight, conviction and courage, as well as the international support and assistance they need to turn back the battle (Isaiah Chapter 28, verses 5-6) in Burkina Faso, so that peace will be restored and liberty preserved.
(CNN) -- The US economy has come a long way since last year's devastating downturn. But a return to "normal" may not be possible.

The Back-to-Normal Index created by CNN Business and Moody's Analytics stands at 93% as of June 18, a new pandemic-era high.

The index is comprised of 37 national and seven state-level indicators that track metrics such as consumer credit, unemployment claims, job postings, domestic air travel and hotel occupancy.

The latest reading shows that America is inching closer to "normalcy," but the last mile will be tough. Although various states have done away with pandemic-era restrictions, life as it used to be hasn't fully resumed.

In fact, the pandemic may have changed some fundamentals of the economy in ways that mean it's never going back to "normal."

For example, many people are still working from home and might continue to do so indefinitely. While some companies are ordering their staff to return to the office, others are adjusting to a new normal of more remote work and a more geographically diverse workforce.

Travel is another component of the Back-to-Normal Index that might be changed forever. People are excited to vacation again as vaccination rates rise across the United States and countries around the world reopen for tourists, but business travel might not resume in the same way.

After more than a year of making due with virtual meetings, companies might be less inclined to fly staff around the world. Moody's Analytics doesn't believe business travel will come back to its pre-pandemic level any time soon, which will in turn affect plane travel and the demand for oil as well.

"We're tracking the return to something we might not get back to," Matt Colyar, associate economist at Moody's Analytics, told CNN Business.

Claims for unemployment benefits are still about double what was considered normal before Covid. They "are still sky high and they have to come down," Colyar said.

States that were hit particularly hard by the pandemic  such as economic powerhouse New York  still have much more room to improve compared to other parts of the country. They will likely remain a drag on the index.

That doesn't mean the US economy won't regain its pre-pandemic size and strength. In fact, the speed of the rebound is without modern precedent. But we're heading for a new kind of "normal."

For the Back-to-Normal Index to hit 100%, some components will need to make up even more ground while others lag.

Investor insight: The features and characteristics of this new economy have major implications for investors. Figure out the growth areas, and you can identify the companies most likely to benefit.

A backlog at China's ports could spoil your holiday shopping

Global trade is still a mess. My colleague Laura He reports from Hong Kong:

A coronavirus outbreak in southern China has clogged ports critical to global trade, causing a shipping backlog that could take months to clear and lead to shortages during the year-end holiday shopping season.

The chaos began unfolding last month when authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong canceled flights, locked down communities and suspended trade along its coastline to bring a rapid spike in Covid-19 cases under control.

The rate of infections has since improved, and many operations have restarted. But the damage has been done.

The latest: Yantian, a port about 50 miles north of Hong Kong, handles goods that would fill 36,000 20-foot containers every day. It was shut down for nearly a week late last month after infections were found among dock workers. While the port has reopened, it is still operating below capacity, creating a huge backlog of containers waiting to leave and ships waiting to dock.

The congestion in Yantian has spilled over to other container ports in Guangdong, including Shekou, Chiwan, and Nansha. All of them are located either in Shenzhen or Guangzhou, the fourth and fifth largest comprehensive container ports in the world. The domino effect is creating a huge problem for the world's shipping industry.

The Yantian backlog "is adding extra disruption on an already stressed out global supply chain, including the significant seaborne leg of it," said Peter Sand, chief shipping analyst for Bimco, an association of shipowners. People "may not find all they were looking for on the shelves when shopping for Christmas presents later in the year," he added.

China, China, China: There's no denying that for investors to really understand the global economy, they need to be paying attention to China.

This story was first published on CNN.com "The US economy is never going back to 'normal'".
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 20)  Three medical experts sent by the Israeli government arrived in Manila on Sunday afternoon to help strengthen the Philippines' approach in combating COVID-19.

The members of the team are Dr. Avraham Ben-Zaken, Dr. Adam Segal, and Dr. Dafna Segol.

"On behalf of the Philippine government, I wish to thank the Israeli government for sending this mission and the members of the medical team for their generosity in taking part in this mission to share their expertise in ensuring the success in combating coronavirus and the vaccination program in the Philippines," Philippine Ambassador to Israel Macairog Alberto said in a statement.

In an earlier statement, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said the Philippine government is looking to adopt Israel's ways in boosting its coronavirus vaccine program.

READ: Lessons from Israel's COVID-19 pandemic response

Philippine officials, led by Galvez, welcomed the Israeli medical team at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

During his short speech, Galvez said the assistance of Israel in improving the country's COVID-19 response will help the Philippines achieve herd immunity within 2021.

"We are very eager to learn from you, especially the techniques you have successfully employed in your country on your vaccine program," Galvez said.

Israel is considered a world leader in COVID-19 vaccination as more than half of its population has already been vaccinated.

RELATED: Over 30,000 Filipinos given free COVID-19 shots in Israel
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21)  The public must continue to wear face shields outdoors and crowded indoor places for now, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday.

The President took up the issue during his weekly address regarding COVID-19, adding that he recognized the inconvenience of wearing face shields, but said it was a "small price to pay" to keep the public safe from the virus.

Many thought that we were ready to do away with the face mask. But with the kind of aggressive infection that poses a very grave danger to, it's a small inconvenience, actually...but that is only a small price to pay, than rather gamble with doing away with it and courting disaster," he said.

Duterte said he was left with no choice but to follow the suggestion of experts.

"As of now the face mask is on. Wala tayong magawa [We can't do anything]...uh, the face shield... Yun na lang ang pangkontra ko [That is what I can do now]," he said.

Following Duterte's pronouncement, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno told CNN Philippines' The Source on Tuesday that the city government will comply with the retained policy, weeks after his clamor for an updated study on the effectivity of face shields against COVID-19.

"Then we will continue to recognize the policy and implement it. As I have said before, and very clear, if scientists see that the face shield is still needed in the country, then we will do so," he said.

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Edsel Salvana, who was among the resource persons in the briefing, said the Delta variant was 40% more infectious outdoors, and 60% more infectious indoors.

"It would be nice to have an extra layer of security even if hindi naman [not really] required, the TAG (technical advisory group) would still recommend to continue to use face shields even outdoors, especially with the threat of the Delta variant," he said.

READ: PH records more cases of Delta coronavirus variant

Dr. Anna Ong-Lim of the IATF TAG also said there have been several studies showing that wearing face masks and face shields, as well as observing physical distancing, greatly reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19.

She added that the TAG strongly recommends the wearing of face shields outdoors and indoors because ventilation cannot be fully controlled.

Duterte admitted his initial comments about face shields was when he was "shooting the breeze" with congressmen and that he never said "with finality" that we could do away with face shields.

The President said that "another wave" of the virus would be disastrous for the country and it would be better to be stricter with protocols.

Earlier in the day, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte had changed his mind and that the public still needed to wear face shields indoors and outdoors.

"Acting on the advice of health experts and in view of the Delta variant, PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) declared that the wearing of face shields, both indoor and outdoor, is still mandatory," tweeted Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.

In a previous briefing, Roque had said that wearing face shields outside was no longer required.

Roque, who is also spokesman of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, said the team only appealed the use of face shields in enclosed, indoor spaces or crowded places.

The IATF maintained that face shields should still be required in hospitals, workplaces, commercial establishments, public transport terminals and places of worship.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21) - The country recorded 5,249 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the Department of Health's latest bulletin showed.

The nationwide tally increased to 1,364,239, wherein 55,847 or 4.1% are active cases. At least 91.4% experience mild symptoms, 4.1% are asymptomatic, 1.3% are critical, 1.9% are in severe condition, and 1.32% have moderate symptoms.

Meanwhile, the death toll rose to 23,749 after 128 more patients succumbed to COVID-19.

The recovery count also increased to 1,284,643, with 7,053 new COVID-19 survivors.

The DOH said 23 duplicates were removed from the nationwide tally. Of these, 16 are recoveries.

It added that two previous cases were found to have tested negative and have been reclassified as recoveries.

Moreover, the DOH said that 62 cases that were previously reported as recoveries have been validated as active cases. It also said that 45 cases that were previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation.

All laboratories were operational on June 19, but eight laboratories were unable to submit their data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System, the DOH said.

Based on data in the last 14 days, the non-reporting laboratories contribute, on average, 0.80% of samples tested and 0.71% of positive cases.

The daily positivity rate or percentage of people that tested positive stood at 13.0% based on 43,012 tests done on June 19. The World Health Organization has recommended that positivity rates must be below 5% as higher numbers may mean high transmission.

The DOH also reported earlier four more cases of the Delta variant (B.1.167.2) in the country, bringing the total to 17. The variant, first detected in India, is said to be 60% more contagious than the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant first discovered in the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported four new COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad, bringing the total to 20,435.

There are now 12,101 recoveries among overseas Filipinos after five more patients survived infection. The death toll, on the other hand, remains at 1,220.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21)  Only tourists will be temporarily allowed to swim on the beach of Boracay in the municipality of Malay, Aklan to control the spread of COVID-19 in the area.

Acting Malay Mayor Frolibar Bautista told CNN Philippines' New Day on Monday that residents will be temporarily barred from swimming to prevent possible transmission brought by local gatherings.

"Meron naman tayong mga safeguards. May mga pulis, meron tayong PNP (Philippine National Police) na magmonitor. Ang problema kasi during fiesta ng San Juan, karamihan ng mga tao nasa beach o rivers," Bautista said.

[Translation: We have safeguards. There are members of the PNP who will monitor. The problem is during the feast of St. John (the Baptist), people are usually on the beach or rivers.]

"We are informing the public that the local government unit of Malay is prohibiting the celebration of San Juan in the beaches and rivers within the municipality of Malay. This is because we have been celebrating (the feast) of San Juan traditionally through gathering by the beach or rivers," the LGU's June 20 advisory read.

Bautista said locals can still stay on the shoreline, but gatherings will be strictly prohibited.

Governor Florencio Miraflores said in an interview on Saturday that such rule will be included in the executive order to be released soon by the Aklan provincial government. He said this policy will be in place because tourists who enter the island already present negative COVID-19 test results. So far, there are no details yet on the issuance of the order and its period of implementation.

Tourists coming in Boracay present negative RT-PCR test result. They are not carrying any virus and the reason they come to Boracay is to experience the beautiful beach," Miraflores said. "I will include temporary ban of swimming for Aklanon and Boracay residents in the EO.

In a meeting by the Provincial inter-Agency Task force at Aklan Provincial Capitol last Friday, authorities also agreed to extend the implementation of stricter rules until July 6 due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in all areas of Aklan including Boracay.

Stricter rules include a liquor ban, point to point border control, extended curfew hours, and prohibition of social gatherings. Only essential workers are also allowed to go out.

Bautista said over 700 tourists enter Boracay daily.

Meanwhile, the municipality's vaccine drive is ongoing for A1 (health workers), A2 (senior citizens), and A3 (persons with comorbidities), he added.

Aklan-based journalist Carla Doromal contributed to this report.
(CNN)  Call it romance. Call it sensuality. Heck, call it old-fashioned lust if you wish.

But whatever you call it, the summer solstice for 2021 is arriving  and it has a history of stirring our hearts and our libidos.

The longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere kicks off the official calendar start of summer and with it, the bounty of the harvest. So it should come as no surprise that the solstice is linked to fertility -- both of the plant and human variety -- in destinations around the world.

CNN Travel explores some of those sensuous, long-standing summer traditions. But first, we'll take a look at some of the science.

Summer solstice: Q&A

Question: I like precision. Exactly when is the summer solstice in 2021?

Answer: Sorry to complicate things for you, but the date you celebrate this year depends which side of the planet you live on.

It will happen precisely at 03:32 UTC (Universal Coordinated Time) on Monday, June 21. Your time zone in relation to UTC determines the date the solstice happens for you. Here's how 03:32 UTC lines up with local time in select places around the world:

-- Tokyo: 12:32 p.m. Monday

-- Bangkok, Thailand: 10:32 a.m. Monday

-- Kolkata, India: 9:02 a.m. Monday

-- Dubai: 7:32 a.m. Monday

-- Istanbul: 6:32 a.m. Monday

-- Krakow, Poland: 5:32 a.m. Monday

-- Lisbon, Portugal: 4:32 a.m. Monday

-- Dakar, Senegal: 3:32 a.m. Monday

-- Rio de Janeiro: 12:32 a.m. Monday

-- Philadelphia: 11:32 p.m. Sunday

-- Mexico City: 10:32 p.m. Sunday

-- Calgary, Canada: 9:32 p.m. Sunday

-- San Francisco: 8:32 p.m. Sunday

-- Honolulu: 5:32 p.m. Sunday

The website TimeandDate has a handy tool to let you calculate the time for where you live.

Question: It's the longest day of the year -- and it happens all over the world?

Answer: Nope. It's the longest day only in the Northern Hemisphere. It's the shortest day of the year south of the equator. Residents of the Southern Hemisphere -- in places such as Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand -- are about to welcome three months of winter.

And the differences in how much daylight you get become very dramatic as you get closer to the poles and farther from the equator. For instance, residents of northerly St. Petersburg, Russia, will get a 3:35 a.m. sunrise and almost 19 hours of light. Even the night doesn't get that dark.

In Singapore, a Northern Hemisphere city-state but just barely above the equator, people barely notice the difference. They get a measly extra 11 minutes of daylight.

As for those poor penguins in Antarctica guarding their eggs -- if they could talk, they could tell you a lot about living in 24-hour darkness.

Question: Why don't we just get 12 hours of daylight all year?

Answer: Folks all over the planet actually did get nearly equal doses of day and night back during the spring equinox. But the amount of sunlight we get in the Northern Hemisphere has been increasing daily ever since. Why?

That's because the Earth is aligned on an axis, an imaginary pole going through the center of our planet. But this axis tilts -- at an angle of 23.5 degrees.

"As Earth orbits the sun [once each year], its tilted axis always points in the same direction. So, throughout the year, different parts of Earth get the sun's direct rays," according to NASA.

When the sun reaches its apex in the Northern Hemisphere, that's the summer solstice.

At that time, "the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, which is located at 23.5 latitude North, and runs through Mexico, the Bahamas, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India and southern China," according to the National Weather Service.

Sensual traditions: Midsummer in Sweden

Now let's turn our attention to what's really on our minds: the romantic and sexy side of the solstice. We'll start in Sweden.

Their traditions include dancing around a maypole -- a symbol which some view as phallic. They also feast on herring and copious amounts of vodka (whether that's romantic or not is probably a matter of personal preference).

"A lot of children are born nine months after Midsummer in Sweden," Jan-Ojvind Swahn, a Swedish ethnologist and the author of several books on the subject, told CNN before his death in 2016.

"Drinking is the most typical Midsummer tradition. There are historical pictures of people drinking to the point where they can't go on anymore," said Swahn.

While the libations have a hand in the subsequent baby boom, Swahn pointed out that even without the booze, Midsummer is a time rich in romantic ritual.

"There used to be a tradition among unmarried girls, where if they ate something very salty during Midsummer, or else collected several different kinds of flowers and put these under their pillow when they slept, they would dream of their future husbands," he said.

Pagan rites in Greece

There is a similar mythology about dreaming of one's future spouse in parts of Greece. There, as in many European countries, the pagan solstice got co-opted by Christianity and rebranded as St. John's Day. Still, in many villages in the country's north, the ancient rites are still celebrated.

One of the oldest rituals is called Klidonas, and it involves local virgins gathering water from the sea.

The village's unmarried women all place a personal belonging in the pot and leave it under a fig tree overnight, where -- folklore has it -- the magic of the day imbues the objects with prophetic powers, and the girls in question dream of their future husbands.

The next day, all the women in the village gather, and take turns pulling out objects and reciting rhyming couplets that are meant to predict the romantic fortunes of the item's owner. These days, however, the festival is more an excuse for the community of women to exchange bawdy jokes.

"In my village, the older women always seem to come up with the dirtiest rhymes," says Eleni Fanariotou, who has filmed the custom. Later in the day, the sexes mingle and take turns jumping over a bonfire.

Anyone who succeeds in jumping over the flames three times is meant to have a wish granted. Fanariotou said the festival often results in coupling.

"It's a good time to meet someone, because all the young people in the village go, and it's a good opportunity to socialize. Plus, all the men like to show off, and make the biggest fire they can to jump through."

A Slavic Cupid

In Eastern Europe, the summer solstice is connected with Ivan Kupala Day -- a holiday with romantic connotations for many Slavs ("kupala" is derived from the same word as "cupid"). It's also called Kupala Night (love doesn't stick to a strict timetable, apparently).

"It was once believed that Kupala night was a time for people to fall in love, and that those celebrating it would be happy and prosperous throughout the year," recalls Agnieszka Bigaj from the Polish tourist board.

It used to be that young, unmarried women would float floral wreaths in the river where eager bachelors on the other side would try to catching the flowers. she adds.

According to Polish folklore, the man and woman in question would become a couple. Bonfires are also a large feature of the holiday, and it's tradition for a couple to leap through the flames together while holding hands -- if they don't let go, it is said their love will last.

Neighboring Ukraine celebrates Kupala Night on July 7, according to Timeanddate.com. If you think that's a bit far away timewise from the June 21 solstice, that's because of discrepancies between the modern Gregorian calendar now in use by most of the world and the ancient Julian calendar.

Some Eastern Orthodox Churches and holidays still operate on the old Julian calendar, which was established by none other than Julius Caesar himself. On the Julian calendar, Kupala is on June 24. But converted to Gregorian, it falls on July 7. Here's a handy online Julian/Gregorian converter.

During the celebration, people might sing about love and romance. Some women might wear traditional clothes with embroidery and a wreath of flowers on their head.

Traditions in China

It's not just European cultures that have marked summer solstice over the centuries.

Records from the Song Dynasty (960 to 1279) indicate officials could have three days off during the summer solstice, according to ChinaCulture.org.

It was called "chaojie" and "women gave colored fans and sachets to each other. Fans could help them feel not so hot and the sachets were for driving away mosquitoes and making them smell sweet."

People in Mohe -- the most northern city in China in Heilongjiang province -- get to enjoy almost 17 hours of daylight, with sunrise coming at 3:23 a.m.

Stonehenge

One of the most notable solstice celebrations in the world traditionally has taken place at Stonehenge in England, where thousands usually gather each year. Like many other events in 2020, they had to change traditions because of the pandemic.

Hopes were high 2021 would be different. But Covid-19 restrictions will still be in place on June 21. So once again, the English Heritage Society is live streaming. You'll be able to watch sunset on June 20 and sunrise on June 21 at the site of these precisely arranged giant stones.

And talk about a short night. The June 20 sunset is at 9:26 p.m. local time, and sunrise will start at a very early 4:52 a.m. local time, so be sure use an online time zone converter if you want to watch either or both.

Dating back to druid and pagan times, Stonehenge has a mysterious allure.

"All druid rituals have an element of fertility, and the solstice is no exception," King Arthur Pendragon, a senior archdruid, told CNN. "We celebrate the union of the male and female deities -- the sun and the Earth -- on the longest day of the year."

This story was first published on CNN.com 'Summer solstice 2021: Sensual traditions on the longest day of the year'
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21)  Health officials on Monday refuted allegations that Davao City, the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte, received the lion's share of the country's Pfizer vaccine allocation.

Health Undersecretary Abdullah Dumama, who heads the Field Implementation and Coordination Team in Visayas and Mindanao, said he is unaware of the basis for complaints since Davao City and Cebu City both received 210,000 Pfizer shots from COVAX's recent delivery of 2.27 million doses.

"Nabigyan lang ito ng ganun kalaking  kung sa palagay niyo ay malaki  ay dahil sa tayo ay may capability, may ultralow temperature freezers dito... Wala pong favoritism dito," he said in a media briefing.

[Translation: They were given that allocation because they have the capability to store it in their ultralow temperature freezers. There is no favoritism here.]

He added the vaccines sent to Davao City will be used throughout the region, not just for the residents of Davao City.

Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire confirmed that the vaccines allocated to Davao City can be used by residents in nearby provinces, saying there is a "no wrong door" policy, which means even nonresidents can get vaccinated in a certain area. However, she did not expound on how they can register for an appointment.

The Philippines on Sunday finalized an agreement to receive 40 million doses of Pfizer doses, with delivery starting in August. Vergeire said they are working with BARMM, Caraga, Mimaropa, Soccsksargen, and Bicol Region to ensure they have storage requirements so they can receive an allocation soon.

"We are ensuring na maging prepared lahat ng regions, walang paborito, base lang sa pangangailangan, base sa prioritization framework... Rest assured they will be equitably allocated," she said in the same briefing.

[Translation: We are ensuring that all regions will be prepared. There will be no favoritism. It will be based on their needs and the prioritization framework.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21)  The Manila local government again allows walk-in clients to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the 22 vaccination sites in the city.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Monday issued the order after low turnout was reported in four mall vaccination sites, each having 2,500 doses.

Moreno went to one of the four mall vaccination sites and expressed his disappointment on the low turnout.

"Vaccine should be made available to anybody. Kahit mahaba pila, ang tagal natin naghintay. Isang taon, tatlong buwan na eh. Ang tagal na, hirap na ang tao," Moreno said.

[Translation: Vaccine should be made available to anybody. Even if we have long queue, we must be patient because we waited for the arrival of these vaccines for so long. We waited for one year and three months. It is too long, the people are suffering.]

Since Moreno ordered the resumption of vaccination of walk-in clients, more than 2,000 individuals received their first dose, according to the Manila Public Information Office.

MPIO reported that as of 11:00 AM on Monday, only 170 doses were administered in Lucky Chinatown Mall, 195 in Robinsons Place Manila, 233 in SM City Manila, and 313 in SM San Lazaro.

The city government issued a directive last Sunday that no walk-in clients would be allowed in the city's 22 vaccination sites. Only those who received a text message via Manila CoVax SMS would be entertained.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21)  Former lawmakers will join reelectionists in the 2022 senatorial race - a development welcomed by Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III as he and other seasoned senators are bidding the chamber goodbye.

Sotto, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, and Minority Leader Franklin Drilon are on their second consecutive six-year term. They have all been lawmakers for decades, but the Constitution limits senators to two consecutive six-year terms.

In an interview with Senate reporters on Monday, Sotto said its a good thing that former Senators Loren Legarda and Francis Chiz Escudero are running in 2022 under the Nationalist Peoples Coalition, where he is acting party chairman.

Malaking bagay iyon. Yes oo, thats a welcome development. At least eh mababalik doon yung mga antigo. Well, forgive me for the word antigo, hindi, for the experience the veterans, he said.

[Translation: Thats a big deal. Yes, thats a welcome development. At least, the antigos will be back. Well, forgive me for the word antigo, no, for the experiencethe veterans.]

Legarda, who is now Deputy Speaker and representative of the lone district of Antique, and Escudero, the current governor of Sorsogon province, both confirmed their Senate bids to CNN Philippines.

I believe that as senator, I will be able to continue the unfinished work that I had in 2019 without forgetting, without neglecting the work I am doing in Antique. In fact, I believe that I can be more effective in bringing the national government programs closer to my home province of Antique if I were senator, Legarda said in a phone interview.

The three-time senator said that as former chair of the finance committee, she can help ensure the 2023 national spending plan would provide for a swifter, accessible, and affordable pandemic recovery, focusing on health and jobs, employment, and economic livelihood.

Escudero likewise said in a statement that he wants to contribute in crafting policies that would help Filipinos recover economically, socially and psychologically from the pandemic at the soonest possible time. He served as representative of the first district of Sorsogon from 1998 to 2007 and senator from 2007 to 2015.

Ejercito and Honasan

Aside from Legarda and Escudero, Sotto said former Senator JV Ejercito will also be part of the NPCs senatorial slate. But in a text message to CNN Philippines, Ejercito said nothing is final yet.

Ejercito said he wants to oversee the implementation of his pet measures, including the Universal Health Care Act, which he sponsored in the Senate. He said he would run if there are available campaign funds, even if he may again have to compete with his half-brother, former Senator Jinggoy Estrada.

"I am running because of my advocacy and unfinished business regardless," Ejercito said. "Funds permitting."

Sotto said Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gringo Honasan also plans to run as an independent senatorial candidate, but he could be adopted by the NPC. Honasan, a four-time senator, has yet to respond to CNN Philippines request for comment.

The reelectionists

Meanwhile, nine senators are expected to run for reelection or a higher office in 2022. They are Senators Leila de Lima, Sherwin Gatchalian, Richard Gordon, Risa Hontiveros, Ping Lacson, Manny Pacquiao, Kiko Pangilinan, Joel Villanueva, and Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri.

Pangilinan told CNN Philippines he and De Lima will run under the opposition Liberal Party. Villanueva, Hontiveros, and Zubiri are also expected to seek reelection.

Gatchalian, Gordon, Lacson, and Pacquiao have yet to announce their plans, but they are among the possible presidential and vice-presidential aspirants next year.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21) - Non-immigrant U.S. visa interview appointments scheduled until July 30 were canceled, the embassy said, citing worldwide challenges amid the pandemic.

Affected applicants are those lined up for B1/B2 or business/tourist visa, the embassy said.

It said visa applicants can reschedule appointments through (+632) 7792-8988 and (+632) 8548-8223, or through the online appointment system at ustraveldocs.com/ph.

There is no fee to change an appointment, and the validity of the visa fee payment (known as the MRV fee) is extended until September 30, 2022, to allow applicants who are unable to schedule a visa appointment because of the suspension of routine consular operations an opportunity to schedule and/or attend a visa interview appointment with the already paid fee, read the statement.

The U.S. Department of State suspended visa services worldwide in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, U.S. embassies and consulates began a phased resumption of visa services on a location basis.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22)  President Rodrigo Duterte again shrugged off a call by outgoing International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to investigate his centerpiece drug war program.

"Why would I defend or face an accusation before white people? You must be crazy. Mga colonizers ito noon (They are the colonizers before) and they have not atoned for their sins against the countries that they invaded, including the Philippines," said Duterte.

Duterte said he will only face a Philippine court with a Filipino judge if the administration's war on drugs will be investigated.

"They are trying to set up a court outside our country and making us liable to face them. Our laws are different, our criminal procedure is different. How are you supposed to get justice there?" the President explained. "I will readily face a court being accused in a Philippine court before a Filipino judge."

The President again defended his administration's war on drugs, saying from 700 to 800 individuals are caught every day due to drug-related offenses. He added that the number can reach a thousand if calls from the government hotline 8888 are included.

Duterte also mentioned that narco-politics in the country has been eradicated, after some mayors were killed during drug war operations.

"May ilang mayors, yung iba namatay na kasi pumapasok sila sa droga. (Some mayors were killed because they engaged in the illegal drug trade.) We're not saying that we are killing them. We kill them because they fought back," he said.

Duterte also said that he never ordered to kill a person involved in illegal drugs, but admitted he threatened to kill them.

"Wala akong sinabi na (I did not mention that) you kill Mr. Santos, I never said that. But I said, I will kill you if you will destroy my country. That I concede that I said it," said Duterte.

Last June 15, Bensouda requested for an authorization from the courts pre-trial chamber to conduct an investigation into the alleged crimes against humanity committed during the Duterte administration's war on drugs. She added that "police and other government officials planned, ordered, and sometimes directly perpetrated extrajudicial killings."

According to the ICC prosecutor, around 12,000 to 30,000 civilians were killed from July 2016 to March 2019 in connection with the government's anti-illegal drug campaign. Government data showed that 6,117 individuals died during anti-drug operations as of April 30 this year.

Although the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute of the ICC in 2019, Bensouda said in another statement that the court retains jurisdiction over crimes that were alleged to have occurred during the period when the country was still a state party to the treaty.
Cebu (CNN Philippines, June 21) -- Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia warned that hotels can be charged with kidnapping and illegal detention if they hold returning residents from abroad for more than three days.

Garcia made the warning on Monday after the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force insisted on implementing its own protocols in the province.

The IATF requires arriving Filipinos to be quarantined for 14 days, with the first ten days to be spent in an accredited quarantine facility. An RT-PCR test shall only be conducted on the seventh day from arrival.

The governor encouraged affected returning Filipinos to file criminal charges, adding that the Cebu provincial government will handle the administrative charges against those caught violating Ordinance 2021-04, as amended by Ordinance 2021-05.

Garcia issued Executive Order No. 23 "reminding the general public and concerned government agencies to implement Cebu Provincial Ordinance No. 2021-04 as amended."

"I have issued this Executive Order warning everyone that those who shall violate the provincial ordinance, still enforced and in effect, may be subject to criminal charges," she said in a press conference.

Contrary to IATF protocols, the Cebu provincial government allows returning Filipinos to be tested upon arrival at the airport. After a negative test result, they can be allowed to return to their homes to continue their quarantine. They will again be swabbed on the seventh day.

Garcia pointed out that the provincial boards ordinance is still existing and valid contrary to the claims of officials from the IATF.

On June 20, Garcia said the swab-upon-arrival policy was not implemented when Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano claimed the local ordinance was null and void and instructed government agencies not to follow it.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21)  Two lawyers filed on Monday a case for declaratory relief against the country's pandemic task force regarding Cebu's protocols for arriving Filipinos, seeking to make a particular resolution "inapplicable and ineffective" within the province.

Petitioners Attys. Clarence Paul Oaminal and Valentino Bacalso want Resolution No. 114 of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases declared as "inapplicable and ineffective" in Cebu.

The lawyers stressed its conflict with "Cebu Provincial Ordinance No. 2021-04 as amended and Executive Order No. 17 validly enacted pursuant to Sections 105 and 16 of Republic Act No. 7160."

Under the resolution, the IATF requires returning Filipinos to stay in an accredited quarantine facility for ten days and undergo RT-PCR testing seven days after their return.

Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia's EO, meanwhile, allows arriving nationals to be swabbed upon their arrival and return to their homes after a negative RT-PCR test result. They will be allowed to finish their mandatory quarantine in their homes under the supervision of barangay health workers, then take another RT-PCR test on the seventh day.

The EO, which was issued in March, was later adopted into the provincial ordinance.

The lawyers argued that the IATF resolution "cannot supplant" both the ordinance and its amendatory ordinance "for only the Courts can declare these ordinances invalid or the Sangguniang Panlalawigan abrogates or repeals it."

The case filed also shares the governor's view that the IATF needs concurrence from the local government units if it continues to impose health policies on a locality beyond 6 months during the pandemic, in line with Section 105 of the Local Government Code.

The petitioners also eye the issuance of a temporary restraining order good for 72 hours, mandating the IATF to cease and desist from implementing its protocols on arriving Filipinos, and a 20-day TRO along with "subsequently a preliminary injunction to be effective during the entire pendency of this suit" after separate summary hearings.

Last week, President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered Cebu to follow IATF protocols for returning overseas Filipinos.

CNN Philippines' Cebu-based correspondent Dale Israel contributed to this report.
(CNN)  Nicaragua's National Police have detained a fifth presidential candidate, bringing the total number of opposition leaders so far detained to 15 ahead of the November general election.

Miguel Mora Barberena, from the Democratic Restoration Party (PRD), was detained on Sunday, accused of committing acts that threaten national sovereignty, according to a statement from police published Sunday.

Mora is a presidential candidate, journalist and owner of the now shut down 100% Noticias TV channel.

Mora is the fifth presidential candidate detained this month, along with journalist Cristiana Chamorro, who has been under house arrest since June 2; former diplomat Arturo Cruz, arrested on June 5; and political scientist Felix Maradiaga and economist Juan Sebastian Chamorro, both arrested on June 8.

In recent weeks, a total 15 opposition leaders have been arrested and charged with vague, so-called "national security" violations, which human rights groups say is a clear sign that the country's strong-man leader President Daniel Ortega is doing his best to eliminate dissent and crush any competition ahead of upcoming general elections on November 7, a vote where he hopes to secure his fourth consecutive term as president.

The crackdown has generated international condemnation. Critics accuse Ortega, along with his wife and Vice President, Rosario Murillo, of eroding Nicaraguan democracy. The first couple have also centralized the executive branch of government and named loyalists to the Supreme Court, the Attorney General's office and even the Supreme Electoral Council.

Mexico and Argentina on Monday recalled their ambassadors to Nicaragua for consultations, citing "worrying legal actions by the Nicaraguan government."

"The governments of Mexico and Argentina report that today [they] have instructed their ambassadors to Nicaragua, Gustavo Alonso Cabrera Rodriguez and Mateo Daniel Capitanich, to travel to their capitals for consultations on the worrying political-legal actions taken by the Nicaraguan government in recent days, that have put the integrity and freedom of many opposition figures (including presidential candidates), activists and Nicaraguan businessmen at risk," read a joint statement from the two countries.

Both countries said they would remain on alert to developments in Nicaragua and would continue to promote full respect of human rights, as well as civil and political rights, and the freedom of speech of all people, regardless of nationality or profession.

Earlier in the month, the US government announced sanctions on four senior members of Ortega's government, including his daughter, saying they were "complicit in the regime's repression."

"The region and the international community must stand with the Nicaraguan people in support of their right to freely choose their government and their freedom from repression and human rights abuses. President Ortega is defying the international community, and we will continue to respond," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on June 9.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Fifth presidential candidate detained in Nicaragua; 15 opposition leaders now detained in total."
MARIETTA, Pa.  Luke Brubaker admitted that hes proud of his soil as he bent over and gestured with an extended arm to a field on his northwestern Lancaster County dairy operation.

He pointed to the largely unbroken soil, where modern farming practices allow feed to be planted without tilling. And he noted tiny slits in the dirt, where fertilizer was injected directly into the ground instead of slathered on top.

See, its not all torn up, he said, highlighting the effect of farming practices that lock soil and nutrients in the ground, keeping them from washing or blowing away where they can become harmful pollutants.

Those methods were among numerous conservation practices Brubaker made sure to highlight as he offered something of a rebuttal to recently published research that links farming-related air pollution to premature deaths.

That study estimated that air pollution from Lancaster County farmlands causes about 184 deaths annually, according to Jason Hill, a University of Minnesota professor. Thats about 0.075 deaths for every one of Lancaster Countys 2,440 square kilometers of land. Some of those deaths, he said, may be recorded out of the county  a result of local pollutants carried elsewhere by weather.
The Pennsylvania Farmers Union has 300 members, all of whom are owners of family farms. The national farmers organization has 200,000 members.

Some of these farmers have had these farms in their families for generations, and now, if they go to pass on the farm to the next generation, anything over $1 million they would have to pay that capital gains tax on it, Garrity said.

Farm operator households usually have more wealth than the average U.S. household because they own significant capital assets, such as farmland and equipment necessary to run a farm. In 2019, the average farm household had $1,042,855 in wealth, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Gus Faucher, chief economist at Pittsburgh-based PNC Financial Services Group, said the bank is waiting to have a better sense of whats likely to get through Congress before incorporating the tax increases into its forecast.

But on the surface, he said, its not likely to have a significant impact on economic growth.

We saw very little change in growth when the corporate income tax cuts were passed under the Trump administration in 2017, Mr. Faucher said. There was a modest growth pickup in business fixed investment following passage of the tax cuts, but that faded in 2019.
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The mission of a film like this is also to give the opportunity for people to see what I saw among members of the Northern Arapaho tribe, and that is a really concerted and unrelenting effort to take possession of their own history and tell their own story. In doing so, not dwell in the past, but look at the future and look at it positively. I hope that comes across in the documentary.

Q. How did delegation members react to being on the campus of the former Carlisle Indian School and being in the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery?

A. It was really an emotional experience. Some of the young people said they could feel their relatives. They could feel the presence of the children that were there so long ago, and they immediately thought of their own younger brothers and sisters and imagined that this could have happened to them.

We were with them day and night, even in the hotel room where the kids were staying when they got the sad news [in 2017] that one of the three children disinterred was not one of the Arapaho kids. The gravesite had been misidentified. They allowed us to be there when they were essentially mourning what they thought was a failure in their undertaking. Their quest to get these children back.
The remains of 10 more Native American children who died more than a century ago at a boarding school in central Pennsylvania are being disinterred and will be returned to their relatives, authorities said.

A team of archaeologists began work Saturday at the cemetery on the grounds of the Carlisle Barracks, which also houses the U.S. Army War College. Nine of the children were from the Rosebud Sioux tribe in South Dakota and one is from the Alaskan Aleut tribe.

The cemetery contains more than 180 graves of students who attended the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School, a government-run boarding school for Native American children. This is the Armys fourth disinterment project at the school in as many years.

The school founded by an Army officer opened in 1879 and housed some 10,000 indigenous children before it shut down in 1918. Students were forced to cut their braids, dress in uniforms, speak English and adopt European names. Infectious disease and harsh conditions claimed the lives of many of the children buried there.
Southern Baptists and most conservative Christians believe in the characterization of Satan in Genesis 3:1, where he is described as crafty or subtle. How would such personality traits manifest themselves to derail the primary objective of the SBC, which is to share their faith with others? If I were Satan (no letters, please), I would entice people to fight me, instead of obeying their Master. I would especially seduce people to focus on endorsing politicians to the point where it can dilute their more powerful and life-changing message.

Scripture, in which Southern Baptists profess to believe, has much to say about misplaced faith. When David was king of Israel, he wrote, Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings who cannot save. (Psalm 146:3). Jesus said His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). That seems definitive.
America is celebrating its 245th year of Independence soon, and in Missouri, that can mean one thing  fireworks. Unlike Illinois, Missouri is fairly generous when it comes to letting its citizens set off their own nighttime displays of brilliance. The sales periods are officially June 20-July 10 and Dec. 20-Jan. 2 to anyone 14 and older, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Still, there are regulations. Here's a roundup of some of the cities' and counties' rules governing fireworks, as well as details on some of the municipal celebrations taking place in case you'd rather have someone else set off your July 4 pyrotechnic display.

Bismarck allows fireworks to be shot off inside city limits between June 29-July 5 this year between the hours of 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. On July 4, fireworks can be shot off from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. The city's previous ordinances prohibited the sale and use of fireworks, but the Bismarck Board of Aldermen recently approved a new ordinance allowing both. Bismarck's Freedom Fest will be held July 2-4 and will have numerous activities and contests, as well as fireworks on July 4.
As the van entered Chester on Route 3, the Chester Police Department and Randolph County Sheriff's Department attempted to set up spikes and road blocks, which the driver avoided, driving 55 mph on Taylor and State streets in a business area.

The van turned into the parking lot of the Chester Fire Department and roared down the hill, striking a curb while attempting to flee all pursuing departments.

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The driver crossed over George Street and headed down Knollwood Drive, which turned into a gravel road that dead-ended at a residence. The St. Mary officer had attempted to block the vehicle, and was struck by the van. Bequette said the van was then effectively bumped, lost control, and came to rest in an empty field. Bequette said the van driver and his passenger refused to comply with requests to show their hands and step out of the vehicle, so they were helped out and were arrested.

Chief Bequette said the St. Mary officer sustained no injuries, and although the patrol vehicle was damaged, it was able to be driven from the scene. Bequette said the joint efforts of the Chester Police Department and Randolph County Sheriff's Office prevented any loss of life or property, and with proper training and pursuit tactics, helped bring the van to a stop.
The American Tractor Museum in Perryville will be holding a fundraiser and hosting an ag-news radio personality, Max Armstrong, on July 23.

Buchheit Family of Companies and Mecum Auctions is presenting the fundraiser, meet-and-greet and autograph-signing from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the museum located at 508 North Main St., Perryville. The museums first-ever event is a fundraiser for the growth and expansion of Southeast Missouris only public collection of tractors and agricultural history.

The event will feature the well-known American Agriculture Broadcaster and Indiana native, Max Armstrong. For more than 40 years, Armstrong has been the primary radio personality recognized by farmers, ranchers and consumers across the country. He is a past president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) and an inductee in the NAFB Hall of Fame. Armstrong has originated broadcasts from every state and from more than 30 countries.

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There will also be other activities for families and children of all ages.

Tickets can be purchased in advance online or at the museum the day of the event. For more information, visit americantractormuseum.com or call 573-547-1097.
He didn't listen to me. We were both screaming at each other. Our daughter was in the room trying to referee the situation. In the end, he screamed expletives at me; I screamed back, and it got super tense. This cannot go on. Later, he told me how upset he was at me for being part of this debate, totally missing his role in it. I am at my wit's end. What I know is I can't keep going on like this. And I hate that our teenage daughter has to witness such a hateful interaction between her parents. Help! -- In a Bad Place

DEAR IN A BAD PLACE: Sounds like it's time for you to bring in professional help. If you and your husband are unable to talk through differences without escalation, you put yourselves and your child into psychological, and possibly physical, danger if you allow things to continue as they are. When people push each other to their limits, sometimes one or both will snap.

I understand why you wanted your husband to stay in the room and continue to spar with you, but it wasn't the wisest decision to press him to do that. Everybody has a breaking point. You don't want to push your husband until you both discover where that is.

Instead, ask him to go with you to therapy. Out of respect for each other, your daughter and your marriage, get help now.
As part of the initiative, Britain earlier this year dispatched a strike group led by the Royal Navys flagship aircraft carrier the HMS Queen Elizabeth on a 28-week deployment to Asia that Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted was not meant to be confrontational toward China.

One of the things well be doing clearly is showing to our friends in China that we believe in the international law of the sea and, in a confident but not a confrontational way, we will be vindicating that point, Johnson said in May before the carrier group sailed from Portsmouth.

Raab is to hold talks with Vietnamese officials Tuesday and speak at an event held by the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.

A meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen scheduled for Wednesday was canceled after Hun Sen announced he had been indirectly exposed to COVID-19 and was quarantining as a precaution.

Raab is to meet with his Cambodian counterpart, however, along with other officials in a visit that the Cambodian Foreign Ministry said it hoped would strengthen bilateral ties, as well as help multilateral cooperation within the ASEAN framework.

Raab's trip wraps up Thursday in Singapore, where he is to meet with the prime minister and other officials, as well as business leaders.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Supervisor Robert Skip Barton said the document recognizes multiple reasons why Nelson residents and others stood in opposition of the roughly 600-mile natural gas pipeline slated to go through parts of Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina and would have cut through some 27 miles of Nelson.

The controversial project sparked the formation of the nonprofit Friends of Nelson, a grassroots organization that would spend the next half-decade fighting the pipeline.

I think the key point is the people of Nelson County, for a variety of different reasons, stood up to a corporation that was manipulating the system in order to ensure a profit, Barton said. We can debate each of these [bullet points], but we should celebrate that we all got together to stand up to something that didnt make sense.

Supervisor Tommy Harvey took issue with some of the resolutions original language, calling it political talk, sparking the conversation that would ultimately remove most of the resolutions original text.

I have no problem with recognizing it, but I dont think we need to go do this angle, Harvey said.
So many people are fleeced by smugglers who falsely tell families that they will be admitted into the U.S. if they bring their children. What usually happens is that federal border authorities catch the families and expel them back to Mexico, where they are preyed upon by drug cartel members who rob and rape migrants.

Joint Task Force Alpha, as the new DOJ initiative is called, will assemble federal prosecutors from Arizona, California and Texas and officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The task force will focus on individuals or networks that abuse migrants, that pose national security threats or that have links to transnational organized crime.

We support the work of this task force, which will work closely with another recent federal operation targeting smugglers assets, logistical networks and travel documents.

We should expect our top law enforcement officials to marshal the breadth of resources and intelligence of the federal government to combat intricate criminal operations whose tendrils have likely ensnared banks and even foreign government officials.
Charlottesville indeed is now defined by Aug. 12, 2017, and by the citys Civil War legacy.

That said, I offer a proposal.

First, having been fortunate in childhood to befriend a legendary sculptor, I can venture to say that sculptors are against destroying statues. In spite of all, our pair of statues are major art. So if an offer is made to take them, it should be pursued.

Otherwise, building on the recent proposal in this forum to create a statue that connects (A 'statue' that connects rather than divides, The Daily Progress, June 8), I suggest this:

If were spending large amounts of money to get rid of the statues, we can spend as much  surely with ample private support  to commission a statue to represent the shared grief over the Civil War.

While the grief of slavery is known, what isn't well recognized is the grief of the wars survivors.
Uttar Pradesh: African catfish farm busted, 14 quintals of banned 'invasive' fish seized

by Sandeep Rai

June 21,2021 | Source: The Times of India

For over two decades, the African catfish, locally known as mangur, has been banned in India. But it would be hard to tell by the ease with which it can be found. Its cultivated because it grows fast and needs little effort, and its bought because its inexpensive. The illegal catfish business is thriving, the latest instance of which yielded 14 quintals in Bulandshahr on Friday. This year alone, about 10 such fish farms have been identified in the state. We received information that this fish was being farmed and fed carcass and meat. We have seized the school and buried it, Bulandshahr fishery development officer Neetu Singh said. The farm belongs to someone called Iqram Ahmad. In June 2000, the department of animal husbandry and fisheries under the Union ministry of agriculture had banned the rearing of African catfish, or Thai mangur, in the country, formalised under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. In numerous orders to states, over the years, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has reiterated the need to implement this ban. It highly tolerates adverse water quality conditions and can be raised in high densities resulting in high yields in a short period of time compared to Indian Catfish and other indigenous species, it said in a 2016 order. It is the most dangerous freshwater fish, introduced in the country in the 90s. Its predatory.



Even a pair in a large pond can destroy every living organism in the pond within no time. It can make local species go extinct, Dr DV Singh, officer in charge of fisheries and professor of entomology at Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Agriculture University said. It is also known to have high iron and lead content, which makes it carcinogenic. The NGT, in its orders, has also flagged the water pollution it causes because of the decomposed wastes of cattle it is fed. Yet, the practice continues. This year alone, we have seized about 10 such consignments, said Anil Kumar, deputy director of the state department of fisheries. Three of these were in Varanasi (one of which was a 15-tonne consignment), two were in Lucknow and two in Meerut (one of which led to a 10-quintal stash), among others. Its a menace. The main reasons it thrives are that the fish can survive on anything, including cheap slaughterhouse waste, and it grows at an amazing rate. It sells cheap and the farms require little maintenance, Kumar added. An African catfish can grow up to 3-4kg in four months. Even the fast-growing carp takes about 10 months to attain a weight of 5kg. And the African catfish sells for about Rs 80-90 a kg. People consume it because of its low cost, said Singh.

 2021 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.
Bangladesh: Hilsa production can be raised to 700,000 tonnes

June 21,2021 | Source: Prothom Alo

The country is going to receive a total of 550,000 tonnes of hilsa this year as the production is steadily increasing for years. However, it is possible to raise the number to 720,000 tonnes through the conservation of jatka (hilsa fry). The researchers came up with this view in a meeting on Saturday titled Golden Jubilee of Independence: the achievement of hilsa production and the jatka conservation. Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) organised this event at a hotel in the capital. At the event, speakers said the more hilsa production will possibly lead to the more export. Along with increasing hilsa production, they stressed on taking effective measures to improve the lifestyles of fishermen. Researchers said the country has produced a total of 4,500,000 tonnes fish this year, up from 650,000 in 1980. During the period, hilsa production has stood at 550,000 from 200,000 tonnes. Fisheries and livestock minister SM Rezaul Karim said the government has adopted several initiatives including establishing sanctuary and imposing ban on catching jatka, to boost the hilsa production. The minister said fisheries scientists need to work more to open up new horizons in research.



Mohammad Ashraful Alam, senior scientific officer of BFRI, presented the keynote paper. He said the average weight of hilsa in the country has increased to 900 grams. "If we can conserve more eggs, the production will increase further," Alam added. Additional director general of department of Fisheries Mahbubul Alam said, during breeding session, a 65-day ban on fishing at sea has been imposed. Although Bangladeshi fishermen abstain from catching fish during this period, fishermen from India continue their fishing in their side. "So, we need to talk to India to stop fishing on their part during hilsa breeding with a view to boosting production," he added. Yahia Mahmud, director general of the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, praised the joint efforts of government agencies to increase the production of hilsa in the country.

 2021 Prothom Alo.
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Alcoholics Anonymous during the COVID-19 pandemic: Local hotline, 541-967-4252, answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by members of the local AA community. Many local and global AA groups are hosting meetings virtually. You can attend virtual meetings on your computer, smartphone or by dialing in. Attendees will remain anonymous and need only introduce themselves by first name. To access both local and global meetings taking place online 24 hours a day, visit https://aaoregon-district21.org.
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Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Mainly cloudy. A few peeks of sunshine possible. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Increasing clouds with showers arriving overnight. Low 73F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Mainly cloudy. A few peeks of sunshine possible. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with some showers after midnight. Low 73F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
A massive deal uniting two players in the Malaysian telecoms market to make the biggest operator in the country has finally gone through.

As promised last week, Malaysian telecoms firm Axiata Group Bhd and Norway's Telenor ASA have now sealed an agreement to merge their mobile operations in Malaysia in a $15 billion deal. Operators Celcom Axiata Bhd and DiGi.Com Bhd will form one company, with Axiata and Telenor each owning 33.1% of the merged firm. The result will be a new market leader in Malaysia.

Axiata and Telenor have said that the coming together of what were formerly the country's second and third-largest mobile services providers behind Maxis Bhd will create a company estimated to have annual revenue of $3 billion, with core profitability of $1.4 billion from a subscriber base of about 19 million.

Celcom Digi Berhad, as the company is to be known, will remain listed in Kuala Lumpur, in line with a preliminary agreement announced in April.

According to Reuters, the deal comes at a time when mobile operators are facing pressure on profits in a challenging industry environment. The partners in the merger say it will make the two companies, as the new entity Celcom Digi, commercially stronger and more resilient, with greater scale to invest in improved network coverage and quality.

Celcom Digi, it is suggested, will also be able to plan cost cuts and savings on capital expenditure.
The complex consequences of unfettered access to social media and its opposite, banning social media, have been highlighted in recent news stories from India and Nigeria.

According to Reuters, there have been allegations in India that Twitter failed to stop the spread of a video apparently showing Hindu men beating an elderly man, believed to be a Muslim, and cutting his beard.

A police report named Twitter Inc, among others, for their alleged roles in disseminating the video. The case was registered in Ghaziabad in northern Uttar Pradesh state. Ghaziabad police have written to Twitter India head Manish Maheshwari to appear before officials within seven days of the receipt of the summons, believed to have been last Thursday.

Twitter is already under attack in India over its apparent lack of reponse to new IT rules that require it to appoint new compliance officers by May 26. The result of ignoring such rules could be the removal of the company's protection against legal liability for user-generated content.

By contrast there appear to have been adverse consequences not just for Twitter but for the Nigerian economy from the Nigerian decision to suspend Twitter indefinitely. This decision was made after President Buhari allegedly used the platform to threaten violent retaliation against a south-eastern secessionist group. His tweet was deleted.

Twitter has an estimated 40 million users in Nigeria, many of whom use Twitter and other social media platforms for work, marketing, customer service, business advertising and employment opportunities.

The result of the suspension, according to estimates from a company called NetBlocks, which tracks internet governance, has been that each day of the Twitter shutdown will cost the Nigerian economy more than $6 million. In addition potential investors may be unnerved by the prospect of sudden regulatory disruptions to the digital economy.
The Angolan minister of economy and planning, Sergio Santos, has apparently invited the Kenyan mobile operator Safaricom to invest in the country.

Apparently the reason is M-Pesa, Safaricom's mobile payment solution, something discussed last week on a video link by Santos and Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, the general manager of M-Pesa Africa, along with Ogugua Adegbite, director of strategy and international expansion of M-Pesa Africa.

But why M-Pesa? The answer appears to be in the role it could play in advancing financial inclusion. According to Ecofin Agency, financial inclusion in Angola was estimated at below 30 percent in 2019 and is still not growing fast enough, despite the granting of a mobile money license to operator Unitel. Nearly 80 percent of the Angolan economy is said to be in the informal sector. Mobile money could supply a way to bring banking services to this area of the economy.

In addition, the National Bank of Angola, in the national plan for financial inclusion, wants to increase the number of citizens with access to basic financial services to 50 percent of the population by the end of 2022. Some would argue that mobile money might offer an effective way to make that happen.

It seems that Santos invited Safaricom to participate in a seminar to be held soon in Angola and to take the opportunity to explore possibilities for partnerships in the country.

M-Pesas involvement could also help to increase competitiveness in the national mobile money segment and, of course, could help to offer a new source of revenue for the public treasury.

How Safaricom has responded to this request  and the investment opportunity it could offer  is as yet unclear.
MONTGOMERY  Governor Kay Ivey has awarded a total of $2.6 million to six Alabama counties to help them overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, and Coffee County was given $500,000 for the construction of an emergency operations center.

The awards to Etowah, Lee, Clarke, Coffee, Houston and Pike counties are part of more than $40 million allocated to Alabama under a special Community Development Block Grant program funded from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Gov. Ivey will announce additional grants to other Alabama cities and counties as applications are processed. The grant funds are required to be expended on projects relating to the recovery from or preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus or any future infectious diseases.

It is imperative for our own safety and welfare and for the sake of the economy that we put COVID-19 behind us and get on with our lives, Gov. Ivey said. I am hopeful these funds will be beneficial in assisting these counties to help their residents as we continue to take great steps to overcome the pandemic.

Other county awards include:
The suspect drove around the patrol cars and sped north on Porter Ave. He ran the red light at Hwy 90 at a high rate of speed and continued on Hwy 69 until he reached Greenwood. Between Grand Ridge and Greenwood the suspect drove in the on-coming lane of traffic at a very high rate of speed causing vehicles to swerve into the ditch to avoid a collision.

Once he reached Greenwood, Mr. Allen turned north on Hwy 71 and continued to drive into on-coming traffic at a high rate of speed until he reached Malone, where he turned east on Hwy 2. After passing Basswood Rd. he turned back west on McAnulty Rd., where he drove on the unimproved dirt roads at speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour. The suspect turned east on Biscayne Rd., crossed Gemstone Rd., Grove Rd., and Gordon Rd. before turning north on Ralph Rd. After crossing into Alabama, Ralph Rd. becomes Bristol Rd.

The suspect traveled down Bristol until it makes a 90 degree left and intersects Oscar Helms Rd. in Houston County. He then turned south on Oscar Helms Rd. traveling back into Jackson County.

Once he reached the intersection of Robinson Road and Gordon Road, he came in contact with family members parked in the road. He stopped the vehicle and surrendered without further incident.

Subsequent to arrest he was searched and the loaded Glock .45 caliber pistol was found in his waistband covered by his shirt. Mr. Allen does not possess a concealed carry permit in Florida or any other state recognized by Florida. He was lodged in the Jackson County Correctional Facility to await first appearance charged with aggravated fleeing or eluding, reckless driving, and carrying a concealed firearm without a permit, the narrative concludes.
Rosenberg also argued the petitioners in the case lack standing to bring the constitutional claims because those amount to generalized grievances rather than harm specific to those voters. Harding countered that they suffered the specific harm of having their votes diluted by fraud.

The lawsuit also included claims under the Georgia Open Records Act that Amero has already addressed.

The ballots and scanned ballot images are in the custody of the county courts clerk and are kept under seal. Amero in April ordered the clerk to release the scanned absentee ballot images to the petitioners. At a hearing last month, Amero ordered that the paper ballots themselves be unsealed so that the petitioners who filed the lawsuit can inspect and scan them, though he said they must remain in the county's custody.

Before he could meet with the parties to discuss logistics for such a review, the motions to dismiss were filed and Amero scheduled Monday's hearing to address those.

Samuel said the county election board isn't sure the unsealing of the actual ballots is correct but wasn't seeking to stop it. Rosenberg said he doesn't believe the Open Records Act allows the ballots themselves to be unsealed, an argument that has also been made by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Crump also lends his expertise personally to film projects, such as Agent Game. One of his most recent jobs was as a location manager in the Atlanta area for the horror sequel The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, which opened in theaters June 4.

That is the guy. He has done more for this film community singlehandedly than anybody else, Bailey said. Jennifer Bowen has done a lot and he works in tandem with her, but he has really brought the business and kept it in Augusta. He has created so much crew depth. He doesnt get enough credit, to be honest. Hes the person whos really luring people in and getting them there.

Before appearing on location, the actors and the director conducted rehearsals via Zoom for about a month, Bailey said. It really makes a difference  instead of doing 30 takes, they know their lines and hit their marks. Im a big believer in crew organizing, she said.

Other aspects of Baileys life helped her become a big safety person, prepared for any eventuality.
An industrial park in the southern province of Binh Duong. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

The industrial property market has slumped as a result of the latest Covid-19 outbreak, but industry insiders expect a strong recovery as soon as the pandemic is contained.

HCMC chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong recently convened a meeting with industrial land developers to find out about the difficulties they face.

They told him that one of the challenges was the high cost of land which increased rents and made the market less attractive.

Nguyen Van Be, chairman of the HCMC Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority, said the industrial real estate market has nearly been frozen since the latest wave began at the end of April, with prices not increasing and few companies renting new lands to expand.

In the southern industrial province of Long An, the number of industrial investments in the first five months fell by seven from the same period last year to 58.

Industry insiders there said in the last two months demand for industrial land has fallen by 50-60 percent.

John Campbell, head of industrial real estate at property consultancy Savills Vietnam, said the rising number of Covid cases, especially in HCMC, has contributed to the fall in demand as companies cannot visit locations to check them out due to social distancing.

But demand would recover just like it did after the previous Covid waves were contained.

Dozens of new industrial parks were approved in the first quarter, including five in the northern province of Bac Ninh, each costing hundreds of millions of dollars to develop.

In Long An, around 1,500 hectares of lands are set to be cleared for industrial purposes this year to attract foreign investment, especially in the textile and garment, footwear and animal feed industries.

Dong Nai plans to build three new industrial parks with a total area of nearly 6,500 ha.

Other localities that have received approvals for new industrial parks are Vinh Phuc and Hai Duong in the north, Quang Tri and Quang Nam in the central region and Vinh Long in the south.

Foreign investors remain interested in developing industrial land thanks to Vietnams success in containing Covid.

Several deals have been signed this year.

Singaporean real estate developer Boustead Projects paid US$6.9 million to acquire a 49 percent stake in Khai Toan Industrial to develop its property at Yen Phong Industrial Park.

ESR Cayman Limited, a major developer in the Asia-Pacific, tied up with local player BW to develop 240,000 square meters of land at the My Phuoc 4 Industrial Park in the southern province of Binh Duong.

As of the end of the first quarter this year Vietnam had 370 industrial parks with 115,200 ha, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
Many HCMC enterprises already hit by Covid-19 pandemic say paying seaport infrastructure fees will stretch them beyond the limit.

Firms with big shipments have said that the fee collection will increase operating costs, and lower their products competitiveness in export markets.

"Every month, we export some 150 containers of products and import the same number of containers of materials. If seaport infrastructure fees are collected, it will cost us billions of dong," Duong Khue, general director of textile producer Phong Phu Corporation, told VnExpress.

The municipal Department of Transport has collected seaport infrastructure fees on a trial basis since June 15, and will officially collect them from July 1.

Accordingly, enterprises will have to pay VND15,000-4,400,000 ($0.65-190.67) per ton of cargo depending on the type of cargo and container.

The HCMC administration has affirmed that the seaport infrastructure fees will be used to build bridges and upgrade major roads near seaports to reduce traffic congestion and facilitate cargo transport.

Most Vietnamese textile and garment enterprises take outsourced orders from foreign companies, so the prices of finished products are fixed, and they cannot change the prices, he noted.

"If HCMC is determined to collect seaport infrastructure fees from July 1 as planned, materials suppliers have said they will add this fee to prices of materials sold to us. Production costs will surge," said Vu Huy Quang, export director of food processor Saigon Food Joint Stock Company which imports and exports around 180 containers of goods via the Cat Lai Port in the city each month.

His company cant increase selling prices, thus its operations will be heavily affected. The outbreak has already made prices of input materials increase 20-30 percent, he added.

Woodwork, seafood, cashew and coffee processors and exporters have also said that the fee collection will blunt their competitive edge, while competitors from China, India, Thailand and other foreign countries are selling at competitive prices thanks to government support.

Most enterprises have proposed that HCMC not collect the seaport infrastructure fees this year.

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporter and Producers (VASEP) said the fee collection is irrational because enterprises currently pay too many different kinds of fees, and most of seafood firms will have to pay the seaport infrastructure fee twice, for both containers of imported materials and exported products. Over 70 percent of seafood imports and exports go through seaports in HCMC, VASEP noted.

It is a fact that Vietnams logistics costs have been higher than in other countries in the region for years, and adding seaport infrastructure fees to this will diminish enterprises competitiveness, while they are already facing difficulties due to Covid-19, said local economist Dinh The Hien. He proposed that the fees should not be collected.
People wait to have coronavirus tests in Ha Tinh, June 16, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung.

Vietnam recorded 88 new local Covid-19 cases Monday noon in five localities, raising the infection number in the ongoing wave to 10,078 in less than two months.

63 cases were recorded in HCMC, 16 in Bac Giang, four in Nghe An, three in Bac Ninh and two in Ha Tinh.

Of the cases in HCMC, 38 had made contact with previously confirmed patients, 24 are linked to a Christian mission coronavirus cluster, and one is associated with an outbreak at the municipal Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

All the cases in Bac Giang are associated with existing outbreaks in industrial parks.

One case in Nghe An had made contact with Covid-19 patients, while three others are being contact traced.

One case in Bac Ninh is linked to outbreaks in industrial parks, and two others had made contact with coronavirus patients.

All cases in Ha Tinh had made contact with confirmed cases.

The country has recorded 134 local cases so far on Monday.

Almost two months into its fourth wave, Vietnam has recorded infections in 42 of its 63 cities and provinces.

Bac Giang is leading the case count with 5,427 infections, followed by HCMC with 1,714 and Bac Ninh with 1,532. On Sunday HCMC overtook Bac Ninh to become the locality with the second-highest number of local infections in Vietnams latest coronavirus wave.

The country has recorded more than 13,300 Covid cases since Covid-19 first hit in early last year.
Story by Suzanne Featherston

Mining Editor

What began as a small startup in Australia offering computerized drafting for coal operations is now Maptek, celebrating 40 years of supporting innovative mining solutions to companies worldwide, including in Nevada.

We started off by computerizing the plotting of boreholes and mapping of coal deposits, which until then was a very tedious manual process, said Maptek founder Bob Johnson. People were asking if it worked for all commodities, not just coal, and I realized we needed to put the software in the hands of the users. This was how Maptek came about.

The modern company develops, sells and supports mining solutions to 20,000 users in 90 countries and employs 350 staff members in 18 offices, including a location in Elko that opened in 2019. The Elko office is one of two in the United States.

Maptek considers its Elko office a hub to maintain and improve working partnerships. The companys presence in Elko allows faster response times to the more than 1,000 area users who can go the office or have a specialist visit the mine. The facility at 1028 Idaho St., Ste. 110, also has the capacity to host training and team development sessions.

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June 19

Alex Z. Cordova, 29, of Spring Creek was arrested at South Fork Reservoir for operating a watercraft while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and three counts of operating a watercraft without life preservers. Bail: $4,560

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Timothy D. Dewitt, 56, of Taylorsville, Utah was arrested at 1355 W. Wendover Blvd. for fugitive felon from another state.

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Christian O. Garcia-Saucedo, 25, of Elko was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear after bail on a gross misdemeanor crime.

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Cassidy D. Holton, 22, of Elko was arrested at West Oak and Pine streets on a warrant for contempt of court. Bail: $545

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Jeffrey L. Jerome, 28, of Spring Creek was arrested at Sagecrest Apartments for violation of probation and on a criminal justice detainer.

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Dalle P. Mason, 33, of Weiser, Idaho was arrested at The Star on a warrant for failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime. Bail: $627

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Mack called the IRS the most criminal organization in American history  the Gestapo of America.

Instead of increasing the agencys funding like President Biden has proposed, Mack said You know what I train sheriffs to do? Kick em the hell out of your county.

Mack called the sheriffs of Lander, Eureka and Elko counties on stage and gave them each a chance to speak.

Elko County Sheriff Aitor Narvaiza described meeting Mack in Battle Mountain and taking the proposal to join his organization to Elko County Commissioners.

Sheriff Mack said here just a minute ago that were gonna take some heat, Narvaiza said. Well, ladies and gentlemen, Ive already been taking some heat but I dont really care. I fight for you guys, I fight for the people of Elko County and the people who elected me to fight for them.

Eureka County Sheriff Jesse Watts told the audience he would repeat a comment he made at Lander Countys recent rally that went viral on TikTok and Facebook.
RENO  This summer, the NevadaTeach program at the University of Nevada, Reno has partnered with Nevada Gold Mines to implement the second stage of their effort to contribute to the development of the next generation of the mining workforce.

Master Teachers Megan Beckam and Mandi Collins in the College of Education & Human Development, with funding from Nevada Gold, will be facilitating the professional learning opportunity that has been offered to rural Nevada secondary teachers in Elko, Lander, and Humboldt counties. The Nevada Gold PITS (Project-Based Inquiries for Teaching Science) professional development opportunity will support teachers in bringing project-based learning opportunities that are aligned with the Nevada Academic Content Standards in the Earth sciences to their classrooms.

The goal of Nevada Gold PITS is to enrich teachers content and pedagogical knowledge so they can be resources and advocates for the mining industry.

A participant from that experience shared on an anonymous feedback form that a valuable part of the DIGS experience was being able to see the different communities (rural districts, the University, mining industries) working together to create an open awareness of STEM by making the Earth science learning standards meaningful to the lives of our students.
ELKO  This weeks weather forecast is a moving target.

The National Weather Service is now predicting a possibility of thunderstorms in the Elko area on Wednesday and Wednesday night instead of Thursday.

A fire weather watch has been issued as isolated thunderstorms with little or no precipitation could start at about 11 a.m. and continue until 11 p.m. Wednesday.

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"Cooler" temperatures in the mid to lower 90s this week will still be about 10 degrees above normal for this time of year.

By the weekend, Elko will be back in a heat wave that has already pushed Junes average temperature an alarming 8 degrees above normal. The mercury has topped 90 degrees on 13 of Junes 20 days so far. It's reached 95 or hotter on eight of those days.

Elko tied its record high of 98 degrees Saturday. That matched the high on June 19, 2017. A high of 99 on June 14 beat the old record set in 1974 by one degree.

Record highs have also been set in Eureka, Ely and Tonopah over the past week.

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The former signs on single-toilet restrooms on campus just said, Restroom. Some had a male and female symbol or just a symbol of a toilet.

Giving everybody the sense of belonging and feeling welcome, comfortable and safe, that comes up a lot. People just want a place where they feel safe, said John Treston, director of design and associate architect with UNLVs planning and construction team.

Sprague-Ballou said many transgender people who are transitioning fear someone will spy on them while they are in a bathroom stall. They want to humiliate the person, and thats the sad part about it, she said.

Theres also the worry over being questioned about using the proper bathroom.

In the early-2000s, when Sprague-Ballou was transitioning, she said security personnel at a local casino followed her into the womens restroom and asked for her identification. By that time, she had already changed her gender on her ID.

Its a nightmare still in some parts. Our states pretty good, but we still have incidents, said Sprague-Ballou, who has fully transitioned. There are other states where its scary to be LGBTQ altogether. We live in a pretty good state where we have laws to protect us; some states dont.
In April California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state had recorded a massive $75.7 billion budget surplus for the past year after enjoying a significant increase in tax revenue.

The news came shortly after Newsom had signed the Golden State Stimulus bill into law, a state-wide relief package which include a round of $600 direct payments for low-income residents. However after announcing the budget surplus Newsoms office unveiled the California Comeback Plan, which offered a considerable expansion on the support.

The package expanded eligibility to the $600 stimulus checks to two-thirds of all California residents, with billions of extra support for the pandemic-hit state.

Who is eligible for the California Comeback Plan stimulus checks?

The Golden State Stimulus checks went largely to residents who are enrolled in the states CalEITC or similar support programmes. However the new payments will more closely follow the eligibility requirements of the most recent round of federal stimulus checks.

Families earning up to $75,000 per year will be eligible for the payments, which provide $600 per adult and another $500 for qualified families with dependents. The total cost of the direct payments, along with the initial Golden State Stimulus checks, will be $11.9 billion.

Upon announcing the news, Newsom told the gathered reporters: No state, including this state, has ever rebated more direct dollars back into the pockets of taxpayers.

He added: When the federal government was not able to provide those supports, the state of California will step in to do what we can.

What else is included in the California Comeback Plan?

Newsoms office have issued a press release outlining some other features included in the California Comeback Plan as the state looks to give its pandemic recovery a boost. In total the package comes in at $100 billion, the largest economic recovery package in Californias history, which seeks to address some persistent issues.

Billions of dollars will be provided to offer relief for Californians who are behind with their rent payments, providing 100% of any back-rent due. The funding can also be used to cover rent in the months to come for those continuing to suffer financially, as well as overdue utility bills.

Californias recovery is well underway, but we cant be satisfied with simply going back to the way things were, said Gov. Newsom. We are tripling the Golden State Stimulus to get money in the hands of more middle-class Californians who have been hit hard by this pandemic.
Xi Jinping leads other Communist Party of China (CPC) and state leaders Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan to review the Party admission oath after visiting an exhibition on CPC history themed "staying true to the founding mission" at the Museum of the CPC in Beijing, capital of China, June 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Friday stressed bearing in mind the course of the Party's struggles, shouldering the historic mission and drawing strength from the Party's history to forge ahead.

Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when visiting an exhibition on CPC history.

Themed "staying true to the founding mission," the exhibition debuted on Friday at the newly inaugurated Museum of the CPC in Beijing ahead of the CPC centenary.

"The Party's history is the most vivid and convincing textbook," Xi stressed.

The past 100 years have seen the CPC unswervingly fulfilling its original aspiration and founding mission, working hard to lay a foundation for its great cause, and making glorious achievements and charting a course for the future, Xi noted.

Xi said it is necessary to study and review the Party's history, carry forward its valuable experience, bear in mind the course of its struggles, shoulder the historic mission, and draw strength from its history to forge ahead.

Efforts should be made to educate and guide Party members and officials to stay true to the original aspiration and founding mission of the Party, Xi noted.

It is necessary for them to strengthen their awareness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership, and remain confident in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, as well as always closely follow the CPC Central Committee in terms of their thinking, political orientation and actions, he added.

Xi called on Party members to carry forward the fine traditions and play their exemplary role in uniting and leading the Chinese people, based on the new development stage, to follow the new development philosophy and formulate a new development paradigm, to effectively perform their work in promoting reform, development and stability, and to pool strength to fully build a modern socialist China and realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

Xi was joined by other leaders including Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan during the visit.

Led by Xi, the leaders reviewed the Party admission oath.

The exhibition features four parts, namely the founding of the CPC and the victory of the New Democratic Revolution; the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the socialist revolution and development; the reform and opening-up, and the start of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and carrying forward socialism with Chinese characteristics into a new era, building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and embarking on a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country.

More than 2,600 pictures and more than 3,500 pieces or sets of exhibits reflect the extraordinary 100-year journey the CPC has traveled.

Xi and other leaders immersed themselves in the exhibits, files, photos and videos displayed, and learned about them in detail.

Among the items are the manuscript of Karl Marx's notes from Brussels, and restoration scenes of the first CPC National Congress and the famous Zunyi Meeting during the epic Long March (1934-1936).

Also on display are boards showing the establishment of revolutionary bases, footage from the founding ceremony of the PRC, and weapons used during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953).

The exhibition also features data charts relating to poverty alleviation and models of the Huoshenshan and Leishenshan hospitals built in Wuhan to fight the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020.

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[ Editor: GSY ]
BUCHAREST, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) has transformed a poor and backward country into the second largest economy in the world, greatly contributing to the global economy and human progress, said Romulus Ioan Budura, Romania's former ambassador to China, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"In the past 100 years, the CPC has made outstanding contributions to China's development, world peace, and human progress," the nearly-90-year-old sinologist told Xinhua at his home in Bucharest.

He said he learned to sing the song "Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China" when he was studying in Beijing in the early 1950s, and he found the lyrics very true.

"The song truly illustrates the irreplaceable importance of the CPC to the development of the country and the happiness of the people," said Budura, who acted as ambassador to China from 1990 to 1995.

He said the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 was not only the success of the CPC, but also a great event in the history of the entire Chinese nation, greatly improving China's international status and also inspiring other colonial and semi-colonial countries in the world to strive for national independence.

Also, the CPC did not blindly follow the development model of other countries. It instead formulated a development path based on its own social reality and national conditions, laying a solid foundation for the country's future development, said the senior sinologist, who served as an advisor to the Romanian president before taking the position as the ambassador to China.

"Today, China has not only won a decisive victory in getting rid of poverty, but also has been striving to promote the development of science and technology, and has achieved impressive results in high-tech fields such as communications and artificial intelligence," he said.

Having put forward the Belt and Road Initiative and called for building a community with a shared future for mankind, China has contributed its wisdom to responding to various challenges facing mankind, and pointed out the direction of development for the future of the world, Budura said.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
David Firestein: President and CEO, George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations

Da Wei: Deputy Director, Center for Security and International Strategy, Professor, School of Social Science, Tsinghua University

Xiao LianbingSecretary General, Center for International Exchange, Communication and Cooperation, Guangming Daily

1. Bring the United States and China Closer Together

Xiao Lianbing: David Firestein, you are the president of the George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations. Tell me what the Foundation has done since the outbreak of COVID-19? Professor Da Wei, what do you think of the work of the Foundation from the perspective of a Chinese scholar?

David Firestein: President George Bush was very interested in the relations between the two countries. In 1974, he served as the director of the US Liaison Office to China. He understood how important the relationship between the United States and China was, and he showed great vision in this regard. U.S.-China relations were a lifelong passion for him. President Bush along with his son, Neil Bush, orchestrated a number of conferences on the topic of U.S.-China relations that occurred every couple of years and President Bush was personally involved in the first five. The founding of the Bush China Foundation in 2017 by Neil Bush, with the blessing, support and active involvement of his father, was an effort to create a platform to give expression to President Bushs lifelong interest in China and the U.S.-China relationship and do work that would build bridges and greater trust between the two nations.

The main work that we do today is to bring the United States and China closer together to try to solve problems in the relationship and to generate greater levels of understanding and trust between these two countries. We do this while honoring President George H. W. Bushs vision for the relationship, which is a vision of working together to solve problems and collaborating across a wide range of issues in the world. President Bush fundamentally believed two things about the U.S.-China relationship: Number one, that its the single most consequential bilateral relationship in the world; number two, virtually no global problem can be solved in the absence of us communicating and cooperating. Our Foundation exists to continue to give expression to those views of President Bush and were very proud to be able to do that.

The Foundation established the U.S.-China Coronavirus Action Network, or U.S.-China CAN in April 2020. It was a very successful effort that was geared toward bringing to bear American generosity toward China at the time that China was really bearing the brunt of COVID-19, and then ultimately to do the same thing in reverse and help facilitate Chinese generosity toward the United States at the time that COVID-19 was really starting to take hold in the United States. We have partnered with a number of different organizations to facilitate the transmission and donation of masks and other types of personal protective equipment, as well as technological know-how, and best practices and experiences.

Da Wei: The Foundation impressed me most in two ways. First, it has the courage to speak out and take actions in developing China-US relations. In recent years, China-US relations have encountered unprecedented difficulties. Advocating China-US cooperation seems to have become more difficult in the United States. Nevertheless, the Foundation is still committed to speaking out for a healthy China-US relationship and making unremitting efforts, and this takes political courage. Second, the Foundation has brought a state and local perspectives to China-US relations. As the Foundation is based in Bushs hometown of Texas, it has impressed people through its fruitful work by gathering a large number of people in American political, academic, business communities as well as overseas Chinese who live and work far from the beltway of Washington DC. It is not only Washington that sets the tones for US policies toward China; a healthy China-US relationship entails exchanges at all levels between the two countries, and the Foundation has played an important role in this regard.

Facing the unprecedented pandemic, the Foundation does not talk the talk, but walk the walk. In early February, 2020, when the epidemic hit China hard and as the country ran into shortages of medical supplies such as masks, the Foundation purchased 550,000 medical masks from the United States and sent them to China. I remember Mr. Firestein said in an interview that we have supported each other through thick and thin. The abbreviation of the Coronavirus Action Network is CAN. I believe if all walks of life can follow the steps of the Foundation, starting with small matters, then the overall relations between our two countries can be stabilized.

Xiao Lianbing: What do you think of Chinas fight against the epidemic and the cooperation between China and the United States in public health?

David Firestein: With COVID-19 being a new challenge that we have not met before, efforts made by every country were not ideal in the early stage of the epidemic. After the initial stage, China has implemented a series of effective measures and the Chinese people have made great sacrifices to control the epidemic. Today, what we see in China is the result of these sacrifices: China stands out to be the only major economy that has recorded positive growth in 2020. In the future, both countries should make full use of our strengths in science and technology, bioscience and public health, working together to deal with the impact of COVID-19 on the whole world.

Da Wei: China has done well in both epidemic control and economic development, which is worthy of the pride of every Chinese. Whereas countries around the world are still facing arduous tasks in this anti-epidemic fight, we must not let our guard down because vaccination takes time and the virus may evolve. With the epidemic being a global crisis, the victory over it can only be secured when all of us stand in solidarity as no single country can win this battle alone.

2. The U.S. should get along with China in a more pragmatic and less ideological approach

Xiao Lianbing: The year before last, at the seminar held in China, Mr. Neil Bush spoke about his thoughts on China-US relations over the past few decades and pointed out that the United States was also the big winner. In your opinion, in what ways will China-US relations benefit both parties?

David Firestein: I absolutely agree with Neils assessment that the development of U.S.-China relations over the past few decades has been good for China, America and indeed the whole world, especially in our trade and economic relations. It is true to say that there have been some very serious areas of contention within the bilateral relationshipareas that are still unresolved, and that will probably always be unresolved. There have been very intense disputes around trade recently. Even taking that into account, the fact is, Americas prosperity in the last several decades was fueled to a very substantial degree by the U.S. trade relationship with China and the ability of American companies to work with China, to collaborate with Chinese partners and to generate greater efficiencies in their production processes, which translated into high quality products being made at prices that consumers were willing to pay. Its the notion of comparative advantage. China served as a manufacturing platform for many American and global companies and as a result, tremendous advancements were made in every sector of the global economy. Further, the U.S. and global stock markets grew in explosive ways over last few decades. I am saddened, because a lot of folks look back today and question whether engaging China economically or facilitating Chinas entrance into the WTO was the right thing to do. Neil, I, and the Foundation will always believe that what happened over the last few decades has been on the whole very positive for America, very positive for China, and very positive for the world.

Da Wei: Indeed, both countries have greatly benefited from China-US relations over the past few decades. Strategically, the Cold War was escalating and the international situation was very tense when China and the United States established diplomatic relations in 1979. As the Cold War ended, China and the United States shared the dividends of peace and development, and China has achieved leapfrog development in the past few decades. Economically, I agree with David that Chinas exchanges with the United States are mutually beneficial. China has utilized American capital, technology and management expertise, while American companies have made high profits in China, and global consumers have also gotten an access to high-quality and inexpensive products made in China. The deep integration of China and the United States, two economies of huge scale but in different stages of development, has promoted the deepening of globalization. Without sound China-US relations in the past few decades, globalization may still come but it would definitely not reach the height where it is today.

Xiao Lianbing: What are your concerns about the status quo of China-US relations?

David Firestein: Theres no question that the U.S.-China relationship has deteriorated dramatically in the last several years. The profound lack of trust we see in the relationship today is bad for America and bad for China, as well as for the world. Im troubled by the state of the U.S.-China relationship today and it is going to take quite some time to get the relationship back on track, but I think that is a cause thats worth fighting for. People of insight in the United States want to see a more pragmatic and less ideological approach on the part of the United States to its relationship with China. I certainly embrace that perspective. The U.S. needs to look at China with a level of dispassion and strategic thinking. We need to recognize that there are issues in the relationship where the differences are irreconcilable, however, it is also true that there are areas where we can fruitfully work together and advance our own interests. Ive long been an advocate of the idea that the United States should engage with China, not because it is altruistic, but because it is good for America to work with China where needed on issues of common concern.

What we have in the United States today is a sense that its a zero-sum dynamic governing the U.S.-China relationship, but that is not universally the applicable framework. The United States ought to aim for a U.S.-China relationship that is functional, constructive, results-oriented, mutually beneficial and politically sustainable.

Da Wei: China-US relations have deteriorated markedly since 2018. Both sides believe that the other side is hostile; many believe that confrontation and competition between China and the United States are more acceptable than before; and these are extremely worrisome changes. Sometimes people feel that it doesnt matter if the China-US relationship suffered setbacks from time to time, as long as no conflict shows up. But looking back at history, we will find that great power politics is like a gigantic ship; once sailing in a wrong direction, it will be difficult to stop and turn around. There are many tragedies in international politics, resulting from a series of misjudgments instead of careful planning. Throughout history, those falling into the Thucydides Trap always believed they could hit the brake when necessary. The truth of fact is, after unknowingly passing a certain critical point, brakes braking will be too late. We all have to learn from these lessons of history.

3. The United States and China will not plunge into a Cold War

Xiao Lianbing: Will there be a Cold War between China and the United States? Do you have any suggestions for stabilizing China-US relations?

David Firestein: I do not think we will end up in a Cold War-type scenario for a variety of different reasons. First, unlike the Soviet Union, China in my judgment is not seeking to export its system to the rest of the world. Second, China is much more economically integrated with the United States than the Soviet Union ever was. Even after about three years of the trade war, China is still the third largest trading partner of the United States. Third, fundamentally, the United States has scores of allies, while China has no alliance relationships of similar caliber, so there will not be two Cold War-like blocs. Ultimately, concerns about a Cold War are unfounded.

To the question of how we stabilize the relationship, there are a few things that we can do at present. First and foremost, engaging in some confidence-building would be a smart and timely thing to do. Such measures could include restoring the two consulates that were shut down toward the end of the Trump Administration, the Fulbright program, other academic and cultural exchanges between the United States and China. Perhaps even more fundamentally, the United States and China should eliminate all of the tariffs that were instituted during the Trump Administration. Lastly, we need to change the rhetoric and get back to language that I think is more carefully calibrated on both sides.

Da Wei: I also believe that the China-US relations will not drift into a new Cold War, but it does not mean that China-US relations will not be in danger. What I want to emphasize is that history may resembles, but it never repeats. It is inaccurate to describe todays China-US relations with the word Cold War. Just now, David has pointed out the three major differences between todays China-US relations and the US-Soviet relations during the Cold War, with which I totally agree. It is difficult for China and the United States, who are interdependent on each other, to repeat the history of Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. However, I think there is another side we need to be aware of too. The Cold War was largely peaceful at least between the two superpowers. But if China-US relations are not handled properly, a real military conflict is possible. We may also face a more dangerous and painful situation that havent been faced by the United States or the Soviet Union, because they did not have issues like industrial chain decoupling, cyber security and artificial intelligence. If we look at todays situation with a Cold War mindset, we may fall into self-fulfilling prophecies which leads to larger conflicts; or underestimate the danger we are facing, thinking that issues that did not occur in the Cold War will certainly not occur between China and the United States. Both of these attitudes are wrong.

To stabilize China-US relations, one of the top priorities is that the two countries resume official dialogue mechanisms as soon as possible. No matter how divided opinions may appear to be, it is beneficial for the two governments to sit down and talk with each other. And no matter how the bilateral relations evolve, the bottom line that must be held is that there should not be a complete decoupling in economic relations and people-to-people exchanges.

4. It is dangerous and one-sided to define China-US relations as strategic competition

Xiao Lianbing: China puts forward the spirit of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation between our two sides and hopes that the two can focus on cooperation, manage differences, advance the healthy and stable development of China-US ties, and join other countries and the international community for world peace and development. What is your comment on Chinas proposition?

David Firestein: Its not surprising that, with countries as different as the United States and China, there are tensions and disagreements over a wide range of areas. So, the aspiration that President Xi has laid out is absolutely commendable, which is something that we ought to work toward, while still recognizing that at present there are immense challenges on the bilateral agenda. First, we need to stabilize the relationship and get to a place of functionality. Then, I think we can start talking about higher level goals. Da Wei: In the past eight years, Chinas position on China-US relations has been consistent. Indeed, this vision entails concrete actions. For example, for there to be non-conflict and non-confrontation, the Chinese and American military need to embrace more crisis management mechanisms and confidence building measures. In order to achieve win-win cooperation, China and the United States need to achieve a new equilibrium in their economic and trade relations and people-to-people exchanges. On the one hand, the two sides can maintain close contacts; and on the other hand, both peoples feel comfortable and secured.

Xiao Lianbing: What do you think of the China-US High-level Strategic Dialogue held in Alaska in March, 2020 and Chinas talks with John Kerry in Shanghai, the US Presidents climate envoy?

David Firestein: The meeting between the senior officials was something that needed to happen and it achieved a couple of important goals. First, there are two senior officials on each side that have a chance to sit down together and discuss a number of different issues and get to know each other in these new capacities. It is important that these officials dedicated some time to building a relationship. Second, this helped establish a foundation for future meetings. While the meeting was generally characterized by outside observers as very contentious, my feeling is that you have to start somewhere. I think this meeting laid the foundation for further engagement that can be perhaps even more focused on substantive issues in the relationship. We have already seen some of that happen subsequent to the Anchorage meeting with Secretary John Kerry, the president's climate envoy in China recently. All of this could only happen after that initial meeting in Anchorage, so I don't think we should just focus on some of the arguments at the beginning of the meeting.

Climate change probably tops the list, from a U.S. standpoint, of issues where the United States and China have to work together. Given that the United States and China are the two largest carbon-emitters in the world as well as the two largest economies, we must collaborate to be successful. The Biden Administration wants to see serious action taken on the climate during these four years. The visit of John Kerry to China is a good step in the right direction. They're less politicized than others on the agenda. I expect that this will be one of the areas in which we see some of the most fruitful and results-oriented collaboration between the United States and China over the coming several years.

Da Wei: Nowadays, we live in an era of information explosion. As we keep an eye on all kinds of information every day, we have an impression that China and the US are highly hostile to each other. But if we carefully observe the actions of the two governments, we will see that despite the tense tension in the China-US relations, our leaders and senior government officials are resuming contacts and exchanges in an orderly manner. On February 6, Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, held a phone conversation with the US Secretary of State Blinken; on the morning of February 11 (the Chinese New Years Eve), President Xi Jinping had a phone conversation with President Biden; on March 18, senior leaders of the two countries met in Alaska; from April 14th to 17th, Kerry visited China; on April 22nd, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the Leaders Summit on Climate. What I want to emphasize is that we have to grasp the key information in the vast oceans of information. The China-US relations are still in a difficult stage, but the governments are working hard to keep in contact and pull the wheels to spin. Each contact is laying a solid foundation for more important contacts in the future. As long as we continue to move towards each other, it is possible to stabilize, or even improve China-US relations.

Xiao Lianbing: The U.S. Congress is pushing for a Strategic Competition Act. What is your take on it? And what kind of role does the U.S. Congress play in such bilateral relations?

David Firestein: With respect to the Strategic Competition Act that is now before the United States Congress, there are some elements to it that I would agree with and some elements to it with which I disagree. An example of what I agree with in the legislation includes the idea that the United States needs to enhance our own ability in technology, infrastructure, investment, and a variety of other sectors in the economy. Our goal is to be able to compete more effectively with a very formidable competitor, China, and with other competitors in the world. I also think that the notion of re-establishing cultural and academic exchanges, and also some of the language on condemning anti-Asian hate are positive elements of this legislative package. But there are some aspects of the bill that are very problematic, including the notion that the U.S. federal government should encourage firms to take supply chains out of China. Such government interference into private sector activity and telling private companies how to operate would represent a retreat from the free market principles on which our nation was founded. In my judgement, it would be a huge mistake.

Da Wei: Once the U.S. Congress passes a legislation, its influence will not just last for a certain administration, but for decades. In this sense, I am quite worried about this legislation because it is actually establishing a framework and setting the agenda for US policies towards China. As the name of the act shows, the U.S. Congress is trying to define the US future policies towards China as strategic competition. Once the bill is passed, whether the future US administrations are willing or not, they are bound to examine China-US relations from the perspective of strategic competition. In my opinion, although there is competition in China-US relations, it is dangerous and one-sided to define such relations in this way.

5. The Foundation will work to build a bridge between the two countries to bring the two countries closer, deepen understanding and build greater trust

Xiao Lianbing: David Firestein, how do you feel about the changes in China over the past few decades? What projects will the Foundation carry out this year?

David Firestein: In the preface to the publication of his China diaries in 2007, President Bush wrote that he loved the Chinese people and that he wanted to see the United States and China form a big partnership and friendship that would benefit not only each other but also the world. We at the Foundation seek to give expression to that vision that we should build bridges between the United States and China and bring the two countries closer together, build greater understanding and build greater trust.

Since I first visited China in 1984, about 37 years ago, I have seen firsthand the monumental changes that have occurred in China in a variety of different ways. The changes of Beijing and other cities across China are astonishing and indicative of incredible progress. At the same time, there has been a great change with respect to the Chinese way of life. The pace of life in China is much faster today than it was when I was first studying in China in the 1980s. The Beijing and the China of today are very different from that because new technologies have created an incredibly fast pace of life and ease of quick communications.

I certainly look forward to getting back to China as soon as that is practicable from the standpoint of COVID-19. In my recent professional work, I've tended to travel to China about three times a year on average. I know that Neil and all of our staff team look forward to reengaging with people in person rather than interacting just over Zoom or Wechat. We are excited about the work ahead and about getting back to communicate with others face to face.

[ Editor: SRQ ]
Expenditures allocated directly for the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence are projected at UAH 100 million, the Ministry of Finance has said.

According to the ministry's press release, a plan of measures for the preparation and celebration of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence, in addition to the festive events, includes large-scale infrastructure projects, in particular, such as the modernization of six regional airports, the development of the Kyiv-Lviv-Sknyliv euro track, the completion of the construction of a new medical and diagnostic complex at Okhmatdyt and others.

"The projected expenditures in the amount of UAH 5.4 billion include costs for the construction and modernization of such facilities," the report said.

The Ministry of Finance said that financing of all activities of the plan will be carried out at the expense of state, local budgets, and other sources, including private investments, grants, and donor assistance.

Ukraine's Independence Day is celebrated on August 24.
In predetermined areas of the Black Sea, the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine conducted tactical maneuvers of an amphibious ready group, which involved a division of surface ships, marines, naval aviation and air force aviation.

According to the press service of the Ukrainian Navy, the training was carried out in several stages. After bringing the naval away team to the highest degree of combat readiness, the boarding of personnel and equipment, the departure from the base point, and the deployment of the amphibious ready group to the areas of the force formation were carried out.

"The Ukrainian military practiced the formation of antiboat defense with the implementation of exercises of the amphibious ready group at combat training ranges," according to a message posted on Facebook.

It is noted that the Ukrainian sailors carried out tactical maneuvering, the transfer of goods on the move, assisted the emergency ship with the landing of the rescue group, towed the damaged ship and so on.

"We carried out tactical episodes of antiboat defense by the amphibious ready group during the passage by sea with the actual implementation of combat exercises against naval targets. Marine Corps joined the episode, which showed high readiness and good fire performance," flotilla commander, First Class Captain Yuriy Fedash said.

He said that naval aircraft were involved in illuminating the surface situation and transmitting information to the command post of the ready group.

"Also, the peculiarity of these exercises was that we were the first to use inflatable targets such as 'Killer Tomatoes,' which are used in NATO member countries," Fedash said.

With the involvement of the ship-boat staff of the ready group and Marine Corps, which performed combat exercises with collective weapons, the Ukrainian military worked out a tactical episode of fire support for troops operating in the seaside direction.

"The tactical exercise of the amphibious assault group was preparatory. It worked out the coherence of the ship-boat staff, as well as the command post of the assault group. In general, the crews showed a good level of combat training," Fedash said.

He added that thanks to such exercises, the Ukrainian Navy maintains the proper level of combat readiness to perform the assigned tasks.
The EU Foreign Affairs Council approved another package of sanctions against Belarus at a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, European Council President Charles Michel said.

"Today the EU sends another strong signal of support to the people of Belarus by imposing further restrictive measures," Michel said on Twitter after the sanctions were approved.

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics has voiced support for the new restrictions on Belarus. "I welcome the EU decision to adopt the 4th package of sanctions against the [Alexander] Lukashenko regime," Rinkevics said on Twitter.

According to western media outlets, the sanctions imply a freeze on assets and a ban on visa issuance to 78 individuals. They will also concern at least seven companies.

The EU is imposing the sanctions in order to urge Minsk to "release all political prisoners. Stop further repression. Start an inclusive national dialogue," Michel said.

"Our message to the regime cannot be misunderstood," he said.

The EU permanent representatives coordinated the new restrictive measures against Belarus last week. The information will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union later on Monday, once all coordination procedures have been completed. The sanctions will take effect as soon as the relevant information is published in the journal.

European Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that the EU foreign ministers would discuss economic sanctions against Belarus later that day, and the Council of the European Union would consider the measures before their adoption.

According to sources in Brussels, the economic sanctions will concern the oil industry and fertilizer and cigarette production. EU ruling bodies are due to put the sanctions into effect before the summer recess. Most likely, the sanctions will coincide with those of Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, which are closely interacting with the European Union on these issues.

In early June, the Council of the European Union banned flights by Belarusian airlines through the airspace of EU member countries, as well as the access of all kinds of Belarusian airlines to EU airfields. European Council President Michel said later that the EU would rapidly prepare new sanctions against Belarus.

It was reported that further restrictions might be imposed on Belarusian ministers and commanders of the Belarusian Air Force.

The EU did not rule out broader measures against the Belarusian economy in the future.
A supporter holds a copy of Apple Daily newspaper during a court hearing outside West Magistrates Courts (Photo : REUTERS/Lam Yik)

Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily will be forced to shut "in a matter of days" after authorities froze the company's assets under a national security law, an adviser to jailed owner Jimmy Lai told Reuters on Monday.



The closure of Apple Daily would undermine the former British colony's reputation as an open and free society and send a warning to other companies that could be accused of colluding with a foreign country, media advocacy groups said.



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Next Digital, publisher of the top-selling 26-year-old newspaper, would stop publication on June 26 if a board meeting on Friday decided to halt operations, an internal memo seen by Reuters showed.



"We thought we'd be able to make it to the end of the month. It's just getting harder and harder. It's essentially a matter of days," the adviser, Mark Simon, said by telephone from the United States.



Vendors had tried to put money into the company's bank accounts but have been rejected, he said.



Another senior company source with direct knowledge of the matter said the freezing of the firm's core assets - before any trial or due legal process proved any criminality - had made it impossible to pay wages or even electricity bills.



CHOKED 'TO DEATH'



"This is an extraordinary thing for a place that prides itself on (being) a global financial center, that you haven't even filed charges against people and yet you've decided you're going to try to ... choke this company to death."



Hong Kong officials have repeatedly said that media freedoms are respected but are not absolute.



Apple Daily management could not be reached for comment on Monday.



The newspaper said on Sunday the freezing of its assets had left it with cash for "a few weeks" for normal operations.



Chief Editor Ryan Law, 47, and Chief Executive Cheung Kim-hung, 59, were denied bail on Saturday after being charged with conspiracy to commit collusion with a foreign country.



Three other executives were arrested on Thursday when 500 police officers raided the newspaper's offices, drawing condemnation from Western countries, global rights groups and the U.N. spokesperson for human rights.



Those three are still under investigation but were released with bail.



Security Secretary John Lee told a news conference on Thursday the police operation against the Apple Daily was aimed at those who use reporting as a "tool" to endanger national security and did not target the media industry as a whole.



Hong Kong's Security Bureau said it would not comment given ongoing legal proceedings and any application related to the frozen property would be handled according to the law.



China's Liaison Office in the city did not respond to requests for comment.



'WE CAN'T BANK'



In May, Reuters reported exclusively that Hong Kong's security chief had sent letters to tycoon Lai and branches of HSBC and Citibank threatening up to seven years' jail for any dealings with the billionaire's accounts in the city.



A Hong Kong-based spokesperson for Citibank said at the time the bank did not comment on individual client accounts. HSBC declined to comment.Authorities are also prosecuting three companies related to Apple Daily for alleged collusion with a foreign country and have frozen HK$18 million ($2.3 million) of their assets.



Simon told Reuters it had now become impossible to conduct banking operations in the global financial hub as authorities had "criminalised" any activities with the company's accounts.



"We can't bank. Some vendors tried to do that as a favour ... and it was rejected."



Reuters could not determine the banks where Apple Daily vendors had tried to deposit funds only to have their transactions rejected.



Rights group Amnesty International said on Twitter that this is "effectively a HK government ban of a newspaper."



The paper has come under increasing pressure since owner and Beijing critic Lai, who is now in jail, was arrested under the national security law last August and has since had some of his assets frozen.



The senior company source with direct knowledge of the board's discussions said an application had been made to the Security Bureau to ask Hong Kong security chief John Lee to unfreeze the assets to allow essential payments to staff and suppliers, setting a Friday deadline to respond.



Apple Daily said in an article on Sunday it might challenge the government in court if it refused.



The company has about 600 journalists, according to Simon.



The U.S.-based adviser said some reporters had received threatening phone calls from unknown sources.



"Our staff are now just worried about personal safety," he said.



Police have said dozens of Apple Daily articles were suspected of violating the national security law, the first case in which authorities have cited media articles as potentially violating the legislation.



Simon and the source said their understanding was that about 100 articles were under scrutiny.



"After all this is said and done, the business community is going to look up and recognise that a man's company was gutted and stolen by a communist regime in Hong Kong," he said.



"That's a big deal."


Egypt has provided medical services and disbursed medicines for up to 1,822 citizens in South Sudan in a medical convoy Cairo sent to the capital Juba to support the countrys healthcare sector.

According to a statement by the health ministry on Monday, the convoy included a five-tonne aid shipment of surgical supplies and equipment.

The statement added that another aid shipment carrying drugs for Hepatitis B and C has been sent to South Sudan.

The aid is part of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's initiative to treat 100 million Africans.

The initiative first launched domestically under the name 100 Million Health, from October 2018 until April 2019, and has since been extended to other African countries.

El-Sisi has directed Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed to provide all necessary medical support to South Sudan.

In August, Zayed met with her South Sudanese counterpart Elizabeth Achuei in Juba, where they toured several medical centres in the capital, including the Egyptian Kidney and Dialysis Centre and the Juba Teaching Hospital.

Both ministers discussed developing and strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the medical sector.

Zayed was accompanied by the head of Egypts General Intelligence Service (GIS) Abbas Kamel, both of whom inaugurated the new Egyptian Medical Centre in Juba in an opening that was well-received by South Sudanese citizens and officials.

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Egypt's Ambassador to Juba Mohamed Qaddah affirmed Cairos support of the peace treaty entitlements in South Sudan during a meeting with the new governor of South Sudans Upper Nile state Abudhok Kur on Friday.

In 2018, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir signed a landmark agreement with rebel factions in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa to end the decades-long war that claimed the lives of tens of thousands.

During the meeting, Qaddah affirmed Egypts support of the efforts to consolidate security and stability in South Sudan.

Qaddah reviewed Kurs vision for stability, social reconciliation, and reconstruction and development efforts in the Upper Nile state.

The two sides discussed cooperation between Egypt and the state in various fields, including the management of water and irrigation sources, water treatment, education and energy.

Egypt has been a major supporter to the peace agreement in South Sudan.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi visited Juba in November last year, where he reiterated Cairos "full and unlimited support for the efforts exerted by Sudan's government to achieve peace and stability nationwide.

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Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendiasaa discussed - at a meeting in Cairo on Sunday - issues of bilateral cooperation as well as regional issues of mutual interests, including the situations in the East Mediterranean.

Minister Shoukry reviewed, during the meeting, the overall developments in the region and Egypt's vision regarding settling the region's crises, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez stated following the meeting.

He also explained the efforts aiming to bring about peace and security as well as reaching a comprehensive settlement for the crisis in Libya.

Shoukry also briefed his Greek counterpart on the latest updates concerning the dispute caused by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), as part of the country's plan to brief the international community on the situation of the ten-year-old row.

Hafez added that both ministers expressed their keenness in continuing to strengthen cooperation ties in all fields.

The Greek minister described Egypt as a "strategic" partner for Greece and the European Union (EU) in the southern Mediterranean and the Middle East.

Egypt and Greece signed last August a deal to maximise benefits from riches available in the exclusive economic zones of both countries, particularly the promising natural gas and oil reserves.

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Egypt has condemned the continued terrorist operations by Houthi militias against Saudi territories, the latest of which was the targeting of Saudi Arabias Abha International Airport with an explosive drone.

In a statement released on Monday, the foreign ministry reiterated Egypt's support and solidarity with Saudi Arabia in the measures it takes to confront terrorist acts that pose a threat to the kingdoms security and stability as well as to the safety of its people.

Such acts also constitute a flagrant and direct threat to security and stability in the region, the foreign ministry added.

The attack caused some material damage after the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi forces in Yemen intercepted and destroyed the drone.

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Egypts defence minister General Mohamed Zaki travelled to Cyprus on Tuesday to attend trilateral talks with his Cypriot and Greek counterparts to bolster military cooperation.

According to an official statement, Egyptian armed forces spokesman Tamer El-Refaie said Zaki will discuss several issues of common interest with his counterparts related to military cooperation and partnership between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece.

The official visit, scheduled for several days, is part of permanent and continuous coordination with friendly states, the statement said.

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received on Monday Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Cairo at the Presidential Palace.

El-Sisi and Mitsotakis affirmed the need to continue enhancing cooperation between the two countries in the fields of power linkage, trade exchange, and tourism, as they met on Monday in Cairo.

El-Sisi and Mitsotakis highlighted the need for enhancing this bilateral cooperation, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemics impact and harm on the economy worldwide, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement.

They underscored the need for concerted efforts in the face of the negative implications of the pandemic at all levels.

Mitsotakis affirmed that Greece will remain a supporter to Egypt inside the European Union and hailed Egypts special regional position and pivotal role.

As they discussed issues of mutual concern, Mitsotakis expressed his countrys appreciation of Egypts efforts to reach a ceasefire between the Israeli and Palestinian sides.

The Egypt-brokered ceasefire last month stopped 11 days of violence in the Gaza enclave, which killed 250 Palestinians amid Israeli air strikes.

Mitsotakis also hailed the Egyptian initiative for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

El-Sisi reiterated to the Greek premier the need for urgent work to revive the peace negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides on the basis of the international legitimacy resolutions and international law, the statement read.

El-Sisi and Mitsotakis also discussed the developments of the Libyan situation and agreed on supporting the ongoing political path, which should lead to holding the desired elections in Libya by the end of the year.

They also affirmed the need for the exit of all foreign troops and mercenaries from Libyan territories to restore Libyan sovereignty, territorial integrity, and stability.

On Ethiopias Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute with Egypt and Sudan, El-Sisi and Mitsotakis agreed on the need to reach a fair, balanced, legally-binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam, the presidency said.

The GERD deal should be secured in a way that meets the interests of the three countries and preserves regional stability, they affirmed.

El-Sisi and Mitsotakis also agreed on the need for the international community to play a serious role in the GERD issue and for all parties of the ongoing negotiations to show good faith and political will.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Petroleum Tarek El-Molla, Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker and Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad attended the meeting.

The meeting was followed by expanded talks between the delegations of the two countries, the presidency said.

El-Sisi and Mitsotakis discussed means to enhance bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Greece. They agreed on the need to foster joint cultural ties to shed light on the historic relations between the two countries.

The Egyptian president hailed the growing relations between Egypt and Greece in all fields.

El-Sisi affirmed Egypts keenness to enhance the mechanisms of cooperation with Greece in various fields, especially the political, military, commercial, and energy fields.

The president also expressed his aspiration for boosting the ongoing trilateral cooperation among Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus in a way that achieves their joint interests and goals in the eastern Mediterranean region, which allows them to face various regional challenges.

El-Sisi and Mitsotakis affirmed that the East Med Gas Forum represents one of the most important tools within the framework of the consistency of the two countries interests in the eastern Mediterranean region.

The two sides agreed that the forum would open new horizons for cooperation and investments among the countries in the region in the fields of energy and gas.

Established in 2019 as an international organisation headquartered in Cairo, the forum aims to establish a regional gas market in the eastern Mediterranean and enhance trade relations among the member states.

Founding members of the forum announced in March bringing the forums statute into force in a ministerial meeting in the Egyptian capital.

The forums member states include Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, and Israel.

Mitsotakis affirmed Greeces appreciation of the firm cooperative relations with Egypt, saying they represent a model of constructive cooperation among Mediterranean countries.

The Greek PM highlighted his countrys keenness to enhance ties with Egypt and also to develop the mechanism of trilateral cooperation with Egypt and Cyprus.

He described this trilateral cooperation mechanism as successful and effective for coordination and achieving economic and social development for the three countries.

Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus over the past years have exchanged high-level visits and phone talks and have set numerous frameworks of cooperation in multiple fields, especially the economy.

In February, Athens hosted the Philia Forum among the foreign ministers of Greece, Cyprus, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry during the Philia Forum stressed that Egypt is keen on boosting cooperation with Cyprus and Greece to meet peoples' interests, especially amid political, economic, and health challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus also signed a tripartite political and economic cooperation mechanism agreement in Nicosia in October 2020.

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Prison authorities executed on Monday Ahmed Said Ibrahim after the Court of Cassation upheld his death sentence in November 2020 for killing Marg Church Priest Saman Shehata in 2017.

The case goes back to 12 October 2017, when 45-year-old Priest Shehata of Marg Church was stabbed several times in the street. Shehata died shortly from his wounds after arriving to the hospital.

According to CCTV cameras and investigations, 19-year-old radical Ahmed Said Ibrahim stabbed the late priest several times before fleeing the scene. He was referred to the Criminal Court for the murder of the priest in the same month.

In February 2018, the Criminal Court sentenced him to death.

In November 2020, the Court of Cassation upheld the death sentence.

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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday that his country supported Egypt and its stance on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute.

We support Egypt in its stance on the GERD issue, and the Nile Rivers water is a matter of life, Greek PM Mitsotakis said in Cairo in a press conference with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi following their talks earlier.

Egypt is looking for peaceful solutions for the GERD issue, he added.

From his side, President El-Sisi said in the press conference that he discussed the latest developments of the GERD issue with the Greek Premier.

It is important to reach a legally binding agreement on the GERD and the international community must have a serious role in this issue, said the Egyptian president.

El-Sisi also reiterated the necessity of not interfering in the internal issues of countries and respecting their territorial waters, adding that Egypt stands in solidarity with Greece against any attempt to violate its sovereignty.

The Prime Minister stated that Greece wants the Mediterranean Sea to bring the people of the region closer to each other.

The maritime demarcation agreement between Egypt and Greece is a role model, it is a peace and cooperation agreement in the Middle East, I wish this agreement is extended to other countries, he added.

El-Sisi and Mitsotakis also discussed the recent developments in Libya.

Greece and Egypt agree on the necessity for the immediate withdrawal of the formal foreign armies and information foreign militias from Libya, as well as holding the elections before the end of the year on time, the Greek PM said.

The two leaders also discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and the efforts of Egypt in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, and agreed on the necessity to revive the peace process once again.

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Ninety Egyptians who had been detained in Tripoli over charges of illegal immigration were released on Monday, said a statement by the Egyptian embassy in the Libyan capital, which resumed its work in May after a seven-year-closure.

The Egyptian citizens spent three days at Tripoli's immigration detention centre before the Egyptian embassy was able to resolve the matter with the concerned authorities, said Mohamed Tharwat, the head of the Egyptian diplomatic mission in Tripoli.

Tharwat expressed his thanks to the Libyan interior minister and all municipal authorities for their efforts, which he said reflect the "inextricable" ties between the two countries.

The Egyptian embassy and consulate in Libya were shut in January 2014 after the kidnapping of four Egyptian staff of the embassy by gunmen and an attack on the consulate.

Egypt and Libya agreed in April to resume flights between the two countries capitals as Cairo seeks to restore normalcy in relations with the neighbouring country, especially after the election of an executive authority to guide the country until legislative elections are held by the end of this year.

The reopening of the embassy and the resumption of flights came almost a month after a visit to Tripoli by a delegation of 11 Egyptian ministers led by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, which was the first such visit by senior Egyptian officials to the country in a decade.

Libya was a major destination for Egyptians seeking work abroad for decades before the 2011 NATO-backed uprising.

According to a 2010 report by the International Organisation for Migration, some 1.5 million Egyptians were working in Libya at the time of the uprising.

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Egypts Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Abdel-Ati arrived in Juba on Monday for talks on promoting bilateral relations, including the field of water management, the Egyptian Ministry said in a statement.

Abdel-Ati, who is accompanied by an official delegation, is set to discuss with his South Sudanese counterpart, Manawa Peter, the achieved progress in cooperation between Cairo and Juba in the fields of water management.

The Egyptian delegation is also set to meet senior Sudanese government officials and tour many projects that Egypt is implementing there.

The statement added that the minister is due to agree with Sudanese officials on future steps to implement many of the proposed development projects.

Abdel-Ati said the visit, which will last until Friday, reflects Egypts keenness on reaching the utmost levels of cooperation and coordination with South Sudan to achieve sustainable development and raise the standard of living of Sudanese citizens.

Cooperation between the two countries extends for many years, during which many developmental projects that directly benefit the citizens of South Sudan have been implemented, he added.

South Sudanese Irrigation Minister Peter stressed the depth of relations between the two countries, expressing his aspiration to exchange visions and enhance cooperation, according to the statement.

In a previous statement, Abdel-Ati said his ministry has established six ground water plants around Juba and seven more inside the capital.

Some river piers have also been established with the aim of connecting major cities and villages in South Sudan, Abdel-Ati further said.

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Egypts Minister of Defence and Military Production Mohamed Zaki met on Monday with members of the House of Representatives' Defence and National Security Committee to discuss the national security threats facing the country amid regional and international developments.

The defence minister told MPs that the Armed Forces is keen on maintaining communication with the committee on all issues related to national security, and that the military is prepared to carry out tasks assigned to them to protect the homeland against any harm.

For their part, the committee members hailed efforts exerted by the Armed Forces to secure the home front and confront threats.

They also praised the Armed Forces' role in the countrys development process in light of intensive efforts by the political leadership on the domestic and foreign fronts, which has resulted in the restoration of Egypt's pioneering role in the region.

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In a meeting on Monday, the Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Yasser Elwy stressed to Lebanese army chief General Joseph Aoun Egypt's support of the Lebanese army as part of the country's strategy of backing the national institutions.

The meeting, which was attended by Military Attache in Lebanon Salah Genadi, tackled promoting cooperation in the coming period.

There are political directives from the highest level to back the Lebanese army and provide them with all support as being the main pillar of stability in brotherly Lebanon, Elwy said during the meeting, reported the Egyptian state-owned news agency MENA.

These directives, the Egyptian ambassador said, come within the framework of Cairo's strategy to support all national institutions to confront the exceptional circumstance that Lebanon is witnessing.

Aoun expressed his thanks and appreciation to Egypt for its efforts to support his country's army, the latest of which was the aid ship Egypt sent last week.

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Egyptian Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati has said that Egypt's flexibility during the negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been met with intransigence from Ethiopia.

In a meeting on Monday, Minister Abdel-Ati discussed with South Sudanese Foreign Minister Beatrice Khamisa Wani the latest developments concerning the decade-long row between Cairo, Khartoum, and Addis Ababa over the GERD.

Egypt and Sudan have resorted to international diplomacy in the past weeks, briefing regional and international counterparts on their stances and developments in the latest deadlock in negotiations.

Tripartite negotiations between Ethiopia and downstream countries Egypt and Sudan stalled in April after Addis Ababa rejected the two countries' request to include the US, the EU, and the UN in mediation talks, alongside the African Union (AU), the current mediator.

Tensions have mounted further as Addis Ababa remains intent on moving forward with the second filling of the GERDs reservoir next month despite the lack of a binding instrument with Cairo and Khartoum.

Minister Abdel-Ati, who is on a multi-day visit to Juba that started earlier today and is set to last until Friday, is set to hold talks on promoting bilateral cooperation, including in the field of water management, the Egyptian Ministry said in a statement.

Abdel-Ati and Wani also discussed boosting cooperation between Cairo and Juba via the Egyptian-South Sudanese higher committee, which is expected to convene in Cairo in July.

Minister Abdel-Ati expressed his appreciation for the staunch relations between the two countries, and the continued efforts made by both sides to strengthen all aspects of cooperation.

Abdel-Ati is due to meet senior South Sudanese government officials and tour many projects that Egypt is implementing there.

The Egyptian irrigation ministry has established six groundwater plants around Juba and seven more inside the capital.

Some river piers have also been established to connect major cities and villages in South Sudan, according to a previous statement by Abdel-Ati.

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The U.N. rights chief said on Monday she was "deeply disturbed" by reports of continued violations including executions in Ethiopia's Tigray region,and added that a long-awaited joint investigation should be ready by August.

Michelle Bachelet said abuses had been committed by all sides in the conflict in the northern region and that there were "credible reports" Eritrean soldiers were still there, despite a promise to leave.

There was no immediate comment from the Ethiopian or Eritrean delegations at the U.N. Human Rights Council that Bachelet was addressing in Geneva.

Ethiopia's government has said it will hold those who commit abuses to account and that more than 50 soldiers are on trial for either rape or killing civilians in Tigray. It has not released any details of those cases.

The government has been fighting the region's former governing party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), since November. The United Nations says some 350,000 people face famine in the region that borders Sudan as well as Eritrea.

Ethiopians went to the polls in national and regional elections on Monday, but there is no date for voting in Tigray amid the unrest.

Bachelet said there had been reports of executions of civilians, sexual violence against children and forced displacement in Tigray, as she opened a three-week session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.

She said she expected a joint investigation with the state-run Ethiopian Human Rights Commission would conclude in August and be made public.

"The ongoing deployment of military forces is not a durable solution, and I encourage comprehensive and multidimensional dialogue throughout the country to address the real grievances held," she added.

Eritrean forces have been helping Ethiopian federal government troops in the conflict. Eritrea denied their presence until April.

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Numerous Western countries voiced alarm at the UN Human Rights Council on Monday over ongoing serious violations in Eritrea, focusing on alleged abuses by Eritrean troops in Ethiopia's Tigray region.

The new UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in Eritrea, Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker, painted a bleak picture in his first report to the council, and his concerns were echoed by a long line of national representatives.

There was no sign of improvement to the country's rights situation, he said, pointing to arbitrary and incommunicado detention, inhumane prison conditions, lack of basic freedoms, and indefinite military service, where conscripts are subjected to forced labour and sexual violence.

And with Eritrea's incursion into neighbouring Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, it had extended its long-criticised abuses "extra-territorially", Babikar said.

Eritrea, an impoverished country in the Horn of Africa, is one of the world's most repressive states, according to rights groups, despite a surprise 2018 peace deal with longtime foe Ethiopia.

The rapprochement ended a two-decade war, but also paved the way for the Eritrean military to join in when the Ethiopian government last November sent troops into Tigray to detain and disarm leaders of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, the region's former ruling party and bitter enemy of Eritrea.

Eritrean troops stand accused of massacring civilians and forcing Eritrean refugees back across the border, according to rights groups.

- 'Killings, rape' -

Allison Lombardo, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, said Washington was "gravely concerned" at the violations committed by Eritrean troops in Tigray.

She pointed to "extrajudicial killings, rape, and sexual violence, and ... credible reports that they are forcibly returning Eritrean refugees".

"We also remain gravely concerned about their role in preventing humanitarian access to populations in Tigray, directly contributing to conditions of famine," she said.

Britain's human rights ambassador in Geneva, Rita French, agreed, insisting that "intentional use of starvation of civilians as a weapon of war is completely unacceptable."

Demanding the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean troops, she stressed that "it is essential that all those responsible for human rights violations and abuses be held to account."

That call was echoed by the United States, the European Union and a long line of other countries.

"Impunity cannot be accepted. Perpetrators need to be brought to justice," Norwegian Ambassador Tine Morch Smith told the council, speaking on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic countries.

Eritrean Ambassador Tesfamicael Gerahtu rejected the allegations as a "disinformation campaign".

He also argued that the discussion before the council should focus only on the situation inside Eritrea, and called on the council to "delete" all comments about events beyond its borders.

That argument was backed by several other countries, including Ethiopia, North Korea and Venezuela.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet told the council earlier on Monday that her office had since mid-May been conducting a joint investigation in Tigray with the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.

"We expect this work to conclude in August," she said.

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Israel allowed a limited resumption of commercial exports from the Gaza Strip on Monday in what it called a "conditional" measure one month after a truce halted 11 days of fighting with Hamas.

Gaza border officials said the easing of Israeli restrictions would last two to three days and would apply to agricultural goods and some textiles.

Israel keeps tight controls Gaza crossings, citing threats from Hamas. The Israeli restrictions were intensified during the May fighting, effectively halting all exports.

But with the Egyptian-mediated ceasefire largely holding, Israel said some exports would be allowed out through its territory as of Monday morning.

"Following a security evaluation, a decision has been made for the first time since the end of (the fighting) to enable ... (the) limited export of agricultural produce from the Gaza Strip," COGAT, a branch of Israel's Defence Ministry, said.

COGAT said the measure was approved by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's government and was "conditional upon the preservation of security stability".

Egypt stepped up its Israel-Hamas mediation last week after incendiary balloons launched from Gaza drew retaliatory Israeli air strikes on Hamas sites, challenging the fragile ceasefire.

But with that flare-up having ebbed since early Friday, some workers in Gaza voiced hope that the easing of Israeli restrictions would last, and potentially be expanded. Some 10,000 people in Gaza, home 2 million people, work in textiles.

"This could be a start ... today we exported clothing, and tomorrow, maybe something else," said Gaza truck driver Ismail Abu Suleiman, 55, who transports export-bound goods to Israel's Kerem Shalom border crossing.

Gaza's agriculture ministry said farmers had lost $16 million due to the restrictions on exports.

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Germany will seek to broker lasting peace in Libya on Wednesday, gathering world powers in Berlin to extract a firm promise to withdraw foreign fighters and keep the North African country on track for its December 24 election.

The efforts to end a decade-long spiral of violence in Libya would bring the country's transitional government, as well as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, to Berlin for the in-person UN-sponsored talks.

In a phone call with Libyan interim Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush just days ahead of the meeting, Blinken "stressed the United States' commitment to increasing diplomatic engagement to promote international efforts supporting progress in Libya."

Like host German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Blinken and Mangoush harked back to a first meeting in January 2020 in the German capital where pledges were made which have not been fully implemented.

The presidents of Russia, Turkey and France had then vowed to end foreign meddling in Libya and withdraw foreign militants or troops.

Since those talks, a formal truce was agreed last October that led to the creation of a transitional government under Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and a presidential council headed by Mohammad Younes Menfi which have promised to hold polls.

However, the UN has warned that progress has stalled, notably on a key requisite of the polls -- the pullout of all foreign soldiers.

'Good chance' for elections

The oil-rich country descended into chaos after dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising, resulting in multiple forces vying for power.

In recent years Libya has been split between two rival administrations backed by foreign forces and countless militias.

In October, after Turkey-backed forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli routed those of Khalifa Haftar, the two camps agreed a ceasefire in Geneva.

The security situation in Libya has been slowly improving since.

But the presence of an estimated 20,000 foreign fighters and mercenaries on Libya's territory is seen as a threat to the UN-backed transition leading to the elections.

Western leaders have repeatedly called on the foreign fighters to depart.

But Russian mercenaries supporting Haftar's side in the east of the country are still in place.

Turkey meanwhile has troops in Tripoli, which it argues were sent under a bilateral agreement with the government, implying that they are not affected by a request for foreign troops to leave.

Diplomats underlined the delicate balancing act needed to ensure that any withdrawal does not spark new flareups or leaves one side at a disadvantage.

"Foreign forces must leave the country in a gradual and uniform manner, so that there won't be a sudden military imbalance that could be used by one side for a sudden offensive," Maas told Die Welt daily in an interview.

Jalel Harchaoui, Global Initiative senior fellow and an expert on Libya, said Wednesday's talks must go beyond a simple declaration of intent if they are to make a real impact.

"Is there a mechanism for (the fighters) to leave? Are Libyans pushing for them to leave in real life on the ground? No," he said.

But he voiced hope that the talks would bring tangible help on the upcoming elections.

"Somebody could come up with a good idea of agreeing on a constitutional basis in July and be on course for elections in December," he said, referring to a key requisite for the polls.

"I think there's a good chance (for elections by year's end) and the Berlin process could help."

Four aid groups working in Libya meanwhile urged world powers to address the humanitarian situation of Libyans.

"The stability of Libya will not come about by just holding elections or withdrawing foreign fighters," said Dax Roque, the Norwegian Refugee Council's Country Director in Libya.

"High-level discussions will fall short if they don't also address the devastation inflicted on peoples' lives and the very infrastructure on which they depend day to day."

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Israel's new foreign minister will head to the United Arab Emirates next week for the first known visit by a top Israeli diplomat to the Gulf Arab country, the ministry said Monday.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's trip comes after the two countries normalized relations last year in an agreement brokered by the Trump administration, the first of four similar deals with Arab states.

Both Israel's new government and the Biden administration have said they hope to reach similar accords with other Arab states. Israel and the UAE have meanwhile continued working to deepen ties despite last month's Gaza war.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Lapid will visit the UAE June 29-30, and will inaugurate an Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate in Dubai.

``Ties between Israel and the UAE are an important relationship, the fruits of which will be enjoyed not only by the citizens of the two countries, but by the entire Middle East,'' it said in a statement.

Lapid was the driving force behind a new Israeli government sworn in just over a week ago that ended Benjamin Netanyahu's record 12-year run as prime minister. Netanyahu and Trump had held up the agreements with the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco as among their biggest achievements.

Israelis have flocked to the UAE since the agreement was reached to enjoy futuristic Dubai. The UAE is a major global travel hub, and normalization has made it much easier for Israelis to travel further afield. The two countries have also signed a raft of agreements to cooperate in commerce, technology and other fields.

Israel's i24NEWS announced Monday that it has secured a broadcast license to operate in the UAE and will open its own bureau in Dubai Media City. The 24-hour channel, which aims to cover international news from an Israeli perspective, is already carried by the UAE's Etisalat and du cable providers.

Shortly after the Israel-UAE accord was reached, the Trump administration authorized the sale of 50 advanced F-35 fighter jets to the UAE, which would make it only the second country in the Middle East, after Israel, to acquire them.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Turkey's highest court on Monday accepted an indictment by a top prosecutor seeking to disband a pro-Kurdish opposition party on terror-related charges.

The Constitutional Court ruled in favor of hearing the case against the People's Democratic Party, or HDP, which was filed by the chief appeals court prosecutor who is accusing it of allegedly colluding with the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, and of seeking to ``destroy the unity of the state.''

The prosecutor is demanding that the party be dissolved, that it be deprived of treasury funding and that about 450 party members be barred from holding political office for five years.

This was chief prosecutor Bekir Sahin's second petition seeking HDP's closure after the Constitutional Court rejected a previous attempt in March, citing procedural deficiencies.

The HDP said the closure case was ``the culmination of a months-long political campaign'' against the party.

``Everyone has seen with their own eyes that this is a political operation,'' said HDP chairman Mithat Sancar. ``We won't allow the struggle for (democracy) to regress. This case will further increase our determination for democratic politics and our determination to expand the struggle.''

The move against the HDP _ the second-largest opposition party in Turkey's parliament _ comes amid a widespread government crackdown. Dozens of elected HDP lawmakers and mayors _ including former co-chairs Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag _ as well as thousands of party members have been arrested on terror-related accusations. Meanwhile, several HDP mayors who were elected in 2019 have been replaced by state-appointed trustees.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called HDP members terrorists, while his nationalist party allies have repeatedly called for the party to be shut down. Erdogan's government has also been behind a general crackdown on dissent ever since a failed 2016 coup attempt.

The main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, which has long accused Turkey's judiciary of being under the influence of Erdogan's government, suggested on Monday that the prosecutor had received ``instructions'' to open the case.

``The closure of a party through a case that was opened under instructions will hurt the people's conscience,'' said CHP spokesman Faik Oztrak.

On Thursday, a gunman attacked an HDP office in Izmir, western Turkey, killing a female employee. The assailant entered the building, fired shots and attempted to set it on fire, the party said. He was arrested.

The Kurds are scattered mainly in southeastern Turkey as well as parts of Syria, Iraq and Iran. They constitute Turkey's largest ethnic minority group and make up an estimated 20% of the country's population.

The PKK is considered a terror organization by Turkey, the European Union and the U.S. The group has led an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people.

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Iran's only nuclear power plant has been temporarily shut down as authorities on Monday gave conflicting reports on an apparent regular maintenance operation.

The Bushehr plant and its 1,000-megawatt reactor, on Iran's southern coast, were built by Russia and officially handed over in September 2013, despite concerns over its location in an earthquake-prone area.

The shutdown comes as Tehran and world powers attempt to revive a hobbled 2015 agreement on Iran's nuclear programme in Vienna talks, which an EU negotiator said Sunday were moving "closer to a deal".

That agreement is staunchly opposed by Israel, which Tehran has accused in the past of sabotage against its nuclear activities.

"Following a technical fault at Bushehr power plant, and after a one-day notice to the energy ministry, the plant was temporarily shut down and taken off the power grid," the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said on its website Sunday.

It said the plant would be reconnected to the grid and the issue would be resolved "in a few days", without further details.

Iran's national electricity company had urged Iranians to minimise consumption due to a "predicted rise in temperature" and "limitations in power generation due to ongoing repairs" at Bushehr.

The company said repairs may continue until Friday.

- 'Routine' -

Nuclear plants regularly shut down for maintenance and to change the fuel supplying their reactors.

Foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh described the shutdown as "routine", saying it had been announced beforehand and was carried out "once or twice each year".

But the latest AEOI statement, quoting its chief Ali Akbar Salehi, reported a "major repairs operation and performance improvement" at the plant on May 26.

The plant refreshed its fuel and underwent repairs on June 22 last year, according to the body.

The AEOI's deputy chief, Mahmoud Jafari, said in late March that Iran was having a difficult time obtaining supplies to run Bushehr because of US sanctions, and warned of a an imminent shutdown "if no solution is found".

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday it was aware of the AEOI announcement.

"In line with standard practice, the IAEA is in contact with AEOI for further information," the international agency said in a statement.

Russian and Iranian firms began building two additional 1,000-megawatt reactors at Bushehr in 2016. Their construction was expected to take 10 years.

Iran's Gulf Arab neighbours have often raised concerns about the reliability of the facility and the risk of radioactive leaks in the event of a major earthquake.

In April, Bushehr province was shaken by a 5.9-magnitude earthquake, leaving five people injured but causing "no damage" to the nuclear complex, according to authorities.

Also in April, Iran accused Israel of being behind a "terrorist" attack on its Natanz uranium enrichment plant, after a "small explosion" at that facility.

- Blackouts -

Iran started rolling blackouts in May after Tehran and several other cities were hit by unannounced power cuts, which sparked complaints from consumers and an apology from the energy minister.

The shortages were blamed on heat, drought impacting hydropower generation, and surging electricity demand partly due to crypto-currency mining.

Power cuts in the peak summer months are not uncommon in Iran, but a government report last month said precipitation was down 34 percent compared to the country's long-term average, and warned of reduced water supplies for the year.

Since late May, the energy ministry has regularly notified citizens of potential blackouts.

Iran's outgoing President Hassan Rouhani last month announced a ban on all crypto-currency mining until September to reduce consumption.

The Islamic republic has announced plans to construct 20 nuclear power plants in the long term in order to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

The 2015 nuclear deal promised Iran sanctions relief in return for limits on its nuclear programme.

The deal was torpedoed in 2018 after the former US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from it and reimposed punishing sanctions on the Islamic republic.

Trump's successor Joe Biden favours rejoining the accord and the remaining parties are engaged in negotiations in Vienna to try to salvage it.

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President Joe Biden's special envoy for North Korea said Monday he hopes to see a positive reaction from the North soon on U.S. offers for talks after the North Korean leader ordered officials to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation.

Sung Kim, Biden's special representative for North Korea, is in Seoul to speak with South Korean and Japanese officials about the United States' stalled diplomacy with the North over its nuclear program and U.S.-led sanctions.

The trilateral talks followed a North Korean political conference last week where leader Kim Jong Un called for stronger efforts to improve his nation's economy, further battered last year by pandemic border closures and now facing worsening food shortages.

The U.S. envoy Sung Kim said the allies took note of the North Korean leader's comments and are hoping the North will respond positively to the proposal of a meeting.

``We continue to hope that the DPRK will respond positively to our outreach and our offer to meet anywhere, anytime without preconditions,'' Kim said during his meeting with South Korean and Japanese nuclear envoys, Noh Kyu-duk and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively. He was referring to the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry said the officials from the three countries reaffirmed a coordinated approach toward North Korea and shared commitment to work toward a quick resumption of dialogue.

North Korea's economic setbacks followed the collapse of Kim Jong Un's ambitious summitry with then-President Donald Trump in 2019, when the Americans rejected the North Koreans' demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of their nuclear capabilities.

Kim Jong Un in recent political speeches has threatened to bolster his nuclear deterrent and claimed that the fate of diplomacy and bilateral relations depends on whether Washington abandons what he calls hostile policies.

U.S. officials have suggested Biden would take the middle ground between Trump's direct dealings with Kim and President Barack Obama's policy of ``strategic patience.'' But some experts say the North likely must take concrete steps toward denuclearization before the Biden administration would ease any sanctions.

South Korea, which is eager for inter-Korean engagement, has expressed optimism about a quick resumption of diplomacy.

Seoul's Unification Ministry said Kim's comments during a ruling party meeting last week, where he said he expected both dialogue and confrontation with the United States, demonstrated a flexibility toward diplomacy.

But others saw Kim's comments as merely a reiteration of Pyongyang's wait-and-see stance of insisting Washington budge and offer concessions first.

While Kim urged officials to boost agricultural production and brace for prolonged COVID-19 restrictions, none of the decisions reported after the party meeting seemed directly related to facilitating talks with the United States.

While displaying an openness to talks, the Biden administration has provided little detail about its policy on North Korea beyond a long-term principle of taking a ``calibrated and practical approach'' on diplomacy while simultaneously upholding sanctions against the country.

Thae Yong Ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected and was elected a South Korean lawmaker, posted on Facebook that Kim's comments at the party meeting seemed tailored to mirror what the Biden administration has said about the North.

``Advocates of engagement see Kim Jong Un's recent mention of dialogue as a sign North Korea is opening the door for talks, but Pyongyang has not yet expressed a willingness for working-level negotiations on denuclearization,'' said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

He said the North may return to negotiations only after demonstrating its strength with post-pandemic economic recovery and provocative military tests, which could possibly come later this summer when the United States and South Korea usually hold their combined military exercises. The allies describe the drills as defensive in nature, but the North claims they are invasion rehearsals.

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A tornado swept through communities in heavily populated suburban Chicago, damaging more than 100 homes, toppling trees, knocking out power and causing multiple injuries, officials said.

There was relief Monday, though, as authorities reported that it appeared no one had died. Less than a dozen people were hurt in the tornado that touched down after 11 p.m. Sunday, and all were expected to recover.

At least eight people were hospitalized in Naperville, where 22 homes were left ``uninhabitable`` and more than 130 homes were damaged in the suburb of 147,500 people that's about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Chicago.

Two people initially described in critical condition had improved by Monday afternoon, said Naperville Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis.

``It could have been a lot worse, I will say that,'' Puknaitis said. ``When you look at the destruction that has occurred over this five square block area or so, it's amazing that we can stand here and report that we only had eight people that were transported to a hospital.''

Officials in the nearby village of Woodridge said a tornado damaged at least 100 structures. The village's fire chief said three people were taken to hospitals, but he could not provide more detail on their injuries during a Monday press conference.

Woodridge Police Chief Brian Cunningham said early warnings likely minimized the number of injuries.

``It was a nighttime event, a lot of people were sleeping, weren't aware of what was going on,'' he said. ``The early warning got people to shelter. And the fact that there's only three people injured and the amount of devastation that's in the community, it's just amazing.`` The storm destroyed the second floor of Bridget Casey's Woodridge home. She sat in a lawn chair in the driveway before sunrise Monday. Her 16-year-old son, Nate, said he was watching TV when the storm swept through and he raced to help his mother get his three younger siblings to the basement.

``I just heard a loud crash and I'm thinking, `Oh, what are my brothers up to?' I go look and I see the sky, and then I hear my brothers screaming from the room,'' he told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Mayor Gina Cunningham called the damage to homes and other property in the village ``extensive.''

``I'm just emotional because it is devastating to drive through the community that I grew up in and worked in and share with so many wonderful neighbors,'' she said.

The tornado was confirmed by radar, and a team with the National Weather Service began surveying damage Monday to determine its strength and path. The agency said one tornado likely caused damage in Naperville, Woodridge and Darien.

``If there were no fatalities _ and there haven't been any reported to us _ that's great news considering the population of the area, the level of damage and the time of day, after 11 p.m. when many people may be asleep,`` Matt Friedlein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville said.

Radar also showed storm rotation over several other areas of suburban Chicago, and in northwestern Indiana in the Hobart and South Haven areas, Friedlein said.

The weather service was surveying areas of northern Indiana and southern Michigan to determine if damage there was caused by tornadoes or high winds, said Nathan Marsili with the National Weather Service. He noted that the town of Fremont in Indiana's far northeastern corner sustained ``pretty significant damage.''

Northern Indiana Public Service Co. reported that more than 15,000 of its customers remained without power at mid-afternoon Monday.

Severe storms also hit other parts of the Midwest. A tornado damaged several buildings and knocked down power lines and trees in eastern Iowa on Sunday night. And in Missouri, a thunderstorm with strong winds whipped through parts of the state, knocking down trees and power lines.

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Taliban fighters took control of a key district in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province Monday and encircled the provincial capital, police said, as the insurgent group added to its string of recent victories on the battlefield.

Fighting around Imam Sahib district began late Sunday and by mid-day Monday the Taliban had overrun the district headquarters and were in control of police headquarters, said Inamuddin Rahmani, provincial police spokesman said.

Taliban militants were within a kilometer (mile) of Kunduz, the provincial capital but had not entered into the city, he said, although there were reports of small bands of Taliban near the outskirts and residents trying to leave for Kabul.

Dozens of districts have fallen to the Taliban since May 1, when U.S. and NATO troops began their final departure from Afghanistan. Like Imam Sahib district in northern Kunduz, their significance often lies in their proximity to roads and major cities.

Imam Sahib is strategically located near Afghanistan's northern border with Tajikistan, a key supply route from Central Asia.

Rahmani said police and Afghan National Army soldiers had jointly tried to defend the district. He said it still wasn't clear how many casualties the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces suffered in the protracted battle or how many Taliban were killed or wounded.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed confirmed Imam Sahib district was in Taliban hands.

Several other districts in Kunduz have also fallen to the insurgent group in the latest round of fighting, including Dasht-e-Archi, which neighbors Imam Sahib, said Rahmani, further consolidating local transportation links in the area.

Syed Mohammad Mousavi drove with his family to the relative safety of Kabul from northern Mazar-e-Sharif, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Kunduz on Sunday.

He said people were trying to leave Kunduz city for Kabul fearing additional fighting. ``The Taliban were all over the road, checking cars. We were very scared,'' he said after reaching the capital.

In recent days, the Taliban have taken several districts across the three northern provinces of Kunduz, Baghlan and Balkh, said Mousavi. Significantly, witnesses said Doshi district in Baghlan province was in Taliban hands, which if it true gives the insurgent group control of the one road that links five northern provinces to the capital Kabul.

The Taliban have circulated videos on their website and to WhatsApp groups which they claim show government soldiers who have surrendered being told to return to their homes and receiving money from the Taliban. On Sunday, Taliban leader Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhunzada issued a statement ordering his soldiers to ``treat those who surrender well and display good behavior with them.''

But the fighting has been bitter in some districts with both sides suffering casualties. A senior police official speaking on condition he not be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media said the police fighting in the districts are mostly from poor families. Those families have remained poor despite the trillions of dollars spent in Afghanistan in the past 20 years. ``They have not seen changes in their lives and are indifferent so they see no difference. ... They want to save their lives just for today.``

Taliban gains and the steady withdrawal of the remaining 2,500-3,500 U.S. troops and 7,000 NATO forces have lent an urgency to efforts to find a negotiated end to Afghanistan's protracted conflict.

Talks between the government and the Taliban taking place in Qatar have been stalemated. While Taliban leaders say they are ready to negotiate, observers familiar with the talks say the insurgent movement seems more anxious to chalk up military gains hoping to strengthen their negotiating position.

Meanwhile, the White House on Sunday announced that President Joe Biden will meet Friday in Washington with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the country's High Council for National Reconciliation, which overseas the government's negotiation team.

Friday's meeting, according to a White House statement, is intended to re-affirm America's financial and humanitarian aid ``to support the Afghan people, including Afghan women, girls and minorities.''

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday their conversation would also ``continue to discuss how we can work together to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups who pose a threat to the U.S. homeland.``

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Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hisham El-Din Hussein met on Monday with Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) Yehia Zaki to discuss investment opportunities in the economic zone

The Malaysian FMs visit is his first to Egypt since he took up his position last March.

The meeting addressed attracting Malaysian investments in the Suez Canal industrial zones and affiliated ports.

Zaki presented the most important points of the strategy on which the zone is based, as well as the regulations and laws issued during the last period to attract more investments and create a favourable business climate for investors.

The Malaysian FM referred to the importance of cooperation with the Suez Canal Economic Zone to attract Malaysian investments, expressing his country's desire to pump investments into Egypt, as it is the gateway to Africa.

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Within the framework of the year of humanitarian cooperation between Egypt and Russia, which came at the initiative of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a delegation from the Egyptian Association of Graduates from Russian and Soviet Universities, in cooperation with the Egyptian-Russian University, planted an olive tree in the university yard in Badr City as a symbol of friendship between Egypt and Russia and an embodiment of the historical friendship and cooperation between the two peoples.

The ceremony of planting the friendship tree was attended by Makarem El-Ghamry, professor of Russian literature and former dean of the Faculty of Al-Alsun at Ain Shams University; Fathy Toughan, secretary-general of the Egyptian Association of Graduates from Russian and Soviet Universities; together with Hanaa Abdelrahman, supervisor of student activities at the Egyptian-Russian University.

President of the Egyptian-Russian University Sherif Fakhry explained that planting the tree comes within the framework of the university administrations keenness to build bridges of communication with the Russian side and to consolidate cooperation between the university and the Russian cultural centres in Egypt, pointing out that the growth of the friendship tree in the university's square will remain an expression of the authenticity and continuity of relations between the two peoples, and a reminder to students and visitors over the coming years of the importance of this distinguished relationship.

On the sidelines, Fakhry honoured student of the Department of Construction Engineering at the university Bassem Allam for obtaining second-place across Egypt this year in the Russian Language Olympiad organised by the Russian Cultural Centre. Allam was previously honoured by Director of the Russian Cultural Centres in Egypt Aleksey Tevanyan.

Sherif Gad, president of the Egyptian Association of Graduates from Russian and Soviet Universities, stated that the associations initiative demonstrates the depth of historical relations between the two countries in light of the year of humanitarian cooperation between Egypt and Russia, adding that the initiative was carried out in cooperation with one of the major Egyptian educational and cultural institutions to highlight the enlightening role of Russian culture in Egyptian society.

For his part, Arseny Starkov, deputy director of the Russian Cultural Centre in Cairo, expressed his happiness to participate in planting the olive tree as an embodiment of Egyptian-Russian friendship, as well as three small lemon trees, especially since this initiative coincided with the Russian Federation's celebrations of the 76th anniversary of the victory in World War II.

The celebration was concluded with an artistic performance by student Abdelrahman El-Iraqi, who recited a poem in Russian.

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It took Radostina Neykova over a year to make Marmalad; preparing over 3500 hand-embroidered pieces needed for the five-minute animation film, which is competing at the 22nd edition of the Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts, running between 16 and 22 June.

To show is better than to talk. These are samples of the material. Different parts with different sizes, I move them a little bit when I shoot, frame-by-frame, to get the animation. By touching for movements, the animation gets more emotional and more real explained multi-awarded Neykova to tens of filmmakers, critics, and audiences attending her seminar at the Ismailia Cultural Palace on Sunday, while showing some pieces she made for the film.

I use [the] minimum [amount of] digital work. In fact, real materials transform feelings better, especially when we are targeting kids. I use different kinds of materials for animation, but I prefer to use touchable materials.

I want to show kids something different. Its very good for children because it also involves activities, added the associate professor in the Institute of Arts Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Science and the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, who expressed how embroidering could be a relaxing activity.

Among the attendees was the Bulgarian ambassador, who was keen to congratulate the director and ask about the previous awards the film received. Neykova added that the film participated in about 40 festivals around the globe, receiving eight different awards.

The director of the awarded animated shorts Ugly Fairy Tale (2018), Grumpy Does Repairs (2015), and Trip (2011) has gained very positive feedback in Ismailia and was saluted by different attendees, including the Festival Manager, Samir Farag, who is a veteran cinematographer.

Marmalads synopsis reads; sometimes, if you want to become a hero, you just have to fly. Innovation handmade embroidery animation while its maker proved herself as a hero too, flying up high with inspiring dedication.

In the same category that combines 15 films, Russian 28-year-old talented director Pavel Nikiforov had his 8-minute film   (Scariest) discussed at the same venue on Saturday, gaining praise and congratulations as well. The film tells the story of how a huge Buffalo became friends with a small bird and how this friendship changed him.

Other films in the same contest include the UKs Push This Button if You Begin to Panic by Gabriel Bohmer, Belgiums Carrousel by Jasmine Elsen, Jordons Falling into the Summit by Aya Ammar, Ukraines Family Name in the Pocket by Stepan Koval, Polands I'm Here by Julia Orlik, Denmarks Nomads by Anna Rueskov Schleicher, Austrias One Left by Sebastian Doringer, Spains Routine: The Prohibition by Samuel Orti Marti, South Koreas Salvia at Nine by Jang Nari, Frances Dreams in the Field by Magda Guidi and Mara Cerri, Frances Souvenir Souvenir by Bastien Dubois, Spains The Terrible Girls by David Orellana, and Russias Toy by Rita Shagray.

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

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Injured Hummels, Mueller, Gundogan miss Germany training



AFP, , Monday 21 Jun 2021



German daily Bild claim Mueller will miss the Hungary game on Wednesday, but a DFB spokesman denied the report and insisted it was too early to say



Mats Hummels, Thomas Mueller and Ilkay Gundogan missed Germany training on Monday with injury knocks, two days before their crunch match against Hungary at Euro 2020.



The trio all started Saturday's 4-2 win over Portugal which put the Mannschaft's European Championship campaign back on track, but Hummels and Mueller are both resting knee injuries, while Gundogan took a blow to the calf.



German daily Bild claim Mueller will miss the Hungary game on Wednesday, but a DFB spokesman denied the report and insisted it was too early to say.



Replacement right-back Lukas Klostermann, who has yet to play a minute of Euro 2020, also sat out Monday's session at Germany's camp in Bavaria with a hamstring strain.



The German Football Association (DFB) has not said whether Mueller, Gundogan or Hummels will be fit to start their final Group F match against Hungary in Munich.



Germany, who are second in the group, need a win to be sure of reaching last 16, but a draw could be enough if France do not lose to Portugal in Budapest on Wednesday.



Hungary, who are bottom of the table with a point after Saturday's 1-1 draw with France, must win to avoid elimination.



(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter [email protected]_Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports.)



https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/414717.aspx
Egypt's flexibility in GERD negotiations met with Ethiopia's intransigence: Irrigation minister



Ahram Online, , Monday 21 Jun 2021



In a meeting on Monday, Minister Abdel-Ati discussed with the South Sudanese FM the latest developments concerning the decade-long row over the GERD



Egyptian Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati has said that Egypt's flexibility during the negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been met with intransigence from Ethiopia.



In a meeting on Monday, Minister Abdel-Ati discussed with South Sudanese Foreign Minister Beatrice Khamisa Wani the latest developments concerning the decade-long row between Cairo, Khartoum, and Addis Ababa over the GERD.



Egypt and Sudan have resorted to international diplomacy in the past weeks, briefing regional and international counterparts on their stances and developments in the latest deadlock in negotiations.



Tripartite negotiations between Ethiopia and downstream countries Egypt and Sudan stalled in April after Addis Ababa rejected the two countries' request to include the US, the EU, and the UN in mediation talks, alongside the African Union (AU), the current mediator.



Tensions have mounted further as Addis Ababa remains intent on moving forward with the second filling of the GERDs reservoir next month despite the lack of a binding instrument with Cairo and Khartoum.



Minister Abdel-Ati, who is on a multi-day visit to Juba that started earlier today and is set to last until Friday, is set to hold talks on promoting bilateral cooperation, including in the field of water management, the Egyptian Ministry said in a statement.



Abdel-Ati and Wani also discussed boosting cooperation between Cairo and Juba via the Egyptian-South Sudanese higher committee, which is expected to convene in Cairo in July.



Minister Abdel-Ati expressed his appreciation for the staunch relations between the two countries, and the continued efforts made by both sides to strengthen all aspects of cooperation.



Abdel-Ati is due to meet senior South Sudanese government officials and tour many projects that Egypt is implementing there.



The Egyptian irrigation ministry has established six groundwater plants around Juba and seven more inside the capital.



Some river piers have also been established to connect major cities and villages in South Sudan, according to a previous statement by Abdel-Ati.



https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/414757.aspx
KYODO NEWS - Jun 21, 2021 - 22:37 | World, All, Coronavirus

North Korea's ruling Workers' Party discussed how to "overcome the present food crisis," at its four-day plenary meeting of the Central Committee through Friday, state-run television reported.

It is rare for North Korea to use the expression "food crisis" when describing the state of the nation, raising concern that its citizens are facing difficulties in obtaining daily necessities with trade stifled amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was quoted by the official Korean Central News Agency as saying at the gathering that the food situation is "getting tense," as the nation's agricultural sector was devastated by powerful typhoons and flooding last year.

KCNA reported Friday that the plenary meeting talked about how to "stabilize and improve the people's living." But Korean Central Television has said the agenda was called "emergency measures to overcome the present food crisis."

North Korea's economy has languished further as the global outbreak of the virus has choked the country's trade with China and the farming industry has become sluggish.

Although Pyongyang claims it has had no virus infections, the nation has cut off traffic to and from China and Russia since early last year, with fears growing that the virus -- first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 -- may spread across its borders.

China is known as Pyongyang's closest and most influential ally in economic terms. North Korea depends on China for more than 90 percent of its trade.

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 its nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions.

Previously, it barred foreigners from entering the country during the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014.

China's ambassador to North Korea, meanwhile, stressed the importance of bilateral relations in a rare op-ed published Monday in the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the Workers' Party.

Li Jinjun said North Korea has developed under the leadership of Kim and it has been taking effective steps to prevent the entry of the virus.

Sunday marked the 2nd anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping's first visit to North Korea since he came to power in 2013. Li is scheduled to be replaced by Wang Yajun, a senior official of the ruling Communist Party, in the not-so-distant future.

Related coverage:

North Korea's Kim vows to draw serious lesson from defects exposed in 2021

North Korea's Kim vows to prepare for dialogue, confrontation with U.S.

North Korean leader Kim voices concern over country's food situation
KYODO NEWS - Jun 21, 2021 - 14:10 | All, Japan

A Tokyo court has fined former trade minister Isshu Sugawara 400,000 yen ($3,600) for sending money and flowers to voters in his constituency in violation of Japan's election law, court officials said Monday.

The Tokyo Summary Court has also ordered suspension of Sugawara's right to vote or run for public office for three years.

On June 8, prosecutors issued a summary indictment against Sugawara, dealing a blow to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, which was already under fire for similar scandals involving former ministers.

Sugawara, 59, briefly headed the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 2019 under then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He left the LDP on June 2 and resigned from the House of Representatives the following day.

According to the indictment, Sugawara donated a total of 530,000 yen as condolence and congratulatory money and spent 270,000 yen on flowers given to 33 organizations and 26 people in his constituency in Tokyo between 2018 and 2019.

Such a violation of the Public Offices Election Law usually leads to a five-year suspension of the right to vote or run in an election, though courts can choose to shorten the period.

The former minister said in a statement he takes the punishment "seriously and deeply regrets" what he did.

In June last year, prosecutors decided not to indict Sugawara after taking into account that he had stepped down as minister in October 2019 and apologized for the matter.

But the case was revived after a civil inquest body decided in February his alleged actions merited indictment.

Related coverage:

Ex-trade minister faces summary indictment over gift scandal

Ex-trade minister resigns as lawmaker over gift scandal

Ex-Japan trade minister merits indictment over gift scandal: panel
KYODO NEWS - Jun 21, 2021 - 22:07 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

Japan's COVID-19 vaccination program for people under the age of 65 went into full swing Monday as companies and universities have joined hands with the government in launching on-site inoculations at hundreds of venues.

With Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga aiming to complete vaccinations by November, the government has allowed companies and universities to launch their own inoculation programs for the under-65s.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a press conference that the vaccination programs of companies and universities had been carried out at 266 venues as of Monday, including those started earlier by some companies.

The program is currently limited to companies with large workforces and universities with large student bodies. Further expansion of the vaccination rate will depend on whether the government can expand vaccinations to smaller universities, as well as small and midsized companies.

The proportion of the population as a whole to have received two shots now stands at 3.6 percent, according to government data.

A two-dose vaccine developed by U.S. biotech firm Moderna Inc. is used for vaccinations at universities and workplaces, as is the case at mass vaccination sites run by the Self-Defense Forces and local governments.

Universities and companies are required to secure medical professionals and venues to provide shots, and many of those carrying out on-site inoculation programs are universities with medical faculties or major companies.

On Monday, Tohoku University, Hiroshima University, Keio University and Kindai University started programs, while Itochu Corp., Central Japan Railway Co. and SoftBank Group Corp. were among companies taking such initiatives.

All Nippon Airways Co. and Japan Airlines Co. started their inoculation programs last week, earlier than the schedule set by the government.

Kato, the government's top spokesman, visited Itochu's Tokyo headquarters to check on vaccinations being administered at the workplace, while Taro Kono, minister in charge of Japan's vaccination effort, got his first shot at the education ministry.

During the visit, Kato cited the significance of workplace vaccinations, saying such measures would free up space for local authorities to inoculate other people such as the self-employed and homemakers.

Kato said the government is preparing to vaccinate Japanese nationals living overseas after the summer at Narita and Haneda airports and is considering issuing vaccination certificates to those who need them.

Nippon Sport Science University is not only vaccinating its students and staff but also workers in the surrounding area.

Eiko Hayashi, 53, who works at a nearby restaurant, thanked the university for giving her a shot, saying, "As a service worker, I am relieved to get vaccinated, courtesy of the university."

As students lined up for their vaccination, Kosuke Kato, 19, a first-year student at the university, said, "I hope I can experience a more student-like life soon."

The daily lives of students at the university, which is aiming to inoculate some 7,500 people, have undergone significant changes since the coronavirus pandemic forced them to introduce online classes and restrict club activities.

"We would like to help students spend time on campus safely," said a university official.

At Kansai University in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, a 22-year-old female student from South Korea said, "I want to return to my home country and visit different countries after getting vaccinated."

Some other universities with medical departments said they will help vaccinate students from other universities.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, the government had accepted applications from companies and universities for inoculations of about 14.64 million people at 3,795 venues.

The government has ended the coronavirus state of emergency covering nine prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka, leaving only Okinawa under it until July 11 as hospitals in the southern island prefecture remain under strain from a surge in COVID-19 patients.

Among the nine prefectures, seven, including the capital, on Monday shifted to a quasi-state of emergency, allowing targeted measures for specific areas rather than entire prefectures.

The quasi-state of emergency measures have also been in place since April in three other prefectures near Tokyo.

Related coverage:

86% in Japan fear COVID rebound if Tokyo Olympics held: Kyodo poll

Tokyo gov't begins COVID-19 vaccinations for Olympic workers, media

Japan starts vaccinating people aged 18 or older at state-run centers
KYODO NEWS - Jun 22, 2021 - 05:53 | All, World, Coronavirus

The White House said Monday that countries and regions including in Asia and Latin America will get coronavirus vaccines as part of the second batch of the 80 million doses the United States has pledged to share worldwide by the end of June.

India and Taiwan, both of which have faced a surge in infection cases in recent months, have been among the recipients of the first 25 million doses. The latest announcement covers the allocation of the remaining 55 million doses.

Millions of doses have already been sent out to the world, including 2.5 million doses that arrived in Taiwan over the weekend, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told a press conference.

But she indicated that the United States is having difficulty in following through on President Joe Biden's promise to send all of the 80 million doses to the designated locations by the end of this month.

"What we've found to be the biggest challenge is not actually the supply -- we have plenty of doses to share with the world -- but this is a Herculean logistical challenge," she said, noting the complexities of ensuring needles, alcohol pads and other necessary supplies as well as vaccine storage facilities to maintain the proper temperatures.

Of the 55 million doses, some 41 million will be shared through the U.N.-backed COVAX global vaccine sharing program, with 14 million going to Latin America and the Caribbean, 16 million to Asia, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan, and 10 million to Africa.

About 14 million will be shared directly with countries in Asia, Africa and elsewhere, including Gaza, where Palestinians have recently suffered heavy Israeli bombing, according to the White House.

In addition to sharing doses from the United States' own vaccine supply, Biden announced ahead of the Group of Seven summit in Britain earlier this month that his administration will purchase 500 million doses of the Pfizer Inc. vaccine and donate them to 92 low- and lower middle-income countries and members of the African Union.
KYODO NEWS - Jun 21, 2021 - 18:20 | World, All, Japan

U.S., Japanese and South Korean envoys agreed Monday to continue cooperating toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through early resumption of dialogue with North Korea, the South's Foreign Ministry said.

At the outset of their in-person meeting in Seoul, Sung Kim, the newly appointed U.S. special representative for North Korea, expressed hope for a positive response from the North following U.S. overtures for dialogue.

The meeting also drew Takehiro Funakoshi, head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, and Noh Kyu Duk, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs.

The three "agreed to continue cooperation among the three countries to bring effective progress in achieving complete denuclearization and permanent peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula by resuming talks with North Korea as soon as possible," the ministry said in a statement.

"We continue to hope that the DPRK will respond positively to our outreach, and our offer to meet anywhere, anytime without preconditions," Kim said at the outset. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has recently finished a review of its North Korea policy and signaled its readiness for dialogue with North Korea, while building on a 2018 bilateral agreement that included Pyongyang's commitment toward denuclearization.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week "stressed the need to get prepared for both dialogue and confrontation, especially to get fully prepared for confrontation" with the Biden administration, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

Monday's meeting was the first face-to-face trilateral talks as U.S. special envoy for North Korea for Kim, who was appointed to the position last month. He doubles as ambassador to Indonesia.

"Our policy calls for a calibrated, practical approach that is open to and will explore diplomacy with the DPRK, as we seek to make practical progress that increases the security of the United States and our allies," Kim also said.

But the U.S. envoy indicated that Washington would also continue applying pressure on Pyongyang, stressing that U.N. Security Council resolutions against North Korea will continue to be implemented to address ongoing threats it poses to international society.

At the same meeting, Japan gained support from the United States and South Korea when it sought anew their understanding and cooperation on the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Funakoshi and Noh held a separate meeting on the same day, as Kim and Noh did before the three-way meeting.

At the first U.S.-North Korea summit in 2018 in Singapore, Kim Jong Un and Biden's predecessor Donald Trump agreed Washington would provide security guarantees to Pyongyang in return for "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

At his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae In in May, Biden signaled that his policy would build on the 2018 agreement, focusing on the denuclearization goal as well as improving relations between the United States and North Korea.

Related coverage:

North Korea's Kim vows to prepare for dialogue, confrontation with U.S.

Japan broke agreement to hold Suga-Moon talks at G-7: report

New U.S. policy toward North Korea builds partly on 2018 agreement
KYODO NEWS - Jun 22, 2021 - 00:50 | World, All, Coronavirus

U.S.-donated COVID-19 vaccines have arrived in Taiwan and President Tsai Ing-wen has expressed appreciation to the United States, promptly drawing a strong complaint from Communist-led mainland China on Monday.

The administration of President Joe Biden shipped free of charge 2.5 million doses of the vaccines to the self-ruled island developed by U.S. pharmaceutical company Moderna Inc., despite mounting criticism from China, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province.

Taipei has been grappling with a dramatic rise in coronavirus cases since May and has had difficulties in securing COVID-19 vaccines, as it claims Beijing has blocked vaccine provision to the democratic island.

After the vaccines reached Taiwan on Sunday, Tsai said in her Twitter post, "Your donation of 2.5 million vaccine doses will help save lives, & reflects the true friendship between our countries," thanking the United States.

The vaccine allocation to Taiwan can be seen as the latest sign of U.S. support for the island facing pressure from mainland China. Earlier this month, Japan, a close U.S. security ally, also donated vaccines developed by AstraZeneca Plc of Britain to Taiwan.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian urged the United States not to seek "political manipulation in the name of vaccine assistance" and not to interfere in the Asian nation's internal affairs.

The independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, led by Tsai, has "prevented the mainland from importing vaccines to Taiwan in every possible way," violating the "basic humanitarian spirit," Zhao told reporters in Beijing.

So far, around 6.4 percent of Taiwan's population, nearly 1.48 million people, have been given at least one dose, according to its health authorities.

Taiwan and China have been separately governed since they split in 1949 as a result of a civil war. The leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping is believed to be aiming to reunify the island with the mainland by force if necessary.

The United States switched its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979. Washington, however, remains committed to unofficial relations with Taipei.

While the mainland has endeavored to undermine Taiwan's quest for international recognition, the United States has recently forged closer ties with the island, becoming a factor that has escalated tensions between Beijing and Washington.
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is believed to hardsell India as an investment destination and will pitch the countrys as a major driver of global economic growth at World Economic Forum (WEF) held at Switzerlands Davos.

The theme of the World Economic Forum is 'Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World'.

PM Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to attend the WEF in over 20 years. H D Deve Gowda participated as a prime minister in the economic forum in 1997.

The Indian Prime Minister will be meeting Swiss President Alain Bersetand as he lands in Davos on Monday.

PM Modi to host round table dinner

According to a government officer, later in the evening the prime minister will also host a roundtable dinner at the main venue of the forum, which will be attended by at least 1500 delegates.

Around 40 global industry headincluding Airbus CEO Dirk Hoke, Hitachi Chairman Hiroaki Nakanishi and WEF founder Professor Klaus Schwab will take part.

Top bosses of multinational firms from 18 countries and 20 Indian CEOs will be attending the dinner, added the officer.

During the event, Indias achievement in business, along with the opportunities and the offers the country provides will be detailed to the participants. All attending the reception will get a glimpse of rich culture and taste Indian cuisine, the officer added.

Largest presence in 48 years

According to government officials Indias presence in the WEF is the largest in the last 48-years.

Around 130 chief executive officers (CEOs) will be attending the annual event, which will witness 70 heads of state and governments and 2000 business leaders.

The Indian delegation is being led by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), which includes Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, N Chandrasekaran, Rahul Bajaj, Chanda Kochhar, Azim Premji, Ajay Singh and Uday Kotak .

History of WEF

WEF was first held in 1971. Then it was known as European Management Forum. The first meeting was attended by 400 European business leaders at the Davos Congress Centre under the patronage of the European Commission.

In last 46 years, WEF held its annual meeting once outside Davos in 2002. The economic forum meeting was shifted to New York in 2002 to show solidarity with that city and the American public after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

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New Delhi:

A 22-year-old woman was dragged out of car and gang raped in front of her husband and brother-in-law in Haryanas Gurugram, police said on Tuesday. The Gurgaon Police claimed to have arrested all the five accused in the crime. The arrested have been identified as Deshveer, Dharmender, Pawan and Sanjeet, were arrested from Johalka village in Sohna on Monday afternoon. According to police, the family was returning from a function on Sunday evening from Tigra village, when they stopped their car in Business Park Tower in Sector 56. Four persons in inebriated condition passing in another car stopped near them and started a quarrel with the victims husband. Also read| Haryana rape horror: Woman gang raped in front of husband; CM Khattar appeals opposition not to politicise incidents

One of the attackers, on seeing the woman puller her out of the car, dragged her to roadside and raped her in front of family members, said Gurugram Police.

The assaulters prior escaping warned the family of dire consequences.

We managed to trace the four, as the victims husband had noted the registration number of the car, said Gurugram police.

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New Delhi:

President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday had disqualified 20 MLAs of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for holding offices of profit, a move that was described as unconstitutional and dangerous for democracy by the party.

President Kovind gave his assent to the recommendation by the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday. On the Presidents assent, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, said in a rally in Najafgarh, Many obstacles come into your way when you walk on the path of truth and honesty. The path of the truth is full of obstacles but visible and invisible powers of the universe come out to help you when you walk on it. And in the end, the truth prevails.

He indirectly targeted the BJP over disqualification of the MLAs and said, They tried to harass us. They lodged fabricated cases on our MLAs. They even targeted me with CBI raid but found nothing. Ultimately, they disqualified our 20 MLAs.

He took to Twitter and told his supporters to remain united and keep the faith as truth will prevail in the end.

   67       



          ,               Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 21, 2018

The Election Commission on Friday recommended to the President that the 20 MLAs were liable for disqualification for holding offices of profit between March 13, 2015 and September 8, 2016, following which President Kovind gave his acceptance on Saturday.

The MLAs were appointed parliamentary secretaries, who assist ministers with their work and this was described as them holding offices of profit by petitioner Prashant Patel. The party insisted that despite holding the office, these MLAs did not take any salaries or perks.

The Election Commission gave its opinion on the matter, and said, Whether or not the individual Parliamentary Secretaries had actually derived the benefits or participated in executive functions of the government is of no relevance.

The Commission had said that it is basing its opinion on judicial pronouncements of the past, the Government of National Capital Territory of Deli Act, and the Constitution.

The 20 MLAs who have been disqualified include Adarsh Shastri, Alka Lamba, Anil Bajpai, Avtar Singh, Kailash Gahlot, Madan Lal, Manoj Kumar, Naresh Yadav, Nitin Tyagi, Praveen Kumar, Rajesh Gupta, Rajesh Rishi, Sanjeev Jha, Sarita Singh, Som Dutt, Sharad Kumar, Shiv Charan Goel, Sukhbir Singh, Vijendar Garg, and Jarnail Singh.

Also Read: AAP's Gopal Rai announces compensation to Bawana Fire victims, says probe will reveal who was responsible

The Aam Aadmi Party had also approached the Delhi High Court seeking a stay on the Commissions recommendation and a hearing has been listed by the court for Monday. On Friday, the court had refused to pass any interim order of protection to AAP MLAs from being disqualified.

Madan Lal, one of the disqualified MLAs, said, We are expecting relief from the court. Our petition is coming up for hearing tomorrow. Alka Lamba, also one of the 20 MLAs to be disqualified, described the decision of the President as painful and said that the President should have heard them out once before arriving to any conclusion.

Yashwant Sinha, former Minister of Finance and External Affairs took to Twitter and said that the decision of the President was complete miscarriage of natural justice.

President's order disqualifying the 20 AAP MLAs is complete miscarriage of natural justice. No hearing, no waiting for High Court's order. It is Tughluqshahi of the worst order.  Yashwant Sinha (@YashwantSinha) January 21, 2018

The Election Commissions decision was to disqualify 21 MLAs of the party but one had resigned a few months back.

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New Delhi:

A Pakistani cleric allegedly killed a eight-year-old boy  who tried to run away from a religious seminary in Karachi, police said on Monday.

Pakistan Police have identified the arrested cleric as Qari Najmuddin and the deceased as Muhammad Hussain.

According to police, the boy died due to brutal beating by Najmuddin. The boy was beaten by a stick and a blunt object. Torture marks are visible on the boys body, Pakistani Police said.

Police further added that Hussain was given corporal punishment by the cleric for escaping classes in the past too.

The minor had managed to escape the seminary last week and brought back on Sunday by his parents. Najmuddin as corporal punishment beat the student with stick and other blunt objects, said Karachi Police.

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Mumbai:

The CBI on Tuesday said it will oppose the PIL filed in the Bombay High Court against the agency's decision not to challenge a lower court order discharging BJP president Amit Shah in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh alleged fake encounter case.

The public interest litigation, filed by the Bombay Lawyers Association last week, termed as "illegal, arbitrary and malafide" the CBI's action of not challenging the December 30, 2014 order of a special CBI court here discharging Shah.

"We are opposing the petition. We also have an issue on the maintainability of the petition. The discharge order is of December 2014...there is an issue of limitations," CBI counsel Anil Singh said in the high court.

A division bench of Justices SC Dharmadhikari and Bharti Dangre on Tuesday posted the petition for arguments on February 13 after the CBI counsel sought time.

Senior counsel Dushyant Dave, appearing for the petitioner, pointed to the bench that the PIL has also sought records from the high court administrative committee on why the CBI judge, who was initially assigned to conduct trial in the case, was transferred.

The Supreme Court had earlier shifted the trial in the case from Gujarat to Mumbai, and said it should be conducted and concluded expeditiously, Dave told the high court.

"The Supreme Court had said that the administrative committee of the high court would assign the case to a court where the trial may be concluded judiciously, in accordance with the law, and without any delay," said the petition.

"The apex court had said that the administrative committee would also ensure that the trial should be conducted from beginning to end by the same officer," it said.

To this, Justice Dharmadhikari said, "We leave it to the petitioner but we feel the institution (HC) should be kept out as far as possible. We request counsel Dave to take an appropriate decision on this."

The PIL has urged the high court to issue a direction to the CBI to file a revision application challenging the sessions court's order discharging Shah.

"The CBI is a premier investigating agency. It has the public duty to observe the rule of law in its action which it has miserably failed," the petition said.

It submitted that the trial court had similarly discharged two Rajasthan Police sub-inspectors Himanshu Singh and Shyam Singh Charan and senior Gujarat Police officer NK Amin.

"The petitioner has learnt that the CBI has challenged their discharge before the high court. This act of the CBI in challenging discharge of the accused persons on selective basis is arbitrary and unreasonable, rather malafide," it alleged.

Sohrabuddin Shaikh, who the Gujarat police claimed was also a terrorist, was killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Gujarat and Rajasthan police along with his wife Kauser Bi in November 2005.

The CBI took over the probe into the case in February 2010 and filed its charge sheet in July the same year against 23 accused, including Amit Shah, who at that time was minister of state for home in Gujarat.

The trial court over a period of time discharged several accused in the case, including three IPS officers.

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Karachi:

A top Pakistani police officer has been suspended after a probe committee found him guilty of staging a fake encounter and killing a budding model along with three other suspected Taliban militants.

Senior Superintendent of Police Rao Anwar and another senior policeman were suspended after a widespread uproar on the social media as friends and relatives of Naqeeb, 27, who hailed from North Waziristan, disputed the claims that he was a commander of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The committee found that Naqeeb had a shop in Sohrab Goth area in North Waziristan and was looking for a career in modelling and acting.

He had no prior links to any criminal or terror groups.

The police and protesters had clashed over the issue at Sohrab Goth area, leaving many injured.

Naqeeb and three other militants were gunned down by a raiding party led by Anwar on January 13 on the outskirts of Karachi with the police claiming that they were all members of the TTP.

Additional Inspector General (AIG) Counter-Terrorism Department Sanaullah Abbasi, who headed the probe committee, said that protection would be provided to the family of Naqeeb when they travel to Karachi to record their statements.

Naqeeb's family has said that he was picked up from his shop by Anwar earlier in January.

Anwar has become known for carrying out controversial "encounters" in which he claimed to have killed militants.

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New Delhi:

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tell people at World Economic Forum (WEF) why one per cent of India's population has 73 per cent of its wealth.

The Congress president who put out a tweet addressing to PM Modi quoting an Oxyfam survey tweeted, Dear PM, Welcome to Switzerland! Please tell DAVOS why 1% of Indias population gets 73% of its wealth. Im attaching a report for your ready reference."

Gandhi has been attacking the BJP-led NDA government for allegedly working for the rich and waiving their loans.

Dear PM,

Welcome to Switzerland! Please tell DAVOS why 1% of Indias population gets 73% of its wealth? Im attaching a report for your ready reference. https://t.co/lLSNOig5pE  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) January 23, 2018

PM Modi during the Plenary Session of the WEF to invite global companies to invest in India. In Davos he said, Come to India if you want prosperity with peace.

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New Delhi:

A special CBI court in Ranchi on Wednesday pronounced RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav as guilty and sentenced him to jail for 5 years. This is the third case of fodder scam against him.

The court also convicted former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra in the case. The fodder scam case, RC 68(A) / 1996, pertains to the fraudulence of Rs 33.67 crore from Chaibasa (now in Jharkhand) district treasury during 1992-93.

The RJD chief, is at present lodged in the Birsa Munda jail in Ranchi after being convicted on December 23 in a case pertaining to embezzlement of over Rs. 85 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury between 1991 and 1994.

Mishra, who was Lalus co-accused in the Deoghar scam as well was let off along with six others while a total of 17 accused including Lalu were pronounced guilty.

The RJD chief was on December 23 last year held guilty in the RC 64A/96 pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar Treasury and was handed 3.5 years imprisonment on January 6 this year by special CBI court judge Shiv Pal Singh.

On September 30, 2013, Lalu was held guilty in the RC 20A/96 pertaining to illegal withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore and given five-year prison term.

There are two more cases in Jharkhand where the verdict is expected in the next few months. In one case of Doranda Treasury, the trial is still going on, while in the Dumka Treasury case, the trial is in its final stages.

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New Delhi:

Ahead of Republic Day function, traffic restrictions will be enforced in the city. Due to the full dress rehearsal day on Tuesday half a dozen roads will be closed along with some diversions. The Republic Day Parade rehearsal will begin at 09.50 am from the Vijay Chowk and will proceed to Red Fort.

On India's 69th Republic Day 10 heads of Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN leaders will be present. This is the first time that, the Republic Day celebrations will have 10 chief guests from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei - will be hosted in this year's celebrations.

Here are the Live updates:





Delhi traffic police has issued a traffic advisory for the full dress rehearsal day. The Delhi Traffic Police tweeted the route and traffic arrangements for the day:

TRAFFIC ADVISORY Traffic Arrangements  Full Dress Rehearsal on 23rd January, 2018 pic.twitter.com/zrTpQltcXC  Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) January 23, 2018

TRAFFIC ADVISORY

Traffic Arrangements  Full Dress Rehearsal on 23rd January, 2018 pic.twitter.com/DE9aCHyLoI  Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) January 23, 2018

The route for the parade will be: Vijay Chowk - Rajpath - India Gate - Tilak Marg - Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg - Netaji Subhash Marg - Red Fort.

In order to facilitate smooth passage of the Parade, movement of traffic on certain roads leading to the route of the Parade will be restricted as under :-

1. No traffic on Rajpath from Vijay Chowk to India Gate from 06.00 pm on January 22nd, 2018 till Parade is over.

2. No cross traffic on Rajpath from 11.00 pm on January 22nd, 2018 at Rafi Marg, Janpath, Man Singh Road till Parade is over.

3. 'C'-Hexagon-India Gate will be closed for traffic from 09.00 am on January 23rd, 2018 till Parade crosses Tilak Marg.

4. From 10.00 am on January 23rd, 2018 traffic on Tilak Marg, BSZ Marg and Subhash Marg will not be allowed on both directions. Cross traffic will only be allowed depending upon the movement of the Parade.

Commuters have been advised to plan their journey in advance accordingly and avoid the route of parade, from 9 am to 12:30 pm.

Bus Services

Movement of the City Bus Services will be curtailed at the following points:-

1. Park Street/Udyan Marg

2. Aram Bagh Road (Pahar Ganj )

3. R/A Kamla Market.

4. Delhi Sachivalaya (IG Stadium)

5. Pragati Maiden (Bhairon Road)

6. Hanuman Mandir (Yamuna Bazar)

7. Mori Gate

8. ISBT Kashmiri Gate

9. ISBT Sarai Kale Kha n10. Tis Hazari Court

Metro Services

Metro services will remain available for commuters at all metro stations during the full dress rehearsal ceremony. However, boarding/de-boarding at the below mentioned station will not be permitted as per schedule given:-

1. Kendriya Sachivalaya and Udyog Bhawan: From 5.00 am till 12 noon

2. Lok Kalyan Marg (Race Course) and Patel Chowk: From 8.45 am to 1200 noon.
Lucknow:

Ahead of the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmaavat on January 25, leaders of the Shree Rajput Karni Sena met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today and demanded a ban on the film in the state.

I met the UP chief minister demanded a ban on the film Padmaavat, Karni Sena patron Lokendra Singh Kalvi told reporters after his 20-minute meeting with Adityanath.

People will impose janta curfew in cinema halls in Uttar Pradesh if the movie is screened, he said.

Kalvi, who listed nearly 40 different objections with regard to the movie, demanded that films on the lives of Maharana Pratap, Shivaji and other eminent personalities be made.

We urge the prime minister to ban the film and we are hopeful that he will meet our request. We hope that the Centre will act. We ask the public as to whether it is on the side of Padmavati or Alauddin Khilji. Whether it is on the side of Ram or Ravan? he posed.

The censor board must respect public sentiments... The Supreme Court is supreme, there is no doubt in that. CBFC is also no less supreme, and it should had enquired from the state governments about the law and order... I told the CMs whom I had met that you are worried about the law and order situation, and I am concerned about Padmaavat. The point of concern for both of us is same, Kalvi told reporters.

The Supreme Court does not say that only Bhansali enjoys the right to freedom of expression. We also have the right to protest. There will be janta curfew in all the cinema halls across the country by the people... We are committed to ensuring that Padmaavat is not screened in the country. Now what is janta curfew? Every cinema hall owner say that I will not screen the film, and every member of the public says that I am not going to watch the film, he said.

Kalvis aide Himanshu, who too is a senior office-bearer of the outfit, told reporters, We have only expressed our concerns before the chief minister today. All we want to say is that you are underestimating the simmering public anger against the film. In the last one-and-a-half years, we have forewarned Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the Centre and state governments in this regard.

Asked to comment on the outcome of the meeting with Adityanath, he said, Yogi Adityanath is bound by the Supreme Court directive (restraining states from banning the screening of the movie), but in-principle and emotionally, he is with us.

Kalvi too spoke in the same vein.

Referring to a comment made by Ranveer Singh, Kalvi said the films actor had on July 28, 2016 told reporters, who had asked him about playing Khilji in the period drama, that he would accept any role which has two intimate scenes with Deepika Padukone, who will be essaying Padmavatis role.

What is their personal rapport, they may dance, play together, it is their prerogative (and) we are not bothered about it. But, we will certainly not allow this (intimate scenes) to happen between Alauddin and Padmavati, Kalvi said.

Why should we tolerate this, and till when should we tolerate this? For the last 70 years, the Rajputs have been painted in bad light, he said, adding, he (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) landed in a wrong place called Rajasthan, and was slapped... .

Kalvi said he has told my people in UP to collect donations (amounting to Rs 200 crore) to compensate, as the film will not be screened in the state.

If Rs 200 crore seems a very big amount, then what would be the value of the sacrifice made by our forefathers, he asked the press.

We do not say dont make Padmavat. Make it and break the record of Baahubali. Make films on Shivaji, Maharana Pratap and demolish all other records ... but we will not allow this (distortion of historical facts) and the supreme sacrifice of 16,000 women to be distorted.

Our forefathers, whose anniversaries we celebrate, must be turning in their graves now thinking they sacrificed their lives and we, their descendants, cant even cry (over distortion of their history), Kalvin said.

The Karna Sena patron informed the press that the outfit will not give any call for band on January 26 as it respects the country.

Meanwhile, a large number of people waving saffron flags protested the scheduled release of Padmaavat in front of the SRS Cinema Hall in Gorakhpur and also burnt an effigy of Bhansali as they chanted Jai Sri Ram.

The protesters also submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate.

The movie Padmaavat is hurting the feelings of Hindus and we are against its release. We will keep on protesting against the movie and demand a ban on its release, a protester said.

The film has been been facing protests by the Karni Sena and other fringe groups over allegations that historical facts were distorted in the flick.

The movie, which was earlier titled Padmavati, will now be released worldwide on January 25 with the new title suggested by the censor board.

The film, which also stars Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh, was originally slated for release on December 1 last year but was postponed as the makers did not got a certificate from CBFC till then.

The film is based on the saga of the historic 13th century battle between Maharaja Ratan Singh and his army of Mewar and Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi.

The Supreme Court had earlier paved the way for the all-India release of Padmaavat on January 25 and stayed notifications and orders issued by Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujaratall ruled by the BJPprohibiting exhibition of the film in their states.

The apex court had also restrained other states from issuing any such notification or orders banning the screening of the movie.

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New Delhi:

On his 121st birth anniversary, a tribute to the man who not only survived the epochs but appeared even stronger with each passing one

One of Indias most prominent freedom fighters, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was born on January 23, 1897, in Cuttack, Orissa. He was the ninth child born to Janakinath Bose and Prabhavati Devi.



He dedicated his life to the cause of independence from the colonial rule. An extraordinary visionary, he took over the reins of a dilapidated Indian National Army (INA) and formed military alliances with the Axis Powers, namely Germany, under Adolf Hitler and Japan, under Emperor Hirohito against the British during the World War II.



Subhas was part of the young, radical faction of the Indian National Congress in the late 1920s and 1930s from where he went on to become Congress President in 1938 and 1939.



He developed differences with Mahatma Gandhi due to his extreme views and hence left Congress leadership positions in 1939. He was placed under house arrest by the British but escaped from India in 1940.



In April 1941, Subhas went to Germany where the Nazi leadership welcomed and supported his endeavours to oust the British from India and in November 1941 Free India Centre was set up in Berlin with German funds.



Soon, Free India Radio came upon which Subhas would broadcast every night. He met Adolf Hitler in late May 1942.



Subhas was a bright student who went to England for the Civil Services Examination. He scored the highest marks in English and was placed fourth overall.



Subhas revived the Indian National Army (INA) also known as Azad Hind Fauj in 1943, an armed force comprising of Indian PoWs of the British-Indian Army captured by Japan.



The INA was declared army of Bose's Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind (the Provisional Government of Free India). INA fought along with the Imperial Japanese Army against the British and Commonwealth forces in the campaigns in Burma, Imphal, and Kohima.



August 18, 1945, is the date on which Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose boarded an overloaded Japanese plane that crashed in Taiwan, so is the official account, but, for his supporters, especially in Bengal, his death and disappearance are mysteries which refuse to wane off.



His legacy is a powerful one, so overwhelming that it has been inspiring generations of young Indians.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Citibank, which has partnered with Apple, is giving huge cashback of Rs 5,000 exclusively on Apple AirPods and several modes of Apple TV.

The cashback offer is valid from January 20 to January 28 if transactions are done through Citibank credit cards (except Citi Corporate Cards). The offer is applicable on all offline retail stores of Apple throughout India using EMI and non-EMI transactions.

The cashback offer will be credited within 90 business days and the offer is valid only on the first transaction per card within the given time period.

Apple AirPods will be available at an effective price of Rs 7,900, while originally, they are priced at Rs 12,900. The 32 GB non 4K Apple TV will be available at a price of Rs 9,100 down from Rs 14,100. The Apple TV 4K 32 GB will come at a price of Rs 12,430, originally down from Rs 17,430, and the Apple TV 4K 64 GB will come at Rs 14,480, down from Rs 19,480.

Also Read: Flipkart's 'Apple Week' underway; iPhone 8, Macbooks, iPad Pro, Apple watches available with discounts and cashbacks

The applicable cashback offer will be printed on the charge slip which can be further retained for future reference. Refunded transactions will not be eligible for the offer.

The AirPods were launched in 2016 and since then, the market is always in a raging success for them. These are also available on the ongoing Amazon Great India Sale and Flipkart Republic Day Sale.
New Delhi:

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday announced his companys partnership with Malala Yousafzai and her non-profit organisation, The Malala Fund, to extend education funding programs to India and Latin America.

The Malala Fund has an initial goal to extend secondary education opportunities for at least 10,000 girls with Apples support as the funds first Laureate Partner.

This partnership also means that the Malala Fund will be able to double the number of its grants which it distributes through Gulmakai Network. The Gulmakai Network extends help to local educators and activists in developing countries that deal with different threats to girls education like poverty, war, gender discrimination, among others.

The Gulmakai Network currently holds programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Turkey and Nigeria.

Malala Yousafzai and Tim Cook took to Twitter to share this news with their followers and audience.

Apple is proud to support the courageous, visionary @Malala in advancing every girls right to 12 years of free, safe, quality education. Together were committing to expand the reach of @MalalaFund and provide secondary school opportunities to girls around the world. https://t.co/K9I64tJTWh  Tim Cook (@tim_cook) January 22, 2018

I am grateful to my friend Tim and @Apple for investing in our dream of a world where every girl can choose her own future. Together we will support the incredible girls we met in Beirut and millions like them around the world. https://t.co/nMm8aOuQVy  Malala (@Malala) January 22, 2018

Malala, who is a survivor of a Taliban assassination when she was 15, co-founded the Malala Fund with her father. The Fund currently supports 12 years of free, safe and quality education to every girl. Yousafzai is the youngest ever Nobel Laureate.
New Delhi:

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday evening withdrew their application from the Delhi High Court seeking interim relief for its 20 MLAs on Election Commission of India (ECI) recommendation over their disqualification to the President of India in the office of profit.

The AAP sources said that the party will file a fresh petition in Delhi High Court seeking quashing its MLAs. The fresh petition will be filed on the grounds that the ECI did not grant AAP MLAs fair hearing.

According to senior AAP leaders the party will also argue that the MLAs did not obtain any profit as alleged parliamentary secretaries.

The Delhi High Court was earlier supposed to hear AAPs petition seeking a stay on ECI recommendation to disqualify its 20 Legislators from state legislative assembly.

The Election Commission on Friday had recommended to the President Ram Nath Kovind that the 20 MLAs were liable for disqualification for holding offices of profit between March 13, 2015 and September 8, 2016, following which President Kovind gave his acceptance on Saturday.

The MLAs were appointed parliamentary secretaries, who assist ministers with their work and this was described as them holding offices of profit by petitioner Prashant Patel. The party insisted that despite holding the office, these MLAs did not take any salaries or perks.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra has observed that NIA cannot go into marital status of Hadiya, after saying that she is an adult.

Kapil Sibal, appearing for petitioner Shafin Jahan had asked for an investigation under the supervision of a retired judge as was ordered by the previous bench.

Supreme Court observed that NIA probe will have no bearing in deciding the aspects of the legitimacy of marriage of Hadiya and Shafin Jahan which was annulled by the High Court.

The Supreme Court will hear the matter on February 22.

A Raghunath, one of the counsels of Hadiya's father said, "We expect the NIA to file a report and the court to permit the girl to continue her studies. We are happy that she is safe. Let's see what happens."

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Border Security Force (BSF) jawans posted at the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir have fired over 9000 rounds of mortar shells in retaliatory action against Pakistans unprovoked fire in the last three days.

Officials of BSF and Home Ministry have claimed that the pinpoint mortal shelling by BSF has destroyed firing position and fuel dumps of Pakistani Rangers.

The BSF has also released small video clips showing destruction of Pakistani Rangers firing position and fuel dumps.

Also read: BSF jawan killed in unprovoked firing by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir



The officials claimed that the situation is tensed along the 190 kilometer IB in Jammu area, after Pakistan opened heavy fire in the entire stretch of the IB in Jammu.

Pakistan breached the ceasefire on January 19. Since then fierce exchange of firing is going on from both the sides. Their firing hit BSF posts and civilian areas leading to killing of two BSF jawans and four civilians, said a senior officer of MHA.

Also read: BSF guns down intruder along IB in J&K, destroys 2 Pakistani posts



According to MHA officials and Indian Forces deployed in frontline, movement of senior commanders of Pakistan Army and Pakistani Rangers have been witnessed during the last four days.

#WATCH Retaliatory operation by Border Security Force against Pakistan Rangers along International Border in Jammu region (Source: BSF) pic.twitter.com/t9HLALaSWO  ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2018

The Rangers have refused to talk to the BSF and come over for a flag meeting, said a MHA official.

He added that all BSF posts have been alerted and patrolling have been increased to thwart any infiltration.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Traders in Delhi would be observing Delhi Vyapar Bandh on Tuesday against the sealing drive being carried out by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).



This was informed by Brajesh Gupta of Chamber of Trade and Industries who alleged that traders in Delhi are being harassed by the civic body led by the BJP.



Traders are being harassed by MCD since past 1 month by sealing of shops. We request BJP to stop sealing & illegal collection in name of procurement charges. Trader associations have decided to hold Delhi Vyapar Bandh on January 23, said Gupta.



Lending support to the traders, Gopal Rai, Rural Development Minister of Delhi said, Sealing has been going on in the city in spite of the protests of the traders. Actually, the BJP is snatching away their livelihoods. We will launch an extensive drive against sealing and have announced Delhi Bandh on January 23 in solidarity with citys traders.



Rai further added that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers will take out a march to the Parliament House on January 29.
New Delhi:

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) today said it has tied-up over Rs 18,000 crore loan from three banks to part finance its Rs 36,915 crore acquisition of Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL).

In a regulatory filing, ONGC said it had yesterday entered into loan agreements with Punjab National Bank, Bank of India and Axis Bank Ltd for the borrowing Rs 18,060 crore for the acquisition.

ONGC said the loans are of one-year duration. The pact with PNB is for loan of up to Rs 10,600 crore and with Bank of India for another Rs 4,460 crore.

With Axis Bank it has secured Rs 3,000 crore credit. The company is likely to sign-up more loan agreements to pay for acquiring governments 51.11 per cent stake in HPCL for Rs 36,915 crore.

ONGC is to pay the government for the stake within this month.

The acquisition would create Indias first integrated oil company. This would be ONGCs biggest acquisition and second buyout this fiscal after its Rs 7,738 crore acquisition of 80 per cent stake in Gujarat State Petroleum Corps KG basin gas block.

ONGC Chairman and Managing Director Shashi Shanker had on Sunday stated that the companys board has approved raising of the borrowing limit from Rs 25,000 crore to Rs 35,000 crore.

This will be the companys first ever debt.

We will use our (Rs 12,000-13,000 crore) cash first and then the liquid assets and debt will be last, he had said. This order can change, because we wont sell the liquid assets in distress. Also, we have offers for over Rs 50,000 crore debt at very competitive rates, both foreign currency and local.

ONGC holds 13.77 per cent stake in Indian Oil Corp (IOC), which is worth over Rs 26,000 crore. It also holds 4.86 per cent stake in GAIL India Ltd, which is worth over Rs 3,800 crore.

The company had on January 20 announced buying of governments 51.11 per cent stake in Indias third largest state-owned oil refiner and marketing company for Rs 473.97 per share in an all-cash deal that is to be closed before the month-end.

For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:

Claiming victory, President Donald Trump has signed a short-term government funding bill ending a three-day shutdown as Democrats voted to reopen the government after a deal with ruling Republicans to hold a debate on the future of young undocumented immigrants.

The stop-gap funding, which expires on February 8, passed both the Senate and House by large margins on Monday night after opposition Democrats received a commitment from Republicans toward securing the fate of hundreds of thousands of so-called "Dreamers" illegally brought to America as children.

The spending bill passed the Senate by 81-18 and the House of Representatives by 266-150.

The measure funds the government till February 8, before which the Democrats and Republicans need to agree to a long-term solution to the government funding and on issues related to illegal immigration.

Claiming victory in his standoff with Democrats, Trump signed the measure into law and government operations would return to normal on Tuesday.

Thousands of federal employees who had been placed on temporary, unpaid leave since Saturday breathed a sigh of relief.

"I am pleased that Democrats in Congress have come to their senses and are now willing to fund our great military, border patrol, first responders, and insurance for vulnerable children, Trump said in a statement.

He said he will make a long-term deal on immigration only if it is good for the country and will work towards solving the problem, once the government is funded.

"As I have always said, once the government is funded, my administration will work toward solving the problem of very unfair illegal immigration. We will make a long-term deal on immigration if, and only if, it is good for our country, He said.

The White House said it is ready to negotiate with the Democrats even if there are differences between the two.

"We've been very clear about what we want to see in any legislation, and I don't think that there's a whole lot of daylight between where we are and where the Democrats are. We certainly want to negotiate and get to a place, and we're hopeful that we can do that over the next couple weeks, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters at her daily news conference.

Following Democrats vote in the Senate to end the government shutdown, Sanders said the Democrats realise the position that they had taken, frankly, was indefensible, and that they had to focus on first funding the military, protecting Border Patrol agents, funding vulnerable children through the CHIP program.

Sanders indicated that there is no change in the position of the Trump Administration on this.

If people are unwilling to secure our borders, that they're unwilling to end chain migration, unwilling to end the visa lottery system, unwilling to fix all of the problems that we have in our immigration system, and aren't willing to negotiate and actually do things that fix that system, that we know to be problematic, then, yes, that would be a problem and certainly allow for future incidents to take place, she said.

There have been four government shutdowns since 1990. In the last one, in 2013, more than 800,000 government workers were put on temporary leave.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
HANOI: Vietnam has received a shipment of 500,000 Sinopharm vaccine doses donated by China, the health ministry said on Sunday, as the country is ramping up inoculations to battle against a more widespread outbreak. The nation approved China's Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use against Covid-19 in early June.

A brief handover ceremony was held at the Noi Bai International Airport here on Sunday, which was attended by Vietnam's Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long and Chinese Ambassador to Hanoi Xiong Bo, according to reports. Vietnam pledges to quickly and safely administer the vaccines to those in need, Long said. "I believe this batch of vaccines will help both Vietnam's epidemic prevention and control and its socio-economic development." Xiongs statement reads.

The handover of the vaccine came after Vietnam's Ministry of Health announced the approval of the jab for emergency use in the country on June 4.The country has so far registered a total of 12,978 Covid-19 cases, including 9,943 detected since the start of the latest outbreak, according to the Ministry of Health.

Panic grips Mexico border city after violence, Coercion leaves 18 dead

European Union hails progress on talks with Iran to restore nuclear deal

US preparing new Russia sanctions over near-fatal poisoning of Navalny
CAIRO: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday affirmed Egypts unwavering support to Libya in its current political path as he received Libyas Foreign Minister Najla El-Mangoush in Cairo. Sisi affirmed full support to the interim Libyan Presidency Council and the executive government, affirming that the Libyan national security is an extension for that of Egypt, the spokesperson Bassam Rady said in a statement.

Egypt stands firm with Libya's interim government to maintain peace and stability in the North African country, said the President, stressing that restoring Libya's sovereignty begins with the withdrawal of foreign forces. For her part, Mangoush said the Libyan government appreciates Egypt's sincere efforts in supporting the country and helping to mediate a ceasefire in the war-torn nation. The Libyan parliament approved in March an interim unity government to run the country until the general elections held later this year which are expected to end a decade-long civil war that followed the ouster and killing of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

A day earlier, Mangoush met her Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, during the meet Shoukry stressed the necessity of restoring security, stability, sovereignty and unity of the Libyan territories and "implementing all the stages of the roadmap for the political solution resulting from the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum".

Iraq approves over 8,200 polling centres for parliamentary polls

Israel cabinet approves commission to probe festival stampede

China donated 500,000 Sinopharm vaccine doses to Vietnam
VIENNA: Top diplomats said Sunday that further progress had been made at talks between Iran and global powers to try to restore a landmark 2015 agreement to contain Iranian nuclear development that was abandoned by the Donald Trump admin. They said it was now up to the governments involved in the negotiations to make political decisions.

Some diplomats expressed concern that Iran's election of Ebrahim Raisi as president could complicate a possible return to the nuclear agreement.

"We are closer to a deal, but we are not still there," Enrique Mora, deputy secretary-general and political director of the European External Action Service, told reporters.

"We have made progress on a number of technical issues. We have now more clarity on technical documents, all of them quite complex. And that clarity allows us to have also a clear idea of what the political problems are," Mora said, adding that they are "closer (to a deal) than one week ago."

Meanwhile, all participants will travel back to their capitals for consultations. Mora said that he hopes that in the next round, delegations will come back "with clearer instructions, clearer ideas on how to finally close the deal." The EU diplomat also noted that this round of talks has taken place "against important political developments," citing the recent meeting of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and the US officials in the EU-US summit and Borrell's meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

US preparing new Russia sanctions over near-fatal poisoning of Navalny

International Day of Yoga and World Music Day come together on June 21

The Bidens mourn Champ, 13: Dogs and cats in the White House
TEL AVIV: The Israeli cabinet has approved the establishment of a state commission of investigation into the deadly Jewish religious festival stampede in April that claimed 45 lives. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office., it reads, the inquiry commission will investigate "all aspects" of the event, in which a narrow and slippery metal-floored passageway in the men's section of the crowded site in north Israel's Mount Meron collapsed on April 30

The probe will look into "the circles of decision-making that led to the approval of the event, the determination of the outline that was approved and its terms, and the overall professional and legal questions regarding safety at mass events", the statement added. In addition, the Defence Minister Benny Gantz said on Sunday that the probe is "a moral debt to the Israeli public as well as the families," stressing that "we must ensure a similar event will never occur". The bereaved families welcomed the decision but said such a commission should have been established a week after the incident.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that "a commission cannot bring back those lives but the government can do everything to prevent unnecessary loss of life in the future". "It is sad that we have to fight for it. We hope the lesson will be learned to prevent another disaster," the families said in a joint statement.

Panic grips Mexico border city after violence, Coercion leaves 18 dead

US preparing new Russia sanctions over near-fatal poisoning of Navalny

China donated 500,000 Sinopharm vaccine doses to Vietnam
BJP national president J P Nadda asserted on Monday that India will have 257 crore Covid vaccine doses by December to take up double-dose vaccination of people in full swing. Nadda said this while visiting a vaccination centre at the RML hospital in New Delhi.

The BJP Chief said 130 crore people of the country have come forward to take vaccines on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, despite the Opposition trying to mislead them and create obstructions. On the other hand, Some leaders opposed vaccines saying they were not guinea pigs or mice. Those who doubted vaccines are now getting them. I want to ask such leaders if it was due to change in their mind, heart or soul, the BJP national president said.

Nadda lauded BJP workers for helping people during the pandemic, saying that while other parties went into quarantine or the ICU, party workers risked their lives to provide relief to the people on the ground. He said BJP workers in all booths of the country were reaching out to people to ensure implementation of the Prime Minister's call for vaccination. He added that the world's "largest and fastest" vaccination programme is going on and within nine months the country produced two indigenous vaccines against Covid under the leadership of Modi.

PM Modi holds meeting with Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and others

JP Nadda praises Modi government for completing 7 years of BJP government at Centre

PM Modi and Shivraj met in Delhi, discussed these issues
Description

The Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC) and its partner organizations seek to draw attention to the crimes against humanity, including genocide, of the Uyghur people in China today. Doctoral student, Lina Lenberg, will provide a background to the current crisis, as well as details about what is happening today. Then Uyghur survivor, Tursunay Ziyawudun, who spent nine months inside China's vast and secretive system of internment camps before being released and fleeing to the United States, will discuss her own experiences. Join us to learn more about this situation and how you can take action.
Cybersecurity

CISA still in the dark about agency network defense plans

The federal government's top cybersecurity watchdog still lacks visibility into agency network defenses.

Brandon Wales, the acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, couldn't share data with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) about how many federal civilian agencies are segmenting and segregating internal networks in a June 3 response to an earlier letter about the SolarWinds campaign.

Wyden contacted the agency in February 2021 with a list of questions about CISA's capacity to detect zero-day exploits and related anomalous network activity using its $6 billion EINSTEIN sensor system, including why CISA was unable to detect network traffic between agencies that had downloaded a corrupted SolarWinds update package and a remote server that was established by the perpetrators of the SolarWinds exploit to manage the campaign and send additional malware payloads to compromised systems.

Wales agreed with findings presented by Wyden that firewalls configured to block outgoing traffic would have halted the progress of the SolarWinds campaign, but said that such a configuration "is not applicable to all types of intrusions and may not be feasible given operational requirements for some agencies." He also noted that the three-pronged EINSTEIN capability is just one piece of the National Cybersecurity Protection System. One big lesson of the SolarWinds campaign, Wales wrote, is that, "EINSTEIN must be supplemented with capabilities that enable us to look inside the network to better detect in-network intrusions."

More broadly, Wales told the lawmaker that while CISA offers agencies guidance on network segmentation strategies and the adoption of zero trust, it does not "presently have data regarding the percentage of agencies that have segmented and segregated their internal networks."

This information is apparently not sought in reports required under Federal Information Security Modernization Act, although FISMA does require some detail on how high-value asset systems are managed and protected on agency networks.

"CISA has long recommended that agencies segment and segregate their internal networks, which makes it more difficult for intruders to move around and gain access to an organizations most sensitive information. But CISA is not requiring this cyber defense best practice, or even collecting data from agencies which would reveal how many have followed CISAs voluntary guidance," Keith Chu, a spokesman for Wyden said in an email to FCW. "CISA already has the authority to require agencies to adopt cybersecurity best practices. It should use it."

Wales wrote that "CISA is continuously evaluating opportunities to use binding operational directives or other authorities to drive appropriate security measures, including to adopt risk-based configuration practices." He added later in the letter that, "we need to rethink our approach to managing cybersecurity across 101 federal civilian executive branch agencies."

Additionally, Wales acknowledged that EINSTEIN's focus on the network perimeter is insufficient given the increase in encrypted network traffic and the proliferation of network endpoints. CISA is planning to use a $650 million spending boost included in the American Rescue Plan Act to "rapidly accelerate the transition from a perimeter defense construct to a construct whereby agencies and CISA will be better situated to identify threat activity within federal networks in near-real-time."
Next time you want to curse out the media, remember this

There are few I know in government who do not get mad at the media at least occasionally. Most in government have personally been victims of stories where the media seems out to get their agencies or the government as a whole. We see factual inaccuracies or relevant facts left out. The motives of government officials are questioned or outright trashed. Reporters, it seems, like to assume the worst.

I have had these feelings myself, sometimes about stories I have been involved in, though more often just as a citizen upset with unfair coverage. (That FCW generally doesnt do this is one reason it is respected by people in government.)

This past week, however, I have been reading about the arrests of the editor-in-chief and four other journalists at the popular pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, as China puts the screws on freedom in that city. The owner of the paper, Jimmy Lai, has already been convicted and is sitting in jail. As someone very interested in and distressed by the crushing of freedom in Hong Kong, I have been vigorously posting on my social media to express my outrage at whats happening.

But at some point during my outrage I suddenly realized that this somewhat contradicted my anger at media imbalance and unfairness.

I now glance briefly online every morning at China Daily, the governments English-language newspaper. I react, usually with amusement, at the constant stream of stories about how wonderful the Communist Party is and how bad the U.S. is. This is what a lack of press freedom looks like.

I wrote an email to a journalist friend who used to report from China about examples of important stories the media in China never covered. He sent me a number of examples of major stories that did not get discussed in Chinese media when they occurred -- HIV/AIDS; the adulteration of infant formula with a poisonous chemical that gave formula the appearance of higher protein content in order to pass quality control testing; tainted vaccinations that got people sick; SARS; and the continued use of asbestos. The Chinese media has not mentioned suggestions that the coronavirus causing COVID-19 might have leaked from a research laboratory. Many smaller everyday stories, such as protest demonstrations or letters by intellectuals criticizing the government, are blacked out as well.

I raise this to remind ourselves of something that at some level we already know. For all it can annoy us, press freedom is essential to the functioning of our society. We should try to set the record straight when journalists get it wrong, but lets never forget it is great that they are around.
Arrivalist Predicts 25% Year-Over-Year Growth in Road Trip Activity

NEW YORK, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Using data from its widely adopted Daily Travel Index, leading travel data company Arrivalist predicts that Americans will take 42.9 million road trips over Fourth of July weekend this year. Compared to last year, when many festivities were cancelled amid the Covid-19 pandemic, road trip activity will be up 25% percent. Travel is even expected to exceed pre-Covid levels by 3.8% when compared to 2019 road trip activity. But 2021 won't be without its challengesfrom the quickly circulating Delta coronavirus variant to a current spike in inflation, travelers have their concerns.

Compared to last year, when many festivities were cancelled amid the Covid-19 pandemic, road trip activity this Fourth of July holiday will be up 25% percent, according to Arrivalist

"Predicting human behavior is never easy, especially when external factors such as changing gas prices and the recent spread of the Delta variant are at play," said Cree Lawson, Arrivalist Founder and CEO. "Despite this, we continue to see travel demand hold at a steady pace over the last few weeks in our daily road trip tracker. With travel demand at an all-time high and the President's promise to mark this holiday as an independence from the Covid-19 virus, we expect that Americans will continue to shatter records for the upcoming July 4th holiday."

Arrivalist's predictions are the most trusted and accurate in the industry. The difference between what Arrivalist projected for 2021 Memorial Day automobile travel compared to 2019 and what the actual travel was that weekend was just 0.3%. By comparison, other industry predictions were off by 10.8%. Arrivalist provides daily, publicly published updates to data so that anyone can measure the accuracy of Arrivalist's predictions after the event. Arrivalist's Daily Travel Index has been adopted by the U.S. Travel Association, The National Travel and Transportation Organization, Tourism Economics, Skift and many other research companies as a foundational data set in their travel modeling.

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The Daily Travel Index is a daily measure of road trip activity taken by residents of all 50 U.S. states, with volume indexed against the average daily volume of 2019 travelers. It was designed as a free online resource available on Arrivalist's website to provide the travel industry with insights to help plot its path to recovery during the Covid-19 pandemic. Site visitors can compare visitation in 2021 to activity from the same period in 2019, not just the timeframe when travel slowed to a virtual standstill in 2020. Additionally, a customized Daily Travel Index is available to clients, which allows them to compare activity in their market to a nationwide index.

How the Data is Calculated

Arrivalist's methodology is based on a representative balanced panel of GPS signals representing road trips taken specifically in cars (excluding travel by air). A trip is measured as one where the user has traveled a minimum of 50 miles and spent a minimum of two hours at the destination. Commuter travel or other frequently repeated tripsi.e., cargo deliveries or other reoccurring activitiesare excluded from the Daily Travel Index.

About Arrivalist

Arrivalist is the leading location intelligence platform in the travel industry. The company uses multiple location data sets to provide actionable insights on consumer behavior, competitive share, media effectiveness, and market trends. Over 200 travel marketers, including 100 cities, 40 U.S. states, and four of the top 10 U.S. theme parks, use these insights to inform media strategy, operations, and destination development. Arrivalist is headquartered in New York City, with offices in San Francisco and Toronto.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jacquelyn Gozdowiak

Jacquelyn.gozdowiak@bvk.com

(414) 247-3866

Using data from its widely adopted Daily Travel Index, leading travel data company Arrivalist predicts that Americans will take 42.9 million road trips over Fourth of July weekend this year.

Cision

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Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- International Business Machines Corp. President Jim Whitehurst is stepping down after three years at the century-old technology company. The shares fell the most in five months.The departure marks one of the first major corporate reshuffles under Chief Executive Officer Arvind Krishna, who took the helm last year and has moved quickly to reshape IBM and return it to growth. Whitehurst, 53, is the former CEO of Red Hat Inc., which IBM announced it was acquiring in 2018 in a $33 bil
Amazon.com Inc., AO Kaspersky Lab, and Broadcom Inc. will emerge as top artificial intelligence-based cybersecurity market vendors.

NEW YORK, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The artificial intelligence-based cybersecurity market is expected to grow by USD 19 billion during 2021-2025, according to Technavio. The report offers a detailed analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the artificial intelligence-based cybersecurity market in optimistic, probable, and pessimistic forecast scenarios.

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Artificial Intelligence-based Cybersecurity Market by End-user and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025

Request a Free Sample to understand the scope of the report

With the continuing spread of the coronavirus pandemic, organizations across the globe are gradually flattening their recessionary curve by leveraging technology. Many businesses will go through response, recovery, and renewal phases. Building business resilience and enabling agility will aid organizations to move forward in their journey out of the COVID-19 crisis towards the Next Normal.

This post-pandemic business planning research will aid clients to:

Adjust their strategic planning to move ahead once business stability kicks in.

Build Resilience by making effective resource and investment choices for individual business units, products, and service lines.

Conceptualize scenario-based planning to mitigate future crisis situations.

Key Considerations for Market Forecast:

Impact of lockdowns, supply chain disruptions, demand destruction, and change in customer behavior

Optimistic, probable, and pessimistic scenarios for all markets as the impact of pandemic unfolds

Pre- as well as post-COVID-19 market estimates

Quarterly impact analysis and updates on market estimates

The artificial intelligence-based cybersecurity market is driven by the increasing demand for cloud-based applications. In addition, the rising adoption of chatbots to combat cyberattacks is expected to have a positive impact on the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Gain more insights into the global trends impacting the future of the artificial intelligence-based cybersecurity market, Request Free Sample @ https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR44001

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Major Five Artificial Intelligence-based Cybersecurity Market Participants:

Amazon.com Inc.: The company offers AWS. It is a cloud-based and comprehensive set of APIs to enable the creation of AI and cognitive solutions across enterprises. Developers can integrate AWS APIs and services to add cognitive intelligence to applications and systems.

AO Kaspersky Lab: The company offers AI-based cybersecurity solutions such as machine learning in cybersecurity, threat intelligence services, and others.

Broadcom Inc.: The company offers cloud-based solutions that use advanced machine learning along with threat intelligence to identify patterns and detect threats. Cynic technology consists of a built-in anti-evasion technology that impersonates human logic.

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.: The company offers two products under this segment, namely SandBlast Agent and SandBlast Cloud. They help in minimizing threats on PC endpoint devices and cloud platforms.

Cisco Systems Inc.: The company offers Artificial Intelligence-based Cybersecurity under the security product line.

Artificial Intelligence-based Cybersecurity Market 2021-2025: Segmentation

Artificial intelligence-based cybersecurity market is segmented as below:

End-user

Geography

Related Report on Information Technology:

Global Data Security Market - Vendors operating in this market are offering innovative and superior quality products along with attractive offers to stay relevant in a hypercompetitive environment. Learn other interesting factors and statistics related to the data security market.

View Statistics Data Here

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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.

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Report: www.technavio.com/report/artificial-intelligence-based-cybersecurity-market-industry-analysis

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SOURCE Technavio
Massive sulphides intersected in early drilling and core samples submitted for assay

Figure 1

Location of Phase 1 drill holes at Alexo North and Alexo South.

Location of Phase 1 drill holes at Alexo North and Alexo South.

Figure 2

Massive sulphide mineralization from drill hole AN-21-04.

Massive sulphide mineralization from drill hole AN-21-04.

Figure 3

Alexo North massive sulphide mineralization from drill hole AN-21-10.

Alexo North massive sulphide mineralization from drill hole AN-21-10.

Alexo North: Phase 1 drilling to expand the current Mineral Resources has intersected massive sulfides below and to the northeast of the known nickel sulphide mineralization;



Alexo South: Phase 1 drill testing along strike to the west of the known mineralization encountered massive sulphide mineralization;

Borehole Electromagnetics: Modelling of borehole electromagnetic (BHEM) survey results for Alexo North and Alexo South has identified potential conductors parallel to and at depth below the known mineralization; and

Phase 2: Phase 2 drill program will follow-up on the Phase 1 intersections and test new and undertested BHEM generated targets.

TORONTO, June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Class 1 Nickel and Technologies Ltd. (CSE: NICO/OTCQB: NICLF) ("Class 1 Nickel" or the "Company") is pleased to announce progress of the Phase 1 drilling program at the Alexo-Dundonald Nickel Sulphide Property near Timmins, Ontario (Canada). The objective of the program is to drill test in the vicinity of the historical open pit mines and along strike of the current nickel sulphide Mineral Resources. The Phase 1 program was designed from modelling and interpretation of extensive historical drilling and BHEM survey databases.

The Company is very pleased to report that the Phase 1 drilling has intersected massive and net-textured sulphide mineralization at Alexo North and Alexo South (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Location of Phase 1 drill holes at Alexo North and Alexo South.

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5589b9e9-9a04-40f4-b356-0e3119c914ea

Phase 1 Drilling

The Phase 1 program at Alexo North has focused on drill testing extensions to the west and a geophysically-generated target area to the northeast of the known mineralization. Massive and net-textured sulphide mineralization was intersected in drill holes AN-21-04 and AN-21-10 (Figures 2 and 3), which was designed to test historical BHEM-generated targets to the northeast of Alexo North. The sulphide mineralization is indicated to be nickeliferous in hand-held XRF analyzes. Core samples have been submitted for confirmation assay at AGAT Laboratories of Mississauga (Ontario).

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Figure 2. Massive sulphide mineralization from drill hole AN-21-04.

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/11efa3b6-3e69-4a23-988f-d3ad2589812d

Figure 3. Alexo North massive sulphide mineralization from drill hole AN-21-10.

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3ceb1caa-f045-4074-914c-bbe1960fe368

Review of the historical drill results for the AN-21-04 to AN-21-10 area has revealed a sparsely drilled, northeast-striking mineralized trend that appears to be sinistrally offset from the main Alexo North Deposit. This mineralized trend: 1) coincides with an airborne geophysical feature of interest in Class 1s 2020 VTEM survey; and 2) remains open to expansion by drilling at depth and farther along strike to the northeast.

The Phase 1 drill program at Alexo South was likewise planned to test for extensions of the current Mineral Resources. The extensional drilling along strike to the west did intersect massive and net-textured sulphide mineralization. The sulphide mineralization is indicated to be nickeliferous in hand-held XRF analyzes. Core samples have been submitted for confirmation assay at AGAT Laboratories Mississauga (Ontario).

Phase 1 drilling continues at Alexo South, and is imminently slated to commence at Dundonald South and then Dundonald North. The Company expects to update the market when mobilization of the two drill rigs for Phase 1 drilling in the Dundonald Deposits area of the Alexo-Dundonald Property is complete.

Phase 2 Drill Program

The Phase 2 drilling at Alexo North and South (and Dundonald North and South) will focus on:

1) expanding the Mineral Resources by following-up on drill intersections and BHEM-generated targets from the Phase 1 drilling; 2) infill drilling to advance Inferred Mineral Resources to Indicated Mineral Resources; and 3) testing new and under-tested, priority geophysically-generated targets on the Alexo-Dundonald Property. Phase 2 will commence in late summer 2021 and is fully funded by the Company treasury (see Company press release dated June 7, 2021).

Crone Geophysics has been contracted to conduct the BHEM surveys. At this point, four BHEM surveys of Phase 1 drill holes have been completed at Alexo North and one BHEM survey of Phase 1 hole at Alexo South. BHEM modelling by Mr. Alan King has identified potential new extensional targets in each of these areas for drill testing in the Phase 2 drill program. Selection of Phase 1 drill holes for next round of BHEM surveys is currently underway. It is important to note that bedrock conductors can also be caused by graphite, barren sulphides and, in this geological environment, thick units of slightly conductive serpentinized ultramafic units.

About Alexo-Dundonald Property

The 100% Class 1 Nickel owned Alexo-Dundonald Property is an advanced portfolio of komatiite-hosted magmatic nickel-copper-cobalt sulphide deposits located 45 km northeast of the City of Timmins (Ontario, Canada), a world-class mining jurisdiction with processing plants in need of additional feed. Class 1 Nickel has assembled a strategic land package that combines the historically mined Alexo nickel sulphide deposits with the Dundonald nickel sulphide prospects to create a larger and more diversified property portfolio. Class 1s updated total estimated Indicated Mineral Resource of 1.25 Million tonnes (Mt) with an average grade of 0.99% Ni and a total estimated Inferred Mineral Resource of 2.01 Mt with an average grade of 1.01% Nickel. The Company is currently drilling to expand the known Mineral Resources and discover new resources to support a Preliminary Economic Assessment.

Qualified Persons

The geophysical technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Alan King (P.Geo.), geophysicist and technical advisor to the Company, who is a Qualified Person under the definitions established by National Instrument 43101. All other technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. William Stone (P.Geo.), independent geological consultant to the Company, who is a Qualified Person under the definitions established by National Instrument 43101.

About Class 1 Nickel

Class 1 Nickel and Technologies Limited (CSE: NICO/OTCQB: NICLF) is a Mineral Resource Company focused on the development of its 100% owned Alexo-Dundonald Property, a portfolio of komatiite hosted magmatic nickel-copper-cobalt sulphide Mineral Resources located near Timmins, Ontario. The Company also owns the Somanike komatiite-hosted nickel-copper sulphide property in Quebec, which includes the famous Marbridge Nickel Mine.

For more information, please contact:

David Fitch, President

T: 011 +61 400.631.608

E: dfitch@class1nickel.com

For additional information please visit our website at www.class1nickel.com and our Twitter feed: @Class1Nickel.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as plan, expect, project, intend, believe, anticipate, estimate and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions may or will occur. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Companys managements discussion and analysis as filed under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. 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. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws.




The acquisition of Sweden-based companies Telepo and Soluno make them the number 1 leader in European cloud communication solutions for SME's and service providers and places them amongst the biggest players in the world, with a 170m turnover and 2 million multi-tenant seats.

BRUSSELS and STOCKHOLM, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Destiny's ambition of becoming the leading European, SME-focused, secure cloud communication provider is surging forward. Today, the Belgian secure cloud communication provider signed two strategic acquisitions that instantly launches Destiny to the top position in the European UCaaS market. The services of Destiny and Sweden-based Telepo already have proven to be a perfect match. Telepo's UCaaS-platform will be Destiny's second UCaaS platform, deployed group-wide and be leveraged in future expansions. At the same time, Telepo strengthens Destiny's Service Provider channel. With Soluno, also Sweden-based, Destiny adds a well-known UCaaS provider to the Destiny Group that gives the company access to the Nordic market.

Key profiles

This leap will trigger further investment in developing the innovative, market leading, SME-focused and scalable UCaaS platform - deploying it in the existing Destiny markets and in new countries, across all channels. As a result, Destiny creates a new market force in the UCaaS European market that has unparalleled competitive advantage.

Daan De Wever, CEO Destiny: "We are thrilled to announce this exciting news of the acquisition of these two fantastic and strong companies. This is the next level of Destiny's big play to own the European cloud communication space. Our combined forces give us own IP, technology that is easy to adopt, use and integrate, great partners, talented local teams and ambition to invest in further developing our innovative and market leading UCaaS platform for SME's, today and tomorrow. It also reinforces the hunger to grow Destiny as the reference for our businesses and service provider audience. Our customers are always at the heart of all our decision making. It's the increasing levels of service and innovation that they'll enjoy that led us to take this unprecedented step. We'll continue to develop human-centric communication services for the cloud, and make sure they serve all our client's and partner's ambitions in their local market and specific sector."

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Technology synergy with Telepo

Destiny has been a loyal Telepo client, using their platform to deliver best-in-class UCaaS services in the Benelux region. Bringing in Telepo to the fold was a no-brainer move for Destiny, due to the proven success in teams' collaboration and the high-performing technology which Telepo consistently provided. The two companies believe in the importance of combining their power to advance and accelerate Telepo's innovation velocity to build next generation UCaaS services aimed at the European SME market and delivered via Destiny's channels and strategic partnerships.

Rami Houbby, General Manager at Telepo: "This is an important and transformational step for Telepo and its Service Provider partners, and I could not be more excited with the synergies between our companies. This marks the start of an incredible new chapter in our journey as a win-win for both companies. Destiny will be able to standardise on Telepo as own IP for the group-wide platform to drive consistency and future growth. The Telepo team will benefit from Destiny's strategy and resources to accelerate innovation and enhance their offering portfolio directly benefiting our Service Provider partners to compete and win in their markets. I am super delighted with this acquisition and the benefits it brings to all the stakeholders in our ecosystem. I very much look forward to working with Daan and his team, and I know we will make a winning combination."

Power coalition with Soluno

Soluno was announced to be recognised as one of the top 20 leaders in growth and industry innovation by Frost & Sullivan in the 2020 UCaaS Frost Radar report. The two companies becoming one, was a more than logical choice. The acquisition gives Destiny an instantly strong position in Sweden and also leads to globalisation for Soluno. Since Soluno was also using Telepo's platform, there will be no technological changes for their employees and clients. The power coalition will invest in the growth and innovation of their platform and own IP services.

Patrik Sorqvist, CEO of Soluno: "Soluno has constantly generated strong organic growth by providing our channels and end customers with innovation that enables easy to use and future proof business communications - today. By joining the Destiny family, our European vision is already a reality and we will together transform of the European UCaaS market."

The combined Destiny group will comprise of more than 600 employees in 6 countries (Belgium, Netherlands, France, Sweden, Germany and UK), and is expected to generate a turnover of 170m in 2021. Q Advisors, a leading global TMT investment banking boutique, acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Destiny in connection with this transaction.

"We welcome every new colleague to the Destiny family. Our combined power will change the European UCaaS market forever. Destiny has a track record of company integration that emphasizes on future growth, not short-term restructuring. In the coming period, we will develop a vision of how our combined roadmap of products and services will support our existing clients as well as winning new client across Europe", Daan De Wever concludes.

About Destiny

Destiny, founded in 2008, is originally a Belgian provider of secure cloud communication solutions for innovative enterprises. Their annual turnover in 2020 was 90 million Euro. Today, Destiny has more than 600 employees in 6 European countries and an expected annual turnover of 170 million Euro in 2021.

Destiny has a clear ambition; to be the leading end-to-end solution provider of secure business communications in

Europe. Weaving together talent, technology, strategic service provider partnerships and sky-high ambition, Destiny is on course to win the European SME UCaaS market. Whether delivering innovation to business end-customers directly through its OpCos (Operating Countries) or via the long-established Service Providers' channel, Destiny is committed to champion innovation, customer experience and value growth for all stakeholders.

About Telepo

Telepo, previously a division of Mitel based in Stockholm, Sweden, is a leading cloud software provider offering Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) and Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) solutions to Service Providers throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. Founded in 2004, Telepo was designed from initial inception as a complete end-to-end, multi-tenant solution with fixed mobile convergence and ease of use as the top priorities. Telepo differentiates in the market as mobile-centric cloud platform, purpose-built for mobile operators and Service Providers targeting SMEs and enterprises with innovative cloud solutions and offering a significant number of API integrations that enable maximum flexibility. Today, Telepo has grown to serve 2 million seats across all customers.

About Soluno

Soluno is one of the leading UCaaS providers in Europe with +200.000 users in the cloud. Driving the future of Business Communications by offering a mobile-first concept through wholesale partners in Europe.

For more information please contact:

Christian Hed, CMO Soluno, Christian.hed@soluno.com, +468 562 696 03

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1536446/Soluno_Destiny.jpg
New Financing Advances Momentum Towards a Highly Transparent, Frictionless, and Sustainable Digital Supply Chain

BERLIN, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Forto, the leading provider of digitized freight forwarding and supply chain solutions, today announced that it has successfully raised $240M in an investment round. The round was led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2[1], with participation from Citi Ventures and G Squared, and strong backing from existing investors including Northzone, Cherry Ventures, and Unbound. With this round, Forto's valuation now stands at $1.2 Billion.

Forto GmbH Logo

This latest investment validates the market opportunity to shape a more efficient, modern global supply chain. Forto is leading a new generation of disruptive logistics companies, using its digital platform to simplify interactions, remove process friction, and increase supply chain visibility -- in turn empowering customers with better insights to make smarter decisions. Some of the largest businesses in Europe, including Home 24 and Edeka, rely on Forto with transportation of their goods.

"Logistics is the backbone of global commerce, and data analytics, machine learning, and process automation will reshape the global delivery of goods and services," commented Karol Niewiadomski, senior investor for SoftBank Investment Advisers. "Forto's centralized platform leverages these technologies to boost operational efficiency, lower handling costs, and increase transparency for their customers. We're pleased to partner with Michael and his team as they continue to scale the business internationally." Under the terms of the investment, Nahoko Hoshino will join the Forto Board as a representative for SoftBank Investment Advisers.

"With this investment we are able to further accelerate our growth path and roadmap," adds Michael Wax, CEO and Co-Founder of Forto. "In our effort to further digitize global trade, we plan to significantly expand our geographical footprint, technology platform, and customer operations, to cement our market leadership in Europe and beyond."

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Transparency and Sustainability Across the Supply Chain

Luis Valdich, Managing Director of Investing at Citi Ventures, further acknowledged Forto's mission to enable supply chain visibility across solution offerings. "There is a significant opportunity to improve global supply chains by seamlessly embedding trade finance into digital solutions. Forto's platform is addressing points of friction to ease the flow of goods alongside the flows of data and money."

The new investment enables Forto to further advance its goal to make global trade more sustainable. Already more than half of Forto customers leverage the company's carbon-offsetting offer, and Forto has implemented the "1+1 Approach" -- a program in which Forto doubles the CO 2 compensation of every customer to move towards climate-positive transports.

Strategically Positioned to Drive Market Change

Since its founding in 2016, Forto has consistently delivered rapid growth and broadened its solutions offering. Forto has already been expanding its European and Asian operations with new offices. Recent appointments of technology, sales, and finance veterans have strengthened the leadership team already composed of Michael Wax (CEO and Co-Founder), Erik Muttersbach (CTO and Co - Founder) and Dr. Michael Ardelt (COO). Originally founded under the name FreightHub, Forto early round investors include Inven Capital, Iris Capital, Northzone, Cherry Ventures, Unbound, and GFC. With the recent investment, the company has raised $360 Million in funding to date.

The transaction remains subject to statutory closing conditions and is expected to conclude in the next few weeks.

About Forto

Forto was founded with the vision to deliver a highly transparent, frictionless, and sustainable digital supply chain. Forto platform technologies address the entire process stream, from offer, booking, document administration, tracking and tracing to pro-active exemption processing and analysis, supporting our customers with greater visibility, insight, and control. Leading manufacturers and e-commerce brands are among the 2.500 customers using Forto's digitally-focused offerings as part of their supply chain delivery. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, the company currently has more than 500 employees with 11 locations across Europe and Asia including offices in Berlin, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. For more information, visit www.forto.com.

[1] 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.

Contact:

Alexandra Holzwarth

Senior PR Manager

Tel: +491737540475

E-mail: alexandra.holzwarth@forto.com

SOURCE Forto GmbH
LEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE IS AUGUST 2, 2021

NEW YORK, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP announces that a federal securities class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts on behalf of investors that purchased Frequency Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: FREQ) securities between November 16, 2020 and March 22, 2021, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period").

(PRNewsfoto/Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman )

All investors who purchased shares of Frequency Therapeutics, Inc. and incurred losses are urged to contact the firm immediately at classmember@whafh.com or (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774. You may obtain additional information concerning the action or join the case on our website, www.whafh.com.

If you have incurred losses in your investment in shares of Frequency Therapeutics, Inc. you may, no later than August 2, 2021, request that the Court appoint you lead plaintiff of the proposed class. Please contact Wolf Haldenstein to learn more about your rights as an investor in the shares of Frequency Therapeutics, Inc.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN CASE

According to the filed complaint, Frequency Therapeutics began its Phase 2a trial for FX-322 in October 2019. The trial results failed to live up to the Company's expectations, as they revealed no discernable difference between FX-322 and the placebo. However, the Company continued to conduct the trial and released positive statements in earnings calls, press releases, SEC filings, and pharmaceutical presentations about FX-322's potential.

During this period, CEO David Lucchino sold over 350,000 shares valued near $9 million in the months prior to releasing the results of the Phase 2a trial. On March 23, 2021, Frequency Therapeutics disclosed disappointing Phase 2a results, revealing that subjects with mild to moderate SNHL did not demonstrate improvements in hearing measures versus placebo.

On this news, Frequency Therapeutics' shares fell 78% from $36.29 to $7.99, a market capitalization loss of near $1 billion.

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Wolf Haldenstein has extensive experience in the prosecution of securities class actions and derivative litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country. The firm has attorneys in various practice areas; and offices in New York, Chicago and San Diego. The reputation and expertise of this firm in shareholder and other class litigation has been repeatedly recognized by the courts, which have appointed it to major positions in complex securities multi-district and consolidated litigation.

If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions regarding your rights and interests in this case, please immediately contact Wolf Haldenstein by telephone at (800) 575-0735, via e-mail at classmember@whafh.com, or visit our website.

Contact:

Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP

Patrick Donovan, Esq.

Gregory Stone, Director of Case and Financial Analysis

Email: gstone@whafh.com, donovan@whafh.com or classmember@whafh.com

Tel: (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

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SOURCE Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP
VANCOUVER, BC, June 21, 2021 /CNW/ - GR Silver Mining Ltd. (TSXV: GRSL) (OTCQB: GRSLF) (FRANKFURT: GPE) ("GR Silver Mining" or the "Company")  is pleased to announce that it has initiated a 14,000 m exploration drill program targeting newly identified and untested silver-gold (Ag-Au) veins on its concessions within the Rosario Mining District, Sinaloa, Mexico. Seven drill rigs are being mobilized to undertake this program at new project sites on the Company's extensive Ag-Au vein systems that extend over structural trends covering a combined 75 km strike length of the Plomosas, San Marcial and La Trinidad Project Areas (Figure 1).

After successful completion of the resource drill programs at the Plomosas Mine Area and the San Juan Area (both within the Plomosas Project), exploration efforts are now focused on testing Au and Ag-rich veins that have seen little or no exploration activity. While the program includes previously identified veins, several of the targets to be drilled are new discoveries identified by the Company's mapping and prospecting teams.

Among the recently discovered epithermal vein and breccia targets to be tested are the GAP Area system, which connects the San Marcial and San Juan areas, and also Au-rich epithermal mineralization identified to the south of the Plomosas Mine Area ("Plomosas South"). The first two rigs have commenced a 16-hole drill program at Plomosas South that provides step-out extension potential to the resource estimate currently underway on the Plomosas Mine Area.

The GAP Area was covered by the recently completed NW extension of the San Marcial ground geophysical (IP and magnetometry) program (see News Release dated February 22, 2021), extending from the San Marcial Project northwesterly to the San Juan Area (Figure 1).

Another new area that is being prepared for drilling is the Loma Dorada structure, an epithermal Au vein target which is on the northern extension of the La Colorada vein system, where the Company recently released high grade results from LCS21-04 containing 0.65 m at 10,777 g/t AgEq (see News Release dated June 10, 2021). A significant mapping and drill program has commenced at the El Saltito vein system in the western portion of the Plomosas concessions. Further details on specific programs at the new drill target sites will follow.

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GR Silver Mining VP Exploration, Honza Catchpole commented, "We are excited to commence this new phase of our exploration program after the successful conclusion of the resource drilling at the Plomosas Mine and San Juan Areas. With the mobilization of seven rigs, we can now begin to test new Ag-Au vein targets that we have had our eyes on for some time. Our goal is to test a series of new project drill sites that can prove we are dealing with an expansive Ag- and Au-rich system of veins and hydrothermal breccias. Additionally, we aim to connect the proven mineralized structures of the Plomosas and San Marcial Projects by filling the geological gaps in places where we have already mapped important vein structures on surface. We expect our new drilling program to significantly expand the strike length of our vein system in the key structural trends".

Figure 1: District Scale Ag-Au System Covering Three Key Trends  the Plomosas-San Marcial, La Tigra and Trinidad Structural Trends (CNW Group/GR Silver Mining Ltd.)

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical data contained in this News Release related to the exploration program was reviewed and/or prepared under the supervision of Honza Catchpole, P. Geo. He has approved the disclosure herein.

About GR Silver Mining Ltd.

GR Silver Mining Ltd. is Mexico-focused Company engaged in cost-effective silver-gold resource expansion on its 100%-owned assets which lie on the eastern edge of the Rosario Mining District, in the southeast of Sinaloa State, Mexico.

Plomosas Silver Project

GR Silver Mining's 6,574 ha Plomosas Silver Project is located near the historic mining village of La Rastra and within 5 km of the Company's San Marcial Silver Project, in the Rosario Mining District. The Project is a past-producing asset where only one mine, the Plomosas lead-zinc(-silver-gold) underground mine, operated a 600 tpd crush-mill-flotation circuit from 1986 to 2001, producing approximately 8 M ounces of silver, 73 M pounds of lead and 28 M pounds of zinc.

The March 2020 acquisition of the Plomosas Silver Project included 563 historical and recent drill holes from both surface and underground locations. These drill holes represent an extensive database allowing the Company to advance towards resource estimation and potential project development in the near future.

The Company is completing a drilling program with surface holes focused on expanding known mineralization along strike in two areas, the Plomosas Mine Area and the San Juan Area. Underground drilling included in the program is targeting the extension of recent Au-rich discoveries at the lowest level (775 m RL, or ~250 m below surface) of the Plomosas Mine Area and six low sulphidation epithermal veins at the San Juan Area. Both areas are currently the subject of NI 43-101 resource estimations.

The assets include all facilities and infrastructure including access roads, surface rights agreement, water use permit, 8,000 m of underground workings, water access, 60 km - 33 KV power line, offices, shops, 120-person camp, infirmary, warehouses and assay lab representing approximately US$30 M of previous capital investments. The previous owners invested approximately US$18 M in exploration, including extensive geophysics and geochemistry programs.

The silver-gold mineralization on this Project displays the alteration, textures, mineralogy and deposit geometry characteristics of a low sulphidation epithermal silver-gold-base metal mineralized vein/breccia system. Previous exploration was focused on polymetallic (Pb-Zn+/-Ag-Au) shallow mineralization, hosted in NW-SE structures in the vicinity of the Plomosas Mine. The E-W portion of the mineralization and extensions of the main N-S Plomosas Fault remain under-explored.

San Marcial Project

San Marcial is a near-surface, high-grade silver-lead-zinc open pit-amenable project. The Company filed a National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") report entitled "San Marcial Project Resource Estimation and Technical Report, Sinaloa, Mexico" having an effective date of March 18, 2019 and an amended date of June 10, 2020 (the "Report"), which contains a 36 Moz AgEq (Indicated) and 11 Moz AgEq (Inferred) resource estimate. The Report was prepared by Todd McCracken and Marcelo Filipov of WSP Canada Inc. and is available on SEDAR. The company recently completed over 320 m of underground development in the San Marcial Resource Area, from which underground drilling is planned to expand the high-grade portions of the resource down-dip. The Company recently discovered additional mineralization in the footwall, outside of the existing resource, and will also be drilling this area. GR Silver Mining is the first company to conduct exploration at San Marcial in over 10 years.

Recent exploration has identified silver and gold mineralization in areas previously defined as non-mineralized, discovering evidence of pervasively altered rocks with intense silicification, veining and associated wide, silver and gold mineralized zones on the footwall of the NI 43-101 resource area.

La Trinidad Project

The La Trinidad Project was acquired in March 2021. While La Trinidad has been the focus of artisanal mining activity over many decades, commercial operations began late in the 20th century. Anaconda Minerals Corp. was first to drill the project in the mid-late 1980s. After initially taking up an option on the Project in 1993, Eldorado Gold Corp. then commenced an open pit gold mine at La Trinidad in 1995, known as the Taunus Pit, with ore being processed via a heap leach operation. The mine operated until 1998, producing approximately 52,000 oz of gold1.

Exploration undertaken by Oro Gold from 2006 identified additional resources below the Taunus Pit and operations recommenced late in 2014. Gold output from the heap leach pads continued until late 2019 for a total cumulative production by Oro Gold of 112,000 oz gold2,3. In addition to La Trinidad, the portfolio acquired by GR Silver Mining includes an extensive regional database of geological, geochemical and geophysical information resulting from historical exploration expenditure by Oro Gold of more than CDN$18.6 M since 2006.

Cimarron Project

Cimarron is another advanced stage project that was acquired along with the La Trinidad Project in March 2021 and is located 40 km to the NW of La Trinidad. A number of targets have been identified at Cimarron including Calerita, El Prado, Huanacaxtle, Betty and Veteranos, however Calerita is the only target to have been drilled to date. The near surface historical Inferred Resource at the Calerita prospect contains 3.7 Mt at 0.65 g/t Au for approximately 77,000 oz of gold4, which is considered to be open along strike and down dip.

While the 2011 resource is considered by GR Silver Mining to be a historical resource, the Company considers the resource estimate as being relevant and reliable, considering a lack of significant additional exploration work since its release. A key parameter in the historical resource is the usage of a US$1,200/oz gold price compared to a much higher current spot gold price. A Qualified Person (QP) would be required to review the historical resource report and make recommendations in order to verify and upgrade it to a current resource. A QP has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources. The Company is treating the 2011 resource estimate as a historical estimate. The company plans to re-assess the work completed by previous owners and define the feasibility of additional drilling, aiming at identifying additional near-surface mineralization.

The Plomosas, San Marcial and La Trinidad Projects collectively represent a geological setting resembling the multi-million-ounce San Dimas Mining District which has historically produced more than 600 Moz Ag and 11 Moz Au over a period of more than 100 years.

_____________________ 1 Refer to Marlin Gold Mining Ltd. 2nd Amended NI 43-101 Technical Report dated February 1, 2013 2 Refer to Marlin Gold Mining Ltd. MD&A dated April 30, 2015, April 29, 2016, May 1, 2017, April 30, 2018, August 29, 2018 3 Refer to Mako Mining Corp. MD&A dated August 28, 2019, April 29, 2020 4 Refer to Oro Mining Ltd. NI 43-101 Technical Report dated March 18, 2011

Other Projects

GR Silver Mining's other projects are situated in areas attractive for future discoveries and development in the same vicinity of Plomosas, La Trinidad and San Marcial in the Rosario Mining District. Following the acquisition of Marlin Gold Mining Ltd. ("Marlin") in March 2021, GR Silver Mining controls a concession portfolio of over 1,000 km2, two previously producing mines fully permitted for future developments and a total combined 75 km of structures with field evidence of 24 Ag-Au veins in historic old workings.

GR Silver Mining Ltd.

Mr. Marcio Fonseca, P. Geo.

President & CEO

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Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements and information that are based on the beliefs of management and reflect the Company's current expectations. When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company. Risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

GR Silver Mining Ltd. Logo (CNW Group/GR Silver Mining Ltd.)

SOURCE GR Silver Mining Ltd.

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NEW YORK, June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

The International Action Centre issues the following statement on the recent decision of the Supreme Court of Cape Verde:



The International Action Center in its discovery visit, to Cape Verde, confirmed that the Supreme Court of Cape Verde considers that a detention in the form of house arrest is not a detention that can be challenged by habeas corpus. This position of the Supreme Court is legally erroneous and cannot be defended in a state governed by the rule of law. No higher court in any State governed by the rule of law is in principle likely to adopt such an interpretation. Thus, the position of the Supreme Court of Cape Verde shocks the universal legal conscience and defies the most elementary fundamental rights.

First, it is not disputed in international human rights law, fully applicable to this case, that these conditions of deprivation of liberty, including house arrest, amount to detention. This is the position unequivocally reiterated by the civilised nations, as well as by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the European Court of Human Rights and the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in their constant jurisprudence. In adopting the position according to which placing someone in house arrest under the conditions experienced by Alex Saab is not a deprivation of liberty, the Supreme Court of Cape Verde violates human rights law. In international human rights law, the notion of deprivation of liberty contains both an objective element of a persons confinement in a particular restricted space for a not negligible length of time, and an additional subjective element in that the person has not validly consented to the confinement in question. For the Human Rights Committee there is no doubt that "Deprivation of liberty involves more severe restriction of motion within a narrower space than mere interference with liberty of movement []. The United Nations Committee expressly quotes as examples of deprivation of liberty police custody [and] house arrest (General Comment of the Human Rights Committee n35, para. 5). In other words, there is no dispute in law that house arrest is a deprivation of liberty. Ambassador Saab cannot not move freely outside the house where he is detained and is kept under constant surveillance by armed or plain-clothed guards. The house is under the permanent watch of police officers heavily armed and drones are watching the patio and the house. There is no doubt that this is a deprivation of liberty and that the full judicial guarantees must apply.

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Second, by violating international human rights law and claiming that the detention of Alex Saab is not a deprivation of liberty, the Supreme Court of Cape Verde does not simply commit a blatant erroneous interpretation of the law. It aims to prevent the application of judicial guarantees that protect, in civilized nations and respecting the rule of law, any person deprived of liberty. Among these guarantees, habeas corpus, which dates back to Roman antiquity, has the universal vocation of allowing a person deprived of liberty to challenge the detention before a judge.

The positions adopted by the Supreme Court of Cape Verde regarding habeas corpus in the case of the arbitrary detention of Ambassador Saab are totally erroneous and legally indefensible. But they are also excessively dangerous for the rule of law and human rights because by adopting such positions the Supreme Court of Cape Verde destroys piece by piece all the constitutional and human rights which have no other objective than to protect individuals against the arbitrariness of power. Instead of playing its role as a guarantor of human rights, the Supreme Court of Cabo Verde is showing itself to the world as the gravedigger of human rights and the rule of law.

MEDIA Contact:

Sara Flounders, Founder

International Action Center

Https://www.iacenter.org

E-mail: iacenter@iacenter.org

Tel: +1 212-633-6646




WATERLOO REGION, ON, June 21, 2021 /CNW/ - On June 11, the community came together in support of St. Mary's RedDAY. Thanks to residents in Waterloo Region, and the generous Manulife donation match program, matching donations up to a total of $200,000, more than $371,310 has been raised for St. Mary's.

St Mary's Red Day presented by Manulife (CNW Group/St. Mary's General Hospital Foundation)

In 2020, the annual Manulife Match was shifted to support COVID-19 efforts, raising more than $695,000 with the help of the Waterloo community. Back this year with the annual RedDAY celebration, Waterloo Region came together with an inspiring display of support.

"At Manulife, one way we're making decisions easier and lives better is promoting healthy living  it's at the heart of our business," said Mike Doughty, President and CEO, Manulife Canada. "Thanks to the generosity of our community on RedDAY, we're able to raise important funds to support St. Mary's Regional Cardiac Care Centre while building awareness of cardiac disease."

"It's clear that these communities care passionately about the cardiac health of their friends, neighbours, and co-workers. And, they recognize that investment is required to ensure ongoing access to the advanced cardiac care provided at St. Mary's. Given the tough year that so many people have had, we are awestruck by the response to the Manulife Match. What an amazing endorsement of the excellent care provided by the physicians and staff of St. Mary's," says Susan Dusick, President, St. Mary's General Hospital Foundation.

Fueled by an ever-expanding and aging population, the number of people in Waterloo Region living with heart disease is increasing. This increased patient volume is placing significant demands on the facilities of St. Mary's Cardiac Care Centre. With procedures projected to grow substantially in the next five years, there is a significant risk to patient care without the expansion of service capacity across the entire program.



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For more information about RedDAY, visit www.redday.ca.



About St. Mary's General Hospital Foundation

St. Mary's General Hospital Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing patient care at St. Mary's General Hospital through the funding of vital equipment and programs. In addition to larger capital projects, St. Mary's General Hospital relies upon the Foundation to provide the necessary funds each year to cover costs related to on-going replacement and enhancement of standard equipment which is not covered by Government funding. Over the past 10 years the Foundation has transferred over $50 million to the hospital, enabling innovative patient-centered care, delivered with compassion and respect.

SOURCE St. Mary's General Hospital Foundation

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By Daina Beth Solomon

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican authorities on Monday extended the deadline for the union at a General Motors Co plant to do over a disputed contract vote that has drawn U.S. scrutiny, warning the plant's collective contract would be terminated if the date is missed.

The union at the plant in the central city of Silao must hold the vote before Aug. 20, the Labor Ministry said in a statement. The plant employs about 6,000 people.

The original union-led vote in April, in which workers voted on whether to keep their current contract, was scrapped halfway through after Mexican officials detected "serious irregularities" including destroyed ballots.

Concerns over potential meddling in the vote prompted the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to make the first-ever request for a review of potential labor violations under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

The trade pact that replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement was designed to uphold the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining, and was bolstered by Mexico's 2019 labor reform.

The law requires contract ratification votes nationwide to ensure workers are not bound to contracts that were signed behind their backs between companies and unions.

Many traditional unions in Mexico are accused by activists of putting business interests over worker rights.

Mexico's Labor Ministry on May 11 had ordered the GM union to hold a new vote within 30 days.

After the deadline passed, the AFL-CIO U.S. labor federation said it was "deeply concerned" over the delays, and U.S. lawmakers urged GM to ensure it would comply with USMCA requirements.

GM said in a statement it would "do everything we can to support the process," including cooperating with the Mexican government and allowing authorized independent observers to monitor the vote. The company reiterated that it condemns labor rights violations.

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The deadline was pushed back at the union's request to ensure there would be no logistical "impediments" for the majority of workers to participate, the ministry said.

GM workers in Silao are represented by the Miguel Trujillo Lopez union, which is affiliated with the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), one of Mexico's largest and oldest labor organizations.

Tereso Medina, head of the Miguel Trujillo Lopez union, said the request to push back the date stemmed from "an issue of responsibility" to ensure all workers can vote, as General Motors grapples with a global semiconductor chips shortage that has forced some pauses in production.

He added his union would not miss the Aug. 20 deadline.

The office of the USTR did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon; Additional reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio and Peter Cooney)
OTTAWA, ON, June 18, 2021 /CNW/ - The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, and Rachel Bendayan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade and Member of Parliament for Outremont, will make an announcement about support for small businesses.



Date: Monday, June 21, 2021



Time: 11:00 a.m. (ET)



Location: Butter Baker

140 Amber Street, Unit 10

Markham, Ontario



Notes: In accordance with local public health guide lines, media will be asked to join the annoucement virtually. Media representatives are asked to register with Alice Hansen and log on no later than 11:00 am on Monday June 21st.

Stay connected

For business-related news, follow @CanadaBusiness on Twitter and Facebook and download the Canada Business app.

SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2021/21/c7501.html
Rise in water-based tourism and increase in interest toward recreational water sport activities have boosted the growth of the global recreational boating market

PORTLAND, Ore., June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Recreational Boating Market by Power (Engine Powered, Man Powered and Sail Propelled), Product Type (Inboard Boats, Outboard Boats, Inflatable, Sail Boats and Personal Watercrafts), Activity Type (Watersports & Cruising and Fishing) and Size (Less Than 30 Ft, 30 to 59 Ft, 60 to 79 Ft, 80 to 99 Ft, More Than 100 Ft and Full Custom): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027". As per the report, the global recreational boating industry was pegged at $29.0 billion in 2019, and is expected to reach $35.4 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 5.1% from 2020 to 2027.

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Download Report (288 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, Figures) at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5723

Drivers, restraints, and opportunities

Growth in water-based tourism and rise in interest toward recreational water sport activities drive the growth of the global recreational boating market. However, high initial & ownership cost and environmental concerns hinder the market growth. On the contrary, rise in number of high-net worth individuals and technological advancements in boats and boat engines are expected to create lucrative opportunities for the market players in the future.

Covid-19 scenario:

The Covid-19 pandemic put a strain on the supply chain across the globe. The engine and boat manufacturing companies faced huge losses during the first and second quarter of 2020. The prolonged lockdown across Europe and Asian countries resulted in loss of production.

However, the market witness recovery during the second quarter of 2020 as demand for recreational activities spiked.

Request for Customization of this report at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/5723

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The engine powered segment dominated the market

By power, the engine powered segment held the lion's share in 2019, accounting for nearly three-fourths of the global recreational boating market. Moreover, the segment is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 5.6% during the forecast period, owing to rise in innovation in recreational boat engines and surge in collaboration for development of advanced boats equipped with improved engines.

The personal watercrafts segment to manifest the highest CAGR through 2027

By product type, the personal watercrafts segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 8.0% from 2020 to 2027, due to change in lifestyle, improvement in living standards, surge in disposable income, and increase in spending on leisure. However, the inboard boats segment held the largest share in 2019, contributing to nearly two-fifths of the global recreational boating market, owing to growth of activities such as short- and long-distance leisure cruise travel and recreational sports.

Interested to Procure The Data? Inquire here at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/5723

Europe, followed by North America, held the largest share

By region, the global recreational boating market across Europe, followed by North America, dominated in terms of revenue in 2019, accounting for more than half of the market, due to increase in demand for luxury cruisers and rise in coastal & maritime tourism coupled with surge in boating participation by adults. However, the market across LAMEA is anticipated to portray the highest CAGR of 7.4% during the forecast period, owing to increase in high net worth individual population in Latin America and Middle East and marine attraction.

Major market players

Azimut Benetti Group

Groupe Beneteau

Hobie Cat Company

Brunswick Corporation

Mastercraft Boat Holdings, Inc.

Sunseeker International Limited

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

Marine Products Corporation

Polaris Inc.

White River Marine Group

Schedule a FREE Consultation Call with Our Analysts/Industry Experts to Find Solution for Your Business at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/connect-to-analyst/5723

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 21, 2021) - Spearmint Resources Inc. (CSE: SPMT) (OTC Pink: SPMTF) (FSE: A2AHL5) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it is now underway with its 2021 work program on the 100-percent owned 'Escape Lake North' PGM Project in Ontario, Canada consisting of approximately 4,000 contiguous acres. This project is prospective for platinum group metals (PGM) and is located near existing infrastructure in a mining-friendly jurisdiction just north of Thunder Bay, Ontario. This project directly borders Clean Air Metals Inc.'s ("Clean Air") Thunder Bay North Project PGM deposit and is intersected by three northwest trending faults (the Hicks Lake Fault, East Dog River Fault, and Astrop Creek Fault) and is partially cross-cut by the regional east-west Lasseter Lake Fault. Clean Air has a mineral resource for its Thunder Bay North Project including a total Indicated resource of 16,285,396 tonnes at an average grade of 3.5 g/t PdEq containing 1,834,158 ounces PdEq and a total Inferred resource of 9,852,138 tonnes at an average grade of 2.1 g/t PdEq containing 663,660 ounces PdEq and are currently in the midst of a 40,000-metre drilling program.



Management cautions that past results or discoveries on properties in proximity to Spearmint may not necessarily be indicative to the presence of mineralization on the Company's property.



James Nelson, President of Spearmint Resources stated, "We are extremely excited to have begun this initial work program on our 'Escape Lake North' project directly bordering Clean Air Metals in an area hosting a world class PGM deposits. This marks the third work program we are currently in the process of undertaking for the summer. Crews are currently underway on our gold project in Quebec in the direct vicinity of Amex Exploration Inc. and Starr Peak Mining Ltd., and we expect to begin work on our 'Goose' Gold Project in Newfoundland directly bordering New Found Gold Corp. very shortly. We are well funded for all three Canadian work programs including flow-through funds which include an initial investment by certain funds managed by Sprott Asset Management LP. We are very optimistic about the future of platinum group metals (PGM) and look forward to starting up operations on this project as well as the remainder of 2021 and beyond in terms of corporate growth for Spearmint."

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Clayton Valley Ownership Map



To view an enhanced version of this map, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4360/88058_c28db2c7d435a931_002full.jpg

Mr. Scott Jobin-Bevans (Ph.D, PMP, P.Geo), a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure contained within this news release.

About Spearmint Resources

Spearmint's current projects include the 'Clayton Valley Lithium Projects' in Nevada comprised of two claim blocks totaling 1,160 acres directly bordering Pure Energy Minerals & Cypress Development Corp. where Spearmint has recently discovered lithium in all 10 out of 10 drill holes, intersecting lithium values as high as 1,840 ppm Li; the 'Goose' Gold project directly bordering New Found Gold Corp. where Spearmint has sampled up to 973 ppb gold; the 'Escape Lake North' PGM Project in Ontario consisting of ~4,000 contiguous acres directly bordering Clean Air Metals Inc.; the Case Lake South Cesium Project in Ontario consisting of ~7,300 acres directly bordering Power Metals Corp.'s Case Lake Cesium Property; the River Valley East Platinum-Palladium Prospect in Ontario consisting of approximately 4,700 contiguous acres directly bordering the River Valley Platinum Group Metals (PGM) project; the Carscallen West Gold Project in Ontario consisting of a ~2500 contiguous acres in the direct vicinity to Melkior Resources Inc.; the Perron-East Gold Project consisting of 5 mineral claim blocks covering 11,608 acres located in the Abitibi greenstone belt of northwestern Quebec in the direct vicinity of Amex Exploration Inc.'s Perron property and past-producing Normetal mine; and the 'Chibougamau Vanadium Project' comprising of 15,493 contiguous acres directly bordering the vanadium deposit of BlackRock Metal's (private) Ilmenite vanadium project.



Spearmint's current projects also include a portfolio of prospects in the Golden Triangle of British Columbia; the 'Golden Triangle Gold Prospects' comprising of five separate claims blocks totaling 8,265 acres bordering GT Gold Corp, the 2,397 acre 'NEBA' Gold-Copper Project bordering Aben Resources Ltd, and the 'EL North' Nickel-Copper Project is a land package of 1,053 acres in the Eskay Creek Camp bordering Garibaldi Resources Corp, as well as the 4,980 acre 'Prickle' property bordering Brixton Metals Corp.



Spearmint's other projects in British Columbia include the 'Safari' Copper-Gold Project consisting of 9,007 contiguous acres located in the northern Quesnel Trough in North-Central BC, and the 'Hammernose' Gold Project consisting of 8,685 acres directly bordering Westhaven Gold Corp.'s Shovelnose Property in the Spences Bridge Gold Belt located in Southern British Columbia, Canada. Management cautions that past results or discoveries on properties in proximity to Spearmint may not necessarily be indicative to the presence of mineralization on the Company's properties.



If you would like to be added to Spearmint's news distribution list, please send your email address to info@spearmintresources.ca

Contact Information

Tel: 1604646-6903

www.spearmintresources.ca

"James Nelson"

President

Spearmint Resources Inc.

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88058
LEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE IS AUGUST 9, 2021

NEW YORK, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP announces that a federal securities class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of investors that purchased RLX Technology Inc. (NYSE: RLX) ("RLX") American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs") pursuant or traceable to RLX's January 2021 initial public stock offering (the "IPO").

(PRNewsfoto/Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman )

All investors who purchased the ADR's of RLX Technology Inc. and incurred losses are urged to contact the firm immediately at classmember@whafh.com or (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774. You may obtain additional information concerning the action or join the case on our website, www.whafh.com.

If you have incurred losses in the ADR's of RLX Technology Inc., you may, no later than August 9, 2021, request that the Court appoint you lead plaintiff of the proposed class. Please contact Wolf Haldenstein to learn more about your rights as an investor in the ADR's of RLX Technology Inc.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO JOIN CASE

RLX claims to be the "No. 1 branded e-vapor company in China," which it also claims is its "largest potential market." On January 19, 2021, RLX filed its final amendment to a Form F-1 registration statement (the "Registration Statement"), which registered 133,975,000 RLX ADR for public sale. On January 22, 2021, the defendants priced the IPO at $12 per ADR and filed the final prospectus for the IPO, which forms part of the Registration Statement. Through the IPO, the defendants issued and sold approximately 116,500,000 RLX ADR, all pursuant to the Registration Statement, for gross proceeds of nearly $1.4 billion.



The filed complaint alleges that the Registration Statement misrepresented and omitted, among other things, RLX's exposure to China's then-existing campaign to establish a national standard for e-cigarettes that would bring them into line with regular cigarette regulations.



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The truth was revealed when draft regulations were posted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, before the market opened on March 22, 2021, eight weeks after RLX's IPO, which confirmed e-cigarettes and new tobacco products would be regulated similar to traditional tobacco offerings.

Following this news, the price of RLX's shares suffered an enormous decline. On March 22, 2021, RLX's ADR closed at $10.15 per ADR, down nearly 48% from its previous close of $19.46 per ADR on March 19, 2021, the previous trading day.



Wolf Haldenstein has extensive experience in the prosecution of securities class actions and derivative litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country. The firm has attorneys in various practice areas; and offices in New York, Chicago and San Diego. The reputation and expertise of this firm in shareholder and other class litigation has been repeatedly recognized by the courts, which have appointed it to major positions in complex securities multi-district and consolidated litigation.

If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions regarding your rights and interests in this case, please immediately contact Wolf Haldenstein by telephone at (800) 575-0735, via e-mail at classmember@whafh.com, or visit our website at www.whafh.com.

Contact:

Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP

Patrick Donovan, Esq.

Gregory Stone, Director of Case and Financial Analysis

Email: gstone@whafh.com, donovanr@whafh.com or classmember@whafh.com

Tel: (800) 575-0735 or (212) 545-4774

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

Cision

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SOURCE Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP
MONTREAL, June 21, 2021 /CNW/ - To help improve equality in access to health care, TD Bank Group is proud to donate $1 million to the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Foundation for an innovative project focused on helping health care access for remote communities.

This project, spearheaded by Dr. Reza Forghani and Dr. Caroline Reinhold, will use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze emergency medical images that require urgent review, helping to accelerate care and potentially save lives. This new technology will be mainly used for x-rays and CT scans, which are the cornerstones of emergency medical imaging and diagnosis.

This donation to the MUHC Foundation is made through the TD Ready Commitment, the bank's corporate citizenship platform. "We are determined to increase our investment in research, technology and innovative solutions that are focused on helping to provide equality of access to health care. The MUHC Foundation's project is geared to help improve access to radiology which in turn can help improve early diagnosis and detection for the benefit of the health of isolated communities in Quebec," says Sylvie Demers, Chair, Quebec Market, TD Bank Group.

Using AI to serve patients

While AI technology is being used in radiology to read medical images and recognize conditions, including detection of issues that present considerable risk for patients, the MUHC Foundation underlines that this investment will lead to better care, less unnecessary transport for patients and more collaboration between researchers and physicians. The project was developed by the team headed by Drs. Forghani and Reinhold, Co-Directors of the Augmented Intelligence & Precision Health Laboratory (AIPHL) of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) to prioritize images presenting potentially fatal conditions and transferring them directly to the medical specialist on duty. The specialist can then alert the remote hospital of the conditions that need to be promptly treated, such as a collapsed lung, bowel perforation or even a stroke.

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In a given year, MUHC radiologists examine over 190,000 x-rays, 100,000 CT scans, 40,000 MRIs and 70,000 ultrasounds. They are also responsible for reading approximately 12,000 x-rays and 1,000 ultrasounds per year for Northern health regions. This new project will help lighten the load for the MUHC's radiologists while helping to find medical conditions quickly and with high accuracy.

"In remote communities, every second counts when it comes to dispensing urgent care. Knowing that patients who suffer a stroke in rural communities are 30% more likely to die than patients in urban areas, this project developed by our experts has the potential to help save countless lives," stated Julie Quenneville, President and CEO of the MUHC Foundation.

Thanks to the donation from TD, this initiative will have a positive impact on the entire McGill Reseau Universitaire Integre de Sante et Services Sociaux (RUISSS) including 200,000 individuals living in the Nord-du-Quebec and Abitibi-Temiscamingue regions, for whom the possibility of being transported to the MUHC is very limited. Eventually, this project could considerably impact all 7 million Canadians who currently live in rural communities.

About the TD Ready Commitment

TD has a long-standing commitment to helping enrich the lives of its customers, colleagues and communities. As part of its corporate citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment, TD is targeting C$1 billion in total by 2030 towards community giving in four areas critical to helping to open doors to a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow  Financial Security, Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health. Through the TD Ready Commitment, TD aspires to link its business, philanthropy and human capital to help people feel more confident  not just about their finances, but also in their ability to achieve their personal goals in a changing world. For further information, visit td.com/tdreadycommitment.

About the McGill University Health Centre Foundation

The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Foundation raises funds to support excellence in patient care, research and teaching at the McGill University Health Centre, one of the top university hospitals in Canada. Our Dream Big Campaign to change the course of lives and medicine is raising millions of dollars to solve humanity's deadliest puzzles: infectious diseases; end cancer as a life-threatening illness; fix broken hearts through innovative cardiac care; detect the silent killersovarian and endometrial cancersearly; create the best skilled health care teams in Canada; and much more. We are rallying our entire community to solve the world's most complex health care challenges. www.muhcfoundation.com

SOURCE TD Bank Group

Cision

View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2021/21/c3474.html
Aimed to drive global digital transformation

PLANO, Texas, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) today announced that Brian Kursar, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), TMNA and Toyota Connected North America (TCNA), has been promoted to group vice president, Digital Technology. Kursar will remain CTO for both TMNA and TCNA.

Brian Kursar, Toyota Motor North America

In his new role, Kursar will lead global digital transformation and technology modernization strategy aligned with software and cloud-first principles and the adoption of a data-driven culture across Toyota. At Toyota Connected North America, he will continue to be responsible for AI Mobility Services, Telematics Safety and Convenience Services, and UX and Digital Cockpit Software Engineering.

Kursar joined TMNA in 2002 and has served in a number of technology positions across the enterprise, including Vehicle Supply Chain, Enterprise Architecture, Data Engineering, Advanced Analytics, Product Quality, Incentives, and R&D. In 2018 he served as vice president and Chief Data Scientist for TCNA where he was responsible for big data in support of advanced connected intelligence and mobility services for North America. Kursar has been instrumental in designing connected cloud architecture that is leveraged by Toyota globally and will continue to help lead global technology standards for Toyota in its connected cloud ecosystem.

In his dual-capped role, Kursar will report to Holly Walters, group vice president, Chief Information Officer, TMNA, and Zack Hicks, Chief Executive Officer and President, TCNA.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus our 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 47,000 in North America. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.

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Through its Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

Contact:

Eric Booth

eric.booth@toyota.com

469-292-5290

(PRNewsfoto/Toyota Motor North America)

Cision

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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America
Uber has reached a deal to become the sole owner of Latin American delivery startup Cornershop, just one year after acquiring a majority stake in the company. The ride-hailing giant said in a regulatory filing Monday that it will purchase the remaining 47% interest in Cornershop in exchange for 29 million shares. The transaction is expected to close in July.

Uber announced in 2019 plans to take a majority ownership in Cornershop. That transaction wasn't completed until the third quarter of 2020 other than in Mexico, which closed in January 2021. This latest agreement, which was reached June 18 and reported Monday, will make Cornershop a wholly owned subsidiary of Uber. The deal is a logical next-step in the Uber-Cornershop relationship, a source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.

The deal suggests Uber's bullishness in delivery hasn't waned. With Cornershop as wholly owned subsidiary, Uber can beef up its grocery delivery options, a service made popular during the pandemic. The company started offering grocery delivery in select cities across Latin America, Canada and the U.S. last summer after it acquired Postmates in a deal valued at $2.65 billion. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement that the company's grocery and new verticals business has exceeded a $3 billion annual bookings run rate for this year.

"Thats why were excited to deepen our commitment to the team at Cornershop and to support their vision as they scale globally," he added. "Together, we will double down on the strategy of bringing same-day grocery delivery to the Uber platform worldwide.

Cornershop, which is headquartered in Chile, was founded in 2015 by Oskar Hjertonsson, Daniel Undurraga and Juan Pablo Cuevas. The company expanded its operations to eight countries up and down the Americas, including Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, the U.S. and Canada. The company raised $31.7 million over four rounds of funding from investors that include Accel and Jackson Square Ventures.

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Uber wasnt the only grocery service with its eyes on Cornershop; the startup was supposed to be acquired by Walmart in a $225 million deal, but it ultimately fell through after Mexican antitrust regulators blocked the deal from moving forward. It is unclear whether this deal will be subject to the same risks.

Uber faces stiff competition from grocery retailers themselves, many of whom offer delivery through partnering with startups like DoorDash or Favor Fleet.

TechCrunch has reached out to Cornershop for comment. We will update the story if they respond.

The story has been updated to include Uber's comments.
WASHINGTON, June 21 (Reuters) - The United States, Canada, Britain and the European Union on Monday called in a joint statement on the Belarusian government "to end its repressive practices against its own people."

They also urged Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's government to cooperate with international investigations "into the events of May 23rd," when a Ryanair jet was forced to land in Minsk and a Belarusian journalist and his companion on board were arrested. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay and Daphne Psaledakis Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Indigenous technology company reveals a new brand that puts Indigenous self-determination front and centre on National Indigenous Peoples Day

COCHRANE, Alberta, June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xyntax Group Inc, Canadas leading Indigenous-owned technology company, revealed its stunning new logo and branding strategy today, featuring the art of Indigenous Artist Joe Wilson.



President and Chief Executive Officer, Dharmesh Makwana, initiated the rebrand following the acquisition of Xyntax by Nautsa mawt Resources Group, to reflect the companys Indigenous ownership, change in leadership, and new direction.

Its a significant milestone for Xyntax and an essential step towards realizing our identity and pride as an Indigenous company, says Makwana. The rebrand represents our vision for the future, which is guided by our cultural values and our purpose - to facilitate Indigenous self-determination through strong financial and administrative management. Our brand reflects our commitment to continue developing world-class financial and administrative management solutions that advance personal and community development.

The companys new logo, which includes Joe Wilsons Coast Salish Sun, conveys Xyntaxs commitment to work as one to lift up communities, improve lives through co-innovation, and work with heart - mindful of the cultural teachings and universal values that bind humanity.

The sun is a source of energy and life, says Wilson. Many legends and traditions among the Coast Salish People speak of interaction with the Sun. The dynamic use of colour speaks to the active properties of the Sun, while the rays show balance and harmony.

Xyntaxs cornerstone financial and administrative management software solution, Xyntax Systems, has been renamed INEXSUITE. While celebrating INEXSUITEs history as a system designed exclusively for Indigenous communities, the shift away from using the company name as their product name positions Xyntax for future innovations in products and service.

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To learn more, visit https://www.xyntax.ca/post/brand.

______________________________________________________________________

About Xyntax Group Inc

Xyntax Group Inc. (Xyntax), founded in 1984, provides Indigenous Governments and organizations with the tools they need to better serve their communities and peoples. They currently serve over 100 Indigenous governments and organizations that range in size from 200 to over 14,000 members with an estimated combined yearly operating budget of over $900 million. For more information, please visit www.xyntax.com.

CONTACT: Kelly Landry, Director of Communications 1-250-510-9930 media@xyntax.com www.xyntax.com




During his sentencing, Dodge County Attorney Paul Vaughan provided enhancement that the charge was a third offense for Booze. He said Booze has a lengthy criminal history as shown in his presentence investigation report.

We believe that a straight sentence is appropriate based on the history within the presentence report, he said.

Boozes attorney said his client had taken efforts to better himself, including attending therapy and obtaining a drivers license. He also said Booze was honest about wanting to take advantage of bettering himself.

I take full responsibility for my actions and I understand the seriousness of my poor decision to drink and drive that night, Booze said. I do realize things could have gone a lot worse, and Im thankful it didnt.

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

Although Booze said hes nowhere near where hed like to be, he had been in contact with treatment centers and wanted to take the right steps toward sobriety.

However, based on the seriousness of his charge and his prior conduct, Judge Geoffrey Hall said he couldnt give Booze a probation sentence.

For a person your age, its amazing that youve violated the law this many times, he said. I agree that you hit rock bottom.
The family of prominent Pakistani opposition politician Usman Khan Kakar says he has been killed in a well-planned attack by at least two assailants at his home in the northern province of Balochistan.

Kakar, a former senator and staunch critic of Pakistans powerful military and intelligence agencies, died at a hospital in Karachi on June 21.

His son Khushal Kakar told RFE/RL that the family found Kakar lying on a carpet in the guest room on June 17, with blood flowing from his head.

It seemed that he was grabbed by one person and hit on the head by another person," Khushal said. But he didnt say who carried out the attack.

Kakar, 60, was first admitted to hospital in his hometown of Quetta but was then transferred to the Agha Khan hospital in Karachi.

Initial reports suggested that his injury was caused by a fall. The hospital said the results of an autopsy will be released in the next few days.

Opposition senators demanded a probe into Kakars death to dig out the truth. There was no immediate comment from police.

Kakar, who was the regional leader of the nationalist Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, had mentioned receiving death threats.

Kakar openly criticized the military, accusing it of meddling in politics and undermining human rights. The Pakistani military has always rejected such allegations as baseless.

Kakar was also known for his outspoken remarks in support of freedom of expression, human rights, and democratic values.
Taliban fighters overran a key district in Afghanistan's northern province of Kunduz on June 21 and surrounded the provincial capital, police said.

Fighting around Imam Sahib district began late on June 20 and by noon on June 21 the militants had overrun the district headquarters and were in control of police headquarters, said provincial police spokesman Inamuddin Rahmani.

Rahmani said Taliban fighters were as close as 1 kilometer from the city of Kunduz, the provincial capital.

Some reports said small groups of militants were near the outskirts of the city.

"The Taliban fighters are at the gates of the city and they are fighting Afghan forces," said Amruddin Wali, a Kunduz provincial council member.

The militants have also taken up positions on highways that connect Kunduz city to neighboring provinces, Wali said.

The Imam Sahib district is strategically located near Afghanistan's northern border with Tajikistan, a key supply route from Central Asia.

Militants have overrun dozens of districts since May 1, when U.S. and NATO troops began their final withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Rahmani said his forces had killed about 50 Taliban fighters in the past 24 hours. He said it still wasn't clear how many casualties the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces suffered in the protracted battle.

Both the Taliban and Afghan forces frequently inflate casualties inflicted on each other.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed confirmed Imam Sahib district was in Taliban hands and we have heard that so many soldiers have surrendered to the Taliban.

The Taliban said they have not launched an offensive on the city of Kunduz itself.

"We have launched operations around the city," Mujahid said.



Talks between the government and the Taliban taking place in Qatar have been stalemated.



Meanwhile, on June 20 the White House announced that President Joe Biden will meet June 25 in Washington with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the country's High Council for National Reconciliation, which oversees the government's negotiation team.

The White House has said the meeting aims at reaffirming Washington's financial and humanitarian aid to support the Afghan people, including Afghan women, girls, and minorities.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said June 21 the meeting would also continue to discuss how we can work together to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups who pose a threat to the U.S. homeland."

With reporting by AP, AFP, and NPR
FILE - In this Oct. 26, 2010 file photo, a worker rides a bicycle in front of the reactor building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, just outside the southern city of Bushehr. Irans sole nuclear power plant has undergone a temporary emergency shutdown, state TV reported on Sunday, June 20, 2021. An official from the state electric energy company, Gholamali Rakhshanimehr, said on a talk show that the Bushehr plant shutdown began on Saturday and would last "for three to four days.
Equal pay advocates who worked on Colorado's 2019 equal pay law, which prompted some national companies to state that Coloradans "need not apply" for remote work, say the law could help them if there are opportunities they still want to pursue.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Thunderstorms. High 74F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Clear to partly cloudy. Low 58F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Colorado Politics senior political reporter

Joey Bunch is the senior correspondent and deputy managing editor of Colorado Politics. His 32-year career includes the last 16 in Colorado. He was part of the Denver Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 and he is a two-time finalist.
CISA lacks insights into agency network defenses

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency doesnt have the data to determine if agencies are segmenting and segregating their networks, according to CISA acting Director Brandon Wales.

In a June 3 response to questions from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) about the 2020 SolarWinds attack and the role the EINSTEIN cybersecurity system plays in protecting federal networks, Wales said that while his agency continues to develop and promulgate guidance to encourage network segmentation, it does not know the percentage of agencies that have segmented and segregated their internal networks.

This information is apparently not sought in reports required under Federal Information Security Modernization Act, although FISMA does require some detail on how high-value asset systems are managed and protected on agency networks.

Wyden contacted CISA in February 2021 with a list of questions about CISA's capacity to detect zero-day exploits and related anomalous network activity using its $6 billion EINSTEIN sensor system, including why CISA was unable to detect network traffic between agencies that had downloaded a corrupted SolarWinds update package and a remote server that was established by the exploits perpetrators to manage the campaign and send additional malware payloads to compromised systems.

Wales agreed with findings presented by Wyden that firewalls configured to block outgoing traffic would have halted the progress of the SolarWinds campaign, but he added that such a configuration "is not applicable to all types of intrusions and may not be feasible given operational requirements for some agencies." He also noted that the three-pronged EINSTEIN capability is just one piece of the National Cybersecurity Protection System. One big lesson of the SolarWinds campaign, Wales wrote, is that, "EINSTEIN must be supplemented with capabilities that enable us to look inside the network to better detect in-network intrusions."

Additionally, Wales acknowledged that EINSTEIN's focus on the network perimeter is insufficient given the increase in encrypted network traffic and the proliferation of network endpoints. CISA is planning to use a $650 million spending boost included in the American Rescue Plan Act to "rapidly accelerate the transition from a perimeter defense construct to a construct whereby agencies and CISA will be better situated to identify threat activity within federal networks in near-real-time."

Wales wrote that "CISA is continuously evaluating opportunities to use binding operational directives or other authorities to drive appropriate security measures, including to adopt risk-based configuration practices." He added later in the letter that "we need to rethink our approach to managing cybersecurity across 101 federal civilian executive branch agencies."

This article was first posted to FCW, a sibling site to GCN.
Infrastructure cybersecurity must be context sensitive, expert says

A new security directive from the Transportation Security Administration that takes aim at identifying, protecting against and responding to threats to companies in the pipeline sector may unintentionally hinder the process, an expert said.

A response to the ransomware attack by Russian hacker group DarkSide on Colonial Pipeline that shut down a conduit that provides nearly half the East Coasts fuel, the directive includes three main requirements. First, pipeline owners and operators will have to report confirmed and potential cybersecurity incidents to the Homeland Security Departments Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Second, they will need to designate a cybersecurity coordinator, who will be available around the clock. Third, owners and operators must review their current cybersecurity practices, identify any gaps and related remediation measures and report the results to TSA and CISA within 30 days.

TSA, which is responsible for the cybersecurity of energy pipelines, has worked with pipeline owners and operators since 2001 to enhance physical security of hazardous liquid and natural gas pipelines, but this new directive, announced May 27, puts cyber in the crosshairs. Overall, thats good, said Henry Young, policy director at BSA/The Software Alliance, but its tricky because companies have separate approaches.

The companies themselves should have separate approaches, said Young, who worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Commerce Department. What works for one company is not going to work for another company, but across sectors at the broader, U.S. government critical infrastructure level, its really hard to have lots of different requirements for each sector.

Every organization -- public and private alike -- is resource-constrained, so when the government makes new requirements, there are two possible outcomes, he said. One is that the vendor could re-engineer the product to meet the specifications, but that makes it custom  and expensive. The other is that vendors wont sell to the government if they cant cover the cost of that re-engineering, and that means agencies may not have access to best-in-class products.

Another concern is resource distribution, Young said: By requiring vendors to spend resources to meet its requirements, the Department of Homeland Security could be limiting what companies might spend on other cybersecurity activities.

It will take up resources, and the questions is, could those organizations put those resources to better use? And the answer is we dont know for sure, he said. Thats not DHSs fault that they dont know for sure, and its not the organizations fault. Some of these things just are impossible to know with certainty.

What is certain is that the potential for these types of infrastructure attacks exists and could grow. A cyberattack last month on JBS SA, the worlds largest meat producer, led the company to shut down all of its U.S. beef plants for about a week. In February, a hacker momentarily increased the amount of sodium hydroxide in Oldsmar, Fla.s water supply, to potentially dangerous levels.

Cybersecurity is an evolving landscape, and if there are more attacks, it might change both industry and the governments approach, Young said.

President Joe Bidens May 12 Executive Order on Improving the Nations Cybersecurity calls for just that: Protecting our Nation from malicious cyber actors requires the Federal Government to partner with the private sector. The private sector must adapt to the continuously changing threat environment, ensure its products are built and operate securely, and partner with the Federal Government to foster a more secure cyberspace.

Although Young said that company executives must make infrastructure cybersecurity a priority  90% of the countrys power network is privately held, according to the Energy Department  he cautions against the development of a sweeping standard that treats all digital infrastructure the same way.

Theres consensus in the security community that risk management occurs in a context  so the question is how can a pipeline company or how can a health care company or how can a communications company manage its cybersecurity risk? Young said. Most people think of those as being very context-specific. A piece of software that might be really important to one company might not be as important to another company, and the ability to have a flexible prioritization is really important.
Oxley said the court majority's "dismissive characterization of the plaintiffs' requested declaratory relief as too general rings hollow." She said if a court struck down the state's current voluntary pollution strategy for farmers, the state could impose mandatory regulations on farmers that would provide relief to the plaintiffs that meets constitutional standards.

McDonald said he shared many of the views raised by the majority but also believed the case should not be remanded to the district court for dismissal.

The majority raises a host of legitimate concerns regarding the constitutionality, feasibility and efficacy of potential remedies, McDonald wrote in his dissent. I share those concerns.

But, he said, given the case currently is in the head waters, his preference was to remand and allow the case to continue downstream.

In a joint statement, CCI and the Food & Water Watch officials said we speak for many people across the state of Iowa when we say that we are deeply disappointed. They pledged to work with other partners to continue harnessing grassroots power to seek real, actionable solutions to remedy what they view as Iowas water crisis.
A gut punch to Iowans. Thats the only way to describe the Biden administrations decision to roll back the previous administrations Navigable Water Protection Rule. Sadly, for those of us who have been on the frontlines of this fight since 2015, this news is not a surprise.

Now let me be clear: everyone can agree that clean water should be a national priority. Iowans, and all Americans, want sensible safeguards that protect our environment and keep our nations water clean. But what they dont want is a one-size-fits-all, Washington power grab that makes it harder for Iowans to farm, ranch, and build.

Thats why, in 2015, when the Obama-Biden Administration finalized its Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule  giving the federal government authority to regulate water on 97 percent of the land in Iowa  I immediately got to work to get it off the books. I fought to nullify the rule, but even after my bill passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan support, it was vetoed by President Obama.
SATURDAY, JULY 10

REIMAGINE OUR YOUTH: Reimagine Our Youth, a lunch and learn, will feature guest Derrick Coles speaking on "Building Today's Boys into Tomorrow's Men." Held at the Boys & Girls Club of the Danville Area, 123 Foster St., from 1 to 4 p.m. RSVP by contacting the club at 434-792-6617.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 7

SCIENCE & HEALTH SUMMER CAMP 1: Science & Health Summer Camp 1 will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon July 7-9 at the Danville Science Center for middle and high school students. Only 10 students will be allowed for the camp. For more information and paper applications contact, Anjanette Farmer at 434-791-3630, ext. 1018, afarmer@pathsinc.org or visit https://forms.gle/FoSVgZZpVpSUCF1p8.

MONDAY, JULY 12

KAYAK CAMP: Kayak Camp for teens to learn the basic kayaking skills and techniques, safety protocols and explore sections of the Dan River from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. July 12-16 at Ballou Park shelter six. Cost is $130 for ages 10-16. Register by July 16 by calling Danville Parks and Recreation at 434-799-5150.

SATURDAY, JULY 17
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Four rescue boats and a helicopter belonging to the Highway Patrol searched the area Friday and fresh crews searched the area Saturday. On Saturday evening Cates said in a release that authorities were suspending the 30-plus hour search for Teresa Villano and Isiah.

We continue to stand firmly behind the decision made yesterday to suspend search efforts until we had new leads upon which to search, Cates said in Sundays release. At no point have we, or will we, cease our recovery operations.

The water below the dam, where the current is strongest, is about 3 feet deep, according to Jeff Brooks, a spokesman for Duke Energy.

Dan Riverkeeper Steven Pulliam of Stoneville said that the dams drop-off causes a strong current at its base. It would be almost impossible for a tube/raft to go over it without flipping, Pulliam said last week.

Such low-head dams, often called drowning machines by boating experts, are notorious for trapping people in the powerful current that churns at their base.

Rescue teams and regional river guides theorize that when the tubers went over the dam, they were pulled under water by the hydraulic force of the base water and drowned.
Woodridge Police Chief Brian Cunningham said early warnings likely minimized the number of injuries.

It was a nighttime event, a lot of people were sleeping, werent aware of what was going on, he said. The early warning got people to shelter. And the fact that theres only three people injured and the amount of devastation thats in the community, its just amazing." The storm destroyed the second floor of Bridget Caseys Woodridge home. She sat in a lawn chair in the driveway before sunrise Monday. Her 16-year-old son, Nate, said he was watching TV when the storm swept through and he raced to help his mother get his three younger siblings to the basement.

I just heard a loud crash and Im thinking, Oh, what are my brothers up to? I go look and I see the sky, and then I hear my brothers screaming from the room, he told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Mayor Gina Cunningham called the damage to homes and other property in the village extensive.

Im just emotional because it is devastating to drive through the community that I grew up in and worked in and share with so many wonderful neighbors, she said.
Northam, a Democrat, did not respond to questions about how tension over what to teach youths  felt from Texas to Ohio  is affecting children in his own state.

The head of his education department, James Lane, likewise was not available for an interview about the response in Chesterfield and other nearby politically conservative counties, where elected officials and community members have voiced concern about critical race theory. Republican lawmakers have passed laws banning the teaching of critical race theory to students in Florida, Tennessee, Idaho, Texas and Oklahoma.

In an emailed response through a spokesperson, Lane said that the main thing Id like to convey is that it is not a curriculum but a concept about the origin and perpetuation of racism and inequity. In its simplest form, critical race theory is an academic theory that emerged in the 70s and 80s about how racism is embedded in policy and legal systems and is not just about individual bias or prejudice.

Opponents of the teaching are taking a narrow view of the concept and distorting it, said Mikail Petin, a Chesterfield resident with a doctoral degree in cultural studies from George Mason University who studies the framework, among other disciplines.
It was to be a recurring theme. From the Founders in 1787 to todays refusal to enact needed voting-rights reform because of so-called bipartisanship, protecting Black peoples humanity has always come in second to other concerns deemed more vital. But as Anderson noted, When youre willing to sacrifice Black folks for what you consider to be the larger issue, you end up sacrificing the larger issue as well.

Meaning that America cannot credibly practice racial discrimination, then tout itself as a beacon of freedom. Thats a hypocrisy with which geopolitical foes have taunted presidents from Kennedy to Biden.

But as Anderson observes, the Second Amendment betrays Black folk not only in its origin but also in its application. Put simply: The right to keep and bear arms does not extend to Black people. If it did, would the NRA  that vigilant defender of gun rights  have kept silent when a John Crawford III or a Tamir Rice, the one a man legally carrying a firearm, the other a boy legally playing with a toy gun, were executed by police?
Here are some useful numbers for bracketing purposes: When McAuliffe won the governorship in 2013, he took 47.7% of the vote to 45.2% for Republican Ken Cuccinelli (the rest went to a Libertarian). McAuliffes numbers in both these polls match his 2013 tallies. Finally, we should remember that in November 2017  when voters knew McAuliffe best after nearly four years in office  he had a job approval rating of 43%.

Meanwhile, the Republican candidates for governor the past two elections have both polled 45%  Cuccinelli in 2013, Ed Gillespie in 2017. So Youngkins figures of 42% to 46% are in that range. Donald Trump was also very consistent  he took 44.4% in 2016 and 44% in 2020. The underfunded Senate candidate Daniel Gade took 43.9% last year, too. Even the weakest statewide Republican candidate in recent years  Corey Stewart in 2018  still took 41% of the vote.

The bottom line is: These polls feel right. McAuliffe is a known quantity, which may reassure some voters  but fail to inspire others. Youngkin is a blank slate with an agreeable personality and a resume that suggests hes not a crazy man, at least when it comes to business. Theres no reason to think this will be a blowout and every reason to think this will be close. Democrats should remember than even liberal states such as Massachusetts and Maryland have elected Republican governors. Republicans should remember that Virginia has consistently rejected Trump and candidates identified with him on a statewide basis. There are many things we dont know about Youngkin and the Republicans this year: What abortion restrictions would they enact? What gun laws would they loosen? What Democratic initiatives of recent years would they repeal? Would they undo early voting? Would they reinstate the death penalty? Would they make it harder to move Confederate monuments? Would they halt the legalization of marijuana? On the other hand, there are also things we dont know about McAuliffe and the Democrats: Would they do away with the states anti-union right-to-work law, for instance? What other social justice measures would they pursue?
Last week, the Latta Plantation outside Charlotte sparked nationwide outrage when it promoted a $25 event on Juneteenth featuring white refugees where the overseer is now out of a job.

That event has since been canceled and Mecklenburg County officials closed Latta Plantation until further notice.

In contrast, Stagville Plantation outside Durham is holding emancipation tours on the property that once housed nearly 1,000 slaves, where the work to educate visitors about their lives goes on year-round.

Raleighs Pope House Museum tells the story of Dr. Thomas Manassa Pope, the only Black man to run for mayor in the Jim Crow era.

For Ernest Dollar, director of Raleighs City and Pope House museums, the holiday remains a balancing act between celebrating emancipation and educating the state about its darkest chapters.

We also need to consider what freedom meant and how that was endangered for the next 100 years, Dollar said. Lastly, we might ask ourselves this week, why has it taken 156 years to collectively celebrate the end of human bondage in America?

Juneteenth stands for June 19, 1865  the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned that the Civil War had ended and their freedom was ensured.
ELON  Elon University will require all of its students to get a COVID-19 vaccine before returning to campus in the fall.

Elon's vaccine mandate, which it announced Thursday, applies to all students living in university housing, enrolled in on-campus or study abroad classes or taking part in activities on its main Alamance County campus or its law school campus in downtown Greensboro.

UNC System won't require COVID-19 vaccines for students but Wake Forest will Wake Forest on Tuesday became the second North Carolina university to mandate vaccines for its students before fall semester classes start in August.

All undergraduate, graduate and law school students will be required to be vaccinated.

Undergraduate students will have to submit proof of vaccination by July 30, which is about three weeks before fall semester classes start Aug. 24. But students can apply by July 9 for medical or religious exemptions like they can with vaccines required by the state of North Carolina.

Elon is preparing for "a healthy, in-person and relationship-rich" fall semester and is "striving to reach the goal of a fully vaccinated campus," Elon vice president Jeff Stein wrote in a message to the university community Thursday. Stein chairs Elon's COVID-19 response task force.
The exhibit will feature approximately 14 paintings from that visit to the Moore house. Some are of the roadbed with soldiers, others are of the homes windows and other features. Many include quotes he scribbled around the drawings or personal notes to call back someone.

I got so enamored with the whole thing, he said. I just could not quit. Im still not done with it. Im never quite satisfied. These studies are me trying to figure out what I want to do. This exhibit will really show the artists mind or rather my mind.

As he makes his way into another room off the main gallery, Timberlake stops at a painting titled Wanda. More memories come flooding back as he recalls how he met the now 58-year-old Davidson County woman named Tiwanda when she was 11. She had come to live with her grandparents in 1973 whose home was near Riverwood, Timberlakes studio in Southmont.

She showed up and we talked a lot, he said. She took care of our 26 dogs. I bought the dog food and she fed them.
From May to early June, the latest data available, cases of the delta variant increased nationwide from 2.8% to 9.5%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the four weeks before June 22, the latest available data, just 0.7% of cases in North Carolina were the delta variant, but state health officials expect that rate to increase in the coming weeks.
It was to be a recurring theme. From the founders in 1787 to todays refusal to enact needed voting-rights reform because of so-called bipartisanship, protecting Black peoples humanity has always come in second to other concerns deemed more vital. But as Anderson noted, When youre willing to sacrifice Black folks for what you consider to be the larger issue, you end up sacrificing the larger issue as well.

Meaning that America cannot credibly practice racial discrimination, then tout itself as a beacon of freedom. Thats a hypocrisy with which geopolitical foes have taunted presidents from Kennedy to Biden.

But as Anderson observes, the Second Amendment betrays Black folk not only in its origin but also in its application. Put simply: The right to keep and bear arms does not extend to Black people. If it did, would the NRA  that vigilant defender of gun rights  have kept silent when a John Crawford III or a Tamir Rice, the one a man legally carrying a firearm, the other a boy legally playing with a toy gun, were executed by police?
A district court judge has set a timeline in the civil case filed by an oncologist fired by St. Peters Health, setting a five-day jury trial to begin Nov. 14, 2022, should the parties not settle out of court beforehand.

A scheduling conference for the case of Dr. Thomas Weiner vs. St. Peters Health was held June 4, setting the Nov. 14, 2022 trial date, but Montana 1st Judicial District Court Judge Mike Menahan in Lewis and Clark County issued an order June 14 setting other dates as well.

If mediation has not already occurred, on or before April 8, 2022, the parties shall participate in a settlement conference with a trained settlement master, Menahan wrote in the scheduling order. Upon completion of mediation, the parties shall advise the Court as to whether the trial can be vacated.

Weiner sued the hospital Dec. 10, claiming wrongful termination, and he has asked for a jury trial and for the award of damages and court costs to be determined at the trial.

The hospital fired Weiner on Nov. 17. St. Peters Health has said Weiner had incorrectly treated a patient for lung cancer for 11 years before it was determined that the person did not have the disease at the time of death. The hospitals legal counsel also said that it learned of alarming narcotic prescribing practices by Weiner.
As far back as Tim Graff can remember, he's always had a desire to fly.

Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to fly, Graff related. I would sit behind our house fan and pretend I was flying an airplane. I even made my little sister Cindy be my passenger.

And later, after going on his first helicopter ride at the age of 20, he knew that's what he wanted to do.

I checked with every branch of service but needed a college degree. The Montana Guard gave me every opportunity of flying ... that I dreamed of, he said.

Graff parlayed his determination, work ethic and skills into a 37-year career as a MTNG M Day Traditional Soldier (Weekend Warrior). He served three tours in the Middle East, flew over 1,200 hours in combat zones, and scaled to the highest ranking Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army.

Graff grew up on Helena's Westside, where he fostered the lifelong habits of hard work. He delivered both the morning Great Falls Tribune and afternoon Independent Record daily, mowed lawns, shined shoes and collected empty cans.
Gov. Greg Gianforte told the Montana Republican Party State Officers' Convention in a lunchtime speech Friday that changes to state voting laws would stop dead people from voting in Montana.

"We're strengthening our election laws. We're making sure Montana elections are fair, accurate and free of fraud," Gianforte, a Republican, said. "We ended same-day voter registration. And now you need a photo ID to vote. We're cleaning up our voter rolls so dead people don't vote anymore."

A spokesperson said Gianforte was citing Senate Bill 170, which requires annual voter registration list maintenance. But the new law does not change a state statue allowing the vote of an elector who returns their completed absentee ballot and then dies before Election Day to be counted.
Todays Highlight in History:

On June 21, 1964, civil rights workers Michael H. Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James E. Chaney were slain in Philadelphia, Mississippi; their bodies were found buried in an earthen dam six weeks later. (Forty-one years later on this date in 2005, Edgar Ray Killen, an 80-year-old former Ku Klux Klansman, was found guilty of manslaughter; he was sentenced to 60 years in prison, where he died in January 2018.)

On June 21:

In 1788, the United States Constitution went into effect as New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it.

In 1942, German forces led by Generaloberst (Colonel General) Erwin Rommel captured the Libyan city of Tobruk during World War II. (Rommel was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal; Tobruk was retaken by the Allies in November 1942.)

In 1943, Army nurse Lt. Edith Greenwood became the first woman to receive the Soldiers Medal for showing heroism during a fire at a military hospital in Yuma, Arizona.

In 1954, the American Cancer Society presented a study to the American Medical Association meeting in San Francisco which found that men who regularly smoked cigarettes died at a considerably higher rate than non-smokers.

In 1963, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini was chosen during a conclave of his fellow cardinals to succeed the late Pope John XXIII; the new pope took the name Paul VI.

In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Miller v. California, ruled that states may ban materials found to be obscene according to local standards.

In 1977, Menachem Begin of the Likud bloc became Israels sixth prime minister.

In 1982, a jury in Washington, D.C. found John Hinckley Jr. not guilty by reason of insanity in the shootings of President Ronald Reagan and three other men.

In 1989, a sharply divided Supreme Court ruled that burning the American flag as a form of political protest was protected by the First Amendment.

In 1997, the WNBA made its debut as the New York Liberty defeated the host Los Angeles Sparks 67-57.

In 2002, one of the worst wildfires in Arizona history grew to 128,000 acres, forcing thousands of homeowners near the community of Show Low to flee.

In 2010, Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistan-born U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty to charges of plotting a failed car bombing in New Yorks Times Square. (Shahzad was later sentenced to life in prison.)

In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration announced that cigarette packs in the U.S. would have to carry macabre images that included rotting teeth and gums, diseased lungs and a sewn-up corpse of a smoker as part of a graphic campaign aimed at discouraging Americans from lighting up. Amid street protests, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou survived a confidence vote.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton, during a visit to the battleground state of Ohio, said Donald Trump would send the U.S. economy back into recession, warning that his reckless approach would hurt workers still trying to recover from the 2008 economic turbulence. North Korea fired two suspected powerful new Musudan midrange ballistic missiles, according to U.S. and South Korean military officials, the communist regimes fifth and sixth such attempts since April 2016. The Obama administration approved routine commercial use of small drones in areas such as farming, advertising and real estate after years of struggling to write rules to protect public safety.

In 2020, an initially peaceful protest in Portland, Oregon, against racial injustice turned violent, as police used flash-bang grenades to disperse demonstrators throwing bottles, cans and rocks at sheriffs deputies. Spectators in Raleigh, North Carolina, cheered as work crews finished the job started by protesters and removed a Confederate statue from atop a 75-foot monument. NASCAR said a rope shaped like a noose had been found in the garage stall of Bubba Wallace, the only full-time Black driver in NASCARs elite Cup Series, at a race in Talladega, Alabama. (Federal authorities found that the rope had been hanging there for months, and that it was not a hate crime.) New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the American Museum of Natural History would remove from its entrance a statue depicting Theodore Roosevelt on horseback with a Native American man and an African man standing alongside; critics said it symbolized colonial expansion and racial discrimination.

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"This decision was not an easy one for me to make, but (was) reaffirmed by the imminent change in police reform," Koonce said in his resignation letter. "It is my hope that Illinois legislators dive deep into this reform, and make sweeping changes. The safety of the public is at risk."
During last years Democratic presidential primary, multiple candidates  although notably not Joe Biden  proposed investing federal R&D dollars in regional growth centers as a way to jump-start tech hubs that arent on the two coasts. This is basically that. To ensure geographic diversity, the bill requires three in each of the six regions covered by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (which puts Virginia in a region that runs all the way up to Maine). It further says at least six of the 18 hubs must benefit a small and rural community, which it defines as any metro area with a population of 200,000 or less as reported in the 2010 (note the date) census. In Virginia, that would apply to the New River Valley and Danville, but not Roanoke, Lynchburg or Bristol, all of whom are part of metro areas with bigger populations than that. And, of course, any place thats not an official metropolitan or micropolitan area. That means Virginias coal counties could band together to put in a bid, particularly if they can enlist the University of Virginias College at Wise as a partner (the act likes having universities involved). Government leaders in all those places should be studying the fine print on this bill and figuring out how their communities might qualify.
It was Biden, after all, who called Mr. Putin a killer.

He was right.

Killers usually do not seek the approval of rule followers.

So there is no reason to believe that Putin has been in any way chastened by this meeting.

Moreover, Bidens promise that if Putin persists in his Putin ways, we will respond, probably does not change much, either.

And restoring full diplomatic relations, now promised, is probably not the right signal to send.

Realism really means that the life of one man  like dissident Alexei Navalny, who is now being slowly killed in a gulag  is not sufficient cause for a new cold war.

But what if the cold war is already on?

And what if Putin did not get, and does not plan on receiving and reading, the Wests memo about reason and reputation and good opinion?

The good opinion of the West, and cordiality with the United States, did not stop the Putin regime from poisoning dissidents, from jailing them or, yes, from killing them.
A student team from Alexander Central High School recently traveled to Rockdale, Texas to compete in The American Rocketry Challenge. The team was one of 100 national finalists and Alexander Central was one of four North Carolina schools to compete.

This years challenge required teams to carry a payload of one raw egg to 775 feet within 39-42 seconds, and then to 825 feet within 41-44 seconds at the national finals. Unfortunately, the Alexander Central rocket was damaged on the first flight which caused the team to be disqualified.

During the first flight the Kevlar cord that keeps the two parts together on the descent broke. This caused a disqualification and made it impossible for us to score well, said teacher Chris McCollum. It was nothing the students did and the other aspects of the flight looked great but it happens.

Even though the team experienced a mishap, McCollum said they handled it with grace. The students were amazing in the way they handled this tragic accident, he said. They even went as far as to see if another team needed help, because a parent thought they had left a part they needed at home. They are great young men and did a great job.
The number of students attending summer school in the Catawba County Schools system jumped from less than 500 in 2019 to approximately 3,000 this year.

Catawba is one of three systems in the county.

Out of the 15,500 students enrolled in Catawba County Schools, about 3,000 are attending summer school this year. Summer school was not offered in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The increased number of students participating in summer school this summer is due to the pandemic, said Catawba County Schools Superintendent Matt Stover. Although our virtual instruction was well-created by our teaching staff, it is difficult for teachers, parents and students to engage in strictly online learning.

The majority of students in summer school are from elementary schools. There are approximately 1,600 elementary, 720 middle, and 680 high school students enrolled in summer school in the district.

In comparison, the numbers were noticeably lower in 2019. Among the 450 students enrolled in summer school in 2019, 275 were elementary students, 175 were high school students, and there were no middle school students attending summer instruction.
EDEN, N.C. (AP)  The body of a fourth tuber has been found in a North Carolina river following a deadly accident in which a family on a recreational float went over a dam, local officials said Sunday.

The Rockingham County Sheriffs Office confirmed in a news release that Isiah Crawford, 7, was the person who was found in the Dan River.

Another tuber, Teresa Villano, 35, is still missing. The search for her continued on Sunday, including near the Virginia state line, officials said.

The sheriff's office said the child's body was found after authorities received a 911 call about 10 a.m. Someone had reported seeing a body in the river near a boat landing in the town of Eden.

The accident occurred Wednesday night when a group of nine people floated down the river on inflatable tubes and went over a dam. Four people were rescued Thursday, while three tubers bodies were found that day.

The group went over a dam thats about 8 feet (2.5 meters) high next to a Duke Energy plant. Boating experts told The News & Record that such low-head dams are notorious for trapping people in the powerful current that churns at their base.
RALEIGH  North Carolina Senate Republicans unveiled a two-year state budget proposal Monday that sticks to earlier spending limits even with recent news of a massive revenue windfall. They instead earmark billions more now for savings, with plans for deeper tax cuts and more construction projects to follow the rest of the decade.

The measure, according to GOP leaders who described its content, also offers pay raises and one-time bonuses to public school teachers and state employees, although the permanent raises fall short of what Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper proposed in his budget in March.

The bill, which is expected to pass through the chamber by Friday, seeks to spend $25.7 billion in state funds in the year starting July 1 and $26.6 billion the following year, in keeping with a spending cap that senators settled on with House Republicans this month. However, state economists predicted last week that the state would have $6.5 billion more at its disposal over the next two years above and beyond an already anticipated surplus, beginning with an extra $1.9 billion in state coffers by June 30.

But senators say they're committed to the cap, saying they're concerned that much of the cash influx attributed to a resurgent post-pandemic economy can't be counted longterm to pay for permanent initiatives.
Waking at the crack of dawn is nothing new for Indiana dairy farmer Jill Houin. However, feeling like a celebrity with a police escort and a crowd of fans is not her typical morning routine.

On May 30, Houin was able to step away from her regular role on Homestead Dairy near Plymouth, Ind., to promote her livelihood. The tradition of Winners Drink Milk began 85 years ago and rewards the first-place racer of the Indianapolis 500 with a cold glass of milk.

Houin was selected by a committee of farmers to serve as the milk person. It is the role of the milk person to represent all dairy farmers by presenting the milk to the winner. Tim Hayne of Superior Dairy in Garrett, Ind., was chosen as the rookie milk person and will advance to the official milk person next year.



Marrying into the lifestyle of dairy farming, Houin said at first she did not understand the amount of passion it takes to run a dairy operation. It was a culture shock, admitted Houin. Now, I just love teaching people about agriculture and the dairy farm.

Houin works full time on the 4,900-head dairy alongside her husband, 14 family members, and 60 employees. Some of her tasks include caring for calves, creating social media content, and giving tours.

Fully understanding and sharing the passion for dairy, she was honored to represent the industry. Thinking back to awarding the 2021 Indy 500 winner, Helio Castroneves, his glass of milk, Houin said, When that hand off happened, it was energizing. We both worked hard to get to this point.

During the broadcast, ESPN mentioned that this tradition has the coolest trophy among all sports. Before the event, all racers were asked if they would prefer skim, 1%, 2%, or whole milk if they won. As the race came to a finish, Houin had to review the results to make sure she was giving the winner the kind of ice-cold milk they requested.



Houin said this tradition is a celebration for dairy farmers across the whole country. She shared, I learned how passionate these families are to produce milk for so many people, and I think it means so much to be celebrated on this scale.

Not only were dairy farmers excited about the milk spotlight, but so was Castroneves. Houin said his reaction was thrilling as he chugged the milk and poured it over his head. Although he was uncertain of what the results would be, he packed pink food coloring just in case to add to the milk to match his uniform.

Although Houin will not be in the winners circle next year, she is determined to celebrate with a glass of milk from wherever she is watching the race. She encourages everyone to join her in a tribute to dairy.

Jessica Schmitt

Jessica Schmitt grew up working on her familys dairy farm near Fort Atkinson, Iowa. She recently completed her junior year at Iowa State University where she is triple majoring in dairy science, international agriculture, and agricultural and life sciences education with a communications option. Schmitt is serving as the 2021 Hoards Dairyman editorial intern this summer.
Police arrested six members of the Clop ransomware gang. Image: supplied

Ukrainian police have arrested six members of the Clop ransomware gang that has attempted to extort organisations around the world, including a NSW government agency.

Officers searched 21 premises in Kyiv where they made arrests and seized computers, cars, and around $250,000 in cash.

It was established that six defendants carried out attacks of malicious software such as ransomware on the servers of American and Korean companies, the Ukrainian National Police said in a statement.

They demanded a ransom for decrypting the data, and in case of non-payment, they threatened to disclose the confidential data of the victims.

Footage from the raids shows police forcing entry on multiple properties, making arrests and counting cash.

Officers from the South Korean National Police were also in attendance during the crackdown.

Police estimate the damage from the gang exceeds $660 million.

Along with delivering ransomware, Clop also took advantage of a vulnerability with the Accellion File Transfer Appliance which saw the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) and Reserve Bank of New Zealand breached.

Clop targeted Transport for NSW using the Accellion flaw and dumped hundreds of gigabytes of data onto the dark web in an attempt to extort the states transport agency.

Clops dark web leak site remains online  including the Transport for NSW files  despite international law enforcement celebrating its members arrests.

The Clop leak site is still online featuring data stolen from organisations around the world.

Security firm Intel 471 said it understood the Ukrainian arrests were limited to the groups cash-out/money laundering operation.

We do not believe that any core actors behind Clop were apprehended, due to the fact they are probably in Russia, Intel 471 said.

The overall impact to Clop is expected to be minor, although this law enforcement attention may result in the Clop brand being abandoned as weve recently seen with other ransomware groups like DarkSide and Babuk.

DarkSide was the group behind the Colonial Pipeline attack which caused severe disruptions to the US petrol supply chain and disbanded shortly after the incident brought heightened scrutiny to ransomware groups.

The US was able to retrieve most of the 75-bitcoin payment Colonial Pipeline made to DarkSide and has pointed the finger directly at Russia for allegedly harbouring cyber criminals.

Cyber security was high on the agenda last week when US President Joe Biden met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Geneva.

Biden warned Putin that critical infrastructure was off limits for Kremlin hackers.

I pointed out to him that we have significant cyber capability, and he knows it, Biden said.
John and Ella Travolta celebrated each other on Father's Day. (Randy Holmes via Getty Images)

John Travolta's daughter Ella has shared a sweet tribute to her dad, praising his parentig skills on his first Father's Day as a lone parent.

Ella, 21, shared her thoughts on having Travolta as a dad on Father's Day, posting a treasured family photo with her message.

Read more: John Travolta dances with daughter Ella in star-studded Super Bowl ad

She wrote: "Daddy, You make parenting look so easy, though it not always is. You make everyday better than the one before it. You bring joy to us when we are down. You are our best friend and we love you to the moon and back around.

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"I hope to be even half as good of a parent as you someday Happy Fathers Day to this incredible man and to all of the amazing Dads out there"

Travolta and late wife Kelly Preston had three children together - Ella and sons Jett and Benjamin.

Eldest son Jett passed away in 2009 when he was just 16 after suffering a seizure on a family holiday in the Bahamas.

Last year, tragedy hit the family again when Travolta's beloved wife Preston died of breast cancer in July 2020.

John Travolta lost his wife Kelly Preston last year. (Manny Carabel/Getty Images)

The Father's Day post from Ella was a rarely shared photo of their family as it is now - herself, dad Travolta and 10-year-old brother Benjamin.

Pulp Fiction star Travolta also posted his own Father's Day message on Instagram with a photo of himself with Ella and Benjamin.

He wrote: "Happy Fathers Day everyone! It is a privilege to be the father of these two beautiful children - thank you for the honor and my love and respect to all fathers."

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Last month, the actor marked the US Mother's Day with a heartfelt tribute to Preston on the first year that they spent the occasion without her.

Posting a photo from their children's early years, he wrote: "Dearest Kelly, you brought into my life three of the most wonderful children I have ever known. Thank you. We love and miss you. Happy Mothers Day."

Watch: John Travolta and Bruce Willis teaming up for new action film Paradise City
NCP chief Sharad Pawar (File photo)

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 21 (ANI): Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar will chair a meeting with opposition party leaders in Delhi on Tuesday, informed Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister and NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik.

The NCP leader said Sharad Pawar will work towards uniting all the opposition parties in the country from tomorrow.

The meeting will be attended by leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party, Trinamool Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, National Conference, NCP and others.

Several prominent political leaders and eminent persons including Farooq Abdullah, Yashwant Sinha, Pawan Verma, Sanjay Singh, D Raja, Justice AP Singh, Javed Akhtar, KTS Tulsi and Karan Thapar will attend Tuesday's meeting to be chaired by Sharad Pawar.

The upcoming Lok Sabha session and the current political situation of the country will be discussed in this meeting, said Nawab Malik.

Notably, political strategist Prashant Kishor met the NCP chief in Delhi on Monday. This was the second meeting between the two after Kishor had met Pawar in his Mumbai residence earlier this month.

Before the meeting with opposition parties, Sharad Pawar will chair a meeting of the National Working Committee of NCP in Delhi on Tuesday. Various agendas will be discussed in the meeting, informed Nawab Malik. (ANI)
CHARLESTON  A 10-year-old girl was rescued Sunday from the Embarras River after her kayak had capsized.

According to a news release from the Lincoln Fire Protection District, emergency crews were dispatched to County Road 420 North in Coles County around 11:05 a.m. after learning that a girl was stranded on a log in the river after her kayak had struck some debris. Her father was able to make it to the shore.

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A Lincoln Fire Protection District Dive Team rescue boat was launched at Walker Ford and traveled up the river to the scene. The 10-year-old girl was taken by boat and reunited with her father on the shore. There were no injuries reported.

Assisting with the rescue were the Coles County Sherriffs Office and and Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

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The family set out sometime on Wednesday on tubes down the Dan River and went over an 8-foot dam near the Duke Energy Steam Station. The water below the dam, where the current is strongest, is about 3 feet deep, according to Jeff Brooks, a spokesman for Duke Energy.

Dan Riverkeeper Steven Pulliam of Stoneville said that the dams drop-off causes a strong current at its base. It would be almost impossible for a tube/raft to go over it without flipping, Pulliam said last week.

Such low-head dams, often called drowning machines by boating experts, are notorious for trapping people in the powerful current that churns at their base.

Rescue teams and regional river guides theorize that when the tubers went over the dam, they were pulled under water by the hydraulic force of the base water and drowned.

Brooks said there is a sign for boaters and tubers approaching the dam that mentions the availability of a portage to exit the river before the dam. This allows people to walk around the dams powerful currents.

Cates said last week that the four survivors were discovered near the dam, clinging to the tubes in the water and had been there for many hours. They were tired, very fatigued and had been subjected to the elements for 19 hours, he said.
Forsyth County reported another COVID-19 death over the weekend along with eight new cases of the virus.

With the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services report Monday, Forsyth has had 418 COVID-19 related deaths, including 29 so far in June.

Eight were reported Friday, a four-month high.

Forsyth has had a total of 36,863 cases. At least 94% of people who have had the virus in the county are considered as fully recovered.

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.

Joshua Swift, the countys health director, said earlier in June that some of the deaths reported this month represent the case of us cleaning up old reports, so not recent deaths.

Dr. David Priest, an infectious diseases expert with Novant Health Inc., said on June 14 that he is not aware of any local deaths related to virus variants.

Ohl, Priest and Swift said last week they remain concerned that Forsyth could experience clusters of new cases, particularly among unvaccinated individuals.
She found the nurse on duty and asked where do I need to go? They directed her to a soiled linen closet.

A baby was lying on a countertop. Breathing, living, arms sprawled out. She picked it up. It had no blanket, no cover, was laying on a cold countertop in a soiled linen closet all alone. She picked it up, held it, rocked it, sang to it, prayed for it, and gave it its final rites.

After catching her breath, Krawiec said SB405 does nothing to limit womens access to health care. I heard that one, believe it or not. ... That is beyond the world that I live in.

Krawiec claims she has legal opinions that say we do not have a law that says we must administer care to a baby in the born-alive scenario cited in SB405.

Krawiec acknowledged that we dont know how many of these births occur. Doctors arent going to report them. The mothers arent going to report them.

We only know from the people who have worked in these clinics, who have been there ... who have seen it, so we know it is happening.

Next presentation
Arnita Miles, community activist and former Winston-Salem police officer, accused Tonya McDaniel, a Forsyth County commissioner, of misappropriating about $47,000 in grant money meant for the Winston-Salem NAACP and pocketing it into a personal bank account. No criminal charges have been filed. Blueprint NC, a nonprofit, said it gave the grant money based on an application made on behalf of the local NAACP, but the past president of the chapter said he was never aware that a grant request had been made and he never saw any of that money come through the Winston-Salem NAACP.
Most households receiving the groups help report having at least one person employed at some point over the past year  many having worked two or three part-time jobs with no health insurance. An overwhelming majority often say they have to choose between paying for food and medical care.

While the pandemic pushed up the timetable to open, the agency had for years been looking to expand.

With a Greensboro location, local agencies and others stretching as far away as Caswell County wont have to send volunteers and others to Winston-Salem to retrieve food for distribution. The distance prevented some from being able to more frequently pick up produce and other perishable items that they would also have to figure out how to store when they might have one or two refrigerators.

The Bennetts got involved in Second Harvest through a friend and had fallen in love with another project for Greensboro.

Marianne Bennett became excited about the agencys Providence Kitchen Culinary School partnership with Forsyth Technical Community College, which focused on people who have barriers to employment, such as criminal records.

It was giving them these tools that got them skilled jobs, Marianne Bennett said.

That was about two years ago.
Records show that from May 2 to May 21 in 2019, she withdrew $238,400 in cash from her accounts. She sent the cash, as instructed by the fake agents, in eight FedEx packages to addresses in California and New Jersey.

They would tell me how to wrap it, and they would make me take pictures of the cash and send it to them by phone, she said.

Branches of her bank were alerted to the growing number of withdrawals. She was escorted out of a branch by the manager because she had taken so much money out of her account.

Other losses followed, including $23,000 in gift cards she purchased in accordance with the instructions of the phony DEA agents.

I kept track of everything, said June, adding that the FBI told her that the notes she took about her dealings with the scammers were among the best of all the victims.

In May 2019, a victim in Northern Virginia, who sent $120,000 in cash to an address in New Jersey, figured out that he had been tricked and called the FBI.

Court documents show that when scammers told that victim to send an additional $40,000, FBI agents arranged for the delivery of the parcel.
Before her speech, RedState.com reports, a student recited the Pledge of Allegiance, but not the one we are used to: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under Allah, indivisible, and with liberty and justice for all.

Under Allah?

Omeish said the U.S. was guilty of stealing land from Native Americans. She also denounced extreme capitalism, individualism and white supremacy. She has previously made remarks The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington has said target and marginalize Jewish students and their families.

These and other incidents and decisions made by school boards across the country have raised the ire of many parents. Some have shown up at public board meetings, denouncing members. Others are engaged in recall efforts. The question is whether any of their replacements will be better than the current ones and would they also give in to pressure from various groups that want to fundamentally transform America, as former President Obama pledged to do?
I recently saw an interview with former Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput, who made the interesting observation that the increasing trend of Catholics to opt for cremation instead of burial takes the focus off the life that passed. The rituals of mourning that are common when we conduct funerals convey a certain measure of gravitas that a collection of ashes in a box on the mantle do not.

Not everyone will agree, of course. But three of my immediate family members are gone, two are buried and one is cremated, and when I visit my two parents in that quiet place under the towering trees at St. Peters, I feel them. It is a destination, and a conscious decision to visit them. With my brother, I do not even know where his ashes are collected. I only have his memory which, precious as it is, has no place or substance or roots in my daily reality.

If you have made it all the way through to the end of this piece, you might still be wondering what my point might be. To be honest, it is as trivial and as important as this:
State-and-regional

editor's pick alert top story

Best in Nebraska high school rodeo punch tickets to first national finals in Lincoln

EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star Dalton Kunkee (105) and partner Sid Miller race to rope their steer in the team roping competition at the Nebraska High School Finals Rodeo in Hastings. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star Elle Ravenscroft rounds the second barrel in the barrel racing competition Saturday at the Nebraska High School Finals Rodeo in Hastings. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star Hunter Boydston completes a successful ride in the bull riding competition at the Nebraska High School Finals Rodeo in Hastings.

HASTINGS  The drive to Hastings took several hours for many of the athletes at the Nebraska High School Finals Rodeo, but for many it came down to a matter of seconds on Saturday.

Out of a field of 167, the top four finishers in each event qualified for the National High School Finals rodeo  an opportunity made even more special this year because it's a chance to compete for a national title in Lincoln.

Senior barrel racer Elle Ravenscroft, of Nenzel in north-central Nebraska's Cherry County, said she's excited for the relatively short drive to nationals this year, as well as the chance to perform in front of a home crowd.

"It's awesome to have that state pride and be able to show off your talent in your home state," she said.

Layne Wallinger, a sophomore from Stuart, qualified for nationals in tie down roping by winning the event in Saturday's short go, and said having the competition in his home state will be especially cool.

"Hopefully we can represent Nebraska pretty well," he said.

The National High School Finals Rodeo was to be in Lincoln for the first time last year, but coronavirus-related restrictions didn't allow it. Organizers ended up staging the event in Oklahoma.

But next month, it will make its Lincoln debut, with the first contestants checking in July 15 and competitions running day and night from July 18-24.

For those headed to Lincoln, the National High School Finals Rodeo is a culmination of months and years of training.

As for what keeps him coming back to the sport, Wallinger said the adrenaline rush he gets galloping after a steer is an addiction for him. After Saturday's short go, he planned to drive to nearby Overton for an amateur rodeo that night.

"It's fun," he said.

Cooper Bass, a junior from Brewster, won the state title in cutting, which he said made the long hours of practice he puts in each night and the long weekends competing far from home worth it.

Bass said he qualified to nationals his freshman year, but missed out last year.

"I'm ready to go to the national level and compete with those guys and see what I can do," he said.

Trish Hinrichs, Adams County Ag Society board member and co-chair of the Nebraska High School Finals Rodeo, said the weekend event has a huge impact on the community each year.

This year marked the 20th year that Hastings has hosted the event, she said, which brings in nearly 500 people, most staying for several days. Local businesses get a boost, and the athletes and their families tell her they like coming to the town.

This year's competition had a special feel, she said, as competitors knew a chance to compete for a national title in their home state was on the line.

"Everybody seems to be looking forward to it and excited about staying in Nebraska," she said.

The National High School Finals Rodeo is expected to draw 1,700 competitors and their families from 43 states and two foreign countries. The Lancaster Event Center expects 30,000 visitors associated with the event to pass through Lincoln, many staying in a sprawling campground at the fairgrounds but others grabbing rooms in local hotels.

The economic impact has been estimated at nearly $16 million  equal to that of four Husker football Saturdays.

The athletes, and their families, put a lot of time and money into competing in the sport, which in events like steer wrestling are decided in only a few seconds.

Dane Pokorny, a junior from Stapleton, captured the title in that event, completing one of his go-rounds in 4.39 seconds.

"That 4 seconds seems like half a second," said Pokorny, describing the adrenaline rush which further raises the urgency.

The fact that it goes by in a flash makes the bad weekends even worse, but the victories especially sweet.

"When you have a bad run, it's all for nothing. Lots of gas miles," he said. "So you got to really bear down and do it, I guess."

Amtrak resumes daily service through Lincoln Daily trains, suspended for the pandemic, have been returned to full service.
An 80-year-old Lincoln man has been arrested after police say he shot his wife in the head on Sunday morning, leaving the 78-year-old in critical condition at an area hospital.

Lincoln Police Department Officer Erin Spilker said the man, John Kotopka, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault and use of a weapon to commit a felony after the shooting at around 8 a.m. Sunday.

The arrest came after officers responded to a call from a man who said he was awakened by a gunshot in his family's house near 18th and Dakota streets, where he found his mother, Janet Kotopka, in their living room with a gunshot wound, Spilker said.

The man lived at the house with his parents.

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Janet Kotopka was transported to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, where she remained in critical condition Monday evening. Spilker said interviews led to John Kotopka's arrest.

Spilker said the gun used in the shooting was recovered from the home, which was processed for evidence by crime scene technicians. John Kotopka was taken to the Lancaster County Jail.

In a statement shared with the Journal Star on Monday, family members said they were going through a difficult time and requested privacy.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7223 or awegley@journalstar.com. On Twitter @andrewwegley.

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Nebraska teen charged in death of his 6-month-old daughter

OMAHA  A Nebraska teen has been charged as an adult in the death of his 6-month-old daughter.

Alejandro Flores, 17, of Omaha, was ordered held last week on $225,000 bail on a charge of intentional child abuse in the death of Ruby Flores-Martinez.

She wasnt breathing on June 3 when police responded to an apartment. Flores rode in the ambulance to the hospital as medics performed CPR on the baby. She died two days later. Doctors told police that Rubys injuries likely were the result of abuse.

At the hospital, Flores told a detective that he was alone with his daughter when she became unresponsive and that he didnt know what happened, according to a police report.

But when he was interviewed again a few days later at police headquarters, he made incriminating statements and confessed to causing the injuries, according to the report.

LES to host ride and drive event with e-vehicles
Lincoln police are investigating a drive-by shooting after bullets caused damage to a fence and a car near Arnold Heights Park but missed two nearby 17-year-olds.

Officer Erin Spilker said the teens were walking near West Vance Road and West Superior Street at around 11:50 p.m. Friday when a car drove up. The teens told police that someone in the car yelled at them before they heard gunfire as the car sped away, Spilker said.

Neither teen was injured. They told police they didn't recognize the car, Spilker said. Investigators found several spent shell casings and bullets that damaged one of the teens' cars and a nearby fence.

Spilker said investigators are analyzing surveillance video from neighbors and that the investigation is ongoing.

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A search warrant served by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force led investigators to 1.7 pounds of methamphetamine near 59th and and Holdrege streets on Friday night.

Officer Erin Spilker said investigators served the warrant around 11 p.m. at the residence of Aaron Kuntz, where they found the meth with a street value of around $7,000. Police also found numerous items used for the sale of drugs, Spilker said, and more than $900 in cash.

Police arrested Kuntz, 42, on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver and possession of money while violating a drug law.

Also in the home was a 37-year-old woman, whom investigators determined to be a visitor of the home, Spilker said. She was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance.

Both Kuntz and the woman were taken to the Lancaster County Jail.

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Claudette was a tropical storm before making landfall Saturday morning about 45 miles southwest of New Orleans, according to the National Hurricane Center.

In less than a day, southeastern Louisiana was inundated with more than 8 inches of rain, according to the weather service.

Claudette also dumped up to a foot of rain on parts of Mississippi and Alabama over the weekend.

The storm moved over land as a tropical depression, meaning it had maximum sustained winds of less than 39 mph.

But it caused dangerous conditions in places like Butler County, Alabama, where a multi-vehicle crash killed nine children and an adult.

Also in Alabama, a tornado struck the community of East Brewton, firefighters said.

Debris and downed trees were strewn across the community of about 2,900 near the Florida state line, photos from resident Alicia Jossey showed.

Three people in Escambia County were injured by the tornado, the county's Emergency Management Agency said. The tornado damaged several homes, and law enforcement closed US Highway 29 in East Brewton because of power lines in the roadway.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  South Carolina's nearly $11 billion budget was sent to the governor's desk on Monday as lawmakers cut close the deadline to get the spending plan in place before it begins July 1.
Gun advocates like Perry Pirsch often use misleading statistics and faulty reasoning to defend their position ("A case for constitutional carry," June 2).

Comparing raw gun deaths to auto fatalities is like comparing the health risks of alcohol versus bread A more meaningful one between guns and cars would be fatalities-per-hour-used. With this, guns would be seen to be much more dangerous than cars.

The claims that an armed public is "a polite society," a "deterrent" to crime, and "a price we pay for living in a free society" are also faulty. If these were true, then the Mexican countryside, the streets of Mogadishu, Iraq and Afghanistan should be the most free and polite places on earth -- this is obviously not the case.

Japan, with virtually no guns in circulation, should be a brutal tyranny with high crime and a crude, rude populace -- instead, it's just as free, and much more safe and polite, than the U.S.

The addition of "lawful" to the claims is no help. Besides being vague to the point of meaninglessness, I ask this: How many murderers, mass shooters and domestic terrorists had no criminal record prior to their crimes?
RACINE  Willie Liggins, 60, has been dealing with a heroin addiction since he tried it for the first time at age 15.

In his late 50s, he had gotten clean after a long time in prison.

Then he received devastating news: He would not be getting the organ transplant he needed to save his life. Unable to cope with the stress of slowly dying, he said he returned to the crutch he had been using for most of his life when things got tough.

Like a lot of heroin users, he also was selling to feed his habit.

He refers to using heroin as riding the dragon.

Judge Timothy Boyle told the defendant, I think the dragons also chasing you.

Liggins was in Racine County Circuit Court on Tuesday to be sentenced for heroin distribution.

Boyle sentenced the defendant to five years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for second-offense delivering heroin, two counts of second offense delivering a schedule I and II narcotic/fentanyl, and possession with the intent to deliver heroin.

Seven other counts relating to heroin distribution were dismissed as part of a negotiated settlement with the Racine County District Attorneys Office.

Liggins denied knowingly distributing fentanyl, which is believed to be as much as 100 times more potent than morphine and is considerably deadlier than heroin.

Both prosecution and defense attorneys acknowledged that, sometimes, dealers do not realize it is in the drugs they are distributing.

Case history

On May 1, 2019, the Racine County Metro Drug unit made the first of a series of controlled heroin purchases from Liggins.

Some of the drug samples purchased by a confidential informant tested positive for fentanyl.

On May 24, 2019, the Racine County Sheriffs Office executed a search warrant on Liggins residence where it recovered 5.1 grams of fentanyl, 2.9 grams of heroin and a loaded handgun.

After Liggins was taken into custody at the Racine County Jail, officers reportedly found another 0.6 grams of heroin he was attempting to conceal.

Sentencing hearing

At the sentencing hearing held Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Antoinette Rich noted the health problems Liggins faces. He could potentially die in prison.

However, in her sentencing recommendation, she said seven years in prison followed by five years of extended supervision was appropriate based on the facts of the case.

Public Defender Grant Henderson represented the defendant. He asked for an initial two years in prison due to the fact the defendant may have little time left to live.

Henderson said Liggins was in the midst of an existential crisis when he returned to using heroin  brought on by the almost certain possibility that he would die without the surgery he needed to save his life.

According to research published by the American Academy of Family Physicians, it is common for terminally ill patients to experience psychological stress and depression as the end of their life looms large.

In conjunction, stress is generally considered the most serious trigger for those attempting to hold onto sobriety.

Your Honor, we are asking for mercy from the court, Henderson said. Because without mercy, there cannot be justice.

The sentencing

Boyle reviewed the facts of the case, which included the health of the defendant and his long struggle with drug addiction.

He said: At the end of the day, its still a delivery offense.

Boyle referred to heroin as a curse and said those who delivered the drugs were disseminating evil into society.

Thats exactly what heroin is, he said.

In analyzing the myriad factors that go into determining a sentence for a defendant, Boyle said protecting the public was a priority.

However, he added that a prison sentence should send a message to others that this is just not something that we tolerate in our society.

Despite the assessment, Boyle also took into account the defendants age and health, and sentenced him to five years in prison  more time than the defense hoped for, less than the state asked for  followed by five years of extended supervised release.

The defendant will have credit for two years time served in the Racine County Jail while the case made its way through the court system during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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RACINE  What happens when youve been stuck indoors for more than a year because of quarantine? You take a tri-state weekend trip to local distilleries to taste-test their whiskey. And while youre at it, bring an offering of whiskey-flavored kringles for the distillers to taste.

Thats what friends J.J. Patrick McAuliffe and Dale Kessler did a few weeks ago, traveling through Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa.

J.J. Patrick McAuliffe and Dale Kessler J.J. Patrick McAuliffe and Dale Kessler pictured next to one of Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery's whiskey. McAuliffe and Kessler took a tri-

The whiskey road trip

McAuliffe, owner of McAuliffes Pub, and Kessler travel to Galena, Illinois, every year to attend Galenas Whiskey Weekend. The event occurs on a Saturday in January, offering whiskey drinkers across the Midwest to taste-test more than 175 whiskey offerings.

You go to different tables and theres representatives there to explain the different whiskies, its very educational, said McAuliffe. Its meant for people who really enjoy whiskey. Youd think it would turn out to be a drunk fest, but its really not like that.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Galenas Whiskey Weekend was canceled for 2020 and 2021. That didnt stop McAuliffe and Kessler from wanting to take their own weekend road trip.

I suggested why dont we go on a trip anyway, theres all those distilleries in Iowa and Illinois and Im already friends with a few of those people, said McAuliffe. Lets go visit them and make our own whiskey weekend.

Coincidentally, O&H Danish Bakery released their exclusive whiskey kringle, in collaboration with Highland Park Whisky, that was only available through Fathers Day.

The kringle consisted of a caramel filling infused with the Highland Park Whisky, layered in brown sugar, topped with buttery streusel glazed in honey and finished off with a vanilla icing and hint of citrus.

We wanted to make a kringle that took complex notes of their whiskey flavors, said Matt Horton, vice president of e-commerce and marketing for O&H Danish Bakery.

McAuliffe and Kessler joked about bringing these kringles onto their road trip, and in the end, they bought six kringles  one for each distillery they planned to visit.

Kringles and unexpected thank-you gifts

The weekend was a success, for almost everyone.

McAuliffe and Kessler visited seven distilleries on their weekend trip, but only distributed six kringles to five of them.

The distilleries that didnt receive a kringle was because they were unplanned visits.

We just wanted to be able to give something back to these people we knew, said Kessler.

At Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery, the duo got to meet an employee who was a Racine native and very familiar with kringles.

We ended up giving her an extra kringle because we figured she was from Racine, McAuliffe said. Cedar Ridge is a big place and we knew the first kringle we gave would go to the owners and some of the management. So, we wanted to leave one for the workers that work in the restaurant and gift shop.

In addition, the distillery sold one of its experimental bottles, known as Extremes, because of their experience with McAuliffe and Kessler.

It is a 6-year-old whiskey thats aged in rum barrels. Its sweeter than most, but not one of my top 10, Kessler jokes.

McAuliffe and Kessler received another special surprise for their kringle offering.

Chuck Westphal, owner of 3 Oaks Distillery, gave the two whiskey connoisseurs a bottle of his longest-aging bourbon  one that isnt close to touching the shelves for a few months.

He pulled the cork out, turned the barrel over and filled this glass pitcher up to let us sample, McAuliffe said. Then he poured it into a bottle and gave us the rest of it. This barrel hasnt even been bottled yet. So, right now, I own a bottle of whiskey that nobody else has in the world.

VIP experience

McAuliffe pointed out that many of the distilleries werent offering tours at the time, but he and Kessler received exceptions.

We basically got a VIP experience wherever we went, McAuliffe said.

We were very happy to just get private tours to these places, said Kessler. Things like that you cant plan ahead and they were so generous to us.

When it came to tasting the kringles, there werent any complaints.

It was fantastic, said John Baker, owner of Cats Eye Distillery. Ive been meaning to visit J.J.s bar and now when Im in town, Im definitely getting my hands on a kringle.

Once O&H Danish Bakery got wind of this story, they were happy to reach distant customers.

Its always awesome and fun to hear our customers enjoy our kringles so much, said Horton. Im just jealous that I couldnt travel to local distilleries myself to try whiskey and deliver kringles.

If this trip taught McAuliffe anything, he wants people to appreciate local businesses.

We have some really good distilleries in the Iowa and Illinois area, he said. Give these guys a try and check them out, but also, support the Racine kringle.

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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."
Deidre said Rodriguez ran to the Zoo Beach to try and get first responders attention. Deidre swam as far as the buoys stationed in the water, but she said the boy was farther than that.

We didnt see his head anymore, Deidre said of everyone looking out and trying to help the boy. Then we saw him floating.

It was slow motion, fast, everything in between. It was heartbreaking.  Youd do anything that you would do for your own family, Deidre said.

Responders on the way back with 17-year-old A first responder boat coming back to shore after rescuing a 17-year-old boy who nearly drowned at North Beach on Saturday. According to Deidr

Call for more protection

Prior to the incident, Deidre said she and her family were taking note of the strong currents washing over Lake Michigan at the time at the beach.

The undercurrent will take you, she said. We were just talking about that.

Rodriguez said the weather conditions were windy, with the waves higher than usual. Those who were in the water stayed in the area before hitting the buoys.

The waves were smashing in, Rodriguez said.

Deidre mentioned living near Lake Superior  Itll eat people, she said  and how beaches in the area always have life preservers and other tools to aid in water emergencies.
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.

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His focus was on economic development this session, he said.

Wayne plans to continue to push for the state holiday. There wont be any significant change if it comes to fruition at this point, he said, but it matters to him.

I think its great, Wayne said of the news that Juneteenth is now a federal holiday.

To him, it makes perfect sense that there was such broad support for the holiday because its significance is so complex that it touches everybody.

Wayne said Juneteenth is multifaceted: It honors the African American soldiers who fought for a country that didnt care for them. Its a reminder that the battle for equality is ongoing and that having laws on the books doesnt mean that theyll be fully implemented. It reminds him of the individuals ability to change and provides hope that the country can keep striving to be a more perfect union.

It reminds us that, you know, just because there was an Emancipation Proclamation, there still has to be work that has to be done, he said.

Often, the holiday is referred to as a celebration of the end of slavery.
Our staff probably has more interaction with this population than a lot of people understand, he said. We continue to have conversations and just talk to people and recently, just kind of trying to look at working as far as what can be provided, like we do with any parkgoers. What amenities are people looking for and what creates a safe environment?

Its a situation that needs to be addressed, and I think while this is by no means the solution, it is a step in the right direction, Odegaard said.

Reynolds emphasized that its only one step in a long process of continuously working to address homelessness by getting a clearer picture of how large the community is what needs they may have.

People who are unsheltered, they tend to go to places where theyre not going to be harassed, where theyre not going to be kicked out, Reynolds said. And then we forget about them.

Reynolds emphasized that the summer is the right time to start acting on housing issues, as its a time when people often forget what it might be like to sleep outside in winter. Instead, he said, as more people find shelter in public spaces during the warm months it causes strife between communities, and by the time it becomes colder its too late to make a plan.
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The complaint says the female victim and the other male victim ran inside the house after hearing a loud noise. She said Aspseter emerged swinging an axe and struck the second male victim. The female victim screamed at Aspseter to stop before he swung the axe again and struck her in the arm. The woman then ran across the road to a neighbor's house to summon help.

The woman told police she didn't recall Aspseter saying anything during the attacks. She recalled telling Waite prior to the attacks that he wasn't safe with Aspseter staying there.

The complaint contains a transcript of a brief 911 call in which Aspseter said he went "crazy" and admitted killing Waite. The transcript says Aspseter told the dispatcher he shot himself in the throat, and police confirmed a self-inflicted gunshot wound from a .22-caliber rifle, which Aspseter was holding when police arrived. The complaint says Aspseter complied with an order to place the weapon on the ground.

Police interviewed several neighbors who had contact with Aspseter prior to June 6. Two of the neighbors told police that Aspseter asked for help in accessing Waite's residence. Another said Aspseter approached his home on a riding lawnmower and offered to pay $1 for gas. The neighbor said Aspseter complained that Waite wouldn't give him money or let him use his vehicle.
A group of state legislators including Sen. Brad Pfaff and Rep. Steve Doyle, both Democrats from Onalaska, introduced a bill package Monday that would require the state to buy local.

Pfaff introduced the Buy American package in the Senate, a series of bills that ensures that the state purchases goods that are  to the greatest extent possible  made in the United States and in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin-made products are some of the best in the world, Pfaff said in a statement. This legislation will make sure our state government prioritizes the purchase of products made right here at home whenever theyre available  strengthening Wisconsin workers and Wisconsin businesses.

Doyle, as well as Sen. Bob Wirch, D-Kenosha, Rep. Tip McGuire, D-Kenosha, and Rep. Lee Snodgrass, D-Appleton, are backers of the bill, an initiative that is growing popular in the Democratic Party.

Here in Wisconsin we are lucky to have a president in Joe Biden and a U.S. senator in Tammy Baldwin who are fighting for Buy American policies every day in Washington, Doyle said in a statement. I am proud to join their efforts so that our state can continue to be a leader in the Buy American movement.

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Johnson R-WI, Baldwin D-WI

Regulating water: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Radhika Fox to serve as assistant administrator of the Environmental Protection Agencys water office. Fox had been assistant deputy director of the office since January, and before that as CEO of the U.S. Water Alliance. A supporter, Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., said Fox is an exceptional leader who will work day and night to come up with practical solutions for our countrys serious water challenges. An opponent, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., cited Foxs support for Biden administration plans to develop strict new federal regulations of bodies of water on private land over the objections of stakeholders. The vote, on June 16, was 55 yeas to 43 nays. Nays: Johnson R-WI; yeas:

Baldwin D-WI

Maryland judge: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Lydia Kay Griggsby to serve as a judge on the U.S. district court for Maryland. Griggsby has been a judge on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims for the past seven years, and previously was a Senate staffer and an assistant U.S. attorney. The vote, on June 16, was 59 yeas to 39 nays. Nays: Johnson R-WI; yeas:

Baldwin D-WI
These reports are not based on facts determined in an adversary process through which the credibility of witness statements could be challenged, Pines said. Moreover, the publicly released versions of the reports are so heavily redacted that it is impossible to evaluate their conclusions.

Virgil has worked at the Justice Department for 28 years, serving as the state fire marshal and director of the departments Special Investigations Bureau. Kaul appointed her Law Enforcement Services division administrator in January 2019. The division oversees criminal records, firearm background checks and officer training.

According to her complaint, Virgil is the only Black administrator at DOJ. Her salary when she began her new position in 2019 was less than her white predecessors pay and she remains the second-lowest paid administrator at the agency, the complaint alleges. Shes also paid less than some deputy administrators and directors who are white but rank beneath her, she alleged.
BRUSSELS (AP)  The United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada joined forces Monday to impose sanctions on several senior officials in Belarus over the forced diversion to Minsk of a passenger plane travelling between two EU countries last month.

Asset freezes and travel bans were also imposed on a number of officials linked to the security crackdown that continues to rock the country some 10 months after President Alexander Lukashenko was returned to power in elections branded by the EU and others as fraudulent.

We are united in our deep concern regarding the Lukashenko regimes continuing attacks on human rights, fundamental freedoms, and international law, the four said in a joint statement.

We are committed to support the long-suppressed democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus and we stand together to impose costs on the regime for its blatant disregard of international commitments, they said.

The EU hit seven people and one entity over the forced and unlawful landing of the Ryanair plane, which was traveling from Greece to Lithuania when it was ordered to stop in Minsk, where authorities arrested Raman Pratasevich, a dissident journalist who was one of the passengers.

The four called on Minsk to cooperate with an international probe into the incident, immediately release all political prisoners, and enter into a comprehensive and genuine political dialogue with the democratic opposition and civil society.

Among those targeted by the United States were close Lukashenko associates, those accused of helping to violently suppress peaceful protests since last year and others alleged to have orchestrated fraud during the elections.

At a meeting in Luxembourg, EU foreign ministers also prepared a series of economic measures that are aimed at hitting Lukashenko and his allies. EU leaders are expected to endorse them at a summit in Brussels on Thursday.

The EU has gradually ratcheted up sanctions since Lukashenko  dubbed the last dictator in Europe  won a sixth term last August.

But the 27-nation bloc has taken a harder approach since the Ryanair incident, and over the country's alleged use of migrants to pressure neighboring Lithuania, which has provided a safe-haven to Belarusian opposition figures and is one of Lukashenkos most vocal critics.

Among their actions Monday, the ministers imposed travel bans and asset freezes on 78 Belarus officials and froze the assets of 8 entities, which are usually companies, banks, or associations. It means that a total of 166 people and 15 entities are now under EU restrictive measures.

This decision was made in view of the escalation of serious human rights violations in Belarus and the violent repression of civil society, democratic opposition and journalists, a statement said.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who chaired the meeting, said the economic sanctions are going to hurt ... the economy of Belarus heavily.

The measures are likely to include action against the export of potash  a common fertilizer ingredient  tobacco industry exports and petroleum products, among others.

We will no longer just sanction individuals. We will now also impose sectoral sanctions -- meaning that we will now get to work on the economic areas that are of particular significance for Belarus and for the regimes income, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.

We want to make very, very clear to Lukashenko that there is no going back," Maas said.

Maas said the 27 EU countries stand united on sanctions We are really very, very determined not to budge, not just today -- nothing about this will change in the coming weeks and months, he said.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said EU countries had thought only a month ago that it still might be possible to reason with Lukashenko but that "the mood is different now.

Landsbergis accused Minsk of weaponizing migration flows. He said around 500 people are sheltering in Lithuania, most from Iraq, and that Belarus border guards brought 30 refugees to the border in recent days. He said Lithuania has limited capacity for them and is building a tent camp.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger who fled Belarus after the vote, welcomed the new measures, saying that the EU and the entire civilized world have set a goal to stop Lukashenko and the escalation of violence."

The EU sanctions would raise not only external, but also internal pressure on Lukashenko ... and will make it more costly for his main sponsor, the Kremlin, to maintain the Belarusian regime, she said.

Tsikhanouskaya said the Ryanair incident shows that Lukashenkos regime has become a threat not only to citizens of Belarus but also to international security.



Geir Moulson in Berlin and Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine contributed to this report.
Five families were displaced after a fire damaged eight apartments Sunday night in Lancaster city, according to the Lancaster City Bureau of Fire.

The fire was reported around 7:40 p.m. near the corner of Manor and New Dorwart streets, according to Lancaster County-Wide Communications.

No residents were injured, but five families were displaced and are being assisted by the Red Cross.

Two firefighters were taken to the hospital and treated for exhaustion, Lancaster City Bureau of Fire Captain Chris DeLong said.

Volunteers assisted 5 families, 7 adults, after a multi-family fire overnight on the first block of New Dorwart Street in Lancaster PA, Lancaster County  American Red Cross Greater PA (@RedCrossGPA) June 21, 2021

Temperatures were in the low 80s on Sunday, but it was very humid, DeLong said.

The fire was on the first floor and was "moving in a couple different directions," when firefighters arrived, according to DeLong.

In total, the fire made the eight apartments uninhabitable, DeLong said. Two commercial buildings  a corner store and a handyman business  sustained smoke damage.

Crews had the fire under control within an hour, DeLong said, adding that firefighters were on the scene until around midnight.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Engagement and building trust with the community are the top priorities for Lancaster citys new chief of police.

After seven months as interim chief, John Bey on Monday was promoted to full-time chief by Mayor Danene Sorace.

Weve been very fortunate to have his leadership since the beginning of December, Sorace said at a press conference Monday before a neighborhood engagement event at Musser Park. As you all know last year was a very difficult year and weve been making a number of changes. Chief Bey came on board and as he told me he was not here to keep the seat warm.

Bey stepped into the interim role last December, less than two months after his predecessor, Jarrad Berkihiser, retired suddenly. Sorace said at the time that Berkihiser had lost her trust because he did not share her views on policing.

Berkihisers sudden retirement came weeks after Ricardo Munoz was shot and killed by a Lancaster city police officer.

Munoz, who suffered from several mental disorders, charged the officer with a knife. The district attorney and city police bureau later determined the officer acted appropriately to defend himself from imminent attack.

Bey is a Pittsburgh native and 25-year veteran of the Pennsylvania State Police. After retiring from the state police, he served as police chief of Middletown for two years and four months. He left that job to become financial management superintendent for the 193rd Special Operations Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard.

Sorace said nearly three dozen applicants applied for the job from around the country, and five were ranked as qualified by the company the city hired to do the nationwide search. A community review board narrowed the list to three finalists and interviewed them last week, and Sorace made the final decision, she said.

Sorace said the city would not release the names of other finalists because they are all currently employed elsewhere, though she added that there were no applicants from inside the department other than Bey. The states Right to Know Law specifically exempts the application materials of non-hires from being released.

Community ties

I am very, very honored and humbled to be selected as the permanent chief here, Bey said Monday Please know our police bureau is committed to equal justice, working and partnering with our community, partnering with law enforcement agencies and most importantly partnering with other city agencies to enhance the quality of life for our citizens here in Lancaster.

Responding to a question about how it feels to be a person of color stepping into this role during a time of heightened tensions between minority communities and police, Bey, who is African American, said that it is personally important to him.

As that person who stepped out of law enforcement for a couple of years and was able to see the trend in law enforcement and the trend in the very complex relationship between communities of color and police departments, I was excited about being able to step in and help the mayor and help the city to build that trust in the community and build that partnership, he said. So thats what it means to me. This is personal.

Bey stressed the importance of building personal relationships with community leaders in minority communities, and by increasing visibility, such as with the recently reinstituted bike patrols, so that officers are seen as a regular part of the community who can be trusted.

Edward Mena, a local DJ who had taken a break from his booth at the neighborhood engagement event to listen to Sorace and Bey, said he appreciated what the new chief had to say.

Its definitely cool from my perspective to see someone in such a high chair that kind of looks like me and looks like my family members, said Mane, 23, whose family immigrated from the Dominican Republic. So for the future generations  seeing someone in that high chair, seeing someone go up to that higher rank and knowing that it is possible regardless of the color of your skin, (or) sex.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  Israel on Monday eased some restrictions on the Gaza Strip that have threatened a fragile cease-fire, Palestinian officials said. Hamas, however, said the move was really Israel's attempt to pressure the militant group into making concessions.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said 11 truckloads of clothes were exported through Kerem Shalom crossing for the first time in 40 days. On Sunday, Israel said it will allow limited agricultural exports from Gaza.

The easing also included the resumption of mail service in and out of Gaza, according to Saleh al-Zeq, an official from the Palestinian Authoritys liaison committee. Since the 11-day war in May between Israel and Gazas Hamas rulers, thousands of Gazan passports and other essential paperwork had been delayed.

Still, Hamas' Gaza leader Yehiyeh Sinwar drew a grim picture for the future of the cease-fire that went into effect on May 21.

Unfortunately, there are no signs indicating the existence of intentions to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Sinwar told reporters in Gaza City.

He added that Israel was blackmailing Hamas in exchange for further lifting of restrictions.

Sinwar was apparently referring to Israels position that a major improvement in Gaza hinged on Hamas releasing two Israelis and the bodies of two soldiers it holds captive. Sinwar said he told the United Nations' top regional envoy, Tor Wennesland, that Hamas will not accept that, describing the meeting as very bad.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Monday that without the return of the Israelis held captive and without security stability, Gaza will not be economically rehabilitated.

He also said that Israel has a clear health, defense and diplomatic interest that our Palestinian neighbors will be vaccinated, and that it will do everything to advance cooperation with the Palestinian Authority.

His comments came a few days after the Palestinian Authority, which has limited autonomy over areas of the occupied West Bank, called off a deal to receive 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccines from Israel. The Palestinians contended that the vaccines were too close to expiring and didn't meet their standards.

We are committed to the health of our neighbors, and Im sure that a solution will be found that will benefit all sides, Gantz said at a faction meeting in Jerusalem.

Other restrictions by Israel remain in place and are taking a toll on different sectors in Gaza.

On Monday, a Pepsi bottling plant said it was closing and laying off 250 workers because raw materials needed to stay in business are being kept away. Instead, the company will import ready-made products from its factory in the West Bank.

The raw materials have not been allowed. We have been waiting for them for 60 days, said Hammam Alyazji, development manager at the factory. The materials include carbon dioxide and syrup.

The resumption of exports does not include fish, said Nezzar Ayyash of the fishermen union. He said Israel reduced the fishing by more than half, keeping it at six nautical miles. This is very bad for the livelihood of fishermen; buying power is low in Gaza and the fishermen barely make up their fuel expenses, he said.

Other restrictions include a limit on the number of medical patients who can get treatment in Israel or the West Bank.

Egypt brokered the cease-fire, ending the fourth war between Israel and Hamas since the militant group seized power in Gaza in 2007.

Hamas has been calling for significant easing of the blockade. Last week, Hamas-linked activists launched incendiary balloons across the border, burning farmland and triggering Israeli airstrikes despite the cease-fire. Egypt is continuing its efforts to cement the shaky truce.

On Sunday, Israels new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, warned Hamas that Israel would not tolerate even minor attacks from Gaza.

The war started when Hamas fired salvos of rockets toward Jerusalem and other Israeli towns last month. Hamas says the attacks were a response to Israeli police raids and heavy-handed policy against Muslim worshippers at Jerusalems Al-Aqsa mosque and planned evictions of Palestinian families from an Arab neighborhood.



Akram reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
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Everyone else is wearing masks. Why shouldnt ducks?

That whimsical thought occurred to Dick Weidman during the decidedly unwhimsical COVID-19 pandemic. He put his drawing pen to work turning the thought into a cartoon. The cartoon shows a mother duck and her five ducklings waddling along in a row with masks covering their bills.

I like making people laugh, Weidman says. I enjoy kidding around with the nurses and residents.

The nurses and residents are at Mennonite Home Communities on Harrisburg Pike. Weidman, who will turn 91 next month, has been a resident there for almost two years. During much of that time he has drawn cartoons  for the door to his room, for the Mennonite Homes newsletter, for all who appreciate his art.

Weidman decided he wanted to become a cartoonist at age 7. His parents approved and provided him with drawing materials in their Penryn home. He loved newspaper funnies' and imitated his favorites. He has been drawing ever since, often outside the lines.

After graduating from the former Manheim High School and spending a stint in the Army as a cartographer, Weidman attended the former Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. In 1954, he found a job with a young television station, Lancasters WGAL. He spent the next 41 years as the stations graphic artist and art director.

There he met his future wife, Joan Klein, a Noonday on (Channel) 8 celebrity and later star of The Joan Klein Show. The two were married for 61 years. Joan Klein Weidman died at the Mennonite Home two years ago, and Weidman carries a personal message from her in his shirt pocket over his heart.

Weidman has spent most of the past year alone because of COVID-19 restrictions, but he says he is rarely lonely and never without something to do. Besides drawing individual cartoons, he is working on a memoir for his grandchildren.

He also is preparing a book of Silos" cartoons. The Silos' comic strip ran in the old Lancaster New Era in the early 2000s. The book will include many of those strips and several new ones. All feature two silos making sometimes silly, sometimes wise remarks.

I like being busy. Ive been busy all my life, Weidman says. Because I like to draw, Im a happier person.

And the world is a happier place.

Disposing of a neighbor

Heres an anecdote related in the late 19th century by an anonymous friend of the Gibbons family. The Gibbonses, related to the Scribblers family by marriage, operated an Underground Railroad station just north of Bird-in-Hand before the Civil War.

This tale concerns Daniel Gibbons (1775-1853), the last of three generations who helped move fugitive slaves north to freedom.

According to the anonymous friend, a young member of a family that lived along Old Philadelphia Pike between Smoketown and the old Gibbons Mill on Mill Creek was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

This man and Daniel Gibbons one day talked with a fellow from a distant part of the state. The visitor spoke about how residents of his neighborhood disposed of any undesirable characters that might come among them.

Oh, responded Daniel Gibbons, whose sense of humor is not so evident in other writings, we are more considerate of such here! We send them to the legislature.

Jack Brubaker, retired from the LNP staff, writes "The Scribbler'' column every Sunday. He welcomes comments and contributions at scribblerlnp@gmail.com.
Listen, Lancaster County:

We need to be reminded. A good democracy demands fair voting. It should not be restricted. It should be expanded any way thats fair.

Every state certified the 2020 election results  both Democratic and Republican auditors and legislatures. There was no fraud. None.

Former President Donald Trump (remember him?) has been pressing Pennsylvania lawmakers to conduct a full 2020 election audit. Of course, he is essentially reminding them to overturn the election results! Trump lost Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes and wants our Legislature to audit the votes again!

They have already been audited, by several groups, with no finding of fraud. This is true of every state in the country. More than 80 court decisions have rejected lawsuits contesting the election.

And now we see some members of the Pennsylvania Legislature traveling to Arizona to review that states audit (and seemingly to consider a similar audit here).

This is insane. We continue to be a laughingstock to the world.

Lets get to President Joe Bidens agenda. Yes to the For the People Act. Yes to the infrastructure bill. Yes to climate control efforts.

We must save our democracy. What can we do? I believe we should replace Congressman Lloyd Smucker. And replace any legislator who continues to live in the dreamland that Biden did not win the election.

Don Mast

East Earl Township
Nuclear Threat Initiative Co-Chairs Proffer Rules of the Road To Avoid Nuclear War

June 20, 2021 (EIRNS)The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a strategic think-tank based in Washington, D.C., founded by former Sen. Sam Nunn and media philanthropist Ted Turner some 20 years ago, on June 16 released Statement of Ernest J. Moniz and Sam Nunn, Co-Chairs of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, on the Biden-Putin Summit, in which former U.S. Secretary of Energy Prof. Ernest J. Moniz and former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn heartily endorse the U.S.-Russia Presidential Joint Statement on Strategic Stability: We strongly support President Biden and President Putins decision to meet today in Geneva, Nunn and Moniz say.

We endorse their decision to begin a new bilateral dialogue on arms control and risk reduction measures. ... 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. This builds on their earlier decision to extend the New START Treaty. Together, these two actions can lead to other practical steps to reduce the risk of nuclear use and avoid an arms race.

On June 10, NTI released a series of papers under the collective title, U.S. Nuclear Policies for a Safer World, with the Introduction authored by NTI Co-Chairs Ernest Moniz and Sam Nunn, Strengthening the Foundation for Nuclear Stability, calling on the United States to resume a position of global leadership to reduce the risks posed by nuclear weapons. Their recommendationswhich are further elaborated and reinforced in seven related policy papers by NTI experts and former officialsinclude proposals for changes to U.S. nuclear policy and posture, reengagement with Russia on a range of strategic stability and arms control issues, sustained dialogue and nuclear risk reduction measures with China, and recommitment to multilateral efforts to strengthen the global nonproliferation regime, states the NTI Summary.

In their Introduction they urge:

It is crucial to build and sustain domestic support for nuclear security policies that will keep Americans safe. Congress should establish a new bipartisan liaison group, comprising House and Senate leaders and senior administration officialsfocused on Russia policy, nuclear risks, and NATO. Such a group would facilitate regular communication and greater coherence between the executive and legislative branches and help rebuild consensus in support of engagement and arms control as essential tools in advancing U.S. national security. The Biden administration should also work to establish policies and processes to put guardrails around the presidents sole authority to order the use of nuclear weapons to ensure that any such decision would be deliberative and based on appropriate planning and consultation, including with leaders in Congress. Implementation would be dependent on the particular circumstances that are causing consideration of nuclear use....

The essays in the 56-page document include recommending additional steps to adapt U.S. nuclear policy and posture to reduce the risk of use of nuclear weapons. These include:

Undertaking an internal failsafe review to ensure that U.S. nuclear weapons and command-and-control and warning systems are hardened against cyberattacks and to identify other steps that could increase decision time for leaders in a crisis and reduce the risk that a terrible miscalculation could lead to inadvertent nuclear conflict. This review should reexamine post-launch destruct devices on U.S. nuclear weapons and other measures to reduce the risk of nuclear war.... As part of a new nuclear posture review, adopting a new declaratory policy that narrows the range of scenarios in which the United States would consider the use of nuclear weapons, including by declaring that deterring a nuclear attack against the United States and its allies and partners is the sole purpose of U.S. nuclear weapons....

With respect to U.S.-Russia and U.S.-China nuclear dialogues, their Introduction recommends:

In the near term, the United States and Russia should signal a new direction through unilateral, reciprocal commitments to modest nuclear warhead reductions below the level required by New START.... The two sides should immediately begin a strategic stability dialogue and initiate negotiations on a more ambitious follow-on set of agreements.... Negotiations should take place in the context of ... the wide range of factors that affect strategic stability, including ... missile defense and new concerns like cyber. New ideas and flexible forms of agreement are needed to address such issues productively.... [T]the Biden administration must simultaneously engage China on strategic issues, taking into account the broader regional context. Growing tensions in the U.S.-China relationship, particularly against a backdrop of Chinas continued expansion and modernization of its nuclear capabilities, are increasing the risk of conflict and possible escalation to the use of nuclear weapons in the Asia-Pacific....

The NTI Co-Chairs conclude: Lastly, the Biden administration should restore U.S. leadership of multilateral efforts to reduce nuclear risks. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) remains the cornerstone of the global non-proliferation regime, and the United States should work with all partiesand in particular through the P5 processto strengthen the treaty and advance multilateral non-proliferation and disarmament efforts. The United States should work with the rest of the P5 to affirm their commitment to preventing the use of nuclear weapons.... (Inasmuch as the P5 would seem to be the UN Security Council permanent members, the NTI document means the major nuclear weapons powers, which they identify as China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States, and just happen to be the same as the UN Security Council Permanent Five.)
New York State Urgently Must Surpass Its Earlier Production Levels, Insists Sare Campaign Seminar

June 20, 2021 (EIRNS)Diane Sares U.S. Senate campaign in New York has introduced topics of public interest over the course of her recent Friday webcasts. The June 18 session focused on the de-industrialization of New York State, demonstrating in real terms the lower, physical production curve of LaRouches Triple Curve graph made in 1995, and titled by LaRouche as a Typical Collapse Function. What does the collapse of physical productivity look like in productive and social terms, and how can it be reversed? The title of the symposium was New York State Can and Must Surpass Its Former Levels of Production: An Urgent Challenge

Sare hosted the meeting, which featured Richard Freeman and Joseph DUrso as guests. In her opening remarks, Sare gave an overview of the Biden Europe tour. She read the communique issued by Biden and Putin, which echoed the words of Reagan and Gorbachev on the futility of nuclear war. She also presented a short video on how the Massena, N.Y. community came together to save the Alcoa plant from shutdown. The film also documented the tremendous economic and social tolls of these shutdowns. After the closing of GM in Massena in 2008, child admissions to the hospital for mental problems jumped from 4-5 per year to 45. Drug use skyrocketed, as did poverty.

Freeman, longtime LaRouche researcher and organizer, reported on the necessity and requirements for building global healthcare systems. Using LaRouches Triple Curve, he explained how the two upper curves, financial aggregates and monetary aggregates, are destroying the physical economy, and the industries needed to build such health systems in every nation. He also presented a broad view of the de-industrialization of New York State since 1970.

DUrso, a retired New York City teacher and attorney now living in Rochester, shared a slide presentation depicting the impact of the loss of industries on upstate cities. Both economic and sociological effects on these communities, specifically Buffalo, Rochester and several smaller cities, were illustrated.

A spirited Q&A discussion followed, with viewers asking about potential solutions. Both Freeman and DUrso cited the need for infrastructure development, including high-speed rail, maglev, and fusion power. Freeman also explained that clean coal, along with nuclear fission, will be needed to build an effective world healthcare system. Other questions were raised about the quality of education and challenges of workforce training needed to accomplish these goals. Freeman declared that the LaRouche plan calls for 1.5 billion new productive jobs.


Law enforcement agencies across the country have experienced a wave of retirements and resignations. Agencies are having a difficult time finding the next generation of police officers in the year following the killing of George Floyd by a police officer.

George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by former police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020. Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and is awaiting sentencing.

While the country is having a discussion on policing, communities are questioning who should become a police officer today.

Large protests, calls for reforming or defunding the police, as well as the coronavirus pandemic have hurt police officers spirit.



Washington-based Executive Research Forum provided The Associated Press research on nearly 200 law enforcement agencies. It found that retirements in some departments rose 45 percent compared to the year before.

It is one of the only efforts to examine police recruiting since the killing of George Floyd. The study looked at police officers who resigned or joined the force in 194 police departments out of the 18,000 in the country. It compared these findings for the dates between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020 to the same dates from 2019.

The wave comes as local lawmakers have said they will push for reform and reshape policing in the 21st century. For example, many communities are ending the policies that give police officers immunity for their actions while on-duty.

Recruiters are increasingly looking for a different kind of police officer to join the troubled departments.

Recruiters in the past wanted men and women who were physically strong. Now, police departments are looking for recruits who can use their brain. And they want those future officers to represent their communities.

Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant said, Were looking for someone who can actually relate to the community, but also think like the community thinks.

While the opinions of those in law enforcement about policing in the past year is not well-documented, public opinion is. The Associated Press-NORC center for Public Affairs Research asked Americans what they thought of the police. It found as many as half of American adults believed police violence against the public is a very or extremely serious problem in the past year.

Some police officers have protested in the last year. Many stayed out of work, claiming to be sick, in an event called the Blue Flu.

There are still difficulties in the recruitment process. Departments in some cities like Philadelphia are searching candidates online pages to look for possible biases. Also, police departments offer different wages in different cities. The ones that offer less are having problems finding candidates.

In Dallas, Texas, city leaders spent much of the last ten years finding new recruits. Many officers were leaving due to low pay and a collapse of their retirement plans.

The force now stands at about 3,100 officers. This is down from 3,300 in 2015. The citys population has grown to more than 1.3 million since then. This means officers take more calls and more cases, all during an increase in racial problems.

In 2016, five officers were killed in Dallas when they were shot by someone seeking revenge for police shootings that killed or hurt Black men. Two years later, an off-duty officer shot and killed a neighbor in his home. The officer was fired and later sentenced to ten years in prison for murder.

Mike Mata is the president of the Dallas Police Association. He said the national political climate, the low pay, and the lack of good retirement plans have combined to cause a recruiting problem in Dallas.

A consulting firm reviewed the department in Dallas in 2019. It found that the department needed more than just additional officers. It found the department needed to examine the goals, the direction, and the culture of the department.

Im Gregory Stachel.

Stefanie Dazio, Jake Bleiberg, and Kate Brumback reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

resignation  n. to formally leave a job

defund  v. to prevent money for (something)

recruit  v. to find suitable people and get them to join a company, an organization, the armed forces, etc.

immunity  n. special protection from what is required for most people by law

bias  n. a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better than others that usually results in treating some people unfairly

revenge  n. the act of doing something to hurt someone because that person did something that hurt you
Japanese researchers have successfully produced healthy mice from frozen sperm that was stored on the International Space Station (ISS) for almost six years.

The sperm was freeze-dried and sent to the ISS in 2013. Freeze-drying is a process that removes water from frozen substances in an effort to make them last for a long time.

Once the sperm was brought back to Earth and unfrozen, it resulted in the birth of 168 healthy baby mice. The researchers said there was little difference between the mice produced by space sperm and those made with usual sperm.

Teruhiko Wakayama is a developmental biologist at Japans University of Yamanashi. He was the lead writer of a study reporting the results in Science Advances.

"All pups had normal appearance," Wakayama told the French news agency AFP about the experiment. When researchers examined genes of the mice "no abnormalities were found," he said.

The team launched three containers, each carrying 48 samples of freeze-dried sperm, to the ISS in 2013. Freeze-drying permits substances to survive at room temperature for up to a year so no freezer was needed on the launch rocket. On board the ISS, the samples were kept inside a freezer at minus 95 degrees Celsius.

Samples were returned to Earth at different times. The first were flown back after nine months and the second after two years. When the last container returned to Earth in June 2019, it had spent 5 years and 10 months in space. The returned samples were injected into egg cells, which were put inside female mice.

The experiment aimed to find out whether taking in radiation for long periods in space would damage DNA in reproductive cells or pass on mutations to babies. This same issue could be a problem for humans in the future if space exploration greatly expands, with large populations possibly living on other planets.

Deep space is filled with high radiation produced by solar particles and cosmic rays from outside our solar system.

The researchers said the sperm cells experienced radiation levels 170 times greater than sperm kept in ground storage for comparative purposes. The researchers reported that the space radiation did not damage the sperms DNA or reduce its fertilization ability compared to the sperm kept on Earth.

"In the future, when the time comes to migrate to other planets, we will need to maintain the diversity of genetic resources, Wakayama wrote in a paper on the experiment. He added that such diversity -- both in humans and animals  can protect against increases in harmful mutations seen in inbreeding.

Wakayama said carrying freeze-dried reproductive cells from large numbers of individuals would be easier and less costly than transporting people or animals themselves to space. This method could permit space colonies to develop that include animals, he added.

The researchers say their results suggest that freeze-dried sperm could be effectively stored on the ISS for up to 200 years.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from Reuters, Agence France-Press and Science Advances. Caty Weaver was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

Quiz - Study: Mouse Sperm Stored in Space Produces Baby Mice on Earth Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

sperm  n. a small cell produced by a male animal that joins an egg from a female animal to create a baby

pup  n. a young dog or other kind of baby animal

sample  n. a small amount of something that shows what the thing is like

mutate  v. to cause (a gene) to change and create an unusual characteristic in a plant or animal : to cause mutation in (a gene)

cosmic rays  n. high-energy particles that move through space at nearly the speed of light

maintain  v. to make something continue in the same way

diversity  n. a situation in which many different kinds of things or people are included in something

inbreeding  n. a situation in which plants, animals or people are produced by breeding between closely related plants, animals or humans
BRUSSELS (AP)  The United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada joined forces Monday to impose sanctions on several senior officials in Belarus over the forced diversion to Minsk of a passenger plane travelling between two EU countries last month.

Asset freezes and travel bans were also imposed on a number of officials linked to the security crackdown that continues to rock the country some 10 months after President Alexander Lukashenko was returned to power in elections branded by the EU and others as fraudulent.

We are united in our deep concern regarding the Lukashenko regimes continuing attacks on human rights, fundamental freedoms, and international law, the four said in a joint statement.

We are committed to support the long-suppressed democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus and we stand together to impose costs on the regime for its blatant disregard of international commitments, they said.

The EU hit seven people and one entity over the forced and unlawful landing of the Ryanair plane, which was traveling from Greece to Lithuania when it was ordered to stop in Minsk, where authorities arrested Raman Pratasevich, a dissident journalist who was one of the passengers.
Two Rivers continues to schedule more vaccinations clinics at 15 sites across the counties they cover to distribute vaccines and make up for areas of potential shortfall.

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Some upcoming clinics in the area include ones on June 23 at Elwood Public School at 11:30 a.m. and the Dawson County Annex Building at 5 p.m.

Next month there are clinics on July 2 at Peterson Grocery Store in Gothenburg at 11:30 a.m. Clinics return on July 14 to Elwood Public Schools at 11:30 a.m. and the Dawson County Annex Building at 5 p.m. There will be another round at Petersons Grocery store at 11:30 a.m. on July 23.

The downgrade to the risk dial reflects sustained declines in COVID-19 incidence, decreasing disease cluster incidence, expanded vaccination coverage to younger age groups and absent COVID-related ICU and bed utilization rates in the district, according to Two Rivers.

To date, Two Rivers has reported 10,633 total cases, 10,472 of which are no longer symptomatic and 120 deaths.

Active COVID-19 hospitalizations have continued to fall across Nebraska, on Monday morning there were only 33 hospitalizations. This number is down by 31 percent compared to two weeks ago.
Lewiston, ID (83501)

Today

Plenty of sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 101F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. W winds shifting to SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
All families and staff will have access to the free educational program, where they will work with a bank to evaluate if they are in a position to buy. Afterwards, first-time home buyers who have not owned a home for the last three or more years may qualify to apply for down payment funds to go towards the purchase of a single family or two-unit home. The grants funds are provided by financial contributions from community members, large corporations, and associates within the real estate industry.

The initiatives down payment funds wont have restrictions such as geography borders or income limits, something Sara Alvarado, co-creator of OWN IT and the Alvarado Real Estate Group, said differs from constraints applied to similar government-led funds. Government-supplied down payment funds can often be difficult to navigate, Alvarado said, with specific restrictions on how the funds should be used and who can even qualify.
This was an article published on stolen Ho-Chunk land, (which) is a two-hour drive south of my traditional homelands as an Anishinaabe person. When we don't see our names, when we don't see that representation, I think of all of the amazing work that my colleagues, my peers and community members are doing here in Madison. I wonder if that just wasn't seen as important enough, and I wonder what do we have to do to be represented? What do we have to do to be seen as valued? There are Two-Spirit, queer and trans Indigenous people in medicine, who are involved in politics, who are involved in direct action, who are doing so much good work in this community that are being left out. Experiencing that erasure is very disheartening, and I believe it's also attributing to the lack of retention of Indigenous communities in the city.

How can Madison de-colonize Pride?

So the opposite of pride is shame, right? And we celebrate Pride Month because of the shame that we've been forced to feel. So because we did not experience shame in Indigenous communities for our gender and sexuality, the decolonized version of Pride (would) essentially be no pride! However, because we live in a colonial society, we need to have Pride. So in this case, the better word might be re-Indigenize, instead of decolonize Pride. And that's the word that we often use.
Should have known better because sure enough, there's stirring among some of the Wisconsin Republicans who have bought into Trump's Big Lie to suggest that perhaps we need to do a little checking, too.

Four Wisconsin pro-Trumpers, state Reps. Janal Brandtjen of Menomonee Falls and chair of the Assembly Elections Committee, Rachael Cabral-Guevara of Appleton, Dave Murphy of Greenville and Chuck Wichgers of Muskego, visited the Arizona recount site last week, a trip paid for by the One America News Network, the cable station that is trying to outdo Fox News with its conservative content. All but Cabral-Guevara signed a letter to Vice President Mike Pence, urging him to refuse to certify the election results on Jan. 6.

OAN, which is also paying for the Arizona fiasco, has been flying in Republican legislators from Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia, Virginia and elsewhere to watch the proceedings, hoping to convince them that they ought to do the same thing in their home states. Underneath it all, of course, is that this will all prove that the 2020 election was a fraud and, thus, Trump will be returned to rightful place in the White House.

And also of course, the Wisconsin legislators were impressed with what they saw of the process that election experts, including those from Arizona, have labeled a scam.
For over 100 years, one of the most reliable boogeymen in this country is Karl Marx and Marxist thought. When reason and justice cant prevail, fears of communism have consistently been invoked to win an argument. But the nation mustnt continue the falsifications that tainted my own education. We owe it to our children to give them all relevant facts  even inconvenient, horrible facts  and to demonstrate to them and ourselves that we have the courage to process them wisely.

Margaret Krome of Madison writes a semimonthly column for The Capital Times. She is policy program director for the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute.

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.
Wampanoag, a chick that hatched May 12 at Crane City, added to that number. Whooping crane pair Sunflower and Alec laid two eggs this year at Zoo New Englands Stone Zoo in Massachusetts, which contacted Boardman, the species survival plan coordinator for whooping cranes. The zoo is one of the programs exhibit locations but doesnt hatch or raise the birds, Boardman said, so ICF identified alternative homes for them.

Theres a lot of logistical details that have to get worked out in placing eggs, and we actually have a weekly call  and sometimes more than that  across all the breeding centers just to update everybody on whos laying what eggs and whos where, so that we can identify these homes for birds, she said.

One went to Baraboo, the other to Virginia, she said.

While egg transfers are common for ICF, this was Stone Zoos first successful one, though Sunflower and Alec have laid fertile eggs in the past, according to Kim Allen, a lead zookeeper there. In a statement to the News Republic, she said she flew to Wisconsin with the egg in a portable, temperature-controlled incubator which she monitored throughout the flight.
Theres always been a division along lines of race. Weve had 400 years of whites and blacks not being able to have shared experiences because of slavery and segregation and so forth, Obama told Anderson Cooper. There are certain right-wing media venues, for example, that monetize and capitalize on stoking the fear and resentment of a white population that is witnessing a changing America and seeing demographic changes, and do everything they can to give people a sense that their way of life is threatened and that people are trying to take advantage of them ... were seeing it right now where, you would think with all the public policy debates that are taking place right now, that the Republican Party would be engaged in a significant debate about: How are we going to deal with the economy? And what are we going to do about climate change?
A $5 million donation from American Girl founder Pleasant Rowland will help launch a five-year, multimillion-dollar effort for the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County to create a workforce center in Fitchburg to train youth for jobs in skilled trades.

Set to open in summer of 2022, the center will provide technical training for young people to become electricians, carpenters, plumbers, HVAC technicians and other skilled trades workers. The Boys & Girls Club announced the years-long project and the major donation from the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation on Monday.

The Boys & Girls Club is looking to raise $35 million over five years to create an endowed fund to support its educational programs and the Regional Workforce and Entrepreneurship Center. The club plans to announce more details about the fundraising effort and the center in early July.

Rowlands $5 million grant puts the capital campaign at 14% of its fundraising goal. The money will go toward the centers operating costs.

This amazing gift from Pleasant Rowland will anchor the impact of Boys & Girls Clubs and will create economic opportunities for so many young people in our community, Michael Johnson, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, said in a statement.
According to the report, Wisconsins overall per-pupil K-12 spending levels have lagged well behind the national average in recent years. Between 2011 and 2018, Wisconsins per-pupil spending increased by 4.3%, from $11,774 to $12,285. That increase ranked Wisconsin 49th in the nation in terms of percentage change during that period and compares to 18.9% nationwide.

Critics of the Republican biennial budget plan also said districts across the state could be forced to hold referendums to seek support from local taxpayers. District leaders also fear cuts to student mental health and special education supports as well as cuts to the arts to make up for budget shortfalls.

As we have said over and over, when crafting the K-12 budget we took into consideration the massive $2.4 billion in federal funding coming to our school districts. This equates to an average of $2,898 per student, Joint Finance Committee co-chair Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, said in a statement Monday. On top of that, we still increased funding by nearly $100 million to our schools for student mental health and special education.

Under our plan, schools that have been largely in-person over the last year are guaranteed to receive a minimum of $781 per student, more than the per-student increase in the last budget, which Gov. Evers signed, he said.
The reports also include a review of allegations that DOJ human resources director Jayne Swingen failed to act on multiple reports of alleged harassment and workplace bullying, as well as reports of pay inequity and discrimination based on protected class status.

The two investigators, University of Wisconsin System Title IX administrator Sarah Harebo and general counsel Quinn Williams, could not substantiate any of the claims, although they found it is more likely than not that at times (OKeefe) engaged in conduct of concern when he disagreed with other employees or established authority over subordinates that negatively impacted employees.

The investigators also found that it was more likely than not that Wilson treated female employees differently than their colleagues, but not because they were female.

Further, the investigators found it more likely than not that Wilson engaged in behavior of concern in his handling of a public records request. The report concluded, however, that Wilson did not discriminate based on protected class status or fail to act on reports of discrimination.

The investigators also could not substantiate allegations that Swingen failed to act on reports of harassment and workplace bullying. The reports did not address whether Virgil is underpaid due to her race.
Beard said while the process is limited to tax credits, shed be interested in reviewing exemptions as well.

With limited money, we really need to make sure all of this is still relevant, Beard said.

Washington: Having the citizen commission maybe depoliticizes (the process) a little bit

Washingtons process began in 2006, making it one of the oldest in the region. All of the states more than 700 tax preferences are reviewed every 10 years, and the order in which they are reviewed is guided by a five-member volunteer citizen commission. The voting members are made up of one non-legislator appointed by each caucus in each chamber, plus one member appointed by the governor. The state auditor and the chairperson of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee are non-voting members.

The commission is comprised of a chief economist for Avista Corp., a tax lawyer, an associate law professor from the Seattle University School of Law, the president of Edmonds Education Association, and an associate professor of public administration at the University of Washington.
Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer also noticed the benefits after two mental health professionals started to respond to 911 calls in Bozeman and the surrounding area in 2019. Although deputies in his department are trained in crisis intervention, he said that goes only so far.

When I hear deputies say the mental health provider is a godsend, or they came in and were able to extend the capabilities of the response, that means something to me, Springer said. And I hear that routinely now.

Erica Gotcher, a medic on the mental health response team in Missoula, recalled a day recently when her team was wrapping up a call and received three new alerts: A man was considering suicide, a teen was spiraling into crisis and someone else needed follow-up mental health services. They knew the suicide risk call would take time as responders talked to the person by phone to get more details, so they responded to the teen hitting walls first and saw all three people before their shift was done.

Gotcher said being busy is a good sign that her team  and teams like it  are becoming just one more form of first response.
States could decide to take action in this area to help have greater transparency about vaccination in these other facilities, but consumers and families should feel free to inquire of facilities, Richards said.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare does not have the legal power to force long-term care facilities to disclose their vaccination rates, spokeswoman Niki Forbing-Orr told the Idaho Capital Sun recently.

There isnt anything in statute or rule that requires facilities to report, and we cant just arbitrarily require facilities to do things that the Legislature hasnt given the department the authority to do, Forbing-Orr said, according to the digital newsroom. We know this is important, and we are exploring ways we might be able to get facilities to voluntarily report, but we just started those conversations.

AARP has a webpage listing questions families can ask if their loved one is in a nursing home to determine their safety. Find that at bit.ly/AARPquestionsCOVID.

Piecemeal data

Data from surveys corroborates the low vaccination rate among long-term care facility staff.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  Israel on Monday eased some restrictions on the Gaza Strip that have threatened a fragile cease-fire, Palestinian officials said. Hamas, however, said the move was really Israel's attempt to pressure the militant group into making concessions.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said 11 truckloads of clothes were exported through Kerem Shalom crossing for the first time in 40 days. On Sunday, Israel said it will allow limited agricultural exports from Gaza.

The easing also included the resumption of mail service in and out of Gaza, according to Saleh al-Zeq, an official from the Palestinian Authoritys liaison committee. Since the 11-day war in May between Israel and Gazas Hamas rulers, thousands of Gazan passports and other essential paperwork had been delayed.

Still, Hamas' Gaza leader Yehiyeh Sinwar drew a grim picture for the future of the cease-fire that went into effect on May 21.

Unfortunately, there are no signs indicating the existence of intentions to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Sinwar told reporters in Gaza City.

He added that Israel was blackmailing Hamas in exchange for further lifting of restrictions.
Notwithstanding the 1986 law, federal grand juries can only issue subpoenas when they are investigating crimes. And subpoenas can only be issued when federal prosecutors persuade the grand jury both that a crime has been committed and that the subpoenaed materials more likely than not  this is probable cause  contain evidence of the crime being investigated.

We know these subpoenas were served at the height of the Robert Mueller investigation of then-President Donald Trump. And we know that much was leaked during that investigation that was politically harmful to the president. We also know that no charges were ever filed against Trump, and he survived the Mueller investigation legally unscathed.

What crime could the feds have been looking for, and what did they tell a federal judge in order to get the gag order, and why didnt they just ask the judge for an order to seize the content of these communications?

There is no judge present during grand jury proceedings, nor are the target or his lawyers there. Prosecutors can say almost whatever they want to persuade the grand jury to issue a subpoena, but what they say is recorded. Might a review of what they said show that there was no evidence of a crime?
All over Hampton Roads, Surf Rider is renowned for its crab cakes, made with so little binder they cant be fried. The local chains lump-filled cakes bested the competition in two consecutive Virginian-Pilot taste tests, not to mention a recent blind-judged crab cake throwdown.

But this year, said its third-generation co-owner, Chris Bennett, he almost had to take them off the menu. The global supply was so tight this spring, he nearly couldnt get enough blue crab to fill the more than thousand pounds of crab his restaurants turn out in a week.

Back in March, before the local guys started picking (crabs), there was no crab meat, Bennett said. I was almost out. So it came close for us. We almost got where we didnt have any for a couple of weeks.

Luckily, hes been at this for a while. He was able to pull some strings with suppliers in the Philippines until local crab came in. He says friends at other restaurants werent so lucky and had to take some crab items off the menu. And though he considers himself lucky, hes paying 50% more or even double what he used to pay  and has had to add a $2 surcharge to crab items.

What I normally paid $25 for, right now its between $35 and $40 a pound, he said.
We find this victim is a white male between the ages of 60 and 69. He is the 326th resident of the health district  which includes Henry, Patrick and Franklin counties along with the city  and the first reported since June 6 and the fourth this month.

Among those victims, 287 have been at least 60 years old, 236 of them have been white and 175 male.

This death came as new cases and new hospitalizations continue to wane significantly as more and more people are vaccinated.

There were two new cases  both in Henry County  reported on Monday, and the health district has reported only 11 in the past week and 65 in June. There has been only one day since May 28 when new cases hit double digits (12 on June 4).

The 7-day average of new cases remained at 2, and the rate per 100,000 population is 1.3. The 14-day average per 100K is 23.24, rates not seen in more than a year.

Poor vaccination rates

Most areas in the state are attributing lower case totals to vaccinations, but the West Piedmont Health District significantly lags the states performance for adults and the population in general.
Prior to July of 2020, I had only one registered concern about our name, and I have polled this extensively, Godwin said. Please note that to the best of our knowledge, regardless of the new name, when it [the college] was created, they chose to name this college for its locality.

Why the name has not been an issue is that the general understanding is that it was named for our area.

Godwin said despite the persistence of the college to gauge the publics interest in changing the schools name, there was not a tremendous feedback.

Godwin said although the state is mandating the school change its name, it will likely be the schools responsibility for paying the costs associated with it.

We have to get down to where the cows can eat it, Godwin said. Its no more warm and fuzzy.

PHCC has never just guessed at anything. We didnt come up with a random $500,000 to a million. Analysis and data is how we do business here.

Godwin said she had talked with other schools that have gone through a name change, and the response was that the estimated costs were magnified when the change occurred.
TODAYS WORD is hiatus. Example: The filming of the television series went on hiatus during the summer months.

MONDAYS WORD was rhizomes. It means continuously growing horizontal underground stems which puts out lateral shoots and adventitious roots at intervals. Example: No matter how well you think youve weeded out the torpedograss from the flower beds, its impossible to get down to all the rhizomes, and that pesky weed just takes over all over again.

Not so far away

In case you missed it, summer officially arrived at 11:31 p.m. Sunday. Are you planning to take a vacation before school resumes in early August?

Research recently commissioned by Cooper Tires suggests that half of Virginians plan to stay close to home this summer, with 63% saying they will leave home for more than two days but wont drive more than 115 miles. More than half will stay in-state.

Heres what people are planning to do: 51% said they would drive to a nearby river or lake, 49% would visit a national monument and 47% a state park. High interests: camping, swimming and fishing.

Blood needed
To many Americans, especially Democrats, Boris Johnson is a clownish British version of former President Trump. But Democrats might take a page from Johnson, especially on how to talk to people.

The party is going through self-analysis now. Yes, President Biden beat Trump and Democrats won a 50-50 split in the Senate. But theyd hoped to do much better; they want to get to the bottom of why the bottom fell out on their high hopes.

Democrats being Democrats, they think they need a stronger economic-policy message  and the right set of policy proposals.

Not so fast. Theres a reason most people avoid economics classes in school. Economics is boring. Economic policy proposals are boring.

Americans want specifics, but they yearn for hope and optimism. Theyre listening more for tone: confidence, strength and persistence. They want to hear music, not just read lyrics.

Boris Johnson gets it. He says his goal as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is to recapture some of the energy and optimism that this country used to have.

Democrats could use more energy and optimism  and less hectoring and lecturing.
This digitally-colorized transmission electron microscopic image depicts the ultrastructural details of an influenza virus particle. Credit: CDC, Frederick Murphy

Avian influenza, an acute viral infectious disease that occurs in poultry such as chickens, ducks, and migratory birds, has been reported to be transmittable to humans. It is difficult to control because it spreads among migratory birds that travel to China, Europe, and elsewhere. Once it is transmitted, it spreads rapidly. Disposing of infected livestock is not only costly, but also a cause of serious environmental pollution. This is why vaccines against infectious diseases are imperative. To this end, a research team in Korea has recently developed a plant-based, adjuvant-free, recombinant protein vaccine that exhibits a strong immune response.

Professor Inhwan Hwang and Ph.D. candidate Shi-Jian Song of the Department of Life Science at POSTECHin joint research with Professor Chang Seon Song of Konkuk University, Professor Woe-Yeon Kim of Gyeongsang National University, and Eun-Ju Sohn of Bioapp, Inc.have developed a multivalent vaccine against a variety of avian influenza viruses that does not require any adjuvant. This research was recently published in Journal of Integrative Plant Biology.

Infectious diseases in humans and animals caused by the influenza virus are occurring unpredictably around the world, seriously affecting human health and economic activities like the livestock industry. Various vaccines have been developed and used so far, but concerns have been raised regarding their safety. In particular, recombinant vaccines enjoy high biosafety and specificity, but have the weakness of low immunogenicity and high production cost compared to inactivated virus or live attenuated virus vaccines.

The joint research team focused on developing multivalent vaccines against various avian influenzas based on green vaccine technology. The researchers fabricated a protein trimer (tHA) using plant cells, just like making immune-stimulating drugs from antigenic spikes (haemagglutinin, HA) attached to the influenza virus. By coating this plant-produced tHA on the surface of the inactivated lactococcus without separation or purification, the researchers succeeded in producing bacteria-like particles (BLPs) that carry antigens.

Schematic diagram of producing the green avian influenza vaccine. Credit: POSTECH

BLPs (tHAs) developed in this way showed strong immune responses in mice and chickens without adjuvants. In addition, injections of a bivalent vaccine with two different formulas led to strong immune response to both antigens. This method shows promise to be produced quickly, economically and safely. In fact, the vaccines from this research were patented and are being commercialized with the goal to advance into China and Southeast Asia.

"Utilizing the green vaccine technology, we have developed a recombinant protein-based vaccine that is safe from exposure to the virus and more," explained Professor Hwang. "Various strains appear at the same time for influenzas, and this multivalent vaccine can combat such strains."

Explore further Intranasal influenza vaccine enhances immune response and offers broad protection, researchers find

More information: ShiJian Song et al, Plantbased, adjuvantfree, potent multivalent vaccines for avian influenza virus via Lactococcus surface display, Journal of Integrative Plant Biology (2021). ShiJian Song et al, Plantbased, adjuvantfree, potent multivalent vaccines for avian influenza virus via Lactococcus surface display,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13141

Provided by Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH)
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The administration of US President Joe Biden on Monday announced its plan for the next tranche of 55 million COVID vaccine doses it plans to send to countries in need.

The donation will complete Washington's initial pledge of 80 million doses from its own vaccine supply, made ahead of a vow to buy 500 million doses of Pfizer's vaccine for low- and middle-income nations.

Forty-one million of the 55 million doses (75 percent) are being distributed through the Covax program, with the remaining 14 million (25 percent) shared with recipients the US deems priorities.

The vaccines being shared with Covax include 14 million for Latin America and the Caribbean, approximately 16 million to Asia, and 10 million for Africa in coordination with the African Union.

The first tranche included the Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, but it was not immediately clear what the second tranche would comprise.

A vaccine created by AstraZeneca has yet to earn US authorization but is in use elsewhere.

While wealthy countries are ramping up vaccinations and returning to normal, COVID cases are surging elsewhere, including in South America and Africa. Less than one percent of COVID vaccine doses globally have been administered to people in low-income countries.

"The Biden administration's plan for sharing more COVID-19 vaccine doses globally will help end the pandemic faster and save lives," said Tom Hart, acting CEO of The One campaign to eradicate poverty and preventable disease.

Explore further Vaccine firms pledge 3.5 bn COVID doses for poorer nations

 2021 AFP
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

An increasing number of studies on artificial intelligence (AI) are published in the dental and oral sciences but aspects of these studies suffer from a range of limitations. Standards towards reporting, like the recently published CONSORT-AI extension, can help to improve studies in this emerging field. Watch authors Falk Schwendicke and Joachim Krois of the Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany, discuss the Journal of Dental Research (JDR) article "Better Reporting of Studies on Artificial Intelligence: CONSORT-AI and Beyond," moderated by JDR Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Jakubovics, Newcastle University, England.

For AI studies in healthcare, only a limited number of randomized controlled trials are available, many studies are low quality and reporting is often insufficient to fully comprehend and possibly replicate these studies. Reporting standards such as the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) statement, which provides evidence-based recommendations for reporting of randomized controlled trials, have been widely adopted by journals and have been shown to increase reporting quality. The new CONSORT-AI extension specifically addresses issues relating to the use of AI in clinical trials.

Randomized controlled trials are often used to inform decision-makers in health policy, regulatory, and clinical care, comprehensive and systematic reporting, allowing to gauge a trial's methodology, validity and bias as well as facilitating replication, is crucial. With the rapid expansion of AI as a tool to enhance clinical trials and other research studies, it is critical that steps are made to standardize reporting in this area.

"Given the emergence of studies on AI in dentistry, action is needed," said Jakubovics. "Standards like the recently published CONSORT-AI extension will improve reporting of AI studies in dentistry. The Journal of Dental Research encourages authors, reviewers and readers to adhere to these standards. A range of further aspects along the AI lifecycle should be considered when conceiving, conducting, reporting or evaluating studies on AI in dentistry."

Explore further Many spinal manipulation trials don't report adverse events

More information: F. Schwendicke et al, Better Reporting of Studies on Artificial Intelligence: CONSORT-AI and Beyond, Journal of Dental Research (2021). Journal information: Journal of Dental Research F. Schwendicke et al, Better Reporting of Studies on Artificial Intelligence: CONSORT-AI and Beyond,(2021). DOI: 10.1177/0022034521998337

Provided by International & American Associations for Dental Research
Stanford researchers have found that changes in temperature and rainfall have lengthened allergy season in the Bay Area. Credit: Elizaveta Galitckaia/Shutterstock

Air levels of pollen and mold spores in the San Francisco Bay Area are elevated for about two more months per year than in past decades, and higher temperatures are to blame, a Stanford Medicine study has found.

Bay Area allergy sufferers take note: Climate change has lengthened the local pollen and mold season by eight to nine weeks per year during the past two decades, according to a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

The study, based on allergen data collected starting in 2002 in Los Altos Hills, California, found that local temperature increases are linked to longer tree and grass pollen seasons, while changes in local precipitation are linked to more mold spores in the air. Tree pollen and mold seasons each grew by about half a week per year from 2002 through 2019, the study found. The research, the first to analyze the effects of climate change on airborne allergens in the San Francisco Bay Area, was published online in the journal Scientific Reports.

"Climate change is really a problem for health, and we are living and breathing the effects of climate change now," said the study's senior author, Kari Nadeau, MD, Ph.D., professor of medicine and of pediatrics at Stanford School of Medicine. Nadeau, who directs the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research and is the Naddisy Foundation Professor in Pediatric Food Allergy, Immunology and Asthma, became interested in the problem because her patients kept saying their seasonal allergies were getting worse.

"As an allergist, it is my duty to follow the pollen counts, and I was noticing that the start date of the tree pollen season was earlier every year," she said. "My patients were complaining, and I would say, "This is such a tough year," but then I thought, wait, I'm saying that every year."

Pollen tied to warming temperatures

The researchers analyzed airborne pollen and mold spore data collected at a National Allergy Bureau-certified pollen counting station in Los Altos Hills. They tabulated concentrations of tree, grass and weed pollens and of mold spores in the air weekly throughout the 18-year period. Allergens from more than 100 species were identified, but the scientists focused their analysis on the 20 species most commonly observed in the area. They used environmental data, obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, on daily maximum temperatures, precipitation, carbon dioxide levels and wildfire smoke exposure.

Pollen season now starts earlier and ends later for many species of plants and molds, the researchers found. Local tree pollen and mold spore seasons grew by 0.47 and 0.51 weeks per year, respectively. Although the allergy season has lengthened, pollen concentrations have fallen somewhat, an effect that the researchers speculate may be a result of increased urbanization and less wild land in the Bay Area.

The researchers found associations between environmental changes and allergen levels. For trees, peak pollen was linked to rising spring temperatures and falling winter temperatures. Weed pollen was linked to rising spring and summer temperatures, and grass pollen was linked to increasing summer temperatures. Higher levels of mold spores were linked to rainfall followed by drought. (The spores form in wet weather, but when they dry out, they can drift in the air for months.)

Although several studies in other regions have found that higher atmospheric carbon dioxide is connected to increased pollen levels, the researchers did not find that carbon dioxide levels and wildfire smoke exposure were statistically linked to changes in pollen and mold spore levels.

Allergy sufferers and their doctors should note the findings and adjust allergy treatment accordingly, Nadeau said. In addition to causing discomfort, increased mucus production from seasonal allergies leaves people vulnerable to secondary bacterial infections, such as sinus infections, ear infections and pneumonia, she said.

"It helps patients to know that the reason they're having more allergies is that pollen is in the air longer than in the past," she said, adding that antihistamines can require a few weeks to take full effect, and knowing the full length of allergy season will help patients better manage their symptoms. "Patients should follow local pollen counts and not just assume their allergies will start at the same time every year."

More information: Bibek Paudel et al, Increased duration of pollen and mold exposure are linked to climate change, Scientific Reports (2021). Journal information: Scientific Reports Bibek Paudel et al, Increased duration of pollen and mold exposure are linked to climate change,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92178-z
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A team led by researchers at Newcastle University, UK has successfully created a model of the cells found in the lungs that can be used to replicate how COVID-19 infects the airways. This information, reported today in the STEM CELLS journal, paves the way for broader studies of viral lung infections using a cost-effective system that can easily be manufactured on a large scale.

COVID-19, which to date has resulted in more than 3.5 million deaths worldwide, has brought on an urgent need for airway models that can be used to develop effective therapies. While the use of in vitro (outside the body) models generated from primary pulmonary epithelial cells that mimic the human airways has increased in popularity over recent years, their availability is limited to primary samples that can differ significantly depending on the various donors' genetic backgrounds.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer a potential way around this drawback. Generated from adult stem cells found in fat, skin, blood and elsewhere, they can be reprogrammed to become every other cell type in the body, including those making up the airways. Additionally, iPSCs can propagate indefinitely and, thus, provide a large supply of cells with the genetic background of a single donor, rather than the varied backgrounds of the multiple donors hindering primary pulmonary epithelial cell models.

In the study reported in STEM CELLS, airway epithelial cells were generated from iPSCs (using a mixed population of lung progenitors) by culturing them on a polyester membrane to allow formation of a confluent monolayer, then exposing them to an air liquid interface to induce differentiation into a pseudostratified epithelial model.

The researchers then went on to demonstrate that their model is composed of the cell types found in the human upper airway epitheliumincluding functional ciliated cellsand that the cells are capable of secreting mucus and of being readily infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

"The infected model cells also secreted cytokines at levels corresponding to the behavior of the airway epithelium in the body following SARS-CoV-2 infection," said Lyle Armstrong, Ph.D., professor of stem cell sciences at Newcastle University, UK and corresponding author on the study. (Cytokines are proteins that signal the immune system to take action during an infection.)

"Our protocol not only simplifies the manufacture of cellular models of the human upper airways," he added, "but it has a distinct advantage in that we have eliminated the need for primary samples that differ in genetic backgrounds. Our next step will be to expand on this model by including immune cell components."

"The development of this reproducible and highly scalable protocol to manufacture upper airway models is very important for the study of respiratory viral infections such as SARS-CoV-2 and others," said Dr. Jan Nolta, Editor-in-Chief of STEM CELLS. "Having such models available will greatly enhance the development of future therapies and will allow the field to be better prepared to study new viruses and viral variants."

Explore further Study reveals how smoking worsens COVID-19 infection in the airways

More information: Ivo Djidrovksi et al, SARS-CoV-2 infects an upper airway model derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, STEM CELLS (2021). Journal information: Stem Cells Ivo Djidrovksi et al, SARS-CoV-2 infects an upper airway model derived from induced pluripotent stem cells,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/stem.3422

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MD/PhD student Rita Chen (left) and Brett Case, a postdoctoral researcher, prepare to work with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, under strict biosafety conditions. Chen, Case and MD/PhD student Emma Winkler co-led a study with virologist and immunologist Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD, at the School of Medicine, to assess how well antibody-based drugs for COVID-19 perform against a range of virus variants. Credit: Matt Miller/School of Medicine

COVID-19 therapies made from antibodies often are given to patients who are at high risk of severe illness and hospitalization. However, there have been nagging questions about whether such antibody therapies retain their effectiveness as worrisome new virus variants arise.

New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that many, but not all, therapies made from combinations of two antibodies are effective against a wide range of variants of the virus. Further, combination therapies appear to prevent the emergence of drug resistance.

The study, in mice and hamsters, tested all single and combination antibody-based therapies authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or that are being evaluated in late-stage clinical trials, against a panel of emerging international and U.S. variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The findings, published June 21 in the journal Nature, suggest that COVID-19 drugs made of two antibodies often retain potency as a therapy against variants even when in vitro studiesexperiments conducted in a dishindicate that one of the two antibodies has lost some or all ability to neutralize the variant.

"We knew how these antibodies were behaving in vitro, but we don't give people drugs based solely on cell culture data," said senior author Michael S. Diamond, MD, Ph.D., the Herbert S. Gasser Professor of Medicine. "When we looked in animals, there were some surprises. Some of the combinations performed better than we thought they would, based on in vitro data. And there was no drug resistance to combinations whatsoever, across all of the different variants. We're going to have to continue to monitor the effectiveness of antibody therapy as more variants arise, but combination therapy is likely needed for treating infections with this virus as more variants emerge."

So-called monoclonal antibodies mimic those generated by the body to fight off the virus that causes COVID-19. Administration of antibody therapies bypasses the body's slower and sometimes less effective process of making its own antibodies. At the time this study began, there were two dual-antibody combination therapies and a single antibody therapy authorized by the FDA for emergency use. The FDA withdrew authorization for the single antibody therapy, bamlanivimab, in April on the grounds that it was not effective against the variants circulating at that time. In May, the FDA authorized the single antibody sotrovimab as a treatment for COVID-19.

In all, the researchers evaluated antibodies corresponding to the FDA-authorized ones made by Eli Lilly and Co., Regeneron and Vir Biotechnology/GlaxoSmithKline, as well as the antibodies currently under development by AbbVie, Vir and AstraZeneca that are in clinical trials.

The researchersled by co-first authors Rita E. Chen, an MD/Ph.D. student, Emma S. Winkler, an MD/Ph.D. student, and Brett Case, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researchertested the antibodies against a panel of virus variants containing key mutations in their spike genes. The SARS-CoV-2 virus uses spike protein to invade cells. All monoclonal antibody-based COVID-19 therapies work by interfering with the interaction between spike protein and cells.

The panel included mutations found in three of the four variants that have been designated "variants of concern" by the World Health OrganizationAlpha (first identified in the United Kingdom), Beta (South Africa) and Gamma (Brazil)as well as an emerging variant from India similar to the Delta variant of concern. They also tested variants from New York and California. The researchers used a mix of virus samples originally obtained from people with COVID-19 and laboratory strains genetically engineered to contain key mutations.

The researchers evaluated the antibodies in hamsters and two strains of mice. The researchers first gave the animals antibodiessingly or in the same combinations in which they are given to treat patientsa day before infecting them with one of the virus variants. The researchers monitored the animals' weight for six days and then measured the amount of virus in their noses, lungs and other parts of the body.

Although some single antibodies showed reduced or no ability to neutralize virus variants in a dish, low doses of most of the antibody combinations protected against disease caused by many of the variants. The researchers sequenced viral samples from the animals and found no evidence of drug resistance in viruses from any of the animals that had been treated with combination therapies.

"Dual therapy seemed to prevent the emergence of resistant viruses," said co-author Jacco Boon, Ph.D., an associate professor of medicine, of molecular microbiology and of pathology & immunology. "Resistance arose with some of the monotherapies, but never with combination therapy."

Since antibody-based COVID-19 therapies primarily are used to treat people who already are infected, the researchers also evaluated how well the antibody combinations performed when given after infection with the Beta variant. The Beta variant was chosen because it has been shown to be most likely to escape neutralization in laboratory-based experiments and has the most resistance to COVID-19 vaccines. The antibody cocktails corresponding to those from AstraZeneca, Regeneron and Vir were all effective at reducing disease caused by the Gamma variant; the one from AbbVie only was partially protective, and the one from Lilly showed no efficacy at all.

"It's going to be useful going forward to understand how these monoclonal antibodies are going to behave as variants continue to emerge," said Diamond, who also is a professor of molecular microbiology and of pathology and immunology. "We need to think about and generate combinations of antibodies to preserve our ability to treat this disease. And we'll need to monitor for resistancealthough, in my opinion, the use of specific combinations will make this less of an issue."

More information: Rita E. Chen et al, In vivo monoclonal antibody efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 variant strains, Nature (2021). Journal information: Nature Rita E. Chen et al, In vivo monoclonal antibody efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 variant strains,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03720-y
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

New research from a New Mexico State University professor shows hesitancy toward the COVID-19 vaccine is much more prevalent among Hispanic and Black adults in the United States when compared to the overall hesitancy rate for the general American population.

Jagdish Khubchandani, professor of public health sciences at NMSU, analyzed 13 studies conducted in the U.S. that examined COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among 107,841 American adults. He focused his research on the data related to Hispanics and African Americans, the two largest minority groups in the U.S.

"Little is known about the extent of COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in racial and ethnic minorities and whether there are unique sociodemographic and cognitive correlates associated with vaccine hesitancy," Khubchandani said.

His findings, published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, show the overall vaccine hesitancy rate was 41.6 percent for African American adults and 30.2 percent for Hispanic adults across the 13 studies. By comparison, the hesitancy rate for all participants in the studies was 26.3 percent.

Khubchandani, who wrote the paper with NMSU graduate student Yilda Macias, said predictors of vaccine hesitancy in African Americans and Hispanics included sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, income, education and household size.

Other predictors of vaccine hesitancy included medical mistrust and history of racial discrimination; exposure to myths and misinformation; perceived risk of getting infected with COVID-19; beliefs about vaccines and past vaccine compliance; and concerns about the safety, efficacy and side effects from the COVID-19 vaccines.

The high prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among African Americans and Hispanics is concerning for several reasons, Khubchandani said.

He noted that the pandemic has disproportionately affected racial and ethnic minoritiespopulations that have experienced COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths in greater numbers. He also pointed out that before the pandemic, chronic diseases and poorer health outcomes were more prominent among minorities.

"Not getting a COVID-19 vaccine may further increase their risk of morbidity and premature mortality in these populations," he said. "Minorities also frequently engage in low-wage and essential work, increasing their exposure to COVID-19. Vaccination should be a priority among these groups."

Another barrier for minority populations is vaccine access, Khubchandani said. Reports he reviewed suggested minority-dominated, socially-deprived communities in the U.S. were not receiving proportionate allocations of COVID-19 vaccines or had lower coverage.

Khubchandani said vaccine hesitancy in minority populations is not a monolithic concept but will require multipronged individual and population-based interventions. The study outlines eight key recommendations based on what Khubchandani calls the "five C's concept." The suggestions include reducing complacency and constraints, increasing confidence and calculations in favor of getting vaccines, and promoting collective responsibility.

"Unless a proactive approach is adopted, COVID vaccination rates in certain populations will continue to remain lower than what is desirable," he said.

More information: Jagdish Khubchandani et al, COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in Hispanics and African-Americans: A review and recommendations for practice, Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health (2021). Journal information: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity Jagdish Khubchandani et al, COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in Hispanics and African-Americans: A review and recommendations for practice,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100277
A new study by WVU School of Medicine researcher Eric Kelley suggests that unrepaired DNA damage can increase the speed of aging. Kelley and his colleagues genetically modified mice to remove a crucial DNA-repair protein from some of their stem cells. Without this protein, the mice were unable to fix damaged DNA accrued in their immune cells. By the time the genetically modified mice were 5 months old, they resembled a regular two-year-old mouse. For context, a two-year-old mouse is similar in age to an 80-year-old human. Credit: Aira Burkhart/WVU

Every day, our bodies face a bombardment of UV rays, ozone, cigarette smoke, industrial chemicals and other hazards.

This exposure can lead to free-radical production in our bodies, which damages our DNA and tissues. A new study from West Virginia University researcher Eric E. Kelleyin collaboration with the University of Minnesotasuggests that unrepaired DNA damage can increase the speed of aging.

The study appears in the journal Nature.

Kelley and his team created genetically-modified mice with a crucial DNA-repair protein missing from their hematopoietic stem cells, immature immune cells that develop into white blood cells. Without this repair protein, the mice were unable to fix damaged DNA accrued in their immune cells.

"By the time the genetically-modified mouse is 5 months old, it's like a 2-year-old mouse," said Kelley, associate professor and associate chair of research in the School of Medicine's Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. "It has all the symptoms and physical characteristics. It has hearing loss, osteoporosis, renal dysfunction, visual impairment, hypertension, as well as other age-related issues. It's prematurely aged just because it has lost its ability to repair its DNA."

According to Kelley, a normal 2-year-old mouse is about equivalent in age to a human in their late 70s to early 80s.

Kelley and his colleagues found that markers for cell aging, or senescence, as well as for cell damage and oxidation, were significantly greater in the immune cells of genetically-modified mice compared to normal, wild-type mice. But the damage was not limited to the immune system; the modified mice also demonstrated aged, damaged cells in organs such as the liver and kidney.

These results suggest that unrepaired DNA damage may cause the entire body to age prematurely.

When we are exposed to a pollutant, such as radiation for cancer treatment, energy is transferred to the water in our body, breaking the water apart. This creates highly reactive moleculesfree radicalsthat will quickly interact with another molecule in order to gain electrons. When these free radicals interact with important biomolecules, such as a protein or DNA, it causes damage that can keep that biomolecule from working properly.

Some exposure to pollutants is unavoidable, but there are several lifestyle choices that increase exposure to pollution and thus increase free radicals in the body. Smoking, drinking and exposure to pesticides and other chemicals through occupational hazards all significantly increase free radicals.

"A cigarette has over 10 to the 16th free radicals per puff, just from combusted carbon materials," Kelley said.

In addition to free radicals produced by pollutant exposure, the human body is constantly producing free radicals during a process used to turn food into energy, called oxidative phosphorylation.

"We have mechanisms in the mitochondria that mop free radicals up for us, but if they become overwhelmedif we have over-nutrition, if we eat too much junk, if we smokethe defense mechanism absolutely cannot keep up," Kelley said.

As bodies age, the amount of damage caused by free-radical formation becomes greater than the antioxidant defenses. Eventually, the balance between the two tips over to the oxidant side, and damage starts to win out over repair. If we are exposed to a greater amount of pollutants and accumulate more free radicals, this balance will be disrupted even sooner, causing premature aging.

The issue of premature aging due to free-radical damage is especially important in West Virginia. The state has the greatest percentage of obese citizens in the nation and a high rate of smokers and workers in high-pollution-exposure occupations.

"I come from an Appalachian background," Kelley said. "And, you know, I'd go to funerals that were in some old housean in-the-living-room-with-a-casket kind of dealand I'd look at people in there, and they'd be 39 or 42 and look like they were 80 because of their occupation and their nutrition."

Many West Virginians also have comorbidities, such as diabetes, enhanced cardiovascular disease, stroke and renal issues, that complicate the situation further.

Although there are drugs, called senolytics, that help to slow the aging process, Kelley believes it is best to prevent premature aging through lifestyle change. He says that focusing on slowing the aging process through preventive measures can improve the outcome for each comorbidity and add more healthy years to people's lives.

"The impact is less on lifespan and more on healthspan," he said. "If you could get people better access to healthcare, better education, easier ways for them to participate in healthier eating and a healthier lifestyle, then you could improve the overall economic burden on the population of West Virginia and have a much better outcome all the way around."

Explore further Researchers discover powerful defense against free radicals that cause aging, disease

More information: Matthew J. Yousefzadeh et al, An aged immune system drives senescence and ageing of solid organs, Nature (2021). Journal information: Nature Matthew J. Yousefzadeh et al, An aged immune system drives senescence and ageing of solid organs,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03547-7
A man reacts as a medical workers collect his nasal swab samples to be tested for coronavirus, during a COVID-19 screening at University of North Sumatra in Medan, Indonesia, Monday, June 21, 2021. Indonesia has reported more coronavirus cases than any other country in Southeast Asia. Credit: AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara

Indonesian health authorities announced the country's largest one-day jump in new coronavirus infections on Monday, as the number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began crossed 2 million.

The Health Ministry reported 14,536 new infections and 294 deaths, bringing the country's total confirmed fatalities to more than 54,950. Both the total cases and total deaths are the most in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, has seen infections surge in recent weeks, a climb that has been blamed on travel during last month's Eid al-Fitr holiday as well as the arrival of new virus variants, such as the the Delta version first found in India.

The surge is putting pressure on hospitals, including in Jakarta, where 80% of hospital beds are full, and has added urgency to the government's plan to inoculate 1 million people each day by next month. Authorities have so far only fully vaccinated 12.3 million of Indonesia's 270 million people and partially vaccinated another 10.9 million.

The World Health Organization last week said Indonesia's drastic increase in hospital bed occupancy rates is a major concern and necessitates stricter public health and social measures, including large-scale social restrictions.

A medical workers collect nasal swab samples from a woman to be tested for coronavirus during a COVID-19 screening at University of North Sumatra in Medan, Indonesia, Monday, June 21, 2021. Indonesia has reported more coronavirus cases than any other country in Southeast Asia. Credit: AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara

The government has resisted a large-scale lockdown due to fears of the economic impact. Offices, restaurants. shopping malls and places of worship remain open, though at 50% of their capacity.

"The situation is worrying," said Riris Andono Ahmad, an epidemiologist at Gajah Mada University. "We are facing a second wave of COVID-19 with the most transmissible variant and the public's low compliance with health protocols."

He urged stricter measures.

"All of the government's efforts and policy to curb COVID-19 transmission will be ineffective if it gives room for people to gather and crowd," he said.

The national COVID-19 task force said a spike in infections has been seen in Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java provinces. All are on Java, the most populous of Indonesia's more than 17,000 islands.

Women have their nasal swab samples taken to be tested for the coronavirus, during a COVID-19 screening at University of North Sumatra in Medan, Indonesia, Monday, June 21, 2021. Indonesia has reported more coronavirus cases than any other country in Southeast Asia. Credit: AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara

Workers lower a coffin into a grave during a burial at the special section of Jombang Public Cemetery reserved for those who died of COVID-19, in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, June 21, 2021. Indonesia saw significant spikes in confirmed COVID-19 cases recently, an increase blamed on travel during last month's Eid al-Fitr holiday as well as the arrival of new virus variants, such as the the Delta version first found in India. Credit: AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana

An Islamic cleric recites the call of prayer during the burial of a man at the special section of Jombang Public Cemetery reserved for those who died of COVID-19, in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia,Monday, June 21, 2021. Indonesia saw significant spikes in confirmed COVID-19 cases recently, an increase blamed on travel during last month's Eid al-Fitr holiday as well as the arrival of new virus variants, such as the the Delta version first found in India. Credit: AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana

An Islamic cleric leads relatives in prayer during the burial of a man in the special section of Jombang Public Cemetery reserved for those who died of COVID-19, in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, June 21, 2021. Indonesia saw significant spikes in confirmed COVID-19 cases recently, an increase blamed on travel during last month's Eid al-Fitr holiday as well as the arrival of new virus variants, such as the the Delta version first found in India. Credit: AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana

People dance to the music played by organizer while they wait to receive the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine during a mass vaccination in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, June 21, 2021. Indonesia's president ordered authorities to speed up the country's vaccination campaign as the World Health Organization warned of the need to increase social restrictions in the country amid a fresh surge of coronavirus infections caused by worrisome variants. Credit: AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

A health worker prepares a shot of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine during a mass vaccination in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, June 21, 2021. Indonesia's president ordered authorities to speed up the country's vaccination campaign as the World Health Organization warned of the need to increase social restrictions in the country amid a fresh surge of coronavirus infections caused by worrisome variants. Credit: AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

People wait for health screenings required before they receive the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine during a mass vaccination in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, June 21, 2021. Indonesia's president ordered authorities to speed up the country's vaccination campaign as the World Health Organization warned of the need to increase social restrictions in the country amid a fresh surge of coronavirus infections caused by worrisome variants. Credit: AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

A health worker shows a vial of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by the Indonesian pharmaceutical company Biofarma, during a mass vaccination in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, June 21, 2021. Indonesia's president ordered authorities to speed up the country's vaccination campaign as the World Health Organization warned of the need to increase social restrictions in the country amid a fresh surge of coronavirus infections caused by worrisome variants. Credit: AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

People register to receive the COVID-19 vaccine during a mass vaccination in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, June 21, 2021. Indonesia's president ordered authorities to speed up the country's vaccination campaign as the World Health Organization warned of the need to increase social restrictions in the country amid a fresh surge of coronavirus infections caused by worrisome variants. Credit: AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

People wait for health screenings required before they receive the Sinovac vaccine for COVID-19 during a mass vaccination in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, June 21, 2021. Indonesia's president ordered authorities to speed up the country's vaccination campaign as the World Health Organization warned of the need to increase social restrictions in the country amid a fresh surge of coronavirus infections caused by worrisome variants. Credit: AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

A health worker gives a shot of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to a man during a mass vaccination in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, June 21, 2021. Indonesia's president ordered authorities to speed up the country's vaccination campaign as the World Health Organization warned of the need to increase social restrictions in the country amid a fresh surge of coronavirus infections caused by worrisome variants. Credit: AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

President Joko Widodo last week ordered authorities to step up the vaccination rate.

The slow progress in immunizations so far can be attributed to the limited global supply of vaccines, the unpreparedness of the national health system and vaccine hesitancy, national COVID-19 task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito said.

The government has received 104.7 million vaccine doses, including 94.5 million of Sinovac, 8.2 million of AstraZeneca, and 2 million of Sinopharm. It expects to receive about 50 million Pfizer doses in the coming months, followed by 50 million Moderna doses.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said deals to import around 104 million AstraZeneca doses have been hit by delays and now only 20 million doses are expected to arrive this year.

Explore further WHO warns of fresh Indonesia surge fed by virus variants

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Supriya Munshaw. Credit: Johns Hopkins University

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent approval of aducanumab, a treatment for Alzheimer's disease, has drawn decidedly mixed reviews.

Advocates for patients, such as the Alzheimer's Association, applauded the FDA's green light for the drug (though the group later decried the high price tag set by Biogen, the U.S. manufacturer selling the drug under the brand name Aduhelm). On the other side, critics assessed the trial data as inconclusive. Indeed, three of the scientists on the advisory committee resigned in protest over the FDA's move, with one calling it "probably the worst drug approval decision in recent U.S. history."

In a conversation with the Hub, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School Senior Lecturer Supriya Munshawan expert in the commercialization of early-stage technologies, especially in the life science and medical device industriesconsiders the recent controversy and offers her insights into the FDA's rationale, the price set by Biogen, the future of FDA leadership, and other related topics.

Despite the FDA advisory committee's nearly unanimous decision against approving aducanumabthey said there was not enough evidence that the drug provided clinical benefitthe FDA gave its OK to the drug. Is it unusual for the FDA to ignore a clear-cut recommendation from an advisory group?

While this is not the first time the FDA's final action has disagreed with the advisory committee's recommendation, we know that this happens rarely. A 2019 study showed that between 2008 and 2015, the FDA and the advisory committee disagreed about 22% of the time. Only 25% of disagreements were in cases where the advisory committee had an unfavorable decision. So, this situation we have with aducanumab is not the norm.

It is also essential to know that the FDA does not engage an advisory committee with all drug approvals. The FDA seeks their advice only in some cases, such as if the drug is first-in-class or first for a given indication such as for Alzheimer's.

Why do you think the FDA decided to approve the drug?

The FDA considers other factors beyond the science and technical aspects of the drug (which is what the advisory committee focuses on). If we simply look at the science behind this drug, it is not compelling. While one study demonstrated marginal improvements in clinical outcomes, another did not.

The approval is also based on a surrogate marker, not on a clinical outcome. A surrogate marker is a biological marker that is used instead of a clinical outcome. For example, oncology drugs may use a reduction in tumor size as a marker for improved overall survival. The link between the two is well accepted, so companies don't have to wait till patients have survived longer but can apply for approval based on the surrogate marker of tumor size. In the case of aducanumab, clinical trials showed that patients had significantly decreased levels of amyloid plaques. However, the link of this marker to clinical outcomes is not well-established and has even been questioned, so all in all, the science behind the approval is weak.

However, the disease burden from Alzheimer's is immense. There are more than 6 million patients in the United States alone with no treatments for the disease. The FDA considers this a substantial unmet need. In addition, patient advocacy groups such as the Alzheimer's Association were highly vocal in favor of this approval. The FDA had to balance the risk of the drug with the benefits it could provide, making it a highly complicated decision. The FDA's perspective could be to put this drug on the market, at least for those whom it can help, while the company conducts confirmatory trials to ensure that it works.

In my Pharmaceutical Strategy class at Carey, students discuss a similar 2016 case of the approval of a drug called Exondys51 for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The FDA also approved this drug despite the unfavorable decision by the advisory committee. The case gives students an idea of the complexities of the drug approval process.

Some supporters of the approval have said this is a first step to help some patients and spur continued research into a drug for Alzheimer's. Is there validity in that viewpoint?

The drug provides immense hope to patients and patients' families who have been waiting for treatment for many years. Still, the question is whether this gives them false hope, given the drug's disputed efficacy. In terms of continued research, there are two sides to this: one, yes, the approval could set the path for future investment, drug research, and approvals. Still, it could also send companies toward the wrong target (given the controversial connection between the pathway this drug works on and clinical outcomes), and patients could drop out of clinical trials to take this approved drug.

Looking ahead, how might the resignations of advisory board members affect the process in which experts examine research data and give their opinions on possible FDA approvals?

I don't think that the resignations will change the way advisory committees will provide recommendations. The committee provides a third-party, unbiased review of the scientific data, and the remaining and new members will continue to do so. How these resignations change the way the FDA may approach recommendations from the committee and approvals of such controversial drugs is a different question. A lot of this depends on the outlook of the FDA commissioner and the heads of the agency's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

A recent New York Times article noted that the FDA continues to be run by an acting commissioner, Janet Woodcock, and that the FDA's "long-term agenda for drug approvals or new issues is languishing without a permanent commissioner." Do you think this situation with FDA leadership might have been a factor in what has transpired with aducanumab?

I think getting a permanent commissioner is important for a long-term strategy as the Times article suggests, but in this case, I don't think that having only an acting commissioner had an adverse effect. Dr. Janet Woodcock has been with the FDA since 1986. She is well-positioned to serve as the acting commissioner and even the permanent commissioner, for that matter. Interestingly, Dr. Woodcock was the director of CDER during the Exondys51 approval and played an essential role in that decision. She has broad support from the drug industry and patient advocacy groups. So, while the permanency of leadership may not be an issue, the type of leadership and their outlook are essential in setting the direction for the FDA.

Another controversial aspect of the drug is that Biogen, which developed the drug with Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai, has set the price at $56,000 for a year's worth of treatment per patient, much higher than what industry experts were expecting. What's more, it's the kind of treatment that many people would need for years. Can you offer insight as to why Biogen set the price at that level?

Many experts were expecting a price around $10,000 based on current Alzheimer's treatments, but honestly the high price was not a shock to me. First, this is a biologic drug, and Biogen views it as a specialty drug, so given the prices of such specialty drugs in recent years, this high price was not atypical.

One thing to note is that the drug received a much broader approval label from the FDA than expected. Based on the trials and data, Biogen expected that the FDA would approve the drug for a subset of Alzheimer's patients, specifically those in the early stages of the disease. Biogen was expecting a population of around 1 million to 2 million patients to be eligible for the drug. Instead, the FDA approved the drug under a much broader label, making all 6 million U.S. patients eligible. The original, smaller patient population was probably a consideration in the higher list price. Even with the new label, I don't expect that the list price is going to be lowered unless Biogen faces significant backlash or if the drug faces hurdles with patient access.

Because the drug was OK'd as part of the FDA's "accelerated approval" process, Biogen must conduct a randomized controlled trial to verify aducanumab's efficacy. Is that a routine procedure? And is it possible the FDA will rescind its approval if this subsequent trial shows poor results?

The Accelerated Approval pathway is an essential piece to this story. This pathway was initiated in 1992 specifically for conditions with a high unmet need. The idea is to approve the drug based on a surrogate marker to start helping patients and then have companies perform confirmatory trials. So, yes, this pathway is routine for many oncology drugs and others where, again, there is a high unmet need. If these confirmatory trials fail to demonstrate the clinical benefit, the drug is pulled from the market.

For example, Bristol-Myers Squibb withdrew its drug Opdivo for a particular subset of lung cancer patients in December 2020 after confirmatory trials did not meet the endpoint of overall survival. The drug was granted accelerated approval for this indication in 2018 based on a surrogate endpoint.

One major issue in the aducanumab decision is that the FDA has given Biogen until 2029 to complete these confirmatory trials, so this drug can potentially be on the market for at least until 2030, costing the health care system significantly before any decision might be made to withdraw. The FDA has come under scrutiny for failing to enforce these confirmatory trials. For example, confirmatory trials for Exondys51 have not been complete yet, although the completion date in their letter was November 2020.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Deteriorating living and working conditions for workers in garment supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the risk of forced labour, according to a new report from the University of Sheffield.

'The Unequal Impacts of COVID-19 on Global Garment Supply Chains' has found that workers in Ethiopia, Honduras, India, and Myanmar who produce many of the clothes we buy from our favourite brands in the UK and Europe were severely affected by the pandemic.

Both those that were fortunate enough to remain employed, and those that lost their jobs during the past year and found new work, reported a sharp decline in their earnings and working conditions; and both groups experienced being at increased risk of forced labour during this time.

The study is the largest to directly involve the voices of those employed to make the clothes we buy in the UK during the pandemic alongside interviews with retailers and analysis of company documentation. Previous ones have focused solely on the impact for the multinational corporations (MNCs) which own major fashion brands and retailers. It uses a comprehensive new system to look for the indicators that someone is vulnerable to forced labour.

Professor Genevieve LeBaron, from the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Sheffield, said: "There is no commonly held definition of what constitutes forced labour, and unlike the public perceptions of modern slavery, people may not be held against their will or trafficked unknowingly into their situation.

"They may end up in a job that they are unable to leave due to a number of reasons; false promises and deception to keep a person working in increasing worsening conditions, threat of penalties against the worker or their family if they left, or sometimes bonding a person into debt to the manufacturer through poor pay, leaving them struggling to cover their basic needs for housing and food."

The study found that both groups of workers experienced indicators of forced labour, with the situation clearly deteriorating during the pandemic. It highlighted that many companies fell far short of their commitments to good practice; including sourcing sustainable goods from manufacturers with fair working conditions, pay and no use of exploitation.

The commercial actions of companies during the pandemic has brought to light how many business models within the garment industry are fundamentally at odds with these commitments, and that current government regulation does not go far enough to protect the workers.

Although the study found there were examples of some companies acting in ways that honoured their social commitments, this was mainly from companies that had direct ownership of factories, or long-standing partnerships with manufacturers that were crucial to protect. In these cases, workers were more likely to retain a job through the pandemic.

Professor LeBaron said: "It appears many companies in the garment industry accessed emergency funding during the pandemic, but also provided little to no evidence that they honoured the social responsibilities most brands we recognise have to the workers in their supply chains at the same time.

"At the beginning of the pandemic, millions of pounds worth of cancelled orders forced many manufacturers in places like Ethiopia to lay off staff, who then became vulnerable to exploitation during the desperate search to find a new job.

Those lucky enough to retain their job reported experiencing worsening working conditions and pay, exacerbating the already troubling inequalities between the countries who benefit from their labour and the workers themselves."

Already some manufacturers are pursuing legal action against companies which cancelled orders worth millions of pounds during the pandemic, and there is increasing discussion about whether the conduct of clothing brands during the pandemic was legal.

The report calls for governments to increase the governance of supply chains and for retailers to address the damage done during the pandemic.

Professor LeBaron added: "Our report shows that retail companies tried to offset the potential damage of the pandemic by shifting losses onto their suppliers and workers who would least afford it. Most of these companies have very deep pockets and need to act immediately to address the social challenges their pandemic responses have created.

"Banning the sale of below-cost price and forced labour made goods, ensuring companies relieve the supply chain pressures that cause suppliers to use unfair labour practices, and requiring brands to report on public bail out funds received and how these have been used, would be a good start to force retailers to be more transparent about how they work; helping tackle the increasing inequality experienced by supply chain workers that satisfy our demand for high-end, and fast fashions and helping consumers make more sustainable and ethical choices when shopping."

Jakub Sobik, Communications Director at the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (the Modern Slavery PEC), which funded the research under its call on the impact of COVID-19 on modern slavery across the world, said:

"This report highlights the unequal impact of COVID-19 across complex business supply chains and the need to do more to protect workers producing garments sold across the world from exploitation.

"Businesses should consider how their actions can rectify the situation and develop different responses for the future, while working with governments to ensure a level playing field for all businesses, incentivising those which apply good practice already."

Explore further Researchers warn that modern slavery has been exacerbated by COVID-19
Credit: Pavel Danilyuk via Pexels

Extremely painful chronic cluster headachessometimes referred to as 'suicide headaches'  can be prevented by stimulating the occipital nerve in the back of the head, according to research conducted by Professor Emeritus of Neurology Michel Ferrari from Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). The study showed that nerve stimulation reduces the frequency and severity of attacks in patients who could not be treated with medication. The researchers reported in The Lancet Neurology that some subjects continued to feel the benefits for several years.

Chronic cluster headaches, also known as "suicide headaches," are a severely debilitating chronic brain condition that causes unbearable headaches, usually several times a day. An average attack lasts between one and two hours, and as they also often come on at night, they can cause serious disruption to sleep. In many cases, existing treatments are not effective, making some patients desperate.

Stimulating the occipital nerve

A large-scale study conducted in several different countries investigated the effectiveness and safety of occipital nerve stimulation in patients whose chronic cluster headaches could not be prevented, despite multiple attempts to treat them with medication. "The occipital nerve is easily accessible, being located near the surface of the skin on the back of the head, and it is connected to the brain stem," says Ferrari. "That explains why stimulation of this nerve can prevent attacks of cluster headaches."

Dramatic reduction in symptoms

A small neurostimulator was implanted under the skin on the back of the subject's head, close to the occipital nerve, and connected to a battery inserted under the skin of the buttock or midriff. The implantation and stimulation protocols were supervised by Professor Frank Huygen from the Anaesthesiology department at Erasmus MC. "Standardization of the procedure in all the participating centers was the key to the success of this study," Huygen explains. Once the device had been implanted, 130 patients received high or low electric stimulation of the nerve at random over a period of six months. Patients saw a dramatic reduction in the frequency and severity of the attacks within weeks. "Some patients even became attack free," says Ferrari. The improvement could be maintained for several years by means of a personalized stimulation protocol.

Patients were well able to tolerate the treatment, with more than 90% of subjects being very satisfied and willing to recommend the treatment to other patients. "I started work on this study as a Ph.D. student 10 years ago," Poldi Wilbrink, the co-first author, remembers. "Now I'm a neurologist, and it's fantastic to see so many patients who used to be in despair having improved so much." In addition, says Ferrari, "Such a remarkable improvement is even more impressive when you realize that these were very severely impacted, chronically ill patients who saw no improvement from existing treatments."

This ICON study was funded by Ferrari's NWO (Dutch Research Council) Spinoza Prize, a grant from Medtronic and a 6 million development grant from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport as part of a conditional funding program. When the research was complete, the Ministry decided to include nerve stimulation in health insurance coverage for chronic cluster headaches. Patient organization Hoofdpijnnet welcomes that decision: "This is great news for all those patients who have suffered for so long with untreatable, unbearable cluster headaches."

Specific expertise is required for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with chronic cluster headaches and the application and monitoring of nerve stimulation. Only a small number of centers are permitted to provide the therapy in the Netherlands, working in close cooperation: LUMC (Dr. Rolf Fronczek), Erasmus MC (Professor Frank Huygen), Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital (Dr. Wim Mulders/Dr. Kurt Erkan), Zuyderland Hospital (Dr. Poldi Wilbrink) and Maastricht UMC (Dr. Onno Teernstra).

According to Dr. Fronczek, a neurologist who is now responsible for treating patients with cluster headaches at LUMC, "Patients who could not previously be treated can now take advantage of a new and promising treatment. However, scrupulous evaluation and monitoring are still necessary to keep their treatment at the optimum level."

Explore further Expert explains how Botox injections help relieve chronic migraine

More information: Leopoldine A Wilbrink et al, Safety and efficacy of occipital nerve stimulation for attack prevention in medically intractable chronic cluster headache (ICON): a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, phase 3, electrical dose-controlled trial, The Lancet Neurology (2021). Journal information: Lancet Neurology Leopoldine A Wilbrink et al, Safety and efficacy of occipital nerve stimulation for attack prevention in medically intractable chronic cluster headache (ICON): a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, phase 3, electrical dose-controlled trial,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(21)00101-0
Maps of Brazil were used to represent the routes of the main longitudinal (A-D), transversal (E- H), diagonal (I-L), radial (M-P), and connector (Q-T) federal highways, as well as the evolution of the geographic distribution of COVID-19 cases on three dates (April 1st, June 1st, and August 1st), and the distribution of COVID-19 deaths on August 1st (D). Overall, 26 highways (see text) from all five road categories contributed to approximately 30% of the COVID-19 case spreading throughout Brazil. The numbers of some of these spreading highways are highlighted in red. Notice how many hotspots (red color) for COVID-19 cases occur in micro-regions containing cities located along major highway routes like BRs 101, 116, 222, 232, 236, 272, 364, 374, 381, 010, 050, 060, 450, and 465. Although the distributions for COVID-19 cases and deaths were correlated, geographic discrepancies between the two distributions can be seen by comparing them on August 1st (C and D). A color code (See Figure bottom) ranks Brazilian micro-regions (each comprising several tows) according to their number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. Credit: Nicolelis, M.A.L. et al. 2021. Scientific Reports, doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92263-3

A multidisciplinary analysis by a group of Brazilian scientists, published online in the journal Scientific Reports on June 21, 2021, found that three major factors account for the geographic spread of SARS-COV-2 across Brazil, as well as the massive flow of people in search of hospital care throughout the country during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020. SARS-CoV-2 entered Brazil at the end of February 2020 through the country's international airports. Mathematical modeling reveals that during the first weeks of March 2020, the super-spreader city of Sao Paulo, located next to both the largest Brazilian international airport and the busiest highway hub in the country, accounted for more than 85% of COVID-19 cases throughout Brazil.

By considering only 16 other spreader cities, the authors were able to account for 98-99% of the cases reported during the first three months of the Brazilian pandemic in 2020. Most of this spread of COVID-19 cases resulted from people traveling across the country's major highways and on plane flights, which continued throughout the entire month of March 2020. For instance, a group of 26 major federal highways alone accounted for about 30% of SARS-CoV-2's case spread during this period.

Following the emergence of community transmission in the major 16 super-spreader, SARS-CoV-2 cases spread to the Brazilian countryside through the country's federal and state highways. As cases increased exponentially in the Brazilian interior, severely ill patients from the country's interior had to be transported to state capitals to access ICU beds, creating a "boomerang effect" that contributed to skewing the distribution of COVID-19 deaths. Therefore, the distribution of COVID-19 deaths began to correlate with the allocation of the country's highly uneven distribution of intensive care units, which is heavily weighted toward state capitals.

According to Miguel Nicolelis, one of the authors of the study, "our analysis clearly showed that if a national lockdown and mandatory road traffic restrictions had been enforced around the main Brazilian super-spreader cities, particularly in the city of Sao Paulo, the impact of COVID-19 in Brazil would be significantly lower during the first wave, but also during the even more damaging second wave that hit the country a year later in the summer of 2021. From June 2020 to June 2021, Brazil went from 50,000 to 500,000 deaths, a tenfold increase in 12 months. This alone illustrates the utter failure of the Brazilian federal government to protect Brazilians from the worst humanitarian tragedy in the country's entire history."

(A) Representation of all "boomerangs" that occurred around major Brazilian state capitals (see labels for names) and mid-size cities across the whole country. In this map, arcs represent the flow of people from the interior towards the capital. The arc color code represents the number of interior cities that sent severely ill patients to be admitted in hospitals in a capital or mid-size town; red being the highest number of locations, orange and yellow next, while a smaller number of locations are represented in light blue. Most of the flow of people represented in this graph took place through highways. Red arcs likely represent long-distance flow by airplanes. In the Amazon, most of the flow of people towards Manaus occurred by boats through the Amazon River and its tributaries. Notice that again Sao Paulo appears as the city with the highest boomerang effect, followed by Belo Horizonte, Recife, Salvador, Fortaleza, and Teresina. (B) Lethality and hospitalization data, divided for capital and interior (for lethality) and capital resident and non-resident (hospitalization), for a sample of state capitals in all five regions of Brazil. Yellow shading in the lethality graphs represent periods in which more deaths occurred in the interior, in relation to the capital. In the hospitalization graphs, yellow shading depicts periods of increasing admission of people residing in the countryside to the capital hospital system. The overall flow of people from capital to the interior and back to the capital characterized the boomerang effect, targeting the hospital system of the capital city. Notice that the boomerang effect was pervasive all over the country, occurring in every Brazilian state. Credit: Nicolelis, M.A.L. et al. 2021. Scientific Reports , doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92263-3

(A) Distribution of ICU beds across all Brazil. Bar height is proportional to the number of ICU beds in each city. Notice how the coastal state capitals accumulate most of the ICU beds in the whole country, with much fewer beds available in the interior of most states. The city of Sao Paulo exhibits the larger number of ICU beds in the whole country. (B) Superimposition of the COVID-19 death distribution (color code legend on the left lower corner) on top of the ICU bed distribution as seen in (A). For each bar, its height represents the number of ICU beds in a city, while color represents the number of deaths that occurred in that city. Again, the city of Sao Paulo, which has by far the highest number of ICU beds, accumulated the highest number of COVID-19 related fatalities, followed by state capitals like Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza, Brasilia, Salvador, Manaus, Recife, and Belem. The 3D maps were made using the online resources available at http://kepler.gl/. Credit: Nicolelis, M.A.L. et al. 2021. Scientific Reports, doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92263-3

In Brazil, the vast majority of tertiary hospitals, and hence the largest share of critical care beds, are located in large cities that serve as state capitals, their metropolitan areas, and a handful of mid-sized towns in each state's interior. As a result of the highly pervasive "boomerang effect" throughout the country, Brazil experienced the largest hospital admission surge in its history, leading to fatality peaks in each of the cities with a large number of critical care units.

This "boomerang flow" was not restricted to roads and highways. For instance, in the Amazon rain forest, located in the north region of Brazilian, severely ill COVID-19 patients from many small riverside communities were transported by boats of all sorts via its large rivers toward the two largest Amazon cities, Manaus and Belem. Overall, analysis of the geographic flow of COVID-19 patients revealed that Sao Paulo, the largest Brazilian super-spreader city, received patients from 464 different cities all over Brazil, followed by Belo Horizonte (351 cities), Salvador (332 cities), Goiania (258 cities), Recife (255 cities), and Teresina (225 cities). Sao Paulo was also the city that sent more residents to be hospitalized in other cities (158 cities), followed by Rio de Janeiro (73 cities), Guarulhos (41 cities), Curitiba (40 cities), Campinas (39 cities), Belem (38 cities) and Brasilia (35 cities).

Overall, cities that were highly connected to the health system network, either by receiving from or sending patients to other cities, also experienced a higher number of COVID-19 deaths. Therefore, as a result of the "boomerang effect," a significant number of severely ill patients had to migrate to larger cities for treatment and, eventually, a significant number of them perished there. Combined with the deaths of the residents of large cities, the widespread "boomerang effect" contributed decisively to the geographic skewing of the COVID-19 death distribution in all of Brazil.

Commenting on the study's findings, Rafael Raimundo, another author, said, "Our analysis elucidated in great detail the mechanisms through which COVID-19 quickly spread throughout Brazil. Our findings also indicate that if non-pharmacological measures, such as highways blocks and lockdowns, had been enforced early on at a national or even regional level thousands of lives could have been saved at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil."

The authors also emphasized in their conclusions the fundamental importance of the Brazilian Public Health System, known as SUS. According to Rafael Raimundo "without the public health infrastructure of SUS, built during the past 40 years, the impact of COVID-19 would certainly be even more devastating. Yet, our data also show that the high magnitude of the "boomerang effect" highlights the need for SUS to install more hospital infrastructure, including more critical care unit beds, in the Brazilian interior to better assist and serve the population in the countryside."

"Certainly, the widespread absence of adequate hospital infrastructure and health professionals in the Brazilian countryside contributed decisively to a high number of deaths that could have been avoided altogether. Yet, if the Brazilian federal government had reacted quickly and properly to the arrival of SARS-CoV-2, by creating a national scientific task force in charge of fighting the pandemic, while implementing a national communication campaign to alert the population, and had closed the country's air space, while implementing a national lockdown in early March 2020, including establishing roadblocks on the major federal and state highways, Brazil would almost certainly have avoided the loss of tens of thousands of lives," added Miguel Nicolelis.

Explore further Brazil health secretaries call for lockdowns as virus soars

More information: Miguel A. L. Nicolelis et al, The impact of super-spreader cities, highways, and intensive care availability in the early stages of the COVID-19 epidemic in Brazil, Scientific Reports (2021). Journal information: Scientific Reports Miguel A. L. Nicolelis et al, The impact of super-spreader cities, highways, and intensive care availability in the early stages of the COVID-19 epidemic in Brazil,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92263-3

Provided by Associacao Alberto Santos Dumont para Apoio a Pesquisa
The maker of the expensive brain cancer drug Gleostine has removed it from the Medicare drug rebate program, a move that could have dire consequences for some patients.

The drug from NextSource Biotechnology is used to treat glioblastoma and other brain cancers and can cost as much as $1,000 a capsule. The Gleostine patent has expired, but there is no generic version, CBS News reported. The company's decisionwhich means there is one less option in a limited number of approved chemotherapieswas criticized by brain tumor experts and patient advocates.

"The decision by the company to withdraw from public health insurance programs weakens the safety net for vulnerable brain cancer patients who already have few treatment options," David Arons, CEO of the National Brain Tumor Society, told CBS Moneywatch. "We urge NextSource to rejoin these programs and help reduce barriers for patients who require access to this therapy as well as for researchers and clinical trial participants participating in critical, ongoing brain cancer studies."

"Lomustine [Gleostine] is one of only three FDA-approved chemotherapies for patients with glioblastoma and the one that most patients receive when their tumor progresses on first-line temozolomide chemotherapy. The median age for patients with glioblastoma is 65, meaning the decision to no longer participate in the Medicare program affects half of the glioblastoma population," Patrick Wen, M.D., director of the Center for Neuro-Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, told CBS Moneywatch. "The only other treatment is avastin. Lomustine is also the standard-of-care treatment used in the control arm of most recurrent glioblastoma clinical trials, and not having easy access to this drug has an important impact on research to find better treatments for this devastating cancer."

Explore further Immunosuppression drug could reduce chemotherapy resistance

More information: CBS News Article

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Ramaphosa received his own first Covid-19 vaccine dose in February.

South Africa will host the continent's first COVID-19 vaccine production facility, as President Cyril Ramaphosa said Monday Africa now understood that doses would "never come" from elsewhere in time to save lives.

Ramaphosa joined the World Health Organization (WHO) and French President Emmanuel Macron in announcing the new hub for Messenger RNA coronavirus vaccine technology.

But as the project will take time to get off the ground, no vaccines are expected from it until next year.

At tech transfer hubs, the technology is established at industrial scale, while interested manufacturers can receive training and any necessary licences to the technology.

"The ability to manufacture vaccines, medicines and other health-related commodities will help to put Africa on a path to self-determination," Ramaphosa told a WHO virtual press conference via video-link.

"It's been shown now that we just cannot continue to rely on vaccines that are made outside of Africa because they never come. They never arrive on time and people continue to die."

The hub is seen by the Geneva-based WHO as a way to combat the vast inequality in access to vaccines between the world's wealthiest and poorest nations.

WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said it could take nine to 12 months before COVID-19 vaccines could be produced in South Africa using tested and approved processes.

Under the tech transfer hub system, the WHO and its partners bring in the production know-how, quality control and necessary licences to enable a rapid roll-out.

At the South African hub, the bio-pharmaceutical company Biovac will act as developer; the Afrigen biotechnology firm will be the manufacturer; and a consortium of universities will provide the scientific know-how.

Messenger RNA genetic technologyas used in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus jabstrains the body to reproduce spike proteins similar to those found on the coronavirus. When exposed to the real virus later, the body recognises the spike proteins and is able to fight them off.

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, is backing the technology transfer initiative along with South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa.

The WHO said it would "continue its assessment of potential mRNA technology donors and will launch subsequent calls for other technologies, such as viral vectors and proteins, in coming months".

Kate Stegeman of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that "Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech must immediately share their mRNA technology with the hub so that many more mRNA vaccines can be produced independently by manufacturers in South Africa and more broadly on the African continent".

'Great day for Africa'

During a visit to South Africa last month, Macron said he was pushing for the faster transfer of technology to allow poorer countries to start manufacturing their own COVID-19 jabs.

It was a "great day for Africa", said Macron.

"Each continent must be able to develop and produce its own vaccines, its own medicines," he added.

"Action for global public goods is the fight that this century must uphold and the fight that cannot wait."

South Africa accounts for more than 35 percent of Africa's total recorded COVID-19 cases, and is currently suffering a third wave of infections.

South Africa, along with India, has been pushing for a temporary waiver of vaccines' intellectual property rights in order to speed up production.

More than 2.6 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been injected in at least 216 territories around the world, according to an AFP count.

In the highest-income countries, accounting for 16 percent of the global population, 74 doses have been injected per 100 inhabitants.

That figure stands at just three doses per 100 people in Africa.

Explore further South Africa steps up virus curbs against third wave

 2021 AFP
It's been more than six months since Brandy Compton last landed in a hospital emergency room.

That's an amazing medical achievement, brought about by scientific breakthroughs that have been unfortunately overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic, experts say.

Compton, 31, was born with sickle cell disease, a genetic condition that primarily affects people of African descent.

The disease causes episodes of pain so bad that in the past, Compton had to be hospitalized frequently for full blood transfusions.

"In grade school, I was in the hospital for a week, I'd get out of the hospital for maybe a good week and a half, two weeks, and then I'd be back in the hospital for another week," recalls Compton, who lives in Hartford, Conn. "It was constant."

But last year Compton started on a once-monthly IV drug called Adakveo (crizanlizumab), one of a handful of new sickle cell drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration just before the pandemic hit.

The drug has cut in half the amount of blood Compton requires during a transfusion, and has prevented the sort of pain crisis that would send her to an ER, she said.

As the pandemic subsides, sickle cell disease experts are now trying to spread the word about these handful of treatments that could improve and potentially extend the lives of patients.

"In the last three years or so, three new medicines got approved by the FDA with different ways of working that could actually be used together and give more preventive, disease-modifying types of approaches rather than just waiting for the bad complications to occur," said Dr. Lewis Hsu, chief medical officer of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.

Progress also is being made on cures that would fix the genetic error that causes sickle cell, either through a donor bone marrow transplant or gene therapy that would fix the patient's own stem cells, Hsu added.

"Jagged rocks shredding your veins'

Sickle cell disease affects the shape of a person's red blood cells, which are normally disc-shaped and flexible enough to move easily through blood vessels.

The red blood cells of a person with sickle cell are crescent-shaped, resembling a sickle. The cells are stiff and sticky, and cause pain episodes and other health problems when they clump together in different parts of the body. They also are less capable of carrying oxygen to a person's tissues, causing chronic fatigue.

"Sickle cell feels like jagged rocks shredding the inside of your veins, and your bones being crushed," Compton says.

Sickle cell disproportionately affects Black people in the United States. About 1 in 13 Black babies is born with the genetic trait for sickle cell, and about 1 in every 365 Black babies is born with sickle cell disease, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

For a long time, there was no treatment at all for sickle cell, Hsu said, outside of regular blood transfusions.

"At the age of 13, I started getting blood transfusions," Compton recalls. "After that, it started getting under control. I would be able to go about a month without having to be hospitalized. That time got longer as I got older."

In 1998, the FDA approved hydroxyurea, an oral medicine that can reduce or prevent sickle cell complications in people with specific subtypes of the disease. But following that, there was a "long gap" in new treatments, Hsu said.

That ended in 2017 with the approval of L-glutamine powder, sold under the brand name Endari. Patients sprinkle a packet of this purified amino acid powder on their food or drink twice a day, Hsu said.

"Particularly, it help the red cells be healthier and have better energy stores," Hsu said.

But the two real breakthroughs occurred in November 2019, on the cusp of the pandemic, with FDA approval of two new drugsAdaveko and Oxbryta (voxelotor).

Adaveko essentially creates an "oil slick" in the bloodstream that keeps sickled red blood cells from clumping, explained Genice Nelson, program director of the New England Sickle Cell Institute at the University of Connecticut. She also leads Compton's care.

"It helps to improve blood flow by having the cells move along better, gliding instead of sticking to each other," Hsu said.

Showing promise at a high price

Thanks to Adaveko, Compton now only needs four units of blood every four weeks, down from seven, and does not suffer frequent pain episodes.

The other drug, Oxbryta, improves the ability of deformed red blood cells to hold onto oxygen, Nelson said.

"It inhibits the deformation of the red blood cell, so it's able to hold onto oxygen," Nelson said. "Because the red blood cell is able to hold onto oxygen, it's able to give that oxygen to the tissues within the body."

Because these drugs act in different ways, the hope is that a sickle cell patient taking two or more would receive added benefits, Hsu said.

Unfortunately, the new drugs are expensive and insurance companies have balked at paying for them, Hsu said.

For example, Adakveo costs about $10,000 a month for a patient, Nelson said. It seems like a great expense, but is likely cheaper than regular ER visits.

"If someone is in the hospital several days out of the month every month, dollar for dollar you'd rather invest it in preventing them from being in the hospital rather than trying to treat them once they're in the hospital," Nelson said.

Despite this, insurance companies have dragged their feet accepting the new drugs.

"We have great, great difficulty prescribing them and getting them authorized," Hsu said. "It's a case-by-case issue for every single prescription. It takes two months or so to get the authorizations, and then we go for refills or another prescription and they have to go through the same process again."

Experts hope that the track record of these drugs will lead insurance companies to relent.

"The data is clear there is benefit to patients being on disease-modifying therapies," said Dr. Alexis Thompson, head of hematology for the Ann & Robert Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. "The natural history of sickle cell disease is devastating. To not think about where the opportunities are to intervene early, to modify the natural history of the disease and really reduce suffering, is something we all need to be committed to."

Great progress also has been made in cures for sickle cell, Hsu added.

Transplants tricky, but improvements underway

For a long time, the only potential cure was a full bone marrow transplant from a genetically matched donor, usually a sibling, Hsu said. Only children could handle the stress of this cure, because their existing bone marrow had to be killed off through chemotherapy prior to the transplant.

But improved medications that inhibit immune system rejection now have made transplants also available to children who have a half-matched relative. These drugs selectively inhibit immune attack cells without harming the healthy stem cells being transplanted, Hsu said.

Over the past decade, even adult sickle cell patients have been receiving transplants, through a method that replaces most but not all of the person's bone marrow.

"This is a mixture that's enough to allow the donor to supply most of the red cells that are floating around, so they're not sickle red cells, and the tiny portion of host red cells are diluted heavily," Hsu said. "This has found to be successful and stable."

Five to seven research groups also are working on what could be the ultimate cure for sickle cell, a gene therapy that would take the person's own bone marrow and fix it to remove the genetic anomaly that causes the disease.

"You'd no longer have to find a donor for the stem cells," Hsu said. "You basically do your own donation of stem cells."

Research efforts are focused on fixing the stem cells by treating them with a genetically modified virus, or by using newly discovered methods of gene editing, Hsu said. In both cases, the person's bone marrow is removed, treated in a lab, and then put back inside them.

These efforts have met with some hurdles, with the gene therapy causing leukemia in something like 2 of every 47 cases in some instances, Hsu said.

"We do need to keep working on ways to limit the side effects or toxicity of those approaches, but one cannot argue that the early data is quite remarkable," Thompson said.

Compton, now the mother of a healthy 9-year-old boy, is hopeful that these efforts will lead to a cure, even though she doesn't expect to benefit from one at her age.

"I know about gene therapy and things like that," Compton said. "I do hope there would be a cure available."

Explore further Trial of gene therapy for sickle cell disease halted

More information: The Mayo Clinic has more about The Mayo Clinic has more about sickle cell disease

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Last weekend, China reached a milestone of having administered more than one billion doses of its homegrown COVID-19 vaccines, the majority of which were developed by local companies Sinovac and Sinopharm.

What's more, hundreds of millions of doses of these vaccines have been shipped to more than 80 countries worldwide.

Sinopharm was given emergency approval by the World Health Organization (WHO) in May this year, and Sinovac in June.

But what do we know about these vaccines? How do they work, are they safe, and how effective are they in the real world?

"It took China 25 days to climb from 100 million doses to 200 million doses, 16 days to increase from 200 million to 300 million, and six days from 800 million to 900 million." https://t.co/82MFZuZK3I  Nils Gilman (@nils_gilman) June 20, 2021

What type of vaccine are they?

Both are inactivated virus vaccines. This means they're made from viral particles produced in a lab, which are then inactivated so they can't infect you with COVID-19. Many other vaccines use similar platforms, including injectable polio, Hepatitis A and flu vaccines.

Both companies use similar technology, and the vaccines are mixed with an adjuvant, which is a substance added to vaccines to stimulate a stronger immune response.

The vaccines contain many proteins the immune system can respond to, stimulating the production of antibodies to fight COVID-19.

Are they safe?

Side-effects common after most other COVID-19 vaccines, such as fever and fatigue, were found to be uncommon after Sinovac or Sinopharm.

Once vaccines are approved and being used in large populations, they're continuously monitored for very rare side effects. No significant safety concerns have been identified amid Sinovac's rollout in China, Brazil, Indonesia and Chile.

In saying that, there were very low numbers of adverse events identified overall, which would suggest substantial under-reporting.

For example, there were only 49 serious adverse events reported following 35.8 million Sinovac doses administered in China.

In a population of that size, we'd expect to see a larger number of illnesses and deaths recorded in the few weeks after vaccination just by coincidence alone, even if not causally related to the vaccine.

Only 79 people reported mostly mild adverse events following 1.1 million doses of Sinopharm in China, much lower than usual rates of adverse event reporting following immunization.

A potential side effect of particular concern is what's called "vaccine-associated enhanced disease." This is a very rare side effect of some other vaccines which use a similar "inactivated" technology to the Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines.

It occurs when a vaccinated person is exposed to the virus and develops a serious inflammatory condition, and results in them getting more severe symptoms than they would have without the vaccination.

This hasn't been reported for these vaccines to date, although WHO recommends ongoing safety monitoring to identify any cases that occur.

What was their efficacy in clinical trials?

Sinovac's efficacy at preventing symptomatic infection was 51% in Brazil, 67% in Chile, 65% in Indonesia, and 84% in Turkey. The differences in results may be due to different variants circulating in each country at the time and differences in the populations included in the studies.

Sinopharm's efficacy in preventing symptomatic infection was 78% in UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan combined.

As with all the COVID-19 vaccines for which data are available, efficacy against the more severe outcomes is greater. Efficacy against hospitalization for Sinovac in Chile, Brazil and Turkey was 85%, 100% and 100%, respectively.

However, few elderly people with underlying health issues were enrolled into these studies.

For Sinopharm, efficacy against hospitalization was 79%, although few women were enrolled in these studies.

How effective are they in the real world?

Data published in April from a large real world study in Chile suggests Sinovac is 67% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection. It's effectiveness against hospitalization was 85%, ICU admission 89%, and death 80%.

Sinopharm's effectiveness against symptomatic infection in Bahrain was 90%.

However, it's concerning there have been increases in infections in some countries where these vaccines have been extensively used, but detailed reports are not available.

For example, Seychelles has fully vaccinated 68% of its population, mostly with Sinopharm and the remainder with AstraZeneca.

Seychelles has recently experienced a surge in cases, which suggests the herd immunity threshold may not have been reached. The exact threshold for this is unknown but is influenced by variants in circulation, the number of people vaccinated, and the effectiveness of the vaccines.

Detailed epidemiological studies are required to investigate this but news reports suggest 20% of those hospitalized and 37% of new active cases are fully vaccinated.

Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have also achieved high vaccination coverage, predominantly with Sinopharm. They also experienced recent COVID-19 surges, and are offering a booster dose of Pfizer six months after two Sinopharm doses, because of concerns two doses of Sinopharm may not provide sufficient protection.

However, there's no data publicly available to determine whether this mix and match schedule is safe and produces a protective immune response.

In Mongolia, the rapid vaccine rollout of four different vaccines, including Sinopharm, suggests initial good effectiveness but a recent increase in cases suggests short-term protection only, and perhaps little effect on transmission.

There's increasing concern about surging cases in Indonesia. Almost all health workers have been vaccinated with the Sinovac vaccine but some are now developing severe disease.

Chile has also achieved high vaccine coverage, mostly with Sinovac. Around 75% of the adult population has received one dose, and 58% two doses.

Despite this, a current surge in infections and consistent high numbers of deaths has prompted a blanket lockdown across the capital, Santiago. The spread may be related to the more transmissible Gamma variant, which first emerged in Brazil.

However, in a small town of 45,000 in Brazil, very high vaccination coverage with Sinovac of 95% of adults, reportedly decreased symptomatic infections by 80% and deaths by 95%.

There's currently no data on how effective Sinopharm is against any variant of concern despite its use in more than 50 countries.

For Sinovac, effectiveness against symptomatic infection with the Alpha and Gamma variants in Chile was 67%.

In Brazil, with circulation of the Gamma variant, one pre-print study suggested effectiveness against symptomatic infection was 42%.

Both vaccines are effective against severe COVID-19.

However, it is critical that researchers and health authorities determine vaccine effectiveness against variants and their effect on transmission, and their safety profiles. For countries that have community transmission this includes "vaccine-associated enhanced disease."

As for any vaccine, we also need to understand how effective these vaccines are in older people, adolescents, pregnant women and immunocompromised groups, and how long protection lasts.

We need as many vaccines as possible to tackle the pandemic. But now these vaccines are in widespread use and will be further distributed by COVAX, a global alliance which provides vaccine doses to low-and middle-income nations, it's essential the safety and effectiveness of all vaccines continues to be closely monitored.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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A smartphone-based eye screening and referral system used in the community has been shown to almost triple the number of people with eye problems attending primary care, as well as increasing appropriate uptake of hospital services, compared to the standard approach. The new findings come from research carried out in Kenya, published in The Lancet Digital Health.

The randomised controlled trial included more than 128,000 people in Trans Nzoia County, Kenya, and was carried out by researchers from the International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH) at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Kitale County Hospital, the University of Nairobi and Peek Vision.

The results demonstrate the potential of using mHealth tools such as the Peek Community Eye Health system (Peek CEH) evaluated in this trial, to improve access to care, target limited eye health resources, and manage more patients effectively at the primary level so that hospitals can focus on more complex cases.

In low- and middle-income populations, limited access to eye services and a shortage of eye care providers mean there is a high prevalence of avoidable vision impairment. Globally, more than 1.1 billion people have a vision problem that is preventable or treatable, often with something as simple as glasses or a cataract operation. Key barriers to care include a lack of access to and awareness of eye services.

Peek CEH is a smartphone-based referral system which includes vision screening, SMS reminders to those requiring follow-up appointments, and real-time reporting to follow the patient journey to see who is accessing follow-up care and receiving treatment. The system evaluated in this trial also incorporated a scientifically validated decision-guiding app1 which enables non-specialist community volunteers to accurately identify and refer patients to eye services.

In the trial, 36 community unit clusters (defined as a health centre and its catchment population) were assigned at random to receive either the Peek Community Eye Health System (intervention group) or the standard approach of health-centre based outreach clinics (control group).

For the intervention group, community volunteers assessed participants' vision through door-to-door screening at home using the decision-guiding app. If the screener identified an eye problem, the participant was automatically referred for triage assessment and received regular personalised SMS reminders about their appointment.

Community sensitisation (posters and verbal notices in churches and schools) was carried out in both groups, followed by a triage clinic at the linked health facility four weeks later. During triage, participants in both groups were assessed and treated, and were referred on to Kitale Eye Unit (hospital) if further treatment was required. Participants in the intervention group received further SMS reminders about their hospital appointment.

The researchers found that the average attendance rate at triage by participants with eye problems was considerably greater in the intervention group where the Peek Community Eye Health system was used compared to the control group (1,429 per 10,000 participants in the intervention group, compared with 522 per 10,000 in the control groupa rate difference of 906 per 10,000 people). The average hospital attendance rate for those with eye problems was also greater (82 per 10,000 in the intervention group compared with 33 per 10,000 in the control groupa rate difference of 49 per 10,000).

Study lead author, Dr. Hillary Rono, ICEH and Peek researcher and Ophthalmologist at Kitale Eye Hospital, said: "My experience as one of very few eye doctors in this rural region of Kenya has shown me that we need more innovative ways to get eye care services to the many people who require them. Our findings show the great potential of using the Peek Community Eye Health system to help ensure that limited health resources are effectively maximised.

"Our previous research has demonstrated that community volunteers using the decision-guiding app were almost as effective at identifying and referring patients with eye problems as an experienced eye health professional. These new findings now show that using this app to assess people's vision in their homes as part of the wider Peek CEH leads to many more people accessing the appropriate level of care, which will in many cases transform their lives."

Importantly, the researchers found that the increase in people with eye problems accessing care did not mean that the hospital became overwhelmed, because most patients (76%) were managed at the primary level. In fact, when the team compared data obtained in a previous study, they found that the number of patients attending hospital remained at a similar level during the trial, but that the hospital eye services were being used more effectively. A much lower proportion of people attended hospital for eye problems that could have been treated at the primary level (17.1 % during the trial v 61% previously observed), while the proportion being treated for more serious conditions such as cataract rose from 8% to 62.9%.

Study co-author, Dr. Andrew Bastawrous, Peek Vision CEO and ICEH researcher, said: "This study is incredibly exciting as it demonstrates real systems change. This change resulted in the right people getting the right services at the right location, while the specialist services gained much needed capacity to focus on more complex conditions despite a big increase in demand overall being generated. As populations grow and age, the number of people being left behind is increasing. We are delighted to see that this is an evidence-based approach to tackle the growing vision crisis."

The authors note some study limitations, including an SMS message distribution error which was taken into account through further data analysis, and low overall screening coverage, suggesting other approaches to screening should be considered including repeated visits to households to ensure participants are home.

Explore further A community health worker intervention reduces hospital readmissions

More information: Effectiveness of an mHealth system on access to eye health services in Kenya: a Cluster randomised controlled trial, The Lancet Digital Health, www.thelancet.com/journals/lan  (21)00083-2/fulltext Effectiveness of an mHealth system on access to eye health services in Kenya: a Cluster randomised controlled trial,
Figure 1. Connectivity Structure From Functional Networks Analysis

Specialists from several centers, including the University of Valencia, have developed customized software that makes it possible to study the spatial distribution of the COVID-19 pandemic online. The tool works by tracking patients in space and time and thus facilitates controlling the transmission of the virus and making decisions on eventual area-based confinements.

The research has been published in journal Jama Network Open, from the U.S., and the head author was doctor Carolina Romero, anaesthesiologist from the General Hospital of Valencia and coordinator in Innovation and Digitisation management of the SEDAR (Spanish Society of Anaesthesia, Reanimation and Pain Therapeutics).

The person working on behalf of the University of Valencia was doctor Adina Iftimi, from the Department of Statistics and Operative Research of the Faculty of Mathematics. Alongside Adina was professor Jose de Andres, head of the department of Anaesthesia, Reanimation and Pain treatment of the Hospital General.

The team produced a map of the health department of the hospital, which tends to approximately 364,000 people, listing the clinical and monitoring data from patients, creating time series. This information cannot be shown openly as it contains confidential data from patients.

According to Carolina Romero, the work was performed via complex functional networks and a space-time model that includes variables such as the density of the population and the weather of each city, which made it customized.

The software program designs non-obvious COVID-19 transmission patterns and, from a map that shows each patient, shows how the disease is transmitted in a given area, whether there have been outbreaks and to selectively block cities to break the "transmission chain" of a certain disease.

This is the first study with these characteristics in the world, according to the researcher, who explains that it allows them to see in a theoretical way whether there are "hot areas," in certain districts or locations of the city where the rate of transmission is greater, and where a confinement should be made to only slow down these areas, which are key or strategic links of each city.

Thus, the software takes into account spaces such as the hospital, old people's homes or schools in the area, which is where there are the most people and where cases can accumulate, as well as taking into account underground stations.

"We cannot say that there is causality, or that it is definitive. It is just a first hypothesis that had never been considered. We have close to 3,000 cases, but it should be tested on a larger number of people and in more hospitals to be able to validate or refute our hypothesis," she adds.

The online space and time patient tracking software, created due to the emergence of COVID-19, which forwarded trends towards digitisation, also takes into account variables such as the weather, temperature, per capita income or the density of the population.

Although it was created to track people with COVID, patients with other pathologies can also benefit from the program, as well as those who have undergone outpatient surgery or people with reduced mobility, as it is a telemedicine system that brings them closer to the hospital and makes it possible to check their evolution in a structured way, although so far it is just a prototype in the development phase that researchers hope to continue working on.

By filling out a questionnaire over the phone, we can learn whether the recovery is positive or negative using a color-based classification system (green means a good recovery, yellow means it is partial, and orange for a non-suitable recovery), and thus verify the patients' evolution.

The start-up (www.medymap.com) was created in 2020 with the help of the Valencian Agency for Innovation (AVI) and the regional Department of Innovation, Universities, Science and Digital Society, and the software was developed based on the quality norms for tracking patients, as it must comply with data protection laws.

Explore further Criteria for selecting COVID-19 patients for lung transplantation

More information: Carolina Romero Garcia et al, Trends in Incidence and Transmission Patterns of COVID-19 in Valencia, Spain, JAMA Network Open (2021). Journal information: JAMA Network Open Carolina Romero Garcia et al, Trends in Incidence and Transmission Patterns of COVID-19 in Valencia, Spain,(2021). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.13818
(HealthDay)U.S. health experts warn there is a ticking time bomb in 11 states where 20 percent or more of seniors still haven't gotten a COVID-19 vaccine.

Top priority for vaccinations was given to Americans aged 65 and older because they are far more vulnerable to serious illness and death from the virus than younger people are. Accordingly, this age group does have the highest rate of vaccination: 87 percent have received at least one dose, compared with 60 percent for people aged 18 to 64, and 31 percent for those aged 12 to 17, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.

But in the 11 states where vaccination rates are lower among seniors, those who haven't gotten a shot pose a public health risk as social distancing restrictions are stripped away.

Most of the 11 states are in the South: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee, The New York Times reported. Georgia, Idaho and Missouri are at the 20 percent threshold. West Virginia and Wyoming 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,'" Dr. Michael Saag, associate dean for global health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told the Times.

"Convincing them that it is in their own interest is a tough nut to crack," Saag noted. "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 have felt more threatened from the coronavirus, experts say, so 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, the Times reported.

Now, those aged 50 and older account for 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 low, the Times reported, and experts are concerned that these regions 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," Saag told the Times. "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 also residual immunity from those who have already had COVID-19, Saag said.

But the dropping of mask ordinances comes as the highly infectious Delta variant spreads, he noted. U.S. health officials this week classified the variant, first spotted in India, as a "variant of concern," sounding the alarm because it spreads rapidly and may cause more serious illness in unvaccinated people.

"We're sitting on a powder keg," 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" on vaccination now say they are planning to get shots, the Times reported.

U.S. to spend $3.2 billion to help develop antiviral pills

After spending billions to speed the creation of COVID-19 vaccines, the United States said last week that it will now devote $3.2 billion to the development of antiviral pills that could stop the new coronavirus before it does its worst damage.

Along with "accelerating things that are already in progress" for COVID-19, the new program would also encourage treatments for other viruses, Dr. Anthony Fauci said when announcing the new program during a White House briefing on Thursday.

"There are few treatments that exist for many of the viruses that have pandemic potential," he said, including Ebola, dengue, West Nile and Middle East respiratory syndrome.

But he added, "vaccines clearly remain the centerpiece of our arsenal."

One antiviral drug, remdesivir, and three antibody therapies are now approved to treat COVID-19. But all of those drugs have to be delivered via IV at hospitals or medical clinics.

What is needed is a convenient pill that patients could take when symptoms first appear. Some drugmakers are testing such medications, but initial results aren't expected for several more months, the Associated Press reported. The new federal funds will speed those tests and support research, development and manufacturing of the pills.

Last week, the United States said it would buy 1.7 million doses of an experimental antiviral pill from Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics if it is shown to be safe and effective. A large study of the drug, molnupiravir, should deliver results this fall. Early research suggests the drug may reduce the risk of hospitalization if used shortly after infection, the AP reported.

The federal government may seek similar deals for two other antivirals that are in late trials, Dr. David Kessler, the chief science officer of the Biden administration's COVID-19 response team, told the Times.

The hope "is that we can get an antiviral by the end of the fall that can help us close out this chapter of the epidemic," Kessler said.

One of the drugs the government is eyeing is AT-527, developed by Atea Pharmaceuticals. The compound is already used to treat hepatitis C, and early studies suggested it might also work against COVID-19. Roche has partnered with Atea to test it in people, and the companies are currently running a late-stage clinical trial, the Times reported.

The other drug was created by Pfizer scientists, adapted from a molecule first designed in the early 2000s as a potential drug for SARS. After being abandoned for years, the Pfizer researchers decided to modify the molecule's structure so it would work against the new coronavirus's protease. More than 200 Pfizer scientists worked on the molecule, known as PF-07321332, the Times reported.

The drug had initially been designed to be taken intravenously, but the researchers tweaked its structure to work as a pill. When mice were given the pill, it reached high enough levels in the body to block the coronavirus. Pfizer launched a clinical trial in March to study its safety in people, and expects to move to later-stage testing next month, the Times said.

Until last week, the only medicines shown to boost survival were steroids given to patients sick enough to need extra oxygen and intensive care. But on Wednesday, U.K. researchers reported that one of the antibody combinations successfully reduced deaths in a large study of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, the AP reported.

More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on COVID-19 vaccinations

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
A girl looks out through a hole in the wall of her house as a health worker prepares for COVID-19 testing in Jamsoti village, Uttar Pradesh state, India, on June 9, 2021. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

In Jamsoti, a village tucked deep inside India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, the common refrain among the villagers is that the coronavirus spreads only in cities. The deadly infection, they believe, does not exist in villages.

So when a team of health workers recently approached Manju Kol to get vaccinated, she locked up her house, gathered her children and ran to the nearby forest.

The family hid there for hours and returned only when the workers left in the evening.

"I would rather die than take the vaccine," said Kol.

A deadly surge of coronavirus infections that ripped through India in April and May, killing more than 180,000, has tapered off and new cases have declined. But the relief could be fleeting as a significant amount of the population is still reluctant to get the shots. This has alarmed health experts who say vaccine hesitancy, particularly in India's vast hinterlands, could put the country's fragile gains against COVID-19 at risk.

"Vaccine hesitancy poses a risk to ending the pandemic in India," said retired virologist and pediatrician Dr. T. Jacob John. "The more the virus circulates, the more it can mutate into dangerous new variants that can undermine vaccines."

Delivering vaccines in the world's second-most populous country was always going to be challenging. Even though India did relatively well at the beginning of its mammoth vaccination drive, the campaign hit a snag almost immediately due to shortages and a complicated vaccine policy, exacerbating existing inequalities.

Women return to their village after attending an awareness program on getting tested and vaccinated against COVID-19 in Jamsoti village, Uttar Pradesh state, India, on June 10, 2021. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

Only less than 5% of India's people are fully immunized. Experts caution that by the end of the year, vaccination rates must go up significantly to protect most Indians from the virus that has so far already killed more than 386,000 peoplea figure considered to be a vast undercount.

Starting Monday, every adult in India will be eligible for a shot paid for by the federal government. The new policy, announced last week, ends a complex system of buying and distributing vaccines that overburdened states and led to inequities in how the shots were handed out.

There is still widespread hesitancy fueled by misinformation and mistrust, particularly in rural areas where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion population lives.

Health workers face stiff resistance from people who believe that vaccines cause impotence, serious side effects and could even kill. Some simply say they do not need the shots because they're immune to the coronavirus.

Health workers arrive at a house during a vaccination drive against COVID-19 in Jamsoti village, Uttar Pradesh state, India, on June 8, 2021. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

Rumors about jabs disrupting the menstruation cycle and reducing fertility have also contributed to fear and skewed the data in favor of men. In almost every Indian state, more men are getting vaccinated than womenand that gap is widening further every day.

Quashing such rumors and conspiracy theories is a tough order for many, particularly in India's tribal-dominated districts that have recorded disproportionately lower vaccine coverage in comparison with other districts, according to official data.

Yogesh Kalkonde, a public health doctor in Gadchiroli, a tribal area in the western state of Maharashtra, said his district was overrun with the belief that the vaccine is more dangerous than the virus.

Some in the area have raised the untrue claim that the shots can cause infertility, Kalkonde said. Others simply question its effectiveness.

A health worker conducts COVID-19 test on Ram Yadav at Sikanderpur village, Uttar Pradesh state, India, on June 9, 2021. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

"We have to convince people, go door to door, and rely on people who have taken the vaccine to spread the word," he said. "It's an extremely slow process."

There is some pushback. State governments have mounted aggressive awareness campaigns through posters and radio announcements to allay some of the anxiety and confusion. Some local administrations have started giving rides to vaccination centers, especially from remote villages. Volunteers are conducting door-to-door surveys and even small rallies to encourage people to get the jab.

For months, Vibha Singh, a government-appointed nurse, has gone door-to-door in the villages of Uttar Pradesh.

"People tell us to leave or they would beat us," said Singh. "Sometimes they also throw stones and bricks at us."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders have routinely spoken about the need to shun vaccine hesitancy, but health experts say more needs to be done.

A health worker, right, persuades village woman Maju Kol, left, to get vaccinated against the coronavirus at Jamsoti village, Uttar Pradesh state, India, on June 8, 2021. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

"We need to explain it clearly to people, ideally through local trusted networks," said K. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India. He said state governments should bolster local self-help groups, village councils and ask local religious leaders to step in.

"It requires a conversation, not just top-down messaging," he said.

Dr. Vinod K. Paul, head of the country's COVID-19 task force, acknowledged the immediate need to address the problem but said public participation to dispel rumors and misinformation was important.

"It is the responsibility not only of the government but also the society as a whole to create such an environment in which an unfounded hesitancy is addressed," said Paul.

Virologists and public health experts say eradicating doubts about the vaccine in rural India and inoculating people quickly should be of paramount importance since the majority of Indians live in the hinterlands. Already, urban dwellers are getting the shots much faster.

Children watch as health workers persuade elders to get vaccinated against the coronavirus at Jamsoti village, Uttar Pradesh state, India, on June 8, 2021. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

A woman watches health workers leaving, standing in front of her house at Jamsoti village, in Chandauli district, Uttar Pradesh state, India, on June 8, 2021. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

A vaccination drive against COVID-19 is in progress at a government school in Amritpur village, in Chandauli district, Uttar Pradesh state, India, Thursday, June 10, 2021. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

Vijayee Pratap Gupta, 60, a grocery shopkeeper and one of the few in the area to get vaccinated against COVID-19 stands outside his home in Jamsoti village, in Chandauli district, Uttar Pradesh state, India, on June 8, 2021. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

Munni Kol, 70, in white, with his son Bishambar Kol, daughters-in-law, Asha and Manju, and his grandchildren pose for a photograph in front of their home, in Jamsoti village, Uttar Pradesh state, India, on June 8, 2021. Kol got himself vaccinated against the coronavirus, where as his family has refused to. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

People take part in a meeting of the Village Monitoring Committee of Amritpur Village, in Chandauli district, Uttar Pradesh state, India, Thursday, June 10, 2021. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

Health workers arrive to test villagers for COVID-19 and to persuade them get vaccinated at Sikanderpur village, in Chandauli district, Uttar Pradesh state, India, Wednesday, June 9, 2021. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

Health workers Neeraj, third right, and Aradhna take nasal sample of a woman for COVID-19 test at Jamsoti Village, in Chandauli district, Uttar Pradesh state, India, on June 8, 2021. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

Ram Brij, center sits with his family who refused to get vaccinated against the coronavirus at Rampur village, Uttar Pradesh state, India, on June 9, 2021. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

Health workers persuade Indian villager Pana Lall, 60, center, to get vaccinated against the coronavirus at Sikanderpur village, Uttar Pradesh state, India, on June 9, 2021. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

District magistrate Sanjeev Singh, left, overlooks a health worker administering vaccine to a villager at Naugarh, in Chandauli district, Uttar Pradesh state, India, Thursday, June 10, 2021. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

"If they are protected, much of India will be protected," Reddy said of rural areas. "Their vulnerability to a sweeping pandemic is much, much more. So vaccinating them quickly must be a priority."

Not everyone is convinced.

When a team of health workers last week attempted to vaccinate Panna Lal, a resident of Sikanderpur village in Uttar Pradesh, they were met with an absolute refusal.

Lal even discouraged the rest of his family from getting the jab.

"The vaccine will not protect me," the 56-year-old told the workers. "God has sent me here safely, and he will continue to protect me."

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
For years, Louisiana farmers had little competition for land. Now, solar companies are snapping up options for land where they could potentially build developments  and are able to pay much more to the landowners per acre than farmers usually do. Farmers are worried about being crowded out.

The Senate's second-ranking Republican, Franklinton Sen. Beth Mizell, plans a public hearing later this month where farmers and others concerned about solar developments can air their grievances.

During the legislative session, Mizell said farmers in Washington Parish came to her with tears in their eyes because of fears over solar developments. She suggested solar developments could erase the character of farming communities and undermine the fossil fuels industry in Louisiana.

I thought we were an oil and gas state the whole time Ive been here, Mizell said.

Proponents of solar developments say such concerns are misplaced.

Stephen Wright, executive director of Gulf States Renewable Energy Industry Association, told The Advocate that even if Louisiana had the same share of energy coming from solar as California  when in fact it has far less  the solar developments would still take up less than 1% of available farmland in Louisiana.
To address this, Montana could consider following Arizonas lead by making universal licensure recognition permanent, boosting access to telehealth across state lines for years to come. Another consideration may be to lock in flexibilities for doctors who retire here to continue practicing. Given Montanas rising status as a destination for young people, it would also make sense to lower barriers for medical students to become licensed and practice in Montana. Numerous other states have done this during COVID by allowing a pathway for competent medical students in the end stages of their training to begin practicing early.
John Templeton is said to have almost single-handedly pioneered global investing.

In 1980, a Maoist guerrilla organisation called the Shining Path took over Peru, imposing what it called "a dictatorship of the proletariat." Western economies branded the organisation a terrorist group and curtailed economic activity. The Peruvian stock market collapsed.

Peruvian stocks were dirt cheap and the bargains tempting. As foreigners were not permitted to buy stocks, Templeton formed a Peruvian corporation and used it as a holding company. When the reign of the Shining Path ended and political stability was restored, economic activity picked up, taking the Peruvian stock market along with it. John Templeton won hands down.

He is said to be the first Western investor to see the potential of Japan's post-war economic miracle.

When Templeton began investing in Japan in the 1960s, it was considered an emerging market and a risky investment adventure. He found stocks trading at a P/E ratio of only 4 times his estimate of earnings while stocks in the US were trading at around 19.5 times. This despite the Japanese economy growing faster than the US. By 1985, when the country exploded onto the global economic landscape, Templeton had already made a fortune.

His optimism in the face of bleak pessimism was his greatest weapon as an investor. But so was his ability to scout across borders for bargains.

Good ideas dont have borders.

Diversification is measured across numerous dimensions: assets, stocks, industries, sectors, and strategy. And it is not rare to find investors fairly well spread along these lines. However, when it comes to investing overseas, many investors ditch diversification at the border. Dont be one of them.

Global investing is not only about FAANG stocks, which are undoubtedly coveted by investors across the globe. An Indian Fintwit handle recently requested others to tweet the names of global stocks they would like to own. Nvidia, which is into artificial intelligence, Home Depot, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Tesla and BlackRock were a few mentioned.

Global investing allows you to get exposure to sectors that are not publicly listed in India; mining stocks, for instance. Globally there are no shortage of options- Sibanye Stillwater (headquartered in South Africa), Trilogy Metals (Canada), Glencore (Switzerland), BHP (Australia), Rio Tinto (London) and Vale (Brazil).

In a conversation in 2019 in Chicago, Rupal Bhansali, the chief investment officer and portfolio manager of Ariel's international and global-equity strategies, articulated this brilliantly.

If she wanted to own a tyre company and restricted herself to the US, she would be forced to own Goodyear, which she believed was not idiosyncratically a good name to own. Its manufacturing process was not well evolved. They had not invested sufficient in technology and R&D, or in training their workers. They were facing difficulties in ramping to the higher rim-size models of tyres, which are prevalent in SUVs and premium cars. The traditional 16-inch tyre market was commoditized and that was not where the money was. Besides, it was an extremely leveraged company. But if she decided to scout for the best tyre company in the world, she could invest in either Michelin (France) or Bridgestone (Japan).

If diversification is the only free lunch in investing, as Harry Markowitz declared, Indians might be leaving a lot on the table by ignoring global stocks. There is tremendous value in diversifying your portfolio across geographies.

The behavioural impact: When the intangibles rest on misplaced conclusions.

Investors tend to have a home bias because it is a preference for the familiar. They feel that they know their local markets and firms better than those overseas. In this day and age, this is a flimsy excuse. Asymmetries in knowledge and information are not insurmountable. The world is increasingly flat, and barriers to the movement of information and capital continue to come down.

Another intangible is the pride in their nation and its champions of industry. Misguided patriotism is not a legitimate reason to shirk global investing. If it was an unpatriotic act, the government would not have permitted retail investors the option of investing abroad. Further, no one is suggesting that you invest globally to the exclusion of Indian stocks. It is only a portion of your portfolio that will have a global allocation. Maintaining your patriotism and investing internationally are not mutually exclusive. Similarly, global investors who invest in the Indian stock market are not unpatriotic to their respective countries either. They are just logical and unemotional about it.

For Americans, domestic stocks represent 55% of the global stock market. For Australians, their market represents only 2% of the global stock market. When it comes to India, we corner around 2.5% of global stock markets. Clearly, by limiting our investments to only domestically listed companies, we are curtailing our portfolios wealth creation potential.

No country is destined or entitled to outperform. And to invest with that assumption is extremely naive. The last decade has shone the spotlight on US stocks. But dont forget the Lost Decade, following the burst of the tech bubble, when the S&P 500 lagged behind Europe and China.

In 2017, the stock markets in Argentina, Turkey and Nigeria had a banner year. In 2018, Ukraine and Macedonia put up a spectacular performance, followed by Qatar. In 2019, Greece was not only the top performer in Europe, but across the globe. Russia, Italy and Brazil also stood out. In 2020, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan and Denmark delivered admirably. In May 2021, European stocks have hit new all-time highs, as optimism over the economic recovery continues to lift share prices across the region.

Diversification, in all aspects, makes your portfolio less vulnerable to vagaries of the market. And if done judiciously, will make meaningful contributions to your portfolio over the long haul.

Disclaimer: The stocks mentioned are purely for illustrative purposes and are not recommendations.
A large crowd enjoyed Saturday's Territorial Days celebration in Deer Lodge. It was particularly joyful because the event was canceled last year because of the pandemic.

Darlene Mannix, a lifetime resident of Helmville, was the parade grand marshal. Seated in a Shay Model A Super Deluxe Roaster, Mannix said she was extremely honored to be named the grand marshal, adding with a grin, Id love to take this car home!

During the parade, her great grandchildren rode with her or in a side-by side following behind, driven by her son, David.

Mannix and her husband, Bert, along with their five children, have ranched in the Helmville Valley since 1956.

In addition to caring for her family, Mannix has also been very active in the community and county as an elementary teacher at Helmville, Powell County High School board member, treasurer of the Helmville Community Club for 50 years, and pianist for St. Thomas Parish for over 40 years.

The Classic Car Show and Shine featured 65 vehicles of various models. Earl Cory of Ulm won Best in Show with his 1966 dark blue Chevy Nova. Judges said this was the hardest year ever to judge because there were so many really wonderful cars.
Montana entered the oil age in a significant way when oil was discovered at Cat Creek in Fergus County in 1920. It was enough to separate Petroleum County from Fergus, and by 1922 the field was producing about 6,000 barrels a day, a huge volume. The discovery of Kevin-Sunburst Oil Field in 1922 became the second-largest oil field in the Rockies within three years.

Butte always needed fuel for its industrial operations and for domestic uses, so in 1924 Joseph Russell established the Silver Bow Oil Refinery just west of Mt. Moriah Cemetery, where Hollow Contracting operates today. Russell had worked for Augustus Heinze, giving him adequate funds to expand into real estate and the growing oil and gasoline business.

According to historian Mary McCormick, the Silver Bow refinery yielded about 300 gallons of product a day, including aviation fuel, and Russell opened a filling station for vehicles at 630 Utah Street by about 1925. That was followed by his famous tea-pot station at the southeast corner of Mercury and Main Streets, with an iconic tea pot sculpture on the roof. Russells refining operation continued for five years after his death in 1931.
On Jan. 3, 1969, it was afternoon when his convoy prepared to leave Qui Nhon.

There were always people wanting to join the convoy, Frank recalled.

On that day, a trucker hauling supplies for Hanjin, a Korean private contractor, asked to join up and Frank consented.

He learned that one of the two gun trucks did not have a functional radio, a less than ideal situation.

As was customary, he assigned one gun truck to the rear of the convoy. In this case, it was the truck with the radio. The other gun truck took a position toward the front of the convoy.

After traveling roughly half way to An Khe, the rear guard gun truck radioed Frank that the Hanjin truck had a flat tire.

I said, Help him if you can and then catch up to us, Frank recalled.

Frank, his driver and gunner, traveling in a jeep, took the convoys rear.

About 10 miles from An Khe, the convoy was ambushed.

All of a sudden, it was boom, boom, boom, Frank said. Guys were jumping into ditches. I jumped out and looked around and there was no gun truck.
Nickerson told officers the night before the incident, her family was packing in Butte to move to Maine. She then got into an argument with her husband and put her two kids in the car then drove off. She was on meth at the time.

According to a sentencing recommendation filed last week by her attorney, her husband was on federal probation and had received permission to move to Maine. The argument was over a pit bull puppy he had adopted and allowed around the children over her objections.

Nickerson admitted to using meth in an effort to pack up the house on the day of the move, and left the house with her two young children so they could get away from the fighting and sleep.

She chose to park the vehicle outside the courthouse because she believed it would be a safe place for them, her attorney said Monday. And when law enforcement broke the windows out, she believed they were all safe.

Nickerson, who was pregnant at the time, was allowed to remain free after the incident while police waited on toxicology results and she went to Maine. She was arrested on Dec. 16, 2019, but refused to waive extradition and was released on a $20,000 unsecured bond.

She was later arrested on a bench warrant in Farmington, Maine, and returned to Butte and placed into custody.
Just numbers

Who wants to move beyond the days of rebellion in the fight for human rights and into an era where commonality rules the day over the fear of oppression? I cant imagine any of us who dont.

As such, we need leaders who move us in that direction, not the opposite. That is why I have to speak out and say we have the wrong kind of leadership in Montana in the way of Representative Matt Rosendale and Attorney General Austin Knudsen, and everyone else who supports the views they recently made public.

The US House recently voted 415-14 to make June 19th a US holiday in memory of our efforts to abolish human slavery under our ancestors watch. Of the fourteen Representative who voted not to have this remembrance, twelve of them are proud Republicans, one of which is Montanas Representative Matt Rosendale.

Many of us did not vote for Rosendale because we knew his human leadership qualities were lacking.

Also Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is arguing we should not be concerned with the manufacturing and public ownership of AR-15 automatic rifles. This is because he believes it is Americas rifle and that it has been used in a small percentage of gun crimes.
A certain romanticizing of it in a River Runs Through It, I can live with that. But the cult kind of stuff and silliness, and the Im the one who killed Paul, or it was all a great conspiracy by some gambling syndicate, or he was a private investigator for the university and uncovered too much because he was this great investigator and so they caught him and killed him. Crapola.

Norman

After my fathers death, there was no one  not even my wife  I could talk to about my brother and his death. After my retirement from teaching, I felt that it was imperative I come to some kind of terms with his death as part of trying to do the same with my own. This was the major impulse that started me to write stories at 70, and the first one naturally that I wrote was about him. It was both a moral and artistic failure. It was really not about my brother  it was only about how I and my father and our duck dogs felt about his death. So I put it aside. I wrote the other stories to get more confidence in myself as a story-teller and to talk out loud to myself about him. The story, which now stands as the first one in the book, is actually the last one I wrote. I hope it will be the best one (although not the last one) I ever write, and I thank you again for writing beautifully about it.
Theft

A theft was reported Friday morning in the 200 block of Pleasant Street. A report was taken.

A theft was reported Friday afternoon in the 2000 block of Cedar Plaza Drive. A report was taken.

A theft was reported Friday evening in the 1600 block of Indiana Street. A report was taken.

Fireworks

Fireworks were reported Friday night at C Avenue and Cypress Street. Officers were unable to locate.

Fireworks were reported Friday night in the 700 block of East Fifth Street. A verbal warning was given.

Fireworks were reported Saturday evening in the 500 block of Lorenz Street. Subjects were charged and released.

Fireworks were reported Saturday night in the 100 block of Sheridan Street. Officers were unable to locate.

Fireworks were reported Saturday night in the 2300 block of Fifth Street. An officer responded.

Fireworks were reported Saturday night in the 700 block of Marquette Street. An officer responded.

Fireworks were reported Saturday night in the 200 block of West 11th Street. Officers were unable to locate.
Another grant the group applied for is a $9,000 Impact Grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine. This money would help cover all additional costs on the project. The results of both of these grants are expected to be announced in July.

In the meantime, FFFH hopes to try and keep the project in the minds of residents through a new mural the group is going to start soon. The mural, as part of the Houser Street Mural Project, will be painted by member Janet Hoopes and is expected to depict the rich and significant history of the Fairport Biological Station as well as its connection to Muscatines pearl button industry.

Were looking forward to this, and were probably going to get started on it this weekend, Stevens said. For as many people that go up and down Houser, the mural will sort of put an idea in the backs of peoples minds that weve got this fish hatchery out here, its got some history, and next year at this time therell be some interpretive trails out there that they can take the family to. Well have all of these different stories being told through the signs, and itll make for a compelling stop for people.

To make a donation to the FFFHs latest projects, contact Lynn Pruitt at the Historic Preservation Commission for more information, or send a check in the groups name to the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine.

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As I am writing this column Sunday afternoon, I am feeling just a little relieved by the fact that some rain is falling. Its not a lot of rain, but its enough that I can hear it in the trees and see it on the driveway. I think the corn and soybean plants are about as relieved as I am.

You see, Iowa has been entering into drought conditions over the last couple weeks, which makes farmers anxious and worried about the years crops. Our area has not been as bad as some other areas in central and western Iowa, but it was dry enough to cause some worry. Our area was classified as abnormally dry by the U.S. Drought Monitor, whereas areas to the west of us were moderate or severe drought.

Drought at this time of year can be exceptionally hard on field crops because they dont have very deep roots yet to pull up moisture from deep in the soil. Later in the summer, the roots have had a chance to grow deeper, so the plants can survive a little longer without water. We have friends in central and western Iowa whose corn plants look like little sticks in the fields, and soybeans that may or may not survive. Either way, the yields will be reduced by the stress on the plants early in the year, leading to a massive loss of income.
In a sign of the rulings impact, the court sent two cases of people convicted of drug crimes based partly on trash searches back to lower courts to determine whether the evidence should be thrown out.

Dissenting justices, including Chief Justice Susan Christensen, warned that the decision was out of step with the vast majority of states and outlawed a tactic used to gather evidence of drug manufacturing and dealing. They said people have no expectations of privacy when they put their trash on the curb.

The majoritys reasoning  that officers cant use investigative techniques that would be illegal for private citizens  is nonsensical and calls into question the legality of several other law enforcement practices, dissenting justices said.

Christensen said the reasoning would invite legal challenges against officers who make warrantless traffic stops, search private property and seize guns under emergency or other circumstances that have long been allowed by courts.

Unfortunately, our state law enforcement officials are now left with a guess-and-see approach to many actions previously considered lawful, undermining public safety in the process, Christensen wrote.
Asylum seekers, under the Migrant Protection Protocols program, walk across the Paso del Norte international border bridge from the Mexican side to continue their asylum request in the United States, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on June 18, 2021.
Bitcoin dropped over the weekend amid a focus on Chinese mine closures and potential regulatory scrutiny.

The largest cryptocurrency fell 5.5% to $34,142 as of 10:50 a.m. Sunday in New York, dropping for a fourth time in the past five sessions. Ether, the second-biggest, declined 5.9% to $2,095.

The hashrate in China is dropping significantly as Bitcoin mines are being closed, Jonathan Cheesman, head of over-the-counter and institutional sales at crypto-derivatives exchange FTX wrote in an email Saturday, citing reports on Twitter from handle @bigmagicdao.

Longer term most see hashrate moving out of China as positive but in the near term may have/has already resulted in inventory sales, Cheesman said.

Cheesman also mentioned the death cross, which occurs when the 50-day moving average drops below the 200-day, but noted that backtesting isnt statistically significant on the signal for Bitcoin.

When the coin experienced a death cross in March 2020, for instance, that was at the start of a yearlong rally.

Cryptocurrencies have been enduring a lull recently. Bitcoin is trading at about half its record high of nearly $65,000 reached in mid-April. The market value of all cryptocurrencies is about $1.45 trillion, as measured by CoinGecko, versus a high around $2.6 trillion last month.

One of the factors cited has been concern about China clamping down on mining amid concerns about energy usage, and in the wake of deadly coal accidents.

The city of Yaan in the southwestern region of Sichuan has promised the provincial authorities to root out all Bitcoin and Ether mining operations within one year, said a person with knowledge of the situation.

According to a report in the Communist Party-backed Global Times, the closure of many Bitcoin mines in the province has resulted in more than 90% of Chinas Bitcoin mining capacity being shuttered.

About 65% of the worlds Bitcoin mining took place in China as of April 2020, according to an estimate by the University of Cambridge.
South African banks are being required to block clients from buying cryptocurrencies on international exchanges with their credit cards, MyBroadband has learned.

This comes after Absa clients reported no longer being able to use their debit or credit cards to buy cryptocurrencies from Binance, the largest centralised digital asset exchange in the world.

Clients who try to buy cryptocurrencies from Binance receive the following SMS message from Absa:

Absa: Temporary lock enabled for online purchases on credit card ending with **0000. You can deactivate it via Absa Online, the Banking App or by calling the number at the back of your card for help. Auth FSP/NCRCP7

When attempting to clear the temporary lock, clients reported that the Absa online banking interface shows that no such lock is in effect.

The Absa Private Banking contact centre said that the block went into effect on Friday. It also informed clients that transactions with Binance are being blocked because it does not comply with regulations.

However, spokespeople for Absa and Binance have told MyBroadband that this is only partially true.

In line with the countrys exchange control regulations, purchasing cryptocurrencies on debit and credit cards is not permissible in South Africa, Absa told MyBroadband.

Given that this is an industry matter, and not Absa-specific, we suggest that you approach the SA Reserve Bank for a more comprehensive view.

Absas feedback is an about-face from the stance in 2019, when the bank said that there were no restrictions on buying cryptocurrencies with your card.

Absa retail customers choosing to partake in any form of cryptocurrency dealings with their credit or debit cards, are free to do so, the bank told MyBroadband at the time.

According to Binance, it is fully compliant with all current crypto regulations within the Africa region.

It also said that Absa clients being unable to use Binances fiat onramp is not because Absa blocked Binance.

The block to users transactions/cards could be related to [the] South African Reserve Bank regulation and foreign exchange regulations, Binance said.

According to the Reserve Bank website, cross-border or foreign exchange transfers for the explicit purpose of purchasing crypto assets is not allowed.

Neither the Currency and Exchanges Manual for Authorised Dealers nor the Currency and Exchanges Manual for Authorised Dealers in foreign exchange with limited authority allow [this], the Reserve Bank stated.

From an exchange control perspective, the Financial Surveillance Department is unable to approve any transactions of this nature.

According to the Reserve Bank, the Exchange Control Regulations prohibit transactions where capital or the right to capital is, without permission from National Treasury, directly or indirectly exported from South Africa.

This includes transactions where an individual purchases crypto assets in South Africa and uses them to externalise any right to capital.

The Reserve Bank warned that contravening these regulations is a criminal offence.

The repatriation of value to South Africa through crypto assets is not permitted as part of an individuals single discretionary allowance and/or foreign capital allowance, it stated.

This is because of the nature of the assets and because the transaction is currently not reportable on the FinSurv Reporting System.

Similarly, non-residents who have introduced crypto assets to South Africa for local sale will not be able to transfer the sale proceeds abroad.

You are still allowed to buy crypto assets from abroad using your single discretionary allowance of up to R1 million and/or their individual foreign capital allowance of up to R10 million.

The Reserve Bank said that a local authorised dealer will be able to assist individuals with these allowances.

MyBroadband contacted the Reserve Bank for comment, but it did not respond by the time of publication.

Now read: Bitcoin drops amidst mining crackdown
The Tuscan hill town of Montalcino, Italy, is Napa's newest and fourth sister city.

The partnership became official this month when Lorenzo Ortona, the consul general from the Italian consulate in San Francisco, came to Napa to receive the proclamation from Mayor Scott Sedgley.

The idea had originated with Ortona, who said he was perusing lists of California's sister cities one night and was surprised to learn that Napa, with its deep Italian roots, did not have a partnership with a city in Italy.

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"I saw Chile, Japan, Australia," he said, "but no Italy?"

Napa's three other sister cities are Casablanca Valley, Chile, Iwanuma, Japan, and Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.

Ortona reached out to David Cilla, a Tuscan winemaker at Promontory Winery in Oakville, to ask if he thought Napa might be interested in a sister city relationship with a Tuscan town.

Cilla said yes because "the two regions have so much in common." He and another Tuscan living in Napa Valley, Flavia Martini, became instrumental in helping create the new relationship with Montalcino, Ortona said.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)  A 22-year-old man was killed and five others were wounded in a shooting in Oakland near the citys Juneteenth celebration, though it wasn't known whether the violence was connected with the event, police said.

The unidentified man was pronounced dead at a hospital after gunfire erupted Saturday evening near Lake Merritt, said Oakland Police Department Officer Johnna Watson.

The other five victims, males ages 16 to 27, and a woman in her 20s, were hospitalized in stable condition, she said Saturday night.

Investigators said they were trying to determine a motive for the shooting and identify suspects. Police said two men running from the scene with guns were arrested, but it was unclear if they were responsible for the shooting, the Bay Area News Group reported.

The shooting occurred shortly before 6:30 p.m. about a mile (1.6 kilometers) north of the Lake Merritt Amphitheater, where hundreds of people had gathered throughout the day to commemorate June 19, 1865.

That's when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, two months after the Confederacy had surrendered.
Regarding some of the criticisms of our project, lets be clear: Napa County isnt holding a competitive bidding process because the project integrates a public benefit solution consisting of the IQ FireWatch system with the telecom infrastructure. Our goal is to use the monopoles to establish a great telecommunication network in Napa Valley and make the best fire detection tech out there affordable to our community and communities like ours, whether they have funding for it or not.

Were a family-owned company based in Calistoga trying to solve a problem that is threatening our communitys future. Each of our team members has been personally impacted by the fires that have devastated Napa Valley. We have seen the fires getting worse every year, and we know that they will continue getting worse unless we take action now.

I believe we all agree that the devastation and destruction caused by wildfires is the most urgent and pressing threat facing Napa County, one that requires an active response. In last years Glass Fire, more than 300 residents lost their homes in Napa, and our community incurred billions of dollars in property damage.
Let us record that the people of the Republic of Armenia spoke and the people of the Republic of Armenia made their decision, and the content of that decision was clear. It was formulated still during the previous election campaign, but let us record that what was predicted happened. And it was predicted that the citizen of the Republic of Armenia would inevitably win these elections. Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this while the results of Sundays snap parliamentary elections are still being tallied.

"And I want to express once again my words of gratitude and respect to all the citizens of the Republic of Armenia who, going through these cruel trials, we have found each other again as a whole, and now is the time to restore public and national unity," he added.

Also, Pashinyan thanked the residents of all provinces of Armenia. "Let us record that the people of Armenia made the second revolution in the last three years. And if the first was the nonviolent, velvet, people's revolution, in 2021, again a nonviolent, again peoples, but this time already a 'steel' revolution took place. We can also record that the page of electoral fraud in the Republic of Armenia is irreversibly closed. These days, our law enforcement agencies were able to work quite effectively against vote buying and other electoral fraud. We have come to a point where we shall deal with the task of restoring our national and public unity. In the coming days, we will begin consultations with all the wholesome forces running in the elections to understand their views on our political life and further opportunities to consolidate our public potential.

In fact, we can record that the people of the Republic of Armenia have given the [ruling] Civil Pact Party a mandate to lead the country, and, also, to me, as the candidate for the post of Prime Minister of the Civil Contract Party, have given a mandate to lead the country.

But we will do our utmost to discuss and consolidate all the wholesome resources around our mandate, and to formulate in Armenia a truly national unity and national accord based on law and order.

I invite all our voters tomorrow, at 20:00, to the Republic Square of Yerevan where the handing over of the symbolic 'steel' mandate to the Prime Minister-elect of the Republic of Armenia and his political team will be held."

Also, Pashinyan thanked the international partners for "the support provided not to our team, but to the Republic of Armenia," during this time.

In the end, the ruling partys candidate for the post Prime Minister read Psalm 61.

To note, however, that at the time of Nikol Pashinyan's aforesaid address, the Central Electoral Commission had counted only about 20 percent of the ballots that were cast in Sundays snap parliamentary elections.
Bloomberg: US asks Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan to accept refugees from Afghanistan

Armenian bailiffs killed in Sochi posthumously awarded Order of Courage by Putin

Armenian court to continue examination of appeal against arrest of doctor Armen Charchyan on July 6

Turkey reaches no agreement on Kabul airport issue

French military neutralizes several ISIS leaders in Sahel

Putin, Macron discuss Nagorno-Karabakh

Baku court sentences 2 Armenian POWs to 4 years in prison, 12 captives to 6 months in prison

Bishkek offers Baku to create Council in "5+3" format at level of Presidents of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan

Ambassador: US ready to provide support to peaceful normalization and reconciliation of Azerbaijan and Armenia

Man detained in Afghanistan for carrying explosives in musical instrument

Armenia government sets up inter-agency commission to eliminate consequences of drought or water scarcity

Armenia Shirak Province deputy governor sacked

Cyprus authorities change rules of entry for tourists

Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of another Armenian soldier found in Fizuli region

'Armenia' bloc representative: Many police officers from Yerevan voted in Shurnukh and other villages of Syunik Province

'I Have Honor' bloc also applies to Armenia Constitutional Court regarding results of snap parliamentary elections

Mitsubishi Electric president resigns amid document forgery scandal

'Armenia' bloc representative: Petition submitted to Constitutional Court for impossibility of judge's participation

Erdogan: Turkey will maintain its presence in Azerbaijan and take what belongs to it

French government denies concealment of radiation levels in Pacific Ocean after nuclear tests

Boeing 737 cargo crew rescued after falling into water

Digest: EU commissioner to visit Armenia; Armenians discover 97kg heroin, Turkey citizen detained

Old school in Geghhovit village of Armenia's Gegharkunik Province being renovated

Yerevan Police solve loan office robbery case

India confirms 400,000 deaths from COVID-19

Russia FM says there is significant progress in talks over Iran's nuclear deal

Boeing 737 cargo crashes near Honolulu

Sham trial continues in Baku, prosecutor demands sentencing 12 Armenian POWs to 2 years in prison

Armenia acting PM dismisses Vayots Dzor Province deputy governor

Armenian analyst: Armenia needs to understand what it can offer China through One Belt One Road project

Over 100 organizations urges Biden to stop using drones

Armenia Constitutional Court registers Zartonk party petition to invalidate snap parliamentary election results

Attorney: The two grounds for keeping Armenian doctor Armen Charchyan under arrest no longer exist

Dollar still dropping in Armenia

Lawyer Aram Vardevanyan to represent Armenia bloc at Constitutional Court

Armenia acting Deputy PM visits construction sites in Yerevan

YouTube deletes video about hate speech against Armenians posted by Turkey President's spokesperson

Armenia acting justice minister receives Kazakhstan Ambassador

European Commissioner plans visits to Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia

Four new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh

IMF sharply raises its forecast for US economic growth to 7%

Fan Yong: We work to draw Chinese investors to Armenia

Body implementing proceedings completes case of Armenian doctor Armen Charchyan, sends it to court

Macron warns of American-style culture dangers

Armenia Shirak Province village veterinarian commits suicide

Facebook to start warning some users that they may have seen extremist content

July in Armenia will be as hot as in June, says chief meteorologist

China ambassador to Armenia: We are waiting with pain in our hearts for return of captives

Both Armenia and Azerbaijan are included in Belt and Road Initiative, says China ambassador to Yerevan

China envoy to Armenia refutes Azerbaijan media report

US worries China is building over 100 new ICBM silos

Armenia State Revenue Committee discovers 97kg heroin, Turkey citizen detained

Armenian captives 'trials' continue in Azerbaijan

Chief meteorologist: June heat in Armenia is absolute record-breaking in meteorological monitoring history

Ombudsman informs CoE Commissioner for Human Rights on urgency of Armenian captives return from Azerbaijan

Australia announces drastic reduction in number of people who will be allowed to enter country

Armenia Seismic Protection Department activities terminated

Outgoing MP attends OSCE Parliamentary Assembly session, speaks about Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan

118 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia bloc petition already at Constitutional Court

Seven villagers with symptoms of anthrax are hospitalized in Gyumri

Yerevan hosting international conference on 100th anniversary of Communist Party of China

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
The US will not issue threats or ultimatums to China in connection with the investigation into the causes of the COVID-19 pandemic, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN.

According to him, the United States has a twofold approach.

One track is an intelligence community assessment that President Biden ordered, said Mr Sullivan.

The second track is an international investigation led by the World Health Organization, for which President Biden has rallied democratic partners to say there must be access to China, to be able to get the data necessary to understand what happened here.

And he acknowledged that the G7 leaders had also called for a timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based investigation into Covid-19.

I will repeat what I said before, were not going to simply accept China saying no, but we will work between now and when this second phase of the WHO investigation is fully underway to have as strong a consensus in the international community as possible, because it is from that position of strength that we will best be able to deal with China, said Mr Sullivan.
A comprehensive study conducted by the Abovyan Investigation Division of Kotayk Regional Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia helped reveal a number of circumstances behind the case of violating secrecy of ballot, the Investigative Committee reported.

As reported earlier, on June 20, 2021, after voting at polling station 29/20, a citizen tried to take a ballot with him, but this was prevented by the chairperson of the electoral commission.

The same day, the apprehended citizen declared that after voting at the specified polling station at around 11 am, he took the ballot with him so that he could transmit it to the head of the election campaign headquarters of one of the political parties running in the snap parliamentary elections who had urged the citizen to do so.

By combination of sufficient evidence, the citizen and the head of the election campaign headquarters are charged under elements of relevant articles of the Criminal Code of Armenia. Motions have been filed with the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kotayk Province to apply arrest as a pre-trial measure for them.

Preliminary investigation is underway.
Armenia has always informed the United Nations Security Council, as well as UN member states about Azerbaijans aggression against Artsakh and its consequences.

This is how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia responded to Tert.am when asked if Armenia has applied to the UN Security Council, as acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had declared.

On May 14, on behalf of the Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations, a letter was sent to the Presidency of the UN Security Council in regard to the infiltration of armed groups of Azerbaijan into the Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces of Armenia. The letter stressed that the provocative actions of Azerbaijan are being carried out in the context of wide expansion of Azerbaijans anti-Armenian campaign and pretensions over the sovereign territory of Armenia. The letter called the attention of the members of the Security Council to Azerbaijans gross violations of the goals and principles of the UN Charter and international law that seriously pose a threat to regional and international peace and security.

During a question-and-answer session with government officials in parliament on May 26, Nikol Pashinyan declared that the issue of applying to the UN Security Council with regard to the border situation in Syunik Province has been and still is a topic for discussion since the first days. Tert.am particularly asked the Armenian MFA if Armenia has already applied to the UN Security Council, and, if yes, when and what the response was, and if no, why it hasnt.

The following is stated in the remainder of the response that was sent:

On May 27, the spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General touched upon the escalation of the situation, expressed concern about the developments on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and called on the role-players to show restraint in order to avoid any actions that may further escalate the tension and emphasized that all the bilateral issues need to be solved peacefully, through dialogue and diplomatic means.

As far as other issues raised in the letter are concerned, we inform that such information is not subject to disclosure and cant be provided, in accordance with point 2 of the Annex to Order 1002-N of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia of 16 June 2017 on approving the enlarged list of information in the system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia subject to encryption, adopted on the basis of the Law of Armenia on State and Official Secrets.
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan feels like hes a landlord and has invited the Minsk Group to Nagorno-Karabakh.

The OSCE Minsk Group needs to see, with their ow eyes, the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation, he said in his speech addressed to the people after a government session.

Erdogan stated that the relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan have entered a new stage through the signed declaration on Shushi. According to him, Turkey and Azerbaijan will sign several agreements within the scope of this declaration soon.

We will resolutely and rapidly implement every point on our agenda, starting from the opening of the Turkish Consulate General in Shushi as soon as possible and ending with the launch of the Zangezur corridor in the near future. During the session of the council for high-level strategic cooperation, which we will hold in the months to come, we plan to take several concrete actions in regard to these actions, Erdogan said.

Turkey, which itself is a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, is actually colonizing Azerbaijan under the veil of strengthening of fraternal ties.
Story Highlights Perception that religion is gaining influence on American life sinks to 16%

Last year saw spike to 38% in perceptions of heightened religious influence

Current figure one of lowest in Gallup's trend

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- After doubling last spring and staying elevated in December, the percentage of Americans who believe that religion is increasing its influence on American life has retreated to 16%, in line with pre-pandemic levels.

Line graph. Sixteen percent of U.S. adults say religion is increasing its influence on American life, down from 38% in May 2020 and 27% in December 2020. In late 2018 and late 2019, a consistent 19% said religion was increasing its influence.

Eighty-two percent of U.S. adults now say religion is losing its influence, up from 58% in April 2020.

The latest results are based on Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs poll, conducted May 3-18. The 2020 spike could have been a reaction to the coronavirus pandemic, as Americans likely perceived people were turning to religion to help them cope with the crisis.

Every major subgroup of Americans showed an increased belief that religion was becoming more influential in U.S. life last year, followed by a sharp decline in those attitudes this year. As a result, nearly every group has views that are similar today to what they were in 2019. Two notable exceptions are Republicans and Americans with no religious preference, as both are now less likely to perceive religion as influential.

Recent Changes in Perceptions That Religion Is Increasing Its Influence on American Life, by Subgroup 2019 Apr 2020 May 2021 Increase,

2019 to 2020 Decrease,

2020 to 2021 % % % pct. pts. pct. pts. U.S. adults 19 38 16 +19 -22 Men 16 33 14 +17 -19 Women 21 43 18 +22 -25 White adults 17 37 13 +20 -24 Non-White adults 22 41 22 +19 -19 18-29 years old 20 40 19 +20 -21 30-49 years old 19 39 16 +20 -23 50-64 years old 19 39 15 +20 -24 65+ years old 15 34 16 +19 -18 College graduate 17 34 15 +17 -19 College nongraduate 19 40 17 +21 -23 Married 17 36 12 +19 -24 Not married 20 40 19 +20 -21 Children under 18 18 41 17 +23 -24 No children under 18 18 37 15 +19 -22 Republican 18 44 7 +26 -37 Independent 17 33 19 +16 -14 Democrat 21 37 20 +16 -17 Protestant 18 43 15 +25 -28 Catholic 19 35 19 +16 -16 No religion 20 31 13 +11 -18 Attend church weekly 23 46 21 +23 -25 Attend church monthly 18 43 13 +25 -30 Seldom/Never attend church 17 32 15 +15 -17 Figures for 2019 are based on an average of two surveys. Gallup

Perceptions of Religious Influence Near Record Low

Gallup has asked Americans to say whether religion is becoming more influential for more than 60 years, including at least annually since 1997. The current 16% who see religion as increasing its influence is just two percentage points above the historical low point -- 14%, registered in 1969 and 1970 polls.

For most of the trend, less than a majority of Americans have said that religion is increasing its influence. One major exception came in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in late 2001, when a record-high 71% of U.S. adults thought religion was becoming more influential as the nation dealt with that crisis and threat to safety. The 32-point increase in 2001 before and after 9/11 is the only surge in Gallup's trend bigger than the 19-point jump seen last year.

Line graph. In the more than 60 years Gallup has asked Americans whether religion is increasing its influence on American life, there have been only a few instances in which at least half have agreed. These include 69% in 1957, 71% in 2001 and 50% in 2005. Currently, 16% say it is increasing its influence.

Bottom Line

Americans have long thought that religion is losing rather than increasing its influence on U.S. society, but those views eased last year as the U.S. dealt with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, with many Americans vaccinated against the disease and COVID-19 infections falling, U.S. public opinion on the influence of religion has returned to pre-pandemic levels, sitting just slightly above the historical low point.

These results come as more Americans attend church in person than did so a year ago, but at a time when reports of church attendance still lag behind what they were before the pandemic and remain lower than in previous decades. Additionally, the percentage of U.S. adults who belong to a formal place of worship has fallen below the majority level for the first time. With increasing numbers of U.S. adults, particularly young adults, lacking a religious affiliation, the likelihood of religion becoming more influential seems low. However, as Gallup's trends show, in times of national crisis Americans perceive that religion is becoming more influential, at least temporarily.

View complete question responses and trends (PDF download).

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.
For four months every Friday, right before the Jewish Sabbath, Victor San Martin-Diaz, a senior at TERRA Environmental Research Institute secondary school, would videoconference with Judy Rodan, a Holocaust survivor who was hidden in a Catholic convent as a Jewish child and thus saved.

Besides learning about Rodans incredible experience of escaping harm during the Holocaust, the two got to know each other by sharing their lives, interests, and their dreams.

San Martin-Diaz was not alone. As part of a community service project called Shabbat with Survivors, he and nine other classmates were paired with Holocaust survivors from the Miami community, who not only shared their personal stories but opened up about their passions. It was a welcomed exchange during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The studentsthemselves of different ethnicitiesand the survivors became friends.

The conversations were caught on video, and a documentary was shown virtually last weekend to more than 300 teachers from Miami-Dade County Public Schools attending the University of Miami Holocaust Teacher Institutea program that is a partnership between the School of Education and Human Development and the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system. The institute had been one of the partners of the Shabbat with Survivors project.

For Miriam Klein Kassenoff, the director of the institute who also survived the Holocaust as a child, this was an important moment. Klein Kassenoff escaped from what was then Czechoslovakia, and along with her parents and younger brother, hid for seven months. Her brother, Ted Klein, was a U.S. magistrate and a professor at the University of Miami School of Law.

I dont have the answers as to why people have prejudices, but I do think I know how we can do better, Klein Kassenoff said. I find that if I meet somebody from another culture and get to know them and we make a personal connection, then we tend to like them.

In the institute, she said, the teachers are asked to instruct their students to interact and find commonalities among each other rather than differences. That was the guiding principle held by Eduardo Barreto, who teaches English honors at TERRA Environmental Research Institute. He also taught the students who participated in the Shabbat with Survivors project. Barreto was a participant in the institute five years ago and decided to truly immerse his students in the study of the Holocaust.

I believe the biggest lesson they all learned through this processespecially in a project like Shabbat with Survivorsthey learned humanity, he said. It seems to me as an educator that we care very little about othersabout suffering, about defending lifeor at the very least, we care too little to instigate any significant and meaningful change. And I believe what these students learned is to do something, to be an agent of change. To care. And perhaps, to love.

This is a very painful and trying time for the Jewish community with rising anti-Semitism, Klein Kassenoff pointed out.

She stated that one way to fight this anti-Semitism is to educate the teachers who come to the institute about the rich life of the Jewish people and their communities in Europe before the Holocaust.

Students need to understand this, so they are not prone to the evils of anti-Semitism and be taught to be upstanders, not bystanders, when they hear anti-Semitic remarks or see anti-Semitic actions in the community, she said.

Klein Kassenoff has spent most of her professional life dedicated to bringing Jewish history and culture, and specifically the history of the Holocaust, to educators. She is the education specialist for Miami-Dade County Public Schools and for the past 20 years has led the institute she foundedwhere she remains director and instructor. In 1994, the Florida legislature mandated the instruction of the history of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism.

Laura Kohn-Wood, dean of the School of Education and Human Development, has praised Klein Kassenoff. She called her indomitable because of her tireless work with the institute and Jewish education.

It is critically important for students to learn about history, as mandated by law in the state of Florida, because knowledge assists the living to learn from our historyhorrific though it may bein order to not repeat tragedies of our past, Kohn-Wood said in remarks offered during the seminar.

The institute, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, was born out of a personal experience for Klein Kassenoff. In 1986, she was one of 30 teachers who attended a monthlong immersion program in Israel.

While there, she learned from scholars and community members and studied at The Ghetto Fighters House Kibbutz and other sites, including Yad Vashem, the world Holocaust Remembrance Center.

It was a life changing experience for the Holocaust survivor.

I myself, as a child survivor of the Holocaust, did not know the accurate detailed account of history of the Holocaust, said Klein Kassenoff. When I came back from that experience my dream was that I would be able to give back that kind of seminar to teachers.

When she was approached by the University with the encouragement of many, including Haim Shaked, director of the Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies, to open an institute to instruct teachers on the history of the Holocaust, Klein Kassenoff recognized her chance to recreate her Israel experience.

The institute offers teachers seminars on the history of the Holocaust; sessions on the major critical, ethical, and moral issues raised in this study; and familiarity with the wealth and scope of historical documents, literature, and resources that will augment a study of the Holocaust. All this is geared to helping teachers create their own lesson plans, as well as activities for their students.

Knowing the important role of history in teaching the Holocaust, the institute kicked off its programming on June 13 with an opening reception with guest keynote speaker Elisha Wiesel, the son of the famed Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Elie Wiesel. It was followed by the lecture Why? Explaining the Holocaust by author and historian Peter Hayes.

In another session held during the four-day event, historian and institute resident scholar Michael Berenbaum spoke about The Twisted Road to Auschwitz. He explained how a vibrant Jewish community went from being identified; then ghettoized; then murdered in Auschwitz because of the evils of prejudice, hatred, and anti-Semitism.

Kori Street from the USC Shoah Foundation gave a presentation on its Dimensions in Testimony project, which has created virtual prerecorded testimonies of Holocaust survivors using advanced filming techniques and special technology. Since all the information about the survivors was prerecorded, the technology allows people to ask questions of the survivors even after they are gone, said Street.

In a demonstration, Street asked one concentration camp survivor, Pinchas Gutter, to sing a song. He broke into a lively song in Yiddish to the amazement of many of the teachers on the virtual program.

This is the most breathtaking technology I have ever seen, posted Jennifer Aronowsky Kunkel. This will keep the memory alive. Incredible.

Through the continued work of the institute, which hosts year-round seminars, film panels, and other educational events, teachers in Miami-Dade County gain a tremendous wealth of knowledge and impart this in their classes, noted Klein Kassenoff.

I wanted the teachers to get this information; so, they could teach the Holocaust in a very authentic, historical, accurate, and professional manner that our students can get the information straight, she said.

She indicated that she is carrying out sacred work and is grateful to the University for its support.

There is a saying in Hebrew that applies: Ldor, vdor, which is from generation to generation, Klein Kassenoff said. And that is my hope that what we teach will be passed from generation to generation.
'Taiwan belittled by Hong Kong over visa row'

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office will move some services online while visa and passport services will continue. Photo: RTHK

Timmy Sung reports

Taipei on Monday said some of the services it provides in its Hong Kong office will be moved online after most of its staff returned to Taiwan.



The Mainland Affairs Council in Taipei earlier said the decision to send employees of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office home was made in light of "unreasonable political conditions" laid down by the Hong Kong government.



The office said its staff had been asked to sign a statement to support the One China policy in order to have their work visas extended.



Seven employees left the SAR on Sunday, with just one member of staff from Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs remaining for now.



The visa of that worker will expire next month.



Speaking at a press conference in Taipei, the councils minister, Chiu Tai-san, accused the SAR government of "belittling" Taiwan.



He said the incident once again shows the "One country, Two systems" principle exists in name only, as there's no doubt that Beijing calls all the shots.



Chiu said Taiwanese personnel won't bow to pressure by signing the One China statement.



But he said there are no plans to shut the office in Hong Kong, despite the SAR's decision to close its office in Taiwan after accusing Taiwanese authorities of interfering in the territory's affairs.



We think exchanges with Hong Kong in areas such as finance, trade and culture are beneficial to both sides, he said.



The Mainland Affairs Council chief said for now, the recruitment of Hong Kong students and certain immigration services will move online, while cultural promotion will be outsourced to art groups.



But the office will still be providing passport, visa and emergency support for Taiwan people.



Unless there are other political hurdles that make us unable to continue with these businesses, we have not considered closing down the office entirely, the Taiwan official said.
UN rights chief wants to inspect Xinjiang province

UN rights chief wants to inspect Xinjiang province
SIU workshop will show businesses how to become vendors

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Southern Illinois University Carbondale is hosting a workshop next week to assist the regions small businesses in reaching out to state and federal purchasing agents.

The universitys Procurement Technical Assistance Center is hosting a free Government Contracting Industry Day on June 30. The in-person workshop will provide an opportunity for small business owners to meet purchasing agents, learn what products and services their agencies are buying and the steps they need to take to get started as a vendor.

This event will help our local companies find new customers for their businesses, which in turn will bring more venue to Southern Illinois and create more jobs, said Michelle Stokes, coordinator for the Illinois Procurement Technical Assistance Center.

Live event

The in-person workshop is set for 9 a.m. to noon on June 30 at the SIU Research Park, 1740 Innovation Drive in Carbondale.

A diverse group of agencies is participating, including:

Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

John A. Logan Community College.

Southern Illinois Healthcare.

Illinois Department of Transportation.

Representatives from the cities of Carbondale, Marion and other municipalities.

Register now

There is no cost to attend but pre-registration is required. Sign up online, call 618-536-2344 or email ptac@siu.edu.

All registered participants will receive a free lunch.

The Illinois Procurement Technical Assistance Center at SIU is made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Defense Logistics Agency Program, with support provided by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Organizations representing airlines and workers sent letters to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday urging stricter enforcement and consequences for violent passengers after a year of increased incidents.

Together, corporations and their workers are requesting the Department of Justice and Federal Aviation Administration push for public prosecution of passengers who act violently onboard flights. The letter was sent by 10 different organizations, including Airlines for America, Allied Pilots Association, Transport Workers Union of America, and Association of Professional Flight Attendants.

Specifically, the federal government should send a strong and consistent message through criminal enforcement that compliance with federal law and upholding aviation safety are of paramount importance, the letter said.

They later added that the enforcement should be consistent and vigorous by sending egregious cases to federal prosecutors.

A separate letter was sent from Airlines for America to FAA Administrator Steve Dickson, thanking him for his commitment to inflight safety but also urging the agency to push for more strict punishments. Though the FAA has pushed for a zero tolerance policy for unruly passengers, it appeared many passengers have still not gotten the message, the organization wrote.

Unfortunately, we continue to see onboard behavior deteriorating into heinous acts, including assaults, threats and intimidation of crewmembers that directly interfere with the performance of crewmember duties and jeopardize the safety and security of everyone onboard the aircraft, Airlines for America said.

The letter also requested that Dickson direct the FAA to begin referring cases to federal prosecutors, going beyond the fines and lifetime flying bans to actual criminal enforcement. Airlines for America also asked that Dickson amplify its zero tolerance message.

We respectfully request that the FAA and other federal agencies amplify the messaging to reach all travelers about the proposed penalties in addition to using all resources, including the media, to put a very public spotlight on the sentences handed down to perpetrators, Airlines for America said. It will send a powerful message if the flying public sees that perpetrators are truly paying hefty fines and are going to jail after being convicted.

Story continues

A passenger wears a face mask she travels on a flight from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on Feb. 3, 2021. (Charlie Riedel / AP file)

Last month, the FAA said it found a large increase in unruly passenger reports despite the pandemic leading to a decline in airline travel. Typically the agency gets about 100 to 150 formal cases of bad passenger behavior.

But the number of reported cases has jumped to 1,300 since the beginning of the year.

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants union, said last month that the physical and verbal abuse that flight attendants have allegedly experienced this year has been way off the charts compared to the last 20 years.

What we have seen on our planes is flight attendants being physically assaulted, pushed, choked, Nelson said. We have a passenger urinate. We had a passenger spit into the mouth of a child on board.

Last year on an Allegiant Air flight to Provo, Utah, a fight broke out when a passenger refused to wear a face mask. The passenger, who was wearing a face shield but not a mask, got into an argument with a flight attendant and a fist fight broke out between him and another man.

Last month, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant lost two teeth after a passenger physically assaulted her on a flight from Sacramento, California, to San Diego. The airline said the passenger "repeatedly ignored standard inflight instructions and became verbally and physically abusive upon landing.

The FAA proposed fines for five different passengers who violated federal aviation regulations, from refusing to wear masks to assault, totaling more than $60,000. In one incident on a JetBlue flight from Miami to Los Angeles on Feb. 22, a passenger in the main cabin attacked a flight attendant, according to the FAA.

When the attendant retrieved the items given to the main cabin passenger from a passenger in first class, the main cabin passenger allegedly "yelled obscenities," followed him to first-class and assaulted the steward with her body, "pushing him into the lavatory," the agency said. The flight was diverted to Austin, Texas, where the main-cabin passenger was removed.
American Airlines has canceled hundreds of flights throughout the U.S. this month  including at least 11 flights leaving the Charlotte Douglas International Airport this week.

American has canceled flights due to a spike in customer demand and labor shortages, along with unprecedented weather at major hubs like Dallas-Fort Worth and CLT, the airline told the Observer in a statement.

The first few weeks of June have brought unprecedented weather to our largest hubs, heavily impacting our operation and causing delays, canceled flights and disruptions to crew member schedules and our customers plans, the airline said in a statement.  Our focus this summer  and always  is on delivering for our customers no matter the circumstance. We never want to disappoint and feel these schedule adjustments will help ensure we can take good care of our customers and team members and minimize surprises at the airport.

The canceled flights make up for about 1% of the airlines daily operation in July, according to American.

Pilot shortage

The canceled flights are frustrating for American Airlines pilots, Allied Pilots Association spokesman Capt. Dennis Tajer told the Observer. The union represents 15,000 American Airlines pilots.

American Airlines struggles to get pilots back in cockpits after major weather issues, he said. Thats been a problem for the airline even before COVID-19, and the union has been pushing for an overhaul of the scheduling system, he said.

Its not a surprise this is happening, he said.

Pilots are eager to fly, especially after facing job worries during the pandemic, Tajer said. But the airline is still working on training new and returning pilots after furloughing thousands during the height of the pandemic, he said.

And at least 1,000 American Airlines pilots retired during the pandemic with incentives, he added.

But stuck in the middle of this are our passengers, Tajer said.

All pilots have been returned from furlough and training requirements for returning those pilots are on track to be completed by the end the month, American spokesman Andrew Trull said.

Story continues

Additional labor shortages for American-affiliated vendors including wheelchair and catering service providers have added to the staffing issues, Trull said.

American currently lists a job opening in the Charlotte airport for an airport customer experience coordinator.

Flight attendant staffing is not impacting Americans operations, Paul Hartshorn Jr., spokesman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said in a statement. The union represents 28,000 American Airlines flight attendants. All furloughed members of the union are back and flying, Hartshorn said in a statement.

More airport travelers





Airport passenger traffic took a deep dive in early 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic hit North Carolina, but travelers are returning to the airport in force.

Airport security checkpoints are now seeing 80% of pre-pandemic passenger numbers, TSA spokesman Mark Howell told the Observer earlier this month.

In April, the most recent month of passenger data available, 1.9 million people boarded planes at CLT, according to the airport. Thats a huge increase from April 2020, which saw just under 170,000 people board planes in CLT.

And this years April number is just below the airports total number of departing passengers for April 2019, which topped 2 million, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit North Carolina.

Canceled flights

Here are the American Airlines flights leaving the Charlotte airport early this week that have been canceled, according to the CLT website and flight tracking site FlightAware.

Monday:

2:30 p.m. flight to New York LGA (AA2068)

6:10 p.m. flight to Dallas-Fort Worth DFW (AA1816)

6:13 p.m. flight to Miami MIA (AA2700)

8:29 p.m. flight to Windsor Locks BDL (AA657)

9:19 p.m. flight to Jacksonville JAX (AA863)

Tuesday:

7:25 a.m. flight to Chicago ORD (AA1668)

9:20 a.m. flight to Denver DEN (AA1316)

11:10 a.m. flight to Boston BOS (AA2250)

4:25 p.m. flight to Dallas-Fort Worth DFW (AA888)

4:56 p.m. flight to Boston BOS (AA959)

10:22 p.m. flight to Minneapolis MSP (AA1186)
By Alexander Marrow

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Armenia's acting prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, kept power in a parliamentary election that boosted his authority despite being widely blamed for a military defeat last year in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, results on Monday showed.

Pashinyan's Civil Contract party won 53.92% of votes cast in Sunday's snap election, preliminary results showed. Former President Robert Kocharyan's Armenia Alliance trailed on 21.04%, and questioned the result, Interfax news agency reported.

The government called the election to try to end a political crisis that began when ethnic Armenian forces ceded territory to Azerbaijan in and around Nagorno-Karabakh in fighting last year.

Six weeks of hostilities caused international concern as the wider South Caucasus region is a corridor for pipelines carrying oil and gas to world markets. It is also a geopolitical arena where Russia, the United States, the European Union and Turkey all jostle for influence.

Pashinyan, 46, faced street protests after the defeat and demands for his resignation over the terms of a peace agreement under which Azerbaijan regained control of territory it had lost during a war in the early 1990s.

While Pashinyan described the deal as a disaster, he said he had been compelled to sign it to prevent greater human and territorial losses.

He wrote on Twitter on Monday that his party would have a constitutional majority - at least 71 deputies out of 105 - and "will form a government led by me."

Pashinyan said Armenia would strengthen ties with Russia-led regional groups, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

"We are determined to work on improving, deepening and developing relations (with CSTO and EAEU countries), and we will definitely move in this direction," Russia's RIA news agency quoted Pashinyan as saying in an address broadcast on Facebook.

Armenia, which hosts a Russian military base, is an ally of Moscow though relations have been cooler under Pashinyan, who came to power on the back of street protests and on an anti-corruption agenda in 2018.

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Another regional power, Turkey, supported Azerbaijan in last year's conflict and watches developments in Armenia closely.

KOCHARYAN'S BLOC RAISES QUESTIONS

Pashinyan on Monday visited a cemetery to lay flowers on the grave of soldiers killed in last year's conflict.

Final results of the election will be announced in a week, Interfax cited Central Election Commission (CEC) head Tigran Mukuchyan as saying. He said the results gave Pashinyan the right to form a government on his own.

Opinion polls had put Pashinyan's party and Kocharyan's Armenia Alliance neck and neck.

"These (election) results contradict the processes of public life which we have observed in the past eight months," the alliance said in a statement, carried by Interfax.

It said it did not recognise the results and had started consultations with other parties to organise a collective appeal to Armenia's constitutional court, RIA reported.

Speaking at a rally in Yerevan on Monday evening, Pashinyan reached out to his rivals with an offer of reconciliation.

"I will start political consultations with the political forces, which took part in the election and who are ready for constructive dialogue," Interfax quoted him as saying.

Kocharyan is a native of Nagorno-Karabakh. The enclave is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but much of the population is ethnic Armenian.

Kocharyan was Armenia's president from 1998 to 2008 and was accused of acting unlawfully when he introduced a state of emergency in March 2008 after a disputed election and at least 10 people were killed in clashes between police and protesters.

International observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said the elections were competitive and generally well-managed.

"However, they were characterized by intense polarization and marred by increasingly inflammatory rhetoric among key contestants," it said in a statement.

There were 319 reports of voting irregularities, RIA reported. The CEC said the elections were largely in line with legal norms and observers from a CIS monitoring mission said the vote was open and fair, Interfax reported.

(Reporting by Alexander Marrow; additional reporting by Anton Kolodyazhnyy, Dmitry Antonov and Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Alexander Marrow/Andrew Osborn; Editing by Timothy Heritage/Alexander Smith)
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian states and territories will get more doses of COVID-19 vaccines soon, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, as authorities look to avoid further delays in an immunisation drive that has hit several roadblocks.

Australian states have been asking for increased supplies of vaccines after Australia last week announced a policy shift that recommended AstraZeneca shots for over 60s only due to blood clot concerns, throwing the rollout into disarray.

"They are all getting additional doses ... it scales up again in July when the additional Pfizer doses go out," Morrison told radio station 2GB on Monday. Morrison did not specify the number of shots each state would get.

Health authorities said the Pfizer vaccine rollout is currently "operating in a resource-constrained environment" but distribution is expected to accelerate from August.

"As we get into that third-quarter, fourth-quarter, we will have far freer flows of Pfizer and start to be able to allocate that more freely," Lieutenant General John Frewen, the head of the country's vaccine taskforce, told reporters in Canberra after a meeting of the national cabinet.

Australia has to rely on overseas shipments for its Pfizer shots while the AstraZeneca ones are produced locally.

Officials expect to ship 2.3 million Pfizer doses to states this month and 3.4 million next month.

Only 4% of Australia's adult population of 20 million have been fully vaccinated while more than 25% have had at least their first dose. About 6.5 million total shots have been administered so far.

The federal government's promise of more doses for states come as New South Wales (NSW), Australia's most populous state, fights to contain its latest outbreak of the highly-infectious Delta variant, first detected in India.

Two new cases were reported in NSW on Monday, both close contacts of infected people and who have been in isolation, taking infections in the cluster to 11 in five days.

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"Whilst this isn't a bad outcome, our level of concern is still there," NSW state Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.

Victoria state on Monday reported one new locally acquired case linked to an existing cluster, while Queensland - which reported one new infection on Sunday - reported no new cases.

Australia has fared much better than many other developed countries to control the pandemic, with just over 30,300 cases and 910 deaths.

(Reporting by Renju Jose; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
Rachel Lindsay in 2021. Matt Winkelmeyer/2021 MTV Movie and TV Awards/Getty Images for MTV/ViacomCBS

Rachel Lindsay criticized the headline of her New York Magazine article in an Instagram post.

"Those are not my words nor are they a reflection of how I feel," Lindsay wrote in the post.

She called the headline "clickbait" and said it was "very disappointing and disrespectful."

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Rachel Lindsay called out New York Magazine for the "clickbait headline" used on the print version of her recent cover story.

Lindsay, who penned a personal essay for the publication about her experience with the "Bachelor" franchise," took to Instagram to share her thoughts on the headline, which reads "Oops, I blew up 'The Bachelor'" and appears on the cover of the June 21 print edition of the magazine.

"While it was a very collaborative experience, they decided to misrepresent me with the headline that was chosen for the cover," the reality star and lawyer wrote. (The online version of the headline currently reads: "Rachel Lindsay has no roses left to burn.")

"Those are not my words nor are they a reflection of how I feel. In fact, it is in stark contrast to the context of the piece," Lindsay continued. "For me, it is very disappointing and disrespectful that the very notion I was trying to refute was used against me by the publication for a clickbait headline."

She concluded her statement by telling followers that her "truth" and "thoughts" are "told on the inside of the magazine," and that she's still "proud" of the article itself.

Representatives for Lindsay didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for New York told Insider in an email, "New York Magazine is incredibly proud to have published Rachel Lindsay's powerful, first-person story, detailing her experience with 'The Bachelor' franchise. We were sorry to learn that she is unhappy with the cover line (which was not meant as a direct quote), but it shouldn't take away from the candor and bravery of her words in the piece."

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Lindsay's criticism of the headline comes as the "Bachelorette" star (who made history as the franchise's first Black Bachelorette) has openly taken issue with the way the franchise, along with former host Chris Harrison, has dealt with issues of race and racism both on and off the show.

In March, Lindsay interviewed Harrison about the controversy surrounding Rachael Kirkconnell, the eventual winner of Matt James' season of "The Bachelor," who was criticized after photos emerged of her wearing an antebellum-style plantation dress in college.

After Harrison defended Kirkconnell, calling for people to give her "a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion," he faced backlash from fans and franchise stars like Lindsay alike.

Harrison eventually stepped down from his role as host after reportedly reaching an eight-figure deal with the network.

Read the original article on Insider
President Joe Biden is reportedly weighing whether to end a pandemic policy of turning away the tens of thousands of migrant families that illegally cross the border each month from Mexico into the United States.

Biden administration officials are considering ending by July 31 a border policy that allows federal law enforcement to turn away any person encountered at the southern border immediately. The move would mean that family groups that came over the border without permission would be taken into custody and likely released into the U.S.

HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY MAYORKAS PRESSED BY REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS TO HIRE MORE BORDER PATROL AGENTS

Under legal authorities known as Title 42, the Border Patrol has not had to take illegal crossers and asylum-seekers into its custody since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against arresting and detaining people because it would have created high potential for the spread of the virus in crowded patrol stations. Instead, the March 2020-enacted policy allowed federal authorities to transport all families, adults, and children to a nearby port of entry and push them back into Mexico.

Asked about a timeline for lifting the policy, amid increased COVID-19 vaccine availability and declining cases, press secretary Jen Psaki said the White House would leave the announcement to the health department overseeing the rule.

I don't have any new policy to announce when it comes to Title 42. There's been no change, Psaki told reporters Monday. We're not, of course, going to get ahead of the [CDC] decision  we would let them pursue that process.

At present, the majority of families at the border are not being returned, despite the policy, because Mexico has refused to take back families on the basis that its own border shelters do not have the room to hold returned families, as well as families who are traveling north to the border. If Biden chose to end Title 42 for families, it would force the Border Patrol to take into custody all who arrive as part of a family set, of which there were 40,000 in May, 48,000 in April, and 53,000 in March.

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The Biden administration already chose earlier this year to stop turning away children who show up by themselves. Some families opted to send their child across the border alone, recognizing that the child would not be immediately sent back to Mexico but released to a family member or friend in the U.S.

Ending family expulsions could go one of two ways, according to Axios. The White House could end it on its own but at the risk of prompting more families to migrate to the U.S., which would anger Republicans who say Biden undid President Donald Trump's policies and prompted the surge at the border.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

However, the American Civil Liberties Union is holding the threat of a lawsuit over the White House. If Biden does not stop returning families and the ACLU sues when it lifts its pause on litigation on July 2, which the group has already extended several times since the president took office in January, Biden's Justice Department could be forced to defend the Trump program.

The CDC's decision is not informed by the lawsuit, Psaki said.

"There's a policy process that's ongoing that's unrelated to the litigation," she added.

A lawsuit could also reveal confidential details of the asylum process and the administration's positions on immigration, a sensitive issue for the White House as it comes under pressure from Democrats and immigration advocates.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Border Crisis, Biden Administration, Central America, Immigration, Refugees, Family, Court, White House, Biden Administration, Joe Biden

Original Author: Anna Giaritelli, Katherine Doyle

Original Location: Biden administration weighs end to pandemic policy of turning away migrant families
Just days after a longtime ally slammed the two-decades-old American military operation in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden will welcome Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to the White House on Friday.

Ghani will be joined by Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation. The council, which met for the first time last December, is trying to rally the Afghan government and the Taliban around an almost impossible peace deal before American forces leave the country, ending the United States's longest war.

DEMOCRATIC INFIGHTING COULD DOOM BIDEN'S INFRASTRUCTURE AGENDA

"The visit by President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan as the military drawdown continues," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday.

Biden is committed to providing diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian assistance, even after he pulls all remaining U.S. troops and equipment out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11, according to Psaki.

"The United States will remain deeply engaged with the government of Afghanistan to ensure the country never again becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups who pose a threat to the U.S. homeland," she said. "The United States continues to fully support the ongoing peace process and encourages all Afghan parties to participate meaningfully in negotiations to bring an end to the conflict."

But Ghani's predecessor, Hamid Karzai, ripped Biden and Washington's NATO partners over the weekend, contending that their joint effort in Afghanistan has been a "total disgrace and disaster."

"The international community came here 20 years ago with this clear objective of fighting extremism and bringing stability," he said in an interview. "But extremism is at the highest point today. So they have failed."

Yet while the Taliban regain ground in Afghanistan, Ghani insisted his country would "be better off without their military presence."

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I think we should defend our own country and look after our own lives," he said. "We dont want to continue with this misery and indignity that we are facing."

Ghani's 13 years in leadership resulted in economic and social progress in Afghanistan, particularly for women, but they were also marred by corruption allegations.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The U.S. withdrawal is ahead of schedule, on track to conclude by the summer, according to the Pentagon. The risk of a power vacuum is concerning former Department of Defense and State Department officials, as well as existing contractors and advocates pushing for visas for Afghan allies.

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Tags: News, Biden, Joe Biden, Biden Administration, White House

Original Author: Naomi Lim

Original Location: Biden to meet with Afghan president at White House after Karzai slams 'failed' war effort
Photograph: AP

Firefighters are battling to contain a wildfire that erupted near Big Sur last week, as the flames continue to engulf the dry California landscape and threaten historical sites, cabins and ranches.

The fire is one of dozens of wildfires burning in hot, dry conditions across the US west, including in Arizona and New Mexico.

In Monterey county, the so-called Willow fire has burned more than 2,800 acres since it broke out on Thursday evening. More than 500 firefighters face the difficult task of trying to contain the large forest fire in the rugged coastal mountains south of Big Sur. The blaze forced the evacuation of a Buddhist monastery and nearby campground.

The area is also home to endangered species and contains cultural sites that could be at risk if the fire continues to grow, and the Los Padres national forest resource advisers have brought in biologists, botanists and Chumash tribal members to aid in protecting sensitive areas.

Related: What tree rings reveal about Americas megadrought  a visual guide

We have to take our time accessing these areas because we cant get the equipment in there, said Amanda Munsey, a public information officer with California interagency incident management team 11. Weather is also a big factor, she adds, and it has been very hot for a number of days  and very dry.

Hundreds have been ordered to evacuate the mountainous area, including most of those at the Tassajara Mountain Zen Center, a historic Zen Buddhist monastery. Some monks who are part of a trained fire crew stayed behind to assist in the firefight.

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The ZMC fire crew will remain in order to run Dharma Rain [Tassajaras sprinkler system] and to prepare the monastery in case the fire reaches the valley, the center posted on its website on Sunday.

Tassajara has been working on special fire prep projects during the pandemic shutdown and the fire crew has been in place and training for several months. Our water supplies are good and we are well prepared for this situation.

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The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The latest wildfire comes as the American west is gripped by a historic drought, and as officials predict another record-breaking fire season. A heatwave has baked the region, intensifying drought conditions and ignition risks much earlier in the year than normal. Already this year, 33 large fires have burned more than 372,000 acres across 10 states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

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Right now, in June, the dryness and the fuel conditions  it is what we would expect in August, says Munsey. It is alarming but it is beyond our control. So we have prepared as best as we can.

Theres hope that cooler weather, expected with higher humidity across the Bay Area in the coming days, will help slow the flames, but there are concerns that winds along the ridges will continue to drive the fire and complicate containment efforts. But with so many fires already burning across the west, resources have been strained.

In Arizona, a blaze named the Backbone fire that has burned more than 32,750 acres after igniting last Wednesday from a lightning strike is also at 0% containment. Temperatures there have exceeded 100F and thousands of residents have been evacuated north-east of Phoenix, in the communities of Strawberry and Pine.

There are major fires around Arizona and Utah  all over the western United States, Munsey says. That becomes problematic when trying to get resources to whatever fire you are on because they are already stretched so thin.

Meanwhile, the mountainous city of Flagstaff was shrouded in smoke by another fire, dubbed the Rafael fire, on Monday. If the fire continues its north-eastern push, hundreds of people in the college city, which lies about two hours north of Phoenix, could be affected, officials say. The national forest surrounding Flagstaff announced a full closure set to begin later this week  the first time that has happened since 2006.

Its already been a tough fire season for Arizona, which has seen multiple blazes spark this summer. On Monday, two national forests in northern Arizona made rare announcements that they would close completely to visitors starting later this week, because of concerns they wont have enough resources to respond to any future wildfires.

In New Mexico, lightning-sparked blazes have been scorching the southern part of the state, where a large portion of the Gila wilderness remains closed, and fire officials are closely watching the Gila Cliff Dwellings national monument.

Firefighters in Oregon were focused on two wildfires, one burning near the states highest peak and another in the southern part of the state that was threatening 125 structures.

And in Utah, several wildfires were burning in bone-dry conditions. The largest near the small town of Enterprise in southern Utah forced evacuations over the weekend.
(Bloomberg) --

Bitcoin fell to a two-week low amid an intensifying cryptocurrency crackdown in China.

The largest virtual currency fell 10% to $32,350 as of 8:50 a.m. in New York. Ether declined 13% to $1,950.

China announced on Monday that it summoned officials from its biggest banks to a meeting to reiterate a ban on providing cryptocurrency services. Its the latest sign that China plan to do whatever it takes to close any loopholes left in crypto trading.

Representatives from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd., Agricultural Bank of China Ltd. and payment service provider Alipay were reminded of rules that prohibit Chinese banks from engaging in crypto-related transactions, according to a statement from the central bank on Monday.

China Calls Top Banks to a Meeting to Reinforce Crypto Ban

The PBOC crackdown is going further than initially expected, said Jonathan Cheesman, head of over-the-counter and institutional sales at crypto derivatives exchange FTX. Mining was phase one and speculation is phase two.

Separately, a Chinese city with abundant hydropower has stepped up action to rein in mining. A Yaan government official told at least one Bitcoin miner that the city has promised to root out all Bitcoin and Ether mining operations with a year, said a person with knowledge of the situation.

Hydro-Rich Chinese City Said to Clamp Down on Crypto Mining

In the backdrop, the appetite for risk assets has diminished after last weeks hawkish policy pivot by the Federal Reserve. Even though equity markets tipped into the green on Monday, analysts pointed to lingering jitters about frothy corners of the market.

If, as I expect, the global buy-everything unwind continues this week, Bitcoin will feel those chill winds, said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at Oanda Asia Pacific Pte.

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BANGKOK (AP)  Britain's top diplomat arrived in Southeast Asia late Monday on a three-nation visit as his country looks to promote closer ties and trade with the region following the U.K.'s exit from the European Union.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab's trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore comes the week after Britain announced the broad outlines of a free trade deal with Australia, the first the country has negotiated from scratch since it left the EU.

That deal was expected to boost trade between the two nations, and the British government said it hoped it would also help it join a regional trade agreement that would open the door to increased trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

A recent British government review of defense and foreign policy recommended that the U.K. tilt its focus toward the Indo-Pacific region in response to Chinas growing influence on the world stage.

Tweeting after his arrival in Hanoi, Raab said he would use the visit to discuss the new policy direction.

Raab has said the shift includes a greater emphasis on common strategic interests in the region, which goes beyond trade to also include issues such as maritime security and climate change.

Looking forward to discussing trade, security and tackling challenges such as climate change, COVID-19 and serious organized crime, Raab tweeted from the Vietnamese capital.

As part of the initiative, Britain earlier this year dispatched a strike group led by the Royal Navys flagship aircraft carrier the HMS Queen Elizabeth on a 28-week deployment to Asia that Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted was not meant to be confrontational toward China.

One of the things well be doing clearly is showing to our friends in China that we believe in the international law of the sea and, in a confident but not a confrontational way, we will be vindicating that point, Johnson said in May before the carrier group sailed from Portsmouth.

Raab is to hold talks with Vietnamese officials Tuesday and speak at an event held by the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.

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A meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen scheduled for Wednesday was canceled after Hun Sen announced he had been indirectly exposed to COVID-19 and was quarantining as a precaution.

Raab is to meet with his Cambodian counterpart, however, along with other officials in a visit that the Cambodian Foreign Ministry said it hoped would strengthen bilateral ties, as well as help multilateral cooperation within the ASEAN framework.

Raab's trip wraps up Thursday in Singapore, where he is to meet with the prime minister and other officials, as well as business leaders.
New York City district attorneys have dropped hundreds of looting cases against suspects charged during the unrest in the city following the death of George Floyd.

"Those numbers, to be honest with you, is disgusting," said Jessica Betancourt, an eyeglass shop owner whose business was looted and destroyed during the riots. "I was in total shock that everything is being brushed off to the side."

An analysis of New York Police Department data showed that police made 118 arrests in the Bronx in June of last year during the height of protests and riots. While many of those arrested for looting had been caught on camera or bragged about their actions on social media, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark has dropped 73 of the cases. Meanwhile, there have been 19 convictions for lesser offenses such as trespassing.

A similar story has played out in Manhattan, where 222 of the 485 cases containing charges of looting and burglary have been dropped. Another 73 suspects saw their charges reduced, while 128 cases remain open.

100 MINNESOTA NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS ON STANDBY AHEAD OF POSSIBLE UNREST IN MINNEAPOLIS

Betancourt, who is vice president of a local merchants association, said many business leaders are upset that suspects are walking away without consequences after many of their businesses were severely damaged in the unrest.

Former NYPD Chief of Patrol Wilbur Chapman also signaled confusion about the numbers, arguing that the citys district attorneys may need to find new jobs.

"If they are so overworked that they can't handle the mission that they're hired for, then maybe they should find another line of work," Chapman said. "It allowed people who committed crimes to go scot-free."

NYPD Deputy Inspector Andrew Arias echoed Chapmans thoughts, noting the painstaking work police had to put in so suspects could be charged.

"We had to analyze each case individually and see if, in fact, we could prove the right person had committed the crime," Arias said.

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An internal memo revealed that Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance allegedly told his prosecutors that there were over 600 burglary arrests and 3,500 unindicted felony cases that have been put on hold during the pandemic. He then instructed prosecutors to review the cases for criminal histories of the defendants, if police could put them at the scene, and if they caused "any damage to the store."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

"For many of these commercial burglaries, you will be asked to reduce the initial felony charge to a misdemeanor and to dispose of the case  with an eye towards rehabilitation, Vance reportedly told his office.

Vance also stressed to prosecutors that they should work to reach toward a "continued goal to achieve consistency and equitable treatment in these cases."

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Tags: News, New York City, NYPD, George Floyd, Crime

Original Author: Michael Lee

Original Location: New York City authorities drop hundreds of cases against looters involved in last year's unrest
Tulare County Sheriffs Office recover stolen pistachio nuts in an August 2020 raid in California (Tulare County Sheriff's Office)

A 42,000-pound hole in a pile of pistachios led to the arrest of a trucking company driver who was allegedly peeling off 2,000-pound sacks of nuts to sell on the $5.2bn industrys black market.

The delicious yet illicit heist of pistacia vera, of the cashew family, was discovered by a routine audit in June by the Touchstone Pistachio Company, according to the Tulare County Sherrifs Office.

With 21 tons of product vanishing, the company contacted the sheriffs agricultural crimes unit to investigate what is the latest theft in an industry-wide racket plaguing the nut-producing regions of California.

Detectives from Fresno and Kern County allegedly found truckloads of pistachios moved a lot in Delano belonging to Montemayor Trucking company to a nearby lot on Saturday, 17 June, where the nuts were being moved from the 2,000-pound sacks into smaller bags for resale.

Alberto Montemayor, 34, was arrested in connection to the stolen nuts, Tulare County Sheriffs Office said in a statement.

It was the second "major bust" by the Tulare Sherrifs Office in the past year, with more than $350,000 in allegedly stolen pistachios and trailers recovered in an August 2020 raid at "Setton Pistachio" in Terra Bella.

"When they arrived, Detectives learned the suspects stole the identity of a legitimate trucking company. They then used that companys name to secure contracts for the delivery of two tractor-trailer loads of pistachios, worth more than $294,000," the sheriffs office said in a statement at the time of the arrest.

"Instead of delivering the product, the suspects took the pistachios to an abandoned property in Selma, where they removed the packaging. They then sold the product to an unsuspecting buyer in Madera County."

Detectives arrested a 23-year-old in what they called an elaborate scheme using a semi-truck and two allegedly stolen trailers, which happened to be equipped with real-time GPS and led investigators to the stolen pistachios.

Between 2014 and 2017, the nut jobs resulted in the loss of more than $7.6m from the Central California industry. In 2020, that industry generated $5.2bn and more than 47,000 jobs, as noted by The Washington Posts definitive account of the states illegal nut trade.

While neither the Sherriffs office nor the Touchstone Pistachio Company immediately responded to requests for comment, investigators said in a statement that Mr Montemayor was booked in Tulare County and the recovered pistachios returned to the nut company.
By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada said on Monday it would start cautiously lifting border restrictions for fully vaccinated citizens on July 5 but made clear it would be months before U.S. and other foreign travelers could enter the country.

From 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 5 (0359 GMT on July 6), those who have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine will no longer have to spend time in quarantine. The move applies to Canadians and permanent residents.

"This is the first phase of our precautionary approach ... at this time we are not opening up our borders any further," said Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc. Ottawa first announced the plan on June 9.

LeBlanc told reporters that Ottawa was talking to its domestic and international partners "with the goal of allowing fully vaccinated travelers to enter Canada for non-essential reasons in the months to come."

Canada and the United States first banned non-essential travel in March 2020 as a part of the effort to fight COVID-19. The restrictions, which exclude trade in goods, are now due to expire on July 21, 2021.

The measures have hit the travel and airline industries, which along with U.S. politicians are insisting Ottawa do much more to open the border.

But Canadian officials said further easing would depend on vaccination rates, the number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as well as the spread of variants of concern.

"We are not insensitive to the desire of many sectors of the economy and Canadians to see more steps but that will happen at the appropriate moment," LeBlanc said.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp that the restrictions could not be lifted until 75% of Canadians had been fully vaccinated.

Only 14.7% of eligible Canadians have had both jabs of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine as of June 18, according to official data.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren, Editing by Franklin Paul and Paul Simao)
Bruce Davis, shown in 2018, was convicted of two brutal murders carried out in 1969 with Manson "family" members. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via Associated Press)

A convict described as Charles Manson's "right-hand man" won't be walking out of San Quentin State Prison after his recommendation for parole was again rejected by California's governor.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday reversed parole for Bruce Davis who was convicted of two brutal murders carried out in 1969 with Manson "family" members who terrorized Southern Californians. The governor said in his decision that Davis "currently poses an unreasonable danger to society" if released.

A state panel in January recommended parole for Davis, now 78, marking the seventh time he has been deemed suitable for release, only to have it subsequently blocked. Former Govs. Jerry Brown and Arnold Schwarzenegger also previously reversed the parole board's decisions.

Michael Beckman, an attorney for Davis, said Monday that he wasn't surprised by the reversal, calling it the latest example of California leaders playing politics with his client's life.

Beckman called Davis "the most rehabilitated inmate I've ever represented," and accused Newsom of not wishing to create waves amid his recall.

Davis was convicted in 1972 for the brutal slayings of Gary Hinman, an aspiring musician, and Donald Shorty Shea, a stuntman and a ranch hand at the Chatsworth ranch where Manson and his followers lived.

He was not involved with other infamous murders carried out by the Manson family cult, including the killing of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and six others, also in 1969.

Manson, who died in 2017, was repeatedly denied parole, as have most of his onetime acolytes.

During his 50 years behind bars, Davis has never been disciplined for violence and completed multiple self-help programs, his attorney said. He has earned several degrees, including a master's and a doctorate, and vocational certificates.

Newsom acknowledged that Davis "has made efforts to improve himself," but said they were outweighed by "negative factors" that made him unsuitable for release, including the heinous nature of the crimes that spread terror during that summer.

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Davis "joined one of the most notorious cults in American history and actively aided in furthering Charles Mansons goal of triggering an apocalyptic war arising from racial tensions and with the goal of creating societal disorder," Newsom wrote.

He said the crimes the group "committed to achieve this goal are among the most disturbing reported in our states history."

Manson and several followers identified Hinman in July 1969 as a potential source to support their cult's move to the desert, according to the parole release review. Davis dropped off three members of the Manson group at Hinman's Topanga Canyon home.

After Hinman refused to comply, Davis and Manson returned to the home, where Davis held a gun on the victim and Manson sliced his face from ear to chin. Two days later, fellow Manson follower Robert Beausoleil stabbed Hinman in the chest and smothered him with a pillow. The group wrote political piggy and drew an animal paw print on the walls using Hinman's blood.

The next month, Manson told his followers that Shea was a police informant and was working with a neighbor to remove the group from the movie ranch where they were living.

Manson and Davis, with fellow cult followers Steve Grogan and Charles "Tex" Watson, drove Shea to a secluded area, where he was stabbed to death. Davis admitted that he cut Shea with a knife from his collarbone to his armpit, claiming Manson ordered him to cut the victim's head off, according to the parole release review.

Grogan, who was also convicted in Shea's murder and helped lead authorities to the site where the victim was buried, was paroled from prison in 1985.

Newsom wrote that Davis continues to minimize his role in the two killings he participated in and lacks insight into how he became implicated in such grisly crimes.

Davis "does not understand that it was his agreement to participate in Mr. Mansons plans that resulted in the torture and murder of his victims, regardless of whether he ultimately inflicted the fatal blows," Newsom wrote, concluding that it "may make him vulnerable to repeating these patterns in the future."

Beckman, however, said that Davis takes responsibility for what he's done and that degree of individual culpability matters in terms of punishment. He denies Davis was a vital assistant to Manson, or a "right-hand man," as prosecutors have claimed.

"He's been held almost 50 years ago as an accomplice," Beckman said, adding that if the crimes hadn't been associated with Manson, "he'd have been out years ago."

Davis' next parole suitability hearing is tentatively set for July 2022. Beckman is considering appealing Newsom's decision.

Most of the key players in the Manson murders  including Watson, Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel  continue to serve life sentences, although parole has also been repeatedly denied to them.

Manson follower Susan Atkins, who stabbed actress Sharon Tate to death more than 40 years ago, was denied parole even when she was terminally ill. She died in September 2009.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Vice President Kamala Harris joins bilingual early childhood education school pupils on Friday, June 11, 2021 in northwest Washington. (AP)

In a few weeks, on 15 July, the IRS will begin sending out monthly payments to around 36 million families in the US. Families eligible to receive the expanded child tax credit will receive $1,800 divided into six payments that will be sent out until December.

But the intricacies of the credit may lead some to opt-out to avoid having to pay it back later.

The extra cash for families was a part of the Covid-19 rescue package signed into law by President Joe Biden. The American Rescue Plan expanded the child tax credit from $2,000 per child, taken every year when you file your taxes, to $3,600 per child with half the amount paid in monthly installments. They will be sent out from July to December and the rest will be claimed on your tax return for 2021.

On Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told CBS This Morning that the administration has suggested that the credit be extended for five years.

He thinks this is a central benefit that will help families, help get women back to work, Ms Psaki said of the president while pointing out that more than a million women have left the workforce during the pandemic.

The tax credit is only available to lower-and-middle income families. Unlike the procedure with the stimulus payments, if you receive funds youre not eligible for, you will have to pay it back.

If you receive a total amount of advance Child Tax Credit payments that exceed the amount of Child Tax Credit that you can properly claim on your 2021 tax year, you may need to repay to the IRS some or all of that excess payment, the agency said on its website.

Who qualifies for the monthly payments?

The rescue packages expanded the child tax credit to $3,600 for every child under the age of six and to $3,000 for each child between the ages of six and 17.

Those who qualify for the payments are single taxpayers with an income up to $75,000, head of household with an income of up to $112,500, and married couples filing jointly and qualified widows and widowers with an income of up to $150,000.

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Families with higher incomes will receive $50 less per $1,000 more that they earn compared to the thresholds for each category. The payments are phased out for people who make around $20,000 more than the relevant threshold.

This means that single filers making up $95,000 and married couples together making up to $170,000 will receive smaller payments before theyre phased out entirely.

The regular $2,000 child tax credit taken every year on your tax return will still be available to single filers making up to $200,000 and married couples making up to $400,000. Those making more than that dont qualify for any child tax credit.

How much will I receive?

If you qualify, you will get $300 per month for each child under the age of six and $250 per month for every child between the ages of six and 17 from July until December of this year.

What do I need to do to get the money?

Usually nothing. If your situation has not changed since your 2020 tax return  if you have the same address, bank account, and the same number of dependents  the IRS should have the information they need to send the funds directly to your bank account.

The IRS has sent letters to 36 million families eligible based on the information from their 2019 and 2020 tax returns and to those who sent in information using the agencys non-filers tool, such as low-income families not required to file a tax return, to register for stimulus payments last year.

The IRS will shortly send another letter to estimate the monthly payments of eligible families.

What if Im not required to send in a tax return?

The IRS has set up a Child Tax Credit Non-filer Sign-up Tool available here.

What do I need to do to opt out?

The IRS has said that those who think their situation has changed, making them ineligible for the Child Tax Credit expansion, should opt-opt out using an online tool that will be available on the IRS website by the end of June. The Child Tax Credit Update Portal will allow people to avoid a future bill from the IRS by unenrolling from the tax credit.

Can the Child Tax Credit be garnished?

While the IRS has said yes, some states, such as California, have decided to shield their residents and their tax credit payments from being garnished by creditors.

Will the IRS reduce your tax credit to make up for federal back taxes?

The IRS has said that the monthly payments will not be affected by owed taxes.

But the agency has also stated that if you get a refund from your 2021 tax return, funds that may remain from the Child Tax Credit could be used to settle tax debts.

Read More

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BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping sent his congratulations on Monday to Ebrahim Raisi on his election as Iran's president, saying their two countries were "comprehensive strategic partners", state media reported.

Raisi, a hardliner and fierce critic of the West, won election on Friday. China has close energy and business ties with Iran but must tread carefully as it has also cultivated good relations with Iran's regional rival, Saudi Arabia.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Iran, Xi said, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

"I attach great importance to the development of China-Iran relations," Xinhua cited Xi as saying.

Xi added that he was willing to work with Raisi to strengthen strategic communication, consolidate mutual political trust, and expand and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.

China is one of the six world powers involved in ongoing negotiations to revive a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which came undone after the United States withdrew from it in 2018 and reimposed tough sanctions on Tehran.

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
We all went a little nuts in quarantine.

The short film Nuts, an entry in the two-part star-studded COVID anthology film With/In and Chris Coopers directorial debut, builds off that premise.

The Oscar winner (Adaptation) and real-life wife Marianne Leone, who penned the script, star as a pair brought together by the dog they share custody of and frequently interrupted by the reality of coronavirus and Claires misophonia, in which particular sounds elicit certain emotional or physiological responses.

Nuts, which screened June 14 at the Tribeca Festival, marks the first time Cooper and Leone, both 69, have worked together since before they married in 1983.

We ended up having a lot of fun doing it, the Sopranos actress told the Daily News over Zoom last week. There were moments of extreme fear but [chuckles] for the most part it was totally fine.

The August: Osage County star wasnt entirely on board when producer Celine Rattray (The Kids Are All Right and American Honey) first recruited the couple for the film, which also stars Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle, Rosie Perez, and more.

Not having much else to do in quarantine though, Leone insisted.

I didnt have to direct Marianne at all, Cooper told The News on that call. To my mind, we were just playing ourselves, and the closest thing Ive ever come to playing myself.

Aspects of Leones character were real as well, including the misophonia, which she says she has but not to that extent where its like [groans].

The American Beauty actor acknowledged that inviting viewers into the couples real-life home, where the film was shot, was very odd.

I thought our house looked actually better than it looks in real life, remarked Leone, who also wrote the memoir, Jesse: A Mothers Story, about the couples son who died at age 17.

Filming or living a reality in which the Ma Speaks Up author and the were in each others space all the time.

If Im studying a script, Im working out of the house and Mariannes writing books and screenplay[s] and so, this is not uncommon for us at all, said Cooper.

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Noting that they didnt have to deal with many of the tangible concerns so many others did during the pandemic, such as food insecurity, Leone said that quarantine was, in some ways, an easier transition for the pair.

Except for, of course, the overall dread and fear and horror and crying everyday because of the body count, she added.

As for the making of the film itself, Cooper said his wifes writing surprised him.

I mean I know she can do it. But she works really well under pressure, said the Emmy-nominated My House in Umbria actor. She turned out this very cute funny script and, so, I guess we were committed.

They had to be, with only two days to shoot and one to reshoot, if necessary.

The Joy actress, for her part, does count one mistake of hers: writing wild turkeys into the film.

I am the scourge of the neighborhood because I feed them, she said. And the only thing was, if you aim a camera at something with a brain the size of a pencil eraser, it runs away.

There were periods where I set the camera up on a tripod in the front yard, where they know to come, and just wait, to grab a shot, recalled Cooper. And fortunately, it worked out OK.

Having previously lived many years in Manhattan, the couple was more than ready to return to the city for the festival.

It was so great though to come back to Tribeca ... and see that, you know, New York is coming back.


TOKYO (AP)  Thousands of Japanese companies began distributing COVID-19 vaccines to workers and their families Monday in an employer-led drive reaching more than 13 million people that aims to rev up the nation's slow vaccine rollout.

Yuka Daimaru, among the Suntory workers getting the shot on a sprawling office floor, was visibly relieved after spending more than a year worrying about the coronavirus.

I was nervous, but it didnt hurt as much as I thought it would, she said. Now I dont have to worry as much on commuter trains or at meetings.

The Tokyo-based beverage maker plans to inoculate 51,500 people, including part-time workers and employees families, with the Moderna vaccine.

About 3,500 companies have signed up for the free vaccines, and that number is growing. The companies must present a plan to inoculate at least 1,000 people per site. But they decide whom to include, such as families, affiliate companies and suppliers.

Universities are also eligible. Smaller companies can apply through organizations, such as the local merchant association, so ideally no one falls through the cracks, according to the health ministry.

Among those taking part are major automaker Toyota Motor Corp., planning to vaccinate 80,000 people at its plants and offices.

Fast Retailing, behind the Uniqlo clothing chain, is inoculating 18,500 people, including part-timers and cleaning and cafeteria staff, starting July 1.

Online retailer Rakuten said its vaccinating 60,000 workers and their families.

Company applications for the vaccines are accepted through February 2022.

Japan is relying totally on imported vaccines for a campaign that started in February with medical professionals. Only about 6% of Japanese are fully vaccinated. Japan has had more than 14,000 deaths from COVID-19.

Vaccinations have been slowed by bungled reservation procedures, unclear distribution plans and shortages of medical staff to give shots.

Local governments and Japan's self-defense forces are also leading the vaccination campaign, but the employer-led efforts are helping accelerate the pace.

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Daisuke Sen, a human resources senior general manager at Suntory Holdings, said the vaccinations at his company will be completed by the end of August.

The first day for the vaccinations came after weeks of work, especially scrambling to find doctors and nurses to carry out the shots, he said.

Getting here means so much for me, he said.

___

Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
A Peruvian judge on Monday dismissed a prosecutor's request for the detention of corruption-accused presidential hopeful Keiko Fujimori while the country awaits the outcome of June 6 elections in which she vied for the top job.

Fujimori, who narrowly trails leftist rival Pedro Castillo according to the unconfirmed vote count, risks an imminent corruption trial if she loses the race.

If she wins, it will be delayed until after her term.

Fujimori has already spent 16 months in pre-trial detention on charges of taking money from scandal-tainted Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht to fund failed presidential bids in 2011 and 2016. She denies the charges.

Fujimori was conditionally freed in May last year due to the coronavirus outbreak, and was barred from leaving Peru or communicating with co-defendants or witnesses in the case.

Prosecutors have said they would seek a 30-year jail term for the 46-year-old daughter of corruption-convicted ex-president Alberto Fujimori.

On June 11, a few days after the election, prosecutor Jose Domingo Perez accused Fujimori of having been in contact with witnesses in violation of the conditions for her provisional freedom, and asked a court to return her to custody.

The witness, Miguel Angel Torres, had accompanied Fujimori to a post-election press conference as an advisor.

But on Monday, after a hearing of several hours, judge Victor Zuniga ruled "unfounded" the request for Fujimori's parole to be rescinded.

Fujimori was present for the hearing with her lawyer Giuliana Loza, and prosecutor Perez, who said he would appeal the ruling.

Perez had argued that Fujimori must be ordered back in detention "because of the seriousness of the crimes she is accused of," adding she "systematically violated the rules of conduct of not communicating with witnesses."

For her part, Fujimori said the prosecutor's request was "arbitrary, disproportionate and unjust," as dozens of her supporters demonstrated outside.

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Dismissing the request, the judge cautioned Fujimori to strictly adhere to her parole conditions in future.

- High stakes -

Castillo took 50.12 percent of the vote in the June 6 runoff election, holding a lead of some 44,000 votes over Fujimori, according to the unconfirmed count.

The final result is being held up by a review of disputed votes, mainly from the camp of Fujimori, who has alleged widespread fraud.

She repeated her claims Monday, urging supporters on Twitter to come forward with evidence "of how Peru Libre cheated," referring to the party of Castillo.

The leftist rural school teacher has rejected calls from Fujimori supporters for the election to be annulled.

Supporters of both candidates took part in demonstrations over the weekend demanding an end to the uncertainty.

ljc/fj/dga/mlr/st
Good morning, Chicago.

The Chicago area is waking up to damage from severe weather late Sunday night, including a tornado that touched down in southwest suburban Woodridge and Naperville.

A tornado first hit in Naperville, damaging homes, knocking down power lines and leaving five people injured, one critically, authorities there said Monday morning.

A tornado then touched down in Woodridge, leaving behind a trail of damage but no significant injuries, authorities said. Tribune reporters and photographers will bring you the latest on the damage here today.

Visit the Tribunes weather page for the latest forecast and check back for updates.

 Nicole Stock, audience editor

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.

COVID-19 tracker | For your smart speaker | More newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Daily horoscope | Ask Amy | Todays eNewspaper edition

The young woman fatally stabbed over the weekend during broad daylight in the citys Loop was remembered as a brilliant graduate student who was working to complete a doctorate in criminology at the University of Maryland.

Chicago police found the woman, Anat Kimchi, 31, lying on the sidewalk with two stab wounds to her upper back around 4 p.m. Saturday in the 400 block of South Wacker Drive. She was rushed to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Mary Manching felt a disconnect between her Asian American heritage and what she was learning at Northside College Prep.

I never saw myself represented in the history curriculum, said Manching, a graduating senior at the selective enrollment high school in the North Park neighborhood.

That classroom gap could soon be a thing of the past after Illinois lawmakers recently approved a measure requiring elementary and high schools to teach a unit on Asian American and Pacific Islander history starting with the 2022-23 school year.

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City of the big shoulders, hog butcher for the world, Chicago is looking to add another title for the digital age: cryptocurrency finance center.

From one of the Midwests largest cryptocurrency mining facilities to a Chicago-based Bitcoin ATM operator, Illinois is becoming fertile ground for the fast-growing digital asset industry, which has developed from an arcane concept into a booming investment in a little over a decade.

New Bears wide receiver Marquise Goodwin opted out of the 2020 NFL season to protect his wife, Morgan, and infant daughter, Marae, from COVID-19 after the family lost three sons. Now, theyre cheering him on in a city that has special meaning as he tries to lengthen his football career  and qualify for the Olympics in the long jump.

Billionaire private equity investor Justin Ishbia is the buyer paying $23.9 million to create a 3.3-acre Winnetka homesite on Lake Michigan; that would be the highest sum ever paid for a single-family residential property in the Chicago area.
An activist holds a sign up outside Old Ebbitt Grill restaurant during a Wage Strike demonstration on May 26th, 2021 in Washington, DC. Delaware lawmakers have voted to give final approval to raising the states minimum wage to $15 an hour. (Getty Images)

Delawares Democrat-led state House has voted in favour of a bill raising the states minimum wage to $15 (10.77) an hour by 2025.

Democrats approved the measure after seeing a string of Republican amendments defeated, including proposals seeking to let small businesses and nonprofits to pay 85 per cent of the minimum wage.

They also rejected a proposal put forward by one of their own party members, Rep Sheraea Moore, who sought to delay annual wage increases for one year for businesses with 20 workers or less.

With the bill passing in the House, it will now go to Democratic Gov John Carney, who is expected to sign the legislation.

Currently, Delawares minimum wage is $9.25 (6.65) an hour.

Under the new legislation, the state would increase minimum wage by 13.5 per cent to $10.50 (7.55), effective 1 January, 2022.

The minimum wage would then increase to $11.75 (8.45) per hour in January 2023 and then to $13.25 (9.50) per hour the following year, before reaching $15 in 2025.

Celebrating the bills success, Wilmington Democrat Rep Gerald Brady, the chief House sponsor of the bill, noted that in the last 15 years, weve made 15 attempts to raise the minimum wage.

Republicans, however, have warned that increasing wages could negatively impact small businesses and potentially lead to job losses, with GOP Rep Bryan Shupe asserting that the dialogue around the measure has not been about empirical evidence, has not been about statistics, has not been about projections and analysis.

I really believe that instead of having a discussion on numbers and analysis, this was more of a political agenda, Mr Shupe, who had proposed amendments that would have required studies of the economic impacts of the wage increases, told AP.

He also noted that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has previously concluded that a nationwide minimum wage of $15 an hour could see more people lose than jobs than be lifted out of poverty.

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The CBO found that while raising the ceiling to $15 an hour by 2025 could lift 900,000 people out of poverty, it could also result in 1.4 million fewer jobs.

According to the Associated Press, legislative analysts have also estimated that the bill could cost taxpayers an additional $3.7 million (2.6 million) in fiscal year 2024 to cover state employee wages, not including associated salary and wage compression issues.

Still, advocates for raising the minimum wage have celebrated the legislations success in Delaware as a major victory for workers, with US labor union activist Mary Kay Henry writing on Twitter: This is the power working people have when we unite.

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Oregon Democrats had finally secured total control of redistricting for the first time in decades.

Then, just months before they were set to draw new maps, they gave it away.

In a surprise that left Democrats from Salem to Washington baffled and angry, the state House speaker handed the GOP an effective veto over the districts in exchange for a pledge to stop stymieing her legislative agenda with delay tactics. The reaction from some of Oregon's Democratic House delegation was unsparing: That was like shooting yourself in the head, Rep. Kurt Schrader told POLITICO. Rep. Peter DeFazio seethed: It was just an abysmally stupid move on her part.

Yet what happened this spring in Oregon is just one example, though perhaps the most extreme one, of a larger trend vexing Democratic strategists and lawmakers focused on maximizing the partys gains in redistricting. In key states over the past decade, Democrats have gained control of state legislatures and governorships that have long been in charge of drawing new maps  only to cede that authority, often to independent commissions tasked with drawing political boundaries free of partisan interference.

Supporters of these initiatives say it's good governance to bar politicians from drawing districts for themselves and their party. But exasperated Democrats counter that it has left them hamstrung in the battle to hold the House, by diluting or negating their ability to gerrymander in the way Republicans plan to do in many red states. And with the House so closely divided, Democrats will need every last advantage to cling to their majority in 2022.

We Democrats are cursed with this blindness about good government, said Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, a Democratic state that will nonetheless see its congressional map drawn by a newly created independent commission.

In rabid partisan states that are controlled by Republicans, they're carving up left and right. And we're kind of unilaterally disarming, Connelly conceded, before adding: But having said that, I still come down on the side of reforming this process because it's got to start somewhere.

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Only a handful of states had redistricting commissions a decade ago, but the number has grown since then thanks in large part to a campaign from national Democrats, including former Attorney General Eric Holder, to increase voter awareness of gerrymandering  casting it mostly as a Republican abomination, despite the practice's bipartisan history.

Outside of Oregon, Democrats are also nervous about Virginia and Colorado, which will both have new independent commissions after state legislators  and the voters  passed amendments creating them. Together, those three states account for 25 seats in the House.

The saga of Virginia's redistricting commission, however, has proved to be the most controversial.

National Democrats poured upwards of $10 million into the state in the 2019 elections and painted the capture of the state legislature as crucial to the party's redistricting fate. They took both chambers, securing total control in Richmond under Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam.

Democratic legislative candidates campaigned on a pledge to back an existing amendment that would create a redistricting commission. But when it came time to vote on it, they balked.

The proposed 16-person commission includes eight state lawmakers, four from each party. At least two Republican legislators must approve a map  giving the GOP de facto veto power  and if the commission deadlocks, the Republican-leaning state Supreme Court steps in.

Most Democrats in the House of Delegates voted against placing the amendment on the ballot. But nine defected and voted with Republicans to pass it, and voters overwhelmingly approved it in November.

"We just don't seem to have the guts to just go out and go play politics the way Republicans do," said Ben Tribbett, a Virginia-based Democratic operative.

The stakes are high: Democrats currently represent seven of Virginia's 11 congressional districts. But two of those are hard-won battleground seats  held by Reps. Abigail Spanberger and Elaine Luria  that they had hoped to shore up under a new map. Also on the wish list: making the districts of GOP Reps. Rob Wittman and Bob Good more competitive.

"I didn't endorse it. I thought it was ill-conceived," said Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin, who represents the Richmond area. "By and large, I do think that unless you're going to have everybody do redistricting commissions, our party is at a disadvantage."

That's what House Democrats proposed in their election reform bill, H.R. 1 (117). Yet that legislation, which would mandate independent redistricting commissions, is unlikely to make it through the Senate.

In the meanwhile, few Democrats dispute that they have been much quicker to move toward commissions or power-sharing agreements in states where they have trifecta control over redistricting.

Holders group, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, has framed the shift as a crucial part of the battle for the integrity of American democracy that transcends any immediate political gain because Republicans are using gerrymandering as a form of voter suppression.

We want fairness, and we put our money where our mouth is, said Kelly Ward Burton, the groups president. We have pushed for fairness in the states where we have control or influence. We're even doing it at the national level."

The Republicans are not," she added, "because they intend to manipulate the maps to hold on to power.

Redistricting is a fraught process for Democrats, who remain scarred from their 2010 experience. State legislative and gubernatorial losses left them boxed out of the mapmaking in nearly every major state, and Democratic strongholds like California and Washington already had commissions in place. Republicans were pressing their advantage in states like Texas, while Democrats couldn't counter.

They vowed to secure more control before the 2020 redistricting  and have. But that has made recent developments all the more frustrating.

Some Oregon Democrats insist the short-term gain, an end to the legislative logjam, was not worth the decadelong price of a compromise map. And in an interview last month, DeFazio said state House Speaker Tina Kotek made the decision without consulting members in other parts of the state.

"She is totally Portland-centric, and nothing outside of Multnomah County exists so far as she's concerned," DeFazio said, adding: "It's just inexplicable and arrogant."

In a statement, Kotek's office countered that she had "ensured an open, transparent and thorough legislative process" for redistricting, while also minding state business. Speaker Kotek is focused on making sure our government is actually working to help people in need after a year of crises," Danny Moran, the speaker's spokesperson, said.

The state, which has four Democrats and one Republican currently in Congress, is gaining a seat. Schrader and DeFazio are the only Democrats who don't represent a significant part of Portland, the state's largest city, and their districts have been competitive at times.

In Colorado, a Democratic-led state House joined with a Republican-led state Senate in 2018 to place a redistricting commission proposal on the ballot.

Privately, some Democrats in the state weren't sold on the idea. But others were eager to preempt an attempt by Colorado Republicans to gather signatures for their own redistricting amendment proposing a commission with parameters more favorable to the GOP.

Ultimately, the amendment passed with few detractors  the legislature voted to place it on the ballot, and the voters also gave it a stamp of approval. Now Colorado's eight districts will be drawn by a commission.

"I don't see it that way," said Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) when asked if it was a missed opportunity for the party. "It's good government, and I think that at the end of the day that's what nonpartisan redistricting is all about."

There are 17 states where Democrats have control of the legislature and the governors mansion  or a legislative supermajority that can override a GOP governors veto. Yet all but a half dozen of those have some form of a commission or power share, and another, Delaware, has only one congressional district.

To be sure, Democrats plan to be aggressive in states where there are few restraints. One proposed Illinois map could give Democrats control of 14 of the state's 17 seats. In Maryland, there's some Democratic appetite to claim all eight of its districts  taking the current 7-1 Democratic map, one of the nations most notable gerrymanders, and pushing things a step further.

In New Mexico and New York, Democrats have given a commission a chance at drawing new maps  but allowed their legislatures to retain the final say. They represent a roadblock for Democrats, but not an insurmountable one; legislators can reject those maps and pass their own.

Still, Republicans have control in places like Texas, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina. And they need only five seats to recapture the House, something they could possibly attain through favorable maps in those states alone.

The NDRC, which will serve as the party's redistricting legal clearinghouse, said Democrats remain clear-eyed about the challenges that lie ahead.

"We will fight tooth and nail in the states with every tool at our disposal to prevent them from locking in gerrymandered maps," Ward Burton said of their plans if H.R.1 doesn't pass. "We will sue them. We fully anticipate being in court. And that will be the battlefront on which we fight for fair maps. We're ready for that."
Denmark powered into the last 16 of Euro 2020 with a brilliant 4-1 thrashing of Russia at a raucous Parken Stadium on Monday, helping to send five other teams through in the process.

The Danes knew they had to beat Russia by two goals and hope leaders Belgium saw off Finland in Saint Petersburg to snatch second place in Group B despite opening with two defeats.

The first of those losses, to Finland, was overshadowed by Christian Eriksen's on-pitch collapse, caused by a cardiac arrest.

But it was a joyous night in Copenhagen on Monday as goals from Mikkel Damsgaard, Yussuf Poulsen, Andreas Christensen and Joakim Maehle saw the hosts through in style, as Belgium scored two late goals to beat the Finns 2-0.

Kasper Hjulmand's men will meet Wales in the last 16 in Amsterdam on Saturday.

"The most important (thing) is that we are now united as Denmark," Maehle told Danish broadcaster DR after the win in front of a 25,000-strong crowd.

"We need to enjoy this moment. I'm super proud of the boys."

Inter Milan player Eriksen has left hospital after a successful operation to have a heart defibrillator fitted.

The results in Group B also saw Switzerland, who finished third in Group A, the Czech Republic, England, Sweden and France -- all yet to play their final group games -- move into the knockout phase.

The Czechs and England go head-to-head at Wembley on Tuesday, with first place in Group D up for grabs, while Sweden take on Poland and world champions France face holders Portugal, still in danger of a shock exit, on Wednesday.

The 1992 European champions Denmark still needed Belgium to beat Finland and for a long time it looked like that might not happen.

But Finnish goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky put through his own net in unfortunate circumstances with 16 minutes to play, and Romelu Lukaku scored his third goal of the tournament in the 81st minute.

Belgium eased through as group winners and will play a third-placed team in Seville on Sunday.

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- Austria clinch historic win -

Austria edged to a 1-0 win over Ukraine earlier on Monday to beat their opponents to a spot in the last 16.

Christoph Baumgartner's 21st-minute goal proved enough for Austria to secure second place in Group C behind the Netherlands, who saw off North Macedonia 3-0 in a dead rubber in Amsterdam.

Austria will face Group A winners Italy at Wembley on Saturday for a quarter-final berth.

"We wanted to write history," Austria coach Franco Foda told uefa.com.

"You could see the boys took that on board and showed from the first minute that we wanted to win the game. I'm very proud of my team."

Andriy Shevchenko's Ukraine, who suffered group-stage exits in 2012 and 2016, now face an anxious wait to see if their three points are enough to get them through as one of the four best third-placed teams.

Austria -- who had never won a European Championship match until they beat North Macedonia in their opener -- scored the all-important goal when Baumgartner beat 18-year-old defender Illia Zabarnyi to David Alaba's corner and poked beyond Georgiy Bushchan.

The other game in the group saw Dutch captain Georginio Wijnaldum net twice as the Netherlands made it three wins out of three.

Barcelona-bound Memphis Depay opened the scoring for Frank de Boer's men in Amsterdam, who were pushed by their visitors, with the Macedonians seeing two goals disallowed and hitting the post.

The Netherlands will next take on a third-placed team in Budapest on Sunday.

- Scotland's Gilmour tests positive -

The Scottish Football Association announced that Chelsea midfielder Gilmour had tested positive for Covid-19, dealing a huge blow to Scotland's hopes of making it beyond the group stage of a major tournament for the first time on Tuesday.

England pair Ben Chilwell and Mason Mount will also self-isolate after contact with their Chelsea teammate Gilmour and could miss England's game against the Czechs.

The 20-year-old Gilmour will miss Scotland's clash against Croatia at Hampden, with Steve Clarke's men needing to win to have any chance of progressing to the last 16.

Spain captain Sergio Busquets was forced to self-isolate after a positive test earlier this month while Slovakia and Sweden have also been hit by positive tests.

Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said he was against the semi-finals and final being held at Wembley as scheduled due to rising case numbers in England.

"I support ensuring that the final does not take place in a country where the risk of infection is of course very high," he told reporters at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

bur-jc/lp
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Despair turned to exhilaration for Denmark as they claimed an astonishing 4-1 victory over Russia to scramble into the last 16 of Euro 2020 on a head-spinning night in Copenhagen on Monday.

Nine days after Denmark's talisman Christian Eriksen needed life-saving treatment after suffering a cardiac arrest in front of a stunned Parken Stadium crowd, his team mates duly delivered on their promise to "do it for Christian".

Needing victory to have any chance of making progress after losing to Finland and Belgium, it was Eriksen's replacement Mikkel Damsgaard who lit the touchpaper with a 38th-minute wonder goal, the first act on a night of high drama.

When a dreadful mistake by Russia's Roman Zobnin allowed Yussuf Poulsen to double the lead on the hour, it looked as though fate was smiling kindly on Denmark.

It was not that simple as even a win would not have been sufficient had Finland avoided defeat by Belgium, a match bizarrely being played in St Petersburg.

The script took a dark turn when Russia's giant striker Artem Dzyuba converted a penalty at almost the exact moment a Belgium opening goal was being disallowed by VAR.

But everything turned out alright in the end as Andreas Christensen's screamer and Joakim Maehle's late effort completed the demolition of Russia and Belgium beat Finland 2-0.

The stadium erupted and beer filled the air at the final whistle as Denmark remained alive and kicking in a tournament which just over a week ago looked trivial following Eriksen's brush with death.

Denmark, Finland and Russia all finished Group B on three points, behind Belgium, but the Danes edged through on goal difference and can now look forward to taking on Wales in Amsterdam while Russia are going home.

They are the first team in the history of the Euros to reach the knockout stage after losing their first two games but it took a while for the message to get through to Denmark's players, who huddled together in the centre circle around a phone for confirmation of Belgium's win over the Finns.

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"It's so insane that we've gone through. This team, these players. It's great to be a part of it," said Damsgaard, the 20-year-old who has stepped into Eriksen's boots.

"I have never dreamed of being a part of something so big, so it's a great feeling."

MAGIC MOMENT

Other than a Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg shot that fizzed wide early on, Denmark were struggling to make much headway against a disciplined Russia side for whom Alexander Golovin could have opened the scoring after a weaving run.

With no margin for error, there was a tension about Denmark's play and Russia had briefly turned down the noise being generated by the 23,000-strong crowd resembling a solid red wall.

"It's the first time I've seen support like this," Russia keeper Matvei Safonov said. "One of their players just completes a pass and the whole stadium is on their feet."

They were in ecstasy in the 38th minute when Damsgaard produced a moment of magic Eriksen would be proud of.

Receiving a pass from Hojbjerg, he took a silky touch with his left foot and opened his body to swerve a majestic right-foot shot beyond Russia keeper Matvei Safonov.

If Denmark's opener was sublime, their second on the hour mark was ridiculous. Zobnin inexplicably played a pass back towards his keeper without looking and Poulsen completed the simplest of tasks to score.

Denmark were rampant, but everything went flat as Russia were awarded a penalty after Jannik Vestergaard fouled Alexander Sobolev -- and giant striker Dzyuba thumped the ball past Kasper Schmeichel to revive their hopes.

The mood in the stadium became jubilant as news filtered through that Belgium had finally taken the lead and Denmark rode the red wave to finish with a flourish.

Christensen latched on to a clearance to smash an unstoppable shot past Safonov from 25 metres before Maehle fired home his side's fourth to make absolutely sure of a reaching the knockout phase for the first time since 2004.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman,Editing by Christian Radnedge and Ed Osmond)
(AP)

Chuck Schumer condemned Donald Trumps persistent stolen election narrative and its invasive influence in Republican-dominated state legislatures as the Democratic Senate Majority Leader challenged his GOP colleagues to allow a debate over a sweeping voting rights bill.

How despicable a man is Donald Trump? Mr Schumer said. He lost an election legitimately. He cant face that, that it was his failure, and he creates a lie, a big lie, and wins so many people over to that lie with the help of news media and other news commentators who are lying as well, and they know it.

Those despicable lies have lit a fire beneath Republican state legislatures that have launched one of the largest voter suppression efforts in at least 80 years, he added.

The New York senator  facing unanimous Republican resistance against the White House-backed For The People Act  said that the Senate will vote on 22 June to begin debate on the bill, though he made it clear that Democrats want to put Republicans on record over whether they even want to have a debate about voting rights.

Its not a vote on any particular policy, he said. Not a vote on this bill or that bill. Its a vote on whether the Senate should simply debate voting rights.

Republican Senators have flatly rejected the bill, which has widespread bipartisan support among American voters, while accusing Democrats of trying to rig future elections by expanding voting access.

The bill proposes automatic voter registration, mandating at least 15 consecutive days of early voting, lifting restrictions on mail-in voting, ending partisan gerrymandering, and putting in place several campaign finance and ethics measures that expose dark money backers.

Democrats passed the measure in the House of Representatives in March.

Republican lawmakers in nearly every state filed nearly 400 bills in 2021 to roll back vote-by-mail options, impose strict voter ID requirements, cut back on early voting hours and put in place other obstacles that would make it more difficult, not easier, to vote.

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Of those measures, at least 14 states have enacted 22 new laws that restrict access to the ballot, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law.

In his remarks on the Senate floor on Monday, Senator Schumer also brought attention to sinister parallel efforts among Republican state lawmakers to give more power to themselves and other partisan bodies to undermine, override and neuter elections laws and actively remove the barriers that prevented Mr Trump from overturning millions of Americans votes, he said.

GOP lawmakers have introduced at least 216 bills in 41 states to give themselves more authority over the electoral process, according to the States United Democracy Center. At least 24 of those bills have been signed into law in 14 states.

Senate Republicans have also rejected a compromise voting rights bill from moderate Democrat Joe Manchin, who has opposed both the For The People Act and reforming a filibuster that prevents a simple majority  which Democrats hold in an evenly divided Senate  from passing critical items on their agenda.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also rejects a restoration of the Voting Rights Act, the landmark 1965 civil rights measure that the US Supreme Court gutted in 2013, allowing states to enact election policies without federal reviews despite their histories of discrimination.

We certainly hope Democrats will be aligned in a united front to begin debate on the For The People Act on Tuesday, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

Its important to remember this has been a 60-year battle to make voting more accessible, more available, to Americans across the country, she said. This will be a fight of his presidency.

Last month, Senate Republicans first successful legislative filibuster in the current Congress blocked the formation of a bipartisan commission to investigate the Capitol riot and its aftermath.

Read More

What is HR1 and what would the bill mean for voting rights?

Most Americans support easier early voting despite GOP efforts to restrict it, new poll finds

Mitch McConnell says Republicans will reject Joe Manchins compromise bill on voting rights

Merrick Garland vows to challenge GOP threats to voting rights
Florida-based anchor and reporter Lena Pringle made headlines when she posted photos of her natural, Afro-textured hair with a tapered cut. While Pringle is by far not the first or last Black woman to rock a natural hairstyle in a corporate setting, her viral tweet sparked conversations about professionalism.

We spoke with Lena Pringle, business owners, work experts and everyday people to weigh in on what it means to act and appear professional in the modern age  especially during a pandemic.

The challenge to look professional

Pringle, whose look was always "different," said the evolution of her professional style is powered by an ongoing self-love journey. When she first entered the newsroom at 23 years old, she wore a short, relaxed pixie cut. That look wasn't standard or normal at the time. Now Pringle said wearing her natural hair on air is "nonnegotiable."

Expanding the definition of professionalism might seem insignificant compared to major news stories right now. However, several sources interviewed for this piece confirmed that conforming to outdated standards causes emotional and physical distress. It also increases the potential for discrimination to people from marginalized groups.

New York-based content creator and licensed beauty expert Janera Rose acknowledges that the freedom to express herself in the workplace is still limited. "As a Black woman, I know the frustration of being unsure of how to present for interviews  as if my look would disqualify me from being a worthy candidate."

Gaining the right to have your natural appearance deemed professional are often hard-won.

"Hair and makeup have long been social, political statements and a means of self-expression, especially for Black women. How we wear our hair often defines perceptions of professionalism. Black women are 1.5 times more likely to be sent home from the workplace because of their hair. In 2019,Sen. Holly Mitchell, authored the Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act (CROWN), a law that prohibits discrimination based on hairstyle and hair texture. So, for women of color what constitutes 'professionalism' in the workplace is changing," said Martine Charles, CEO of ASE Beauty.

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Charles further explained that "Black women straightened their hair and used highly pigmented makeup containing high amounts of toxins to achieve a more 'professional' and acceptable look. Chemical straighteners harsh ingredients in skin products and makeup often lead to pregnancy-related problems, baldness and auto-immune diseases."

Changes in presentation standards aren't just limited to Black women. Alison Green, who runs the work advice site Ask a Manager, confirmed that in the past decade, people of all races are experiencing the freedom to dress more casually and dye their hair unnatural colors.

Sara Happ, owner of a clean beauty lip care brand, agreed. "Our appearance matters less, and our work matters more."

Mandy, a white woman who works for a nonprofit, shared that she shaved her head and dyed it unnatural colors and patterns in her 40s without fear of losing her job. When asked why she thinks she was able to still maintain a professional stance while having a more creative hairstyle, Mandy acknowledged that times have changed.

"Business environments in general are getting more casual," she said. "I have a more senior position, and I work in a more casual sort of office than I started in."

But while she received no push-back from her Boomer-aged boss, Mandy chose to wear an "inexpensive-but-decently-realistic wig" to meetings and other work-related events where clients or people who didn't work for her company were in attendance. "I didn't think I would be taken seriously with leopard (and later, blue) hair. (My boss) does not understand the way that the semiotics of style influence people."

Tossing on a wig for a meeting is not exactly code-switching, but the idea of switching up one's behavior or presentation to meet certain settings is something that minorities are all too familiar with. The fear of subconscious biases is what causes even non-minorities to be cautious.

Social media strikes again

Pringle thinks the influence for change in professionalism standards come from working people encouraged by social media. "People in particular industries are deciding that they will no longer shrink for spaces and that these spaces will grow to fit them.  For so long, people would just kind of bounce around their own lives, their own corporate struggles, their own whatever, and then you have social media  that has now been used as a catalyst to really push some of these things to the forefront that people wouldn't have otherwise had any idea about."

People are finding their power because representation in the media influences the world. This time though, it's not just fictional characters inspiring our career paths, relationships and adventures. Through social media, we're given a peek into so many lives that people realize that they aren't alone.

Pringle said social media has pushed corporations to stay fluid with the times by making quick changes to outdated standards.

"We're in a particular time where we're seeing immense change. We as employees, as people who are working under these organizations, have to hold them accountable ... by making sure at the bare minimum you get a little respect and get to be who you are in a professional manner while doing your job," said Pringle.

Business owners Martine Charles and Sara Happ say their policy is to encourage freedom in the workplace because it nets positive results.

"At ASE Beauty, we are helping women challenge the perceptions of beauty and teaching them how to embrace self-care and wellness. Therefore, it's only right for our team members to feel comfortable to be themselves. We don't need to compromise our well-being or personalities to fit in at the workplace," said Charles.

"In our company, we've always had a culture of 'come as you are.' I believe people do their best work when they feel comfortable. If being home and doing a zoom in a sweatshirt feels best? Amazing. If dressing up helps you mentally prepare for your day? Lovely. Do you," said Happ.

Before you let social media prematurely influence you to get too comfortable at work, Rose warns that "many companies still have policies within their handbook to prevent employees from sharing unprofessional things online that go against the company's core values. We've seen time and time again, former employees that have been released from their job because of things posted online."

Knowing when to push boundaries is trickier in these contentious times. "To figure it out, you need to be able to pick up on subtle cues, both about your organizational culture and about the people you're dealing with. Previously, when everything was more formal across the board, you didn't need to guess so much about what was expected. The trend toward less formality is a good one, but it does introduce new challenges for workers," said Green.

Getting to professional authenticity

"At this point in my career, ... it is of the most extreme importance that I carry myself exactly who I am. ... Representation is important, it's essential. ... Now my career and my philosophy is 'you take up all the space.' You take up all the space, and you allow those spaces to grow to fit you. Never shrink to fit those because there's an important thing that everybody brings to the table," said Pringle.

So, how does one get to a place of professional authenticity and comfortably take up space? Pringle said it's all about doing the personal work of discovering yourself and then finding the confidence to express it.

Alison Green and Janera Rose advise starting a dialog with your HR and management. Progress depends on your political capital and understanding of your standing in the company.

"If you don't feel that your company is progressive enough to allow you the freedom that you'd like, which can, in turn, increase your productivity, you can either propose a new idea to management or find a new place of employment," said Rose.

If we all are forced to look and act the same, then our thinking becomes similar  or at least the ideas we are willing to vocalize  and that stifles creativity and innovation. Freedom in presentation might seem superficial, but the ability for employees to be relaxed and authentic can have a significant impact on companies and organizations.
Data: STR/Greater MSP; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios

Hotel rooms in downtown Minneapolis are still very empty, even as other cities enjoy a rebound in tourism.

State of play: Downtown's tourism struggles are a big reason why the overall Twin Cities metro has been one of the worst performing large hotel markets in the country.

The Twin Cities had a 42.5% occupancy rate in April and a 43.5% occupancy in May, which ranked 24th and 25th of the 25 largest markets, according to global hospitality benchmarking firm STR.

Downtown Minneapolis' occupancy was 22% in April and 24% in May, according to STR. Meanwhile, St. Paul's occupancy was 45% and 48% those months.

Why it matters: Tourism brings money to restaurants, retailers and other businesses in the city. And the city uses hotel tax revenue to pay off debt on U.S. Bank Stadium, Target Center and the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

Between the lines: While the metro has faced many of the same challenges others have during the pandemic, the state's tighter COVID restrictions and the Derek Chauvin trial have kept tourists and most business travelers away.

Yes, but: Public safety, both real and perceived, is also a factor, said Ben Wogsland, director of public affairs for the trade group Hospitality Minnesota.

Some hotel operators are having a hard time getting employees to work downtown, he said.

Threat level: A May survey of Minnesota hotel and motel operators found that 57% said they would be insolvent within a year under current conditions.

What to watch: In a letter to Mayor Jacob Frey, Hospitality Minnesota CEO Liz Rammer asked the city to use federal relief money for direct grants to hotel operators. The organization cited a $30 million Washington, D.C. program that gave direct payments to operators.

Frey has proposed $500,000 to Meet Minneapolis, the city's convention and visitors bureau, for incentives to attract conventions and another $500,000 boost for a marketing campaign.

Of note: After the murder of George Floyd, Meet Minneapolis called off marketing campaigns, but they're now ramping things up, said CEO Melvin Tennant.

"The room nights on the books for 2022 are actually outpacing room nights on the books for the same time in 2019," he said.

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Voters in Ethiopia cast ballots Monday in a delayed national election taking place against the backdrop of war and famine in the northern Tigray region and questions over the poll's credibility.

It is the first electoral test for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, 44, who rose to power in 2018 championing a democratic revival in Africa's second most populous country, and a break from its authoritarian past.

"This election is different," said Milyon Gebregziabher, a 45-year-old travel agent voting in the centre of the capital Addis Ababa. "There are a number of parties to choose from. In the past there was just one, we did not have the luxury of choice."

Abiy, a Nobel Peace laureate who freed political prisoners, welcomed back exiles and ended a long cold war with neighbouring Eritrea before sending troops to confront the dissident leadership of Tigray late last year, has promised this election will be Ethiopia's most competitive in history, free of the repression that marred previous ballots.

But the spectre of famine caused by the ongoing fighting in Tigray, and the failure to stage elections on schedule in around one-fifth of constituencies, means that promise is in doubt.

- Dawn queues -

Polling began in Addis Ababa soon after the expected start time of 6:00 am (0300 GMT) with voters in face masks wrapped in blankets against the pre-dawn chill.

Electoral officials in purple vests sprayed voters' hands with sanitiser before checking their IDs against the register.

"I believe this election will shine a light of democracy on Ethiopia," said Yordanos Berhanu, a 26-year-old accountant at the head of a queue of hundreds.

"As a young Ethiopian, I (have) hope for the future of my country, and believe voting is part of that," she said before slipping her ballot papers into a purple plastic box for the national vote and a light green one for the regional election.

In Bahir Dar, capital of the northwestern Amhara region which neighbours Tigray, voters said peace and economic growth were the priorities.

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"No matter who wins, we want peace," said 25-year-old jobseeker Mirkuz Gashaw.

"As a citizen, I hope our country prospers and grows," said first-time voter Etsubdink Sisay, 18, who lined up with her mother.

Once votes are counted, national MPs will elect the prime minister, who is head of government, as well as the president -- a largely ceremonial role.

Abiy's ruling Prosperity Party has fielded the most candidates for national parliamentary races, and is the firm favourite to win a majority and form the next government.

Security was ramped up for the election, with police marching in force in Addis Ababa over the weekend, and reinforcements deployed across the country.

The election was twice delayed -- once for the coronavirus pandemic, and again to allow more time to organise the ballot across a huge nation.

Some 38 million Ethiopians are registered but are polls not going ahead in close to one-fifth of the country's 547 constituencies with some areas were deemed too insecure -- plagued by armed insurgencies and ethnic violence -- while in others logistical setbacks made arranging a vote in time impossible.

A second batch of voting is to take place on September 6 to accommodate many of the districts not taking part Monday.

- Shadow of war -

But there is no election date set for Tigray, where UN agencies say 350,000 people face famine conditions, and atrocities have been documented.

The northernmost region represents 38 seats in national parliament, and has been governed by an interim administration since November, when Abiy sent troops into Tigray, promising a swift campaign to oust its ruling party.

Seven months later the conflict drags on, damaging Abiy's standing as a peacemaker and overshadowing a vote meant to broadcast his country's democratic intent.

In a handful of places where the vote is going ahead Monday, opposition parties are boycotting in protest, reducing some constituencies to a one-horse race.

Even in the best of times, organising smooth elections is a tall order in Ethiopia, a huge country hobbled by poor infrastructure.

Observers have pointed out that logistical support usually comes from the military, which is largely tied up Tigray, leaving organisers short on manpower.

But after months of setbacks and delays, election officials said they were ready for Monday's vote, which involves more than 40 parties and 9,500 candidates. Vote counting is due to start soon after polls close, but results are not expected for days.

Concerns about credibility have been raised, with traditional ally the United States warning that excluding so many voters risked confidence in the process.

np-md/tmc/mtp
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has denied that there is hunger in the country's war-torn Tigray region.

Speaking at a polling station on the day of the country's general election, Mr Abiy admitted there was a problem but said the government could fix it.

The fighting, which the UN says has left five million people in need of food aid, is now in its eighth month.

More than 350,000 of them are living in famine conditions in Tigray, according to a recent UN-backed estimate.

"There is no hunger in Tigray," Mr Abiy told the BBC's Catherine Byaruhanga after he had voted. "There is a problem and the government is capable of fixing that."

Last week, the UN's humanitarian chief, Mark Lowcock, told a closed session of the Security Council that there was famine in Tigray.

He also said that starvation was being used as a weapon of war by troops from neighbouring Eritrea who are fighting alongside Ethiopian forces in Tigray. Eritrea has denied the accusation.

Mr Abiy said Ethiopia would not push the Eritreans out but was working with them to "finalise... issues peacefully".

A study released on 10 June by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) initiative found that 350,000 people were living in what it described as "catastrophe/famine".

At the time, Ethiopia denied that this was the case.

A further five million people were either in "crisis" or "emergency", the study said.

The Ethiopian authorities have said that they are distributing food aid and denied reports that they are restricting access to humanitarian agencies.

'Nothing to eat'

People in Qafta Humera, an isolated district in the west of Tigray, told the BBC earlier this month that they were on the verge of starvation.

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"We don't have anything to eat," one man said by phone, explaining their crops and livestock had been looted during months of war.

The conflict, which began in November last year, has forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes and disrupted agriculture.

map of Tigray showing worst affected areas

Ethiopia's government launched an offensive to oust the region's then ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

The party had had a massive fallout with Mr Abiy over his political reforms though the TPLF's capture of federal military bases in Tigray was the catalyst for the invasion.

Sudanese troops 'also in Ethiopia'

Ethiopia has allied with neighbouring Eritrea, whose troops have crossed the border and have been accused of human rights violations, including deliberately causing the lack of food - charges it denies.

Ethiopian soldiers and others involved in the conflict have also been accused of violations.

In March, Mr Abiy said that the Eritrean soldiers "will withdraw" without specifying when.

At the beginning of this month his spokesperson said reports from the defence ministry indicated they had begun withdrawing.

The UN says that more than five million people in Tigray need humanitarian assistance

"We are not pushing them out but we are making it peacefully, I am sure it will happen," Mr Abiy told the BBC.

"We are working with [Eritrea] to finalise our issues peacefully."

He also said that Sudanese troops were in Ethiopia, referring to the al-Fashaga triangle, which both countries claim.

Monday's general election is the first electoral test for the prime minister who came to power in 2018 as the nominee of the then-ruling coalition.

His reforming zeal, which saw the country become more open and democratic, won him supporters both inside and outside the country.

He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 after ending a 20-year stalemate with Eritrea.

But the conflict in Tigray has soured his reputation.

Voting is not taking place there because of the insecurity.
BRUSSELS (AP)  The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on several senior officials and organizations in Myanmar over the military coup in February and the security crackdown that followed.

The EU imposed travel bans and asset freezes on 8 officials and froze the assets of 3 economic entities and the War Veterans Organization.

Those targeted include ministers, deputy ministers and the attorney general, whom the EU blames for undermining democracy and the rule of law, and for serious human rights violations.

The entities are either state-owned or controlled by the Myanmar armed forces.

By targeting the gems and timber sectors, these measures are aimed at restricting the juntas ability to profit from Myanmars natural resources, while being crafted so as to avoid undue harm to the people of Myanmar, an EU statement said.

Last week, the United Nations office in Myanmar expressed concern about escalating human rights abuses after reports that a group opposed to the junta may have executed 25 civilians it captured and allegations that troops had burned down a village.

The struggle between the military regime that took power in February after ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and those opposing it has sharpened in recent months.

Elements of what had initially been a nonviolent civil disobedience movement have evolved into a fledgling armed resistance force in response to harsh repression from police and soldiers who killed hundreds of peaceful protesters and bystanders.

The EU has now imposed sanctions on a total of 43 officials and 6 organizations in Myanmar. It also has an arms embargo in place, as well as a ban on equipment that can be used for internal repression or for monitoring communications.
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A group representing major U.S. airlines and aviation unions on Monday wrote to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland asking the Justice Department to prosecute the growing number of disruptive and violent air passengers.

The Justice Department did not immediately comment on the letter, first reported by Reuters.

The letter from Airlines for America, which represents American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and others, along with major unions said the "incidents pose a safety and security threat to our passengers and employees, and we respectfully request the (Justice Department) commit to the full and public prosecution of onboard acts of violence."

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Steve Dickson, in January imposed a zero-tolerance order on passenger disturbances aboard airplanes after supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump were disruptive on some flights around the time of a Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack.

The agency has pursued some form of enforcement action more than 400 times in the first five months of 2021, compared to a year-end total of 146 in 2019, and has initiated 57 civil penalty actions. Flight attendants and other airline officials ascribe the rise to increased societal conflict and differences over how to address the coronavirus pandemic from mask requirements to limits on alcohol consumption.

Monday's letter added that the airlines and unions hope the Justice Department "will commit to taking action, along with coordination with the FAA, to ensure that egregious onboard conduct is fully and criminally prosecuted, sending a strong public message of deterrence, safety and security."

In a separate letter to Dickson, the groups asked the FAA to "refer abhorrent cases" to the Justice Department "so that the federal government may fully, swiftly and publicly prosecute criminal acts to the fullest extent of the law and deter this dangerous and concerning behavior."

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An FAA spokesman said the agency "will continue to work with local law enforcement and the DOJ to make it clear that unsafe and unruly behavior simply does not fly."

The letter to Garland said that since the FAA's zero- tolerance policy was announced, the agency has received more than 3,039 reports of unruly behavior and has opened 465 investigations into assaults, threats of assault or interference with crew members.

More than 2,300 cases included passengers refusing to wear face masks as required on all airplanes, while Delta has banned more than 1,200 people from future flights for failing to wear masks. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on April 30 extended a federal face mask mandate on airplanes and in airports through Sept. 13.

In May, the Transport Workers Union of America, which represents Southwest flight attendants and was among the signers, said in a letter there were 477 passenger misconduct incidents on Southwest Airlines from April 8 to May 15.

"This past weekend, one of our Flight Attendants was seriously assaulted, resulting in injuries to the face and a loss of two teeth," the union wrote in a May 24 letter to Southwest Chief Executive Gary Kelly. "Todays traveling environment requires a new level of firmness in both tone and direction to ensure proper control in the cabin."

On June 11, two passengers on a United flight were removed from a plane before it left San Francisco for fighting over an arm rest, according to the airline and fellow passengers.

The FAA has been proposing large civil penalties for disruptive passengers including for some who have assaulted flight attendants. Many have been fined for drinking alcohol onboard airlines, where it is still banned and several airlines have extended the alcohol ban because of poor passenger behavior.

Others signing the letter were the Air Line Pilots Association, Allied Pilots Association and Association of Flight Attendants and Regional Airline Association.

(Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Marguerita Choy and Howard Goller)
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Air Force said Monday they had signed an agreement on commercial space activities in Florida and California aimed at streamlining regulatory barriers.

Under the agreement, the FAA will accept the Air Forces ground safety rules and other safety processes, analyses, and products as long as they satisfy FAA regulations, while the Air Force will accept FAA licensing decisions and generally will not impose its own requirements for the flight aspect of a launch or reentry.

The agreement recognizes common safety standards that originate or return to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Last year, the FAA licensed 39 commercial space launches, the most in agency history. Of those, 24 occurred at the two Space Force stations.

"The launch licensing standards provided in the agreement will support a rapidly expanding commercial launch sector and strengthen our space industrial base, bolstering our economy and enhancing our security as a nation," said Acting Secretary of the Air Force John P. Roth in a statement.

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said "building a streamlined regulatory approach for commercial space activities at these federal launch sites is the right thing to do for public safety and U.S. competitiveness."

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Franklin Paul)
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday announced his intention to pardon nine jailed Catalan separatists who were convicted of sedition in 2019 by the Supreme Court for their role in the region's failed independence bid in 2017.

The court convicted all the members of Catalonia's former government who had not fled Spain, as well as two political activists and the speaker of the regional parliament.

ORIOL JUNQUERAS

Junqueras, 52, is the most prominent of the jailed leaders and received the longest sentence - 13 years over sedition and misuse of public funds. He was banned from holding public office for the duration of his sentence.

He was deputy head of Catalonia's government during the 2017 unauthorised referendum and subsequent short-lived declaration of independence and, unlike former regional chief Carles Puigdemont who fled Spain shortly afterwards, decided to stay and face the consequences.

Junqueras, who has been in jail for three and a half years, is the chairman of the leftist Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya party (ERC). He was elected to the national and European parliaments while behind bars and recently acknowledged that his camp committed mistakes during the 2017 events.

RAUL ROMEVA

Romeva, 50, was sentenced to 12 years over sedition and misuse of public funds for his role as Catalonia's foreign affairs chief during the referendum. Like Junqueras, he is a member of ERC and a former European lawmaker.

JORDI TURULL

Turull, 54, was the regional government's spokesman and in charge of the presidency department during the 2017 crisis. He was sentenced to 12 years over sedition and misuse of public funds. Close to Puigdemont, he is from the centre-right Junts party and tried to be elected regional chief while in jail.

DOLORS BASSA

Bassa, 62, was sentenced to 12 years over sedition and misuse of public funds. She is an ERC member and was Catalonia's labour and social affairs top official in 2017.

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CARME FORCADELL

Forcadell, 66, is the oldest among the jailed leaders and was sentenced to 11 years and six months over sedition. She was speaker of the Catalan parliament during the 2017 events and previously she chaired grassroots separatist organization ANC.

JOAQUIM FORN

Forn, 57, was sentenced to 10 years and six months over sedition for his role as interior chief - in charge of the regional police - during the referendum. He is a member of Junts and initially fled to Belgium with some of his government colleagues but came back shortly afterwards.

JOSEP RULL

Rull, 52, was sentenced to 10 years and six months over sedition for his role as Catalonia's top official in charge of infrastructure and environmental issues. A member of Junts, he has been one of the most outspoken critics of what he said was a political trial and ruling against him.

JORDI SANCHEZ

Sanchez, 56, was chairman of separatist organization ANC in 2017 events when he organised rallies in support of the referendum. He was sentenced to nine years over sedition and, with fellow activist Jordi Cuixart, he has been jailed the longest. He is currently Junts' secretary general.

JORDI CUIXART

The 46-year-old civil disobedience advocate was chairman of the Catalan cultural organization Omnium in 2017 when he campaigned for the referendum and was detained two weeks after the vote. He was sentenced to the same prison term as Sanchez and their conviction was criticised by Amnesty International.

SANTI VILA, MERITXELL BORRAS AND CARLES MUNDO

The three former members of the Catalan government were sentenced to one year and eight months in jail for disobedience but avoided serving time in prison after demonstrating remorse, distancing themselves from the 2017 events or promising to stay out of politics.

(Reporting by Joan Faus; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Alex Richardson)
Overland Park Representative Jennifer Day resigned Monday after one year in the state Legislature.

Day, 47, was appointed to the 48th district House seat in May 2020 after her predecessor, David Benson, resigned.

She won election in November by only 62 votes and served on the House tax, financial institutions and corrections committees during the 2021 session.

Day was one of seven freshman Democratic women to call for the resignation of Rep. Aaron Coleman, a Kansas City Democrat with a history of abusive behavior, prior to the start of the Legislative session.

In a Twitter post, Monday, she said she was mailing her letter of resignation.

This is an emotional time for me, Day said. Serving KS HD48 as a member of @KSHouseDems was irreplaceable. Thank you, HD48...its been my absolute honor!

While I would love, love, LOVE to continue serving in the KS House, my new district is capably and wonderfully served by Rep. Jerry Stogsdill. Until he chooses to move on, Ill remain an activist and avid volunteer, Day said in another post.

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Stogsdill is a Prairie Village Democrat who has served in the Legislature since 2017.

In a direct message Day said she was moving to a new home in Northeast Overland Park, outside of her district.

I am very excited about the new home! Day said. However, I am also extremely proud that i was able to hold this seat for the JoCo Dems and the KS House Dems alike with my win in Nov. 2020.

In a statement House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat, thanked Day for her work in the caucus.

Representative Day has served the 48th district with integrity, excitement, and creativity. She has been integral to the caucus and represented her constituents with enthusiasm, Sawyer said.

The Democratic precinct committee in Days Overland Park district will appoint a replacement for her unexpired term.

Day is the third House Democrat to resign this year. Rep. Brett Parker, also from Overland Park, and Elizabeth Bishop, from Wichita, both announced plans to resign in May.

Terry Frederick, a Republican who lost to Day in November, has already filed to run for the seat again in 2022 according to the Kansas Secretary of States Office.
After a large reduction in cases last winter, flu could come back to bite us this time round. (Getty)

Flu could be a "bigger problem" than coronavirus this winter, one of the government's senior vaccine advisers has warned.

Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said data is expected soon on whether vaccines protecting people against flu and COVID can be administered at the same time.

He said a lack of immunity to flu across the population in the past year could come "back to bite us".

He said: I will emphasise that actually flu could be potentially a bigger problem this winter than COVID.

"Reactogenicity, or how [the vaccines] react with each other, and what sort of side-effect profile that they give when given together, is really important.

The government is trialling a combined vaccine to protect against both flu and coronavirus (Getty)

Weve had a very, very low prevalence of flu for the last few years, particularly virtually nil during lockdown, and we do know that when flu has been circulating in very low numbers, immunity drops in the population, and it comes back to bite us.

"So, flu is going be really, really important this winter.

"Flu is going to be really important to get vaccinated against.

Last winter saw the lowest levels of flu in the UK in 130 years.

It is thought that flu infections were drastically reduced by lockdown combined with an expanded flu vaccine rollout that offered free jabs to all over-50s.

Watch: 74 million COVID jabs given in the UK so far

Harnden's fear is that flu will return, and emphasised the need for the vulnerable to be protected against both flu and coronavirus.

The warning comes as experts told the government that the NHS needs time to plan for a simultaneous rollout of a flu vaccine and COVID booster jab.

Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, and Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said unanswered questions about the booster jab programme could make planning it more complex.

"Any changes  a mix and match approach to vaccines, or adding more vaccines to our supply roster, or combining flu and COVID jabs, or vaccinating children  will add significant complexity to the frontline delivery task," Hopson said.

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"We wouldnt be able to start a booster or re-vaccination campaign until these questions have been answered."

Asked about giving children vaccines against COVID-19, Harnden said: We need to think very carefully what the benefits are to children themselves, and those would be the deliberations well be making in the next few years.

The government has said it is planning for a booster vaccination programme later this year, but added that final decisions on what the rollout will be like depend on the data from ongoing trials.

Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast he is expecting the clinical data on what vaccine combinations are most effective to come "in the next few weeks".

He said: "When we know the results of that then we will set out the full plans of the booster jabs over the autumn."

Watch: What is antibiotic resistance?
George Brockbanks left rubbish outside Swindon Council's office. (SWNS)

A man who dumped piles of rubbish outside council offices in protest against fly-tipping in the area has been handed a 300 fine for fly-tipping.

George Brockbanks, 66, said he decided to act over the increasing amount of waste left on a street near his home.

The Swindon resident said he complained to the council on a few occasions before he decided to stage a protest.

Read: Is there going to be a fourth COVID lockdown?

He has dumped rubbish outside the town council's office on several occasions since May, with a note asking them to contact him.

But the council instead issued him with a 300 fly-tipping fine.

George Brockbanks, from Swindon, was hit with a 300 fly-tipping fine. (SWNS)

He said: Its a protest. Ive lived in the area for probably 18 years, and I have seen the area just go downhill, a lot of it with rubbish.

The rubbish got to such a state for me, I just couldnt put up with it no more.

Brockbanks first took a bag to the council offices on 13 May, leaving it along with his name and telephone number so the council would contact him but he received no response.

So he picked up more fly-tipped rubbish and dumped it outside the council offices on 6 June.

George Brockbanks, 66, said he grew fed up about the increasing amount of rubbish left on a street near him home. (SWNS)

He said: I left a note on it, and I made sure the van was parked directly outside. I knew if I took it to them, then something would happen.

The bags contained lots of packaging, polystyrene, a bag of clothes and more, he added.

He said: I thought this time somebody would get back  they did get back with a 300 fine if you pay it now or 400 if you dont within 14 days.

Brockbanks' story was widely shared on social media and the council ended up getting in touch with him.

Watch: Tenant documents life in 'cockroach-infested' council housing

The local authority has since withdrawn the fine and is working with him to find a solution.

They want to have a conversation and said that I wouldnt be paying the fine and wouldnt be taken to court, he said.

Brockbanks said he wanted to bring the issue to light and tackle fly-tipping and is urging landlords in the area to ensure their tenants have enough bins.

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He added: But also we need to educate people as well. There needs to be more signs up which say that this is illegal to dump rubbish.

When asked if he ever considered moving somewhere else, he said: I am seriously thinking of moving, if this isnt sorted out.

The council ended up getting in touch with Brockbanks.

A Swindon Borough Council spokesperson said: We met with Mr Brockbanks earlier this week and had a very positive discussion about the fly-tipping issue in his area.

A number of options have been discussed and we will be looking to put some in place as soon as possible.

We would like to thank Mr Brockbanks for his co-operation, and well continue to update him in the following weeks.

Watch: Woman confronts men fly-tipping then takes their trailer keys
Fornarellis had only three months to make its presence known on the Hartford dining scene before the coronavirus lockdown began in March 2020. John Fornarelli and his son Vito powered through the pandemic with family-style takeout meals, adding Mexican dishes to the Italian menu. The Mexican dishes were so successful that the father and son are opening a Mexican grab-and-go counter called Juanitos Corner when people return to the city.

Juanitos Corner is named after the Fornarellis head chef, Juan Gutierrez, a native of Tlaxcala, Mexico. Gutierrez worked as a chef in New Haven restaurants for a decade, including Fornarellis. When the restaurant relocated to Asylum Street in Hartford in December 2019, Gutierrez came with it.

He can make food that is perfectly Italian, and he can make food that is perfectly Mexican, said John Fornarelli.

Juanitos Corner will open in August or September, depending on when the office buildings call their workers back to work on site. The concept is better suited to lunch than dinner, John Fornarelli said.

Hartford is a lost soul in a way. Its like a ghost town, tumbleweeds down the street, John Fornarelli said. Weve been getting a dinner crowd, but the grab-and-go would be best for people to come in, get their food order and go back to work.

Around that same time, the Fornarellis will open a new Fornarellis location in Colchester, where they live. John Fornarelli said he is finalizing moving into the new site, at 1081 Halls Hill Road.

John Fornarelli was born in Bari, Italy, and moved as a child to East Hartford. He joined the Army, where he worked for a time as a chef. Then he went to Manchester Community College, where he took classes in hotel management and taught cooking courses.

For a while he lived in Las Vegas, where Vito was born. Clark County, Nevada, is home to about 200,000 Mexican-Americans. While living in Nevada, he grew to love Mexican cuisine, alongside his native Italian cuisine.

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I enjoyed the food so much there, John Fornarelli said. The two are cooked with such passion. I liked the idea of merging the two together.

Fornarellis opened in 2014 in New Haven and moved to Hartford in 2019.

Until the grab-and-go storefront opens, a small corner of Fornarellis regular Italian menu is devoted to Mexican dishes. These include chicken, beef, pork or fish tacos; chicken, beef, pork or cheese quesadillas; chicken, beef or shrimp taco salad; and cemitas sandwiches. Cemitas, made with pork, chicken or beef, come on a sesame seed roll, with refried beans, Oaxaca cheese, avocado, jalapeno, mayonnaise, chipotle and onion.

Fornarellis is open Tuesday to Thursday 3 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 3 to 10 p.m. The bar is open 3 p.m. to midnight Tuesday to Saturday. fornarellis.com.

Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.
MarketWatch

If youre hoping to mingle with multi-millionaires this summer, you can skip the Hamptons and Lake Como. The city where youre most likely to bump into an ultra-high-net-worth person, someone whos worth more than $30 million, is San Jose, Calif., according to the latest Wealth-X World Ultra Wealth Report. San Jose, about an hours drive south of San Francisco, tops the list of cities around the globe that are the most riddled with the ultra wealthy: one in every 727 residents there is a member of this elite club.
Georgia police are seeking the public's help to solve the slaying of a Chinese American woman who might have been the unintended victim of a road-rage attack near Atlanta about a month ago.

Carmen Lee, 25, had dinner with her parents on May 29 and was driving home when she was struck by gunfire on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Doraville, authorities said.

Lee's car came to a stop on Peachtree near Tilly Mill Road and her family said police have told them she was the unintended victim of a road-rage shooting about one mile away near Winters Chapel Road.

Image: Carmen Lee (Courtesy Alvin Lee)

That stretch of road has transportation department video cameras but they're not recorded, police said.

Weve made a plea for people in the area who might have seen something," a detective working the case told NBC News on Monday. "It was Memorial Day Weekend, so youd think it would be a memorable weekend to jog their memory. But its yielded nothing of relevance yet."

The 50-year-old driver of another car, struck with gunfire near near Winters Chapel Road, has told investigators he recalls changing lanes and another vehicle swerving around him. However, he's not sure if that swerving vehicle is where the gunfire came from.

"Everybody is kind of frustrated by it," the detective said of Lee's killing. "An innocent person has been shot and killed. We dont have any cameras, we dont have any eye witnesses, nothing to start working with."

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The victim's family said they agree with investigators that race does not appear to be a motive in this attack.

Lee, who worked in private equity management, was the Duluth, Georgia-born daughter of Chinese immigrants from Malaysia.

"Me and my family see it was just wrong place, wrong time," said the victim's brother Alvin Lee, an 18-year-old college sophomore. "The shooter was definitely shooting at somebody else. She just happened to get caught in the misfire."

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Lee thanked all of Carmen's friends and extended family for rallying to the side of his family during this troubling time.

Even before the tragic events of May 29, Lee said he'd been paying more attention to a spike violent crimes that seemed to coincide with the misery brought on my last year's pandemic.

"It's crazy," Lee said. "We're in a state that we are not going to recover from if we keep letting this happen. I believe hate, in general across America, has increased by a lot."
BERLIN (Reuters) - Apple became the fourth major digital company to face closer scrutiny from Germany's antitrust watchdog on Monday after the cartel office said it had launched an investigation into whether the tech giant is exploiting its market position.

The Bonn-based watchdog said it will examine whether Apple has "paramount significance across markets" that thwarts competition.

"A key focus of the investigation will be the operation of the App Store, as in many cases it empowers Apple to influence the operations of third parties," said Andreas Mundt, president of the Federal Cartel Office (FCO).

The watchdog has made use of enhanced powers gained under recent reforms to Germany's competition laws to open investigations into Alphabet's Google, Facebook and Amazon over their data practices.

Further proceedings against Apple are also being considered with regard to complaints received about potentially anti-competitive practices, the watchdog said.

These include a complaint that Apple gives itself preferential treatment by pre-installing its own applications, the watchdog said.

An Apple spokesperson said the company's App Store has given German developers of all sizes the same opportunity.

"We look forward to discussing our approach with the FCO and having an open dialogue about any of their concerns," the spokesperson added.

(Reporting by Riham Alkousaa and Supantha Mukherjee; Writing by Caroline Copley; Editing by Edmund Blair and David Goodman)
BERLIN (Reuters) - A German trade union called on workers at seven Amazon warehouses to go on strike on Monday for several days to coincide with the global Prime Day promotion.

Verdi said it was organising the three-day strike as part of a long-running battle with the U.S. tech giant in Germany over better pay and working conditions.

"The workers in the mail order centres have to cope with the rush of customers and don't get a cent more for the additionally intensified workload," said Verdi representative Orhan Akman in a statement.

Germany is Amazon's biggest market after the United States, and the Verdi union has been organising strikes at Amazon in the country since 2013 to protest low pay and poor conditions.

An Amazon spokesperson said the company offers excellent pay and benefits. It has said during past calls for strikes over 90% of employees in the logistic centres worked as normal.

Earlier this month, Amazon said it will guarantee an entry-level wage at its German warehouses of 12 euros ($14.25) an hour from July, which will rise to at least 12.50 euros per hour from autumn 2022.

Amazon holds Prime Day to boost summer sales. The member-only discounts are an important way Amazon markets Prime, a fast-shipping and media-streaming service that incentivises subscribers to do more shopping on Amazon.

($1 = 0.8419 euros)

(Reporting by Caroline Copley, editing by Louise Heavens)
MILAN (Reuters) - Germany will fully support a European pact on migrants, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Italian daily la Repubblica in an interview published on Monday, adding that progress on the distribution of the burden was finally needed.

"We should find a key for the redistribution of refugees," Maas told the paper, adding that those countries that do not want to participate should contribute in other ways, for example by providing financial means to protect the external borders of the EU. "We must finally make progress in the distribution of the burden."

Maas also said there were talks ongoing to find by August a solution on the Nordstream 2 pipeline, which will allow Russia to bypass Ukraine in transporting gas to Europe. He added alternatives to the Silk Road were needed to curb China's influence in the world.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi is due to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel later on Monday.

(Reporting by Agnieszka Flak, editing by Sabina Suzzi)
Bravo

In her five seasons on Below Deck Mediterranean, captain Sandy Yawn has witnessed meals  and chefs  of every kind. From an ill-fated taco night to some questionable nachos, and from an onion debacle to a meltdown over cucumbers, the yacht boss has seen it all. So, which chef would Sandy choose to work with again, and in a more intimate capacity? When the captain appeared on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen on June 28, Andy asked her which galley guru from the past she'd hire as her own
(Bloomberg) -- Supply Lines is a daily newsletter that tracks trade and supply chains disrupted by the pandemic. Sign up here.

South Koreas exports are set to climb by double digits again in June as the global economy shakes off the effects of the pandemic, though a slower pace from recent months suggests the days of outsize gains may have passed.

Exports rose 29.5% in the first 20 days of the month from a year earlier, the customs office reported Monday. Adjusted for calendar effects, average daily shipments increased 33.7% in the period, which had half a business day less compared with last year.

As vaccinations speed up and lockdowns ease across the world, Korea has seen overseas demand grow beyond memory chips to cars, smartphones and other consumer goods. The gains were less than the 45.6% jump for the full month of May, largely due to a less favorable base effect while exports can speed up during the remaining days of a month.

Koreas trade data offer a timely assessment on the health of global commerce as its manufacturers are positioned widely across supply chains. Sales to the U.S., Europe and Japan posted hefty gains, but a slower pace of rise in China suggests export gains to other economies may also moderate as recoveries there enter a more mature post-pandemic phase.

Consumers in major economies may also pivot spending to services from goods as virus restrictions ease. Still, most economists agree that the export outlook for Korea remains positive.

Its about time the exports momentum started to weaken on base effects, said Yoon Yeo-sam, an analyst at Meritz Securities in Seoul. But theyll largely remain favorable enough so as not to disrupt the trajectory of economic growth while allowing the Bank of Korea to keep shifting its focus to financial stability.

Junes early trade data show exports remain the driver of Koreas recovery, and is likely to bolster views that the BOK is gearing up for an earlier rate hike than most developed peers. In a report last week, the BOK said U.S. fiscal stimulus, rising global ship sales, and pent-up demand from overseas consumers are likely to buoy exports for the rest of the year.

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What Bloomberg Economics Says

Though the pace is moderating from April and Mays outsize gains as base effects from last years lockdowns fade, underlying momentum remains positive. With semiconductor manufacturers leading the charge, the export sector is poised to remain a key driver behind the rebound in South Korean growth this year -- and likely into next.

- Justin Jimenez, economist

To read the full report, click here.

Exports to China, South Koreas largest overseas market, rose 7.9% between June 1-20, compared with a year earlier. Overall semiconductor shipments increased 28.5%.

Exports to the U.S. rose 41.3%, while shipments to the European Union jumped 48.8% and those to Japan increased 33%.

Shipments of cars rose 62.2%, while oil products increased 58.6%. Sales of wireless communications devices rose 15.8%. Ship exports fell 27.7%.

South Koreas overall imports rose 29.1% in the first 20 days of June.

(Updates to add chart, economists comments)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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Houston police on Monday arrested eight people for trespassing at Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's residence while protesting climate change amid the state's ongoing power crisis.

A group of 60 to 70 people had congregated outside Cruz's house at around 11 a.m. on Monday to call on President Joe Biden to stop negotiating with "climate deniers" like the senator and to move forward with structuring the Civilian Climate Corps, a policy to create government jobs to combat climate change.

The Houston Police Department said that while the majority of the protesters were "extremely peaceful" and were exercising their First Amendment right to protest against climate change, a small group broke the law by trespassing on Cruz's private property.

The eight protesters were given multiple warnings and opportunities to leave Cruz's lawn, but they refused for over an hour, a police spokesperson said.

"We explained to them that they were violating the trespassing law. They acknowledged that they understood and they chose to be arrested," the spokesperson said.

The police spokesperson said they supported people's First Amendment right to protest and that while arrests are always the last resort, authorities had "exhausted" all other options at the time.

Cruz's office declined to comment.

Photos and videos shared on social media showed the handful of protesters on Cruz's lawn, carrying similar signs, including one reading "Our homes flood. Our people freeze. Cruz abandons us."

Weve marched 399 out of 400 miles. @POTUS hear our demands. 1) pass a fully funded CCC with 1.5 million good jobs2) meet with US, YOUNG PEOPLE OF THE GULF SOUTH, not Cruz and other Climate deniers to negotiate away our future3) REVOKE the formosa permit #StopFormosa

One video showed Cruz's dog Snowflake looking at the protesters through a front door window, reminiscent of the time in February when the poodle was photographed after the senator ditched him and millions of Texans freezing in a deadly winter storm for a Cancun family vacation.

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The senator received widespread criticism at the time for jetting off to the sunny holiday destination during the power outages that killed hundreds more people than the state's official death toll acknowledged.

Cruz has also been criticized for using social media memes and stunts to engage in a right-wing culture war while his state continues to grapple with deadly crises, including the pandemic.

Last week, Cruz annoyed some people online for posting a video of himself reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before the American flag instead of addressing the state's ongoing electric crisis.

He tweeted the video on the same day that the state's main electric power grid utility urged Texans to reduce their electric use to avoid blackouts during a blistering heat wave in the state.

Idolatry is pledging your love to cloth while your constituents are at risk of losing power in 110 degree heat. https://t.co/8ScqH83Hx1

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued the five-day-long advisory to warn residents that the power supply was low due to "a significant number of forced generation outages combined with potential record electric use for the month of June."

The protesters arrested on Cruz's lawn Monday belong to a group called Generation on Fire, which is a campaign by the Sunrise Movement consisting of young people from the South who have marched hundreds of miles from New Orleans to Houston to demand "equitable" jobs to fight the climate crisis and "rebuild their hurricane-devastated home."

"People in the Gulf South have been hit hard by one climate disaster after the other, they know too well the hurricanes, floods, and freezes that ravage the land. Thats why @smvmtgenonfire walked more than *400 miles* from New Orleans, to this climate deniers lawn," the Sunrise Movement said in a tweet.

The climate change activists called on Biden to "end negotiations w/ corrupt GOP politicians and oil executives."

More on this
In this Tuesday, June 15, 2021, file photo, a pedestrian holds a bottle of cold water at a Salvation Army hydration station during a heatwave as temperatures hit 115 degrees in Phoenix. The Southwest U.S. continued to bake Saturday, June 19, and weather forecasters kept warnings in effect for excessive heat in Arizona, Nevada and desert areas, at least through the weekend. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Excessive heat and red flag warnings were in effect across portions of the southwestern United States on Monday as a blistering heat wave persisted across the region. The grueling heat stretch allowed numerous high-temperature records to fall -- and some locations were already ranking among the top-five 115-degree days in a year.

The warnings come just in time for the official start to summer, with several months of heat ahead for the region. Given that, residents of the Southwest may already be wondering when relief from the heat will arrive, especially as fire dangers loom large over the region with high winds and dry conditions elevating concerns.

AccuWeather forecasters say some relief may soon be on the horizon as the annual North American monsoon season could begin in early July.

"We're expecting a good monsoon, not a top-five producer, but I believe it will be much better than last year," said AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok. "It will hammer down in spots, but it won't end the drought."

William Heinz parks his vehicle on a newly revealed piece of land due to receding waters at the drought-stricken Folsom Lake in Granite Bay, Calif., Saturday, May 22, 2021. California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency for most of the state. (AP Photo/Josh Edelson)

The North American monsoon is triggered when high humidity persists for three days in a row. The annual event is marked by a change in wind direction that can trigger persistent rainfall or a lengthy period of dry weather.

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Pastelok said that the real monsoon could begin in early July, but some may argue the weather event's true beginning.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

The monsoon is expected to be pretty persistent throughout July, with thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening, Pastelok added. There could be some lulls in August, he said.

Pastelok expects the monsoon to yield largely positive outcomes. The monsoon could help to fill up some of the riverbeds and reservoirs in the Southwest, he said, and the downpours could also help to extinguish some of the rampant wildfires.

"Any type of moisture source during this time is needed," Pastelok said.

A car crosses Enterprise Bridge over Lake Oroville's dry banks Sunday, May 23, 2021, in Oroville, Calif. At the time of this photo, the reservoir was at 39 percent of capacity and 46 percent of its historical average. California officials say the drought gripping the U.S. West is so severe it could cause one of the state's most important reservoirs to reach historic lows by late August, closing most boat ramps and shutting down a hydroelectric power plant during the peak demand of the hottest part of the summer. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Ahead of the monsoon, the heat is shattering records while much of the West is considered at least "abnormally dry," according to the latest available data in the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The high in Phoenix soared to 115 or higher for six consecutive days from Tuesday, June 15, to Sunday, June 20. That number of 115-degree days has already tied for the third-most number in a year, according to The National Weather Service, and that's quite the feat to happen on the first day of summer, which officially began on June 20.

The high temperature soared to 109 degrees on Monday, but it finally ended the streak of 115-degree plus days in Phoenix, according to AccuWeather forecasters.

In Death Valley, Califonia, temperatures rocketed to 128 degrees last week -- six degrees behind the 134-degree world record high temperature it set in 1913.

Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, temperatures hit 114 degrees Saturday, a mark which hadn't been observed since 1940, according to The National Weather Service.

But there could be some signs of relief in the coming days, with some forecasts pointing to lower temperatures and moisture.

In Las Vegas, a windy Monday and Tuesday could transform into scattered showers and thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, according to The National Weather Service. Scattered showers are also set to hit Arizona Wednesday afternoon and evening.

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In Eureka, California, a slight chance of thunderstorms is expected over the next few days in the interior mountains of northwestern California.

With multiple active fires burning throughout the region, the upcoming monsoon could bring some natural relief.

"The big fires of the Southwest are usually early in the summer, and then the monsoon comes in and ends that," Pastelok said. "We need the monsoon," he said, adding that there's "a good shot" that the upcoming pattern could do just that.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Summer Wells was planting flowers with her mom and grandmother outside their home in rural Tennessee before she went inside to play with her toys, according to her father.

When her mother went looking for her a short time later, she was gone.

She went out the basement door and we havent seen her since, Donald Wesley Wells told WSMV in Nashville.

Search teams have spent six days combing thousands of acres of rugged terrain for the 5-year-old, who was reported missing around 6:30 p.m. on June 15 in Hawkins County, about 30 miles from the North Carolina border. The Tennessee State Bureau of Investigation issued an Amber Alert for Summer the next day.

At least 35 agencies from Tennessee and the surrounding states have assisted in the search, the Church Hill Rescue Squad said in a Facebook post Sunday.

Authorities issued an Amber Alert on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, for 5-year-old Summer Moon-Utah Wells after she went missing outside her house in east Tennessee, about 30 miles from the North Carolina border. Investigators said she was last seen wearing gray pants and a pink shirt.

Though theyve covered about 2,400 acres, the squad said search efforts have been slowed by the areas rugged, mountainous terrain.

Summer went missing from the family home on Ben Hill Road in the unincorporated community of Beech Creek, where officials said neighbors are few and far between. The road  which juts off a state highway  is less than a mile long, s and dead-ends at a dense forest surrounded by rocky peaks. A stream called Limestone Branch snakes alongside it.

Hawkins County Sheriff Ronnie Lawson told reporters during a news conference Friday that Summer lives at the house with her three older brothers and parents.

She is roughly 3 feet tall, weighs 40 pounds and was last seen wearing gray pants and a pink shirt, possibly barefoot. She has short blond hair and blue eyes.

Somebody had taken her

In a recorded phone interview with the Kingsport Times-News published Friday, Summers father said she was planting flowers about 20 feet from the house with her mother and grandmother the day she went missing. She then went inside and told her brothers, who were reportedly watching TV, that she wanted to play with her toys in the basement.

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Her mother, Candus Wells, couldnt find Summer when she came inside, the father told the newspaper. He said it wasnt unusual for them to find Summer out back.

She has to be outside, he said. Shes an outside type of person.

But she wasnt.

Wells was at work in Jonesborough, Tennessee, at the time of Summers disappearance, he said. He rushed home after his wife called 911 to report her missing.

When I got home, I drove to the bottom of the property and I realized that all my neighbors and stuff were combing the woods looking for her, and I realized right then and there that she was not there, Wells said in the recording. I knew right then and there that she was gone  because she would never leave there on her own. Somebody had taken her.

Summer isnt the first person in their family to disappear.

Wells told the Kingsport Times-News his wife is originally from Wisconsin, and she had a sister there who went missing a number of years ago.

They never found no trace of her either, he said.

Rough terrain slows search efforts

Crews have been looking for Summer since the night of June 15, including searching nearby ponds and creeks.

Tim Coup, incident commander of ground search operations, told reporters during a news conference Friday that search teams have traversed steep and dangerous terrain  including dense canopy coverage and ground cover. He also said poor cell phone service in the area has made communication difficult.

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On Saturday, the agency shared photographs of the house and property where Summer was last seen, urging anyone with information to come forward.

Every detail  no matter how insignificant you think it may be  is important, TBI said in a tweet.

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The agency said theyve received 137 tips as of Sunday, but the circumstances of Summers disappearance remain unclear.

Should we develop information that she was abducted and have suspect and vehicle specifics to provide, we will share it with the public immediately, TBI said in a previous news release. As this is an active and ongoing investigation, we cannot share specifics.

The agency said investigators are looking into all possibilities.

Have mercy on that poor little baby

For Summers father, all signs point to abduction.

She would never leave our hill, Wells told WJHL in a statement Thursday. I think that someone snuck up on her and grabbed her. I dont think shes in the area because the dog goes down to the road and thats the end of the trail, but I dont know that for a fact. The way that she just disappeared, she would never do that.

When asked in an interview with WZTV whether he associates with anyone who might have taken Summer, Wells said no.

I try to stay involved with church people and good people and stuff like that, especially for my kids sake, he told the TV station.

He also told the Kingsport Times-News he willingly took a lie detector test as part of the investigation into his daughters disappearance.

It didnt bother me to do it whatsoever, he said. I understand that, and a lot of times the parents are responsible.

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On Sunday, Wells told WJHL hes not sure if Summer is still alive.

I really dont know, he said. Hopefully yes, depending on how bad, or whats going on with her. Theres always hope.

He said he hopes his daughter is not in any pain or misery or being hurt, according to WZTV.

Please, please have mercy on that poor little baby. If theres an ounce of mercy in your body, please let her find her way to get home, Wells said. Maybe God will have mercy on you.

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Jun. 21Police arrested a 43-year-old man for assault in the second degree after he allegedly punched a staff worker at the Hawaii State Hospital on Saturday.

According to the Honolulu Police Department, the incident took place around 5 :30 p.m. Saturday in Kaneohe.

The suspect is alleged to have punched a 57-year-old hospital employee and was arrested about 7 :15 p.m.
Jun. 21Some 128 baby Hawaiian bobtail squid with ties to the University of Hawaii Kewalo Marine Laboratory were sent into space this month to help scientists make breakthroughs to preserve astronauts' health during long space missions.

NASA launched the squid into space as part of SpaceX's 22nd resupply mission to the International Space Station. The primary purpose of the June 3 trip was to deliver thousands of pounds of cargo as part of a commercial resupply mission that also carried research supplies and vehicle hardware, including the first two new solar arrays.

The scientist investigating how spaceflight affects the squids is Jamie Foster, who completed her doctorate in 2000 at the University of Hawaii under the guidance of Dr. Margaret McFall-Ngai, whose squid studies go back to 1989.

"You train your students, and then they go off and they have to do something different than we are doing and they have to make their own way, and she certainly made her way, " said McFall-Ngai, a member of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences.

Foster is now a full professor at the University of Florida and principal investigator for a NASA research program called UMAMI, which stands for Understanding of Microgravity on Animal-Microbe Interactions. The UMAMI project, which is 20 years in the making, is an offshoot of research that Foster began while studying in Hawaii and reflects her passion for space exploration.

"I've wanted to be an astronaut all my life, and I still do, " Foster said. "I might have to pay my own way someday if Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are successful in starting a commercial venture of space tourism."

After getting her doctorate, Foster worked at the National Institutes of Health, then at NASA in California, followed by the University of Florida. All the while, Foster said, she was building and formulating her astrobiology and microbiology ideas.

Foster first sent squid into space in 2011 and received funding for the current squid project in 2018.

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She returned to Hawaii a few months ago to work with McFall-Ngai for her latest squid space trip.

In this case, Foster collected a bobtail squid from Hawaii's waters and hatched its babies, which were sent to space, in Florida.

Kewalo Marine Laboratory breeds the squid, which aren't endangered and are plentiful in Hawaii's waters, for use in experiments all over the world. The tiny squid, which are about 3 inches at adulthood, have a symbiotic relationship with Vibrio fischeri, a bioluminescent bacterium.

The squid have a light organ that feeds the Vibrio fischeri, allowing them to cast an adjustable glow that provides camouflage against moonlight and starlight, and remove their shadows, making them hard for predators to spot.

McFall-Ngai said, "There are about 4 million bacteria per square inch of sea water when the squid hatches. The species that is the symbiont is so rare, and yet somehow this animal is able to recognize its partner. The other bacteria, they don't even let it get close."

McFall-Ngai said when Foster was at the University of Hawaii, she was establishing the basis of how the bacteria drive the development of the tissue in normal gravity. Now, she said, Foster is asking how the squid develop under the conditions that an astronaut would experience.

"We have found that the symbiosis of humans with their microbes is perturbed (changes from the normal process ) in microgravity, and Jamie has shown that is true in squid, " she said. "And, because it's a simple system, she can get to the bottom of what's going wrong."

According to the examines the molecular and chemical interactions between newly hatched bobtail squid paralarvae and the Vibrio fischeri, which are added to a cohort of the squid paralarvae during the spaceflight to colonize in the squid's light organ. The UMAMI site said another cohort of the squid paralarvae is exposed to microgravity but is maintained without bacteria.

The squid, which are slated to return in July, are preserved over time to capture the changes in space environment under the presence or absence of their symbiotic bacteria.

Foster said understanding what is happening to the squid microbiome in space will help address some of the health problems that astronauts face, such as compromised immune systems and the potential for microbes to become more pathogenic.

"As astronauts spend more and more time in space, their immune systems become what's called dysregulated. It doesn't function as well. Their immune systems don't recognize bacteria as easily. They sometimes get sick, " she said. "There are aspects of the immune system that just don't work properly under long-duration spaceflights. If humans want to spend time on the moon or Mars, we have to solve health problems to get them there safely."

McFall-Ngai said she's proud of Foster and other groundbreaking scientists who have worked out of Kewalo Marine Laboratory, and of those who are still working there.

She said the current squid studies aren't limited to space. McFall-Ngai said interest in experiments using the squid accelerated in 2006 after a breakthrough in next-generation sequencing allowed scientists "for the first time in the history of biology to understand how many different kinds of bacteria there are."

"The physiology of this animal (squid ) lends itself to studying nearly every aspect of symbiotic associations, " she said.

McFall-Ngai said other applications for the squid include studies targeted to understanding why treating human babies with antibiotics is harmful. They also are being used in studies of biofilm formation, which is associated with urinary tract infections with catheter use.

"A lot of what we do has to do with understanding of how you get your bacteria as you are born and how they influence development, " McFall-Ngai said. "How in the world does an animal tell the difference between a pathogen and a normal memberwho is friend or who is foe ?"

Correction : The baby squid sent into space are from a mother squid collected in Hawaii, but were raised at the University of Florida. An earlier version of this story said the baby squid were raised in the University of Hawaii Kewalo Marine Laboratory.
Hong Kong's Apple Daily will close within days because the pro-democracy newspaper's assets have been frozen under China's national security law, an adviser to the company's imprisoned founder Jimmy Lai told media Sunday night.

Why it matters: It's the latest blow to the democratic movement in the Asian financial hub, as Beijing continues to crack down on dissent under the law, which landed Lai and other pro-democracy leaders in jail and led to the arrest last week of five senior Apple Daily executives.

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What's happening: Apple Daily reported Sunday that authorities had frozen the news outlet's assets and that its parent company Next Digital "only has enough cash to continue normal operations for several weeks."

In an interview with CNN, Mark Simon, an adviser to Lai, said the firm had about $50 million that it couldn't access because of the action.

Simon told Reuters that they initially believed the paper could "make it to the end of the month." But he said the situation was getting "harder and harder" and it's "essentially a matter of days."

"Vendors tried to put money into our accounts and were rejected. We can't bank. Some vendors tried to do that as a favor. We just wanted to find out and it was rejected."

Simon to Reuters

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Jun. 21The Honolulu Fire Department rescued a hiker, 40, from the Lanikai Pillbox Trail today after the man injured his ankle.

Five HFD units staffed with 16 personnel responded to a 911 call at 10 :16 a.m. today requesting assistance for the man, who the female 911 caller said had been hiking for about an hour when he suffered the injury.

After arriving on scene at 10 :24 a.m., HFD's Air 1 helicopter inserted two firefighters near the top of a ridge, who proceeded to hike down and make contact with the caller and injured man about 10 minutes later.

Once rescue personnel splinted the man's right ankle and secured him to a stretcher, they carried him to a nearby extraction point for loading onto Air 1 and transport to a loading zone at nearby Lanikai Neighborhood Park.

Honolulu Emergency Medical Services was standing by at the park and took over patient care once the man was back on the ground at 11 :06 a.m.

According to HFD, the man's female hiking companion was uninjured and returned to the base of the trail on her own.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's government is in talks with Pfizer and other vaccine manufacturers for import of their COVID-19 vaccines in accordance with local laws, a senior government official said on Monday.

"We have to find the middle ground," government advisor Vinod Kumar Paul told the news channel CNBC TV-18, when asked about the progess of talks with Pfizer and Moderna

Any final decision on vaccine imports has to be compatible with Indian laws and the government was hopeful that these vaccines would be available in the country before the end of this year, Paul said.

(Reporting by Neha Arora in New Delhi and Shilpa, Jamkhandikar in Pune, editing by Louise Heavens)
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia will tighten social restrictions for two weeks starting Tuesday, a government minister said, in a bid to contain a surge in coronavirus cases in the world's fourth most populous country.

The curbs will apply to 'red zones' where cases have been rising sharply this month, Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto told a streamed news conference on Monday.

The tightened regulations will mean that offices, restaurants, cafes and malls in such areas will only be permitted to operate at 25% capacity.

Religious activities at all houses of worship in red zones will be temporarily suspended, and tourist attractions closed.

Vital sectors, such as basic services, can operate at 100% capacity with stricter health protocols, while office capacity in non-red zone areas will be 50%.

Areas that have been designated as red zones include the regions of Kudus in Java, Bangkalan on Madura island, the capital Jakarta and parts of Riau, in Sumatra.

According to data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), 29 areas across Indonesia have been designated as red zones.

The World Health Organization (WHO) last week urged Indonesia to tighten its lockdown amid increased transmission and a surge in hospital occupancy rates.

Indonesia has been grappling with a spike in coronavirus infections this month, reporting 13,737 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the highest daily rise since Jan 30, with deaths from the respiratory disease also rising.

The Southeast Asian nation has recorded a total of 1.99 million coronavirus cases and more than 54,600 fatalities, among the highest tallies in Asia.

In the district of Kudus, where hundreds of healthcare workers have contracted COVID-19 amid the recent outbreak, bed occupancy rates exceeded 90% last week.

"It was reported to the president that there are 87 regencies and cities where hospital capacity is above 70%," Airlangga said, explaining why restrictions were being tightened.

Public health experts say widespread travel during the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday period and the circulation of the more transmissible delta variant are likely driving the surge.

(Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Writing by Gayatri Suroyo and Kate Lamb; Editing by Ed Davies)
An Iowa deputy sustained "serious injuries" after he was shot multiple times while responding to a store burglary alarm on Sunday.

At about 10 p.m., the officer, who has not yet been identified, arrived at Casey's General Store after dispatchers were alerted of a possible break-in, the Linn County Sheriff's Office announced on Monday. Upon entering the business, the deputy was struck several times by gunfire before the suspect, who has been described as a black man in his 30s, fled in a van.

Law enforcement pursued the gunman, though the shooter's vehicle crashed, and he made a run for it on foot, eluding police in the area. He has yet to be located, and authorities have commenced a manhunt to bring him into custody.

OVER 40% INCREASE IN KILLED POLICE OFFICERS SO FAR IN 2021

The deputy has been flown to a local hospital, and neither his or her condition nor a motive for the shooting was disclosed by police at the time of publishing.

"Numerous law enforcement agencies are responding to assist deputies in the Coggon area after a robbery in-progress was reported at the Casey's Store," the sheriff's office wrote in a Monday tweet. "Shots were fired and a deputy was wounded. Stay indoors and lock your doors. Report suspicious activity immediately at 9-1-1."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Violence against law enforcement is on the rise, as the first six months of 2021 have seen an over 40% increase in murdered police officers, a report by the Washington Examiner found over the weekend. A total of 38 law enforcement personnel have been killed so far this year, equating to a 41% increase compared to data from 2020, according to tabulations made by the Officer Down Memorial Page.

By June 19 of last year, 27 officers were pronounced dead in circumstances considered homicides out of a total of 50 who died in a similar fashion throughout 2020 as a whole.

Washington Examiner Videos

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Tags: News, Iowa, Police, Law Enforcement, Crime

Original Author: Jake Dima

Original Location: Iowa deputy shot multiple times after responding to store burglary alarm
By Parisa Hafezi

DUBAI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi on Monday backed talks between Iran and six world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal but flatly rejected meeting U.S. President Joe Biden, even if Washington removed all sanctions.

In his first news conference since winning Friday's presidential election, the hardline judge said his foreign policy priority would be improving ties with Iran's Gulf Arab neighbours, while calling on Iran's regional rival Saudi Arabia to immediately halt its intervention in Yemen.

Raisi, 60, a strident critic of the West, will take over from pragmatist Hassan Rouhani on Aug. 3 as Iran seeks to salvage the tattered nuclear deal and be rid of punishing U.S. sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy.

"We support the negotiations that guarantee our national interests. ... America should immediately return to the deal and fulfil its obligations under the deal," said Raisi, who is himself under U.S. sanctions.

Negotiations have been under way in Vienna since April to work out how Iran and the United States can both return to compliance with the nuclear pact, which Washington abandoned in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump before reimposing sanctions on Iran.

Iran has subsequently breached the deal's limits on enrichment of uranium, designed to minimise the risk of it developing nuclear weapons potential. Tehran has long denied having any such ambition.

Raisi said Iran's foreign policy would not be limited to the nuclear deal, adding that "all U.S. sanctions must be lifted and verified by Tehran".

Iranian and Western officials alike say Raisi's rise is unlikely to alter Iran's negotiating stance in talks to revive the nuclear deal. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say on all major policy.

Asked if he would meet Biden if those sanctions were lifted, Raisi answered: "No."

WHITE HOUSE RESPONSE

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The White House downplayed Raisi's influence, saying no meeting was planned and that Khamenei was the real decision maker in Tehran.

"We don't currently have any diplomatic relations with Iran or any plans to meet at the leader level," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. "Our view is that the decision maker here is the supreme leader."

The U.S. State Department said it regarded the process that elected Raisi as "pretty manufactured" and expected the Vienna nuclear talks to resume "in the coming days."

Raisi secured victory as expected in the election after a contest marked by voter apathy over economic hardships and political restrictions.

He is under U.S. sanctions over a past that includes what the United States and human rights groups say was his involvement in the extrajudicial killing of thousands of political prisoners in the Islamic Republic in 1988.

When asked about human rights groups' allegations that he was involved in the killings, he said: "If a judge, a prosecutor has defended the security of the people, he should be praised."

"I am proud to have defended human rights in every position I have held so far," Raisi said.

The White House said it would keep human rights on the table following negotiations on the nuclear deal. Psaki declined to predict when or if a deal would be reached, adding that officials are "looking forward to seeing where that goes."

Gulf Arab states have said it would be dangerous to separate the nuclear pact from Iran's missile programme and "destabilising" behaviour in the Middle East, where Tehran and Riyadh have fought decades of proxy wars, in countries from Yemen to Iraq.

Echoing Khamenei's stance, Raisi said Iran's "regional activities and ballistic missile programme" were non-negotiable.

A Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen's war in 2015 after Iran-backed Houthi forces drove its government out of the capital, Sanaa. The conflict has been largely stalemated for several years.

"They (the United States) did not comply with the previous agreement. How do they want to enter into new discussions?" Raisi said.

Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran, which severed ties in 2016, began direct talks in Iraq in April aimed at containing tensions. "The reopening of the Saudi Embassy is not a problem for Iran," said Raisi.

(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington; Writing by Raya Jalabi and Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Timothy Heritage and Peter Cooney)
Israel-based i24News television network said Monday it would open an office in Dubai, the first to do so since the normalisation of ties between the Jewish state and the UAE.

"In the last year, we have witnessed regional diplomatic changes that enable business ties and opportunities for partnerships," said Frank Melloul, chief executive of i24News.

"The establishment of our office in Dubai Media City gives us a strategic platform to expand our coverage of the Middle East right from the heart of the region's media industry hub," he added.

The news channel also announced a series of agreements with the United Arab Emirates, including content exchanges with the publisher of English-language daily Gulf News, and advertisements from UAE's tourism ministry.

Mona Al Marri, director general of the Government of Dubai Media Office, welcomed "the establishment of cooperation between the media sectors of UAE and Israel", while Majed Al Suwaidi, the director of Dubai Media City, said that adding i24News to the centre "adds to the rich global diversity of media".

Two major Emirati telecom operators, Etisalat and DU, would carry content from i24News, which broadcasts in Arabic, English and French.

In December, the channel based in Israel's coastal city of Tel Avi signed a deal with Abu Dhabi Media for shared reporting and archival content.

The state-owned Dubai Media Incorporated said it signed a memorandum of understanding with i24News to cooperate on content creation, media technology and employee exchange programs.

The channel and Dubai Media Incorporated also said they connect their media with a "Fibre of Peace" an optical line connecting the Gulf to Israel to share information.

Under the US-brokered accords last year, Israel established ties with UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

The accords have been condemned by the Palestinians as they break with years of Arab League policy which has held that there should be no relations with Israel until it makes peace with the Palestinians.

Israel has already signed a raft of deals with both UAE and Bahrain, ranging from tourism to aviation and financial services. This month, a first Emirati student began study at an Israeli university.

gl/dac/pjm/dv
Reuters

WINNIPEG, Canada (Reuters) -Protesters have toppled statues of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II in the Canadian city of Winnipeg as anger grows over the discovery of the remains of hundreds of children in unmarked graves at former indigenous schools. The action took place on Canada Day on Thursday, when traditionally celebrations take place across the country. However, many cities scrapped events this year as the scandal over the indigenous children made Canadians confront their colonial history.
Sullivan didnt give specifics but says that she had a negative experience while shopping at a suburban Philadelphia Macys.

Singer Jazmine Sullivan is calling out an employee at the major retailer Macys.

The Pick Up Your Feelings singer is calling out the retail giant after she had what she says was a racist encounter with an employee at one of the stores suburban Philadelphia locations.

She said the incident occurred on Saturday, which was also Juneteenth, per Love B Scott.

Wow to look racism in the eye, and especially on Juneteenth was a wakeup call, wrote Sullivan on her Instagram Story.

Mary King at Willow Grove Macys look of disgust while ringing up my boyfriends mother will forever be etched in my mind.

lovebscott.com/ Jazmine Sullivan IG

As reported by theGrio, the president signed Juneteenth into law as a federal holiday. It originated in Galveston, Texas where more than 200,000 enslaved Black people were told two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued that they were free.

That was months before the 13th Amendment was in place to officially eradicate slavery.

An honest mistake (the stores mistake btw) shouldve been met with understanding and kindness, she added. But if youre prejudice and prejudge people as soon as they walk up to the register then thats obviously too much to ask. Newsflash MaryBlack people got money, good jobs and aint tryna get over on your boy cut frumpy looking racist a**.

(Credit: Getty Images)

She concluded the post, Thank God for the Black employee who tried to rectify the situation (that u didnt listen too. I wonder why u didnt take her advice Mary?). This coulda went a whole different way. U need to be grateful we know Jesus b***h!

Though Sullivan singled out the employee and not the store, Macys has had a checkered history with race allegations. Back in 2018, the store was in hot water for posting an ad that many considered racially insensitive and promoted negative stereotypes of Black families.

Hey @Macys whats wrong with this picture? tweeted out Cincinnati City councilman Jeff Pastor.

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The Christmas ad featured four families but the image portrayed the only Black woman as a single mother.

Its not like they did it with ill intent. But its somebody within diversity and inclusion missed that picture, said Pastor to NBC12 at the time.

The company released a statement about the matter to apologize.

We appreciate everyone who reached out to share feedback about our holiday pajama product images on Macys.com  we want our customers to tell us when we dont get it right.

We apologize. It was certainly not our intent to offend anyone.

The department store was also the butt of jokes back in 2020 when it referenced Divine 9 Greek organization Zeta Phi Beta Sorority as a diverse dance group.

Whats that sound, you ask? Why its the diverse dance group, Zeta Phi Beta Steppers! Performing a special routine they put together to help us celebrate this unprecedented year. #MacysParade, read the caption after the organization performed at Macys annual Thanksgiving Day parade.

Macys deleted the tweet, but not before many on Twitter were able to call them out. One user said, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. aint exist for 100 years just for Macys to call them a diverse dance group.

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Additional reporting by April Ryan and Chinekwu Osakwe

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The post Jazmine Sullivan calls out Macys employee for alleged racism on Juneteenth appeared first on TheGrio.
New Jersey police have asked for information about five individuals who kidnapped and assaulted a waitress after she chased them down for skipping out on a $70 check.

Washington Township Police reported that the waitress, a 20-year-old who works at the Nifty Fiftys diner, ran out chasing the group around 11:15 p.m.

The waitress tried to stop them, but the group instead pulled her into a white Dodge Durango and drove off.

"They pulled her into the vehicle and assaulted her inside the vehicle," Washington Township Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik told WPVI. "The vehicle headed north on Route 42, made a U-turn and was heading south towards Monroe Township, and pushed her out of the vehicle."

SHERIFF'S DEPUTY SHOT MULTIPLE TIMES BY ARMED SUSPECT, FULL-BLOWN MANHUNT UNDERWAY

The waitress, who remains unnamed, ran back to the diner and called the police. She suffered bruises and a possible concussion.

Security footage showed one individual fleeing the vehicle before the group drove away.

GUN BATTLE AT DALLAS STRIP MALL LEAVES 8 INJURED, INCLUDING 2 KIDS, POLICE SAY

Police have urged restaurant employees to mark down the license plate of any customers who try to dine and dash instead of trying to confront them.

"Do not chase after accused suspects and confront them yourselves," Gurcsik said.

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Police ask anyone who has information that may help in the investigation call 856-589-0330 ext. 1160 or email tips to mdlongfellow@pd.twp.washington.nj.us.
In honor of the anniversary of Joni Mitchells Blue," which came out 50 years ago Tuesday, the artist's label has released Blue 50 (Demos and Outtakes), which features five previously unreleased recordings from the album.

The EP includes a Mitchell demo for A Case of You with alternate lyrics; an acoustic take of California; an alternate version of River that features French horns; and a string-accompanied version of Urge for Going, a song she wrote a few years earlier and performed live but didn't lay to tape until the "Blue" sessions. (It first came out in 1972 as the B-side to "You Turn Me on, I'm a Radio.")

Most notably, Mitchell has finally allowed the release of Hunter, a song she cut from Blue at the last minute. Though she performed the song live, Hunter has never been officially released in its studio form.

The release is accompanied by news that Rhino Records will issue Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971), the follow-up to a 2020 volume that compiled her early folk recordings. Drawing from her work while living in Laurel Canyon that led to the creation of Blue, the new set will include what Rhino describes as nearly six hours of unreleased home, studio and live recordings.

In addition to the five songs released on the EP, the music on "Archives Vol. 2" features a full 1968 gig at an Ottawa coffee house recorded by Jimi Hendrix. Another full concert, broadcast in 1970 on the BBC, features a cameo by her then-boyfriend James Taylor.

"Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years" will be released on Oct. 29 digitally and as a five-CD package, as well as a 10-LP set in a limited edition of 4,000 copies. (A standalone version of the 1968 Ottawa concert will come out as a three-LP set on that same date.)

And if thats not enough, on July 2 Rhino will issue The Reprise Albums (1968-1971), a four-CD, four-LP or digital set that includes remastered versions of the albums Song to a Seagull, Clouds, Ladies of the Canyon and Blue.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi

AMMAN (Reuters) -A former Jordanian royal court chief and a low-ranking member of the royal family pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of agitating to destabilise the monarchy, one of their lawyers said.

Prosecutors had referred to a military court the case of Bassem Awadallah, an ex-royal court chief and finance minister who played a big role in the drive to liberalise Jordan's economy, and Sherif Hassan Zaid, a distant relative of King Abdullah.

During the first session of the trial on Monday, both pleaded not guilty, according to Mohamed Afif, Awadallah's lawyer.

"Awadallah said he was not guilty and I have no ties to this case," Afif said.

Human rights activists have denounced the trial of civilians in the state security court, a special court they say is not independent of the judiciary and lacks standards of a fair trial.

The pair were arrested in early April when former heir to the throne, Prince Hamza, was placed under house arrest over allegations that he had liaised with foreign parties over a plot to destabilise Jordan, a close U.S. ally in the Middle East.

The two, who were taken in black cars, are being held in the intelligence department prison, judicial sources said.

Proceedings against Prince Hamza, who along with Awadallah had been under investigation for some time, were later dropped after he pledged allegiance to King Abdullah.

The defence team could call in the prince as a witness if they saw it would help their case but the final decision would be left to the court, Afif said.

"If we find as defence team that it's in our interests to ask for Prince Hamza or anyone else to testify as defence witness in this case, there is no legal impediment that bar this request," Afif said

Charges against Awadallah and Zaid include agitating to undermine the kingdom's political system and acts that threaten public security and sowing sedition. Both carry sentences up to 30 years in prison.

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Monday's trial was held behind closed doors by the court at the start of the session that an open hearing could obstruct public order. The court will be holding another secret session on Tuesday, a judicial source said.

Awadallah is among the closest economic advisers to Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a matter that complicated the judicial investigations, according to officials familiar with the affair.

(Reporting By Suleiman al-Khalidi; writing by Maha El Dahan; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Angus MacSwan)
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday his government would pardon nine Catalan separatist leaders jailed for their role in a 2017 independence bid.

Below is a timeline of the key events since the separatist leaders held an independence referendum in Catalonia that had been banned by the courts:

Sept. 6, 2017 - Catalonia's pro-independence head of government Carles Puigdemont announces an independence referendum on Oct. 1 after securing the support of the separatist-controlled regional parliament.

Oct. 1, 2017 - About 2.3 million people - around 43% of eligible voters - turned out for the referendum, which had not been authorised by the courts. Some 90% voted to break away from Spain, according to the Catalan government, while many of those opposed to independence boycotted the ballot.

Spanish police wielded batons at crowds attempting to vote.

Oct. 16, 2017 - Spain's High Court ordered the jailing of the leaders of two of the largest separatist organisations, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, on sedition charges.

Oct. 27, 2017 - A majority of Catalan lawmakers - 70 out of 135 - voted to recognise the result of the referendum and declared Catalonia an independent nation. In response, Madrid imposed direct rule on the region, dissolving the parliament and dismissing Puigdemont, who subsequently fled to Belgium.

Nov. 2, 2017 - A Spanish judge ordered the pre-trial detention of former Catalan deputy leader Oriol Junqueras and eight other former regional officials on charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.

Dec. 21, 2017 - In regional elections called by Madrid, separatist parties jointly won a narrow majority in the Catalan parliament.

June 2, 2018 - Socialist Pedro Sanchez was sworn in as Spain's prime minister after ousting his conservative predecessor in a confidence vote. Madrid's seven-month direct rule over Catalonia ended the same day with a new regional government sworn in.

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Feb. 12, 2019 - The Supreme Court trial of 12 separatist leaders began in Madrid.

Sept. 23, 2019 - Spanish police arrested nine pro-independence activists on suspicion of planning acts of violence to coincide with the Supreme Court verdict.

Oct. 14, 2019 - Spain's Supreme Court sentences nine separatist leaders to prison terms of between nine and 13 years. The ruling triggers mass, sometimes violent, protests in the region.

Nov. 10, 2019 - Sanchez's Socialists win Spain's national election without a majority.

Jan. 7, 2020 - Sanchez forms a minority leftist government with Unidas Podemos and is sworn in as premier. The Catalan separatist, leftist ERC party plays a crucial role in making his government possible, in exchange for talks on resolving the region's political conflict.

Feb. 6, 2020 - Sanchez meets pro-independence regional leader Quim Torra to start wider negotiations with the region.

Sept. 28, 2020 - Spain's Supreme Court upholds a ruling barring Torra from public office, automatically triggering a snap election in Catalonia.

Feb. 14, 2021 - Catalan separatist parties strengthen their majority in the regional assembly and protracted negotiations on forming a government begin.

May 24, 2021 - Left-wing separatist Pere Aragones, from the ERC party, becomes head of the regional government after promising to pursue a strategy of dialogue to win independence from Spain.

(Compiled by Andrei Khalip; Editing by Gareth Jones)
BEIRUT (AP)  Demonstrators blocked a highway connecting Lebanon and Syria on Monday with burned tires and metal bars, protesting a decision by Lebanese authorities aimed at curbing smuggling into Syria, Lebanon's official news agency reported.

The outcry was particularly striking because it comes amid a worsening fuel shortage in Lebanon that many blame on increased smuggling into Syria from the tiny country.

Lebanons cash-strapped government, which has dwindling foreign reserves, is struggling to secure fuel and subsidizing imports that include most of the countrys basic goods and medicine.

Customs authorities in Lebanons eastern Bekaa region announced they will strictly enforce permit requirements for vehicles going into Syria to limit smuggling of fuel.

The National News Agency said dozens of protesters on the international highway demanded the decision be applied to all those crossing into Syria or be scrapped.

Powerful smuggling cartels have operated across the porous borders for years, particularly during the civil war over the last decade in Syria, where economic conditions and shortages are also increasing.

But Lebanon has been experiencing a crippling economic and financial crisis since late 2019. The crisis is rooted in years of corruption and mismanagement, but many also blame smuggling into Syria for now depriving Lebanon's economy of much needed basics.

With worsening living conditions in Lebanon, some are filling up their cars with goods and fuel and traveling into Syria through the Masnaa crossing to sell them on the other side.

A shortage of fuel is the latest grievance for the the Lebanese population, who are quickly sinking into new depths of poverty.

Long lines have formed outside gas stations in cities and towns in Lebanon, choking traffic. Motorists line up for hours to fill up but only receive rationed amounts of fuel. Nerves have frayed in the long waits and in a number of incidents, angry drivers have fired guns in the air to jump the line or demand more fuel.

Power outages have also increased. Generator operators, who typically have made up for a patchy national power grid, are also beginning to ration their services  leaving neighborhoods in total darkness for hours.
By Andrius Sytas

VILNIUS (Reuters) - The Lithuanian government stands ready to provide support to its enterprises as they get hit by European sanctions on Belarus, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on Monday.

Outraged at the forced landing of a Ryanair passenger plane in Minsk on May 23 to arrest a dissident journalist, EU states are set to soon impose economic sanctions on Belarus' economy including exports of the fertilizer potash, a major source of its income.

Lithuania, which has repeatedly nudged the EU towards pressuring neighbouring Belarus' government and is hosting exiled Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, is also the main transit route for Belarus potash exports.

Lithuania's government supports sanctioning potash, despite its state-owned enterprises standing to lose tens of millions of euros per year from servicing the trade.

"The government will definitely measure the impact, and as much governmental support for infrastructure or any other area would be needed, as much will be there", Simonyte told reporters in Vilnius.

Belarus state-owned Belaruskali, one of world's major suppliers of potash, can produce 13.2 million tonnes of the fertilizer annually, according to Fitch Ratings.

Lithuania's Klaipeda port shipped almost 10.7 million tonnes of Belarus potash last year, through a terminal 30%-owned by Belaruskali as of Dec. 31.

The potash was 23% of 2020's cargo at the state-operated port, which collected a total of 58 million euros in tolls from ships visiting that year. "If possible, we would ask for government support to compensate for lost income", the port's spokeswoman told Reuters.

Belarus paid over 60 million euros in 2020 to Lithuania's state-owned railway company to transport the potash, or about 15% of its 387 million-euro cargo revenue that year, a company spokesman said.

It would take years to find other cargo to replace that from Belarus, said the spokesman, Mantas Dubauskas.

"We are pleased with the government's position on possible infrastructure assistance, as keeping the Lithuanian railway network competitive is crucial for the future", he added.

(Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
Jun. 20California City is one of the least vaccinated communities in the state, yet city leaders have not touched hundreds of thousands of dollars that could help address the issue.

Last year, the Kern County Board of Supervisors allocated $6.9 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funding to incorporated cities. The $2.2 trillion bill distributed funds to municipalities with populations over 500,000.

As part of the county's $157 million federal allocation, supervisors sent funding to 10 cities that did not otherwise receive allocations from the federal stimulus package.

"Unsolicited, we took the opportunity to set aside and bucket an amount of money to help cities," said County Administrative Officer Ryan Alsop. "We did it because we thought it was the right thing to do during the pandemic."

The funds could be used for a variety of needs, such as funding COVID-19 tests, nurses and even vaccination clinics. Most of those cities, like Delano, Ridgecrest and Shafter, have already spent their funding, but California City left $501,288 on the table.

Despite informing the city about the funding, Alsop said the county heard nothing in return.

When asked about the money, California City Mayor Jeanie O'Laughlin said she had not heard it was available.

"I'm terribly disappointed to tell you that I don't know anything about it," she said in a phone interview Thursday. "We should know about it and we should have had a plan to spend it."

As the state moves past COVID-19 restrictions, some areas have proven more adept at vaccinating their populations than others. California City has proven to be one such area.

The 93505 ZIP code associated with the city recorded a vaccination rate of 21.7 percent as of Wednesday, according to data compiled by the California Department of Health and Human Services. That is the 40th worst ranking of more than 1,600 ZIP codes included in the report.

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Just 2,534 residents out of an estimated 11,636 in the 12-and-older population is fully vaccinated.

According to the state's COVID-19 dashboard, 56.5 percent of Californians are fully vaccinated.

O'Laughlin previously attributed the city's low vaccination rate to a lack of communication about vaccine opportunities. On Thursday, she said she did not think California City residents knew they could go to places such as Rite Aid to get vaccinated.

But the mayor said she was open to using the CARES Act funding for vaccines.

"We've got things that we could definitely use it for," she said. "I'd like to follow up and see what we can do. I'd definitely like to get some vaccine events here and publicize them."

If California City wants to use its CARES Act allocation, the city will be on a tight schedule. The money must be spent before the end of the year. However, Alsop said that if it appeared California City did not intend to use the money before then, the county could use it for other purposes.

"If it's not spent, the county will pull it back and spend it in another area," he said. "We have the authority to utilize that money for different purposes and we will."

You can reach Sam Morgen at 661-395-7415. You may also follow him on Twitter @smorgenTBC.
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassleys voters might be getting eager for fresh representation in the Senate. (Getty Images)

Nearly two-thirds of voters in Iowa believe that Senator Chuck Grassley should not run for reelection in 2022, according to a new poll.

A Des Moines Register poll found that 64 per cent believed it was now time for someone else to represent them in the US Senate.

Mr Grassley was first elected in 1980, making him Iowas longest-serving senator. He is also one of two senators to have served during Jimmy Carters presidency, alongside Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont. It is currently unknown if MR Grassley intends on seeking an eight term as a senator at next years midterm election.

Twenty-seven per cent of respondents said they would vote to reelect him, 1 per cent would not and 8 per cent were unsure.

The president of the polling firm Selzer & Co, believed that the numbers show there was waning support for the longtime politician.

"Chuck Grassley has had a long and mostly good run, but most Iowa voters appear ready to move on, and his ratings reflect waning interest, said J Ann Selzer.

Despite this, if he did opt to run again, he would still be projected to win the seat, according to the poll. When broken down on party lines, 37 per cent of Republicans, 89 per cent of Democrats and 68 per cent of Independents wanted another candidate.

The poll was posed to 630 people between 13 June and 16 June. All said they were intending to vote in the 2022 midterm elections and had a margin of error of 3.9 per cent.

Mr Grassley began his political career in 1959 in the Iowa House of Representatives. In 1975, he was elected to the US House of Representatives and then ultimately to the Senate.

The 2022 midterm elections are important due to the slim majority Democrats command in the Senate. Currently, Kamala Harris, the vice president, is the deciding vote on most matters. Republicans are eager to block President Joe Bidens legislative priorities.

Read More

Watch live as Joe Biden signs Juneteenth National Independence Day Act

Iowa governor questions migrant flights into Des Moines

Senators push measure to accelerate DAF, foundation giving
Mark Peel, the owner of Campanile, the seminal Los Angeles restaurant he founded in 1989, is pictured in the upstairs of the restaurant in 2012. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Mark Peel, the revolutionary chef who helped pioneer California cuisine and establish Los Angeles as a dining destination, died Sunday afternoon. He was 66.

Peel died at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center on Sunset Boulevard, his daughter Vanessa Silverton-Peel said. He was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer only nine days ago, she said. He is survived by Vanessa and four other children: Benjamin and Oliver Silverton-Peel, and Vivien and Rex Peel.

Peel started working for chef-restaurateur Wolfgang Puck at Ma Maison in 1975 and helped Puck open Spago in West Hollywood in 1982, ushering in a dining renaissance in Los Angeles.

But he first learned to cook at a small restaurant in the Sonoma Valley where he was a dishwasher during high school. I wanted to be a doctor like everybody else, Peel told the New York Times in 1986. But instead of finishing pre-med, he transferred to a hotel and restaurant program at Cal Poly Pomona.

"I still remember him as a young guy going to Pomona," Puck told The Times. "He started working for me on the weekends [and] then would come more and more."

At Ma Maison, Peel began as a vegetable boy and worked his way up to assistant chef. From there, he cooked at Michaels in Santa Monica, where he met his future wife Nancy Silverton in 1979, and then moved on to Chez Panisse in Berkeley.

Nancy Silverton, right, and Mark Peel, rear, make pasta with daughters of employees and their daughter Vanessa, left, at Campanile. (Iris Schneider / Los Angeles Times)

He made a name for himself as chef de cuisine at Spago, where he created extravagant pizzas and cuisine that celebrated the best local produce. "I remember he said, 'I have a pastry chef,'" Puck said. "I told him I already have a pastry chef, but he insisted I hire her. Her name was Nancy Silverton."

Puck, Peel and Silverton were a powerhouse team in the kitchen.

"It was so hard when we opened, but we all believed in the same thing: to make people happy and give people a great experience," Puck said. The restaurant garnered national recognition and multiple culinary awards under the trio's leadership.

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"He really had his own style and he loved working the grill," Puck said. "He was running Spago when it was so busy, but he always kept his cool and never screamed at anybody in the kitchen. He always wanted the food to be perfect; he didn't care how long it took."

Peel and Silverton married in 1984, and in 1986, they left Spago and moved to New York City to run Maxwells Plum, only to return to Los Angeles after a year. They were back at Spago for a short time, then opened their own restaurant in 1989.

Peel and Silverton bought the space at 624 S. La Brea Ave. and transformed it into Campanile, an eatery that, in its heyday, was the quintessential Los Angeles restaurant. (They opened La Brea Bakery a few months before Campanile and sold it in 2001; it's now a brand recognized around the world. Silverton left Campanile after the couple's divorce.)

The restaurant business is terrifically unstable, but Campanile endured for 23 years, as did the distinct myriad facets of Los Angeles dining that were born in its kitchen. This is where the concept of farm-to-table was introduced to countless Los Angeles diners. When the restaurant first opened, Peel drove to Chino Farm in Rancho Santa Fe multiple times a week to procure the ingredients for his seasonal plate of grilled vegetables.

In a 2012 ode to Campanile, the late Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold credited the eatery with starting the grilled-cheese phenomenon, the idea of a pop-up restaurant within a restaurant, and the urban-rustic aesthetic now commonplace on both coasts.

Peel was the author or coauthor of several cookbooks, including "New Classic Family Dinners." He co-authored two cookbooks with Nancy Silverton: "Mark Peel & Nancy Silverton At Home: Two Chefs Cook for Family and Friends" and "The Food of Campanile."

Suzanne Tracht worked alongside Peel at Campanile, and 20 years ago, they opened Jar, where she's the chef and owner. One of her key takeaways from Peel was how to stay calm under pressure in an industry thats often unpredictable.

I would be the type that, if its New Years Eve and you have scallops on your menu and theres a huge storm on the East Coast and the airlines get canceled  Im freaking out, she said. Peel, though, would tell her not to worry. (They ended up getting the scallops that night.)

She said he kept a sense of humor  at home and at work. He drew eyebrows on her son's face with a Sharpie at his 1st birthday party, Tracht said, much to the dismay of her mother. God forbid he bumps into my mother in heaven, she said.

Once at Campanile, she said, a shipment of whole lambs arrived rotten and moldy.

I was so mad, so pissed off, she recalled. He looked at me he said, Suzanne, put a tutu on them all and send them back.

She did send them back, without the tutus.

She said Peel was such a good butcher that he should have been a surgeon, and he was serious early on about sustainable food sourcing. "Whether the scallops came right from Maine, or the lambs came whole right from the farm," she said. "At that time they were one of the first people doing that."

Peel's most recent venture was the Prawn Coastal food stand at Grand Central Market.

"My dad in so many ways was really ill-fit for the emergence of this whole rock star-chef era," said his daughter Vanessa Silverton-Peel. "He always thought of himself as a cook, he thought of himself as doing manual labor."

As a father to five, Peel was silly and fun-loving: Always the first to jump in the pool, he showed up at graduations and recitals, albeit often late.

He was the most tardy person youd ever met, Silverton-Peel said. Once he was there, he was so happy to be there.

One of the last things he told her was how sad he felt that he wouldnt be around to embarrass his grandchildren. Silverton-Peel has a 2-year-old and an infant.

He was pretty good at that with her, though. Growing up, she said, hed show up to pick her up from bar and bat mitzvahs in full chefs whites  covered in fish blood and smoke"  and insist on hitting the dance floor with her before the party was over. He snagged a dance at Campanile, too, when he let her host an after-prom party there her senior year of high school.

Hed often joke that his giant pickup truck stuck out in the Oakwood School carpool line of Volvo station wagons. It was a Dodge Ram he used to pick up his weekly haul from the Santa Monica Farmers Market for Campanile  a task he always did himself.

He wasnt the guy who was always looking for attention, he was the guy who wanted to feed people really good food, Silverton-Peel said. I think he was so much more influential than he ever really took stock of.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The young woman fatally stabbed over the weekend during broad daylight in the citys Loop was remembered as a brilliant graduate student who was working to complete a doctorate in criminology at the University of Maryland.

Chicago police found the woman, Anat Kimchi, 31, lying on the sidewalk with two stab wounds to her upper back around 4 p.m. Saturday in the 400 block of South Wacker Drive. She was rushed to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The killer, who fled the scene and possibly tossed the weapon into the Chicago River, remains at large.

On Sunday, those who knew Kimchi remembered her as someone with limitless potential and a strong passion for learning the inner workings of the criminal justice system. Kimchi was pursuing a doctorate in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Maryland and was also part of the schools prestigious Flagship Fellowship, which aims to attract exceptional doctoral students. Kimchi was in Chicago for a personal matter, according to a faculty member.

She was one of our best students, just about to embark on a professional career, Gary LaFree, professor and chairman of the universitys criminology and criminal justice department, told the Tribune on Sunday.

In recent years, Kimchi  who previously earned masters and bachelors degrees in criminology and criminal justice and a bachelors in psychology  worked as a researcher and consultant, editing reading materials and analyzing statistical data.

She had extremely strong quantitative skills in terms of statistics and analysis and modeling, said Shawn M. Flowers, who had worked on several projects with Kimchi since 2016. But in addition to that, she was an excellent writer. She will be sorely missed.

While working as a principal investigator on a project involving the Washington, D.C., jail in 2016, Flowers, who heads a Maryland firm that offers criminal justice research and evaluation services to different criminal justice institutions, said a friend referred her to Kimchi.

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She (was) brilliant. She did an incredible job, Flowers said. She managed a literature review of statistical material.

Reached in Maryland, Kimchis father declined to comment, saying his family wanted privacy.

A witness told police the attacker, a man about 30, who had dreadlocks, was wearing a red bandanna, a dark shirt and light-colored pants, emerged from the nearby DAngelo Park and stabbed the woman before fleeing to Lower Wacker Drive and discarding the shirt, which police found.

Video surveillance showed the attacker possibly hurling the knife into the Chicago River, but it had not yet been found.

A police report indicated that the motive may have been a robbery, but the case remained under investigation.

Authorities were awaiting the results of an autopsy scheduled for Sunday.

LaFree said Kimchi had a particularly strong interest in fair treatment issues involving offenders and criminal suspects and had recently published her own research on criminal case processing.

Obviously a huge tragedy, but also a certain amount of irony in the situation when youre studying this issue that cost you your life.

wlee@chicagotribune.com

rsobol@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @MidNoirCowboy

Twitter @RosemarySobol1
Hong Kong  The people who run Hong Kong's last pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, will know by the end of this week if it will be forced to cease operations after 26 years. Last week the paper's office was raided by about 200 Hong Kong police officers, who left with five executives and boxes full of equipment.

Starved of cash because of a government freeze on its $2.3 million in assets, Apple Daily reported on its own potential demise late on Monday after the board of directors for its parent company, Next Digital, met to strategize about the future.

The paper said its board had sent a letter to Hong Kong's Security Bureau requesting its assets be unfrozen in order to pay the salaries of its nearly 1,300 staffers by the end of this month. If denied, Apple Daily said it could stop updating its website as soon as Saturday morning.

Inside #HongKongs Apple Daily.  Waiting in the lobby to interview employees. Heres what it feels like. Apple Daily is the last pro-democracy newspaper here. By this weekend it could be no more. @CBSNews is here.  My full walk and talk on IG: https://t.co/gcVj9BNZpx pic.twitter.com/MRFMJVBxFr

 Ramy Inocencio  (@RamyInocencio) June 21, 2021

Founded on June 20, 1995, by the now-jailed billionaire media tycoon Jimmy Lai, Apple Daily marked its 26th anniversary only last Sunday. Over the decades, both the paper and its proprietor became relentless critics of China's ruling Communist party and the pro-Beijing authorities in Hong Kong.

With its hard liberal lean, sensational headlines and paparazzi-style pictures, Apple Daily grew into a hugely popular tabloid. It stridently espoused the now-suppressed pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, and regularly condemned the semi-autonomous Chinese region's political establishment.

If the Apple Daily goes bust, it would be a cause for despair for many of Hong Kong's 7.5 million citizens  many of whom participated in the mass anti-government protests of 2019.

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But it would be a cause for celebration for top government officials in the city and in Beijing  capping a crusade begun last year to target the liberal paper using the new, much-criticized "national security" law promulgated by Beijing last summer.

In August 2020, Hong Kong police arrested Jimmy Lai under the new legislation. He's been charged with fraud and colluding with foreign forces, "to impose sanctions or blockade or engage in other hostile activities against the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or the People's Republic of China," according to court documents.

Lai, 72, has also been charged with other offenses, including taking part in an unauthorized assembly during the 2019 pro-democracy protests that rocked the city.

He could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Last week, Hong Kong police also arrested Apple Daily's editor-in-chief Ryan Law and four top executives. They all stand accused of similar crimes, many linked to the publication of more than 30 articles calling for international sanctions against China.

At their court hearing on Saturday, the chief magistrate denied Law and CEO Cheung Kim-hung bail, arguing that the court had little reason to "believe that the defendants will not continue to commit acts endangering national security."

On Monday, Lai's long-time advisor Mark Simon told the Reuters news agency in a telephone interview from the U.S. that the newspaper's bosses had hoped to keep the presses running at least until the end of the month.

But he said that with Apple Daily's bank accounts frozen by Beijing, "it's just getting harder and harder. It's essentially a matter of days."

Hong Kong's Apple Daily considers closing

WPL panel on equality in leadership

Ex-president of Ecuador and U.N. official host WPL panel
Tom Brenner

Moving Merrick Garland off the federal bench to make him Attorney General seemed like a stroke of genius at the time. Hed gained a reputation over more than 20 years as a fair-minded judge, liked and respected by all those who dealt with him. Who better to become the nations top law enforcement officer at this troubled time of division than a man whose ability to bind up the nations wounds had been tested in the courts of law?

For Democrats, his appointment had the added allure of sticking it to Mitch McConnell, the GOP leader who had trashed the norms and traditions of the Senate to personally deny Garland a seat on the Supreme Court in 2016. Becoming Attorney General would be the consolation prize for getting cheated out of the job hed been groomed for, righting a wrong that was searing for Democrats and for the country in cementing a conservative majority Court at a time of progressive change.

But less than five months later, questions are swirling about whether Garland, a self-effacing public servant, is miscast in his new role. Naming him was inspired, but for some Democrats, mainly progressives, hes been a disappointment. Being a fair-minded judge sitting in his chambers isolated from public pressures is qualitatively different from taking over a corrupt and demoralized DOJ and clearing out the miscreants.

Dems Rage at Biden DOJ: Your Moves Make No Sense

They are two different skill sets, and the AGs job requires an aggressiveness that Garland has been slow to project. That may be changing as Garland adjusts to being judged in the political arena on an almost daily basis on how far he is willing to go to rebuild the DOJ and to pursue the misdeeds and outright criminality of former President Trump.

Hes no Eric Holder, his Democratic predecessor, who relished confrontations with Congress and was at home in the political arena. A man who is cautious by nature, Garland has begun in recent days to more vigorously address the Trump hangover in public policy. With little fanfare, he doubled the size of DOJ staff dealing with voter suppression measures and ordered immigration judges to stop following Trump-era rules that made it harder for immigrants particularly from Central America and their family members to seek asylum based on domestic or gang violence.

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Garland also officially closed the criminal probe initiated by Trumps DOJ into former national security adviser John Boltons book, vindicating Boltons claim that Trumps lawyers acted illegitimately. Published after Bolton left the White House, the book, The Room Where It Happened, discusses Trumps call with the Ukrainian president that triggered his second impeachment.

These recent actions should help quiet critics whose bill of particulars against Garland include his decision to continue defending Trump against libel charges brought by a woman he allegedly raped, his lackluster efforts to combat Trump-era DOJ subpoenas of the cell phone records of prominent lawmakers and journalists, and his appeal of a court ruling that DOJ release the internal memo that former AG William Barr used to justify not charging Trump with obstruction of justice.

Liberals Need To Stop Whining About Merrick Garland Defending Trump

This is not what the Democratic base thought it was signing up for with Garland, but taken one by one, they can be explained as what any AG might do to protect the prerogatives of the Department and to uphold the traditions he is trying to restore. First among them is impartiality from one administration to the next so that the AG is the peoples attorney, and not an arm of the White House. That has been particularly important to President Biden, who claims to have been blindsided by Garland allowing Trump-era subpoenas to stand.

It appears that Garland is doing exactly what Biden wants him to do, and that is to leave the heavy lifting on Trump to the Southern District of New York, which is expected to wrap up its investigation into Trumps business dealings by the end of the year.

This rankles progressives, but the cautious Garland embodies Bidens strategy of conveying a centrist, non-ideological image while quietly pursuing significant policy changes. After winning the White House, President Obama famously said he did not want to look into the rear mirror and exhume his predecessors post-9/11 policies, notably on torture. Democrats dont want Biden to repeat that mistake. They want Trump to face consequences that go beyond a possible indictment on bank fraud in New York.

Garlands success hinges on Bidens success, and whether this nice guy approach to the job pays off in significant change on issues that matter beyond revenge. This is Garlands second time around at DOJ. He was the lead prosecutor in 1995 on the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma that killed 168 people and wounded hundreds of others, including children at a daycare center. Timothy McVeigh, a white supremacist, got the death penalty.

The shock of this enemy within was a wake-up call for the country. Americans looked to Washington for solace, and President Clinton rose to the occasion and rallied the country. Soon after, in 1997, Clinton nominated Garland for the United States Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia, the second most powerful court and a stepping stone to the Supreme Court. He was 63 when Obama nominated him to fill the vacancy created by Justice Scalias sudden death in February of 2016.

Obama chose Garland on the advice of former Senate Judiciary chairman Orrin Hatch, a Republican, who said the GOP-controlled Senate would confirm someone of Garlands centrist caliber and relatively advanced age. The Republicans would never confirm a forty-something radical, Hatch said.

When it turned out McConnells senate wouldnt confirm any Democrat of any age, Garland stayed on the court, where he served with distinction for 24 years until 2021 when he assumed the post of Attorney General.

The jury is out on whether Garland will meet the moment these extraordinary times demand in upholding the rule of law and rebuilding its citadel in Washington.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AP)  Mexicos president vowed to investigate the border shootings that left 19 people dead over the weekend, even as the latest homicide figures showed a rebound in killings nationwide.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said evidence indicated that 15 of the victims were innocent bystanders. The other four dead were suspected gunmen from a group that drove into the northern border city of Reynosa and opened fire indiscriminately.

Everything indicates that it was not a confrontation, but rather a commando that shot people who were not involved in any conflict," Lopez Obrador said.

The government of Tamaulipas state, where Reynosa is located, said in a statement there was evidence the killings involved organized crime, which in Mexico is generally used to refer to drug cartels. Cartels in the Reynosa area have become increasingly involved in migrant trafficking or charging protection fees to migrant traffickers.

Raymundo Ramos, who leads one of the state's most active human rights groups, said he believed the killings were related to the June 6 elections that chose new mayors for Reynosa and most other Mexican cities and towns.

This is clearly an act of post-electoral terror directed at the people of Reynosa, and probably a warning for the rest of the townships in Tamaulipas, wrote Ramos. Drug gangs in Mexico rely heavily on intimidating or coopting local governments to extort money or gain protection from municipal police.

Reynosa is located across the border from McAllen, Texas, and has been the scene of fighting between factions of the Gulf cartel. But those disputes usually target rival gunmen or security forces. The dead in the Saturday attack included taxi drivers, workers and a nursing student.

On Monday, federal prosecutors said they were taking over the case, in which one suspect has been arrested. The Attorney General's Office said the attack was the result of territorial disputes between gangs from Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas and the cartels that operate in Reynosa. Rio Bravo is located just to the east of Reynosa.

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Authorities are still investigating the motive, though in the past, drug cartels have sometimes used random killings of civilians to turn up the heat on rival gangs, or intimidate local authorities.

Lopez Obrador pledged a thorough investigation.

Maria Elena Morera, director of the civic anti-crime group Common Cause, said many people have become inured to such violence.

Mexicans have become accustomed to all these atrocities, without there being any real reaction," Morera said. In the face of so much violence, people prefer not to let the pain in, and turn away.

The killings Saturday in Reynosa, and the latest nationwide homicide figures, suggest that Lopez Obrador's hugs not bullets crime strategy is doing little to decrease killings.

There were 2,963 homicides in May, the latest month for which figures are available, higher than May 2020 and well above the numbers that prevailed when Lopez Obrador took office in December 2018.

The government says homicides declined 2.9% in the first five months of 2021 compared to 2020, but that may be because January and February of this year were marked by Mexico's worst coronavirus wave, when public activities were curtailed.

This is nothing, Morera said of the drop. It is as if you keep a patient in a coma and then say he's doing very well.

Tamaulipas Gov. Francisco Garcia Cabeza de Vaca called the Reynosa victims innocent citizens," and said Criminal organizations must receive a clear, explicit and forceful signal from the Federal Government that there will be no room for impunity, nor tolerance for their reprehensible criminal behavior."

Garcia Cabeza de Vaca belongs to the rival National Action Party and is himself being investigated by the federal prosecutors office for organized crime and money laundering - accusations he says are part of plan by Lopez Obradors government to attack him for being an opponent.

Local businessman Misael Chavarria Garza said many businesses closed early Saturday after the attacks and people were very scared as helicopters flew overhead.

On Sunday, he said the people were quiet as if nothing had happened, but with a feeling of anger because now crime has happened to innocent people.

The attacks sparked a deployment of the military, National Guard and state police across the city.

The areas criminal activity has long been dominated by the Gulf cartel and there have been fractures within that group. Experts say there has been an internal struggle within the group since 2017 to control key territories for drug and human trafficking. Apparently, one cell from a nearby town may have entered Reynosa to carry out the attacks.

Lopez Obrador has sought to avoid confrontations with drug cartels, at one point releasing a top trafficker to avoid bloodshed. He prefers to focus on addressing underlying social problems like youth unemployment.

Earlier this month, Lopez Obrador praised the drug cartels for not disrupting the June 6 mid-term voting, even though three dozen candidates were killed during the campaigns.

People who belong to organized crime behaved very well, in general, there were few acts of violence by these groups, the president said. I think the white-collar criminals acted worse.
For years, Missouri Republicans have been trying to block Planned Parenthood from receiving $400,000 or more a year from Medicaid for providing cancer screenings, birth control and sexually-transmitted disease testing for low-income patients.

Their latest attempt could put more than $4 billion for the entire Medicaid program at risk.

After Republicans reached a tenuous agreement last week on banning Medicaid coverage of certain forms of birth control to renew a critical tax on hospitals that provides billions for the program, some hard-right conservatives are insisting on also stopping payments to Planned Parenthood.

The demand puts the General Assembly in danger of not renewing the tax by July 1, the deadline Republican Gov. Mike Parson has set for action before he rolls out staggering budget cuts to keep the health program for low-income Missourians afloat.

Parson was set to announce his plans for the budget on Monday. His office announced a news conference regarding efforts needed to renew the tax before cost-saving measures are needed next month.

Parson had said he would call a special session once an agreement was reached. Anticipation mounted last week that an announcement would come Friday, but none did, signaling that the apparent deal hadnt fully come together, at least not to Parsons liking. Without legislation action, the hospital tax will expire Sept. 30.

Theres a consensus on that issue amongst Republicans, House Budget Chair Cody Smith, a Carthage Republican, said Friday of the birth control coverage ban. What we are still continuing to work on is the Planned Parenthood piece.

The focus on Planned Parenthood comes less than a year after the Missouri Supreme Court rejected Republican attempts to block Medicaid dollars from going to the organization through the state budget. Under federal law, Medicaid funds cant be used to pay for abortions except in limited circumstances. But Republicans want to stop Medicaid for paying for any services provided by the organization.

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In 2018 and 2019, lawmakers put language in the Department of Social Services annual budget prohibiting payments to abortion providers and their affiliates. The state withheld more than $1 million in payments from Planned Parenthood affiliates, which operate the Missouris only abortion clinic in St. Louis in addition to 11 family planning clinics across the state. The providers sued, and judges said lawmakers could not pass that legislation through the state budget.

Sen. Bob Onder, a Lake St. Louis Republican, is spearheading the latest attempt to halt funding. He calls the hospital tax, known as the Federal Reimbursement Allowance or FRA, the best opportunity to stop the flow of dollars.

The Missouri Supreme Court has made it very clear we cant do it in the budget, we have to do it in statute, Onder said. And the FRA bill renewal is the perfect vehicle by which to do that.

Smith said lawmakers have been careful to leave the language out of the budget this year. He said he believes it would be legal to include it in the tax renewal bill.

But Missouri would still risk violating federal law, which requires states Medicaid programs to cover patients treatments at any provider they choose as long as they are considered qualified by the federal government.

Whether its blocking access to birth control or trying to defund Planned Parenthood  which really means blocking thousands of Medicaid patients from getting essential care like birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing at Planned Parenthood health centers  these political games at the expense of patients have to stop, MEvie Mead, director of Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri, said in a statement.

Both the Planned Parenthood fight and the effort to ban coverage of certain contraceptives underscore the degree to which basic legislation, such as the FRA, has become wrapped up in abortion politics. Republican leaders in charge of the state budget have been placed in the precarious position of crafting anti-abortion restrictions they hope wont violate federal coverage rules.

Its my understanding that states cannot pick and choose who gets federal dollars, Smith said. Im hopeful that we can continue to seek a solution that would enable us to not send any taxpayer dollars whatsoever to any abortion providers or their affiliates, and at the same time keep our federal funding intact.

The federal government requires state Medicaid programs to cover family planning services, and all insurance plans to cover birth control.

Guidelines are less clear on specific forms of contraception for Medicaid recipients, though federal law does specify that recipients of family planning services must be free from coercion or mental pressure and free to choose the method of family planning to be used. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has in the past encouraged states to cover all forms.

The agreement among Republicans would prohibit Medicaid coverage of Plan B and IUDs, among other contraceptives.

Most states cover all FDA-approved forms of contraceptives, according to a 2016 Kaiser Family Foundation survey, while some do not cover emergency ones.

From 2017 to 2020, Missouris Medicaid program covered long-acting reversible contraceptives  which includes IUDs and other implanted birth control  for an average of 8,100 women a year.

IUDs and implants made up 16% of the chosen methods last year for roughly 31,000 mostly low-income women who sought contraceptives from the Missouri Family Health Councils clinics statewide, said director Michelle Trupiano.

We are witnessing a high-speed, head-on collision between the responsible governance of funding Medicaid and the far-right Republican politics of banning birth control, House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, a Springfield Democrat, said in a statement. If extremism wins, it will be devastating for Missouri.
Members of the Missouri Highway Patrol have resumed their search for a missing boater who dove into Smithville Lake to retrieve an item that had fallen overboard, a spokesman said Monday.

The woman, believed to be in her 30s and from the Kansas City area, disappeared under the water around 4 p.m. Sunday and didnt resurface, said Sgt. Bill Lowe, a spokesman for the Missouri Highway Patrols Troop A.

We havent determined if after she dove in if she hit her head or what happened, Lowe said. She didnt resurface.

The vessel she was in struck an underwater object as it was slowly moving to a boat ramp near the Collins Road Bridge, the highway patrol said.

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Rescuers suspended the search for her Sunday as night fell, Lowe said. The search resumed about 7:30 a.m. Monday.
Sir Terry Leahy, former CEO of Tesco and senior adviser to CD&R. Photo: Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images for ReSource 2012

Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) is the shadowy US suitor currently attempting to take over one of the UK's biggest grocery chains.

Having been rejected by Morrisons (MRW.L) over the weekend, following a 5.5bn ($7.6bn) bid last week, reports circulated this morning that the private equity house wasn't done yet.

The approach sent Morrisons' stock soaring  bumped more than 30% shortly after the opening bell in London on Monday.

CD&R has released a statement confirming that under takeover rules it has until 17 July to firm up its intentions.

So, who is the behemoth trying to take Morrisons private?

Founded in 1978, CD&R is one of the oldest private equity houses on the market, and now has more than $30bn (22bn) invested in a businesses across multiple different industries. With offices in New York and London, it says it has an aggregate transaction value in excess of $140bn.

As of December 2020, it had 34 portfolio companies and in turn 225,000 portfolio company employees, $60bn in portfolio company revenues and around 500 limited partners.

The firm bills its origins as having been an upstart without a specific motivation, writing on its website that "it wasnt really a business but a personal effort by a close-knit group, which wasnt exactly sure where it was headed, but shared a sense of common values and a conviction that combining operating and financial skills would produce better investment results.

Now, it is a heavyweight of the private equity world and regularly swoops for household names.

Read more: Morrisons shares pop 30% as CD&R plots fresh takeover bid

In 1983, the Firm acquired Harris Graphics in what was, at the time, the largest ever corporate divestiture accomplished through a private equity structure. Divestiture is the act of disposing of an asset through sale, exchange, or closure.

Two years later, it had cemented its reputation as a heavyweight for being a constructive partner to corporations by acting as a white knight, helping US rubber company Uniroyal fend off a hostile activist investor.

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In 1991, IBM (IBM) selected CD&R to carve out its printer and supplies business lines, which became laser printer company Lexmark.

CD&R also might be known for its acquisition and disposal of car rental company Hertz. The $15bn private equity deal that took Hertz private in 2005, led by CD&R, was the second-biggest on record. Not only this, but it was one of the shortest periods a company has spent in private hands. Nine months later, Hertz returned to the stock market.

The private ownership added mountains of debt to Hertz balance sheet and Moody's cut its rating to junk.

CD&R noted its successes at Hertz as improving operating efficiencies, changing the way the company bought and sold cars and creating a flexible capital structure that withstood the great recession

In a 2020 piece in the Financial Times on America's snowballing debt addiction, the firm was characterised as having "put together leveraged buyouts as if they were running an assembly line."

Execs and investors

CD&R counts corporate heavyweights among its top brass, with a certain pedigree in the British grocery trade. In 2011, Sir Terry Leahy, former CEO of Tesco (TSCO.L) became a senior advisor to the firm.

Sir Leahy was the executive who helped guide Tesco to 2bn in profits in 2005, and at the time hit back against protest that the company had become "too successful". During his tenure Tesco's market share grew from 20% to 30%.

He has been paid 8.4m in performance-related bonuses since his departure in 2010 on top of a pension pot that as reportedly worth 18.4m when he left.

Among others, the firm has hired from Disney, Emerson Electric, GAP, GE, IBM, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble and Unilever.

Many of these executives joined the Firm's London office, which opened in 1998, as CD&R built up its European capabilities and track record.

The majority of its investors are US-based, with an equal share of the pie residing in Asia and Europe, its next two biggest regions. These include pension funds, high net worth and family offices, sovereign funds, funds of funds and insurance companies.

Other recent deals

Earlier this month CD&R bought data cloud company Cloudera with KKR in an all-cash transaction valued at $5.3bn.

Cloudera shareholders received $16 in cash per share, representing a 24% premium to the closing price as of May 28, 2021 and a 30% premium to the 30-day volume weighted average share price.

Earlier this year it also sold management consulting company Capco for $1.45bn.

At the beginning of the year it also swooped for UK plumbing and climate products firm Wolseley in a 308m divestiture transaction.

Watch: What are SPACs?
Police officers accused of using excessive force against a teen playing tag with friends at a Durham apartment complex last year tried unsuccessfully Monday to delay a review board hearing in the case.

Durham attorney Daniel Meier filed a lawsuit on behalf of four unnamed officers that sought to pause the Durham Civilian Police Review Boards examination of the police departments investigation into officers who pointed their guns at and handcuffed then 15-year-old Jaylin Harris in August 2020. Two other children, 8 and 11, witnessed the incident.

Meier argued that review board Chair DeWarren Langley violated the boards policy by expressing an opinion about the case in an interview with WRAL. He called the harm to his clients from a violation of confidentiality rules irreparable.

If the board comes out and makes findings that are against them or exceeds the scope of their authority, even later on if we succeed, you cant unring that bell, Meier said during the hearing.

Meier also argued that the review board shouldnt be hearing a case in which families have said they plan to sue the city. He also asked the judge to ensure the board stays within the narrow scope of its review.

The board is supposed to maintain its independence as a quasi-judicial body, Meier argued.

They shouldnt be able to say, We have these rules, but if we feel like ignoring them, theres nothing you can do about it, he said.

Anna Davis, assistant city attorney, argued that it is unlikely the officers would prove Langley violated the open meeting laws or confidentiality laws related to public employees.

Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson agreed with Davis and denied the motion for a preliminary injunction to halt the review boards meeting, which was set to resume about 30 minutes after the court hearing concluded.

So the meeting is going to go on tonight? Hudson asked Davis.

It is, your honor, Davis said.

Langley, who wasnt at the hearing, declined to comment on the lawsuit afterward. Mondays hearing isnt open the public.

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The board will move forward with the process to make a final determination, he said.

While the preliminary injunction was denied, the lawsuit can still move forward. Meier said the boards decision will determine his clients next steps.

Body-camera footage

After Jaylins mother, Ashley Harris, and other families expressed outrage at the Aug. 21, 2020, incident, the city released in November related body-camera footage of the officers running after the teen at the Rochelle Manor apartment complex.

The video shows an officer pointing his gun and chasing Jaylin, who lay face down on the concrete. After the teen was handcuffed and patted down by police, Jaylin told police he was running because he was playing tag with other kids.

No one was charged. Police later said they had received a call about someone in a tank top, which Harris was wearing, holding a gun.

My son, our kids are still going to therapy for this, said Makeba Hoffler, the mother of the youngest child who saw the incident, after the body camera footage was released. Its not going to stop playing in their heads what they went through that day.

After an internal investigation by the police departments Professional Standards Division, Officer Z.B. Starritt was suspended without pay for one day.

No other officers were disciplined.

Review board hearing sought

Harris then sought a hearing before Durhams Civilian Police Review Board, according to court documents.

The board hears resident appeals of the outcome of complaints against officers.

If the board determines a hearing is justified, it is limited to examining the departments investigation of a complaint, not the complaint itself. Langley said there have been six requests for appeal hearings so far this year, and three have been granted.

In the 2019-20 fiscal year, the review board received one request for an appeal hearing, but it wasnt granted, according to the boards annual report. The previous year there were no requests for appeal hearings.

The boards job is to determine whether there has been an abuse of discretion, according to a recent memo to the board from a city attorney. The memo defined abuse as  clearly unreasonable, erroneous, or arbitrary and not justified by the facts or the law applicable in the case.

After its hearing, the board, which has no power to discipline or reprimand an officer or employee, will then make a recommendation to the city manager and the police chief.

The review board began reviewing the Rochelle Manor case Wednesday, continuing it to Monday.

After Wednesdays session, WRAL ran a story quoting Langley saying the video footage and testimony was very concerning, court documents state.

Debate over expanding review board powers

The case is the latest incident to highlight the limited power of police review boards in North Carolina.

Demands to increase such boards power gained traction after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, The News & Observer reported.

Gov. Roy Coopers Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice recommended that North Carolina expand civilian review boards investigative and oversight authority.

But some law enforcement organizations, including the N.C. Sheriffs Association, oppose such changes.

Residents have a voice in the process through their votes for sheriffs and district attorneys, who typically determine whether to press charges against an officer after an incident.

As such, the Association believes that voting allows every citizen to be a member of a constitutional citizen review board and provides the necessary checks and balances in our justice system, states the Sheriffs Association October 2020 report on Law Enforcement Professionalism, which outlined reforms the association supported and opposed.

The Raleigh City Council created that citys Police Advisory Board in February 2020 after years of debate. It reviews police department procedures and cannot hear testimony or listen to citizen complaints.

Activists sought broader powers, but city leaders said state laws limits the power of advisory boards. In July 2020, the Raleigh City Council sent letters to three branches of state government seeking authority for the board to call witnesses and issue subpoenas, The N&O reported.

In March, two members of the 11-member board resigned, citing challenges working with the city.

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A picture taken in April 1945 depicts Auschwitz concentration camp gate, with the inscription

One in 10 young Americans believes that the Holocaust never happened, while 23 per cent think its a myth or that the number of those killed has been exaggerated.

In a 50-state survey of Americans aged between 18 and 39, 12 per cent said they had never heard, or thought they had never heard, the word Holocaust before.

Some younger Americans appear to have bought into conspiracy theories being shared on social media and some cant name a single concentration camp.

Almost half of the survey respondents, 49 per cent, said they had seen Holocaust denial and distortion content on social media, with 11 per cent saying they thought Jews, not the Nazis, were responsible for the Holocaust. That number goes up to 19 per cent in New York state.

New York has the highest share, just over nine per cent, of the US Jewish population, with almost 1.8 million people identifying as Jewish in the state.

More than a third of respondents, 36 per cent, thought fewer than two million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, and 63 per cent were unaware that the actual number of Jews killed was six million.

Almost half, 48 per cent, couldnt name a single one of the 40,000 concentration camps and ghettos in Europe during the Holocaust.

While most of the killings took place between 1941 and 1945, the persecution of Jews started much earlier, with the first concentration camp, Dachau outside Munich, being built in 1933, initially intended to hold political prisoners.

Only six per cent of respondents said they were familiar with the Dachau camp.

The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany commissioned the survey. The president of the organisation, Gideon Taylor, said in a statement: The results are both shocking and saddening, and they underscore why we must act now while Holocaust survivors are still with us to voice their stories.

We need to understand why we arent doing better in educating a younger generation about the Holocaust and the lessons of the past, Mr Taylor added. This needs to serve as a wake-up call to us all, and as a road map of where government officials need to act.

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To establish where in the country lack of knowledge was the biggest issue, the survey was done state by state with a knowledge score being devised to measure awareness.

The score was calculated by taking the percentage of respondents who had heard of the Holocaust and could name at least one concentration camp, death camp, or ghetto, and was aware that six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.

Arkansas came at the bottom of the list, with fewer than two in 10  some 17 per cent  of Millennials and Gen Z individuals meeting the knowledge criteria. Mississippi at 18 per cent and Florida at 20 per cent also came in the bottom three.

Wisconsin was at the top of the list with 42 per cent, Minnesota at 37 per cent and Massachusetts at 35 per cent made up the rest of the top three.

Holocaust denial is thriving on social media, with a study from August last year showing that Facebooks algorithm was actively pushing this kind of content.

Facebook spokesperson Dani Lever told USA Today in January: Weve made major progress in fighting Holocaust denial on Facebook by implementing a new policy prohibiting it and enforcing against these hateful lies in every country around the world.

It is clear that we must fight this distortion of history and do all we can to ensure that the social media giants stop allowing this harmful content on their platforms, the executive vice president of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, Greg Schneider, said in a statement.

Read More

Museum exhibits works by Polish artist confronting Holocaust

NY Holocaust survivors celebrated at concert after isolation

College wins battle against Holocaust survivor to keep $1.8m artwork stolen from her family by the Nazis
Nebraska will send state troopers down to the United States-Mexico border to help law enforcement in Texas respond to high illegal immigration levels, the governor announced this weekend.

Nebraska is stepping up to help Texas respond to the ongoing crisis on their border with Mexico, Gov. Pete Ricketts said in a statement. The disastrous policies of the Biden-Harris Administration created an immigration crisis on the border. While the federal government has fallen short in its response, Nebraska is happy to step up to provide assistance to Texas as they work to protect their communities and keep people safe.

More than two dozen Nebraska State Patrol officers will travel approximately 900 miles south to Del Rio, Texas, later this month to assist Texas Department of Public Safety officers for an estimated 16 days, Ricketts said.

The move comes a little more than a week after Republican Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Doug Ducey of Arizona asked the other 48 governors to consider sending their police to help overwhelmed local and federal departments.

REPUBLICANS CALL ABUSE OF MIGRANTS A 'MORAL CRISIS' OF BIDEN'S MAKING

Given the staggering number of violations now occurring in Texas and Arizona, additional manpower is needed from any state that can spare it. With your help, we can apprehend more of these perpetrators of state and federal crimes, before they can cause problems in your state, the governors wrote in a letter released earlier this month, noting the threats posed by drug smugglers and illegal immigrants with criminal histories.

Abbott and Ducey said out-of-state law enforcement officers, as well as their own, will have broader policing authorities and be able to arrest noncitizens who come across the border on trespassing charges and human smuggling charges. Normally, only federal authorities such as the Border Patrol can arrest people for immigration offenses, but the two governors expanded arrest authorities by declaring a disaster and emergency.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, announced last week that the state would send its police to Texas.

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Tags: News, Nebraska, Governor, Texas, Law Enforcement, Border Crisis, Immigration

Original Author: Anna Giaritelli

Original Location: Nebraska governor sending state troopers to southern border to meet Abbott request
MANAGUA (Reuters) -Mexico and Argentina are recalling their ambassadors to Nicaragua to discuss the "concerning" situation there after the government broadened its crackdown against opposition figures, according to a joint statement on Monday.

Nicaraguan police late on Sunday detained journalist Miguel Mora, the fifth person to be arrested in recent weeks who is seeking to challenge President Daniel Ortega in November elections.

Mora, 57, was detained for "carrying out acts that undermine the independence and self-determination" of Nicaragua, police said in a statement.

Mexico and Argentina, in the statement shared by Mexico, said their ambassadors to the Central American country would return to their respective capitals for consultations.

Nicaragua had carried out "concerning" actions "that have put the wellbeing and freedom of various opposition figures (including presidential pre-candidates), activists and Nicaraguan businessmen at risk," the statement said.

Nicaraguan police in recent weeks have detained at least 14 political opponents and five presidential candidates, drawing international criticism from governments and human rights groups.

Ortega, who is seeking reelection for a fourth consecutive term to extend his 14 years in office, returned to power in 2007 having previously led the country from 1979 to 1990.

The Organization of American States' permanent council this month adopted a resolution to condemn the restrictions and arrests in Nicaragua and called for the release of all political prisoners.

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration imposed sanctions on Ortega's daughter and three of the Nicaraguan leader's allies and has said it is prepared to review "trade-related activities" with the country if its coming elections are not free and fair.

(Reporting by Ismael Lopez in Managua and Raul Cortes and Cassandra Garrison in Mexico City; Editing by Paul Simao and Grant McCool)
Manchester City have not made an official offer to Tottenham for England captain Harry Kane.

Reports emerged on Monday afternoon that Spurs had rejected a 100million bid for their talismanic striker from the Premier League champions.

But the PA news agency understands City have not made any formal approach for the 27-year-old, who has told his boyhood club he wants to leave this summer.

Kane, who is currently with England at Euro 2020, has been heavily linked with City (Nick Potts/PA)

Spurs also consider that Kanes situation remains unchanged having not received an official bid. The player has three years remaining on his contract in north London.

Kane is currently focusing on Englands Euro 2020 campaign and any serious negotiations would also seem unlikely before his involvement in the tournament ends.

City have been heavily linked with Kane since it emerged that he was considering his future. It has also been suggested they would be willing to offer players to Spurs in an attempt to facilitate a deal.

City manager Pep Guardiola has a gap in his squad for a centre-forward following the departure of record goalscorer Sergio Aguero.

Citys record goalscorer Sergio Aguero left the club this summer (Carl Recine/PA)

Kane even added to the speculation himself by naming City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne as the Premier League player he would most like to team up with.

But Spurs have no intention of letting their star man, who turns 28 next month, leave. They remain adamant that he is not for sale and it is believed it would need a figure well in excess of 150million for chairman Daniel Levy to even consider changing his mind.

Levy said only last week regarding Kane that he will do whatever is right for the club.

Further transfer talk could come as a distraction for Kane as he concentrates on international responsibilities.

Kane has failed to score in Englands opening two matches at Euro 2020 and was substituted in both games, against Croatia and Scotland. The Three Lions play the Czech Republic in their final group game on Tuesday.

Watch: Lower body workout
Making politicians face voters is cancel culture, according to California Gov. Gavin Newsom in his latest round of complaints about the recall effort against him. He is wrong.

Newsom jumped on the comparison in a Yahoo! News interview with reporter Andrew Romano, who may as well be a Democratic flack. In a softball interview from start to finish, Romano set Newsom up by asking if California is going overboard with recall elections, citing efforts to recall Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon and San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin.

Its cancel culture gone amok, Newsom said. The ultimate manifestation of cancel culture is a recall, it seems to me.

He later added that my only comment on cancel culture is just that I find it ironic that some of the biggest critics of cancel culture are out there promoting recalls. Its a rather confusing construct.

Except it isnt confusing for people who know what they are talking about, which neither Newsom nor Romano do. Recall elections arent cancel culture, nor are they a new phenomenon in California.

Take 2009, for instance, when 14 recall efforts were filed against state legislators, Attorney General Edmund Brown, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. All 14 failed to qualify for the ballot. The most recent successful recall effort was filed in 2017 when constituents recalled Democratic state Sen. Josh Newman for supporting an increase in the states gas tax. He was defeated in the 2018 recall election.

There have been 47 recall efforts since 2000, not counting local offices such as district attorneys. Only four have made it to the ballot, and only Newman and former Gov. Gray Davis have actually lost their recall elections, with Newsoms now pending.

Cancel culture is when private citizens are targeted by the full force of media outlets such as the Washington Post or CNN for offending some progressive orthodoxy or when people are fired from their jobs for trivial issues that run afoul of a social media mob, such as what happened to former Star Wars actress Gina Carano. When a Jeopardy! contestant is smeared as a white supremacist for using his hands to indicate the number three, that is an example of cancel culture  not when voters use the legally outlined process to recall a governor.

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Newsom being recalled is not the result of cancel culture. It is the result of his own ineptitude and hypocrisy, as he demanded California residents abide by rules he imposed but refused to abide by himself. This is what most people would call accountability, and the most powerful man in the state of California being inconvenienced by having to face voters to whom he lied does not mean he is canceled.

Its clear Newsom has learned nothing since his visit to the French Laundry restaurant breathed life into the recall effort. He certainly will have learned nothing if he survives the recall set to take place sometime later this year. Trying to throw partisan potshots at Californians whose businesses he closed permanently over the past year doesnt change the fact the recall against him is based on legitimate grievances.

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Tags: Beltway Confidential, Gavin Newsom, California, Recalls, Cancel Culture, Election

Original Author: Zachary Faria

Original Location: No, recall elections aren't 'cancel culture'
In a highly-publicized case, Kylr Yust was found guilty in April 2021 of killing two of his former girlfriends who went missing roughly 10 years apart in Cass County, Missouri.

The case began when 17-year-old Kara Kopetsky was reported missing in May 2007. Another one of Yusts former girlfriends, 21-year-old Jessica Runions, then was last seen alive in September 2016.

Yust, of Kansas City, had been linked to Kopetsky and Runions early in their disappearances. For months, the families of both women searched extensively for their whereabouts. Their cases remained long-running mysteries in the metro area until a mushroom hunter found their remains in April 2017 in a wooded area south of Belton.

Six months later, Yust was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in their deaths. Jurors  brought in from St. Charles County because of the cases publicity in the Kansas City region  convicted Yust, then 32, of voluntary manslaughter in Kopetskys death and of second-degree murder in Runions death.

At the trial that began April 5, 2021, prosecutors sought to portray Yust as a violent and merciless killer who took the young womens lives because he could not stand to see either become romantically involved with someone else. Yusts defense team, meanwhile, called him innocent and tried to cast doubt on the police investigation, saying no physical evidence connected Yust to the killings.

Cass County Prosecutor Ben Butler said Kopetsky had tried to end her relationship with Yust, who admitted to friends that he strangled the (expletive) out of her and threw her in the middle of the (expletive) woods.

Yust killed again nine years later when Runions tried to end her relationship with him, according to prosecutors. Yust dumped their bodies in his spot, Butler told jurors gathered inside the Harrisonville courthouse.

Between 2010 and 2012, police said they spoke to at least four people who claimed Yust confessed to killing Kopetsky, according to charging documents.

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At the trial, jurors heard a 2011 recording between Yust and another ex-girlfriend in which Yust allegedly said he killed Kopetsky.

This really turns you on that I killed a girl, huh? Yust asked her.

The prosecutions witnesses included one of Yusts former girlfriends who testified that Yust violently attacked her in 2011 and confessed that he had killed ex-girlfriends before.

One of Yusts defense attorneys, Sharon Turlington, told the jury that detectives conducted a suspect-driven investigation. Officers failed to collect evidence, including Yusts phone records with location data, and lost other evidence, she said.

Somehow Kylr is supposed to have pulled off two murders without leaving a trace, Turlington said.

The defenses witnesses included a woman who testified that on the day Kopetsky disappeared, she saw a sedan with four people inside approach Kopetsky before she heard a blood-curdling scream.

When he took the stand himself, Yust denied killing Kopetsky and Runions and instead accused his late half-brother, who in 2018 died by suicide while he was being held at the Jackson County jail.

He also denied that he confessed to the several witnesses called to testify.

I dont know what exactly happened to Kara, he testified, later adding: I didnt do anything to either of them.

After the verdict, prosecutors argued for Yust to receive a harsh sentence. Julie Tolle, an assistant prosecutor in Cass County, said Yust for years had shown a lack of remorse and failed to ever accept any responsibility for anything.

It is every parents worst nightmare to imagine their child going missing, Tolle said. There were opportunities for over 14 years for this man to come forward and get justice for these families.

Yust was sentenced to life plus 15 years in a Missouri prison. Relatives of the slain women quietly applauded after the sentence was announced by Circuit Court Judge William Collins.

Speaking to reporters after the sentencing, family members of Runions and Kopetsky described a long and difficult path to justice, at times being told the women would never be found.

Were very thankful for justice to come, said Jim Beckford, Kopetskys stepfather. We won. We got them back.

Yusts attorneys have indicated they plan to appeal.

As of June 2021, Yust remained at the Western Reception Diagnostic Correctional Center in St. Joseph. He is now prisoner No. 1223401 in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Star reporters Luke Nozicka, Cortlynn Stark, Glenn E. Rice, Bill Lukitsch and Katie Moore contributed to this report.
ST. PETERSBURG  A bartender at the No Vacancy bar and restaurant in St. Petersburgs Edge District has gained fame on Twitter for using a note disguised as a receipt to protect two customers from harassment.

The hidden message from Max Gutierrez: If this guy is bothering you, put your pony tail on your other shoulder, and I will have him removed. Hes giving me the creeps.

A tweet of gratitude from one of the women generated more than 46,000 retweets and 212,000 likes by Monday afternoon.

According to the Twitter thread, a man was aggressively hitting on the two women at No Vacancy and Gutierrez could see how uncomfortable they felt. One woman tweeted that the man had touched her.

You need to get ... away from these girls who clearly are not interested, Gutierrez told the man, according to the tweets.

That was a little aggressive, the man responded.

Well youre aggressively hitting on them and you need to leave, Gutierrez said.

The hidden message was a twist on a wait staff-customer code that has been spreading in recent years: Ordering a fictitious drink called an angel shot to signal trouble.

Some bars post notice of the code in womens bathrooms, according to news reports. Many follow this protocol: Order an angel shot neat and a bartender will escort you to your car, order it with ice and someone will call Uber or a Taxi, and order it with lime if you want police summoned.

The tweet from the No Vacancy customer was posted June 13. Gutierrez responded a few days later, saying he was the man pictured in the tweet and the one who wrote the note. Gutierrez added that the harasser had come back to No Vacancy a few days later and Gutierrez refused to serve him.

To hide his original message to the women, Gutierrez handed it to them on a clipboard normally used for receipts when customers close out their tab. Then, after the harasser was gone, Gutierrez posed while one of the women took a photo for the tweet.

Gutierrez later posted a note on Reddit, as well, saying he has learned how to read peoples body language from his mentors in bartending.

I honestly dont like yelling at customers or embarrassing people, he wrote. But I find its one of the best ways to handle creeps.
One man was killed and four others injured in a shooting at a shopping mall in Aurora, Colorado, where people gathered to celebrate Juneteenth, according to police.

Officers with the Aurora Police Department received at least 50 emergency calls at around 4:19 a.m. Sunday reporting an active shooter at the shopping mall. Police responded and found one adult male suffering from a gunshot wound, the department said in a news release.

Police performed CPR on the victim, who has yet to be identified, while en route to the hospital, but he did not survive, police said.

Authorities said three other adult males and an adult female were also injured in the shooting. The injured victims transported themselves to local hospitals with a range of minor to serious injuries, but none were threatening, police said.

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The organizer of the gathering and the name of the shopping mall unit are unknown to law enforcement, who are seeking that information as part of their investigation.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

All we know is that it was associated with an unnamed unit in the mall  its just, doors and windows with no names on them, said Public Information Officer Crystal McCoy, according to the Denver Post. Thats part of what investigators are trying to figure out.

Crime scene investigators with the department are currently interviewing witnesses in search of a suspect. Investigators, who believe there were multiple shooters involved, have collected more than 114 shell casings as of Sunday, police said.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the Aurora Police Department for additional information but did not immediately receive a response.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Colorado, Mass Shootings, Juneteenth, Police, Law Enforcement, Crime

Original Author: Jeremy Beaman

Original Location: One dead and four injured in shooting at Juneteenth celebration in Colorado
A fugitive wanted for the killing of three people in Oregon turned himself in on Sunday after kidnapping a new victim and forcing her to drive to Wisconsin.

Thirty-year-old Oen Nicholson allegedly participated in a violent spree in North Bend, Oregon, Friday that led to the deaths of three people, shooting one and hitting another with a vehicle, according to police. Later that day, authorities found the body of Nicholsons father, who owned the vehicle Nicholson allegedly used in the hit-and-run.

After the killings, Nicholson reportedly kidnapped Laura Johnson, 34, from Springfield, Oregon, and compelled her at gunpoint to drive to Wisconsin, KEZI reported.

He approached her in her vehicle with a gun. They said she was forced to drive 33 hours to where they're at. She was able to talk him into turning himself in, Dennis Johnson, Laura Johnson's father, said.

OREGON AUTHORITIES SEARCHING FOR SUSPECT AFTER THREE VICTIMS KILLED IN HIT-AND-RUN AND SHOOTING

At 10 a.m. local time on Friday, police found the body of Florida resident Anthony Oyster, 73, who had been hit by a truck at a recreational vehicle park in North Bend. Anthony Oysters wife, Linda Oyster, was in critical condition at a nearby hospital Friday after being hit in the crash.

Nicholson then went to a nearby cannabis shop, where he allegedly shot and killed the clerk, local resident Jennifer Davidson, 47, with a handgun before purchasing more ammunition at a sporting goods store, Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier said.

After responding to the initial shooting, police returned to the RV park where the hit-and-run occurred and found the body of Nicholsons father, 83-year-old Charles Nicholson, who owned the truck used in the crash, in a trailer also registered to the father, according to ABC News.

Words fall short of describing the tragedy that took place on Friday and the ensuing events in Lane County, and we are all left incredibly shaken, North Bend Mayor Jessica Engelke said in a news conference Sunday.

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Laura Johnson's family lost contact with her the same day when the suspect allegedly kidnapped her at gunpoint while she was on her lunch break from a Springfield Cabela's. At 11 p.m. PST Friday, her father called the Cabelas, and the owner said that Laura Johnson had not returned from her lunch break, leading her father to report her missing.

At around 6 a.m. PST on Sunday, Milwaukee police called the family, informing them that their daughter was safe and that the suspect was in custody.

Johnson flew home to her family on Sunday, and Frasier will file an extradition order to return Nicholson to Oregon, according to ABC News.

Nicholson is being charged with six counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted second-degree murder, one count of second-degree assault, and two counts of failure to perform the duties of a driver to an injured person.

He is being held in Milwaukee with a $7 million bail, according to Frasier. If Nicholson consents to be extradited to Oregon, he will be brought back quickly. If not, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown will need to send a warrant to Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, requesting that he be sent back to Oregon, a process that can take several months, Frasier said.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Nicholsons motives for the killing spree remain unclear.

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Tags: News, Oregon, Wisconsin, Police, Crime, murder, death, Milwaukee

Original Author: Charles Hilu

Original Location: Oregon man wanted in triple homicide turns himself in
Saif ul Malook represented Asia Bibi in a blasphemy case that rocked Pakistan

A Pakistani lawyer who has successfully overturned a number of convictions for "blasphemy" has said he believes his life is in danger from extremists.

Saif ul Malook most recently oversaw the acquittal of a Christian couple who had been sentenced to death.

Mr Malook shared social media posts with the BBC which called for him to be "executed" for securing the acquittal.

Blasphemy is a deeply emotive topic in Muslim-majority Pakistan and is legally punishable by death.

While no one has ever been executed for the offence, dozens of people accused of blaspheming have been killed by vigilantes.

Human rights groups say the country's blasphemy laws often unfairly target religious minorities and can be used in personal feuds.

Earlier this month, the high court in Lahore quashed the convictions of Christian couple Shagufta Kausar and her husband Shafqat Emmanuel, citing a lack of evidence.

The pair were sentenced to death in 2014 for allegedly sending blasphemous text messages insulting the Prophet Muhammad. They insisted they were innocent. Ms Kausar's brother told the BBC last year he doubted the couple were literate enough even to have written the messages.

The couple's lawyer, Mr Malook, previously also represented Asia Bibi, a Christian villager who spent eight years on death row in a case that attracted international condemnation.

Ms Bibi was eventually acquitted by Pakistan's supreme court in 2018 and subsequently flown out of the country. The legal ruling led to large and violent protests by thousands of followers of a hardline cleric.

But Mr Malook, who is the most prominent lawyer defending blasphemy cases in Pakistan, told the BBC that he considered the current threats against him the "most dangerous" he had ever received.

"Even this was not done during Asia Bibi's case," he said. "Now they [the extremists] think I am the only hurdle in their way."

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He criticised the government for not providing him with adequate security. "Not even a clerk from the Pakistani government has contacted me," he said. Pakistani officials did not reply to a request for comment.

It is not clear how serious the specific threats are to Mr Malook, but in 2014 a lawyer representing another blasphemy defendant was shot dead. Rashid Rehman was sitting in his office when he was shot and two of his assistants were injured.

Blasphemy convictions in Pakistan by lower courts are often overturned on appeal. Human rights activists say more junior judges are intimidated into convicting suspects despite flaws in their cases.

Hearings at Lahore High Court in the case of Ms Kausar, a caretaker at a Christian school, and her paralysed husband Mr Emmanuel, had been repeatedly delayed.

Mr Malook suggested the judges were concerned at the possibility of being targeted themselves if they acquitted the pair. In April, however, the European Parliament passed a resolution urging Pakistan to reform its blasphemy laws, citing concerns over the Kausar-Emmanuel case in particular.

Mr Malook told the BBC that had case had not been highlighted internationally, he feared the appeal would've been delayed indefinitely.
Shawn Michael Chock, 35, is accused of driving his pickup truck into a group of bicycle racers near Phoenix, Arizona. (Arizona Department of Corrections)

Law enforcement officers have identified the man accused of driving his pickup truck into a group of bicyclists participating in a weekend race in Arizona, critically injuring several of the riders.

The Associated Press reported that Shawn Michael Chock, 35, of White Mountain Lakes, allegedly hit the bicyclists and then fled the scene of the crash on Saturday.

Mr Chock was shot by police while he fled the crash. Kristine Sleighter, a spokeswoman for the Show Low Police Department, said the man was still hospitalized and is in stable condition. He has not yet been charged.

Show Low is approximately three hours north east of Phoenix.

The driver is a resident of White Mountain Lakes, which is near Show Low, where the crash occurred.

The crash occurred just before 7.30am during the annual Bike the Bluff race, which traditionally draws hundreds of participants.

Witnesses to the crash said they saw bodies and bicycles flying as the truck tore through the group.

One of those witnesses, Tony Quinones, said some riders initially believed the truck driver fell asleep at the wheel, but he claims he saw the driver awake and alert as he rammed the bikers.

"He went right at us," he told the AP.

A motive for the crash has not been determined.

Seven bikers were transported to the hospital after the crash, with all but one in critical condition. Ms Sleighter did not provide additional information on the status of the injured.

According to witnesses, the truck crashed into a telephone pole after driving through the bikers. Other race participants then ran up to the truck and began banging on the windows, demanding the truck driver get out of his vehicle.

Mr Quinones told the AP that the driver then backed away from the pole and drove away, after which he made a U-turn and headed back towards the bikers. He did not hit them a second time, but continued driving and fled the scene.

Police caught up with the man at a nearby hardware store. Mr Chock refused to comply when police officers attempted to arrest him, which resulted in police shooting him.

The details leading up the shooting are not currently known.
Watch: Princess Eugenie marks husband's birthday with sweet photos

Princess Eugenie marked Father's Day with new pictures showing how she and husband Jack Brooksbank are adjusting to life at home with their baby.

Eugenie, 31, posted four pictures on Instagram on Sunday evening, showing Brooksbank enjoying fatherhood with their son August, who was born in February.

One image shows Brooksbank smiling as he pushed August's pram on a walk, probably around Windsor as it's believed they are living in Frogmore Cottage while they adjust to life as parents.

Another picture shows them wrapped up in beanie hats while Eugenie carries August in a front carrier.

In a third picture, fans are treated to a glimpse of August's face in what looks like a selfie Brooksbank took as he cradled their son.

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Read more: How Prince William grew up before our eyes: 39 pictures of the future king

The last image showed Brooksbank fast asleep on a white sofa with August lying on top of him, also sleeping.

The pictures were captioned by Eugenie: "Happy Father's Day to you my love... you are the ultimate father to our boy!!"

Eugenie is a frequent poster on Instagram, where she shares a mixture of updates about her charity work, and her family life.

Royal fans were delighted recently when she shared a video of August on her stories for World Oceans Day, as the young boy's coos could be heard for the first time.

She also shared new pictures of Brooksbank and August to mark Brooksbank's birthday in May and her own in March.

Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank leaving Portland Hospital in London after the birth of August in February. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Eugenie and Brooksbank with August shortly after his birth. (Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank)

Read more: Prince William, George and Charlotte make surprise visit to race on Queen's estate

It's thought the family of three have been living at Frogmore Cottage, which was given to Eugenie's cousin Prince Harry when he married Meghan Markle in May 2018.

Eugenie and Harry have been close since childhood, and she knew Meghan before the former actor started dating the prince.

In contrast to previous years, Eugenie did not share a message for her own father on Instagram.

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Prince Andrew has not carried out public duties for some time, having stepped back in November 2019 after his disastrous interview with Newsnight about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

However he spoke in tribute to his father Prince Philip in April after his death.

Eugenie and Brooksbank do not carry out royal duties, but work full-time.

Brooksbank is European brand director of Casamigos Tequila, while Eugenie is a director at the Hauser and Wirth gallery in London.

Watch: Princess Eugenie congratulates 'dear cousins' Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan on baby birth
A group of protesters demonstrating outside Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs home was arrested Monday, police say.

Eight people accused of trespassing were arrested after they refused to leave private property at Cruzs home Monday, according to Houston police.

They were part of a larger group of about 60 to 70 people protesting about climate change, police say.

The large majority of the group are extremely peaceful out there expressing the First Amendment rights (to) protest against climate change, Assistant Police Chief Ban Tien said in a video posted on Facebook. Unfortunately, there was a small group who was actually committing trespassing into private property in front of the senators residence.

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Tien said police officers warned the group multiple times to leave the property and to stay on the public sidewalk, and the members refused.

As such, that particular group  roughly eight individuals  still refused to leave and we finally gave one final warning and those individuals still refused to leave, Tien said. We explained to them the fact that they were violating a trespassing law. They acknowledged they understood and they chose to be arrested.

Texas Tribune reporter Erin Douglas tweeted that Sunrise Movement protesters had marched 400 miles from New Orleans to Houston to raise awareness about climate change.

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Eight people total arrested, protesters have left and their march from New Orleans is over, Douglas tweeted.

Tien said officers negotiated for more than an hour to reach a peaceful resolution before arresting several of the protesters.

Senator Ted Cruz endorses Susan Wright for North Texas congressional seat
Chip Somodevilla/Getty

If Rep. Liz Cheney loses in a GOP primary in 2022, her successors road to victory will likely have begun at a candidates forum held by a QAnon-curious Florida activist who calls himself a massive disrupter with titanium balls.

Earlier this June, six of the seven Republicans currently vying to unseat Cheney convened in a ballroom at the Ramkota Hotel in Casper, Wyoming, for their first chance to stand out since Cheneys vote to impeach the former president in January kicked off a fervent effort among pro-Trump Wyomingites to kick her out of Congress.

K.W. Miller, the aforementioned disrupter behind the forums organizing group, America First PCnot to be confused with America First Action PACcame to the podium and declared that Wyoming is ground zero for the effort to take back the Republican party from so-called RINOs and leftists. Gesturing to the long table where the candidates sat, Miller proclaimed, one of these individuals is going to be your new representative.

That very well could be the case.

The ensuing two hours made clear that Wyomings next representative wont just be different from Cheneytheyll be from an entirely different political universe.

During Millers forum, the six candidates onstage didnt just castigate Cheney for calling out Trumps unfounded claims about the election he lost, or just enthusiastically embrace those claims themselves. They bragged about being in Washington for the Jan. 6 riot. They endorsed nationwide audits of the 2020 electionincluding in Wyoming, which posted Trumps largest margin of victory anywhere in the countryand they flirted with leading threads of the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Wyomings GOP congressional hopefuls run the full gamut of experience, poise, and polish. Some are total newcomers whove never held or campaigned for office. Some are state lawmakers and party officials. But all are exactly the same when it comes to the most important qualification in todays Republican Party: unswerving personal devotion to Trump.

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Trump did win, and I hope he will be reinstated by all these different audits that are going on, said Robyn Belinskey, one candidate who appeared at the forum. He neverwhat do you call it, dang ithe never conceded.

House Republicans Cancel Liz Cheney for Her Refusal to Lie

Another candidate, Bryan Miller, said only one endorsement in the race mattered above the voters of Wyoming. The gentleman whose name is on this hat, he said, holding up a red MAGA cap. He is the leader of the Republican Party.

Every challenger is angling for Trumps endorsement, which is expected to come in this race. The former president has railed against Cheney ever since her vote to impeach him in January and is reportedly itching to exact revenge. The congresswoman, meanwhile, has already been booted from her post as the third-ranking House Republican over her refusal to accommodate Trump and his election conspiracies.

Public enemy No. 1 of the MAGA movement is a precarious place to be in Wyominga state that went for Trump by 43 points. And the truckload of Trump-loving candidates are hoping to capitalize on the backlash.

Similar dynamics are playing out in other districts and states where GOP officials broke with the ex-president. But few GOP primaries in 2022 will be more symbolically weighty than Cheneys. And judging by the June 12 forum in Casperthe first big event of the contestfew will be as full of MAGA movement red meat and Trumpian posturing as this one.

The field of would-be Cheney vanquishers includes: Belinskey, a paralegal; Miller, chair of the Sheridan County GOP; Denton Knapp, a retired U.S. Army colonel; Marissa Selvig, a former mayor and current kombucha purveyor; Chuck Gray, a state representative; and Darin Smith, a conservative activist who ran in a primary for this seat when it was open in 2016.

The only challenger not to appear at the Casper forum was Anthony Bouchard, a GOP state senator. He was the earliest Cheney challenger, and he calls himself the real America First candidate. He also claims to have raised more than $500,000 so far. Recently, he appeared at a Florida rally alongside Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and was a guest at the anti-Cheney rally that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) held in Cheyenne in February.

But Bouchard has mostly made headlines for admitting that he impregnated a 14-year old girl when he was 18 years old, comparing it to the Romeo and Juliet story. Miller said Cheney was invited, too, but didnt show. Both absent candidates were booed by the crowd.

The introductions in Casper were colorful. Smitha MAGA Trump Republicanused his time to air a laundry list of grievances straight from Fox News: critical race theory, vaccine passports, and the New York Times 1619 Project, to name a few. Belinskey spoke about her patriot car and recounted a story about telling a Pakistani man who found her car offensive, to go back to his country.

Afterward, the candidates took questions from Miller and the audience. The first question from a member of the crowdwill you fight child sex trafficking and pedophilia, and introduce legislation to criminalize it with stiff prison terms?was an overt nod to QAnon, which theorizes that a global elite of devil-worshipping pedophiles run the world. All of the candidates answered that yes, they would fight hard against sex trafficking and pedophilia, though only one noted these activities are already illegal.

The audience also grilled the candidates on whether they back voter reform and audits of the 2020 election, like the unofficial, haphazardly-run ballot audit currently unfolding in Arizona that has become a focus for Trump backers still hoping he could return to power.

Republicans Now Want to Audit Election Results in States That Trump Won

Candidates attempted to outdo each other in demonstrating their enthusiasm for the plainly false notion that Trump actually won in 2020. Its interesting whats going on in Arizona, Selvig said, and I cant wait to see what the results are. Gray argued that an audit is needed in Wyoming, of all places, an argument that reflects a nationwide trend on the right to support audits even in safely Republican states.

There was massive fraud in this election, said Smith, who brought up no actual evidence to support that dubious claim. Thats why I was at the Capitol on Jan. 6 to protest for free and fair elections, because we didnt get one.

One of the first questions in the forum was about whether the candidates would support designating Black Lives Matter, antifa, or other left-wing organizations as official terrorist groups. All of them answered in the affirmative, and brought up stock talking points about Marxism and arguments that Cheney was in league with leftists.

Some went even further, using the question to riff on topics such as the investigation into Trumps ties with Russia. We need to prosecute people within the government who used government resources to attempt to overthrow our president, said Miller, to rousing applause from the crowd.

There were a few relatively normal questions about how the candidates would represent Wyoming, whether they supported a new nuclear power plant in the state, and whether they would support U.S. military interventions abroad.

That last question was an opportunity to tee off on Cheneys hawkish views and those of her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Bush and Cheney, what they did to go into the Middle East they were smoking crack to think they could put a democracy in the middle of that Islamic nation, said Smith. The irony of the forums rollicking opening musicToby Keiths jingoistic post-9/11 anthem, Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blueseemed to be lost on everyone involved.

Miller moderating the event was about as revealing as the candidates themselves. How he got into the position of hosting the first major candidate forum in one of the countrys most closely watched primaries is not exactly clear, but the chair of the Wyoming GOP, Frank Eathorne, gave the event his blessing, and took a photo with Miller there. Eathorne, who has previously endorsed the idea that Wyoming secede from the union, presided over the partys successful censure of Cheney after her vote to impeach Trump.

A native of south Florida, Miller first came to political notoriety by challenging Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) in 2020, charging that the 40-year old Iraq veteran and double-amputee was a liberal RINO and not a true conservative. (Mast, who has a 74 percent lifetime rating from the conservative Heritage Foundation, voted not to certify Bidens Electoral College victory on Jan. 6.)

During his bizarre bid for office, Miller went viral by tweeting that Black Lives Matter was an excuse for white women to fornicate with Black men and alleged that Beyonce was a satanist.

His campaign was also laced with QAnon nods. He relentlessly called Mast a pedophile after old social media comments from Mast surfaced, in which he joked about sex with 15-year olds being permissible abroad. Millers campaign insisted he didnt subscribe to the conspiracy theory, but instead just wanted to appeal to its adherents. It didnt matter, however. In November, Miller drew 2.2 percent of the vote to Masts 56 percent.

Now, in Wyoming, Miller is reprising the QAnon-flavored rhetoric, especially on Bouchard, who Miller said should withdraw from the race because of his admission that he impregnated a minor.

We have no knowledge, no affiliation and no interest in Qannon [sic] or any other groups, said Miller, when reached by email. We are a Conservative Republican platform.

The Real Reason Liz Cheney Had to Go

After his failed campaign in Florida, Miller threw his energy into his Facebook page, where he broadcasts all-caps posts and videos of him talkingor addressing the nationto his 13,000 followers. In these posts, Miller airs apocalyptic visions of the struggle for the country, broadcasts his support for Trump, and boasts of having those TITANIUM BALLS.

MY ENCRYPTED PHONE IS LIGHTING UP WITH MESSAGE FROM WORLD LEADERS, reads one post from the spring. SUMMARY: LOCK KAMILA HARRIS IN A BOX FOR NEXT 4 YEARS.

Its unclear how Millers organization, America First PC, is organized or what its exact goals are beyond purging the Republican Party of all RINOs. It is not registered with the Federal Election Commission, meaning it cannot raise or spend money to influence elections. And it is not affiliated with a set of organizations with conspicuously similar nameslike America First Action PAC, the official super PAC of Trumpworld.

Miller said his group is independent by design from other political groups. We do not raise outside money to avoid any conflicts of interest.

What is clear is that after Jan. 6, Millerthrough America First PCidentified Cheney as a target for whatever its future activities would be. AMERICA FIRST HAS ANNOUNCED IT'S #1 PRIMARY TARGET FOR 2022, read a post from Feb. 27. LIBERAL RINO LIZ CHENY [sic].

Less than four months later, Miller was in Casper, playing kingmaker in the primary. He declared that his group would endorse a candidate in Wyoming in the near future and that it will most likely coincide with an endorsement by President Trump. A spokesperson for Trumps official political organization did not respond to a question about the extent of their relationship, if any, with Miller and America First PC.

Whoever gets Trumps blessing will immediately become the leader of the pack of challengers in Wyoming. But it doesnt seem his word will clear the field. At the forum, all the candidates were asked if they would withdraw if they didnt get Trumps endorsement. Two of them said no or were noncommittal.

That was probably music to Cheneys ears. She is treating this like a serious race, bringing in major names from the GOP establishment to fundraise for her, like former Speaker Paul Ryan. In the first three months of 2021, she pulled in over $1.5 million. And she has been criss-crossing the state on official business and keeping a frenetic pace of interviews with local media outlets.

But Cheney will need all the momentum she can get, even if her challengers are split.

At the forum in Casper, Miller ruefully acknowledged that a Cheney win would be a bad sign for the MAGA movement.

If we cant remove Liz Cheney from Congress, Miller told the crowd, Im not sure what state we can win.

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Ammon Bundy announces his candidacy for governor of Idaho during a campaign event on June 19, 2021 in Boise, Idaho. (Getty Images)

Anti-government rancher Ammon Bundy has officially entered the race for governor in Idaho.

Mr Bundy is currently banned from the Idaho State Capitol Building after being wheeled out in an office chair by state troopers after he refused to leave during last years coronavirus protest.

He is best known for leading a right-wing armed stand-off at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon in 2016 to protest federal government control of public land.

Im running for governor because Im sick and tired of all of this political garbage just like you are, Mr Bundy said in video announcing his campaign.

Im tired of our freedoms being taken from us and Im tired of the corruption that is rampant in our state government.

He added: We have a great opportunity in Idaho to not only preserve our rights and freedom, but we can thrive by expanding and upholding the principles of liberty and prosperity that were passed on to us by our Founding Fathers and enshrined in our state and US Constitution.

The 45-year-old conservative, who has been a vocal critic of mask mandates during the pandemic, was arrested but later acquitted in the Oregon case.

He was also a part of the effort to recall Republican governor Brad Little over the states stay-at-home order put in place to deal with Covid-19.

Mr Bundy, who has been arrested in the state five times since August, was arrested twice in April for trespassing in the State Capitol and faces two misdemeanor criminal trespassing cases pending against him.

He is representing himself and has pleaded not guilty in one case and not yet entered a plea in the second.

Mr Bundy filed paperwork to run for governor last month, but got off to a rocky start as he listed himself as his campaigns treasurer but is not registered to vote in the state, as required for a treasurer.

The gubernatorial election is set to take place on 22 November 2022, with whoever chosen as the Republican nominee an overwhelming favorite to win the seat.

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Mr Bundy will likely face competition from the states lieutenant governor Janice McGeachin, along with Republicans Jeff Cotton, Chris Hammond, Edward Humphreys, Lisa Marie and Cody Usabel.

Governor Brad Little has said does not plan to announce if he will run for re-election anytime soon.

Read More

Watch live as Joe Biden signs Juneteenth National Independence Day Act

AP News Digest 5:30 a.m.

Anti-government activist Bundy issues Idaho campaign videos
Jun. 21The combination of a deadly pandemic, which put blood drives on hold and created a backlog of delayed procedures now moving forward, and a deadly violent year has left nationwide blood stores depleted.

The American Red Cross is now warning about a "severe" blood shortage and putting out an urgent call for donors to step forward to give.

"Some hospitals are being forced to slow the pace of elective surgeries until the blood supply stabilizes, delaying crucial patient care," Chris Hrouda, president of Red Cross Biomedical Services, said last week in a news release.

It hasn't yet come to that at Toledo area hospitals, but considering they source their blood supplies from the Red Cross, they, too, are stressing the urgency for donations.

"If they ran out of product and we're not able to meet our needs, then that's when we would have to start escalating to hospital leadership to make decisions on what services can be provided," Kristy Short, manager of transfusion services at ProMedica Toledo Hospital, said. "We have a team for that just in case right now, but we have not had to go in that direction."

Mercy Health is also on guard.

Dr. Kevin Casey, chief clinical officer at Mercy Health  Toledo, said in a recent news release that the hospital is "working to be as conservative as appropriate" while it waits for blood supplies to replenish.

In order to "ensure that all area residents will receive the care they need when they need it," community members need to donate, he said.

Though all blood types are needed, those with Type O blood are especially encouraged to give.

Type O positive is the most transfused blood type and Type O negative is the universal blood type, meaning it can be given to any patient in emergency situations where there's no time to blood match. The Red Cross says it has less than half a day's supply of both after a 10 percent increase in red cell orders from trauma hospitals in 2021, compared with 2019.

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In the last three months alone the Red Cross has distributing about 75,000 more blood products than expected, Mr. Hrouda reported.

Toledo, itself, has likely contributed to the increase in demand after a record 61 homicides in 2020 and another 28 the first six months of this year.

Trauma services have increased about 30 percent in the last year just at ProMedica, which is a level one trauma center, Ms. Short said. Meanwhile, they're receiving only about half of their typical Type O blood supply.

"We use [blood] continuously," she said. "There are alternatives to transfusion, but when there's emergency services, blood is that product that we need to be able to save patients' lives."

Blood isn't just needed for emergency reasons. It's also used for transfusions in oncology patients and in surgeries, organ transplants, and other elective medical procedures.

When responding to massive hemorrhaging, doctors may need hundreds of blood products to restore a person's supply.

"Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood," Mr. Hrouda said.

Because blood is perishable and can only be stored between 21 to 25 days, new donors are constantly needed to fill in between regular donor visits. A single person must wait at least 56 days between donations of whole blood and 112 days between Power Red donations.

Platelet donations are also in demand, nearly half of them going to patients undergoing cancer treatments, the Red Cross says. Platelet donors may give every 7 days, up to 24 times a year.

All are needed.

"Giving blood is the most meaningful way you can help your neighbor and your community," Bob Baxter, president of Mercy Health  Toledo, said in a news release.

Donors must be 17 or older  or 16 with parental consent, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be in generally good health. Donors must also present a blood donor card, driver's license, or two other forms of identification to sign up.

Those who have had coronavirus or have received the vaccine are eligible to give after waiting the requisite 14 days.

Several donation events are scheduled in Toledo, Maumee, and Perrysburg this week, with the Red Cross offering a $5 Amazon gift card to anyone who donates through June 30. To find a location near you, visit redcrossblood.org/give.
Police in Tennessee have arrested a man they say kidnapped two employees from a Sams Club parking lot Saturday.

It was just after 10:30 p.m. and the two workers were standing in the parking lot in Cookeville when a man approached them and pulled out a gun, according to a news release from the Cookeville Police Department.

He then told them to get in the female workers car and ordered her co-worker, a man, to drive toward neighboring White County, police say.

While near a Walmart in White County, police say the male worker managed to wrestle the gun away from the suspect, who then ran away.

Cookeville Police identified the suspect as Tyler Justin Hall, 29, and obtained arrest warrants charging him with one count of aggravated sexual battery and two counts of aggravated kidnapping.

He was later found at a Dollar General in Smithville and taken into custody on Sunday, police say.

Come here boy. Man tries to kidnap 12-year-old mowing his lawn, Tennessee police say

Man tried to sell car with his girlfriends body in the back seat, Tennessee police say

Body found in river after man fleeing traffic stop runs into water, Georgia cops say

Man drives around shooting at joggers then pins pedestrian between cars, GA cops say
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Kanwar Singh considers his hair and turban an essential part of his religious faith. "We believe God's creation is perfect. And so, that's why I keep my hair unshorn." But in order to serve in the U.S. military, rules state that Singh would have to cut his hair and remove his turban.

"For a Sikh, to cut your hair, to remove your turban would be like asking to remove a body part," says Harsimran Kaur, Senior Counsel at the Sikh Coalition.

For a devout Sikh like Singh, all he wanted was to keep his articles of faith intact and to serve the United States of America. Singh spent years fighting for his faith and his country. It took years of perseverance.

Watch the video above to see Singh proudly serving in the U.S. Army.

1st Lt. Kanwar Singh renders his first salute to his recruiter, 1st Sgt. John Helbert aboard the USS Constitution

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sikh American soldier fights to honor his religion and country
By Tim Cocks

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's president said on Monday the "selfish, unjust" refusal of pharmaceutical companies and allied Western governments to entertain emergency patent waivers on COVID-19 vaccines was endangering the entire world.

In unusually impassioned remarks, Cyril Ramaphosa lambasted a resistance to calls by India and South Africa for temporary patent waivers to ramp up production.

"It is selfish, it is unjust, it is wholly unfair," Ramaphosa, proponent of the waiver, told the opening virtual session of the Qatar Economic Forum, a day after South Africa registered 13,000 new cases in a third COVID-19 wave.

"We are facing an emergency that is affecting the entire world ... and some countries are refusing this provision to be waived," he said.

The proposed waiver from the WTO's agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) has support in principle from U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.

But the pharmaceutical industry is against the waiver, as are Germany, Switzerland and the World Bank. They argue it would stifle innovation and that vaccine supplies are constrained by a lack of manufacturing capacity.

Both India and South Africa say they have ample capacity.

"All we are asking is ... a three-year period to enable countries that have the capability to be able to produce the vaccines," Ramaphosa said. "Because no one is safe anywhere in the world without everyone being safe."

South Africa has only vaccinated about 2 million people, 1.8% of its population, one of the world's lowest rates.

It suffered a setback when Aspen Pharmacare (APNJ.J), local producer of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, had to destroy 2 million doses due to contamination at a plant in Baltimore, Maryland. J&J is sending 2 million replacement doses.

Despite that setback, Ramaphosa said the government would stick with J&J because it is a one-shot vaccine, logistically a lot easier to manage in remote rural areas.

(Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Spain will pardon the jailed Catalan separatists behind a failed 2017 independence bid, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Monday, in a move that could turn the page on a years-long political impasse over the region's separatist drive.

The Socialist premier said his government had "opted for reconciliation" and believes the controversial pardon -- to be approved at the weekly cabinet meeting Tuesday -- would "pave the way for this path".

"Someone must take the first step. The Spanish government will make that first step now," Sanchez said Monday during a speech in Barcelona to 300 members of Catalonia's civil society.

But he fell short of offering amnesty to the group, a move that separatists have long called for, including some in the crowd on Monday.

Manel Cantero, a 59-year-old teacher, said the separatists needed an amnesty because "there's nothing to pardon".

"We exercised a fundamental right," he told AFP, referring to the banned independence referendum in October 2017 that was marred by police violence.

The referendum was followed by a short-lived declaration of independence, plunging Spain into one of its biggest political crises since democracy was restored in 1975 following the death of dictator Francisco Franco.

Since then, Catalonia has been a mainstay issue within Spanish politics.

- 'Desire for harmony' -

In 2019, Spain's Supreme Court convicted 12 Catalan politicians and activists for their role in the independence push, with nine of them handed jail terms of between nine and 13 years.

The ruling triggered days of protests across Catalonia -- a wealthy northeastern region with its own distinct language -- that sometimes turned violent in Barcelona and other cities.

"I am convinced that releasing from jail these nine people, who represent thousands of Catalans, will be a resounding message of a desire for harmony and coexistence," Sanchez said.

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Fifty-three percent of Spaniards oppose the pardons, although 68 percent of Catalans are in favour, according to a survey by the Ipsos polling firm.

Raquel Jimenez, a 54-year-old Madrid civil servant, said she was "completely against" the pardons.

"If you commit a crime you have to serve the entire sentence, it's that simple," she told AFP in the Spanish capital.

The Supreme Court has also opposed the pardons, as have the main opposition parties.

Tens of thousands of people protested in central Madrid on June 13 against the plan to offer clemency.

Many conservatives say Sanchez is motivated mainly by a desire to hold on to power since his minority government relies in part on Catalan separatists to pass legislation in the national parliament.

But last week, Sanchez received surprise support for the pardons from Spain's main business lobby CEOE, which opposes Catalan independence, as well as from the Catalan Catholic Church.

- 'Unjust sentence' -

Analysts said Sanchez was taking a political gamble now in the hope that he could overcome any harm to his government's popularity before national elections, due by January 2024.

"With time, the pardons will seem anecdotal if the economy is doing well," said Pablo Ferrandiz, a sociologist at Madrid's Carlos III University.

He recalled that Spain is one of the "main beneficiaries" of the European Union's 750-billion-euro ($910-billion) coronavirus rescue fund, which will start flowing later this year.

It remains to be seen though if the pardons will foster dialogue between Madrid and the Catalan regional government, headed since May by Pere Aragones, a moderate separatist.

Shortly after Sanchez spoke, Aragones said the pardons "correct an unjust sentence" but he stressed they were "a partial and incomplete solution".

"Our proposal is amnesty as well as exercising the right to self-determination," he said.

Aragones belongs to the leftist ERC party, which is led by Oriol Junqueras, the prisoner serving the longest sentence of 13 years over his role in the 2017 crisis.

"The pardons are a key element, the key which opens the chains because the situation in Catalonia was totally blocked," said Oriol Bartomeus, a political scientist at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

But he warned the "road will not be easy" since Catalan separatists demand the right to hold an independence referendum, which Sanchez's government fiercely opposes.

bur-ds/bp
Steven Spielberg will produce multiple new films for Netflix every year, the company said Monday, in a major deal that highlights how fully Hollywood has embraced streaming platforms.

The partnership with arguably Tinseltown's top director is a coup for Netflix at a time when competition with streaming rivals including Disney+ and HBO Max is heating up.

It also follows reports that Spielberg had been skeptical about streaming in recent years, and had even moved to bar Netflix films from Oscars eligibility -- claims that the legendary "Jaws" and "Schindler's List" director has since dismissed as false.

In a joint statement about the Netflix deal, Spielberg praised "this new avenue for our films" as an "amazing opportunity to tell new stories together and reach audiences in new ways."

Spielberg also praised his close relationship with Netflix co-CEO and content chief Ted Sarandos, a former industry outsider who has risen to become one of Hollywood's top power brokers.

"We cannot wait to get to work with the Amblin team and we are honored and thrilled to be part of this chapter of Steven's cinematic history," said Sarandos.

Spielberg's Amblin Partners will continue to make content for Universal, one of Tinseltown's oldest major studios, while his upcoming "West Side Story" will be released by Disney-owned 20 Century Studios.

Monday's announcement does not specify whether Spielberg, who in recent years has produced many more films than he has directed, will personally direct any of the Netflix movies.

But the deal comes as the industry pivots from a model that insisted on lengthy, exclusive "windows" for movie theater releases, to one in which major films often appear on streaming platforms simultaneously or very soon after they hit the big screen -- or even skip theaters altogether.

That move has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Another production by Spielberg's Amblin, "The Trial of the Chicago 7," was intended for theatrical release by Paramount but ended up on Netflix last year while thousands of movie theaters were closed.

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Monday's deal also did not say whether Spielberg's films for Netflix would also appear on the big screen first.

Other top directors who have recently joined forces with Netflix include Martin Scorsese ("The Irishman"), Spike Lee ("Da 5 Bloods") and David Fincher ("Mank").

As well as "West Side Story" -- which is due in theaters in December after being delayed by the pandemic -- Spielberg, 74, is currently developing a semi-autobiographical film about his childhood in the southwestern state of Arizona.

amz/ft
ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss wealth and asset manager Pictet Group on Monday appointed Elif Aktug as managing partner, the first woman to hold that position in the private bank's 216-year history.

Francois Pictet will also become a managing partner from September pending regulatory approval for the two, which would expand the number of partners to nine, Geneva-based Pictet said in a statement.

The Pictet Group is a partnership of owner-managers, with principles of succession and transfer of ownership that have not changed since its foundation in 1805. It had 609 billion Swiss francs ($661.09 billion) under management or custody at the end of 2020.

Aktug has been with Pictet since 2011 as the lead fund manager of Pictet Asset Management's Agora, a 2.5 billion euro ($2.97 billion) European equity strategy. Prior to that, she was a managing director with Goldman Sachs in London.

Francois Pictet joined the firm in 2015 as part of the Pictet Investment Office, the ultra-high-net-worth investment arm of Pictet Wealth Management.

"We're delighted to welcome Elif and Francois to the Board of Partners, a step we've been planning since the end of 2020 to help manage the increased demands resulting from the strong growth of the firm," senior managing Partner Renaud de Planta said.

($1 = 0.8408 euros)

($1 = 0.9212 Swiss francs)

(Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
KIGALI (Reuters) - Senegal, Rwanda and South Africa are in talks with investors to start the production of coronavirus vaccines in Africa, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said on Monday.

Africa was "trying to find partners, to start manufacturing vaccines on our continent," Kagame said at the Qatar Economic Forum.

"We are discussing with people who will help with financing and I think in a few months we should hear a different story, Kagame said, without offering details of how the venture will be financed.

The continent of 1.3 billion people has fully vaccinated only about 1% of its people against COVID-19 even as some wealthier countries have inoculated enough of their citizens to begin reopening their economies.

Kagame on Monday suggested that a Eurobond was one option to help pay for the creation of vaccine manufacturers in Africa.

"Rwanda has been having a very good B+ credit rating. The Eurobond is one good option that will provide us with resources we are looking for," he said.

(Reporting by Clement Uwiringiyimana; editing by Omar Mohammed and Grant McCool)
An off-duty Texas deputy traded gunfire with a suspect who allegedly broke into his home early Sunday, leaving his wife and 4-year-old stepdaughter with gunshot wounds.

The family, who has not been publicly identified, awoke in their Montrose apartment around 2 a.m. Sunday to find someone breaking in, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said during a press conference.

The suspect, described only as a Hispanic male and armed with a shotgun and an assault rifle, began firing, hitting the deputys wife in the leg and the 4-year-old girl in the arm.

The deputy, a three-year veteran of the Harris County Precinct 1, returned fire and told responding officers that he made contact. Investigators found a separate blood trail leaving the apartment.

Its unclear if this was a targeted attack, Finner said.

The stepdaughter was rushed into surgery in stable condition, as of Sunday. Finner said he thinks both victims are gonna be all right, thank God.

A spokesperson for the Houston Police Department did not immediately answer calls for updates Monday.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thirteen organizations, many allied with high-tech companies, wrote to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on Monday urging lawmakers to vote against two of the most far-reaching antitrust bills that the committee will discuss this week.

The two bills - one introduced by Representative David Cicilline, chair of the antitrust subcommittee, and the other by Representative Pramila Jayapal - address the issue of giant companies, such as Amazon.com Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google, creating a platform for other businesses and then competing against those same businesses.

Cicilline's bill would ban platforms from giving advantages to their businesses while Jayapal's would ban platforms from competing on their own platform.

The groups said that Cicilline's bill would bar Google from including YouTube videos in search results and block Apple from preinstalling "Find My Phone" on new iPhones. They argued that Jayapal's bill would force companies like Google to sell Maps, YouTube and other free services.

"We believe that voters want Congress to fix things that are broken - not break or ban things that they feel are working well," the groups.

Among the 13 signatories were the Chamber of Progress, Computer and Communications Industry Association, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and NetChoice.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Howard Goller)
Thousands of women have reported a late or unusually heavy period after a coronavirus vaccine. (Stock, Getty Images)

Almost 4,000 women in the UK have reported period problems after having a coronavirus vaccine.

Up to 17 May, the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had received 2,734 reports of menstrual issues linked to the University of Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, 1,158 related to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 66 linked to the Moderna vaccine, according to data seen by The Sunday Times.

Period irregularities, typically heavier bleeding than normal, are not officially listed as a potential side effect of any of the vaccines  unlike a sore arm, fatigue or a headache.

The MHRA is said to be "closely monitoring" the situation.

Based on the "current evidence", however, there does not appear to be an "increased risk" of period problems after any of the three jabs, it said.

Read more: Oxford's coronavirus jab linked to bleeding disorder in rare cases

Experts have repeatedly stressed that the risk of a heavy period should not put women off getting vaccinated, with any menstrual issues being temporary and mild.

'The current evidence does not suggest an increased risk of either menstrual disorders or unexpected vaginal bleeding following the vaccines,' according to the UK's jab watchdog.

Angharad Planells, 34, from Cheltenham, said her period was 11 days late after her second Oxford-AstraZeneca dose.

"My whole life I've been pretty regular and I track my period on an app," she said.

"When it did start, it was one of  if not the  most painful periods I've ever had, to the point where I felt a bit nauseous."

Planells  who has officially reported the adverse event  maintains the after-effect was not severe enough to put her off any future booster jab, particularly as she has lost loved ones to the coronavirus.

Nevertheless, she believes information on the potential side effect needs to be made more public.

Read more: Three young adults have strokes after Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus jab

Katie Khan, 39, from London, similarly found her menstrual cycle became irregular after her first Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine dose.

"It lasted over a week and was much, much heavier, like menstrual flooding, and much more painful," she said.

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Khan will also take up the invitation for a second dose, but wants more information on whether the reaction is normal.

Read more: Do coronavirus vaccines affect fertility?

The period problems, which are typically affecting women aged 30 to 49, may have impacted even more people than have reported it.

Dr Victoria Male  a reproductive immunologist at Imperial College London  has pointed out that not all women are aware of the MHRA's Yellow Card scheme, which allows people to report suspected side effects post-jab.

The immunologist claims "lots of people" have told her about a late or unusually heavy period after a coronavirus vaccine, "very similar to the reports we are seeing in Yellow Card".

Read more: Jabs 'still offer substantial protection' against Delta coronavirus variant

Dr Kate Clancy, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois, is one of many women who has taken to Twitter complaining of the side effect.

In a post that has been liked 1,800 times, Dr Clancy said she was "gushing" a week and a half after her first Moderna vaccine.

On day three of her period, Dr Clancy was "still swapping out extra long overnight pads a few times a day". The anthropologist has even launched a survey to help uncover the issue.

The MHRA is said to have carried out a review into the issue, concluding there was no need to add period problems to the vaccines' official list of side effects.

Nevertheless, the agency has published information on menstrual disorders in its latest adverse event report.

Writing on the government website, the agency said: "The MHRA is closely monitoring reports of menstrual disorders (period problems) and unexpected vaginal bleeding following vaccination against COVID-19 [the disease caused by the coronavirus] in the UK.

"These reports have also been reviewed by the independent experts of the Commission on Human Medicines' COVID-19 Vaccines Benefit Risk Expert Working Group and members of the Medicines for Womens Health Expert Advisory Group.

"The current evidence does not suggest an increased risk of either menstrual disorders or unexpected vaginal bleeding following the vaccines.

Read more: Optimal coronavirus jab for autumn booster investigated

"A range of menstrual disorders have been reported after all three of the COVID-19 vaccines including heavier than usual periods, delayed periods and unexpected vaginal bleeding.

"The number of reports of menstrual disorders and vaginal bleeding is low in relation to both the number of females who have received COVID-19 vaccines to date and how common menstrual disorders are generally."

It has been suggested women may be more likely to notice unusual bleeding post-jab, particularly if the issue is being widely discussed.

The side effect was not flagged as being common in any of the trials that led to the vaccines being approved.

Watch: What is long COVID?

Nevertheless, Dr Male previously told the BBC post-menopausal women and those taking hormones to stop their periods have also reported bleeding, suggesting a reaction may be occurring within the body.

Although it is unclear, the lining of the uterus contains immune cells, which are involved in a woman's period. Post-vaccine, many chemical signals that have the potential to affect these immune cells are circulating around the body.

The HPV and seasonal flu jabs have also been linked to period problems.

Dr Sue Ward, from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: "We're aware some women have been reporting a change to their period cycle or symptoms during the pandemic.

"The degree to which changing hormone levels will affect someone is often informed by her psychological wellbeing at that time.

"We know life events can make PMS [premenstrual syndrome] symptoms feel worse, and something as all-consuming and life-changing as a global pandemic could result in women experiencing their periods differently.

"Anecdotally some women seem to be reporting heavier periods after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and we would support more data collection in this area to understand why this might be the case.

"If you do notice any bleeding that is unusual for you, then we would recommend you contact your doctor."

Dr Pat O'Brien  from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists  agreed, adding: "It's important to remember these side effects are mild and should not deter women from having the vaccine when they are called.

"Many women will experience a temporary change in their periods from time to time during their lives.

"Right now, many women in their 20s and 30s are having the COVID vaccine. So it seems inevitable in some women these two events will coincide by chance.

We also want to stress these perceived changes in menstrual cycle after having the COVID-19 vaccine should not be confused with an impact on fertility and the ability to have children.

"There is no evidence to suggest COVID-19 vaccines will affect fertility."
Visitors at Rocky Mountain National Park discovered a body last week below a popular hiking trail, rangers said.

Tourists at the national park told rangers they found a womans body below The Loch, a popular hiking destination within the park.

The body was found in drainage below The Loch on Friday, park officials said. Weather prevented rangers from retrieving the body until Sunday.

Park rangers attempted to reach the location on Friday night, but lightning storms and darkness hampered those efforts, park officials said in a news release. On Saturday, June 19, Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue Team members were again hampered by weather while conducting field operations.

A search and rescue team of 28 people pulled the body from below the Loch Vale Trail on Sunday.

The womans body was extricated up 60 feet through steep, rocky, hazardous terrain to the Loch Vale Trail and then wheeled out by litter to the Glacier Gorge Trailhead, rangers said.

Her body was taken to the Larimer County Coroner/Medical Examiners Office. Park officials didnt release her name, and the incident is under investigation.

Rangers find womans remains after hikers discover foot nearby, Maryland officials say

Man drowns trying to save child who fell off a sailboat, Washington officials say

Hiker calls for help after being chased by bears  then vanishes, Alaska officials say
Drivers in black Toyotas engaged in a rolling shootout on Interstate 95 as Monday mornings rush hour began in Northeast Miami-Dade, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The bullets between the Toyota Venza and the Toyota Camry flew around 7 a.m. as the two cars barreled down I-95s southbound lanes, FHP said, parallel to the Northwest 151st Street exit on the northbound side.

Both cars were hit, but neither driver was, and each driver called the police. The Venza driver pulled off onto the right shoulder of I-95 to call while the Camry driver continued to the Northwest 125th Street exit and phoned in the shooting after exiting the highway there.

FHP and Miami-Dade police are investigating what troopers termed a road rage incident.

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Miami-Dade officials, residents unite for peace march after latest spate of mass shootings

His bagel didnt have cream cheese, so he pulled gun on a police chiefs daughter, cops say
Getty

Trump asked if COVID-positive Americans overseas could be sent to Guantanamo Bay.

The February 2020 episode is detailed in a forthcoming book by two Washington Post reporters.

"Don't we have an island that we own?" Trump asked, according to the book.

Sign up for the 10 Things in Politics daily newsletter.

Former President Donald Trump pondered whether COVID-positive Americans abroad could be sent to Guantanamo Bay in the early days of the pandemic, according to a forthcoming book by two Washington Post reporters.

"Don't we have an island that we own?" Trump queried officials assembled in the Situation Room in February 2020 as COVID-19 was tearing through Asia and Europe. "What about Guantanamo?"

As Trump explained it to his staff, according to the book: "We import goods...We are not going to import a virus."

The United States operates the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and the infamous Guantanamo detention camp, where terrorist suspects are held in austere conditions, in the Caribbean nation of Cuba.

The officials in the room were shocked at the suggestion to quarantine Americans in Guantanamo, according to the book, and scrapped the idea.

Read more: We identified the 125 people and institutions most responsible for Donald Trump's rise to power and his norm-busting behavior that tested the boundaries of the US government and its institutions

The episode was detailed in a Monday report on the book, "Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History," written by Yasmeen Abultaeb and Damian Paletta and due for release on June 29.

The book, which further documents the chaos and dysfunction in the Trump administration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, also describes Trump's opposition to COVID-19 testing, tension between federal agencies, and how the pandemic further strained Trump's rocky relationship with his son-in-law Jared Kushner, then a White House advisor.

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Throughout the pandemic, Trump repeatedly downplayed the importance of testing and falsely blamed the US' high case count on tests.

"Testing is killing me!" Trump exclaimed to former Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on March 18, according the book. "I'm going to lose the election because of testing! What idiot had the federal government do testing?"

Azar informed Trump that Kushner was, in fact, playing a leading role in the Trump administration's partnerships with the private sector to increase the US' testing capacity.

In another March episode detailed in the book, Kushner exploded at HHS official Robert Kadlec, calling him a "f------ moron" and lamenting that "we'll all be dead by June," standing in stark contrast to Kushner's April 2020 comments that things would be "really be rocking again" by July.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Though Fox News host Tucker Carlson has been rumored to be a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2024, he said recently that he is not planning to run.

Oh, God, come on! Carlson said on the Ruthless podcast when asked about the rumors. That seems like a fun job!

The top-rated host in cable news laughed before adding, No! No!

He added that though he has known and spoken to every president for roughly 30 years that he cant think of anyone whose life was improved.

I guess if I was the last person on earth who could do it, he added. But that seems pretty unlikely that I would be that guy  you know what I mean?

Im a talk show host; I enjoy it, he concluded.

Shortly after Carlsons podcast appearance, the New York Times media columnist, Ben Smith, reported that Carlson has been a source for a number of reporters on Fox News internal politics and former President Donald Trump. Smith wrote that 16 journalists told him on background that he has been, as three of them put it, a great source.

Meanwhile, as Republicans look toward taking back the White House in 2024, a straw poll of conservative voters at the Western Conservative Summit last weekend saw Florida Governor Ron DeSantis come out on top as the favorite to be the GOP nominee.

DeSantis narrowly defeated Trump in the poll of 31 possible candidates from both parties.

More from National Review
By Daren Butler

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkey's Constitutional Court on Monday accepted an indictment filed by a top prosecutor seeking a ban on the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) for alleged ties to militants, state media said, opening the way for a case to close parliament's third-largest party.

The case follows a years-long crackdown on the HDP, in which thousands of its members have been tried on mainly terrorism-related charges. The party denies links to terrorism and described the case as a "political operation".

The judges unanimously accepted the indictment from Turkey's top appeals court. It will now be sent to the HDP for its initial defence, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported.

HDP co-leader Mithat Sancar promised a successful defence of the case, saying after a meeting of the party leadership that the charges had no legal foundation.

"The goal of the case is the Kurdish people and its will," Sancar told reporters. "It also aims to destroy hope for democracy in Turkey, choke the longing for freedom and completely bury dreams of peace."

The HDP has come under increased pressure in recent months, with nationalist allies of President Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party (AKP) calling for it to be banned over alleged ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group.

That pressure has coincided with falling poll support for the AKP as Erdogan's government battles the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Elections are not scheduled until 2023.

Turkey has a long history of shutting down political parties, including pro-Kurdish ones. Critics say its judiciary is subject to political influence, a claim denied by the AK Party and its nationalist MHP allies.

The Constitutional Court had sent a previous indictment back to the prosecutor in March due to procedural omissions and it was refiled earlier this month. There was no immediate statement from the court itself.

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In 2018's parliamentary election, the HDP won 11.7% of the vote, or nearly 6 million votes.

"Full assault on HDP & the right of millions who voted for it to (be) their chosen parliamentary representatives goes on," Human Rights Watch's Emma Sinclair-Webb wrote on Twitter.

Last week, a man stormed HDP offices in the western city of Izmir and shot dead a 20-year-old woman in an attack the party blamed on the crackdown.

The PKK launched an insurgency in 1984 in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey, a conflict in which more than 40,000 people have been killed. The European Union and United States, like Turkey, designate the PKK as a terrorist group.

(Writing by Daren Butler and Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Giles Elgood)
By Josh Smith and Sangmi Cha

SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States' new top envoy for North Korea said on Monday in Seoul that he looks forward to a "positive response soon" on dialogue from North Korea.

U.S. special representative for North Korea Sung Kim is in South Korea for a five-day visit, amid an impasse in denuclearisation talks with Pyongyang, with no word of any planned efforts to contact the North.

"We continue to hope that the DPRK will respond positively for our outreach and our offer to meet anywhere, anytime without preconditions," Kim said, using the initials of North Korea's official name.

Kim arrived on Saturday, a day after North Korean state media reported that leader Kim Jong Un urged preparation for both dialogue and confrontation with the United States, particularly the latter.

"We will be prepared for either, because you know, we are still waiting to hear back from Pyongyang for a meeting," Sung Kim said. "Hopefully dialogue indicates that we will get a positive response soon."

In the meantime, the United States will continue to enforce U.N. Security Council resolutions that have imposed sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear weapons programme and urge other countries to do the same, Kim said.

Kim, who doubles as ambassador to Indonesia, had back-to-back meetings with South Korea's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, as well as a trilateral session involving his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi.

Noh said he and Kim discussed ways to cooperate and facilitate the "prompt" resumption of dialogue with North Korea.

Noh and Funakoshi were also scheduled to have a bilateral meeting to discuss North Korea.

Kim's appointment came after U.S. President Joe Biden's administration conducted a review of North Korea policy that concluded the United States would seek to find "calibrated and practical" ways of inducing Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.

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The United States said on Sunday it saw Kim's comments as an "interesting signal," but added that Washington was still waiting for direct communication from Pyongyang to start any talks relating to denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

China is North Korea's only major ally, and is seen as a key player in any efforts to resolve tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear programme.

In a rare op-ed published in North Korea's main state newspaper on Monday, China's top envoy to Pyongyang, Ambassador Li Jinjun emphasised the long-standing ties between the two countries.

With the relationship between China and North Korea at a new starting point, they will strengthen communication at every level and boost cooperation to "contribute to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity," Li wrote.

(Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Peter Cooney and Michael Perry)
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Monday it has launched a program to help make it easier for staff overseeing Boeing and other airplane manufacturers to report safety concerns.

An independent survey released in August found FAA safety employees said they faced "strong" external pressure from industry and raised concerns the agency does not always prioritize air safety.

The survey gave ammunition to critics who argued in the aftermath of two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes that the FAA had not done enough to insulate employees from industry pressure.

The FAA said on Monday the new program for the 7,400 employees in its Aviation Safety office will allow them to report confidentially any safety concerns without fear of punitive action.

The office oversees manufacturers, airlines, maintenance providers, aviation medical practitioners and flight crews.

"We can never be satisfied with the status quo when it comes to safety, and the free exchange of vital information is a cornerstone of safety and continual improvement," said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson in a statement.

"We want our employees to know that when they speak up, they can be sure someone is listening."

The survey, conducted in late 2019 and early 2020, quoted one anonymous FAA employee as saying there was a message of, "Don't rock the boat with Boeing."

Reuters reported in August that the FAA was moving to create a Voluntary Safety Reporting Program - a confidential "non-punitive environment that encourages open reporting of aviation safety issues and concerns."

The FAA said it worked closely with union leaders on how to structure the new program.

"The more we can continue to encourage people to report, the more we can influence the safety in the system," Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents engineers and other Aviation Safety employees, said in a statement.

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In December, Congress passed sweeping legislation to reform how the FAA certifies new airplanes. It also boosts FAA oversight of aircraft manufacturers, requires disclosure of critical safety information and provide new whistleblower protections.

The 737 MAX was grounded for 20 months after two crashes in five months killed 346 people.

A House of Representatives report released in September said the two fatal 737 MAX crashes "were the horrific culmination of a series of faulty technical assumptions by Boeings engineers, a lack of transparency on the part of Boeings management, and grossly insufficient oversight by the FAA."

The FAA's top safety official Ali Bahrami announced June 2 he would retire effective June 30. Bahrami had faced criticism from some U.S. lawmakers and family members of those killed in the 737 MAX crashes. Officials said it was Bahrami's decision to step down.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Richard Pullin)
By Andrew Chung

(Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday gave Goldman Sachs Group Inc another chance to avoid an investor class action lawsuit accusing the bank of hiding conflicts of interest when creating risky subprime securities before the 2008 financial crisis.

The justices threw out a decision by the Manhattan-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year that had allowed Goldman shareholders including the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System to sue as a group under a federal investor protection law. The plaintiffs accused the bank of unlawfully hiding conflicts of interest when creating risky subprime securities.

In directing the 2nd Circuit to reconsider the matter, the justices said the lower court had failed to properly assess whether the bank's statements that the investors had called misleading were too generic to have affected its stock price.

The ruling, authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, hands Goldman a victory - for now - in a class action in which the plaintiffs have said they lost more than $13 billion due to the bank's conduct. However, the decision clarified that the burden is still on defendants like Goldman to persuade a court that their alleged misstatements had no impact on the stock price - a finding that conservative Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito said they disagreed with in a partial dissent.

In a statement, one of the law firms representing the shareholders, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd, welcomed the decision rejecting "Goldman's effort to flip the burden of persuasion" onto plaintiffs.

"Since this case was first filed more than 11 years ago, Goldman Sachs has spared no expense to avoid facing a jury for misleading investors about its role in the financial crisis," the firm said.

Goldman spokesperson Maeve DuVally said the bank was pleased with the decision and "we will continue to vigorously defend ourselves as the case returns to the lower courts."

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The Arkansas Teacher Retirement System and other pensions that purchased Goldman shares between February 2007 and June 2010 filed suit, accusing the company and three former executives of violating an anti-fraud provision of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and a related SEC regulation. The plaintiffs said that the bank's fraudulent statements kept its stock price artificially high.

The case had been closely followed for clues as to how the Supreme Court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, would view shareholder class actions. Businesses often seek to limit the ability of plaintiffs to collectively sue in order to avoid the higher damages often awarded in such litigation.

The plaintiffs said that when they bought Goldman shares they relied upon the bank's statements about its ethical principles and internal controls against conflicts of interest, and its pledge that its "clients' interests always come first."

Goldman argued that these "aspirational" statements were too vague and general to have had any impact on the stock price.

The case stemmed from Goldman's sale of collateralized debt obligations including Abacus 2007 AC-1, which it assembled with help from hedge fund manager John Paulson.

In 2010, Goldman reached a $550 million settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve charges that it cheated Abacus investors by concealing Paulson's role, including how he made a $1 billion profit by betting that the sale of collateralized debt obligations would fail.

The plaintiffs said that the share price would have been lower if the truth had been known about the company's conflicts of interest.

The 2nd Circuit last year upheld a federal judge's decision to let the plaintiffs sue as a group and rejected one of the company's arguments that generic statements can never impact a stock price.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a partial dissent in the case, saying the 2nd Circuit's decision should have been affirmed.

(Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)
A server carries a tray of drinks from a pub in Edinburgh, Scotland, on April 26, 2021. Andrew Milligan - PA Images / Getty

The UK's daily coronavirus case total has risen again due in large part to the Delta variant.

In a matter of weeks, Delta will likely become the US's dominant strain, too.

Experts worry the US could soon see a similar uptick in cases and hospitalizations.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Summer was supposed to bring a return to normal in the UK - until coronavirus cases started trending in the wrong direction.

The UK's daily coronavirus cases have increased fivefold in the last month, from around 1,500 to 9,200 per day. In that time, daily hospitalizations have doubled from around 100 to 200 per day. That's due in large part to the spread of the Delta variant, the most transmissible to date.

The UK detected its first Delta cases in February. The variant is now thought to make up 99% of new coronavirus cases there, according to Public Health England. The spread of Delta and the resulting increases in coronavirus cases prompted a four-week delay in the UK's reopening plans: Public venues like restaurants, clubs, and festivals will need to maintain social distancing and capacity restrictions until at least July 19.

The US, meanwhile, is expected to see almost all restrictions lifted by the 4th of July. But experts worry that the nation could be on the verge of an uptick in cases and hospitalizations similar to the UK's. The US's Delta cases appear to have tripled in just 11 days, from just 10% of all coronavirus cases sequenced in early June to 31% of all cases last week, according to a recent estimate by the Financial Times. At that rate, experts predict that Delta will become the nation's dominant strain in a matter of weeks.

At the same time, the vaccination rate continues to slow and Americans are steadily ditching their masks and resuming social gatherings.

"It's a set of circumstances that sets us up for more serious surges," Bob Wachter, the chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, told Insider.

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"Particularly in low-vaccine states, it sets up unvaccinated people to be at significantly higher risk," he added. "I was worried about them before. I'm much more worried for them for the fall and the winter."

The UK and US could be on parallel tracks

Demonstrators protest lockdown restrictions on Downing Street in London on June 21, 2021. Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

It took just a few months for Alpha, the coronavirus variant first spotted in the UK, to become the dominant strain there. The US similarly identified its first Alpha case in December, and the strain had become dominant by April. Now experts think the two countries could be on parallel tracks yet again.

"We saw [Alpha] quickly become the dominant strain in a period of one or two months, and I anticipate that is going to be what happens with the Delta strain here," Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told "Good Morning America" on Friday.

Research from Public Health England suggests that Delta is associated with a 60% increased risk of household coronavirus transmission compared to Alpha - which is already around 50% more transmissible than the original coronavirus strain, according to the CDC.

Researchers in Scotland also found that getting infected with Delta doubles the risk of hospital admission relative to Alpha. (Previous studies have suggested that Alpha may be 30% to 70% deadlier than the original strain.)

What's more, emerging research indicates that a single vaccine dose doesn't hold up as well against Delta as it does against other coronavirus strains. Recent Public Health England analyses found that two doses of Pfizer's vaccine were 88% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 from Delta, while a single shot was just 33% effective. That's compared to 95% efficacy against the original strain, with 52% after one shot.

Nearly 64% of UK residents and 53% of US residents have received at least one vaccine dose, but both countries' vaccine rollouts have slowed recently. The UK's weekly vaccination rate dropped 22% in the last month, while the US's weekly rate dropped 67% over the same period.

On Friday, President Joe Biden said the US likely wouldn't return to lockdowns because so many people have been vaccinated already. But states with particularly low vaccination rates, like Alabama or Mississippi, might benefit from the UK's more cautious approach to reopening.

"It's going to really come down to a state-by-state level," Vivek Cherian, an internal-medicine physician in Baltimore, told Insider. "If in an individual state, the vaccination rates are dropping and then we're finding that this Delta variant is starting to go back up, then that individual state or a county may go back into lockdown."

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Kaja Dunn wanted to be an actor since she was about 10.

But her Durham middle school didnt offer a theater program. Im part of the generation where all the arts were cut back in the late 80s and early 90s, said the UNC Charlotte theater department assistant professor.

The summer before high school, I opened a phone book ... and found a group called Young Peoples Performing Company. Her mother couldnt afford tuition, so she worked out a deal to make costumes for the theater in exchange for Dunns tuition.

That was my first taste of the access issue, Dunn said.

She has worked her whole life to make it easier for people of color to break into acting, and in the process she has become an internationally known expert, lecturer and activist for equity in theater.

On May 22, in a ceremony held via Zoom, Dunn was awarded a Kennedy Center Medallion from the National Committee of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for her work in addressing racial issues in theater education.

Gentle approach to changes

She found she had an aptitude for teaching while working for Playwrights Project in San Diego. The group works with schools, veterans, prison populations and people experiencing homelessness and helps them tell their stories in the form of playwriting.

I was good with groups that other actors and directors had trouble with, Dunn said. In her late 20s, she earned a master of fine arts degree so she could teach at the college level.

Kaja Dunn teaches an acting class at UNC Charlotte. Dunn, an assistant professor of acting in UNCCs Department of Theatre, recently received a Kennedy Center honor for her work addressing racial issues in theater education.

Her ability to reach people previously considered problems may come from her gentle approach.

When I went to conservatory, there was a really big push for this break-you-down-to-build-you-up technique, Dunn said. The idea has some validity  its so we teach actors to trust their teachers  but what happened at my undergrad and at a lot of other schools is that people were just broken down. And then theyd leave the field for years.

Universal stories

Through three conservatories, Dunn never had a teacher of color and had only two female teachers. I never saw myself, she said. I had to learn another culture before my own.

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Theres this myth of universality in the theater thats actually very narrow, Dunn said. Its Eugene ONeill, Tennessee Williams, Tom Stoppard, David Mamet. And, these are all great playwrights, but were not talking about Lydia Diamond or Dominique Morisseau or Alice Childress or Pearl Cleage  writers I never got to study.

The people who were teaching me felt like the stories by ONeill and Stoppard and the others were universal stories because they were universal to them, she said. But we arent looking at Alice Childress and going: This, too, is a universal story. If you learn to code switch and read my culture the way Ive learned to read yours, then we have a real basis for understanding.

On May 22 UNC Charlotte theater professor Kaja Dunn received a Kennedy Center Medallion at the American College Theater Festival. She was honored for her work addressing racial equity in theater education nationally and internationally.

White people are allowed to say, I dont get it when it comes to work by Black playwrights and other artists, Dunn said, but people of color dont have that luxury. I cant say that I dont get Shakespeare, she said.

The big issue with equity in theater is funding, Dunn said. Less than 2% of philanthropic funding goes to theaters run by theater makers of color, she said. Federal funding, NEA funding  most of it goes to PWIs, predominantly white institutions.

Racism in theater

Racism shows up in theater in a number of ways  forcing a student to lose his or her ethnic or regional accent, for instance. In California, Dunn auditioned Black and Latinx kids who had gone to theater school and had their dialects taken away, she said.

Typecasting is another way people of color are marginalized. Audiences see it in cinema: the Italian mobster (which Dunn said has largely been replaced since the 80s by Black gang portrayals). The Black pimp. The Latinx drug dealer. The Middle Eastern terrorist.

I had a student who is Middle Eastern who didnt want to speak Arabic in class because she thought shed have to play a terrorist or an oppressed Muslim woman, Dunn said. So, we found a collection of Iranian love stories for her. Speaking Arabic is a huge asset, but when people think about stories for people of color, they often only want to tell the stories of our trauma. We dont get to tell the stories of our joy.

Yet Dunn sees reasons for optimism. The discussion on racial equity in theater is happening globally, she said.

At UNCC, theres a support system of about 40 African American female faculty, and that has been a godsend, Dunn said. Before COVID, we met once a month. We had dinners together, writing groups. Its been an amazing support system.

And Dunn finally got to direct students in a Pearl Cleage play at UNCC, in 2019. I carried around this play called Blues for an Alabama Sky since I was 20, Dunn said. Bringing it to the stage was incredible.

Race, intimacy on stage

Theres a gender component to Dunns work, too.

I teach courses on race and intimacy and consent, and we cover the tropes weve been taught about Asian women, Latinx women, Black women, she said.

Intimacy in theater isnt dealt with delicately or in a healthy way, Dunn said.

My work involves creating a protective environment, teaching acting students that their bodies are autonomous, she said. I tell students: You have a right to say (to a director), You dont understand my culture. Youre asking me to play a trope Im not comfortable playing. (Actors) become much braver about what theyre willing to do when they know theres a safety net.

Dunns work goes well beyond campus. Shes head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for a group called Theatrical Intimacy Education. Shes also a consultant on race for Actors Equity Association and a consultant and presenter for other organizations, from Princeton University to the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.

While Dunn is making an impact in many places, she sees it up-close with her acting students.

At UNCC, weve started offering professional headshots to each graduating (theater) student, she said. Its one of the best investments we can make. Each student gets a half-hour session and one good headshot. We have students who have national commercials now, who are doing TV  and that doesnt come just from my teaching. A headshot seems simple, but its necessary. And it requires money.

Sometimes, what we think of as lack of talent or effort, she said, is actually a lack of access.

More arts coverage

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The United States said Monday that its ambassador will return this week to Moscow after two months, voicing hope he will build on last week's presidential summit and reduce potential miscalculations.

The two presidents, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, agreed in Geneva to send back top envoys, with Ambassador Anatoly Antonov flying back to the United States on Sunday.

US Ambassador John Sullivan "will return to Moscow this week," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

"That's in part because we remain committed to open channels of communication with the Russian government, both as a means to advance US interests but also to reduce the risk of miscalculation between our two countries," Price said.

Relations had deteriorated sharply after Biden took office in January with promises to get tougher on Russia, including over alleged election interference, hacking and curbing of dissent.

Sullivan left Moscow in April as the United States and Russia announced a wave of tit-for-tat sanctions and expulsions of diplomats.

Antonov, who was recalled in March, said on heading to the United States that he was in an "optimistic mood" and sought "equal and pragmatic relations."

The two presidents have both described their talks in Geneva as frank, with Putin describing Biden, a veteran politician, as a "professional" who was "very attentive" in their talks.

Biden defeated Donald Trump, who voiced admiration for Putin even as his administration kept up pressure on Moscow.

sct/st
A thermometer display showed a temperature of 130 degrees at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center at Death Valley National Park on June 17 in Furnace Creek, California. Patrick T. Fallon/Getty Images

California is bone-dry after a heat wave hit the state, with water levels dipping to all-time lows.

Experts said this may become the worst drought the US has seen in 1,200 years.

In the meantime, the West and Southwest continue to sizzle, and summer has yet to hit its peak.

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Residents on the West Coast are in for a miserable, sizzling summer filled with prolonged drought and record-breaking temperatures, experts said.

A scientist The Guardian spoke with even warned that the US could experience one of the worst droughts in its modern history.

"This current drought is potentially on track to become the worst that we've seen in at least 1,200 years. And the reason is linked directly to human-caused climate change," Kathleen Johnson, an associate professor of Earth system science at the University of California, Irvine, told the Guardian.

The projection came as California's rivers and reservoirs dried up and the state recorded historically low water levels.

In particular, if water levels in Lake Oroville, California's second-largest reservoir, continue to dwindle, it could have devastating effects on the state's power supply. This is because the lake generates energy by flowing through the Edward Hyatt Power Plant. Low water levels may force this power plant to close. A closure would leave about 800,000 homes without energy when wildfire season swings around, CNN reported.

The heat wave hitting California prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a statewide emergency last week. Newsom called on the state's residents to conserve energy, saying that the heat "has and will continue to put significant demand and strain on California's energy grid."

Energy troubles amid the heat wave are also hitting Texas. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said many power plants in the state went offline last week, months after a major outage left Texans without heat during in the middle of winter.

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The Washington Post reported on June 18 that more than 40 million Americans saw triple-digit temperatures where they live in the prior week. Temperature records were also broken in Salt Lake City last Tuesday when the weather services measured a high of 107 degrees, breaking the area's 147-year record for temperatures in June.

What makes the US's weather troubles worse is that summer hasn't even peaked.

The National Centers for Environmental Information's archive of temperatures across the US from 1981 to 2010 showed that the amount of the sun's rays reaching Earth tends to peak on the summer solstice on June 21. But the US tends to see warm temperatures increasing into July. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the summer of 2020 was one of the hottest ever seen in the US, with August, in particular, being especially "dry and destructive."

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The US special representative for North Korea on Monday offered to meet with Pyongyang "anywhere, anytime, without preconditions", with no public contact so far between the Biden administration and the nuclear-armed nation.

Sung Kim's remarks came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week gave his first reaction to Washington's recent review of its approach to his isolated country, saying Pyongyang must prepare for both "dialogue and confrontation".

The Biden administration has previously promised a "practical, calibrated approach", including diplomatic efforts, to persuade the impoverished North to give up its banned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.

"We continue to hope that the DPRK will respond positively to our outreach, and our offer to meet anywhere anytime without preconditions," US envoy Kim said during a five-day visit to Washington's ally South Korea, referring to the North by its official name.

Last week, Kim Jong Un said the country's food situation was "tense", sounding the alarm in a country with a moribund agricultural sector that has long struggled to feed itself and is now under self-imposed isolation to try to protect itself against the coronavirus pandemic.

Pyongyang's state-run KCTV on Sunday reported leader Kim and top officials had discussed "emergency measures" to tackle the country's "current food crisis".

North Korea has long insisted that it has had no cases of the virus -- a claim that analysts doubt -- but it has paid a heavy economic price for its self-imposed blockade.

Trade with China, its economic lifeline, has slowed to a trickle, while all international aid work faces tight restrictions.

Envoy Kim on Monday urged UN security council members -- a group which includes China -- to fully implement resolutions against Pyongyang, which limit North Korean imports of oil and its exports of coal, textiles and fish, among other things.

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"We will continue to implement all UN Security Council resolutions addressing the DPRK," he said, using the North's official name.

"We also urge UN member states, especially UN Security Council members, to do the same to address the threat posed to the international community by the DPRK."

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The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) completed the first scheduled explosive event of Full Ship Shock Trials while underway in the Atlantic Ocean on June 18, 2021. US Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist Seaman Jackson Adkins

The US Navy set off a 40,000-pound explosive charge on Friday near its new aircraft carrier.

The blast was part of shock trials designed to test the ship's combat survivability.

The explosive registered a 3.9 on the Richter scale, the equivalent of a small earthquake.

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The US Navy detonated a 40,000-pound explosive near its new aircraft carrier in shock trials to see how the ship would hold up in combat.

The massive explosive was set off underwater near USS Gerald R. Ford, the first of a new class of advanced aircraft carriers, in the Atlantic Ocean about 100 miles off the coast of Florida last Friday.

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Some common naval mines are about 2,000 pounds and can cause serious damage if detonated close enough to the hull.

The explosive the Navy set off in testing last week, while much farther from the ship than a naval mine would be, was much larger. It was almost twice as large as the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, a rarely-used heavy munition commonly known as the "Mother of All Bombs" because it is the most powerful non-nuclear weapon the US has.

The blast, which was identified as an "experimental explosion" by the US Geological Survey, was so powerful that it clocked a 3.9 on the Richter scale, the equivalent of a small earthquake.

The Navy declined to provide any additional information on the configuration of the explosive used in the trials, how far it was from the ship when it was detonated, or why the specific yield was chosen.

The Navy explained in a recent Facebook post on the explosive testing that it "conducts shock trials of new ship designs using live explosives to confirm that our warships can continue to meet demanding mission requirements under harsh conditions they might encounter in battle."

In the aftermath of the first explosive event, the Ford's official social media pages said that "the leadership and the crew demonstrated Navy readiness fighting through the shock, proving our warship can 'take a hit' and continue our mission."

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The Ford is the Navy's most expensive warship and features a lot of new technology, such as an electromagnetic launch system, advanced arresting gear, and advanced weapons elevators.

The ongoing shock trials, which the Navy was ordered to carrier out before the Ford could deploy, test the survivability of these systems and others in combat.

The Navy is making sure that the shock from a nearby ordnance detonation will not incapacitate the ship by knocking critical systems offline, including everything from the ship's radars and self-defense systems to its four hefty propellers. Many of the ship's sensitive systems are mounted on coils to withstand blast waves without breaking.

USS Gerald R. Ford was, as the Navy stated recently, "designed using advanced computer modeling methods, testing, and analysis to ensure the ship is hardened to withstand battle conditions."

The shock trials, the first involving an aircraft carrier in 34 years, are being conducted to verify that the ship can, in fact, survive the shock of a nearby blast and hold up in combat.

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The vandalized property in Colorado Springs which sold in just five days. Google Street View

A "house from hell" in Colorado Springs is selling for more than its asking price, The Denver Post reported.

A previous tenant spray-painted the walls and left two dead cats to rot there, the realtor said.

The home was listed for $590,000 and got 72 offers in five days, the realtor told CNN.

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A vandalized property in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that the realtor called a "slice of hell" is set to sell above asking price, just five days after it was put on the market, The Denver Post first reported.

The five-bed home in the Broadmoor Bluffs Estates neighborhood was listed on Tuesday for $590,000. Mimi Foster, the local realtor marketing the house, said in the listing there was "not one surface of the home that has not been enhanced with black spray paint or a swinging hammer."

Two dead cats were previously found locked in one of the upstairs bathrooms, according to a report in The Washington Post. Foster said in an interview with CNN that a previous tenant, who was evicted in 2019 for not paying rent, caused the damage, and also left meat in the basement fridge without the electricity on.

Foster told The Denver Post on Sunday that the seller had accepted an offer above asking price.

Within three days of listing, the property got 22 actual offers in hand and 50 offers over text, Foster said. She also received 500 text messages and 300 emails about the home, she said. "I've not seen this kind of hysteria, even in this market."

The housing market in Colorado Springs and many other cities is booming. US houses are only staying on the market for six days on average before being sold, according to a new housing report by Zillow.

"There were many brisk offers, but [the buyers] are neighborhood locals and that's one of the reasons their offer was accepted," Foster told The Denver Post. "The buyers grew up in the neighborhood, they have friends on the cul-de-sac. They are anxious to bring it back to its majestic glory. We didn't take the highest offer, we took the best offer."

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Houses in the Broadmoor Bluffs Estates neighborhood typically sell for $750,000 to $800,000, CNN reported.

Foster said in the interview that she wasn't accepting unseen offers for the "house from hell." When an agent said they were going to put an offer down from a Denver-based investor for $625,000, she told them to "come and smell it first."

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By Mayela Armas

CARACAS (Reuters) - With its access to the global financial system restricted by U.S. sanctions, Venezuela managed to make some payments for the country's coronavirus vaccines by asking a handful of private local banks to pay on the government's behalf, two sources familiar with the matter said.

The banks have used foreign currency obtained through transactions with international credit and debit cards within Venezuela to pay COVAX, an initiative that provides vaccines to poor countries, said the people, who spoke on the conditions of anonymity and that the participating banks not be named.

It was not clear how or if the banks were compensated, nor what portion of the payments to COVAX have been made by the banks. So far, Venezuela has paid about $109 million to COVAX, about $10 million shy of what it owes, Venezuelan officials said earlier this month.

The tactic is the latest sign of how President Nicolas Maduro often finds ways around the obstacles created by the U.S. sanctions, aimed at ousting him over accusations of vote-rigging and rights violations.

That does not mean it has been easy. Government officials have said for months that the sanctions were impeding its ability to make the international bank transfers necessary to pay for the COVAX doses.

Venezuelan officials have said they expect to receive some 5 million vaccine doses through COVAX. But so far the country has received none, although most regional neighbors from Nicaragua to Colombia having already received hundreds of thousands of doses under the program.

Venezuela, with a population of some 30 million, has received vaccines only from allies Russia and China and its rollout of those 3.5 million doses has been slow and plagued by confusion https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuela-seniors-complain-disorder-confusion-vaccination-campaign-2021-06-11.

Years of economic crisis and a collapse in oil production - by far the OPEC nation's biggest export - has left the country perilously short of foreign currency reserves. But in April, officials said they had made https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuela-makes-second-covax-payment-vaccines-un-official-visits-2021-04-19 the payments for the COVAX vaccines, without explaining how the transactions took place.

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Some of the payments were made by local banks at the central bank's request, the people said. Transactions with international cards have ballooned in inflation-stricken Venezuela since the government loosened exchange controls in 2019, leaving the banks that process the payments with a store of foreign currency.

Neither Venezuela's central bank nor the information ministry, which handles media inquiries on the government's behalf, responded to requests for comment.

The strategy has not been seamless. While the U.S. sanctions apply only to government institutions, including the central bank, some companies are wary of dealing with even non-sanctioned private Venezuelan institutions for fear of punishment by Washington - a trend known as "overcompliance."

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza earlier this month posted on Twitter a letter from COVAX indicating that four of the 16 transactions made in Venezuela's name, totaling some $4.6 million, had been "blocked."

"Since there are various transfers from different banks, the operations are reviewed more closely," one of the people familiar with the operations said.

Washington on Thursday issued an exemption to its sanctions on Venezuela, as well as on Syria and Iran, clarifying that financial transactions related to COVID-19 treatment and testing were permitted. U.S. officials have long argued that the sanctions do not prohibit humanitarian relief efforts.

(Reporting by Mayela Armas; Writing by Luc Cohen; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
Police in New Jersey are searching for several suspects accused of abducting and assaulting a waitress at a restaurant where they were dining.

Around 11:15 p.m. Saturday, a group of five people had just finished eating at Nifty Fiftys in Washington Township when they tried to skip on paying for their meal, police say.

A waitress attempted to stop the customers, but she was taken into their Dodge Durango, according to a police statement. They drove off and assaulted the woman before leaving her on the side of the road, police say.

The 20-year-old waitress suffered bruises and a possible concussion, WPVI reported. She ran back to the restaurant to call police after being pushed out of the vehicle, the TV station reported.

Police released surveillance photos showing the five suspects  three men and two women. The police department also posted a picture of the suspects white Dodge Durango, which was last seen traveling toward Monroe Township, police say.

Police in New Jersey are searching for five suspects accused of abducting and assaulting a waitress.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 859-589-0330 ext. 1160.

Washington Township is about 20 miles south of Philadelphia.

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By Robin Emmott, Daphne Psaledakis and William James

BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) - Western powers hit Belarus with a wave of new sanctions on Monday in a coordinated response to Minsk's forced landing of a Ryanair plane last month to arrest a journalist on board, an act that is set to prompt further economic sanctions.

The European Union, the United States, Britain and Canada blacklisted more officials, lawmakers and ministers from the administration of President Alexander Lukashenko, whose air force intercepted the Ryanair plane flying between Athens and Vilnius on May 23 in what the West called state piracy.

"We are united in our deep concern regarding the Lukashenko regime's continuing attacks on human rights, fundamental freedoms, and international law," the European Union, the United States, Britain and Canada said in a joint statement.

"We are united in calling for the regime to end its repressive practices against its own people," they said.

In Monday's mix of travel bans, asset freezes and sanctions on state-owned Belarusian companies, Western governments sought to escalate their pressure on Lukashenko, who is accused of rigging elections last August and cracking down on the opposition to prolong his now 27 years in power.

There was no immediate reaction from Lukashenko who has denied rigging the vote, accused the arrested journalist Roman Protasevich of plotting a revolution, and increasingly turned to Russia for support.

The EU included Russian businessman Mikhail Gutseriyev, the largest single foreign investor in Belarus, in its sanctions. That is likely to further strain Brussels' ties with Moscow, which accuses Europe of interfering in its affairs.

The latest round of sanctions since last year's disputed elections takes the EU's tally of Belarusian lawmakers, officials, judges and military commanders to 166 people, including 78 who were blacklisted on Monday.

Britain, the United States and Canada added individuals to their sanctions lists, although it was not immediately clear if those now blacklisted in Belarus are all subject to the same travel bans and asset freezes across all countries.

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The United States said it hit people with top jobs in the Lukashenko government including the ministry of internal affairs and the ministry of information.

The EU targeted Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin, the transport minister and the air force commander, as well as judges, lawmakers and officials.

Britain's sanctions on Monday included measures against London-registered BNK (UK) Ltd, which negotiates contracts for exports of Belarusian oil products.

JAILED OR EXILED

U.S. President Joe Biden, along with other Western leaders, had condemned the forced landing of the Ryanair flight and instructed his advisers to hold those responsible to account.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab accused Lukashenko of a "shameful ruse" to arrest dissident journalist Roman Protasevich, 26, on the Ryanair flight, as well as his student girlfriend.

Family members say they have been coerced into confessions about organising protests in Minsk last year.

Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met EU foreign ministers for breakfast talks in Luxembourg on Monday, before addressing reporters in Brussels. She called for more Western efforts to punish Lukashenko and press him to agree to free and fair elections.

"Lukashenko is escalating his violence towards people who are fighting against him, but people are not giving up," she said. EU leaders would discuss giving political approval at a summit on Thursday.

ECONOMIC SANCTIONS SOON

While individual sanctions have not had the impact the West has sought, the EU hopes that economic sanctions under preparation can hit Lukashenko hardest.

EU leaders are set on Thursday to consider provisionally-agreed sanctions on oil, finance, potash and tobacco, which were approved by EU experts late last week.

Restrictions on the Belarusian financial sector are set to include: a ban on new loans, a ban on EU investors from buying bonds on the primary market and a ban on EU banks from providing investment services. EU export credits will also end, although private savings will not be targeted. Securities in circulation and traded between fund managers are not expected to be hit, but sanctions on the secondary market could come at a later stage.

The bloc will ban exports to Belarus of any communications equipment that could be used for spying, and tighten an arms embargo to include rifles used by biathletes, officials said.

"Our demand to Lukashenko remains the same: the release of political prisoners, an end to the violence against protesters and the opposition and an inclusive dialogue leading to free and fair elections," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said her government was ready to support its enterprises if they got hit by the European sanctions on neighbouring Belarus.

(Reporting by Robin Emmott; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
The West Virginia Supreme Court reinstated a lawsuit against the Harrison County School Board that claims the board was negligent after a public school official allegedly harassed and discriminated against a transgender student.

The lawsuit was initially thrown out by a Harrison County Circuit Court, which claimed the school board was not liable for the alleged actions of assistant principal Lee Livengood. However, the state supreme court reinstated the lawsuit last week, ruling the plaintiffs could pursue their lawsuit on the grounds of negligence per se and negligent retention.

According to the lawsuit, the transgender student, Michael Critchfield, identified as a boy and tried to use the male restroom. The complaint alleges Livengood stood in Critchfields way and said come out here and use the urinal to prove the students gender as he referred to the student as female. Livengood has said he was unaware of the students gender identity.

The complaint alleges the school board kept Livengood in his position and he continued to intimidate Critchfield. The complaint also alleges the school board and administration failed to contact the students parents for weeks after the alleged incident. Livengood was eventually suspended and later reinstated.

Critchfield is represented by the West Virginia American Civil Liberties Union.

Weve said all along we wouldnt tolerate the kind of behavior Michael endured from a student and we certainly shouldnt tolerate from a school official who is supposed to educate and protect students, ACLU State Director Loree Stark said in a statement.

Upon the Supreme Courts decision, the case will return to the circuit court.

The state of West Virginia is also n a lawsuit regarding transgender students regarding a law that requires transgender athletes to enroll in sports that align with the students biological sex. Supporters of the lawsuit claim a biological male would have an unfair advantage over a biological female in athletic competitions, regardless of which gender the student identifies with. Opponents say the law discriminates against transgender students by refusing to acknowledge the gender with which they identify.

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A lawsuit against the state was also filed by the West Virginia American Civil Liberties Union.

The Department of Justice also chimed in on the West Virginia law this week, alleging it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The DOJ also alleged that the law violates Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination, which could threaten their federal funding of athletics.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, West Point, State

Original Author: Tyler Arnold, The Center Square

Original Location: West Virginia Supreme Court reinstates trans student lawsuit
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. Alex Wong/Getty Images

The White House ruled out a gas tax increase on Monday as bipartisan infrastructure talks gain momentum.

Psaki said the administration is "not going to stand for" any measure boosting taxes for households earning under $400,000.

A Democratic negotiator said it is "clearly off the table" in the negotiations.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The White House ruled out a gas-tax increase to finance a major infrastructure overhaul, arguing it would violate a central campaign pledge to shield average Americans from any tax hikes.

"An idea that's been floating around that certainly the president would not support is a gas tax which would raise taxes on people making less than $400,000 a year," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told "CBS This Morning" on Monday. "We're just not going to stand for that and we're not going to accept it."

Another key Democratic senator strongly indicated it was no longer in the package. Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, a Democratic negotiator, said its "clearly off the table" in an MSNBC interview on Monday.

Boosting the gas tax is a step Congress hasn't taken since 1993 and its stood at 18 cents since then. But Republicans and some Democrats eyed indexing it to inflation as a potential revenue source in a bipartisan deal. It could raise $30 billion in new federal money over 10 years.

The negotiations gained momentum earlier this month after additional senators from both parties signed onto a $1 trillion deal centered on core infrastructure like roads and bridges. But sharp disagreements remain on the scope of a package as well as paying for it.

The talks are now in a state of flux - Republicans and Democrats in the bipartisan gang disagreed late last week on whether a gas tax increase was even included in the emerging framework. It still has not been publicly released.

Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, another GOP negotiator, suggested on Sunday the measure could be dropped given the Biden administration's opposition to raising taxes.

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Other hurdles remain for the blueprint, which may face significant opposition as its fashioned into a bill. It may lose the vote of some Democrats over the lack of aggressive climate measures contained in the framework.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said Sunday he would oppose a plan with regressive "pay-fors" that stepped up taxes on average Americans and not large corporations. He listed a gas tax increase and new fees on electric vehicle drivers, along with privatization of infrastructure spending.

Read the original article on Business Insider
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden's administration reasserted Monday that it would not support increasing the federal gas tax, a levy on fuel that hasn't been changed since the 1990s, as he and a bipartisan group of senators try to hash out a way to pay for a massive infrastructure plan.

A bipartisan group of 21 senators identified public-private partnerships, redirecting money previously allocated for COVID-19 relief, and "indexing" the federal gas tax annually to match inflation as possible funding options for their $1.2 trillion infrastructure framework, according to a draft outline obtained by USA TODAY.

But the White House, which supports enforcing a minimum tax on corporations to pay for infrastructure, made clear Monday that raising the gas tax is off limits. Several Senate Democrats  including members of the bipartisan group of senators  also have objected.

"The president's pledge was not to raise taxes on Americans making less than $400,000 a year, and the proposed gas tax or vehicle mileage tax would do exactly that," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday, also noting it would raise only $40 billion. "So that is a nonstarter for him."

More: $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal gaining steam on Capitol Hill

White House officials and senators were expected to continue infrastructure talks Monday afternoon. Psaki said she expects Biden to host some Senate negotiators at the White House in the coming days. The Senate group's framework proposes $579 billion in new spending on roads, bridges, rail and broadband internet, considerably less than the $1 trillion Biden has sought.

President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of senators are trying to agree on a way to pay for a massive infrastructure plan.

The White House has said it would "take stock" of the status of negotiations with the bipartisan group, which includes 11 Republicans, by the end of this week. Previous negotiations with a separate coalition of six Republican senators collapsed in part because they couldn't agree on how to pay for the bill.

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The federal gas tax  18.4 cents a gallon  has not been changed since 1993. The revenue goes toward highway and transit funding. Republican senators have floated a new surcharge on electric vehicles to pay for infrastructure, but the White House opposes that idea and repurposing COVID-19 rescue money.

More: A new New Deal? How Biden's spending plans stack up to past presidential proposals

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, one of the lead Republican negotiators in the latest talks, said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that there are "creative ways" to pay for infrastructure, including indexing the gas tax to inflation.

"But we understand that the administration has very strong views on that," Portman said, making clear Republicans won't support raising taxes on corporations. "The administration therefore will need to come forward with some other ideas without raising taxes. What we don't want to do is hurt the economy right now as we're coming out of this pandemic by raising taxes on working families."

Like Biden, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., one of the 10 Democrat negotiators in the bipartisan group, said he opposes indexing the gas tax even if it's part of the group's framework.

"I certainly don't support the gas tax, and it would have an impact on my support of the bill," Tester said on MSNBC last week. "So hopefully we can remove that gas tax and get another pay-for for that."

More: Democrats prepared to move forward alone while moving ahead with 'two-track' infrastructure plan

When he introduced his $2.25 trillion American Jobs Plan in March, Biden proposed increasing the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, which would unwind tax cuts Republicans and former President Donald Trump passed in 2017. In a trimmed-down offer of $1 trillion in new infrastructure spending, Biden agreed to keep the corporate tax rate the same and instead ensure that the largest corporations pay a minimum 15% rate by ending tax loopholes.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, one of the lead Republican negotiators in the latest infrastructure talks.

Psaki said Monday that beefing up tax enforcement would raise "a great deal more, by multiples" than raising the gas tax and meet Portman's demand that taxes aren't raised.

"And it would fall on predominantly wealthy Americans and just ensure they're paying the taxes that they owe. So that is an area where there should be an opportunity to move forward."

As Biden seeks a bipartisan deal on infrastructure, the White House also supports a two-track strategy led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that includes using budget reconciliation, a strategy that bypasses the filibuster process and allows a simple majority to pass legislation in the Democrat-led Senate.

Biden and Democrats hope to use that strategy to pass the president's more ambitious climate-change initiatives and family agendas, including universal prekindergarten, subsidized child care, national paid family leave and free community college.

"We don't see this as a one step," Psaki said. "There's a reconciliation process that's ongoing. And that addresses and includes a number of the president's key priorities."

More: Biden offers to keep 2017 Trump tax cuts intact in infrastructure counteroffer to GOP

Senate Democrats led by Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, have drafted a $6 trillion reconciliation package that combines many of these items.

Yet Psaki did not commit when asked whether Biden would support legislation totaling that dollar figure, pointing to conversations she said need to take place with Congress.

"We're not quite there yet," Psaki said.

Some progressive Democrats have for weeks been ready to move alone via reconciliation without Republicans on infrastructure and forget about a bipartisan deal.

In an interview Sunday on "Meet the Press," Sanders said he would support a narrower bipartisan deal that addresses only physical infrastructure, but not if it includes the gas tax.

"If it is regressive taxation  raising the gas tax or a fee on electric vehicles, or the privatization of infrastructure  no I wouldnt support it, but we dont have the details right now."

Contributing: Ledyard King, USA TODAY; The Associated Press. Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden White House against gas tax as infrastructure bill talks drag on
A Madison Heights man is charged with attempted capital murder of a law enforcement officer in connection with an incident Sunday in Amherst County.

Amherst County Sheriffs deputies responded to a call Sunday for a reported assault in the Colony Road area of Madison Heights. Deputies met with a woman who said she was assaulted and had physical signs that she had been, according to a news release from the sheriffs office.

The woman identified the person that had assaulted her as Takota Jordan Cash, the release said. As deputies approached a residence where Cash is known to live, they were met with gunfire from a rifle and were able to identify Cash, 20, as the person shooting at them as he was running away from the officers, according to the release.

No one was hit by gunfire and deputies involved did not fire their weapons. While seeking cover in the wood line, the initial responding deputies lost sight of Cash but believed he had retreated into the house on Thacker Lane, the release said.

Additional resources from the Amherst County Sheriffs Office, Virginia State Police, the Lynchburg Police Department and Amherst County Public Safety were dispatched to the scene to try to negotiate to get Cash to come out of the house, according to the release.
The General Assembly saved almost all the extra money left over after the 2019 budget by keeping spending levels the same, fearing a massive COVID-19 economic downturn.

But things weren't as bad as feared, and South Carolina lawmakers had nearly $2 billion more to spend in the 2021 budget, most of it one-time money from lawsuit settlements or saved from the previous spending plan instead of extra tax revenue from growth that could be counted on each year.

The House approved the budget 107-4 and the Senate passed it 39-5.

The spending plan also sets aside $600 million in a rainy day fund in case there is a sudden economic downturn and revenue collected in the 2021-22 fiscal year falls below what was predicted. That money could prevent midyear cuts, Rep. Bruce Bannister said.

On July 1 wed have twice as much in reserve as we normally would carry and I think there is at least some sense we would adjust those reserves to make them higher so we would always have enough money, Bannister, a Republican from Greenville, said at last week's conference committee meeting where the House and Senate worked out their differences.
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 last week, 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.
Japan Times - Jul 01

Land prices in Japan fell 0.5% on average in 2021 from a year before, down for the first time in six years due to loss in demand by foreign visitors amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Thursday.
Gun control groups also oppose the Texas measure, noting the states recent history of mass shootings, including a racist attack at a Walmart in the border city of El Paso, and attacks at a Baptist church in Sutherland Springs and at Santa Fe High School outside Houston.

This callous and reckless bill is an insult to every Texan who has been affected by gun violence, said Maya Friedberg, a volunteer leader with the group Students Demand Action in Houston, in a statement.

Texas already has some of the loosest gun laws in the country and has more than 1.6 million handgun license holders. The state doesnt require a permit to carry a rifle. Still, previous efforts to remove the handgun license requirement had been resisted until a strong push from conservatives lawmakers this year.

Texas has allowed licensed carry of handguns since 1995. That process required applicants to take training classes and pass a shooting range proficiency test. It also included a state criminal background check.
The van was carrying children ages 4 to 17 who were being cared for at the ranch, which is operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association and takes in abused and neglected children, including foster children. The group was heading back to the ranch near Camp Hill, northeast of Montgomery, after a week at the beach in Gulf Shores.

A U.S. flag flew at half-staff at the ranch on Monday, and bouquets of flowers decorated a sign. Grim-faced workers and volunteers came and went in silence as the chief executive struggled to keep his emotions in check.

I know that we lost eight of our children. Thats what I know, said Michael Smith.

Smith said there were two vans from the camp along with a car pulling a trailer loaded with suitcases. The lead van was involved in the crash, he said.

Many of our children have never even seen the beach, so its an annual event that were able to take these children down there, he said. This was the first visit back to the beach after the COVID-19 pandemic, "and we were so excited.

The crash also claimed the lives of two people in another vehicle  a 29-year-old Tennessee man and his 9-month-old daughter. Other people were injured.
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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  The Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled that a Guatemalan mother who fled her home country and Nebraska to escape abusive men can keep her children.
Brian Becker told the Hastings Tribune last fall hed seek to add a casino near the Hastings fairgrounds if the voter initiatives passed. Licensed tracks need only run one day of live racing to qualify to host a casino.

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Kibbon said Monday the horse-track permit application might return to the Planning Commission agenda July 27. That would put off council action to August at the earliest.

Even before Mondays postponement, a city memorandum by Clark recommended a formal development agreement with the projects leaders if the city should grant their permit.

Such an agreement  which Kibbon and Clark said the city likely will require for all future larger developments  would spell out the additional infrastructure needed for a site and the parties responsible for paying for and maintaining them.

Its different from the redevelopment contract that covers similar topics when tax increment financing is involved, Clark and Kibbon said.

They added that TIF is not on the table with the horse-track proposal, which would build on open farmland east of the NPPD Canal and between I-80 and East Walker Road.

Burklund said city water mains stop just east of the would-be horse track site, while sewer mains end just to the south.
How it works is you (the county) would purchase a printer from us and a laptop, Frison said. We load whats called our Balotar software onto that laptop. It is not connected to the internet; its not connected to your county network.

The software will allow Rossells office to look up the ballot requested and print it on demand for a particular voter.

Its a very simple software program and its just an extension from voter registration, Frison said. All that information thats going to be in the software is going to come directly from your voter registration system.

Frison said another benefit of the system is having full control over ballot printing.

Youll never be in a situation where you will run out of ballots, Frison said.

She said its difficult to know how many ballots to order under the current system. To avoid running out of ballots, many unused ballots are wasted.

So, Becky (Rossell), with the uniqueness and varied ballots, Chairman Kent Weems said, this is a way to expedite that process where you have so many different districts and wards, school zones, fire districts and on and on.
Clyde really does have the hostile, paranoid glare down pat. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag

About a year ago, I wrote a piece about various right-wing extremists running for Congress in the mountains of North Georgia  ancestral territory for me, but now a veritable burnt-over ground of radical populist conservatism. I began by noting that the dean of Georgia congressional wing nuts, Paul Broun Jr., had lost a comeback effort, despite one of the most incendiary ads ever:

How to try to win election by stoking fear amid the COVID-19 crisis:



Former Georgia Rep. Paul Broun who is running to return to Congress just released an ad warning that in uncertain times like these, its important to protect yourself against looting hordes from Atlanta pic.twitter.com/bqS4rePrmP  Marcus Baram (@mbaram) April 7, 2020

The star of the story was Marjorie Taylor Greene, who at that point was in a Republican runoff in a Northwest Georgia district. She went on, of course, to instant infamy in Congress, along with the loss of committee assignments before she even had them and at least two rebukes from House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who isnt exactly a proponent of social justice himself.

But there were other political beasts roaming through the hills last summer, including both runoff candidates for the Northeast Georgia House seat being abandoned by Doug Collins, who was busy savaging Kelly Loeffler in a Senate primary as a RINO swamp creature (a line of attack Loeffler parried in part by securing an endorsement from Greene). The one who got the most attention was state legislator Matt Gurtler, a Ron Paul acolyte who seemed uncomfortably cozy with white supremacists. But the candidate who beat him was gun dealer Andrew Clyde, whose claim to fame was a legal crusade against the IRS (or, as its agents are sometimes known in Appalachia, the revenuers). Clyde styled himself as a MAGA bravo, a Second Amendment absolutist, and a proponent of a total no-exceptions ban on abortions. At the same time, without irony, he described himself as someone who was standing up to big government. But these being fairly standard Republican positions at the moment, it was not yet clear that the new representative from the Ninth District of Georgia would threaten Marjorie Taylor Greenes mantle as the most extremist member of his states congressional agenda.

Clydes getting some attention now. Some of it is over his bizarre lawsuit to fight the screening devices used to keep anyone from carrying weapons into the House chamber, as reported by Roll Call:

Clyde, along with Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican fined $5,000 for circumventing the security screening, filed a lawsuit Sunday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging the House rule that imposes such fines violates the Constitution 

House Resolution 73 (H.Res. 73) detains members from engaging in their duties to those they represent, in clear violation of Article I of the Constitution, and seeks to fine Republicans, in violation of the 27th Amendment, to gain undue influence over their behavior and to further Speaker [Nancy] Pelosis false political narrative, Clyde said in a statement Monday.

Perhaps Clyde is thinking of the January 6 attack on Congress in asserting his need for shooting irons on the floor? Certainly not: He has also been very outspoken about the Capitol riot being a normal tourist visit, and has demonized the Capitol Police and their conduct on January 6. That meant, most recently, some personal disrespect for a cop severely injured during the insurrection, as Axios reported:

Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) on Wednesday refused to shake hands with D.C. police officer Michael Fanone, who suffered a heart attack and traumatic brain injury after he was assaulted while protecting the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, Fanone told CNN 

Clyde is among the 21 Republicans who voted against awarding a Congressional Gold Medal to officers who defended the Capitol during the riot.

Also this week, Clyde managed to get decisively to the right of Greene when he became one of 14 House members to oppose the designation of Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Remarkably, Greene voted for it.

But the irrepressible Greene has already reclaimed her extremist mojo, and on Clydes ideological home turf:

Just moments ago I introduced legislation to ELIMINATE the ATF (H.R. 3960).



The ATF's unconstitutional war on gun owners and our Second Amendment rights must end. pic.twitter.com/dTOVkxuh2Q  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) June 17, 2021

Greene also voted against the award for Capitol police, and is engaged in an effort to suggest the FBI was really responsible for turning that innocent rally for election integrity on January 6 into something violent:

We need names and answers about the FBI operatives, who were involved in organizing and carrying out the Jan 6th Capitol riot.



First they had a back up plan to stop Trump in Russia Collusion witch hunt, now we are finding out they were deeply involved in Jan 6th.



Deep State. https://t.co/q8jKFQwVAJ  Marjorie Taylor Greene  (@mtgreenee) June 16, 2021

Between Greene and Clyde, its easy to forget that Georgias congressional delegation also includes Jody Hice, Donald Trumps designated vehicle for purging Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for the sin of doing his job and confirming the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state. The first time Hice, a vocal Christian right minister, ran for Congress in 2010, he had a billboard with the legend Had Enough of Obamas Change? with the C in Change turned into a hammer and sickle.

And whos in the field to succeed Hice in Congress? None other than Paul Broun Jr. Soon enough, he may pass for a Republican moderate.
Will Joe and Jill be turned away at the altar some time soon? Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Joe Biden is the second Roman Catholic to become president, winning the White House 60 years after John F. Kennedy. He is also arguably the most religiously observant president (as measured by regular worship-service attendance) since Jimmy Carter.

So its somewhat shocking that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, acting against the public and private advice of the Vatican, took a deliberate step during its spring meeting to draft and promulgate a document on the Eucharist that some proponents said was intended to lead to the denial of communion to the president and other prominent pro-choice Catholic politicians. The vote, after a brief but intense debate, was 168-55, with six abstentions. The margin is significant because adoption of the statement the bishops are contemplating (possibly for release as early as November) would require a two-thirds vote. It would also require advance review by the Vatican, which could slow down or even halt the condemnatory action as well.

Barring something really unprecedented, however, the ultimate decision on allowing or denying communion to Biden and other politicians on the basis of their public policy positions on abortion (or other issues like same-sex marriage) would be up to individual bishops, and in some cases individual priests. The two most relevant bishops for the Biden family, in Washington, D.C., and Wilmington, Delaware, are not in the aggressively conservative camp of those pushing for a statement clarifying the obligation of communicants (particularly those in highly visible public offices) to support church teachings. But the president cant be at home at the White House or in Delaware every Sunday, so a landscape of hostile bishops or priests (like the parish priest who denied Biden communion in South Carolina in 2019) would be embarrassing if not problematic.

The conservative episcopal move against Biden may have simply been designed to ramp up the stakes in a more general culture war against liberals, against Democrats, or even against Pope Francis, who is resolute in his views on abortion but is notably friendly toward Biden. Some of the same U.S. bishops who want to sanction or intimidate Biden have been part of a religiopolitical resistance to Franciss decidedly untraditional views on climate change, poverty, and the relative significance of social and cultural issues. Indeed, the New York Times viewed the vote on a statement as a power move by a Catholic conservative movement that is in near-open revolt against the Vatican:

It was the most dramatic example of the conservative Catholic movements reach since Mr. Biden was elected. But the contingent had been gaining strength throughout the Trump era, clashing with the Vatican, wresting influence away from Pope Francis top representatives in the United States and further polarizing the Catholic faithful in the process 

Leading U.S. allies of Pope Francis, including Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark and Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington, sided with the Vaticans warning against proceeding with the eucharistic document, but they were ultimately drowned out.

The decision to push ahead on the statement may also have reflected some of the excitement in the anti-abortion movement (in which conservative Catholics have closely cooperated with conservative Evangelicals) over the possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court will reverse Roe v. Wade in its next term and return abortion policy to legislative determinations (and thus to day-to-day partisan politicking).

Both sides in this dispute are careful to couch their views as consistent with traditional Catholic reverence for communion (or the Holy Eucharist as it is more formally known, a Church sacrament central to the Mass), with conservatives claiming that obedience to key Church teachings is part of worthiness to receive communion, while their opponents warn against weaponization of the Eucharist for political purposes. This argument may seem odd to Protestants, who by and large do not limit access to communion to members of their own denominations, and who typically have less fear of profaning the ceremony with unworthy communicants. But the intra-Catholic argument does reflect broader tensions over church-state relations and religious-secular cooperation, with one key difference: Thanks to the Catholic emphasis on regular mass attendance, its not easy for Biden to emulate predecessors like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush in professing personal piety without often going to church.

So far neither Francis nor his friend in the White House has commented publicly on the bishops implicit threats. As Jason Horowitz noted, the popes silence may simply reflect differences with the U.S. hierarchy that are just part of the landscape: The divergence of the conservative American church from Francis agenda is now so apparent as to become unremarkable, and Vatican officials and experts said Saturday that the popes silence also underlined just how unsurprising the American vote, made public on Friday, was to the Vatican.

The most fundamental issue is how regular lay Catholics in the pews will react to this fight. American Catholics routinely disregard Church teachings on contraception, and, according to all available evidence, are as likely to favor legalized abortion and same-sex marriage (not to mention divorce-and-remarriage and full equality for women in the clergy) as are other Americans. The conservative bishops are picking a fight that they may not only lose in the context of world Catholicism, but in their own parishes.
Ammon Bundy hates government so much he is running to run it. Photo: Nathan Howard/Getty Images

The COVID-19 pandemic was a boon to the public career of anti-government provocateur Ammon Bundy. The scion of a right-wing clan that orchestrated serial armed confrontations with federal law enforcement officials over grazing rights and usage fees, Bundy burnished his outlaw reputation (he was earlier acquitted twice of federal charges in connection with his and his familys defiance of federal laws) by getting himself arrested five times in connection with protests against Idahos coronavirus regulations. Now, hes running for Governor of Idaho in a 2022 Republican primary in which the author of said regulations, the conservative incumbent Brad Little, may or may not be a candidate.

The gubernatorial contest is a natural step for Bundy, as Stephanie Mencimer at Mother Jones explained after his candidacy announcement:

Drawing on the cult following he developed after defeating the federal government in Oregon and Nevada, Bundy has linked arms with anti-vaccine activists and protested pandemic-related lockdowns and mask mandates.

In April 2020, he organized protests at Littles house after a police officer arrested a woman in Meridian, near Bundys home, who refused to leave a playground that had been closed as a COVID prevention measure. He also organized church services in defiance of Littles stay-at-home orders and has encouraged his supporters to back businesses that refused to shut down during the lockdown or to require masks. Bundy believes that wearing a mask is an affront to God and says that its against his conscience to wear one.

Bundy is treating Little as little more than a puppet of the deep state forces that also control Joe Biden, as he made clear in an announcement speech that pledged abolition of income and property taxes along with state reconquest of federal lands and an end to all infringements on health freedom (i.e., public health mandates).

This extremists apparently serious candidacy is both a problem and an opportunity for another announced Republican gubernatorial aspirant, Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin. Like Bundy, she has been an inveterate opponent of Littles not-exactly-aggressive COVID-19 measures, and has been at least militia-adjacent. Indeed, they have a prominent mutual friend, as the Guardian pointed out:

Idahos Republican lieutenant governor and gubernatorial candidate, Janice McGeachin, attended a gathering where she was endorsed in a glowing introductory speech by a rightwing militia leader, as revealed in a video obtained by the Guardian.

The video shows Eric Parker, who was charged over his role in the standoff in 2014 at Bundy Ranch in Nevada where he was pictured pointing an assault rifle at federal agents, reminding McGeachin that she told him at an earlier meeting that if I get in, youre going to have a friend in the governors office.

Unlike Bundy, though, McGeachin is very Trumpy (government-hater to the max, Bundy has had issues with Trumps policies and is sympathetic to those who want to defund the police) and is within the bounds of what passes for conventional GOP politics these days (the chairman of the Idaho GOP has denounced Bundy). She also cast her opposition to Littles pandemic policies as a matter of pride, just not the freedom to infect and be infected, as Idaho journalist Chuck Malloy reported:

The governors declaration of some workers as essential during the early stages of the pandemicas McGeachin put it, placed a large number of hard-working Idahoans as non-essential. McGeachin described Littles designation as a slap in the face to many Idahoans and talked about people having tears in their eyes.

Idaho is a state where even the most extreme Republican nominee will be a general election favorite. Only one Democrat (one-term congressman Walt Minnick) has won statewide or congressional office in this century.

At this point its unclear whether Bundys candidacy hurts McGeachin by splitting the far-right vote, or helps her by making her look more respectable by comparison. Theres also the matter of Bundys talent for news-making. According to David Neiwert, theres a potential new violent confrontation brewing in next-door Oregon involving Bundys recently organized Peoples Rights Network, involving challenges to federal drought policies:

Over the past few weeks, a cluster of Patriot-movement constitutionalists angered by federal water use decisions that will deprive farmers in the basin of their annual allotments from Upper Klamath Lakeall the result of severe drought conditions that have threatened to destroy both fish populations in the lakes and rivers and the abundant wildlife that depend on their presence for foodhave been gathering their forces at the mouth of the lake, near the floodgates that manage water flow into the Klamath River from which they irrigate, and threatening to open them.

[Bundy told] a New York Times reporter that he was preparing to bring his alliesincluding the 5,377 members of Peoples Network in Oregonto open the gates. He added that the use of force, even against law enforcement, is sometimes necessary to protect peoples rights.

Nothing like an armed confrontation with the feds to goose a Republican candidacy in that part of the world. But if it happens, it may be telling which side of the barricades Janice McGeachin places herself.
D.C.-statehood activists outside the Capitol Building on March 22. Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

After losing to the Democrats in 2020, Republicans are working feverishly to win their next battle. Their efforts include no revision of their platform or message. Instead, the plan consists of enacting new restrictions on voting (from limits on early voting to forbidding volunteers from giving water to people waiting in line) and consolidating partisan control over election results. In Georgia, the party has stripped the secretary of states office of jurisdiction over elections, and in Arizona, it is trying to shift election authority from the Democratic secretary of state to the Republican attorney general. Their goal is not to avoid a repeat of the sort of crisis Donald Trump initiated but to win the next one.

The Democratic Party has made little use of the respite. Despite controlling Congress and the presidency, and making constant proclamations of the need to safeguard democracy, Democrats have failed to actually advance that objective. They have tentatively agreed on voting reforms, though none of them protect against the main threat of Republican state officials overturning election results. Worse, several Democratic senators quietly (and Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema loudly) oppose removing the filibuster, making even modest reforms impossible to pass. There is no plan B. The most likely outcome is that Democrats take no action at all to protect democracy and simply hope they can win the next election by a coupproof margin.

There may not be any solution available to Congress that comprehensively prevents a stolen election. But there is a practical alternative that would at least make progress toward shoring up the system: granting statehood to Washington, D.C.

Republicans insist the only motive for D.C. statehood is to give Democrats two more senators. It isnt. The maneuver advances the cause of democratization in two ways that, on their own, fully justify it. First, it would give three-quarters of a million Americans representation on equal standing with their fellow citizens. Second, it would partially redress the Senates significant underrepresentation of Black people. Since the Senate gives more weight to citizens of low-population states, and sparsely populated rural states are heavily white, the Senate functionally represents an ersatz version of an America whose demographics are far paler than its actual citizenry.

But the partisan implications are hardly negligible. Two additional Democratic senators may well stave off a crisis. In a world in which the January 6 rioters demands had been met, one member each of the House and Senate would have had to object to certifying the electoral votes in states where Trump claimed fraud. Then, the chambers would each vote to determine the true winner of that states electoral votes. If both chambers agreed, they would award the electoral votes to the candidate they considered the true winner.

This process for resolving disputes over the Electoral College, created by a poorly written 1887 law, is one of the weakest points in the rickety framework of our government. All thats needed to initiate a challenge to the results of the presidential election in a state is for one member of the House and one member of the Senate to raise the question. The outcome can be overturned if both the House and Senate vote to do so. If Republicans control both chambers of Congress and decide to hand a states Electoral College votes to their partys candidate, they can.

The system doesnt have any nonpartisan officials with the power to overrule challenges to the election. The parties themselves control the system. The straightest shot at preventing an increasingly authoritarian Republican Party from subverting the next unfavorable election result is to prevent that party from gaining control of Congress. A Democratic Senate couldnt ward off any threats to the election, but it would give Democrats far more leverage to defend the next election result.

The same dynamic could avert another slow-motion crisis that awaits Joe Biden. In 2016, the Republican Senate smashed precedent by refusing to consider any candidate to fill a Supreme Court vacancy  ostensibly because it came in the last year of Barack Obamas term. In a recent interview, though, Mitch McConnell admitted (or, perhaps more accurately, boasted) that he would refuse to confirm a justice not only in 2024 but also in 2023. Should Republicans win the Senate, McConnell will impose the same judicial blockade he used on Obama.

The modern polarized system has created, in effect, a new Constitution with overwhelming advantages for Republicans. New laws require 60 votes, but existing programs can be defunded with 51. Judges, who can be appointed with a mere 51 votes, can strike down laws that required 60 to pass.

McConnells most recent addition to this obstacle course is to essentially decree that presidents can only fill a Supreme Court vacancy if their party controls the Senate. That chambers heavy Republican tilt  Republicans could hold a majority simply by winning every state that voted for Trump by a margin of six points or more  forces Democrats to overcome forbidding odds to scrape out even the barest Senate majority. Democratic senators represent 40 million more Americans than their Republican counterparts, but the Democratic Party has to reach deep into red America in order to cobble together a working government.

Before the end of the 20th century, filibusters were rare, the Senates rural skew made little partisan difference, and qualified Supreme Court nominees routinely sailed through confirmation. In the modern era, the Senates heavy overrepresentation of rural America combines with the routine use of the filibuster and increasingly partisan fights over court nominations to create something completely unlike what existed before: the McConnell Constitution.

One feature of the McConnell Constitution now on display is that Democratic majorities lack the ideological self-confidence of their Republican counterparts, even though they speak for a far larger share of the public. This restraint has hampered the partys ability to defend the integrity of the system. Even though that system is being reshaped at the state level by Republicans acting entirely on a party-line basis, Manchin insists any election reform must gain bipartisan support.

And yet admitting new states has often been a raw partisan exercise. In 1845, Democrats added Texas over the Whigs objections. In 1889, Republicans brought in Montana and Washington and split the Dakota territory into two new states, while holding off statehood for other territories less certain to vote their way. Democrats could revive this tradition  and the filibuster neednt be an obstacle.

Both parties have carved out exceptions to the filibuster for measures they value: Budget bills, executive-branch appointments, and judges can all be confirmed with 51 votes. If Democrats wish to bring D.C. into the union, all they need to do is tweak Senate rules to exempt statehood bills from the filibuster, then pass a bill to create a new Douglass Commonwealth.

When they make the case against D.C. statehood, Republicans in Congress cite things like its lack of mining and logging, its (imagined) lack of car dealerships, or its excessive corruption and crime. (The last point has been offered by Steve Scalise, who represents famously corrupt Louisiana.) Their purpose is not to ground the argument in principle but to quickly remove the discussion to partisanship. Republicans grasp the Democratic Partys incapacitating fear of advancing its self-interest. This neurosis has no counterpart on the opposing side. Republican officials are carrying out anti-democratic reforms for nakedly partisan reasons; Democrats are afraid to advance pro-democratic reforms out of a fear that the partisan benefits they confer will taint them.

Democrats have no options that can fully inoculate against a coup. Nor do they have a path that can give them the cover of bipartisan support. They can remain paralyzed in the face of a mortal danger, or they can take the action that is available to them in the window before it disappears.

*This article appears in the June 21, 2021, issue of New York Magazine.

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Back in 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were free, and they came two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, Fuller said. Juneteenth honors the end of slavery in the United States and is considered the longest running African-American holiday.

Holmes, the organizer for this years Juneteenth, said the holiday was important both as a reminder for the historic event in which the last enslaved people were given news of their freedom as well as what it means for racial justice today.

We cant change what has happened in those years past, but we can remember them and honor them and we can do our best not to hold each other in captivity or bondage, Holmes said. Those before us paved the way, and we need to continue to make our voices heard and continue to stand for what is right and true.

Opelika Police Chief Shane Healey spoke on the changes his department has made over the course of the last year in trying to be more involved with the public, and praised Opelika for its residents ability to come together.
NORTH BEND, Oregon (AP)  A man sought in the killings of his father and two other people in a small Oregon city forced a woman to drive him more than 2,000 miles (3,219 kilometers) to Wisconsin, where he surrendered to police, authorities said Sunday.

Oen Evan Nicholson approached Laura Johnson, 34, after she returned to her parking spot during a her lunch break on Friday in Springfield, Oregon, and forced her to drive him in her car, police said. Authorities were notified Sunday morning that Nicholson had surrendered to police peacefully in Milwaukee but did not release details about how he gave himself up.

Johnson was not hurt and was returning to Oregon, Springfield police said in a statement.

He approached her in her vehicle with a gun, Johnson's father, Dennis Johnson, told KEZI-TV. They said she was forced to drive 33 hours to where theyre at. She was able to talk him into turning himself in.
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She shouldve reminded him that a boys best friend is his mother.

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More shocked they havent lifted the restrictions yet

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I hope it stays this way. We have way too many variants as it is, we don't need more. We don't even know how effective vaccines are since they were made before some of these variants popped up.

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Thank you! It was way too lax at the border and for too long. As a Canadian, that border needs to remain shut.

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i agree. even though it does suck that my family can't come visit and help with my very sick oma i don't really want the borders to be opened. our numbers are finally heading in the right direction and i feel like opening the borders is just asking for trouble :(

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preach! i live in california, where all measures have been lifted so seeing borders still closed had me shook for a second!

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they know how effective the vaccines are against the known variants. for it to mutate to be beyond effectiveness they'd have to mutate to not have the spike protein. Delta has two spike proteins I think, which is why it's more contagious but the mRNA vaccines still works against it.



Not attacking you specifically, and I get still being worried, but I swear people on ONTD don't read anything beyond headlines when it comes to COVID.

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not really. i hope keep it this way. too much risk.

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honestly I'm glad.



Meanwhile everywhere else cases are going up as ours dwindle.

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why? they're really trying to get the numbers down and it looks like they're finally going that way, i'm honestly relieved every time i hear that there are only a couple hundred new cases a day in my province where as a few months ago i thought that was awful (cases are finally going down). i don't think it would be a good idea to open the border until we know more about vaccine efficiency and more of both the canadian and us populations are vaccinated.

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As more and more people get their first and second shots, I'm hoping we'll be able to re-open borders soon. My in-laws already missed our wedding, and I'm about to have the first grandchild. They've been fully vaccinated for months now and it's been hard (especially for them, I think) not to be able to see each other.

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i'm sure he has time in his busy days full of ignoring indigenous issues to help her out since she doesn't know how to be rich and use skype.

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I wish i could like this comment 1000!



It always pisses me off when people outside of the country say they wish he was their President/PM like he's this benevolent leader and not a literal bag of shit in human form.

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there have been so many times where i've explained to non-canadians why justin sucks and i'll get a response like "oh well he's not trump" fuck oooofffff

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To be fair, during the Trump years, a lot of Americans were even pining for the days of George W. Bush. You could've put a rock with a hat in office over Trump and we would've cried with joy.

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even for a liberal he's an absolute piece of shit, it's truly astounding

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and doing blackface

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i do not have the words to describe how angry i am over how he's handled the residential schools. he couldn't even be bothered to show up the day the house voted on whether the gov't should stop fighting residential school survivors in court. and then there are the ongoing issues with the clean water crisis and the fact he's failed so badly when it comes to the mmiw they've sought help elsewhere.



and just watch he's gonna pose for a picture tomorrow on indigenous peoples day and say a bunch of word salad about how much he cares and respects them and how ashamed he is of the "dark chapter of canada's history." it's not history if there are people alive who are still traumatized by what those schools did to them.

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Say "vaxxed and work permitted" again

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Idk how the situation is in Canada, but here, many people are still unable to get vaccinated. There have already been a lot of discussions about special treatment for the vaccinated, but general consensus is that the restrictions will apply to them, too, until everybody has had the chance to get vaccinated. As long as being vaccinated is a privilege, @ing a head of state to insist that the rules not apply to you because of your special status and you should get another privilege for being privileged is nagl.

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in Ontario, where she is apparently ~stuck, it was JUST opened up for people to start booking their second shots. The only people I know who got their second shots yet are health care workers. I myself (30 something work from home) just got my first shot two weeks ago. So it has been a slow rollout but is picking up, my parents managed to rebook their 2nd shots for 6 weeks earlier, so yeah she can shove her BUT IM DOUBLE VAXXED out of here.

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Being trapped in Toronto seems like such a nightmare! Wowee that's horrible for her! So tragic! 8 weeks too, omg!! I haven't been home since 2019 and some people won't ever see their loved ones again but oof, this is so sad! And look at her contributing to OUR economy! We're so thankful!! Thank you Lord Farmiga for giving us peasants your gracious time!!!

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And it's not like she only intended to be away from her family for a week and then shit happened and they got separated. She's doing a long-term job abroad, that comes with not seeing your family for a while. And she went on this job knowing we are in a pandemic and there are travel restrictions, which comes with no short, easy visits.

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Maybe she and the family can meet up and quarantine in Bates Motel.

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The entitlement. I haven't seen my family in over a year and I live IN Canada. I personally don't want the border open because the U.S. state directly leading into my province has a low 40% vaccine rate (and appears to have plateaued). I don't want these people coming into Canada until more of us are protected. I'm still waiting for my second dose.

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yep. I haven't seen my mom since last March and we're in the same province, so Vera can shut up, frankly.



border closed until after Labour Day, as far as I'm concerned.



Edited at 2021-06-21 01:18 am (UTC)

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This. All of it! I'm on the border, too. Stay out, please.

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my 60+ year old aunt in british columbia hasnt gotten her second dose yet. farmiga needs to get some fuckin perspective.

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i was happier when i didnt know anything about her besides seeing her in the conjuring

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same lol

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Does she still live in Vermont?

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so fly to them and quarantine when you get back? you have the money.



it's only been 8 weeks. some people haven't seen their families since march 2020.

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Last week, I finally saw mine for the first time since 2019 and I considered myself lucky. This heifa needs to chill.

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Her filming schedule probably doesnt allow her to take a break that includes another 14 day quarantine, so Im guessing she cant fly to them.



(Not that Im defending this, lol. I would assume she knew this when taking the job.)

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I haven't seen mine since late 2019. She can sit down.

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I know she makes movies and TV shows, but is she aware of Skype? You know, you put yourself on a screen, they put themselves on a screen, you talk, you move, etc?



Edited at 2021-06-21 01:19 am (UTC)

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Some people haven't seen their family and friends in a year. I'm assuming at some point she's been away from her family for at least 14 days if not more because of her acting career.

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Right! Like it may suck but to a point ....... this is another day in your field.

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I haven't seen my mom or sisters since 2019. This is the longest I've ever gone without seeing my family in my entire life. We're all vaccinated too. We've been using these magical devices called phones to text and call and facetime.

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Yes my husband and I haven't seen his mother since October 2019 (she lives in another country). Not that it's a competition, but it is a long time, especially given her age. We are desperate to visit but only when both countries no longer require quarantine, which can take as long as it needs to dampen variants and ensure as many people are vaxxed as possible.

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wow shut up

I haven't seen my family since 2019 because it began in Asia early 2020

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that 14-day quarantine has been pretty crucial in keeping our third wave to what it was -- without it, things would've been incredibly worse.



this entitlement is enraging. she may be double vaxxed but most of Canada isn't yet, and won't be for a couple months. so she's welcome to fly herself home at any time.

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Once again celebrities fail on social media, there would be nothing wrong with complaining about this privately to your friends, but to put this on social media where there are places facing tougher restrictions and still dealing with a third wave, like amiga 

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An OH&S Impact Guide to The American Jobs Plan

If passed, even a portion of the projects outlined in President Bidens plan has serious implications for worker occupational, health, safety, and well-being.

At the end of March, President Biden unveiled his $2 trillion infrastructure plan, The American Jobs Plan, which called for large-scale investments in manufacturing, research, worker training, and protection systems, among other priority spending proposals to rebuild and revitalize American infrastructure. Specifically, the administration called for $300 billion in the plan to be invested in manufacturing, including support for domestic production of technologies and critical goods; $50 billion toward semiconductor manufacturing and research; $180 billion on new research and development with an emphasis on clean energy, fewer emissions, and climate change research and $100 billion for worker training and an increase of worker protection systems.

However, with these priority investments also comes a new set of challenges for the occupational health and safety industry. Under the Biden administration, there is likely to be heightened regulatory scrutiny as more federal inspectors will likely lead to an increase in inspections and ultimately increased scrutiny from local agencies. Furthermore, ongoing issues of data security within the supply chain are only going to increase as the projects require more data and materials, ultimately making them appealing targets for cyber attacks and continued shortages of construction materials.

Paramount among all these challenges remains employee wellness and total worker health. The demand for employees under this plan will only grow, possibly leading to the over-extension of the available and quality workforce. While the plan is expected to generate jobs for millions of US workers if passed, companies in sectors like construction, engineering, automotive manufacturers, semiconductor makers, renewable energy producers, home builders, and fiber-optic companies are expected to benefit from job growth, but their health and safety must also be prioritized and protected.
According to a news report by Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua, the wind farm located in South Kazakhstan near the city of Zhanatas is an example of how the Belt and Road initiative is transforming Kazakhstans energy supply. The Belt and Road initiative, which China launched in 2013 is a global infrastructure project that sweeps over 70 countries around the world.

Construction of the plant started in 2019. The fact that the pandemic did not slow down the project marked a commendable feat, said Guo Qiang, the plants general director.

The wind farm has a 100 megawatts capacity. Furthermore, it will power 1 million homes with clean electricity when all 40 wind turbines come online.

Each turbine tower weighs over 300 tons and is nearly 150 meters tall, comparable to a 50-story building.

As a comparison, the Chinese news agency said the 60-meter-long blades covered an area as large as the London Eye. In addition, when it becomes fully operational, it will cut down carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 300,000 tons annually.

China Power International Holding and Visor Kazakhstan are shareholders in the plant. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (Almaty) and Green Climate Fund are co-funders.

Betting on renewables

Both Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have bet big on renewable energy. In doing so, they are relying big time on the Chinese.

Earlier this year, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the country aimed to hike its share of green energy to 15% of the nations total electricity consumption by 2030.

In addition, both countries are banking heavily on solar energy, too.

Related: $100 Oil Predictions Soar As Analysts Warn Of Supply Crisis

Their neighbor, China, the largest producer of solar panels in the world, has more than welcomed the move.

As per a recent UN report, Kazakhstan has over 85% of Central Asias total solar potential.

By 2017, as Chinas domestic solar capacity outstripped demand, Beijing offered Kazakhstan a 1 MW solar plant as a gift near Almaty in 2018, according to Eurasianet. The goal, according to the report, was to encourage Kazakhstan to look east for its green energy needs.

The gambit by the Chinese worked.

In June 2018, Ningbo-based Risen Energy began work on a $39 million, 40 MW solar photovoltaic plant in Karaganda.

China produces 70% of the worlds solar panels. However, China is not the only player in the region.

One of Kazakhstans largest solar project  a 100 MW field in Saran in the Karaganda province  is the work of a German company. In addition, Russia is a player in this region in renewable energy projects.

By AG Metal Miner

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
For the first time in nearly a decade, OPEC has solid reasons to believe that its control over the global oil supply will not be ruined by a surge in U.S. crude oil production. The ongoing restraint in drilling activity in the shale patch would make the efforts of OPEC and its allies in the OPEC+ group to manage supply to the market this year a much easier task.

Last week, OPEC+ was reportedly told by major international forecastersincluding the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the International Energy Agency (IEA), Wood Mackenzie, IHS, Argus Media, Energy Intelligence, and Energy Aspectsthat U.S. crude oil production would grow by just 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) this year, OPEC sources told Reuters at the end of meetings of OPECs economic and technical think-tank, the Economic Commission Board.

For 2022, the views range from production growth of between 500,000 bpd and 1.3 million bpd.

All in all, the general view among external forecasters was that the shale patch would not be rushing into accelerating activity and production rates despite the high oil prices. Thats so unlike the previous behavior of U.S. oil producers, which used to prioritize production over profits, contributing to market oversupply and lower oil prices.

But after the second major oil price downturn in half a decade, the shale patch put the brakes on drilling activity in 2020 and continues to be careful with capital spending, prioritizing returns to shareholders to production records.

Related: Is China Finally Moving Away From Coal? U.S. production has been hovering at around 11 million bpd in recent months, down by 2 million bpd from the record highs early in 2020, before the pandemic slammed demand and crashed oil prices.

The first-quarter earnings and conference calls of U.S. producers highlighted a previously unheard-of restraint from public shale firms. Listed producers generated record cash flows, but they are not reinvesting most of those back to drilling. Instead, shale operators are now channeling cash flow toward reducing debts and rewarding investors.

OPEC itself sees average U.S. crude oil production this year at 11.2 million bpd, down by 120,000 bpd year over year, the cartel said in its latest Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) for June.

Despite the current recovering trend in US crude oil production, particularly in the Permian Basin, and the expected exit rate at 11.6 mb/d in December 2021, average US crude production in 2021, will remain lower by 0.12 mb/d, y-o-y, at 11.2 mb/d, according to OPECs estimates.

The EIA expects American crude oil production to average 11.1 million bpd in 2021, as per the latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) for June.

Next year, U.S. oil production is set to grow by 700,000 bpd to an average of 11.8 million bpd.

Because prices of West Texas Intermediate crude oil remain above $60/b during 2021 in the current forecast, we expect that producers will drill and complete enough wells to raise 2022 production from 2021 levels, the EIA said.

Related: China Reports Major Oil And Gas Find At Record Depths

Even the EIA forecast for next years production growth is moderate, especially compared to the growth rates between 2017 and 2019.

The 1.3 million bpd expected growth at the top end of the external forecasters OPEC heard last week may be overly optimistic as producers continue to be under pressure to deliver in terms of returns instead of in plowing every available cash, and more, back into drilling, Texas-based energy analyst and consultant David Blackmon notes in Forbes.

Slow growth rates in the U.S. shale patchif forecasts materializewould give OPEC+ more clarity about near-term supply outside the alliance. Restraint in U.S. drilling gives more control to OPEC to manage the market with its ongoing production cuts.

The OPEC+ group is currently easing those cuts, but it still keeps around 5.7 million bpd off the market.

What is clear, however, is that OPEC+ remains firmly in control while global demand continues to recover. At least until a time when non-OPEC+ producers react to increased revenues and profitability by boosting output, Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank, said on Friday.

The OPEC+ meeting on July 1 is set to decide the policy course from next month. The decisions at that meeting would send a clear signal whether the alliance will seek even higher prices by keeping supply artificially tight, or whether it prioritizes stability through increased production, Hansen noted.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Despite being wracked by nationwide anti-government protests the prospects for Colombias beaten-down oil industry are improving. Most of the protests and blockades of major roads have been ended allowing onshore drillers to recommence operations. Another important development is the progress of allowing hydraulic fracturing in the strife-torn Andean country. This controversial technique for extracting oil and natural gas has faced strong and lengthy opposition in Colombia. It was touted by crisis-driven president Ivan Duque during late-2018 as a means of resolving a critical problem facing Colombias oil-dependent economy, its lack of proven oil and natural gas reserves. There have been no major hydrocarbon discoveries in Colombia since 2009. Energy ministry data shows (Spanish) that at the end of 2020 proved reserves were 1.8 billion barrels, an 11% reduction compared to 2019, which is sufficient to support six years at the current rate of production, and just under 3 trillion cubic feet of gas with a production life of almost eight years. The direness of the situation is underscored by the petroleum industry is responsible, during 2020, for nearly a fifth of government income, 3% of gross domestic product, and 28% of exports by value. Those numbers highlight just how important it is for the national government in Bogota to boost Colombias economically crucial hydrocarbon reserves if it is to head off a major economic crisis. Fracking has long been held as a solution with it estimated that Colombia holds up to seven billion barrels of recoverable shale oil and 30 trillion cubic feet of shale gas. If those vast hydrocarbon resources can be successfully accessed, they will significantly boost Colombias hydrocarbon reserves and production life, averting a fiscal crisis and giving the economy a healthy boost. Nonetheless, there has been significant opposition to fracking in Colombia. In 2018, the countrys highest administrative court the Council of State established a moratorium against fracking. That was upheld in 2019, but the tribunal found that fracking projects were not banned. In the latest development, a bill aiming to ban fracking and the exploitation of unconventional oil and natural gas deposits in Colombia was effectively sunk (Spanish). Only half of the representatives supporting the bill arrived last Saturday to debate its approval and a vote made last week ended with the bill being delayed. This effectively stymies the implementation of the bill, indicating that it will not be approved by congress, seeing the end of a major hurdle to allowing fracking in Colombia. Earlier this year, the head of the National Hydrocarbon Agency (ANH  Spanish initials), Armando Zamora, stated that he believed the moratorium would be lifted in 2022 once comprehensive fracking regulations had been established.

Fracking pilots have been approved and are underway in Colombias Middle Magdalena Valley Basin. It is the La Luna geological formation that is being targeted in the basin.

Source: U.S. EIA.

La Luna has been compared to the prolific Eagle Ford shale. In 2013 the ANH released survey data to support its claim that the geological formations rock quality is similar to and in some cases better than many North American shale plays. Some sources believe that it could hold hydrocarbon resources of up to 10 billion barrels of oil equivalent, making it a priority target for Colombias energy ministry and hydrocarbon regulator.

Related: U.S. Government Considers Making Ransom Payments Illegal

Colombias national oil company Ecopetrol was awarded approval last November for the Kale project near the municipality of Puerto Wilches in the Middle Magdalena Valley Basin.

Source: Ecopetrol.

The state-controlled energy major expects to invest $80 million to bring the operation online, with Ecopetrol currently establishing the monitoring plan and gaining community approvals. In early April 2021 global energy supermajor ExxonMobil was awarded the only contract from the second unconventional round. Exxon was awarded the rights to the Platero project, also near Puerto Wilches in the Middle Magdalena Valley. The global energy supermajor has committed to investing $53 million in developing the asset with a seven percent local content requirement. The project is focused on exploring the unconventional geological formations of the VMM-37 Block which is 70% controlled by Exxon as the operator, with the remaining 30% held by Canadian oil junior Sintana Energy.

VMM-37 Block Middle Magdalena Valley Basin

Source: Sintana Energy.

Exxon drilled the A3 Manati Blanco well in 2015 on the block but it was never tested, and operations were suspended pending an environmental permit being awarded. That was blocked because of the controversy surrounding the introduction of fracking in Colombia and the eventual moratorium imposed on the practice.

While the latest developments bode well for the future of fracking in Colombia, the ANH is finding it difficult to attract the desired level of interest from foreign energy companies in unconventional oil exploration and production. Exxon submitted the only valid bid during the ANHs April 2021 round, with the two other participants Drummond and Ecopetrol declining to make offers. The uncertainty surrounding the future of fracking in Colombia, coupled with an escalating security crisis and recent nationwide anti-government protests which forced onshore energy companies to shutter production, is weighing on investor sentiment. While most of the oil production shut-in by the anti-government protests and related blockades has been brought back online, considerable political turmoil remains. There are long-standing grievances among various civil society groups which were amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic that Bogota has failed to address. Roadblocks, oilfield invasions, and community protests against Colombias economically vital hydrocarbon sector remain ever-present threats, particularly with the oil industrys social license deteriorating in many communities where it operates.

The considerable uncertainty surrounding the future of fracking and Colombias oil industry is being magnified by former leftist presidential candidate and senator Gustavo Petro taking a massive lead in the polls. Those numbers indicate that at this time he will win the 2022 presidential elections. Petros 2018 candidacy and subsequent lead in the polls prior to the May 2018 electoral round unnerved financial markets, the oil industries, and mining industries, notably because he campaigned (Spanish) on a platform of reducing Colombias dependence on oil as well as opposing fracking. It was Ivan Duques eventual victory that saw much of that nervousness dissipate. The sharp increase in political turmoil, Bogotas inability to reactivate the economy, and heightened insecurity are all weighing on the outlook for fracking in Colombia.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

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Its been one heck of a year for Texas energy grids. Six months ago only a very select group of industry insiders and policy nerds had ever heard of The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Now, theyre a national household name and the Lone Star States public enemy number one.

ERCOT first gained its notoriety in February of this year when a severe cold snap led to devastating failures across Texan power grids. Lack of energy across huge swaths of the state in combination with the dangerously low temperatures and storm conditions tragically led to critical shortages of water, food, and heat, ultimately culminating in the death of 111 people at the very least, and thats just in Texas. While there were several competing narratives circulating to explain the catastrophic failure in its immediate aftermath, the clear culprit was ERCOT and the unusual and unique organization and orchestration of the Texan power grid.

Texas found itself in a pickle when it ran out of energy to supply its own grid in February because, unlike other states, it wasnt able to import electricity from beyond its borders. This is because Texas has completely isolated its power grid over the years in order to avoid federal regulation and the fairly flawed traditional utility model. This secession from the national power grid has essentially converted the state into an electric Alamo, in the colorful words of United States Circuit Judge Richard D. Cudahy. Ultimately, The Texan power grid failed because of woefully inadequate infrastructure and weatherization and isolation from other markets as a failsafe mechanism in exactly this kind of crisis.

Related: Judge Blocks Bidens Ban On Oil Leasing

But what about the Texans whose energy didnt fail? Are they not proof that the system didnt entirely fail? Ask Scott Willoughby, the Texan resident whose lights stayed on, for the price of $16,752 -- the amount of his next power bill. Willoughby was far from the only Texan hit with power bills big enough to break the bank in the wake of the February storm. The physical, psychological, and financial havoc wreaked by the storm and the workings of ERCOT has earned the council a nasty reputation over the last six months.

And has ERCOT learned its lesson? Apparently not, because Texan power shortages are in the headlines once again -- but this time thanks to blisteringly hot summer weather. As Texans contend with sweltering temperatures the state has experienced a surge in electricity demand, so much so that it has set an all-time record for the states power usage in the month of June. And once again, this increase in demand revealed some crippling limitations to Texas power grid infrastructure. The spike in demand unfortunately dovetailed with a deficit of power generation capacity. More than 12,000 megawatts of power generation were out of service during the demand spike.

In response to this power squeeze, ERCOT has asked Texans to cut down on their electricity usage by voluntarily turning off their air conditioners in the midst of the June heatwave. The response has been less than glowing. ERCOTs latest plea to the Texan populace was met with a heavy dose of reluctance, skepticism, and outrage on social media, a local news outlet reported.

Its a sticky situation. Demand is high, power generation seems to be increasingly unreliable in Texas, the states population is continuing to expand rapidly, and changing climates mean that extreme temperatures and weather patterns are here to stay. One possible solution to the problem of electricity demand outstripping supply with more and more frequency is to pay Texans to use less power. ABC compares it to when airlines pay customers to volunteer for a flight change when a flight is oversold. This is known as a demand response in economics. Some Texan electricity purveyors already employ demand response tactics, but the strategy will need to be far more sweeping to make any real dent in the current (and, more than likely, future) supply deficit.

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

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News last week that U.K. oil super-major, BP, is working on a plan to spin off its operations in Iraqs supergiant Rumaila oil field into a stand-alone company had an extremely familiar ring about it to those who have been in the oil markets business for a while. It was exceptionally reminiscent of the withdrawal of the U.K.-Dutch oil super-major, Royal Dutch Shell (Shell), from Iraqs supergiant Majnoon oil field in 2017 and also of its withdrawal from Iraqs supergiant West Qurna 1 oil field in 2018. Each of these announcements also bore a startling similarity to U.S. super-major ExxonMobils (Exxon) recent announcement that it too wants to get out of West Qurna 1 and to its withdrawal from the Iraqs crucial Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP) some time ago. The answers to what is actually causing this mass exodus of Western firms from Iraq are laid out below. The real answers bear little relation to the official reasons given at the time for the withdrawal of these companies from Iraq, as OilPrice.coms shrewd readers might well have already construed. In Shells case, the official reason for its withdrawal from both Majnoon and West Qurna 1 was that such moves were in line with its overall plan to restructure its global business, following its takeover of BG Group, involving a US$30 billion asset disposal programme and a focussing on gas development. The reason given by various BP sources for its creation of a completely standalone separate entity operating in Iraq  ring-fenced is another word for it  is that it will allow BP more flexibility to invest in low-carbon energy by enabling it to reduce its spending on oil and gas. ExxonMobil, for its part, long ago gave up bothering to come up with any official reason why it wanted nothing to do with Iraq.

Related: Oil Prices Fall As The Fed Changes Its Tune

Is the reason why so many Western IOCs are exiting Iraq the endemic corruption that permeates any sector of Iraq in which there is money to be found, as has been consistently highlighted by OilPrice.com? Partly it is that, with little change to the overall rotten layers of business and political dealings in the country that have been characterised by the highly-respected independent international non-governmental organisation, Transparency International (TI) in various of its Corruption Perceptions Index publications, in which Iraq normally features in the worst 10 out of 180 countries for its scale and scope of corruption. Massive embezzlement, procurement scams, money laundering, oil smuggling and widespread bureaucratic bribery that have led the country to the bottom of international corruption rankings, fuelled political violence and hampered effective state building and service delivery, TI states. Political interference in anti-corruption bodies and politicisation of corruption issues, weak civil society, insecurity, lack of resources and incomplete legal provisions severely limit the governments capacity to efficiently curb soaring corruption, it concludes. Staggeringly, even Iraqs own Oil Minister back in 2015 (and later Prime Minister) - Adil Abdul Mahdi  stated that Iraq lost USD14,448,146,000 (that is over 14 billion) from the beginning of 2011 up to the end of 2014 as cash compensation payment to international oil companies. To put this into some sort of understandable perspective: if this amount in dollar bills was laid end to end then it would stretch from Earth to the Moon nearly six times over.

In many cases, these payments have been disguised to Western IOCs by the Iraqi authorities under a key clause relating to Article 12.5 of Iraqs standard long-term service contract (LTSC). This asserted that compensation related to reduced oil production levels was allowed for three reasons: first, in order to minimise associated gas wastage; second, for any failure of oil and gas transporters in receiving net production at the transfer point through no fault of the contractor or operator; and/or third as a result of the government itself imposing such a reduction. In turn, according to Article 12.5, compensation payments could be made in three ways: a revised field production schedule, extension of the duration of the contract, and/or actual cash payments to IOCs. Related: Its Too Late To Avoid A Major Oil Supply Crisis

However, as highlighted at the time by Ahmed Moussa Jiyad, former senior economist with the Iraq National Oil Company and now an independent development consultant, from the basis of the standard LTSC contracts, there were two additional elements that factored into the US$14 billion-plus of lost income over just a three-year period. First, the incremental production above the base-line production, and second the net remuneration fee. There is a lot of suppositional and highly subjective mathematics involved in these calculations but suffice it say that based on base line production, minus a natural rate of decline of 5% for each year then the remuneration contracts for the 10 fields covered by the LTSCs awarded in the first round of bidding would have given a simple average of US$2.50 per barrel. In practice, though, the weighted average of the remuneration fees was around USD1.90 per barrel, leaving US$0.60 per barrel unaccounted for.

What this meant for various Western oil companies was a two-fold risk, a senior oil and gas industry figure who works closely with Irans Petroleum Ministry told OilPrice.com. First, although it was not clear exactly where these extra payments were going, there was nonetheless a risk that if they were found out to be ending up in the pockets of officials then there would be a huge reputational damage to the company involved, however unwittingly, and second, it meant that the compensation that companies were actually receiving was much less than they had signed up for, and their margins were already very tight, he said. What this would mean for a company such as Shell [although there is no suggestion that Shell or BP or ExxonMobil knowingly engaged in any improper activities at all in Iraq], is that it was receiving actual compensation fees per barrel of US$1.25 per barrel for Majnoon and US$1.70 per barrel for West Qurna 1 whereas it had been expecting US$1.39 per barrel for Majnoon and US$1.90 per barrel for West Qurna 1, based on the headline compensation figures given in the contracts, he added. Similarly, he underlined: Exxon found that a lot of hurdles suddenly started to arise in projects connected to the CSSP, such as the lack of approval of contracts for service work, or for permits to build out infrastructure needed for pipelines and drilling wells, and for something as simple as obtaining visas for workers and customs clearance for vital technical equipment.

Corruption, though, is not the only reason for the mass exodus of Western IOCs from Iraq. The other major factor is that China, especially, but also its partner in Middle East affairs, Russia, with the two countries already effectively in control of almost everything worth having in Iraqs oil and gas sector and working on gaining power over everything that remains. A prime example of this was that even before Exxon said that it wanted out of West Qurna 1, China was already dominant at the site, not only through the 32.7 per cent stake held by PetroChina - the listed arm of CNPC - but also through the gradual acquisition of a range of huge supposedly contract-only awards made to Chinese companies for work on the field.

These most recently included the US$121 million engineering contract to upgrade the facilities used to extract gas during crude oil production to the China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corp (CPECC) that was exclusively highlighted by OilPrice.com in this very regard. Exactly the same contract-only model was also used in the Majnoon oil field exited by Shell, with two game-changing contracts signed: one with Chinas Hilong Oil Service & Engineering Company to drill 80 wells at a cost of US$54 million and the other with the Iraq Drilling Company to drill 43 wells at a cost of US$255 million. In reality, it is China that is in charge of both, having given the funds required to the Iraq Drilling Company as a fee for its own participation, according to the Iranian and Iraqi oil industry sources.

Complementing this power shift to China that has been underway in earnest ever since former U.S. President Donald Trump started to scale back the U.S.s on-the-ground presence in the Middle East is that the new standalone company that will now hold BPs interest in Iraqs Rumaila oil field will be jointly owned by China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). This China state corporate oil proxy already had a 46.4 per cent stake in Rumaila  with BP holding 47.6 per cent and the remaining 6 per cent held by Iraqs State Oil Marketing Organization  although the new stake split is unknown as yet.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

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China has slashed by 35 percent the crude import quotas for its independent refiners in the second batch of oil buying authorizations this year, suggesting that Chinese teapots will import much lower volumes in the second half of the year compared to last year and to recent months.

The second batch of import quotas by Chinese authorities is 35 percent lower than the same batch last year, and some independent refiners that had previously been allowed to buy foreign crude are cut off from this years second batch, Reuters reported on Monday, citing a government document it had seen.

Since 2015, when China began allowing private refiners to import crude oil, the authorities have regulated with quotas how much each refiner can buy.

Independent refiners, the so-called teapots, account for around a fourth of Chinas refining capacity. Unlike independent refiners, which are issued semi-annual quotas for crude imports, the state refiners imports are not capped by quotas.

Amid an oversupply of refined products and low refining margins, Chinas government launched this year a crackdown on the trade and business practices at its independent refiners.

China has been increasing the oversight on the refining industry in order to crack down on the illicit fuel trade, close loopholes that some companies have been using to avoid paying fuel consumption taxes, and curb the fuel oversupply, part of which is the result of tax avoidance or tax evasion.

In May, the Chinese authorities said they would impose a consumption tax on imported light cycle oil (LCO), mixed aromatics, and diluted bitumen as of June 12.

Back in April, China stepped up pressure on independent refiners to uproot illegal tax practices and check if outdated facilities have been closed as required, Bloomberg reported, quoting sources with knowledge of the plans.

The slashing of the second-batch 2021 quotas suggests that China intends to reform the practices at the private refining sector, local consultancy SCI99 said in a note, as carried by Bloomberg.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Iran's only nuclear power plant was shut down this weekend in an emergency move that Iranian media reported on but provided no details.

The Associated Press wrote, citing an Iranian power utility official, that the shutdown could result in blackouts but also that it would only last for three to four days.

According to Russia's Sputnik, which cited Iranian Press TV, the Bushehr plant was shut down four days ago, and it had already caused a power shortage of some 1,000 MW.

Earlier this year, an official from Iran's Atomic Energy Organization warned about the possibility of a shutdown for the Bushehr plant because of U.S. sanctions. These, Mahmoud Jafari said in March, prevent the Islamic Republic from transferring money internationally to buy the equipment necessary for the plant. Iran is also finding it hard to pay the Russian contractors from Rosatom, who are in charge of the plant's maintenance.

The Bushehr nuclear plant, which only has one reactor, was built by Russian contractors in 2011, although construction first began as far back as the 1970s. Following the Islamic Revolution from 1979 and the consequent war with Iraq, construction work was delayed as the site became a target of attacks for the Iraqi forces

The plant only became fully operational in 2016. There are plans to expand the facility with a second reactor, but this would cost some $10 billion. Currently, nuclear power ranks fourth in Iran's energy mic, after natural gas, oil, and hydropower.

The Bushehr nuclear power plant is not considered a threat when it comes to the potential proliferation of nuclear activities beyond civil purposes, according to the UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Regarding the country's uranium enrichment program, which is considered a threat, talks resumed yesterday in Vienna.

"We are now in a situation [where] we think almost all the agreement documents are ready," the Iranian deputy foreign minister for political affairs told media yesterday.

"Of the main issues, some have been resolved and some remain, but it has taken on a very precise form and it is quite clear what the dimensions of these disputes are," Abbas Araghchi said.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Venezuela is investing in crude oil production recovery and aims to boost its output four times by the end of the year, to 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd), Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami, a close ally to Nicolas Maduro, told Bloomberg in a recent interview.

Without any financing, with our own money, weve been able to invest enough to stop the slide and start a gradual recovery, El Aissami told Bloomberg.

Despite the sanctions and despite the severe crisis which became even more severe with the pandemic and plunge in oil prices last year, Venezuela claims it would quadruple its crude oil production and put an end to the incessant lines at all gas stations in the country holding the worlds largest crude oil reserves.

According to El Aissami, crude oil production in Venezuela has now exceeded 700,000 bpd, up from less than 400,000 bpd in the summer of last year when output plunged in the wake of the pandemic and the crash in oil prices.

OPECs secondary sources place Venezuelas oil production in May at 531,000 bpd, up by 45,000 bpd compared to April, as per OPECs latest Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR). Venezuela self-reported to OPEC oil production of 582,000 bpd for last month, up by 130,000 bpd from its self-reported production level for April.

Venezuela boosting oil production to 1.5 million bpd by end-2021 is an impossible target, Francisco Monaldi, an expert on Venezuelas oil industry at Rice University, told Bloomberg.

Even getting to that would be implausible in the medium term; production capacity has been falling since 2014 and there have been no oil rigs operating in Venezuela for a year, Monaldi told Bloomberg.

Maduro, for his part, told Bloomberg Television in an interview last week he had been waiting for the Biden Administration to negotiate a deal that would bring relief to the U.S. sanctions.

A U.S. State Department spokesman, however, told Bloomberg that Maduro should do more to restore some democracy in the country if he is to expect a lifting of the sanctions.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Local

Omaha VA explores partnership for new care facility, including possibly UNMC's Project NExT

LEO A DALY The VA Ambulatory Care Center combines three primary medical clinics with specialty clinics, radiology facilities and five new dedicated outpatient surgical suites. It also features the first fully dedicated womens health clinic serving veterans in the region. LEO A DALY The Ambulatory Care Center opened in August adjacent to the old VA hospital building. ALYSSA SCHUKAR, THE WORLD-HERALD The Omaha VA Medical Center. A new outpatient care center opened less than a year ago on the VA campus near 42nd and Woolworth. A new inpatient facility, built through another public-private partnership, could rise on the VA campus or as part of Project NExT on the UNMC campus.

Its been less than a year since the Omaha VA opened a new outpatient care facility to serve the regions veterans, built through a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership with Omaha philanthropists.

Now the Omaha VA is exploring another public-private partnership to improve inpatient hospital and surgical facilities for veterans  with one possibility discussed being to include such a facility as part of the massive Project NExT on the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus.

To help lay the groundwork for a potential new inpatient facility, U.S. Rep. Don Bacon and U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer this week introduced legislation reauthorizing the CHIP-IN for Veterans Act, the 2016 federal law providing for public-private partnerships that made the Omaha outpatient care center possible.

Bacon said the lawmakers sought the five-year reauthorization for the expiring law at the request of the Omaha VA.

I know they want to use it again, Bacon said. They have some plans they would like to work with the community on.

Any new inpatient facility is still in its early stages, with no set timeline or project cost estimates. But Omaha VA officials confirmed they have been working on a number of new facility plans for the region, including one to improve inpatient hospital and surgical services.

The officials confirmed they also have spoken with UNMC Chancellor Dr. Jeffrey Gold about the possibility of including the inpatient facility within Project NExT  the planned multibillion-dollar teaching hospital on the UNMC campus that would have wings devoted to training health care workers to respond to national disasters.

The VA said in a statement that the discussions to date have centered on learning more about Project NExT, its parameters and whether a VA facility could become part of it.

At this point, the discussions have not gone beyond high-level strategic conversations, the statement said.

Gold agreed its still too early to say whether a new inpatient VA facility could be part of Project NExT. It ultimately will be up to the VA to decide whether to pursue that option or instead build a new facility on its own campus near 42nd and Woolworth, about half a mile from UNMCs southern edge.

Gold was part of the planning group for the new outpatient center, so he said hes familiar with the unique medical needs of veterans.

More than meets the eye at the $86 million VA health care center Behind each design element at Omahas new $86 million veterans health center is a metaphor or symbolic message meant to honor veterans. "Once it's up and built you just get this sense of fulfillment, almost like you've done your part to give respect to the veterans who have given their service, their lives, to our country."

Any facility would have to work for the needs of veterans, which is the No. 1 consideration, and meet the needs of the community, he said. Wed have to better understand that to see if a marriage with Project NExT and the VA facility could occur.

Such a union would in some ways make sense, he said. UNMC already has a number of research and education partnerships with the VA, and many VA services are staffed by UNMC faculty and residents.

UNMC also already has several federal partners on Project NExT, including the U.S. Defense Department, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Health and Human Services.

And as with the recent new VA facility, Project NExT is being planned with significant private donor support.

The cost of Project NExT has been estimated at $2.6 billion, but Gold has said the number could be as high as $4.3 billion. The State of Nebraskas $300 million contribution to the project was made contingent on securing federal and private dollars.

Gold said the VA nationally provides veterans health services by a number of different models, including leasing space from private and state health care providers.

Nuclear reactor in Omaha VA Medical Centers basement is dismantled as it existed  quietly Omaha VA administrators said little publicly about the reactor during its life, and they planned to do the same about its death. Throughout the reactors history, hardly anyone in Omaha realized it was even there.

Until recently, Omahas health care facilities for veterans had been among the most outdated and inadequate in the entire VA system. Its main hospital building was constructed just after World War II, with surgical suites too small for modern equipment and air handling systems that cant be brought up to contemporary standards.

But for more than a decade, even scaled-back renovation plans couldnt get funded  stuck behind other projects nationally on a long waiting list.

With Omahas needs languishing, then-Congressman Brad Ashford in 2015 approached the VA director in Washington and asked if the agency would be receptive to building a new facility through a public-private partnership. The director liked the idea but said it would require legislative authorization.

The result was the 2016 passage of the CHIP-IN for Veterans Act. Sponsored by Democrat Ashford in the House and Republican Fischer in the Senate, it passed in the final days of the 2016 Congress  with an assist by Bacon.

Bacon, the Republican and veteran who a month earlier had defeated Ashford in Nebraskas 2nd District, helped convince GOP leaders who were blocking the bill that they should allow Ashfords bill to move forward.

A donor group led by retired Omaha construction executive Walter Scott then contributed $30 million. The result was the new $86 million Ambulatory Care Center, which opened in August adjacent to the old VA hospital building.

The new center combines three primary medical clinics with additional specialty clinics, radiology facilities, and five new dedicated outpatient surgical suites. It also features the first fully dedicated womens health clinic serving veterans in Nebraska and western Iowa.

Billionaire Walter Scott steps aside after three decades leading Omaha's 'board of directors' From CHI Health Center Omaha, TD Ameritrade Park and the Holland Center to museums and university facilities, brick by brick Walter Scott and Heritage Services have done much to reshape Omaha.

But that care center doesnt end the need to upgrade regional VA facilities. Inpatient hospital services for veterans continue to be housed within the old hospital building.

Its not a secret to anybody that the inpatient facilities on the VA campus are aging and that a major investment would be needed at some point to renovate or replace the existing facility, Gold said. What that would look like would depend on the ability to once again have a public-private partnership to get it going.

Bacon and Fischer took a step forward on that last week with their introduction of CHIP-IN Act 2.0. Bacon, Fischer and Ashford, who remains active civically in Omaha as a private citizen, say they hope the act can once again be put to work for the regions veterans.

Said Fischer: We are full speed ahead on projects that are in the works in Omaha and will find a way to get them done.
The officials confirmed they also have spoken with UNMC Chancellor Dr. Jeffrey Gold about the possibility of including the inpatient facility within Project NExT  the planned multibillion-dollar teaching hospital on the UNMC campus that would have wings devoted to training health care workers to respond to national disasters.

The VA said in a statement that the discussions to date have centered on learning more about Project NExT, its parameters and whether a VA facility could become part of it.

At this point, the discussions have not gone beyond high-level strategic conversations, the statement said.

Gold agreed its still too early to say whether a new inpatient VA facility could be part of Project NExT. It ultimately will be up to the VA to decide whether to pursue that option or instead build a new facility on its own campus near 42nd and Woolworth, about half a mile from UNMCs southern edge.

Gold was part of the planning group for the new outpatient center, so he said hes familiar with the unique medical needs of veterans.
When the little girl, who was sitting in my row at graduation, opened up her note and read it, she went Wow, I cant believe he did this and remembered this about me, Kittrell said. It was just so touching that he did that for all of the graduates.

Reaves said he's always tried to work in something special for each graduating class, by recognizing certain students and through the songs played at commencements.

Last June, the seniors graduated at Daytona International Speedway and the school put customized yard signs made for each student on the football field. It was filmed by a drone.

The response to Reaves personalized notes has been positive and he feels humbled by the experience.

It was an incredible class of students and I was honored to serve them, Reaves said. In a sense they lost five quarters. The pandemic started when they were juniors and it impacted their entire senior year.

Parents and teachers have expressed their gratitude to Reaves on the Matanzas High Schools Facebook page.

It was very sweet and the first Ive heard of, said Traci Carter in the comments. This touch(ed) my graduate! Principal Reaves went above and beyond here and my child will never forget him.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that Congress erred when it set up a board to oversee patent disputes by failing to make the judges properly accountable to the president.

Five conservative justices agreed that Congress had erred, but both conservative and liberal justices agreed on the fix. They concluded that a portion of federal law related to how the Patent Trial and Appeal Board functions can't be enforced. The result of the court's action is that the director of the Patent and Trademark Office can review and reverse any decisions made by the board's judges. The director is nominated by the president and confirmed by the senate.

The case before the justices involved more than 200 administrative patent judges who make up the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and issue hundreds of decisions every year. The case is of particular importance to patent holders and inventors including major technology companies.

The question for the court had to do with whether Congress violated the Constitution's Appointments Clause in the way it set up the board. The board's judges are not appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate but instead appointed by the Secretary of Commerce.
LINCOLN  Decades ago, Pawnee Indian scouts patrolled the Plains, guarding against warring parties seeking to invade the Pawnee villages along the Platte and Loup Rivers.

Earlier this month, a portion of Nebraska Highway 22, between Genoa and Fullerton, was designated to commemorate the work of the Native American warriors.

Two signs were dedicated June 12 marking the roadway as the Pawnee Scouts Memorial Highway.

The signs commemorate the scouts who protected Pawnee villages that were located in that area and later worked as scouts for Union Pacific Railroad crews and the U.S. Army.

The designation was promoted by the Genoa U.S. Indian School Foundation and supported by the Pawnee Nation, the City of Genoa and the Nance County Board. The Nebraska Highway Commission approved the designation unanimously in December.

This is truly a part of our history that should not be forgotten but remembered, State Highway Commissioner James Kindig said at the dedication in Genoa. What better location but this beautiful valley where the site of the Pawnee Reservation Village was from 1857 to 1875.
Mayor Turner shares information about the proposed City of Houston water and wastewater rate increase

HOUSTON - Dear Houstonians, I encourage you to read the following information to stay informed about the water infrastructure needs of our city.



Next Wednesday, June 23, Houston City Council will vote on water and wastewater rate increases for Houston water customers. Houston Public Works is recommending that City Council adopt updates for water and wastewater rates to cover the increasing cost of service.



The proposed water and wastewater rates will increase every year over the next five years and include the cost of making the first five years of investments agreed upon in the Consent Decree agreement with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the EPA. Because of the agreement, Houston is required to resolve sanitary sewer overflows and other wastewater violations by paying fines and making improvements to the wastewater system over the next 15 years.

Houston's wastewater system is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the nation, with approximately 6,000 miles of wastewater pipes, 382 lift stations to move waste due to Houston's flat topography, and 39 wastewater treatment plants.


Ghanaian businessman, Dr Kofi Amoah has disclosed the secrets behind his early success as an entrepreneur. According to him, he faced a lot of setbacks in trying to earn his first million dollars, so he increased his target to two million and that came faster.



He told television show host Doloris Frimpong Manso (Delay) that he got the first idea for success from attending a lot of seminars. In an interview on the Delay Show, Dr Amoah said at one of such seminars, a speaker said an ideal business was one where you earn money while sleeping.



When pressed further by the host, Dr Amoah said he made the vast majority of his wealth by facilitating the entry of global remittance service provider, Western Union, into Africa. He said he got the idea because he encountered difficulty in sending money to his mum in Ghana in the 90s.



Dr Amoah, said as the Chief Executive Officer of Progeny Ventures he had to travel across the continent to advertise and sign-on agents. Western Union started its African operations from Ghana in 1995. Twelve years on, the company had expanded its operations to almost all 54 African states.



He said among the many countries he signed onto the money transfer service were Eritrea, South Africa and Ethiopia.

Source: graphiconline.com









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A new focus report produced by the Oxford Business Group (OBG), in partnership with the International Sugar Organization (ISO), explores the potential that Africas sugar industry holds for growth on the back of an anticipated rise in regional demand. The report was presented to ISO members during the MECAS meeting at the Organizations 58th Council Session, on June 17th 2021.



Titled Sugar in Africa, the report highlights the opportunities for investors to contribute to the industrys development by helping to bridge infrastructure gaps in segments such as farming and refining and port facilities.



The focus report is now available to view and download at: https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/news/focus-report-how-can-africas-leading-sugar-producers-increase-output



The report considers the benefits that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could deliver by supporting fair intra-African sugar trade efforts and bringing regulatory frameworks under a common umbrella, which will be key to improving competitiveness.



The increased international focus on ESG standards is another topical issue examined. Here, the report charts the initiatives already under way in Africa supported by green-focused investment with sustainability at their core, which will help to instil confidence in new investors keen to adhere to ESG principles in their decision-making.



In addition, subscribers will find coverage of the impact that Covid-19 had on the industry, with detailed analysis provided of the decrease in both worldwide sugar production and prices, as movement restrictions and social-distancing measures took their toll on operations.



The report shines a spotlight on sugar production in key markets across the continent, noting regional differences in terms of output and assessing individual countries roles as net exporters and importers.



It also includes an interview with Jose Orive, Executive Director, International Sugar Organisation, in which he maps out the particularities of the African sugar industry, while sharing his thoughts on what needs to be done to promote continental trade and sustainable development.



The region is well advanced in terms of sugar production overall, but several challenges still hinder its full potential, he said. It is not enough to just produce sugar; producers must be able to move it to buyers efficiently. When all negotiations related to the AfCFTA have concluded, we expect greater investment across the continent and a clearer regulatory framework.



Karine Loehman, OBGs Managing Director for Africa, said that while the challenges faced by Africas sugar producers shouldnt be underestimated, the new report produced with the ISO pointed to an industry primed for growth on the back of anticipated increased consumption across the continent and higher levels of output in sub-Saharan Africa.



Regional demand for sugar is expected to rise in the coming years, driven up by Africas population growth and drawing a line under declines triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, she said. With sub-Saharan Africas per capita sugar consumption currently standing at around half of the global average, the opportunities to help meet increasing domestic need by boosting production are considerable.



The study on Africas sugar industry forms part of a series of tailored reports that OBG is currently producing with its partners, alongside other highly relevant, go-to research tools, including a range of country-specific Growth and Recovery Outlook articles and interviews.



Click here to subscribe to Oxford Business Groups latest content: http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/country-reports



Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Ghanas Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has been elected the first Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Ghana-Cote dIvoire Cocoa Initiative at its first meeting in Abidjan today (21st June 2021).



The two countries unanimously elected Dr Afriyie Akoto to chair the Committee for the next fifteen (15) months. His Chairmanship will span the remainder of the current cocoa season which ends in September 2021 and continue until the end of the next cocoa season in 2022.



The Steering Committee is the highest decision-making body of the initiative. It is responsible for formulating rules and regulations; ensuring the smooth implementation of the charter and functioning of the Secretariat; approve all budgets and work programmes of the Initiative; approve the rights and responsibilities of member countries and resolve conflicts among the member countries.







Dr Afriyie Akoto in an earlier address described the meeting as historic and important since it seeks to ensure that the vision by the Presidents of the two countries  Excellencies Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Alassane Ouattara of Cote dIvoire  are realised.



Hon Afriyie Akoto, however, expressed concern about the "dragging of feet by some participants, which he noted is unfriendly to efforts to ensure that the Living Income Differential (LID) initiative is fully realised.



He charged the participants of the meeting to ensure that all parties share the burden of compliance with the dictates of the initiative, as that is the only means to achieve the vision of President Akufo-Addo and his Ivorian counterpart.



The meeting was attended by all members of the Steering Committee. Also present was the Chairman of the Food and Agriculture/Cocoa Affairs Committee of Ghanas Parliament, Hon. John Osei Frimpong and his ranking member, Hon. Eric Opoku as well as a delegation of senior Ivorian government officials.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been re-elected as Chairman, Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).



Heads of States of the Authority at its 59th Ordinary Session held on June 19, 2021 in Accra, by consensus, decided that President Akufo-Addo should stay on as ECOWAS Chairman for one more year to continue with the institutional reform process of the regional bloc.



President Akufo-Addo was first elected to chair of the 15-member ECOWAS at its 57th Summit held in Niamey, Niger in September 2020. He took over from Nigers Mahamadou Issoufou



He was subsequently tasked by the Heads of States of the Authority after its Extraordinary Session in February 2021 to oversee the implementation of institutional reforms in the organization.



The communique said the Heads of State and Government, who were unanimous in their decision to have President Akufo-Addo to lead the bloc for another one-year term, expressed appreciation to him for his leadership in steering the affairs of the Community.



It said the Authority of Heads of State and Government commended President Akufo-Addo for his commitment and efforts to achieving the blocs objectives to improve the performance and operational efficiency of ECOWAS Institutions and to promote the implementation of integration programmes geared towards the economic and social development of the region.



President Akufo-Addo submitted to the Accra meeting, his report on the optimal structure and size of the new Commission and other institutions, geared towards streamlining the operating cost of ECOWAS.



The Report recommended the scaling down of the number of Commissioners from 13 to seven effective March 2022.



To this end, the Authority adopts a 7-Member Commission as the new size of the Commission beginning March 2022. Authority mandates H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, to continue his efforts relating to the allocation of statutory positions and streamlining operational costs in ECOWAS Institutions, the communique said.



The Accra meeting among others deliberated on the political and security situation in the region, the implementation of regional integration and single currency programmers, and the mitigation of the effects of the COVID-19 on the economy of the bloc.



The Session was attended by all the Heads of State in West Africa, except Mali, which has been suspended from the regional bloc, following the recent political upheavals in that country.

Source: GNA









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In the battle to overcome the infection and spread of the COVID-19 virus in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital is currently facing a huge challenge, as a large number of residents have completely ignored the wearing of face masks.

It is becoming rare of late to see residents wear their face masks, with the small number, who wear it, preferring to leave the masks below the chin and also shunning the other safety protocols.



City authorities also seem to be losing the battle, because over time, no resident is now being impressed upon to wear the mask as was the situation during the peak of the pandemic.



No enforcement



The Daily Graphic news team, last Saturday, combed through the central business district at Adum in Kumasi, to find out why residents had given up the wearing of the mask.



Security personnel and the task force of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) are no longer stationed at vantage points, a move which in the past compelled residents to adhere to the protocols.



With the exception of few public institutions such as the banks and hotels, among others, which seemed to be enforcing the protocols, the wearing of masks was completely absent in the markets and transport yards.



Hitherto, one was not allowed entry into the new Kejetia Market without a face mask, but that was not the situation when the news team visited the market at the weekend.



Though some city guards were seen at the entrances to the market, they might have been there to ensure security on the premises and not necessarily to ensure that shoppers conformed to the safety protocols.



Not too long ago, a commercial vehicle would not have taken off without passengers wearing face masks, but this was no longer the situation when the team visited the Atonsu lorry station and the Acheamfour Lorry terminal near the Kejetia market.



Residents



According to some residents, who spoke to this reporter, the pandemic had died out, and that was evident because President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo now hardly updated the nation on the virus as pertained earlier.



Hitherto, every Sunday evening, President Akufo-Addo came on TV to give us updates on the virus, a resident, Madam Patience Afful, told this reporter, adding that, that alone was a testimony that the virus no longer existed.



Another resident, who only gave his name as Appiah, said now authorities allowed the holding of funerals where the numbers exceeded the Presidents 100 people participation at social gatherings, asking, if all those restrictions are no longer enforced why must we wear the mask?



A third resident, Mr Adom Boateng, who was seen in his face mask, said although he knew the essence of wearing the mask, he was becoming tired of wearing it because of how residents regarded him.



Imagine sitting in a commercial vehicle of about 15 passengers and you are the only one wearing a mask, he said to this reporter, adding, someone at a point even told me I am self-conceited.



Face mask seller



A seller of face masks also attested to the fact that business was slow because residents were no more wearing the mask.



Even when it was sold at GH1, they were buying it. Now, it is five for GH1, but the market is not encouraging at all, she said.









Source: graphiconline.com









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A total of 215 suspected criminals have been arrested in a police operation.

The operation targeted persons behind the recent attack of a bullion van at James Town and other street crimes in the Accra Metropolis.



Those arrested were between the ages of 17 and 52. There were 17 women among them.



The operation, which was also targeted at motorbikes used in facilitating robberies, saw the impounding of 168 motorbikes believed to be used for criminal activities.



Also, the police intercepted items including wrapped dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, knives, scissors, machetes, concoctions laced with narcotics, tramadol, among others, during the operation.



Areas



Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Accra regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mrs Effia Tenge, said three days were dedicated to the exercise in various divisional police commands following the directive by the Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Afful Boakye.



The exercise was carried out in areas including Korle Bu, Tesano, Amasaman, Nima, Dansoman and Abokobi.



The rest are Accra Central, Teshie, Madina, Bastona, Jamestown, Osu and Lakeside.



The arrests, she explained, stemmed from disturbing recorded cases of violent crimes in the metropolis.



Top on the list of the crimes, she said, were the recent robbery of a bullion van which led to the killing of a policeman and a woman last Monday at Jamestown; a robbery incident at Pig Farm where a 43-year-old man was killed and the attack on a forex bureau at Osu where two persons were shot.



Suspects detained



Following the arrest, Mrs Tenge said, the suspects had been detained at the various police stations where they would be taken through various levels of screening and profiling for possible connection to recorded crimes under investigation.



She said the special operation was part of a series of exercises by the command which started at the beginning of this year, aimed at combating all forms of crime in the metropolis.



DSP Tenge added that the three-day operation was in line with efforts to fight violent crimes, drug peddling and street robberies which had been on the rise in recent times.









Source: graphiconline.com









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The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has cautioned the leadership of both majority and minority against springing surprises on him while presiding on the floor.



The caution follows some dramatic scenes on the floor Thursday evening during the presentation of the report of the Appointments Committee on some 12 deputy ministerial Nominees including a deputy Education Minister-designate Gifty Twum Ampofo.



The minority shot down an attempt by the majority to secure an expedition of approval since a member of the Appointments Committee Alhassan Suhuyini voted against her approval at the Committee level.



The Speaker ordered a headcount which was disrupted by the majority side.



Addressing the MPs on Friday, the speaker charged leaders on both sides to adequately brief him during pre-sitting meetings and not make moves on the floor that may undermine his authority.



He warned the MPs that Thursdays episode must not repeat itself.







Source: starrfmonline.com









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By all accounts, the campaign for who will succeed President Nana Akufo-Addo is slowly but surely intensifying.



The Vice Presidents group is intensifying its operations with his T-shirts and posters appearing especially at funeral grounds. Some videos on social media have people alleging that they were given inducement to wear the T-shirts with Dr Bawumia's picture. The Vice President also has a loud social media army that regularly touts his credentials. Their mantra is that Bawumia is the constant factor.



Alan John Kyeremantens group are also active. The latest addition to their campaign material is Alan News. This is a newspaper that touts Alans accomplishments. The last edition was 15 pages.



The Agric Minister Owusu Afriyie Akoto denied that he is running for President. This was after he caused a stir by meeting people in Kumasi. But his agents are still meeting people across the country, unconfirmed reports say. Reports of their recent foray into some Regions are being picked up.



Boakye Agyarko who was the Energy Minister in the first term of Akufo-Addo's administration is also lacing his boots and unconfirmed reports suggest that he flatly refused an offer to concentrate on being Party Chairman.



The campaign of Joe Ghartey is slowly but surely picking steam. Members of the Joe-Joe Movement and Friends of Joe Ghartey call themselves the silent majority. There are reports of them quietly operating all over the country. Joe Ghartey is the only one who has openly stated that God willing he will contest when the time comes.



It seems it will be a three-horse race between, Bawu, Alan Cash and Big Joe the Star Boy. There are indeed interesting times ahead.

Source: Melvin Tarlue - Contributor









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Legal luminary Tsatsu Tsikata has described as a serious allegation the calling of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the mother serpent of corruption. Former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu described President Akufo-Addo as such after accusing him of interfering with his work.



It was contained in his resignation letter, complaining about the determined effort by the president to block him from investigating his Finance Minister and cousin Ken Ofori-Atta in the botched Agyapa deal.

The former Attorney General said Mr Akufo-Addo took office looking like an innocent flower of anti-corruption but being the mother serpent of corruption under it.



Speaking in an interview with Media Generals Alfred Ocansey, Mr Tsikata said the manner in which the appointment of Mr Amidu ended up tells a lot about the commitment shown in the fight against corruption under this government.

video:-

Source: 3news.com









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Ghanaians gospel musician, Yaw Sarpong, has denied rumours that he was married to his band mate, Maame Tiwa. Tiwa is not my wife. I picked Tiwa because of her talent and we've been working since 1981. Her first child stayed with me and my wife even before we started performing together, he told Joynews.



A lot of people kept asking how I've been able to work with her for that long. My wife knows Tiwa is not my wife and the people who know this can testify. These speculations became rife when our popularity kept expanding, he added.



Yaw Sarpong, one of Ghana's best gospel musicians of all time, is known for popular songs such as 'Oko Yi', 'Waye Awie', 'Yen Kakyere Agya Se' and 'Wo Haw Ne Sen'.



Over the years, he managed to keep his marital issues out of the media until now when rumours are flying off the roof.



He revealed that he has four children with his wife.

Source: modernghana.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A screenshot of the drop-off point at InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay. (PHOTO: Google Street View)

SINGAPORE  A 71-year-old cabby who drove into a man and fractured his knee after a dispute was jailed for four weeks and fined $800 on Monday (21 June).

Michael Hui @ Kuswara Mahmud, a Singaporean, was also banned from driving for a year upon his release from jail.

A TransCab taxi driver when the accident occurred in 2018, Hui had turned into a drop-off point at InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay when he encroached into the path of a 53-year-old Singapore permanent resident, and hit his right elbow.

Hui pleaded guilty to one count each of causing grievous hurt through a rash act and driving without due care or attention.

Argument led to collision

On 19 March 2018, the victim was walking out of the hotel and into the drop-off point when Huis taxi turned into the same area. The taxi, containing a couple and their young child, had cut into his path and its side mirror hit his right elbow.

The victim confronted Hui, who had stopped his taxi after the impact, and the pair began to argue, with the victim saying that he was going to take photos of the taxi and call the police. Hui retorted for him to go ahead.

As the permanent resident headed to the front of the taxi to take a photograph of its licence plate, Hui accelerated the vehicle towards him. The taxis bumper collided with his legs and he toppled forward over the car bonnet.

The incident was witnessed by at least 10 people, comprising of hotel staff and several bystanders who were waiting at the drop-off point. It was also captured by the hotels close-circuit television camera and Huis in-car camera.

According to the victim's medical report dated 22 March 2018, he suffered a right knee effusion and an abrasion over the right shin. An MRI of his knee also revealed a microfracture.

He was treated with medication and issued two months of medical leave, as he had difficulty walking and needed time to allow the bone to heal.

A subsequent medical report dated 27 February 2019 stated that the MRI of the victims right knee showed that apart from the fracture, there was cartilage damage which may be permanent. He was still going for physiotherapy almost a year after the incident.

Story continues

Failed to plead guilty in a timely manner

The prosecution sought at least four weeks jail and an $800 fine for Hui, whom it said had caused public disquiet.

Hui had known that the victim was in front of his taxi and the inference was that he wanted to collide with the victim, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Chong Kee En.

Hui had also failed to plead guilty in a timely manner. He had requested for the case to be adjourned multiple times and only pleaded guilty more than two years after he had been charged in court.

For driving without due care, he could be jailed up to six months, and/or fined up to $1,000. For causing grievous hurt through a rash act, he could have been jailed up to four years, and/or fined up to $1,000.

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More Singapore stories:

Dine-in at Singapore F&B places capped at 2 per group from 21 June

Mandatory testing for individuals who visit COVID hotspots on same day as infected cases

Fast COVID tests to be mandatory for staff servicing unmasked clients from mid-July

SafeEntry check-out boxes to be rolled out in coming weeks: MTF
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A Curtin University-led study of ancient bones on South Australia's Kangaroo Island has provided new information about the Island's past fauna and an insight into how species may live there in the future.

Published in Quaternary Science Reviews, the researchers analyzed around 2,000 bone fragments with the aim of eventually being able to establish a more complete picture of past biodiversity on the Island.

Lead researcher Dr. Frederik Seersholm from Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences said DNA studies on such a large scale have never been done on the Island before.

"We identified 33 species, 10 of which are extinct on the island today. We also found DNA traces from both the Eastern and the Western gray kangarooswhich is interesting given it was previously thought that only the Western used to roam the Island," Dr. Seersholm said.

"Our research also discovered an extinct population of spotted-tailed quoll, different from both the modern mainland and Tasmanian populations, indicating that it once lived on Kangaroo Island and perhaps other parts of South Australia too.

"While Kangaroo Island is a renowned biodiversity hotspot, and natural haven for several threatened and endemic species, it has been continuously losing species richness since European arrival on the Island 200 years ago.

"From excavations of these ancient fossil bones, we now know more about the species that used to roam the Island before this human-caused decimation."

Dr. Seersholm said this research was particularly important in the wake of the major bushfires of 2019/2020 which had a devastating impact on Kangaroo Island's pristine ecosystem.

"We hope our work in accurately identifying species can aid conservation and restoration efforts and help to restore the biodiversity on Kangaroo Island," Dr. Seersholm said.

"While more research is needed in this area, our study has confirmed that Kangaroo Island could be a potential haven for the reintroduction of some species.

"If a quoll population should be introduced to the island, it is essential to get a detailed picture of the extinct quoll population. The research has also added the eastern gray kangaroo to the list of potential reintroduction candidates

"More data from similar cave sites is needed to generate a complete picture of the genetic diversity before European arrival and further samples of the spotted-tailed quoll from mainland South Australia will help to clarify whether they were unique to the island."

Explore further An almost complete extinct dwarf emu egg found on King Island

More information: Frederik V. Seersholm et al, Ancient DNA from bulk bone reveals past genetic diversity of vertebrate fauna on Kangaroo Island, Australia, Quaternary Science Reviews (2021). Journal information: Quaternary Science Reviews Frederik V. Seersholm et al, Ancient DNA from bulk bone reveals past genetic diversity of vertebrate fauna on Kangaroo Island, Australia,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.106962
Loch Shira. Credit: Colin Adams

An at-risk species of fish has established itself in lochs across Scotland with the help of conservation managers and by rapidly adapting to its new environment, resulting in changes to their DNA, their ecology, and body shape, according to a new study.

In an urgent bid to conserve the freshwater powan species of fish, scientists introduced eggs and fish to new loch sites across Scotland over the past 30 years, with the aim of establishing new and robust populations.

The researchled by a team at the University of Glasgowshows that the translocated fish have indeed established in their new loch homes. The new powan populations have lower genetic diversity than the original source populations, but not worryingly low.

By using state-of-the-art genome analysis techniques, the study showed that the translocated populations are tapping into specific regions of the genome in adaptive evolutionary changes to the new populations.

The powan (Coregonus lavaretus, sometimes known as Coregonus clupeoides) is one of Scotland's rarest fishes and found natively in only lochs Eck and Lomond. Powan is a species of high natural heritage value for Scotland, but is in worrying decline due to habitat destruction caused by climate change, increasing water temperatures and the of non-native ruffe fish in Loch Lomond, which voraciously feeds on powan eggs.

With the long-term health of the population depending on its genetic diversity and the evolutionary effect of translocation, the scientists wanted to find out how the populations changed, to look more closely at the species' genetic health and determine if translocation was a successful strategy.

The study brought together a team of fish biologists, ecologists, and evolutionary geneticists at the Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment (SCENE) and the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine at the University of Glasgow; and the Limnological Institute at University of Konstanz in Germany and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Lead author Dr. Marco Crotti, who recently completed his Ph.D. on these fishes, noted: "We can see evidence of the translocation as changes in the powan genome and their ecology, but they are genetically healthy and are establishing."

Co-author Prof Colin Adams, Director of SCENE at the University of Glasgow, said: "This study is important for biodiversity and conservation management: Actions to conserve fish populations need evidence of their success.

"This work shows that translocations were a successful way to help Scottish powan. The translocations worked as an emergency measure, but the best mitigation is preserving the original populations."

Co-author Prof Kathryn Elmer said: "The translocation show how fast adaptation and evolution can occur in wild populations, even in just a few generations. This is natural selection in actionchanges in DNA and genomes helping the fishes survive and establish in their new environment."

The study is published in the scientific journal Evolutionary Applications.

Explore further Which animals will survive climate change?

More information: M. Crotti et al, Rapid adaptation through genomic and epigenomic responses following translocations in an endangered salmonid, Evolutionary Applications (2021). M. Crotti et al, Rapid adaptation through genomic and epigenomic responses following translocations in an endangered salmonid,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/eva.13267
Pathogen spillover and anthropogenic land-use change. Human alteration of the environment increases contact rates at the animalhuman interface with implications for zoonotic spillover risk.

Historically, shared resources such as forests, fishery stocks and pasture lands have often been managed with an aim toward averting "tragedies of the commons," which are thought to result from selfish overuse. Writing in BioScience, Drs. Senay Yitbarek (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Karen Bailey (University of Colorado Boulder), Nyeema Harris (University of Michigan), and colleagues critique this model, arguing that, all too often, such conservation has failed to acknowledge the complex socioecological interactions that undergird the health of resource pools.

The authors, who describe themselves as Blackologists ("'not simply scholars that are Black but, rather, are scholars who deliberately leverage and intersect Blackness into advancing knowledge production"), elucidate a model in which researchers' life experiences provide "unique perspectives to critically examine socioecological processes and the challenges and solutions that arise from them."

A conceptual diagram illustrating hysteresis between anthropogenic drivers and ecosystem state. Hysteresis is when the return trajectory to a stable state in a system (i.e., equilibrium) is different from the outgoing trajectory. The solid blue and orange lines represent stable equilibrium states and the shaded zones show the basins of attraction. The dashed line represents an unstable equilibrium and marks the boundary between the basins of attractions of the two alternative stable states

Because "BIPOC (for Black, Indigenous, and people of color) scholars endure systemic racism and a suite of professional barriers," say the authors, they "have an empathy and relatability to indigenous communities all over the world that are challenged by simply the desire to preserve their culture and sacred ties to the environment."

Through this lens, the authors explain that some conservation frameworks, such as the use of "fortress conservation" that excludes local communities, "occur in regions of the world with high biodiversity (e.g., the tropics) and where communities of Black and brown people are struggling for subsistence and equality." Rather than meeting their goal of preserving resources for the public good, such tactics risk disadvantaging the very populations whose knowledge and values may be most valuable in ameliorating ecological degradation. In particular, say the authors, such "displacement with prohibition" hampers the delivery of conservation goals because it relies on often inadequate management by outsiders.

Tipping and socioecological regime shifts in a West African ecosystem. Mammal activity impacts due to human activities (Harris et al. 2019). Hypothetical trajectories representing the dynamics of changing ecosystems. Direct effects (e.g., poaching) leads to a tipping point resulting in reduced mammal activity. Indirect effects (livestock grazing) can also result in a tipping point resulting in redacted mammal activity.

The authors argue for a holistic, collaborative management practice that fully accounts for complex human-environment dynamics: "In particular, overlooked feedbacks between social and ecological processes, often highlighted by our experiences as BIPOC scholars, may shed light on effective remediation of the tragedy." Through this interdisciplinary model, say the authors, "resource users, the nature and manifestation of conflict itself, and the roles of humans as both resource users and conflict mediators provide insights into the tragedy and into the ways it can be overcome."

The authors close with a call for greater inclusion and diversity within the sciences, stating that Blackologists' experiences provide a unique perspective crucial for addressing resource depletion across spatial and temporal scales: "As Blackologists, we argue that the marginalization of our identities across disciplines advances the very tragedy scientific communities hope to avert."

The article was published on 19 June in honor of Juneteenth, the 155-year-old holiday celebrating the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans in the United States.

More information: Senay Yitbarek et al, Inclusive Sustainability Approaches in Common-Pool Resources from the Perspective of Blackologists, BioScience (2021). Journal information: BioScience Senay Yitbarek et al, Inclusive Sustainability Approaches in Common-Pool Resources from the Perspective of Blackologists,(2021). DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biab052
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Build onshore wind turbines, raise gas prices or maybe impose a meat tax? What does the Dutch population think about Dutch climate policy? Researchers used a so-called Participatory Value Evaluation (PVE) to enable more than 10,000 Dutch people to advise the government on this issue. This public consultation method ensures that the (silent) middle group can have its say. On 17 June, the researchers presented the final report to the chairman of the Climate Agreement Progress Consultation, Ed Nijpels, after which they explained the results in the Dutch House of Representatives.

Now that Europe has recently tightened its climate targets, the new government must decide what measures to take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as CO 2 . Members of the House of Representatives have previously indicated a desire to involve a broad range of the population in this process. Researchers from TU Delft and Utrecht University therefore developed the climate consultation. In March, more than 10,000 Dutch people advised the government on this issue.

Methodology

PVE is an innovative public consultation method that goes far beyond an opinion poll or a referendum. In a referendum, complex issues are squeezed down into a yes/no choice. In a PVE, participants can express their preferences based on an overall picture of policy options and effects. Participants are given the opportunity to assess policy options in context, they can provide reasons for and qualify their preferences, and come up with their own ideas. The PVE invites citizens to step into the government's shoes, offering them a greater understanding of the complexity of the choices faced by politicians.

Four conditions that are determinative for support from the middle group

The climate consultation shows that about 25% of the Dutch have a very strong opinion about climate policy. These are the strong opponents who reject additional climate policies and the strong supporters who believe that climate policies cannot be ambitious enough. Four conditions are very important to ensure that the broad middle group of about 75% of the Dutch population supports more ambitious climate policies:

Climate measures that directly affect the personal lives of citizens are only acceptable if other measures are visibly applied to the maximum extent and the government pursues a strict policy against large polluting sectors. Protect low incomes and prevent the gap between rich and poor from widening. The polluter must pay. The benefits of a measure must outweih its costs and there must be no better alternative.

The acceptance of climate measures that directly affect the personal life of citizenssuch as a meat tax and the construction of onshore windmillswill be higher if it is clearly visible that the government has done everything possible to take measures that are not or hardly perceived as directly affecting people's personal lives (such as the construction of offshore windmills, stimulating insulation of houses, stimulating solar panels on roofs). Visibility is very important in this respect. Roofs that are full of solar panels work better than a plan to realize this in the future. The middle group considers it important for the government to pursue a strict policy against large polluting sectors, for example, by increasing the air travel tax or tightening up the carbon tax rules for industry. Citizens feel that sectors such as industry and aviation are hardly affected by climate policies, thanks to their good political contacts. If citizens perceive that the government is pursuing a strict policy against sectors they consider to be polluting, they will be more inclined to accept measures that they believe affect them directly.

Recommendations

If the government wants a more ambitious climate policy to be supported by the middle group, it would be wise to focus strongly on measures that score best on the four conditions, such as windmills at sea, tightening up the carbon tax rules for industry and stimulating the insulation of homes. Increasing subsidies for reduction of carbon emissions by industry, raising the air travel tax and investing in green hydrogen also score well and can count on support from the middle group.

Experiences of participants

Participants are very positive about the climate consultation. 80% say the government should use this method more often. Critical participants found the number of measures on which they could give an opinion too limited. Positive participants particularly liked being able to provide nuance and be included in decisions that the government has to make. Participants experienced a strong sense of commitment to public policy through their participation and they found the information they received in the consultation clear and accessible. For example, one participant says that "this way, the government places itself closer to the citizen; this makes their decisions more credible."

Explore further Dutch government presents measures to cut carbon emissions

More information: Niek Mouter et al, Including young people, cutting time and producing useful outcomes: Participatory value evaluation as a new practice of public participation in the Dutch energy transition, Energy Research & Social Science (2021). Niek Mouter et al, Including young people, cutting time and producing useful outcomes: Participatory value evaluation as a new practice of public participation in the Dutch energy transition,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2021.101965 Niek Mouter et al, Public participation in crisis policymaking. How 30,000 Dutch citizens advised their government on relaxing COVID-19 lockdown measures, PLOS ONE (2021). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250614 Journal information: PLoS ONE
Schematic of the parallel multichannel arrangement (arranged in a cascade). (a) Overall configuration of the device, (b) sidewall roughness manifestation, and (c) outlets of the parallel microchannels. Credit: Nature Microsystems & Nanoengineering, doi: 10.1038/s41378-021-00270-1

Hydrodynamic cavitation is a major phase change phenomena that can occur with a sudden decrease in the local static pressure within a fluid. The emergence of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and high-speed microfluidic devices have attracted considerable attention with implementations in many fields including cavitation applications. In a new study now on Nature: Microsystems and Nanoengineering, Farzad Rokhsar Talabazar and colleagues in Istanbul Turkey, Sweden and Switzerland proposed a new generation of cavitation-on-a-chip devices with eight parallel structured microchannels. The team used water and a poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) microbubble suspension as the working fluids in the device. The features of the next-generation cavitation-on-a-chip instrument have applications across microfluidic or organ-on-a-chip devices for integrated drug release and tissue-engineering applications.

Hydrodynamic cavitation

Hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) is a phase-change phenomenon that involves a liquid and begins when the static pressure drops to a critical value known as the saturation vapor pressure. The phenomenon includes progressive vaporization for the generation, growth and implosion of bubbles. For example, small bubbles can form in low-pressure zones, typically at the entrance of a flow restrictive element where inertial cavitation bubbles can grow in a successive cycle until they reach a high-pressure area. Cavitation is an undesirable phenomenon and most studies on the physics of cavitation aim to prevent or decrease it. Researchers aim to design and fabricate microfluidic devices capable of generating cavitation bubbles. In this work, Talabazar et al. determined the practicality of the cavitation-on-a-chip concept to generate cavitating flows at lower upstream pressures, to explore their capability for microsystem applications. For this purpose, Talabazar et al. designed a new microfluidic device with eight short, parallel micro-channels as a next-generation cavitation-on-a-chip device. They noted the effect of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) microbubbles as a cavitation facilitator on cavitation inception and development. The results proved the high performance of the device for cavitation inception and emerging applications.

Fabrication process flow of the microfluidic device. (a) Photoresist casting on a silicon dioxide-coated wafer. (b) Maskless lithography for channel design. (c) SiO2 etching, (d) resist stripping, (e) second lithography to open the inletoutlet and pressure ports. (f) DRIE for Si etching. (g) Photoresist stripping. (h) Ti and Al coating to protect the wafer as well as etching and second DRIE for etching through the wafer to open inlets, outlets, and pressure ports. (i) Wet etching of Al. (j) Wet etching of Ti. (k) Wet etching of SiO2. (l) Anodic bonding of the substrate to glass after etching the silicon dioxide layer completely. Credit: Nature Microsystems & Nanoengineering, doi: 10.1038/s41378-021-00270-1

The team incorporated a microdevice with parallel flow restrictive elements where the microfluidic device contained an inlet channel for fluid guidance into the inlet chamber. The inlet chamber contained a long section to allow transient chaotic flow to disappear before the fluid entered the nozzle area. The team supplied the desired inlet pressure to the system using a high-pressure nitrogen tank from the top of a steel liquid container. Then using an imaging system, they acquired images within very short time-intervals. During the experiments, Talabazar et al. used two working fluids with different inlet pressures from 0.2 to 1.1 MPa. The results highlighted a new generation cavitation-on-a-chip microfluidic device. The team made the device function with water and polyvinyl alcohol microbubble-water aliquots. The proof-of-concept study highlighted how the efficient multifunctional reactor can be explained in practice. The scientists described the cavitation process based on parameters measured from the mentioned open-loop experimental setup and attained developed sheet cavitating flow conditions at a lower Reynolds number under laminar flow conditions.

Hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) experimental setup. Visualizing cavitating flows and the package used to secure and seal the microfluidic device. Credit: Nature Microsystems & Nanoengineering , doi: 10.1038/s41378-021-00270-1

Overview of cavitation occurance. Different cavitating flow patterns have been formed inisde the multiple parallel microchannel configuration at Pi = 1.1 MPa. Credit: Nature Microsystems & Nanoengineering, doi: 10.1038/s41378-021-00270-1

Microbubble dynamics

When compared to the cavitation inception conditions, the cavitation flow conditions showed faster growth rates of microbubbles, where the microbubble size increased at high upstream pressures. The microbubbles could also expand beyond a critical radius, when compared to cavitation bubbles. Previous studies on ultrasound cavitation additionally reported that microbubbles reached maximum expansion at a peak negative transmission pressure to then undergo immediate compression. During hydrodynamic cavitation, microbubbles expanded with a sudden decrease in pressure to demonstrate the dynamics of microbubbles in the experimental setup; to demonstrate this, Talabazar et al. used the modified Rayleigh-Plesset equation. Notably, the microbubble shell property formed a major parameter to provide sufficient stiffness to prevent gas bubble dissolution. As a consequence, the team noted that the viscoelastic properties of polyvinyl alcohol microbubbles maintained a significant role to stabilize after hydrodynamic cavitation. The outcomes additionally revealed how the microbubble size played a dominant role for the inception and intensification of the cavitation process by providing more nucleation sites for bubble growth.

Hydrodynamic cavity effect on PVA MB diameter. Credit: Nature Microsystems & Nanoengineering, doi: 10.1038/s41378-021-00270-1

Outlook

In this way, Farzad Rokhsar Talabazar and colleagues devised a new generation 'cavitation-on-a-chip' device housing eight parallel structured short microchannels. The new design decreased the upstream pressure to initiate hydrodynamic cavitation. The proposed setup allowed the formation of diverse cavitating flow regimes at a constant upstream pressure in state-of-the-art devices. The described instrument can provide cavitating flow patterns with the same intensity at a lower input energy. The geometry of the device and its evolving cavitating flow regimes are faster and facile to existing microdevices.

The team used two working fluidswater and polyvinyl alcohol microbubble suspensions during the experiments, and the microbubbles provided more nucleation sites to facilitate inception at a significantly lower upstream pressure for the polyvinyl alcohol microbubbles compared to water. The emerging cavitating flows can develop faster and the proposed 'cavitation-on-a-chip' device has higher potential across multiple applications involving microfluidic devices for integrated drug release and tissue engineering applications.

Explore further Cavitation aggressive intensity greatly enhanced using pressure at bubble collapse region

More information: Talabazar F. R. et al. Design and fabrication of a vigorous "cavitation-on-a-chip" device with a multiple microchannel configuration, Microsystems & Nanoengineering, Talabazar F. R. et al. Design and fabrication of a vigorous "cavitation-on-a-chip" device with a multiple microchannel configuration, Microsystems & Nanoengineering, doi.org/10.1038/s41378-021-00270-1 Qiu X. et al. Liquid-phase exfoliation of graphite into graphene nanosheets in a hydrocavitating 'lab-on-a-chip', Royal Society of Chemistry, 10.1039/C8RA05976D Brotchie A. et al. Effect of power and frequency on bubble-size distributions in acoustic cavitation., 10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.084302

 2021 Science X Network
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The high-field superconducting magnet team of Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has made progress in a new round of performance tests that ended on June 13. The magnetic field of the dipole magnet developed by the team exceeded 12 Tesla (Tesla) in two apertures at 4.2 K, reaching more than 85% of the critical performance capacity of the superconducting wire. This magnet, including its design, superconducting materials, cables, coils, and related equipment and platform, is based on domestic technologies.

At present, the magnetic field record for a dipole magnet without aperture is 16 Tesla and is held by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The record for a single-aperture dipole magnet is 14 Tesla and was just achieved by Fermilab in 2020. An achievement of 12 Tesla with twin aperture is at the forefront of the field. Furthermore, this magnet is currently the only one in the world that uses a combination of different superconducting materials to achieve a 12 Tesla dipole field strength. It is a milestone in the development of advanced high field accelerator magnets in China.

Experts including Lucio Rossi, former project leader of the CERN Large Hadron Collider High Luminosity Upgrade (HL-LHC) and currently the professor at the University of Milan, and other international colleagues, sent congratulatory letters to the IHEP team.

The strong magnetic field provided by the high-field superconducting magnet can control the trajectory and size off the high-energy charged particle beam, which is the core requirement of basic physics research, advanced nuclear fusion energy technology, high-energy particle accelerator construction, etc. High-field superconducting magnet technology has been listed as one of the top priority core technologies for the development of high-energy physics over the next ten years in Europe and the United States.
A 1,100 km-wide, false-color radar view of Lavinia Planitia, one of the lowland regions on Venus where the lithosphere has fragmented into blocks (purple) delineated by belts of tectonic structures (yellow). Credit: NC State University, based upon original NASA/JPL imagery.

A new analysis of Venus' surface shows evidence of tectonic motion in the form of crustal blocks that have jostled against each other like broken chunks of pack ice. The movement of these blocks could indicate that Venus is still geologically active and give scientists insight into both exoplanet tectonics and the earliest tectonic activity on Earth.

"We've identified a previously unrecognized pattern of tectonic deformation on Venus, one that is driven by interior motion just like on Earth," says Paul Byrne, associate professor of planetary science at North Carolina State University and lead and co-corresponding author of the work. "Although different from the tectonics we currently see on Earth, it is still evidence of interior motion being expressed at the planet's surface."

The finding is important because Venus has long been assumed to have an immobile solid outer shell, or lithosphere, just like Mars or Earth's moon. In contrast, Earth's lithosphere is broken into tectonic plates, which slide against, apart from, and underneath each other on top of a hot, weaker mantle layer.

Byrne and an international group of researchers used radar images from NASA's Magellan mission to map the surface of Venus. In examining the extensive Venusian lowlands that make up most of the planet surface, they saw areas where large blocks of the lithosphere seem to have moved: pulling apart, pushing together, rotating and sliding past each other like broken pack ice over a frozen lake.

The team created a computer model of this deformation, and found that sluggish motion of the planet's interior can account for the style of tectonics seen at the surface.

"These observations tell us that interior motion is driving surface deformation on Venus, in a similar way to what happens on Earth," Byrne says. "Plate tectonics on Earth are driven by convection in the mantle. The mantle is hot or cold in different places, it moves, and some of that motion transfers to Earth's surface in the form of plate movement.

"A variation on that theme seems to be playing out on Venus as well. It's not plate tectonics like on Earththere aren't huge mountain ranges being created here, or giant subduction systemsbut it is evidence of deformation due to interior mantle flow, which hasn't been demonstrated on a global scale before."

An oblique radar view of Nuwa Campus, the largest block in the Venus lowlands. Complex belts of tectonic structures bound the block, but the interior is much less deformed, hosting lava flows and a handful of impact craters. Credit: Paul K. Byrne and Sean C. Solomon.

The deformation associated with these crustal blocks could also indicate that Venus is still geologically active.

"We know that much of Venus has been volcanically resurfaced over time, so some parts of the planet might be really young, geologically speaking," Byrne says. "But several of the jostling blocks have formed in and deformed these young lava plains, which means that the lithosphere fragmented after those plains were laid down. This gives us reason to think that some of these blocks may have moved geologically very recentlyperhaps even up to today."

The researchers are optimistic that Venus' newly recognized "pack ice" pattern could offer clues to understanding tectonic deformation on planets outside of our solar system, as well as on a much younger Earth.

"The thickness of a planet's lithosphere depends mainly upon how hot it is, both in the interior and on the surface," Byrne says. "Heat flow from the young Earth's interior was up to three times greater than it is now, so its lithosphere may have been similar to what we see on Venus today: not thick enough to form plates that subduct, but thick enough to have fragmented into blocks that pushed, pulled, and jostled."

NASA and the European Space Agency recently approved three new spacecraft missions to Venus that will acquire observations of the planet's surface at much higher resolution than Magellan. "It's great to see renewed interest in the exploration of Venus, and I'm particularly excited that these missions will be able to test our key finding that the planet's lowlands have fragmented into jostling crustal blocks," Byrne says.

The work appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Sean Solomon of Columbia University is co-corresponding author. Richard Ghail of the University of London, Surrey; A. M. Celal Sengor of Istanbul Technical University; Peter James of Baylor University; and Christian Klimczak of the University of Georgia also contributed to the work.

Explore further Lava-filled blocks on Venus may indicate geological activity
Model of a social network. There are 150 individuals (the dots), whose social connections are marked by the lines between them. There are three categories: 1. Close contacts, e.g. household (yellow lines), 2. Regular contacts, e.g. work and adult friends (red lines) and 3. School contacts for children and childrens friends (orange lines). The color of the dots marks the age  darker = older. The most important knowledge derived from the research is that un-repeated contacts, e.g. from public transportation, represents a large risk of contamination in super spreader diseases like Covid19. This is why the lockdown tool, which has been widely applied in battling the pandemic, has been extraordinarily efficient. Credit: Niels Bohr Institute

Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, together with epidemiologist Lone Simonsen from Roskilde University form part of the panel advising the Danish government on how to tackle the different infection-spreading situations we have all seen unfold over the past year. Researchers have modeled the spread of infections under a variety of scenarios, and the Coronavirus has proven to not follow the older models of disease spreading.

An increasingly varied picture of its behavior and thus its impact on society has emerged. In several scientific articles, researchers have described the knowledge accrued to date, most recently around the concept of "super-spreaders." It turns out that only approximately 10% of those infected account for roughly 80% of the spread of the infection. The results have been published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS.

Where does our knowledge of infections spreading stem from?

The data researchers use to" feed" and develop computer models comes from a wide range of different sources. The Danish municipalities have kept inventories of the spread of the infection, and this data has the advantage that it stems from units that are not overly large. There is a high degree of detail and this means that one can trace local development more clearly and thus construct parameters for super-spreading, which Postdoc Julius Kirkegaard has contributed to. Contact tracing is another source of information. In that case, the focus is on localizing and limiting the individual's transmission of the virus. The third source is slightly more complicated as it seeks to follow the chain of infections via the gene sequence of the virus.

Who are the super-spreaders?

Regardless of which source researchers examine, the results deliver roughly the same: 10% of all those infected account for as much as 80% of the spread of the infection. It is therefore crucial, in relation to the spread of the virus to locate the so-called super-spreaders and uncover how super-spreading occurs. Researchers stress that, at the moment, we are not quite sure what constitutes a person as a super-spreader. It may purely be down to personal, physiological characteristics. In addition, there are varying degrees of super-spreading in the population, so it is not necessarily just one or the other. Some people simply spread the virus more than others and the variation from persons with almost no transmission to super-spreaders is great.

How do researchers model a population of just under 6 million individuals?

Three basic categories are considered important when modeling the population's behavior, when calculating a scenario for the spread of infection: 1. The family context, 2. Work context and 3. The random contexts people find themselves inin other words, people in proximity on public transport, at leisure activities etc. The time factor in all three is crucial, as it takes time to infect other people. In terms of time, these three categories are somewhat identical when it comes to common diseases, but not a super-spreader coronavirus variant.

But this is where the individual characteristics of the virus come into play: super-spreaders are quite different when handled in a computer model. Methods known from physics become important here, as it is necessary to model individuals and their contacts. Researchers have set up computer models both for scenarios with and without super-spreaders, and it transpires that shutting down workspaces as well as sporting events, and public transport has the same effect when the model does not take super-spreaders into account. But when we include super-spreaders, there is a pronounced difference, and the shutdown of public events has a much greater effect.

Disease modeling faces new challenges and strong interdisciplinary collaboration

Diseases can behave very differently and it therefore incredibly important to be both ready and capable of rapid change in relation to the development of new models that reflect the characteristics of different diseases as accurately as possible, if we hope to contain them. Professor Kim Sneppen explains: "The biological variation of different viruses is enormous. SARS-CoV-2 contains a special feature in that it is at its most contagious just before one develops symptoms. This is the exact opposite of an earlier disease that threatened to become a pandemic, namely SARS, which is mostly contagious after one displays symptoms. Viruses are extremely advanced machines that each find specific weak points to exploit. A new field of research is rapidly developing, which examines how viruses attack the cells in our body. COVID-19 has proven to lead to very different sickness progressions for different patients. In that senses, it behaves chaotically, as we say in physics."

Ph.D. student Bjarke Frost Nielsen and Professor Kim Sneppen see a large open field of research within the collaboration between physics and biology. Gathering as much possible information about different viruses is crucial thus enabling physists to deploy this knowledge in mapping scenarios to respond to them.

The potential for research into the spread of infections is great

Bjarke Frost Nielsen says: "We need to create a toolbox that contains a wide variation in the way we tackle the spread of transmission, in our computer programs. This is the immediate perspective we can see in front of us, at the moment. Mathematical disease modeling has been around for almost 100 years, but unfortunately not a lot of headway has been made over that period. To put it bluntly, the same equations from the 1930's are still in use today. In relation to some diseases, they can be correct, but in relation to others they can be way off. This is where, as physicists, we have a completely different approach. There are numerous parameters, i.e., social dynamics and much more varied interactions between individuals that we can build our scenarios upon. This is badly needed, when we see the enormous variations in the different diseases."
This map shows sea level measured by the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite from June 5 to 15. Red areas are regions where sea level is higher than normal, and blue areas indicate areas where it's lower than normal. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

After six months of check-out and calibration in orbit, the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite will make its first two data streams available to the public on June 22. It launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Nov. 21, 2020, and is a U.S.-European collaboration to measure sea surface height and other key ocean features, such as ocean surface wind speed and wave height.

One of the sea surface height data streams that will be released is accurate to 2.3 inches (5.8 centimeters) and will be available within hours of when the instruments aboard Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich collect it. A second stream of data, accurate to 1.4 inches (3.5 centimeters), will be released two days after collection. The difference in when the products become available balances accuracy with delivery timeliness for tasks like forecasting the weather and helping to monitor the formation of hurricanes. More datasets, which will be accurate to about 1.2 inches (2.9 centimeters), are slated for distribution later this year and are intended for research activities and climate science including tracking global mean sea level rise.

The satellite, named after former NASA Earth Science Division Director Michael Freilich, collects its measurements for about 90% of the world's oceans. It is one of two satellites that compose the Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission. The second satellite, Sentinel-6B, is slated for launch in 2025. Together, they are the latest in a series of spacecraft starting with TOPEX/Poseidon in 1992 and continuing with the Jason series of satellites that have been gathering precise ocean height measurements for nearly 30 years.

Shortly after launch, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich moved into position, trailing the current reference sea level satellite Jason-3 by 30 seconds. Scientists and engineers then spent time cross-calibrating the data collected by both satellites to ensure the continuity of measurements between the two. Once they have are assured of the data quality, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will then become the primary sea level satellite.

"It's a relief knowing that the satellite is working and that the data look good," said Josh Willis, project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "Several months from now, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will take over for its predecessor, Jason-3, and this data release is the first step in that process."

Keeping an eye on rising seas

The ocean absorbs more than 90% of the heat trapped in the Earth system by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, which causes seawater to expand and sea level to rise. Monitoring ocean height is important because it helps forecasters predict things, including ocean currents and potential hurricane strength.

"These initial data show that Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is an amazing new tool that will help to improve marine and weather forecasts," said Eric Leuliette, program and project scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Maryland. "In a changing climate, it's a great achievement that these data are ready for release."

Ocean Altimetry Programme Manager Julia Figa Saldana of EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), added that the operational release of the first data streams from this unique ocean altimetry mission was a significant milestone at the start of the Atlantic hurricane season.

"The altimetry data are now being processed at EUMESAT headquarters in Darmstadt, from where the satellite is also being controlled, and released to ocean and weather forecasting data users around the world for their operational usage," Saldana said.

Scientists also anticipate using the data to gauge how fast sea levels are rising because of climate change. The expansion of warm seawater accounts for about one-third of modern-day sea level rise, while meltwater from glaciers and ice sheets accounts for the rest. The rate at which the oceans are rising has accelerated over the past two decades, and researchers expect it to speed up more in the years to come. Sea level rise will change coastlines and increase flooding from tides and storms. To better understand how rising seas will impact humanity, researchers need long climate recordssomething Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will help provide.

More about the mission

Sentinel-6/Jason-CS is being jointly developed by ESA (European Space Agency), EUMETSAT, NASA, and NOAA, with funding support from the European Commission and technical support from France's National Centre for Space Studies.

JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, is contributing three science instruments for each Sentinel-6 satellite: The Advanced Microwave Radiometer, the Global Navigation Satellite SystemRadio Occultation, and the Laser Retroreflector Array. NASA is also contributing launch services, ground systems supporting operation of the NASA science instruments, the science data processors for two of these instruments, and support for the U.S. members of the international Ocean Surface Topography Science Team.

Explore further European-US sea level tracking satellite sends 1st readings
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

In an era of increasing drought and nearly back-to-back wildfires, state conservationists have been working overtime in the San Gabriel Mountains to rescue frogs, fish and other species facing potential oblivion by rounding up populations of threatened animals and transporting them to safer areas.

While most of these efforts have occurred in obscurity, one recent mission to save hundreds of doomed rainbow trout has touched off a heated battle between humans and fish over the clear waters of Pasadena's Arroyo Seco. The controversy has also served to highlight the challenges wildlife biologists now face as they search for havens amid Southern California's patchwork of urban development, wildfire scars and seasonal mudslides.

After last summer's Bobcat fire burned more than 115,000 acres of wrinkled slopes and lush canyons, state biologists began to worry that a native population of rainbow trout living in the West Fork of the San Gabriel River could be wiped out if winter storms unleashed a muddy avalanche of slurry, sediment and fire debris into the waterway. They soon hatched a plan to translocate 469 rainbows to the Arroyo Seco, a winding creek that snakes past the Jet Propulsion Laboratory some 30 miles away.

Translocation occurs when animals are moved to areas that are not within their home range, whereas relocation describes moving animals to another area within their home range. In explaining its decision to translocate the trout, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife said doing so provided an opportunity to preserve valuable genetic stock and "potentially reestablish a native rainbow trout population" in the stream where fish had been decimated by the 2009 Station fire.

The trouble is, the city of Pasadena currently gets about 35% of its water supply from the Arroyo Seco, and the surprise dump of squirming trout has raised new criticism of its $15 million plan to draw more water from the stream. That's largely because Pasadena Water and Power's environmental impact report on the Arroyo Seco Canyon Project claimed there were no fish in the creek.

The project would boost the city's ability to gather and store water by replacing a vintage, 3-foot-tall dam, and by improving a diversion system that directs the arroyo's water to spreading basins that allow it percolate into the underground aquifer known as Raymond Basin. It would also repair and replace water facilities damaged by the 2009 Station fire.

Conservationists have been fighting for several years to downscale the project proposal, and would ultimately like the creek returned to its natural state. Doing so, they say, would allow it to better refill the aquifer, restore the environment and accommodate fish.

The sudden introduction of rainbow trout has added more weight to their cause, because the city can no longer argue there are no fish in the creek.

"I was overjoyed when I heard that rainbows were back in town," said Tim Brick, managing director of the nonprofit Arroyo Seco Foundation. "The fish added momentum to our efforts to force the city to revise the project that we believe will hurt habitat, wildlife and water resources in the Arroyo Seco."

The city now has "an obligation to ensure the survival of those fish, some of which, experts tell us, are genetically primed to turn into federally endangered southern steelheads," Brick said.

Pasadena Water and Power, as well as the city attorney, say that leaving natural flows in the channel is not an option: Any significant changes in management of the municipal system would require a renegotiation of its 1944 adjudicated water right agreement, which could be a lengthy and difficult process, they say.

Pasadena's Arroyo Seco water facilities are "based upon a historic water right and proven efficacy," said Gurcharan Bawa, general manager of Pasadena Water and Power.

The proposed improvements, he added, allow for fish passage "should there be aquatic species in the future," in addition to improving groundwater supplies.

For Pasadena Water and Power, managing the bounty of Arroyo Seco's flows is critical in a warming world, when whiplashing shifts between extremely wet and extremely dry periods are challenging its ability to store and transport water for a population of about 141,000 people.

The utility owns the right to divert up to 25 cubic feet per second (cfs) of surface water from the Arroyo Seco for direct use or to spread for percolation for groundwater pumping from the Raymond Basin.

Margie Otto, a spokeswoman for Pasadena, said the city "was not notified" by state wildlife authorities that they had translocated rainbows into the Arroyo Seco, but their presence was not expected to require a revision of the environmental impact report.

Earlier this month, however, the Arroyo Seco Foundation and the Pasadena Audubon Society announced that the city had agreed to discuss a settlement that may result in modifications of the project's development plans.

"If settlement negotiations are successful, the finalized agreement will be presented at a Pasadena City Council hearing in July," Brick said.

Biologists say that finding clear streams suitable for native rainbowscool, rocky pools devoid of predatory invasive speciesis becoming increasingly difficult in a mountain range with one of the most dangerous wildfire environments in the United States.

But the rainbows that were moved to the Arroyo Seco are swimming in good company. The creek is teeming with caddis flies, a primary food for wild fish, as well as trout ranging in size from 1-inch fry to 10 inches.

The Arroyo Seco was running clear and cool, shaded by alders, willows and bay trees, on a recent morning when Angel Pinedo put on a snorkel and mask and dunked his head into a pool to assess the status of the canyon's trout population.

A beam from his hand-held flashlight moved in continuous arcs as Pinedo, an education director and designated "trout scout" for the Arroyo Seco Foundation, scanned the depths in search of the multihued fish with silvery white undersides, black spots along their backs, and a horizontal pink-red stripe running from the gills to the tail.

"Great news!" Pinedo, 35, said with a smile after lifting his head to the surface. "There are three baby rainbows right here, and they're doing greatone to two inches in length, healthy and frisky."

Over the next hour, Pinedo turned up several more rainbows in pools about 100 yards upstream.

Pinedo and other trout scouts began conducting informal weekly trout surveys in February to help orchestrate the species' preservation along the Arroyo Seco.

"The big question now," he said, "is whether these fish are the youngsters of the reintroduced rainbows or the descendants of historic populations that had been overlooked by the city's surveys."

"Either way," he added, "we have fish in the Arroyo Seco and they need our help."

For conservationists, the remote chance that some of the rainbow trout dumped into the stream could carry the genetic material to transform into a steelhead is thrilling.

Southern steelheada distant cousin of salmonbegin life as native rainbow trout. For still unknown reasons, some migrate to the ocean and become steelhead after undergoing physical changes that allow them to return to spawn in freshwater gravel beds.

Putting native rainbows in the creek, conservationists say, inadvertently complemented ongoing plans to modify the Los Angeles River so that steelhead can return to it. Modifications to the concrete channel south of downtown include terraces, riffles and pools that would allow southern steelhead to rest and bulk up during their migratory journeys north to ancestral spawning grounds that include such tributaries as the Arroyo Seco.

Steelhead have been prevented from making that journey since the 1930s, when frequent catastrophic flooding prompted civic leaders to transform the L.A. River into a flood-control channel. Nearly the entire 51-mile-long river bottom was concreted over except a few spots where the water table was too high.

The last steelhead recorded in the Los Angeles River was a 25-incher caught near a bridge in Glendale in 1940two years after that stretch was paved. Today, the region's ocean steelhead population hovers around 50010% of what it was seven decades ago.

Awareness of the river as a natural resource began to grow in the 1980s when environmental groups put pressure on Los Angeles County and the Army Corps of Engineers.

Now, the waterway is slowly being transformed into a greenbelt of parks, trees, bike paths and kayaking opportunities that set the stage for proposals that would allow the few southern steelhead left on Earth to fulfill their life stages in a renovated L.A. River watershed.

"In this case, we're betting on the possible in the L..A. River," said Tom Tomlinson, an expert on the cultural history of the Southern California steelhead.

"The return of a steelhead thoroughfare reconnecting the Arroyo Seco and the Pacific Ocean would reinforce the idea of L.A. culture as healthy, vigorous and outdoor friendly," he said.

Those elements, he said, have caused the return of this fish to become "a precious quest."

Explore further Trout don't follow the weather forecast

2021 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Gamma-cyclodextrin's water-soluble, doughnut shaped structure allows it to trap other molecules and makes it useful in the production of pharmaceuticals, food, and household products. Figure by Sirun Yang from Harata, Bull. Chem. Soc. Of Japan, 60, 2763 (1987). Credit: Sirun Yang from Harata, Bull. Chem. Soc. Of Japan, 60, 2763 (1987).

A process using a light-sensitive chemical can drastically reduce cost and energy consumption to produce gamma-cyclodextrin, a compound that is widely used in manufacturing, according to a Dartmouth study.

The research, published in Chem, demonstrates how a hydrazone template can replace energy-intensive distillation to produce and isolate gamma-cyclodextrina water-soluble chemical that attracts other molecules and is used to enhance food, pharmaceuticals, and a wide range of consumer products.

"These compounds are biodegradable, biocompatible, benign and commonly used," said Ivan Aprahamian, a professor of chemistry at Dartmouth. "We are making production much more efficient so that they can be even more available to industry."

Cyclodextrins are naturally occurring compounds that encapsulate and preserve active ingredients in a product until it is used. The water-soluble compounds are made of glucose and are produced when enzymes are added to starch. Their doughnut-like shape allows them to act as molecular containers that surround other compounds until they are released by heat or other physical processes.

Compared to other common cyclodextrinssuch as alpha-cyclodextrin and beta-cyclodextringamma-cyclodextrin is the largest and most water soluble.

"The unique structure of this molecule helps it hold bulky molecules like vitamins and sensitive dyes," said Sirun Yang, first author of the paper and a graduate student in the Aprahamian Research Group at Dartmouth. "Gamma-cyclodextrin was already useful to industry, now we're making it more accessible for producers of pharmaceuticals, food and household products."

In pharmaceuticals, the compound gives medications longer shelf lives and allows them to be formed into easily eaten and digestible forms. Air fresheners use the compound to capture smelly molecules, lowering their concentration in the air. Fragrances use it to slowly release pleasant-smelling compounds.

According to Aprahamian, the challenge for industry is that gamma-cyclodextrin is also energy-intensive and expensive to prepare and isolate. Until now, a costly steam distillation process was required to remove the molecular template that is used to form the compound.

Through the use of a template made from light-sensitive hydrazone, the new process guides gamma-cyclodextrin into its distinctive container-like doughnut shape during its enzymatic production, but can then be removed using a cost-effective and environmentally friendly photoirradiation process.

"Our method relies on using hydrazone, which is a photoswitch that can be easily added into the gamma-cyclodextrin cavity," said Aprahamian. "Once you introduce light, it changes shape and leaves the cavity, facilitating the isolation of the compound. There is no more need for steam distillation."

The new process makes the highly functional compound more resource and price competitive when compared to the more readily available cyclodextrins.

With cheaper production costs, gamma-cyclodextrin could become more available for use in a wide range of consumer products. For pharmaceuticals, increased use of the compound would allow manufacturers to formulate lower dosages of active ingredients, making medication less expensive and reducing side effects.

Maria Pellegrini and Dale Mierke from Dartmouth, and Sophie Beeren, Dennis Larsen and Sebastian Meier from the Technical University of Denmark also contributed to this study.

Explore further Researchers study novel drug-delivery system
Graph 1. Coupled spin chains with nearest-neighbour spin intrachain interaction (solid black line) and interchain interaction (red dashed line). Credit: The University of Hong Kong

In 2013, Francois Englert and Peter Higgs won the Nobel Prize in Physics for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, which was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle by the A Toroidal LHC Apparatus (ATLAS) and the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiments at The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)'s Large Hadron Collider in 2012. The Higgs mode or the Anderson-Higgs mechanism (named after another Nobel Laureate Philip W Anderson), has widespread influence in our current understanding of the physical law for mass ranging from particle physicsthe elusive "God particle" Higgs boson discovered in 2012 to the more familiar and important phenomena of superconductors and magnets in condensed matter physics and quantum material research.

The Higgs mode, together with the Goldstone mode, is caused by the spontaneous breaking of continuous symmetries in the various quantum material systems. However, different from the Goldstone mode, which has been widely observed via neutron scattering and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies in quantum magnets or superconductors, the observation of the Higgs mode in the material is much more challenging due to its usual overdamping, which is also the property in its particle physics cousinthe elusive Higgs boson. In order to weaken these damping, two paths have been suggested from the theoretical side, through (1) quantum critical points and (2) dimensional crossover from high dimensions to lower ones. For (1), people have achieved several remarkable results, whereas there are few successes in (2).

To fulfill this knowledge gap, from 2020,Mr Chengkang Zhou, then a first-year Ph.D. student, Dr. Zheng Yan and Dr. Zi Yang Meng from the Research Division for Physics and Astronomy of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), designed a dimensional crossover setting via coupled spin chains. They applied the quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulation to investigate the excitation spectra of the problem. Teaming up with Dr. Hanqing Wu from the Sun Yat-Sen University, Professor Kai Sun from the University of Michigan, and Professor Oleg A Starykh from the University of Utah, they observed three different kinds of collective excitation in the quasi-1D limit, including the Goldstone mode, the Higgs mode and the scalar mode. By combining numerical and analytic analyses, they successfully explained these excitations, and in particular, revealed the clear presence of the Higgs mode in the quasi-1D quantum magnetic systems. All these results can not only help to find the key model parameters of the material, but also reveal a picture of how dimension matters in the condensed material. These research findings are published in Physical Review Letters.

Background

Quantum materials are embedded in our daily life, such as various electronic components, computer chips, and solar panels. With the fast development of science and technology, the understanding and manipulation of the quantum many-body interactions in the materials are playing a more and more important role. Such a tendency has already shown its first sign. For example, the 2D quantum moire materials, such as the magic angle twisted bilayer graphene, have attracted much attention and show their novel performance in realizing superconductivity in Carbon-based instead of the traditional silicon-based materials. Moreover, quantum computer tech, which is based on the theory of superconductivity and even topology is rapidly developing to build more efficient computer chips beyond Moore's law. Along with these efforts, the research on quantum magnets is one of the most important objects, in which the detection of the Higgs mode and the Goldstone modes can reveal the underlying model parameters of the material.

However, since the interaction of billions of electrons must be considered, it is hard to point out a clear picture of several quantum many-body systems via quantum mechanics directly. Therefore, numerical methods, such as the QMC simulation, have become useful techs to study quantum many-body systems. These numerical methods can tell us useful information and properties of quantum many-body systems and show the micro mechanism of these systems. This information would stimulate the development of the theory as well as guiding the experimental design, which would help the scientists and engineers to find out more novel quantum materials and components.

Graph 2. The spectra of the Goldstone mode, the Higgs mode, and the scalar mode changes with the coupled spin chains that tends to a quasi-1D limit. The first and the third columns are for the Goldstone mode. The second tells the scalar mode while the fourth is the Higgs mode. Credit: The University of Hong Kong

The Higgs mode via dimensional crossover

To study the micro mechanism in quantum many-body systems, numerical physicists usually come up with a simple model based on theoretical understanding and experimental data. Then, they apply numerical simulation methods to study the model in reasonable parameters region. Such a research procedure has been used in the investigation of the Higgs mode in the quantum magnets, yet its observation is still challenging due to its usual overdamping feature. From the quantum-theoretical side, scientists have suggested two paths. The first is through the quantum critical point. In this path, there are several remarkable results, including the signal of the Higgs mode has been observed in C 9 H 18 N 2 CuBr 4 . But the second path, which is throughthe dimensional crossover towards 1D, is still full of blank and calling for more study, partly because it is hard to find out a quantum many-body system with dimensional reduction. Such a dimensional reduction weakens the long-range order of the system and, therefore, inhibits the Higgs mode's overdamping feature. The research team from The University of Hong Kong, the Sun Yat-Sen University, the University of Michigan and The University of Utah managed to fulfill these blanks by numerically simulating a dimensional-crossover quantum spin model, coupled spin chains (see Graph 1).

The research team came up with coupled spin chains model by introducing the interchain interaction. By reducing the strength of these interchain interactions (changing the value ofJ in Figure 1 toward 0), the model would change from a 2D system to a quasi-1D system. The research team used the QMC method simulating the model and developed an effective method to measure the spin- and the bond- correlation functions. They not only observed the Higgs mode via a dimensional crossover but also find the scalar mode, which is predicted by the sine-Gordon theory. These results make coupled spin chains an attractive candidate system for studying collective quantum dynamics theoretically and experimentally.

The Higgs mode and the scalar mode spectrum

With the help of the Tianhe- II and III supercomputers, the research team studiedthe coupled spin chains in the quasi-1D limit and observed the evolution of the spectrum of Goldstone mode(Figure 2 (g) and (k)), the Higgs mode(Graph 2 (h) and (l)), and the scalar mode(Figure 2 (f) and (j)). Figure 2 shows the obtained spectra from the QMC simulations, where the blue dashed line represents the dispersion relation according to the combination of the mean-field theory and the sin-Gordon theory model. As one can see in Figure 2, the numerical results fit well with the theory prediction, which means the research team has managed to catch the signal of the Higgs mode. These signal is very helpful to design corresponding experiments to observe the Higgs mode via a dimensional crossover, like neutron scattering and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Such exciting results also will contribute to our understanding of the Higgs mode in dimensional reduction.

In order to describe the emergence of the Higgs mode and scalar mode, the research team also plotted out the frequency dependence of them (see Graph 3), where g is a factor telling how close the model to the quasi-1D is. When g=1, the coupled spin chains are in a 2D system, and with g=0, the coupled spin chains are in a 1D system. By comparing the frequency dependence of the spectrum with different g, one can find a sharp peak emerging as g reduces, which means the signals of the Higgs mode and the scalar mode are becoming stronger and stronger.

Graph 3. Frequency dependence of the spectrum of the Higgs mode (b) and the scalar mode (a) evolve with the dimension reduction. In this dimensional reduction, a sharp peak is emerging, which means the signal of the scalar mode and the Higgs mode becomes stronger. Credit: The University of Hong Kong

The novel physics phenomenon via dimensional crossover

In the framework of modern physics, symmetry and dimension are two of the most important factors that determine the properties of quantum many-body physics. And the phenomenon caused by dimension reduction is a key topic in quantum magnetic systems. The finding of the research team provided an attractive model and data support, which help us to understand what an essential role the dimension plays in our world and stimulate the development of the next-generation quantum material and components.

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More information: Chengkang Zhou et al, Amplitude Mode in Quantum Magnets via Dimensional Crossover, Physical Review Letters (2021). Journal information: Physical Review Letters Chengkang Zhou et al, Amplitude Mode in Quantum Magnets via Dimensional Crossover,(2021). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.227201
Contradicting theories of primatologists, a study led by Brazilian scientists shows that in a habitat with high hunting pressure, the risk of predation influences the habits of these monkeys more than the availability of food. They spend less time in areas they perceive as more dangerous even if plant biomass and invertebrates are more abundant there. Credit: Irene Delval/IP-USP

A study conducted in the Una Biological Reserve in the state of Bahia, Brazil, shows that in a habitat with high hunting pressure the risk of predation has such a significant impact on the behavior of the Yellow-breasted capuchin monkey Sapajus xanthosternos that it even avoids areas offering an abundant supply of plant biomass and invertebrates, its main sources of food.

An article reporting the findings of the study is published in the American Journal of Primatology.

"Many theories in the field of primatology assume that pressure to find food is more important that predation pressure. In this study we were able to show that predation pressure in Una counts for more in deciding where to be than where food is most abundant. These animals spend less time where food is plentiful because they perceive a higher risk of predation there. Another very important point is that this risk isn't posed only by natural predators but also by human predatorsby poachers. Because of hunting pressure, they spend less time in places where the most food is available," said Patricia Izar, last author of the article. Izar is a professor in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Sao Paulo's Institute of Psychology (IP-USP).

The study was part of a research project by Priscila Suscke, first author of the article, for her Ph.D. in Una, which according to the researchers contains "a mosaic of habitats" including three predominant types of vegetation: Mature forest, secondary forest, and an agroforestry system known as cabruca, in which cacao trees introduced to replace the understory thrive in the shade of the native forest.

"It's not that food doesn't influence use of the area, but that in these different forest landscape environments in the Una Biological Reserve each environment contributes different amounts of food, and each poses a different level of risk [in terms of predation and poaching]," Suscke said."Our analysis of the factors influencing the monkeys' use of these three environments showed that the group avoided the area with the largest food supply because of the risk involved."

The study was supported by Sao Paulo Research FoundationFAPESP via a Ph.D. scholarship awarded to Suscke and a Regular Research Grant awarded to Izar. "All my research on primates for the past 20 years has been basically funded by FAPESP, although I've had support from other agencies," Izar said.

Data collection

To collect field data, Izar and three trained observers watched the group of capuchin monkeys, which varied between 32 and 37 individuals. They followed the group simultaneously and began collecting data only when interobserver agreement accuracy reached 85%. The training period lasted about three months. All observations were recorded with the aid of a GPS unit, so that all reported occurrences were georeferenced.

"In estimating the area actually used by the animals for survival, which was smaller than the area of the conservation unit, we took into account all georeferenced points, including foraging and sleeping sites," explained geographer Andrea Presotto, second author of the article and a professor in the Department of Geography and Geosciences at Salisbury University in the United States.

The researchers observed foraging behavior using fruit left on aluminum trays anchored to the ground and traps in the form of shallow pits into which invertebrates fell and out of which they were unable to climb.

Contradicting theories of primatologists, a study led by Brazilian scientists shows that in a habitat with high hunting pressure, the risk of predation influences the habits of these monkeys more than the availability of food. They spend less time in areas they perceive as more dangerous even if plant biomass and invertebrates are more abundant there. Credit: Irene Delval/IP-USP

Other behaviors besides feeding, such as resting, traveling, interacting with other monkeys, keeping watch, and so on, were recorded every 15 minutes for each individual. To reflect risk perception, the researchers noted alarm calls and vigilance behavior in each habitat, also georeferenced. The animals' reactions to the alarms were the basis for an analysis of perceived predation risk and its influence on their behavior.

"The study cross-referenced the data collected on foraging behavior, reactions to predators, and interactions with the environment, in conjunction with objective measurements of that environment, as well as food supply, and what we call absolute predation risk, based on the density of predators in the area," Izar said.

Landscape of fear

Presotto used the field data to produce maps for five spatial predation risk variables: Hunting pressure, pressure from terrestrial or aerial predators, vigilance, and silence, each in relation to the three forest environments. This so-called "landscape of fear" approach consists of a visual model that helps explain how fear can change the use of an area by animals as they try to reduce their vulnerability to predation.

"The intensity of each variable was calculated in the GIS [geographic information system] using the kernel density method to estimate the number of occurrences in a specific area. For example, whenever an attack by an aerial predator was observed, the point was recorded using the GPS unit. The model told us where such occurrences occurred most," Presotto said.

The maps and statistical model produced by Presotto to display predation risk variables confirmed the group's initial hypotheses. "Evidence of hunting by humans was most abundant in the cabruca, but it was also found in the transition zones between mature and secondary forest and cabruca areas. Moreover, the monkeys were silent more frequently in the cabruca than in the other two landscapes. Perceived risk from terrestrial predators was strongest in secondary forest, and from aerial predators in cabruca and mature and secondary forest areas, especially transition zones. The monkeys were vigilant more frequently in the cabruca and a large secondary forest area," said Presotto, who is mounting a georeferenced database on the topic.

Reactions vary to different types of predator, Suscke noted. "What matters is perceived predation riskhow the prey perceives where in the landscape there's less or more risk of being predated," she said. "As we refined our analysis, we found that different predators affect the prey's perception and behavior differently, and we were able to make separate metrics for aerial and terrestrial predators, as well as poachers. We were also able to show the importance of hunting in determining the pattern of use of the area by these monkeys, and above all that the risk of being hunted negatively affected their use of the area."

The researchers are also studying capuchin monkeys in two other locations: Fazenda Boa Vista (Piaui state), and Carlos Botelho State Park (Sao Paulo state). "Because we have comparative studies, we can say that the monkeys in Una Biological Reserve display a higher predation risk perception in terms of more frequently occurring alarm behaviors, such as falling silent or freezing, and that these appear to be specific to hunting," Izar said, recalling that capuchin monkeys are naturally very noisy. "Our article points to yet another negative effect of anthropic pressure on animal behavior."

Monkeys are not pets

For Suscke, the article also points to thoughts about public policy. "Poaching has a major negative effect. Conservation units have been created for many years, and this is a commendable policy, but our findings point to the importance of proper surveillance in order to take good care of them," she said. "It's also important to educate the public, given the existence of recreational hunting as well as poaching, both opportunistically for food and systematically for animal trafficking. It's not uncommon to see monkeys kept as pets. In these cases, the poachers usually capture the mother and sell the infant. The Yellow-breasted capuchin is a critically endangered species, so the issue is hard to resolve and must be the object of tougher policies."

Izar stresses that the list of wild animals that can legally be sold as pets recently issued by Brazil's National Environmental Council (CONAMA) is a threat to primates. "The pressure on them is very strong in Brazil, and the Brazilian Primatology Society has launched a campaign entitled 'Monkeys Aren't Pets.' We know that legalization of the commercial breeding of wild animals leads to an increase in illegal trafficking of animals captured in their natural habitats, because commercially bred animals are much more expensive," she said.

Explore further Researchers observe instance of cannibalism in wild whitefaced capuchin monkeys

More information: Priscila Suscke et al, The role of hunting on Sapajus xanthosternos' landscape of fear in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil, American Journal of Primatology (2021). Journal information: American Journal of Primatology Priscila Suscke et al, The role of hunting on Sapajus xanthosternos' landscape of fear in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23243
New PBH constraint based on COMPTEL data (dark blue), projections of the discovery reach of future MeV gamma ray telescopes (other colored curves) and existing constraints (shaded grey regions). Credit: Coogan et al.

While many physicists have predicted the existence of dark matter, a type of matter that does not absorb, reflect or emit light, so far no one has been able to observe it experimentally or determine its fundamental nature. Light primordial black holes (PBHs), black holes the formed in the early universe, are among the most promising dark matter candidates. However, the existence of these black holes has not yet been confirmed.

Researchers at University of Amsterdam and University of California- Santa Cruz have recently carried out a study aimed at improving existing constraints on the allowed parameter space of PBHs as dark matter. In their paper, published in Physical Review Letters, they also propose a possible method that could be used to directly detect Hawking radiation in dark matter dense regions and potentially enable the discovery of PBH dark matter.

Hawking radiation is the thermal radiation that Stephen Hawking predicted to be spontaneously emitted by black holes. This radiation is hypothesized to arise from the conversion of quantum vacuum fluctuations into pairs of particles, one escaping the black hole and the other trapped inside its event horizon (i.e., the boundary around black holes from which no light or radiation can escape).

"PBHs comprising more than a few percent of the dark matter would need to have mass between about 1016 grams and 1035 grams," Adam Coogan, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told Phys.org. "Over most of that range, various observations exclude them from making up 100% of the dark matter. However, there is a notable gap in the constraints: PBHs with masses around that of an asteroid (~1017 grams to 1022 grams) could still make up all the dark matter."

Identifying methods to constrain the allowed parameter space of PBHs or detect the Hawking radiation emanating from them could be an important step towards the observation or discovery of PBH dark matter. Coogan, in collaboration with his colleagues Logan Morrison and Stefano Profumo, thus set out to examine the potential of MeV gamma-ray telescopes as tools to detect PBH Hawking radiation.

"The main idea behind our work was to think about a particular way of looking for asteroid-mass PBHs," Coogan explained. "Light PBHs are expected to emit Hawking radiation consisting of a mix of photons and other light particles, such as electrons and pions. Telescopes can then search for this radiation by observing our galaxy or other galaxies. The goal of our paper was to understand how well upcoming telescopes would be able to observe this radiation and consequentially how much of the asteroid-mass PBH parameter space they could probe."

While trying to estimate the masses of PBHs that emerging telescopes could help to constrain, Coogan and his colleagues discovered that previous studies had not yet analyzed data collected by the COMPTEL telescope, a gamma-ray telescope launched by NASA onboard of the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO). This data, however, could help to constrain the abundance of PBHs slightly below the asteroid-mass gap (i.e., below 1017 grams). While constraints already exist in this mass range thanks to observations of Hawking radiation gathered by Voyager 1 and the INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) satellite, the new constraints introduced by the researchers were found to be the strongest to date.

"The key input for computing constraints and making projections is to compute the spectrum of Hawking radiation produced by a single PBH," Coogan said. "We refined this calculation in comparison with existing tools in the literature by improving how radiation produced by electrons and pions is accounted for in the spectrum. The rest of the calculations are quite typical for dark matter searches."

Assuming that PBHs of a specific mass make up a given fraction of the total dark matter in space, the calculations carried out by Coogan and his colleagues would allow researchers to compute their contribution to the spectrum of photons emitted by an astrophysical object believed to contain a substantial amount of dark matter, such as the center of the Milky Way. If the spectrum estimated by these calculations was far brighter than the observed spectrum, for instance, one could rule out the possibility that PBHs of that specific mass make up a specific fraction of dark matter.

"Making projections for the performance of future telescopes follows along similar lines, though there is no observed spectrum to compare to," Coogan explained. "In this case, the spectrum of photons emitted by PBHs is compared with a model for the expected astrophysical background of photons."

The recent study by Coogan, Morrison and Profumo set the strongest constraints on low-mass PBHs to date, using data collected as part of an experiment that was completed 20 years ago. In addition, the researchers showed that upcoming telescopes capable of observing MeV-energy gamma rays could help to probe asteroid-mass PBHs, which is a very difficult part of the PBH parameter space to probe.

"The astronomy community has been considering several proposals for such telescopes in recent years and I think our paper provides another solid motivation for constructing them," Coogan added. "Aside from PBHs, we have been studying how upcoming MeV gamma-ray telescopes could probe different models of particle dark matter. We recently finished another paper where we computed the gamma-ray spectra for a few particular such models and are working with other collaborators to refine these calculations."

Coogan, Morrison and Profumo have recently also been collaborating with Alexander Moiseev, a Research Scientist at NASA, who is developing a telescope called the Galactic Explorer with a Coded Aperture Mask Compton Telescope (GECCO). Together with Moiseev, they have been trying to map out ways in which GECCO could aid the search for dark matter.

Explore further From primordial black holes new clues to dark matter

More information: Direct detection of Hawking radiation from Asteroid-mass primordial black holes. Physical Review Letters(2021). Direct detection of Hawking radiation from Asteroid-mass primordial black holes.(2021). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.171101 Precision gamma-ray constraints for Sub-GeV dark matter models. arXiv:2104.06168 [hep-ph]. arxiv.org/abs/2104.06168 Hunting for dark matter and new physics with (a) GECCO. arXiv:2101.10370 [astro-ph.HE]. arxiv.org/abs/2101.10370 Journal information: Physical Review Letters

 2021 Science X Network
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

As plastic pollution soarsfilling waterways, air, soil and living things with the materialsome in St. Louis are joining efforts to confront the crisis through new approaches.

Experts hope the shifting strategieswhich include harnessing crowd-sourced data to learn more about what kind of waste accumulates and wherecould result in better policy interventions and ultimately help spark widespread reevaluation of who shoulders the burden of plastic waste. That means potentially pushing greater responsibility toward producers, instead of leaning on consumers to constantly clean up the mess as disposable, single-use plastic proliferates.

"We're trying to figure out what's ending up on the ground, so that we can prevent it," said Jenna Jambeck, a University of Georgia engineering professor who researches plastic waste issues.

Lately, Jambeck has focused on the Mississippi River basin. She is involved with an initiative that recently enlisted St. Louis-area volunteers to record the types of litter they picked up during a cleanup event and the precise location of where they found it. The results were fed into an online "Debris Tracker" database that Jambeck helps run alongside partners like the National Geographic Society. The work helps establish a baseline map of the litter.

Researchers ran pilot cleanup events this spring in St. Louis; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and aim to expand to other cities along the Mississippi in the future.

As a data collection bonus, researchers put tracking devices in a handful of plastic bottles and released them into the river at North Riverfront Park to shed light on how plastic waste moves along the corridor. The bottles tended to get stuck along the banks, among docked barges. But after a slow start, one of them covered 880 miles over 11 days, before being scooped up by a Louisiana fisherman near Baton Rouge. He contacted the researchers, as requested in a message with the bottle.

"I was just in disbelief," said Jambeck. "Our hypothesis is it basically hitchhiked on a barge."

Another local effort has positioned "trash traps" in urban streams and waterways, thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency's Trash-Free Waters program, and partners including Wichita State University and some groups focused on water quality issues around the St. Louis region. Those tending the colorfully nicknamed trapssuch as the "Trash Trout" in Maplewood's Deer Creek Park and "Litter Gitter" in University City's Heman Parkaim to quantify the junk they collect, while trying to control plastic headed for the Mississippi River, or beyond.

"You're just surprised at how much stuff is washed down the creek sometimes," said Josh Wilson, who cleans out the traps through his involvement with Blue2Blue Conservation, a group he co-founded and runs in his spare time. "It's just really, really disheartening."

The plastic-targeting efforts in the region take aim at a problem spiraling to an alarming scale and ubiquity.

Plastic debrisoften broken into small pieces called microplasticsincreasingly saturates inland waterways and oceans, with plastic bags even finding their way to the bottom of remote, deep-sea trenches.

Plastic pollution not only affects the environment, but also clogs wastewater infrastructure, poses risks to public health, and makes river-based recreation and tourism a tougher sell, said Colin Wellenkamp, executive director of executive director of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative.

But it's not just an affliction confined to bodies of water or to single-use plastic. One study published in the journal Science last year said that "even the most isolated areas in the United Statesnational parks and national wilderness areasaccumulate microplastic particles after they are transported there by wind and rain." Most of that material comes from synthetic microfibers used in clothing.

Many say the new and growing scale of the world's "plastification" requires new methods of troubleshooting. Old tactics, like simply relying on volunteer trash pickups, "aren't going to hack it anymore," said Wellenkamp. His group helped coordinate the recent "Debris Tracker" work in the Mississippi watershed. The goal is for tactics like the crowd-sourced data collection to reveal the best opportunities for systemic change.

"We need new solutions for historic problems because they're bigger now," said Wellenkamp.

Those overseeing the data collection are hoping to identify where most plastic debris collects, where it comes from, and how it moves around. They also aim to identify the brand names on the trash, to see "whose stuff makes up the majority of what we're discovering," Wellenkamp said.

Already, data on the most common forms of plastic junk are coming into focus, from the recent "Debris Tracker" cleanupswith items like cigarette filters, beverage bottles, and food wrappers leading the way.

Researchers plan to present some initial findings and policy recommendations to mayors of the three pilot cities at the end of the month.

From that information, the goals are to assess how cities and local governments might be able to most efficiently combat the issue, with the least resources. Another broader goal is to explore how plastic producers can address outflow, which may require economic incentives for post-consumer waste markets, to ensure that reused stuff is cheaper than virgin material.

"We need to do what we can to incentivize that kind of corporate behavior and purchase power to really cut into all this plastic waste that's piling up," said Wellenkamp.

Others agree that the escalating issue demands shifting more accountability to producers. Otherwise, they say there's a sense of futilitylike the Greek myth of Sisyphus, forever pushing a boulderas well-intentioned groups and individuals are condemned to an endless loop of cleaning up trash, only to have their work negated by an increasing cascade of single-use plastic.

That growing realization has helped spark goals, and grants, geared toward "preventing more, (and) picking up less," said Jenny Wendt, a senior project manager in University City's Department of Public Works, and a plastic waste reduction campaign manager for the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative.

"I see a shift, and I like that," said Wendt. "It kind of spreads out the responsibility, instead of always having the responsibility on the consumer."

"Something actually has to change," agreed Rachel Bartels, a representative of Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper, another group overseeing the St. Louis-area trash traps. "There's only so much we can do as consumers."

At the industrial level, the potential for change could be consolidated in a relatively small set of hands. For example, a report published last month found that just 20 companiesincluding ExxonMobil and Dowproduce more than half of the globe's single-use plastic.

Experts like Jambeck agree that conversations about plastic waste seem to be pivoting more toward producers than in the past. And despite immense challenges, she touts signs of progress. Scientifically, for instance, the issue now receives far more attention than it did even a decade or two ago. She and others also point to the fact that some plastic waste has value as a raw material, which can help reduce pollution.

"I know that the (plastic) production curve is daunting, but the right kinds of conversations are starting," said Jambeck. "That does make me optimistic that we're going to get a handle on it. 'Cautiously optimistic,' is the right way to put it."

Explore further Operation Cleanup on plastic-polluted Lagos beach

2021 STLtoday.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A team of scientists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have invented an artificial nose that is capable of continuous bacterial monitoring, which has never been previously achieved and could be useful in multiple medical, environmental and food applications.

The study was published in Nano-Micro Letters.

"We invented an artificial nose based on unique carbon nanoparticles ("carbon dots") capable of sensing gas molecules and detecting bacteria through the volatile metabolites the emit into the air," says lead researcher Prof. Raz Jelinek, BGU vice president for Research & Development, member of the BGU Department of Chemistry and the Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, and the incumbent of the Carole and Barry Kaye Chair in Applied Science.

The patent-pending technology has many applications including identifying bacteria in healthcare facilities and buildings; speeding lab testing and breath-based diagnostic testing; identifying "good" vs. pathogenic bacteria in the microbiome; detecting food spoilage and identifying poisonous gases.

"BGU has a remarkable track record of sensor development, which has infinite possibilities for real-life application," says Americans for Ben-Gurion University (A4BGU) Chief Executive Officer Doug Seserman. "Our renowned multi-disciplinary research efforts continue to ignite innovation, addressing some of the world's most pressing issues."

The artificial nose uses chemical reactions and electrodes to sense and distinguish vapor molecules and record the changes in capacitance onto interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) coated with carbon dots (C dots). The resulting C-dot-IDE platform constitutes a versatile and powerful vehicle for gas sensing in general, and bacterial monitoring in particular. Machine learning can be applied to train the sensor to identify different gas molecules, individually or in mixtures, with high accuracy.

Explore further Molecular tweezers that attack antibiotic resistant bacteria

More information: Nitzan Shauloff et al, Sniffing Bacteria with a Carbon-Dot Artificial Nose, Nano-Micro Letters (2021). Nitzan Shauloff et al, Sniffing Bacteria with a Carbon-Dot Artificial Nose,(2021). DOI: 10.1007/s40820-021-00610-w

Provided by Americans for Ben-Gurion University
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A team of scientists has developed a new model for simulating both iceberg calving and the tsunamis that are triggered as a result. Their method can help improve hazard assessment in coastal areas and refine the empirical calving models used to evaluate rising sea levels.

Johan Gaume, an EPFL expert in avalanches and geomechanics, has turned his attention to ice. His goal is to better understand the correlation between the size of an iceberg and the amplitude of the tsunami that results from its calving. Gaume, along with a team of scientists from other research institutes, has just unveiled a new method for modeling these events. Their work appears in Communications Earth & Environment.

These scientists are the first to simulate the phenomena of both glacier fracture and wave formation when the iceberg falls into the water. "Our goal was to model the explicit interaction between water and icebut that has a substantial cost in terms of computing time. We therefore decided to use a continuum model, which is very powerful numerically and which gives results that are both conclusive and consistent with much of the experimental data," says Gaume, who heads EPFL's Snow Avalanche Simulation Laboratory (SLAB) and is the study's corresponding author. The other institutes involved in the study are the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Zurich, the University of Nottingham, and Switzerland's WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research.

Improving calving laws

The scientists' method can also provide insight into the specific mechanisms involved in glacial rupture. "Researchers can use the results of our simulations to refine the calving laws incorporated into their large-scale models for predicting sea-level rises, while providing detailed information about the size of icebergs, which represent a sizeable amount of mass loss," says Gaume.

Calving occurs when chunks of ice on the edge of a glacier break off and fall into the sea. The mechanisms behind the rupture generally depend on how high the water is. If the water level is low, the iceberg breaks off from the top of the glacier. If the water level is high, the iceberg is longer and breaks off from the bottom, before eventually floating to the surface owing to buoyancy. These different mechanisms create icebergs of different sizesand therefore waves of different amplitudes. "Another event that can trigger a tsunami is when an iceberg's center of gravity changes, causing the iceberg itself to rotate," says Gaume. "We were able to simulate all these processes."

In Greenland, the scientists placed a series of sensors at Eqip Sermia, a 3-km-wide outlet glacier of the Greenland ice sheet that ends in a fjord with a 200 m ice cliff. Back in 2014, an iceberg measuring some 1 million m3 (the equivalent of 300 Olympic-sized swimming pools) broke off the front of the glacier and produced a 50 m-high tsunami; the wave was still 3 m high when it reached the first populated shoreline some 4 km away. The scientists tested their modeling method on large-scale field datasets from Eqip Sermia as well as with empirical data on tsunami waves obtained in a laboratory basin at the Deltares institute in the Netherlands.

Projects in the pipeline

Glacier melting has become a major focus area of research today as a result of global warming. One of the University of Zurich scientists involved in the study kicked off a new research project this year with funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation. This project will investigate the dynamics of Greenland's fastest-moving glacier, Jakobshavn Isbrae, by combining data from individual field experiments in Greenland with the results of simulations run using the SLAB model. "Our method will also be used to model chains of complex processes triggered by gravitational mass movements, such as the interaction between a rock avalanche and a mountain lake," says Gaume.

Explore further Slushy iceberg aggregates control calving timing on Greenland's Jakobshavn Isbr

More information: Joshuah Wolper et al, A glacierocean interaction model for tsunami genesis due to iceberg calving, Communications Earth & Environment (2021). Journal information: Communications Earth & Environment Joshuah Wolper et al, A glacierocean interaction model for tsunami genesis due to iceberg calving,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-021-00179-7
Credit: AIMS

A new research tool involving the simple task of filling a bottle with seawater could revolutionize how scientists track individual whale sharks and monitor their populations.

The new research from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and UWA Oceans Institute has used the smallest genetic clues in the seawater to track these gentle giants through a method called 'eDNA haplotyping."

Ph.D. researcher and lead author Laurence Dugal said while environmental DNA (eDNA) has been used in the past to monitor the presence of certain species, this new method used eDNA to answer an entirely different question.

"Our new method has taken this incredible leap to detect the genetic signature of individual whale sharks just by analyzing the seawater," she said.

"We have moved beyond species detection and into the realm of population geneticswe've opened a new door in what is possible with eDNA."

Despite their large size, whale sharks are notoriously challenging to track. But like all marine species, whale sharks shed their unique DNA codes into the oceanknown as environmental DNA or 'eDNA'  via skin, feces, blood, mucus, sperm and other biological material.

Scientists collected this eDNA by visiting known whale shark 'hot spots' at Ningaloo Reef, where the team swam behind whale sharks and filled small bottles with seawater. The team then analyzed the seawater samples through a process called eDNA haplotyping.

To confirm the signature of each shark the team also collected tissues samples of 28 whale sharks and compared the results.

"The results were incredibly accuratethe tissue biopsies successfully matched, with high accuracy, to all the individual whale shark's eDNA," Ms Dugal said.

"Up until now, we have only been able to get DNA samples through tissue biopsies, which is logistically difficult, expensive to collect and require invasive sampling techniques."

AIMS and UWA Oceans Institute scientist Dr. Luke Thomas said the research could go beyond whale sharks and be applied to other species at risk.

"This new method is faster, cheaper, highly accurate, easier to scale up and minimally invasive," he said.

"It has the potential to radically change the way we monitor and track megafauna species.

"It could help answer global population-level questions for other megafauna, such as sharks, rays, marine turtles or dugongs."

AIMS Principal Research Scientist Dr. Mark Meekan said endangered whale sharks were an integral part of the ecology at Ningaloo World Heritage Area and are worth $20 million per year in the ecotourism industry of the region.

"AIMS has been leading the research on whale sharks for decades at Ningalooa known hot spot for these majestic giants," he said.

"Our research has mapped and tracked whale sharks to examine their behavior, feeding patterns, growth and migration.

"It is important our marine environments are responsibly managed to ensure we can use the ocean and its resources sustainably while preserving the future of whale sharks."

This study was in collaboration with AIMS, UWA Oceans Institute, Curtin University, and a leading eDNA research lab at Aarhus University, Denmark.

The research paper "Individual haplotyping of whale sharks from seawater environmental DNA' was published in Molecular Ecology Resources.

Explore further Sequencing of environmental DNA offers information on whale shark populations

More information: Laurence Dugal et al, Individual haplotyping of whale sharks from seawater environmental DNA, Molecular Ecology Resources (2021). Journal information: Molecular Ecology Resources Laurence Dugal et al, Individual haplotyping of whale sharks from seawater environmental DNA,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13451

Provided by Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Water sampling taking place on a farm to test nitrate levels. Credit: Massey University

Massey University scientists unveiled a prototype of their novel systems for stripping nitrate from farm drainage at this year's Fieldays, capturing hundreds of people's attention including farmers of all ages, members of the public and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Associate Professor in Environmental Hydrology and Soil Science Dr. Ranvir Singh and Associate Professor in Soil Science Dr. David Horne have been working on this project since 2018 and were excited to share the next step with the public.

The project involves working with local farmers to develop innovative drainage management practices to reduce nitrate losses from agricultural lands to waterways.

Project co-lead Dr. Singh says artificial drainage systems provide an important function in poorly drained or very shallow groundwater areas. Drainage is beneficial in removing excessive soil wetness to support plant growth, grazing and field operations, but if not managed properly can lead to losses of nitrate from soils to waterways.

"Controlled drainage and woodchip bioreactors are cost-effective techniques to reduce nitrate in drainage waters; they don't negatively affect drainage, are cheap to build, and require very little maintenance over their long life.

What we learn from this prototype is how these systems can be applied elsewhere."

How does it work?

Woodchip bioreactors work in much the same way as wastewater treatment plants but for nitrate in drainage waters. As water from the drain is released into the bioreactor, the woodchips absorb the nitrogen and nitrogen-free water flows out.

Project co-lead Dr. Horne says nutrient management and limiting the impacts on water quality are critical issues in agriculture and horticulture in New Zealand.

"If we can help farmers reduce the impact of their farms on surface water quality and help conserve drainage waters for use as irrigation, we can reduce the demand on ground and surface water sources, while improving their quality.

"This technology has not been trialed in New Zealand much before this project and it's important we see how it can be applied and integrated into our agriculture systems here."

Trials overseas in the US, Ireland and Denmark are different says Dr. Horne as they have more arable systems and New Zealand has more open grazing.

"Nitrate is still a problem in all these places and the issues surrounding it are similar, so we do share and exchange knowledge globally."

There have been on farm trials of the controlled drainage and woodchip-technology in Manawatu, but Dr. Singh says bringing the research to Fieldays and sharing their findings so far helps to maintain momentum.

Explore further Bioreactors chip away at nitrogen pollution
The photoexcited electron from silver iodide (AgI) travels along the carbon nanotube to silver iodate (AgIO 3 ) where carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is reduced to carbon monoxide (CO). Credit: Shinji Kawasaki and Yosuke Ishii from Nagoya Institute of Technology

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from human activities have risen drastically over the last century and a half and are seen as the primary cause of global warming and abnormal weather patterns. So, there has been considerable research focus, in a number of fields, on lowering our CO 2 emissions and its atmospheric levels. One promising strategy is to chemically break down, or 'reduce,' CO 2 using photocatalystscompounds that absorb light energy and provide it to reactions, speeding them up. With this strategy, the solar powered reduction of CO 2 , where no other artificial source of energy is used, becomes possible, opening doors to a sustainable path to a sustainable future.

A team of scientists led by Drs. Shinji Kawasaki and Yosuke Ishii from Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan, has been at the forefront of efforts to achieve efficient solar-energy-assisted CO 2 reduction. Their recent breakthrough is published in Nature's Scientific Reports.

Their research began with the need to solve the limited applicability problem of silver iodate (AgIO 3 ), a photocatalyst that has attracted considerable attention for being useful for the CO 2 reduction reaction. The problem is that AgIO 3 needs much higher energy than that which visible light can provide to function as an efficient photocatalyst; and visible light is the majority of solar radiation.

Scientists have attempted to work around this efficiency problem by combining AgIO 3 with silver iodide (AgI), which can efficiently absorb and utilize visible light. However, AgIO 3 -AgI composites have complicated synthesis processes, making their large-scale manufacturing impractical. Further, they don't have structures that offer efficient pathways for the transfer of photoexcited electrons (electrons energized by light absorption) from AgI to AgIO 3 , which is key to the composite's catalytic activity.

A carbon nanotube encapsulating iodine molecules is immersed in silver nitrate (AgNO 3 ) aqueous solution to produce the composite photocatalyst. Credit: Shinji Kawasaki and Yosuke Ishii from Nagoya Institute of Technology

"We have now developed a new photocatalyst that incorporates single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with AgIO 3 and AgI to form a three-component composite catalyst," says Dr. Kawasaki, "The role of the SWCNTs is multimodal. It solves both the synthesis and the electron transfer pathway problems."

The three-component composite's synthesis process is simple and involves just two steps: 1. Encapsulating iodine molecules within the SWCNT using an electrochemical oxidation method; and 2. Preparing the composite by immersing the resultant of the previous step in an aqueous solution of silver nitrate (AgNO 3 ).

Spectroscopic observations using the composite showed that during the synthesis process, the encapsulated iodine molecules received charge from the SWCNT and converted into specific ions. These then reacted with AgNO 3 to form AgI and AgIO 3 microcrystals, which, due to the initial positions of the encapsulated iodine molecules, were deposited on all the SWCNTs uniformly. Experimental analysis with simulated solar light revealed that the SWCNTs also acted as the conductive pathway through which photoexcited electrons moved from AgI to AgIO 3 , enabling the efficient reduction of CO 2 to carbon monoxide (CO).

The dispersion of the novel three-component photocatalyst can easily be spray-coated onto polymer films to produce flexible electrodes that can be integrated into numerous settings. Credit: Shinji Kawasaki and Yosuke Ishii from Nagoya Institute of Technology

The incorporation of SWCNTs also allowed for the composite dispersion to be easily spray-coated on a thin film polymer to yield flexible photocatalytic electrodes that are versatile and can be used in various applications.

Dr. Ishii is hopeful about their photocatalyst's potential. "It can make the solar reduction of industrial CO 2 emissions and atmospheric CO 2 an easy-to-scale and sustainable renewable energy-based solution tackling global warming and climate change, making people's lives safer and healthier," he says.

The next step, the team says, is to explore the possibility of using their photocatalyst for solar hydrogen generation.

Explore further Innovative carbon nanotube photocatalytic materials for efficient solar energy conversion and hydrogen production

More information: Ayar Al-zubaidi et al, One-step synthesis of visible light CO 2 reduction photocatalyst from carbon nanotubes encapsulating iodine molecules, Scientific Reports (2021). Journal information: Scientific Reports Ayar Al-zubaidi et al, One-step synthesis of visible light COreduction photocatalyst from carbon nanotubes encapsulating iodine molecules,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89706-2
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Women who lose local or state elections are just as likely to run for office again as men, suggesting the recent surge in women running for office may have a long-term impact on women's political representation, according to a new study by researchers from Harvard and the University of California, Davis.

Pundits and scholars have argued that women are more likely to abandon politics after a losing campaign than men, citing evidence that women are more risk-averse and more likely to avoid competition than men.

Political scientists Rachel Bernhard, assistant professor at UC-Davis, and Justin de Benedictis-Kessner, assistant professor of public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, set out to answer the question: "Are women more likely to quit politics after losing than men?" Their study was published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The authors note that in races across the United States after the 2016 presidential election, the number of women candidates running for office skyrocketedand then women, many of them running for the first time, lost at higher rates than men. With psychology and economics research suggesting that women might be discouraged by such a loss, perhaps because they are more risk- and competition-averse than men, some analysts asked if the burst of novice women candidates might fizzle with little effect.

The two scholars examined data on decisions on whether to run again by more than 212,000 men and women candidates from 1950 through 2019. The research study looked at state legislative races; California county, city and school district elections; and mayoral elections, involving a total of more than 22,000 jurisdictions.

"Across all three types of elections, we see no evidence of a gender gap in candidates' responses to losing a race," the authors found. That is, women who lost close races were equally as likely to run again as men. Though men and women candidates did run again at different rates, there was no statistically distinguishable difference between men and women in choosing to seek office again after losses.

The study reviewed prior behavioral economics and political science research that found women to be more averse to competition than men (who are often overconfident or "conflict-seeking"), and less inclined to enter politics in the first place. Furthermore, women often face obstacles such as family care and lack of early funding support that deter entry into politics. But some women do choose to run despite the barriers.

"While risk aversion may serve to keep women from entering politics at all, the ones who do enter appear no more rejection-sensitive than male candidates," according to the study. "The results corroborate research showing that the self-selection of risk-loving women into competitive careers may result in patterns of behavior that do not match those observed in the general population."

Indeed, these losing candidates may be a cost-effective pool for those who want to recruit future female candidates into the pipeline, the authors say, because they already have proved willing to enter the fray.

Bernhard and de Benedictis-Kessner focused on state and local elections because "these races are the right place to assess whether women drop out of the 'pipeline' to power and can give us a sense of what the gender composition of the national candidate pool may look like in years to come."

The authors note that losing candidates are less likely to run again regardless of gender, and the impact of losing a first election is especially discouraging for both men and women. But the data showed that "this effect of losing does not substantively differ between men and women."

"Contrary to fears expressed by pundits and scholars alike, the potential for many women candidates to be driven from politics due to losing (relative to men) appears to be unfounded," they wrote. "The surge in women's candidacies therefore seems to bode well for the future of women's representation, both at the local and state levels we study here, and at the national level if these candidates 'move up' in years to come."

"We conclude that women's decision-making differs from men's at the point of entry into politics, not at the point of re-entry," they said. "Far from being 'sore losers,' women who run for office are just as likely to persist as men. The post-2016 surge therefore seems likely to bring many new women into the pipeline in the longer term."

Explore further More women running for political office may hurt chances for down-ballot candidates

More information: Rachel Bernhard el al., "Men and women candidates are similarly persistent after losing elections," PNAS (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Rachel Bernhard el al., "Men and women candidates are similarly persistent after losing elections,"(2021). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2026726118

Provided by Harvard Kennedy School
The 76 journey was before the 1980s civil war violence, repression and revolution in Central American countries like Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. But it carried with it a certain amount of unpleasant surprises  a bout of dysentery, an incident of a cop on the take in which we were taken, and the theft of an overstuffed wallet by a pickpocket gang in the Mexico City subway, to name a few. The guidebooks warn of these things for good reason. There were plenty of great memories, too, including landing on a dirt airstrip in Guatemala to climb the Mayan pyramids at Tikal.

I dont endorse car brands, but I will say that Jeep took us more than 4,600 miles (one way) and seemed ready to do a lot more if we had shipped the vehicle from Panama to Colombia to get around the Darien Gap, an impassable break between Central and South America. The only vehicle issue we encountered was not with the Jeep itself, but with a tire that went flat after we returned from driving to the rim of a volcano in Nicaragua (a local driver was behind the wheel for that side trip). Maybe we should have thought more about driving on or near volcanic rock and a few other details along the way. But we were a family on a mission with a target of Rio, though not in such a hurry that we would give up daily sightseeing opportunities.
Adams, a former police captain running on his public safety record, has led most recent polls, but by a margin that could easily evaporate in the ranked-choice voting system, where peoples second, third, fourth and fifth choices for mayor could all make a difference in the final outcome. He would be the citys second Black mayor.

Two candidates who would make history as the citys first female mayors, Garcia and Wiley, have been rising in polls during the campaigns final weeks.

Stringer faced calls from some of his foes to drop out of the race after two women accused him of sexual harassment.

Under ranked-choice voting, which New York City adopted by referendum in 2019 and is using in a mayoral primary for the first time, candidates can form alliances and encourage their supporters to rank another candidate second. Yang and Garcia surprised some onlookers with joint appearances over the campaigns final weekend. Rank me No. 1 and then rank Kathryn Garcia No. 2, Yang told supporters at a rally in Queens on Saturday.

Adams, who is Black, accused Yang and Garcia of trying to prevent a person of color from winning the race.
That claim may sound paradoxical, but there are indications that this may well be the case.

In March, a trio of academics  two economists and a data scientist  released a working paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research that looked, for the first time, at the correlation between prosecuting nonviolent misdemeanors and future criminal legal involvement.

Across the board, wrote Amanda Agan, Jennifer Doleac and Anna Harvey in an essay about their findings in the Washington Post, we find that being more lenient on defendants  that is, erring toward non-prosecution  has big benefits.

The authors analyzed 67,500 nonviolent misdemeanor cases in Suffolk County, Mass., between 2004 and 2018. Alleged offenders whose offenses were not prosecuted, they wrote, were much less likely to find themselves in the courtroom again within two years. Entanglement with the legal system itself seems to be a risk factor for future criminal prosecution. They looked at similar cases against similar defendants filed by more and less lenient prosecutors and found that outcomes tended to be better for those whod landed with the less strict prosecutors.
WILL COUNTY  Two men are dead after a chain-reaction crash involving eight motorcycles Saturday morning in Will County, according to a news release from Illinois State Police.

At approximately 10:13 a.m., eight motorcycles, part of a larger group of motorcycles, were traveling westbound on Interstate 80, west of milepost 126.5, near Interstate 55. One of the motorcycles crashed, causing a chain reaction involving all eight motorcycles, the news release stated.

Edwin Torres, 45, Chicago, driving a 2007 purple Harley-Davidson, and John O. Melvin II, 57, DuQuoin, driving a 2004 gold Harley-Davidson, were pronounced dead after the crash, according to ISP.

A 50-year-old man from Carterville was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The other drivers  a 45-year-old man from Palatine, a 53-year-old man from Morris, a 58-year-old man from Bartlett, a 41-year-old man from Bloomington and a 51-year-old man from Kenosha, Wisconsin  were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to ISP.
The Supreme Courts decision on Thursday to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act breaks no new legal ground, but it has enormous practical significance in that it means that 21 million people will keep their health insurance coverage.

In 2012, in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, the court in a 5-4 decision upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. One of the key issues before the court was the constitutionality of the individual mandate, the requirement that people purchase insurance or pay a penalty. The court, in an opinion by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., held that the individual mandate was a valid exercise of Congresss power to impose a tax for the general welfare.

The Affordable Care Act imposed many new restrictions on insurance companies to protect consumers: It prevented denial of insurance coverage because of preexisting conditions; it stopped insurance companies from charging more in premiums to those with chronic conditions; it eliminated caps on yearly or lifetime benefits. The individual mandate was crucial for these reforms because otherwise people would wait to purchase insurance until they were sick. That would not be viable because health insurance works only if healthy people are among those insured.
A frequent contributor to this page wrote a letter thanking President Joe Biden and other national Democrats for helping advance conservatism. I guess I am curious as to what that even is today. Is conservatism supporting the belief that denying the right to vote to those opposed to you is better than democracy? Is it the full-throated support of right-wing zealots attacking police officers at our nation's capitol and attempting to overthrow the government? Maybe its the way a couple of our local Republican legislators do absolutely nothing to contribute to legislative talks, but instead sit outside of the chambers holding inflammatory Facebook Live events. Nope, I got it, its using the United States Senate to write, rewrite and rewrite again their rules to benefit only the the Republican Party, whether or not the people would prefer they be in the majority or the minority.
Since the spring of 2020, the Moline-based Islamic Center of the Quad Cities has reached out to the greater Quad-Cities community by offering a monthly food box program.

Starting Wednesday the ICQC will expand community efforts, opening what it calls the Relief Pantry. Offering human services, medical screenings, transitional housing, Muslim Family Services, and programs for children, the Relief Pantry will be located at 1531 Suite 1, 47th Ave. in Moline.

The ICQC will celebrate the start of the Relief Pantry with an open house from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday.

As with its food box program, the ICQC is partnering with the Islamic Circle of North America. And like the food box program, anyone can get assistance.

"We have found there is a great need to help people with food  and they need other forms of help, too," said Ikram Hussain, the ICNA's director of Midwest relief efforts. "We will not have all services available immediately at the relief pantry, but we will build a program that will help out neighbors."

Hussain said food will be available at the Relief Pantry every Saturday. The ICQC and the ICNA will continue to host the monthly drive-through food box program at the ICQC location at 6005 34th Ave. in Moline.
Like many antiques shops, Mark Tanner's Olde Barn Vintage, Antiques and Things is stuffed full of old pictures, furniture and other curios. However, not every antiques store has a painting of Priscilla Presley, commissioned by the King himself.

Priscilla is hanging proudly on the wall of the shop, bare-chested and lounging in finery. Tanner is in talks with Elvis Presley Enterprises on the sale of the piece.

Presley's painting  priced at $24,000  is just one of around 1,000 items in Tanner's inventory, all individually selected.

The Olde Barn Vintage, Antiques and Things brick-and-mortar location will open July 5 at 1309 W. 10th Ave. in Milan.

"It's really a labor of love for me," Tanner said.

The storefront opening comes in Olde Barn Vintage, Antiques and Things fifth year of business. Both Tanner and his wife are entrepreneurs, he said, already having experience running a business.

History and quality is what first drew Tanner to antiquing. What started as a hobby grew to fill up his garage and spill into his house, as well as a storage unit.
But Breen said it is unlikely that Catholic Charities in Illinois  which are operated by the four archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the state  will try to reestablish itself with state contracts for child welfare services anytime soon because, when the Sangamon County court ruled against them in 2011, they essentially dismantled their services while their staff went to other outside agencies.

Restarting foster care would not be a small task for any entity, starting from scratch, he said.

Yohnka, at the ACLU of Illinois, meanwhile, said he couldnt predict whether the Philadelphia case would reopen another chapter of litigation in Illinois. But he said he thinks it would be wrong for the state to revisit the issue.

I think what's interesting, or what's lost in this is that there was just that recent report by the auditor general, that found DCFS and its partner agencies were failing to serve LGBTQ kids across the state, really, to the point of just not having any kind of capacity to really even identify, provide services, provide spaces and homes for them to live in where they could be affirmed, he said. And I think the idea of going backward in terms of allowing for gay or lesbian couples to be discriminated against in foster care or adoption really feels like a gigantic mistake in the context of what we already know.

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.

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CHICAGO  A fifth person has died as a result of a mass shooting last week in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, according to authorities.

The Cook County medical examiner's office pronounced the 25-year-old woman dead on Saturday. Police say no arrests have been made in the Tuesday morning shooting that left four dead and four others wounded. All had been shot in the head.

Authorities say someone broke into the house and started shooting. At the start of an investigation, police Superintendent David Brown said that there were no signs of forced entry and that police believed the shooting stemmed from an argument.

The medical examiner's office identified the four other fatalities as Denise Mathis, 32, Blake Lee, 36, Shermetria Williams, 19, and Ratanya Aryiel Rogers, 28.

The home where the shooting occurred is owned by a Chicago police officer who is facing a lawsuit by the city that ordered him to provide more security at the home. The "public nuisance" lawsuit was filed in March 2020 after a man was shot during a party inside the two-story, wood-frame structure.
CHICAGO  Illinois' primary election will be moved from March to June next year under a voter access expansion recently signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The new law makes mail voting a permanent option, allows jail inmates awaiting trial to cast ballots and makes Election Day in November a state holiday, among other things. The move is in contrast with other states including Texas that are moving to restrict voter access.

"With attacks on voting rights on the rise in states across the nation, Illinois is proud to stand up for a strong, secure, and accessible democracy," Pritzker said in a statement Thursday.

The law took effect immediately.

Next year's primary will move from March 15 to June 28 because lawmakers decided not to draw new post-census district boundaries for members of Congress until official census figures, delayed by the pandemic, arrive later this summer.

Many changes continue or expand existing practices put in place last year to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The University of Illinois will require students who plan to study in person at any of its three campuses this fall to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

This requirement is consistent with our own scientific modeling of the risks associated with the spread of the virus and its variants. It is also consistent with the Illinois Department of Public Healths goals, System President Tim Killeen said in an email message Monday.

The announcement, shared by email Monday, comes after large private colleges in Chicago and the suburbs already moved to mandate the shots. Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, Loyola University, DePaul University and others have already shared those intentions with students.

U. of I. campuses in Urbana- Champaign, Chicago and Springfield will individually release further details of their vaccination plans.

Students who continue studying remotely and those with medical conditions will be exempt from the requirement, Killeen said. Rules for faculty and staff are still being developed, he said.

As U. of I. moves to reinstate most in-person classes for the upcoming school year, widespread vaccinations will help restore many of the other traditional rhythms of campus life that COVID interrupted, Killeen said.
The photos pedestrian captions belie the fact that United Nations experts and human rights activists had called on Dubais ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to provide information on his daughter.

Videos released in February by the BBC had Sheikha Latifa describing herself as being in a villa that has been converted into a jail.

The dramatic would-be sea escape and its aftermath intruded into the carefully controlled image maintained by the family of Sheikh Mohammed, who is believed to have several dozen children from multiple wives. Some of his sons and daughters figure prominently in local media and online, but others are rarely seen.
Trying to be clever, more than a dozen Republican-controlled states challenged the new, no-teeth law in federal court. They argued that Congress lacked the power to establish the mandate, as the four dissenting justices had held in 2012. Then they went on to say that, because the mandate was inextricably linked to the rest of the law, the whole ACA should be struck down. This whole argument was a bit embarrassing to the justices. Most did not want to strike down the entire ACA. However, if the current Supreme Court were to take up the issue of whether the individual mandate was constitutional, it would have been hard for the courts new conservatives  that is, the three Trump appointees who werent on the court in 2012  to repudiate the votes of their predecessors.
In its first few months in office, the Biden-Harris administration has taken several important steps to address these issues, including establishing our first national conservation goal to conserve 30% of Americas lands and waters by 2030. This goal is part of an international policy goal  30x30  that aims to protect at least 30% of the Earths surface over the next decade. This science-driven target addresses our planets rapid biodiversity loss and gives nature the opportunity to rebound and withstand a more severe and erratic climate.

Here in the U.S., weve protected approximately 23% of our ocean waters  mostly in the Pacific. While investing in and strengthening the management of those protected areas, we urge the federal government to also focus on protecting ecologically rich critical habitats along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The work to meet this target should be locally led, ensuring communities that have previously been marginalized are central stakeholders in determining how these areas should be protected and managed moving forward.
CARLISLE, Pa. | The remains of 10 more Native American children who died more than a century ago at a boarding school in central Pennsylvania are being disinterred and will be returned to their relatives, authorities said.

A team of archaeologists began work Saturday at the cemetery on the grounds of the Carlisle Barracks, which also houses the U.S. Army War College. Nine of the children were from the Rosebud Sioux tribe in South Dakota and one is from the Alaskan Aleut tribe.

The cemetery contains more than 180 graves of students who attended the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School  a government-run boarding school for Native American children. This is the Armys fourth disinterment project at the school in as many years.

The school founded by an Army officer opened in 1879 and housed some 10,000 indigenous children before it shut down in 1918. Students were forced to cut their braids, dress in uniforms, speak English and adopt European names. Infectious disease and harsh conditions claimed the lives of many of the children buried there.
I wouldnt say we expect there to be 10 magical votes to appear from the Republicans in the Senate, theyve been pretty clear that they dont want to make it easier to vote, they dont want to make it more accessible to vote," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told CBS This Morning on Monday. So this is just a first step, well see where it goes. Well see what happens over the next couple of days.

Biden's strategy this time is a two-part approach. He is trying to secure a bipartisan deal on roads, bridges and broadband  the more traditional types of infrastructure  while also pursuing the broader Democratic priorities package.

The budget committees are preparing some $6 trillion in spending on what the White House calls the human infrastructure of Americans lives with child care centers, community colleges and elder care in Biden's plans, adding in Democrats' other long-running ideas. Among them, expanding Medicare for seniors with vision, hearing and dental services, and lowering the eligibility age to 60.

Regardless of whether Biden succeeds or fails in the on-again-off-again talks with Republicans, Democrats will press on with their own massive package, the president at least having showed he tried.
He also pointed out that the project allowed the school division to get a new section of roof on Powhatan Elementary, which saved over $380,000 by folding it into the lease with Sun Tribe.

The effects from a financial standpoint are significant, but even more important to me are the educational benefits. All of these arrays have a wealth of scientific data that we use in all our science classes and a lot of our social studies classes when we talk about environmental issues and public policy issues, he said. It is a great real-life example of what we want our students learning about, discussing, and thinking about. To be able to see it in their own community up close and personal is a real gift to us and a great learning opportunity.

Spanberger commended all those involved in the project and the school division in particular for recognizing the value of embracing new technology and renewable energy. During the tour, she learned that the project originated because of an idea and presentation from a group of high schoolers.
There are some new faces on "Sesame Street" and they're bringing a new layer of diversity to the decades-old children's show.

The show dropped its Family Day episode Thursday on HBO Max (which, like CNN, is owned by WarnerMedia) and YouTube. The episode featured a family with two gay dads.

On the episode, Nina introduces her brother and his husband, played by Chris Costa and Alex Weisman, as well as their daughter, played by Olivia Perez, to Elmo and his friends as they celebrate Family Day.

The milestone for the show comes during Pride Month, which Alan Muraoka, known as Alan on "Sesame Street," acknowledged in a Facebook post.
Eligible parents who did not file their 2020 or 2019 taxes can still sign up to take part in the program.

Non-filers can sign up for monthly payments at: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-non-filer-sign-up-tool.

We want everyone to help get the word out that help is on the way for families, said Emily Griffey, chief policy officer for Voices for Virginias Children. She urged parents to check out links on the White Houses ChildTaxCredit.gov website, which has instructions in English and Spanish.

Help families look for deposits around July 15 or their checks in the mail. Share the information with friends who have just had babies or have had recent changes in custody. Spreading the word is a really good way to help care for kids in your community, Griffey added.

The White House materials state that 80% of eligible families will receive their payments at their linked bank accounts. Others who have an address on file will get a check in the mail.

But the challenge is getting the word out to families about the expanded tax credit.
As she withdrew the money, she said, they would have me on speakerphone. My phone calls would be recorded, and they would listen to me when the money was withdrawn.

Records show that from May 2 to May 21 in 2019, she withdrew $238,400 in cash from her accounts. She sent the cash, as instructed by the fake agents, in eight FedEx packages to addresses in California and New Jersey.

They would tell me how to wrap it, and they would make me take pictures of the cash and send it to them by phone, she said.

Branches of her bank were alerted to the growing number of withdrawals. She was escorted out of a branch by the manager because she had taken so much money out of her account.

Other losses followed, including $23,000 in gift cards she purchased in accordance with the instructions of the phony DEA agents.

I kept track of everything, said June, adding that the FBI told her that the notes she took about her dealings with the scammers were among the best of all the victims.

In May 2019, a victim in Northern Virginia, who sent $120,000 in cash to an address in New Jersey, figured out that he had been tricked and called the FBI.
Harris was taken into custody but was to be released later on Monday for time served. She had been held for about three weeks after her arrest last year before being granted bond. A second charge of aiding a prisoner and providing a cellphone to an inmate were dropped during her preliminary hearing in February.

According to a summary of evidence, during Harris time as an employee at the Bon Air facility, she came to know and develop an inappropriate relationship with Williams, who was placed at Bon Air in 2019 for convictions of robbery and other offenses in Stafford and Spotsylvania counties and Fredericksburg.

Sometime prior to July 12  the day before the escape  Harris became aware of Williams plan to break out. Davenport told the court that Harris communicated with Gerald Thornton, the brother of Williams, about how and where Williams would be exiting the fence line of the facility and where he should be waiting in his car to pick Williams up.

After the escape occurred, Virginia State Police identified Harris as a suspect and questioned her about her potential involvement. She immediately cooperated and was remorseful, and she provided both [state police] and the Commonwealth with a great deal of assistance during the course of the investigation and prosecution of this case, Davenport said.
Upon entering the store's front door, the deputy was met by an armed suspect who was trying to leave. The suspect fired a handgun at the deputy, who was struck by multiple rounds. The wounded deputy was flown to the hospital in Iowa City for treatment.

Donahue fled in a van at a high speed and was pursued by another deputy before crashing into a bridge under construction on the north edge of Coggon city limits, the sheriff said.

Donahue allegedly fled on foot, and deputies used a search dog to track him north and east of the Coggon area before losing track. Officers from several local, state and federal agencies were assisted by dogs and a state airplane in their search, scouring cornfields and ditches but failing to find him for hours.

KCRG-TV, a Cedar Rapids television station, reported that one of its news crews spotted Donahue walking along Highway 13 at 12:40 p.m. and called police. Donahue was quickly arrested without incident.

Authorities had asked people who live near Coggon to stay inside, lock their doors and vehicles and call police if any of their vehicles are missing.

Casey's spokesperson Katie Petru said no employees were injured during the robbery and shooting and that the company was assisting authorities.
Saturdays event was also notable for several reasons, primarily because it arrived two years after the last pageant; the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancelation of the Miss Virginia and Miss America events in 2020.

It was also the first Miss Virginia event held in Roanoke since 2017. Although the Star City was home to the pageant for more than 60 years, it relocated to Lynchburg in 2018 and 2019.

Camille Schrier was named Miss Virginia in 2019, and later that year was crowned Miss America, a title she has held ever since. In the wake of Schriers national win, first runner up Dot Kelly ascended to serve as Miss Virginia.

Earlier in the pageant, on Friday, Ella Strickland of Warrenton was crowned Miss Virginias Outstanding Teen 2021. She is a graduate of Kettle Run High School and plans to attend Hollins University. She also won the talent award with a musical theater performance, for a $500 prize, and her social initiative is Type 1 diabetes research and support.

Stricklands win earns her a $5,000 scholarship and a shot at being named Miss Americas Outstanding Teen later this year.

The other teen finalists Friday included:

First Runner Up: Ayana Johnson, from Piedmont, who won a $1,000 scholarship.
Saturday's event was also notable for several reasons, primarily because it arrived two years after the last pageant; the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancelation of the Miss Virginia and Miss America events in 2020.

It was also the first Miss Virginia event held in Roanoke since 2017. Although the Star City was home to the pageant for more than 60 years, it relocated to Lynchburg in 2018 and 2019.

Camille Schrier was named Miss Virginia in 2019, and later that year was crowned Miss America, a title she has held ever since. In the wake of Schrier's national win, first runner up Dot Kelly ascended to serve as Miss Virginia.

Earlier in the pageant, on Friday, Ella Strickland of Warrenton was crowned Miss Virginia's Outstanding Teen 2021. She is a graduate of Kettle Run High School and plans to attend Hollins University. She also won the talent award with a musical theater performance, for a $500 prize, and her social initiative is Type 1 diabetes research and support.

Strickland's win earns her a $5,000 scholarship and a shot at being named Miss America's Outstanding Teen later this year.

The other teen finalists Friday included:

 First Runner Up: Ayana Johnson, from Piedmont, who won a $1,000 scholarship.
The faster companies share the know-how, the faster we can put an end to this pandemic, she said in a statement.

Numerous factories in Canada, Bangladesh, Denmark and elsewhere have previously called for companies to immediately share their technology, saying their idle production lines could be churning out millions of doses if they weren't hampered by intellectual property and other restrictions.

More than 1 billion coronavirus vaccines have been administered globally, but fewer than 1% have been in poor countries.

South Africa accounts for nearly 40% of Africas total recorded COVID-19 infections and is currently suffering a rapid surge, but vaccine rollout has been slow, marked by delayed deliveries among other factors.

South Africa currently does not manufacture any COVID-19 vaccines from scratch, but its Aspen Pharmacare assembles the Johnson & Johnson shot by blending large batches of the ingredients sent by J&J and then putting the product in vials and packaging them, a process known as fill and finish. Earlier this month the company had to discard 2 million doses because they had ingredients produced in the U.S. in a factory under suspect conditions.

South Africa's current wave of infections threatens to overwhelm the country's hospitals.
Described as the largest and most sophisticated (cyber)attack the world has ever seen, its full effects might not be known for years of insecurity, but that will not lessen them.

Former President Donald Trump was pretty much missing in action, but, as his successor, Biden instituted Russian economic sanctions while also, by way of conciliation, announcing now is the time to de-escalate.

Putin instead kept hugging ransomware in which hackers take such computerized information as contracts, all kinds of records, legal statements, procedural guidelines, product details and personnel data and render it indecipherable.

An organization thereby is reduced to helplessness until it sends money getting the crooks to retranslate computerized gibberish into the understandable. Not just businesses, but schools, health facilities and all kinds of vital institutions can be affected. The hits happen at a rate of seven an hour, the annual costs are in the billions and millions of Americans are affected.

Putin says Russia is not in control of any malware terrorists apparently capable of the gradual dismantling of America, but that would be a disgrace to his totalitarianism if true and it is not true, according to American intelligence.
If you look at the careful map he kept  an overview of the United States, punctuated with push-pins, flags and handwritten figures  you can see, roughly, the destinations of all those hundreds of hats that Jim Warren gave away.

They were ball caps, identifying their wearers as veterans of World War II, and they traveled from Roanoke to Boise, Idaho, and Denver, Colorado. Wichita Falls, Texas, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. He shipped them to Vermont and to Massachusetts and to New York. Four were sent to Charleston, South Carolina eight to Orlando, Florida.

But the lions share, some 400 of them, were distributed to veterans around the Roanoke Valley by Warren, himself a survivor of that conflict, who died Sunday at age 96 after a period of failing health.

It was his awareness of mortality  both his own and that of his historic comrades  that first prompted him to start giving away the caps.

I thought, It wont be long until were all gone and forgotten. And it bothered me, Warren told The Roanoke Times in 2015.

That same year, the National World War II Museum estimated that, of the 16 million who served in that conflict, only about 885,000 remained, some 20,000 in Virginia.
Travel guides popped up to help African Americans safely navigate through that landscape. Greens, which ran through 1966, became the preeminent, with an ever-expanding list of establishments that ultimately spanned all 50 states and even some foreign destinations, Hellman said.

There will be a day sometime in the near future when this guide will not have to be published, the authors wrote in the 1948 edition, according to History.com. That is when we as a race will have equal opportunities and privileges in the United States. It will be a great day for us to suspend this publication for then we can go wherever we please, and without embarrassment.

About five years ago, Hellman was chatting with a former graduate school friend, Catherine Zipf, now a historian in Rhode Island. Zipf had begun researching all the Green Book sites in her state, and inspired Hellman to do the same  a bigger undertaking, considering the commonwealths size and southern location.
In 2013, there was one in Blacksburg. In 2017, in Wise. Appalachian School of Law in Grundy stepped forward to propose one for 2021. Youngkin accepted way back when. Now McAuliffe has put out a list of five debates hes accepted  Grundy being one of them. Weve been around long enough to understand thats still not a done deal  weve seen too many campaigns get into the tiresome debate over debates, so the whole thing could still blow up.

But right now, it looks like Southwest Virginia will have one. The next challenge: Can the panelists, whoever they may be, get the candidates to focus on issues unique to the region, or will they simply play to the cameras and all those voters in Northern Virginia like some Democrats did in their May debate in Bristol?

4. Rep. Bob Good voted against a medal for police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Youd think this would be the easiest vote possible. Yet 21 Republicans still voted against awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to those officers. One of them was Good, who represents Virginias 5th District.
There are four basic conditions that need to be fulfilled for any form of currency to become an international currency. These four basic conditions require that the currency must first have a stable long-term value; second, there must be sufficient volume to meet the needs of international trade in goods, services and financial assets; third, it must have low transaction costs, such as low spread between the bid and asking price, and high also liquidity; fourth, it must have a reputable issuer that guarantees the stability of the currency, such as the US Central Bank (Fed).

Based on these four basic conditions, the market then decides which currency is the most reliable for international trade, and that which does not need any support coordination from a supranational authority. All the above four conditions named must also apply to cover both commodity money and nominal paper currency. In this case, the paper currency must have a reputable issuer, because this form of currency is trust based. On the other hand, the value of commodity money has intrinsic value as it is based on physical form, such as gold or silver.

In the case of Bitcoin, the above four conditions are not yet fully met. Firstly, it has greater volatility than any other dominant currency in history, with it being normal for prices to vary several times within just a few days. Secondly, since it can be created in a predetermined huge quantity, so in order for it to meet the growing demand of international trade, its relative value to other currencies must also increase in parallel. Such requirement makes this form of currency very unreliable. Thirdly, the transaction cost in this currency is high because it takes a long time to process, and the system can only process a limited amount within a given time period. Hence, even though Bitcoin is getting more and more valuable, it is becoming less and less useful. Fourthly, no reputable government or central bank has yet come forward to guarantee Bitcoin.

On the other hand, this form of currency has been dubbed as "dirty currency" and termed as a high consumer of electricity. Bitcoin is also quite disliked by many governments and international organizations, even banned by some, due to the fact that it affects the security of the national currency, such as in China and Vietnam. If this sentiment grows and spreads, Bitcoin may become defunct soon.

Any intermediary that acts like money, should reduce transaction costs and serve in value as a lubricant in the economy. Bitcoin cannot perform such a function. Money has the character of a widely distributed product, and the more people accept it, the more valuable it becomes. Meanwhile, Bitcoin is only accepted within a limited group of people. The popularity and rise of digital currency is partly due to the anonymity of Bitcoin wallet holders. While transactions can be identified, it is difficult for third parties to determine who is behind them. This feature makes them popular with criminals and money launderers.

There are many people who still see this form of currency as a viable investment, but it does not fulfill any function such as in exchange and long term value, and also lacks reputable issuers. The frenzied rise of Bitcoin is also reminiscent of a pyramid, where investors hope that the face behind it will grow their assets higher and higher in the future.

Thu Tran
MARION, S.C.  The Marion High School Class of 1987 Alumni continue their efforts to give back to the community. The group announced recipients of the Community Activism Reinvesting in Education Scholarship.

Alumni secretary Sharon Easterling said the class alumni have had a long-standing connection and knew they had a desire to do more and plant a seed.

Through planning, organizing, and collaborating the alumni took a hold of that vision and forged a path to provide scholarships to deserving graduating MHS seniors, she said. As we all got acquainted with platforms like Zoom, the alumni did as well as they met regularly, held a raffle, sought donations, and found the time to foster a family for Christmas.

Organizers said the goal of the scholarship is to help support aspiring college bound seniors of Marion High School in achieving their college dreams. The long- term goal of the scholarship is for the recipient, after graduation, to reach back and pay it forward with community service.

The Alumni provided $1,000 scholarships to six students along with six $200 gift cards to for business attire.

Easterling said the goal was exceeded, and the mission was met.
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Students that are an International Student wanting to attend Iowa Central.
 Lots of GVRs (especially to Fifth Circuit) on latest SCOTUS order list | Main | "Can Criminal Justice Reform Survive a Wave of Violent Crime?" 

June 21, 2021

"Truth, Lies and The Paradox of Plea Bargaining"

The title of this post is the title of this notable new paper authored by Thea Johnson now available via SSRN. Here is its abstract:

This Article describes the regular use of lying during plea bargaining by criminal justice stakeholders, and the paradox it presents for those who care about creating a fairer criminal legal system . The paradox is this: lying at plea bargaining allows defendants the opportunity to negotiate fair resolutions to their cases in the face of a deeply unfair system, even as that lying makes way for  and sustains  the problematic system it seeks to avoid. The Article lays out a taxonomy of lying at plea bargaining, organizing the types of lies into three categories: lies about facts, lies about law and lies about process. The criminal justice system produces a litany of injustices. Implicitly authorized, systemic lying offers a means of dealing with these perceived injustices. But lying also obscures the system from public view, hiding and relieving pressure points via plea bargaining. Unfortunately, what seems like the natural solution  to make the system more transparent and accountable  would likely harm individual defendants. If lying at plea bargaining disappeared tomorrow, many defendants would suffer dire consequences, such as deportation for minor charges or being subjected to outrageous mandatory minimum sentences. These defendants would lose their ability to avoid the injustices of the system. And yet, lying at plea bargaining is the result of a series of interlocking, mandatory laws and rules that many stakeholders believe are deeply unfair and should be reformed. Thus, lying at plea bargaining is both a means of avoiding injustice and a force prohibiting meaningful reformation of the laws and rules that produce such injustice. To put it another way, the lies in the taxonomy are workarounds for a system so barbaric that lawyers are willing to lie to help defendants avoid the worst of it, but they also make that same system nearly impossible to reform. Examining this paradox leads to the conclusion that conversations about reform must focus on total overhaul of the system, not piecemeal correction. Something closer to abolition than alteration is the appropriate response to a system so entangled that lying is the only way to reach a just resolution.

June 21, 2021 at 12:59 PM | Permalink

Comments

Both thru my work as a criminal defense paralegal and from a case of my own, I have long observed the dishonesty that goes on in the plea bargaining context. I have even seen defense lawyers get clients to plead to charges of which they are actually innocent, as part of a package (involving pleading to multiple charges), to get the case resolved and over. It offends me when prosecutors insist that defendants plead to charges they know the defendant is innocent of, or they will take the case to trial and get a much longer sentence. One of the worst cases of this phenomena involved a defendant who had pulled over to the side of road on his way home from buying heroin. He snorted the heroin in the car at the side of the road, with the engine running and promptly passed out, since the heroin was laced with fentanyl. Passers by saw him slumped over the steering wheel and called the police, who could not get into the car, which had automatic door locks. The police called fire department paramedics, who have tools for breaking glass to get into cars. They broke the rear passenger window to get to him and administer NARCAN, which saved his life. The police charged him with DUI, possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia. Under the Kentucky Supreme Court's 4-prong "Wells" test, he could not have been guilty of DUI. He did not consume any drugs until the car was pulled over to the side of the road and placed in park. One of the 4 prongs of the Wells test is whether the defendant was asleep or awake. In this case, the defendant was in a coma near death and could not have driven the car anywhere, even if he wanted to. Kentucky also has a "Good Samaritan" statute about drugs and drug paraphernalia, to encourage people to call for help for those who have overdosed. The statute provides that neither the calling party nor the subject of the O.D. call can be prosecuted for drugs or drug paraphernalia found in the course of providing medical assistance to the person who O.D.ed. Ky.'s police and prosecutors dislike this law and regularly file the charges anyway, leaving it to the defense to move to dismiss them, based upon the Good Samaritan's statute. In the case I described above, the defense lawyer got his client to plead guilty to all charges (even though he had complete defenses to every one of them), just so that he could get a probated sentence for the client! I thought that it was the heighth of malpractice for defense counsel to advise his client to plead guilty to 3 charges he was innocent of, without advising him of his legal defenses. That case led me to quit working for that defense lawyer, who has been in practice for more than 40 years.

Posted by: Jim Gormley | Jun 21, 2021 1:39:39 PM

I have also seen a misdemeanor assault case where the prosecutors offered a defendant a 6 month jail sentence after he had already been in jail for 7.5 months (unable to make bond) and his trial date was set for 2 months later. The defendant might have prevailed at his trial, based upon self-defense (the party his was accused of striking had threatened him with a knife), but he would have had to wait 2 more months in jail to get to trial -- but if he pleaded guilty he could leave jail that day. Notably, his 6 month sentence was 1.5 months shorter than the amount of time he had actually spent in jail awaiting trial!



Posted by: Jim Gormley | Jun 21, 2021 2:01:01 PM

"Biden administration to endorse bill to end disparity in drug sentencing between crack and powder cocaine"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-drugs-sentencing-cocaine/2021/06/21/cd0c5e26-d2dc-11eb-ae54-515e2f63d37d_story.html

From article: "The legislation, which is sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), would eliminate the sentencing disparity and give people who were convicted or sentenced for a federal cocaine offense a resentencing."

Posted by: Joe | Jun 21, 2021 7:09:39 PM

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It appears that the world is reopening bit by bit. Of course, we couldnt be more thrilled at receiving the (almost) daily good news. Whats best is that some of the destinations opening up are right in our own backyard! Just last week, we were delighted with news surrounding the reopening of Phuket next month, so khawp khun kha for that. But now, Bali is opening its borders in July too? Yes!

Despite the sharp increase of COVID-19 infections in some places in Indonesia, the countrys top holiday spot, Bali, remains a priority when it comes to closely monitoring and keeping cases under control. This is especially so since the island is set on opening up for tourism. On top of close scrutiny, the local government is maintaining their successful vaccine rollout, COVID-19 testing, health protocols, and various other preventive measures.

As for exactly when Bali will reopen, the exact date is yet to be determined and depends on whether all government-imposed conditions are met.

Besides Bali reopening, Indonesia is working to establish a travel bubble with neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Australia. Unfortunately for us Malaysians, our country is still considered high risk. With domestic travel still some ways away (estimates are at October of this year), overseas travel will only follow after. In the meantime, maintain social distancing, keep your masks on, get vaxxed, stay home as much as possible and we will make headway in no time. Trust the process.

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Nur Soleha Mohd Halmee

Leia is neither a princess nor a fan of Star Wars (which she hopes isnt a deal breaker). Besides her consuming passion for writing and travelling, humanitarian works have always interested her. Standing true to her life motto To give is to receive, Leia believes true happiness is gained when it is shared. She dreams to retire in a cottage at the foothills of the Swiss mountains with her mother and become a florist.

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The post Bali High: Another Island Destination Reopening In July 2021 appeared first on Zafigo.
The morning bell rang at Republican High (Home of the Fightin Pachyderms) as students shuffled in. Gretchen Niedermeyer dry swallowed a couple of pre-emptive aspirins and reminded herself as she did every morning that she was just 16 months and  a glance at the calendar  seven days from her pension.

Good morning, class, she said. As you know, oral reports on African-American history are due this morning. She ignored a chorus of groans. Tommy, you go first.

Tommy Weissmuller stood. My report is on slavery, he said. Slavery is when they made the black people work really hard. Like, they even had to work on weekends. And the Founding Fathers were surprised when they heard about this. They thought it was unfair, so they had a war with the South to make them stop. Then the South realized the Founding Fathers were right and together, they ended slavery. The end.

Mrs. Niedermeyer willed herself to stop grinding her teeth and marked a B+ in her grade book. In the old days, shed have given him an F. But that was before 2021, when Republicans banned Critical Race Theory, the 1619 Project, museums, history books, Spike Lee movies, Spike Lee, dreadlocks, Black Panther comic books and anything else that made white people uncomfortable.
SIOUX CITY -- A Sioux City man who was arrested after bringing a shooting victim to a hospital has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison.

Brandon Miller, 35, pleaded guilty in February in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

U.S. District Judge Leonard Strand sentenced him Monday to 70 months in prison. Miller will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.

Miller was present during an exchange of gunfire June 26 at 2800 W. Fourth St., where the driver of a pickup truck followed the car Miller was driving into a parking lot, blocked him in and fired shots at the car's passenger, Miller and others. A bystander was struck by gunfire and taken to the hospital by Miller and the man's wife.
That debt will likely be covered by the government. But Lloyd said she recently lost a job at a real estate brokerage and hasn't found another one yet. She's worried she could be evicted if the protections expire.

Simply because the state has opened back up doesnt mean people have access to their jobs, she said.

Meanwhile, in the wine country area of Sonoma County, property manager Keith Becker says 14 tenants are more than $100,000 behind in rent payments. It's put financial pressure on the owners, who Becker says have resigned themselves to it.

But they have grown weary of the seemingly endless protections, which he noted were aimed at addressing a public health emergency and not meant to be permanent.

We should do our best to get back to the starting point where we were in December of 2019. Anything other than that is taking advantage of a crisis, he said.

California has $5.2 billion to pay off people's rent, money from multiple aid packages approved by Congress. That appears to be more than enough to cover all of the unpaid rent in the state, according to Jason Elliott, senior counselor to Newsom on housing and homelessness.
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea has told the World Health Organization it tested more than 30,000 people for the coronavirus through June 10 but has yet to find a single infection.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that Turkey and the United States are entering a new era in ties, after the NATO allies relationship deteriorated in recent years over an array of issues.

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, Erdogan however, called for U.S. respect for Turkeys sovereign rights  in an apparent reference to its decision to purchase a Russian weapons system  as well as support for Ankara's fight against Syrian Kurdish groups it considers to be terrorists.

Erdogan made the comments days after his first face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden since he took office. The two men, who have known each other for years, met on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Brussels.

Erdogan has been trying to repair frayed ties with the U.S. and other Western partners as his government grapples with an economic downturn made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.

We believe that we will resolve the problematic issues between us in time, based on our mutual sensitivities and expectations, Erdogan said in a televised address. We agreed that there is no issue that we cannot surmount and that on the contrary, the areas of cooperation are greater and more profitable.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  A double-murder defendant acting as his own attorney in Florida was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder Monday evening, several hours after shouting at jurors and prosecutors and acknowledging he killed his then-girlfriend.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The White House said Monday it views the Senate's work on an elections bill overhaul and changes being offered by Sen. Joe Manchin as a step forward," even though the Democrats' priority legislation is expected to be blocked by a Republican filibuster.
Cooper admitted in an interview with Cogar and a postal inspector that he changed some of the requests he picked up from the Onega post office from Democrat to Republican.

According to the affidavit, when he was then asked about the other requests, Cooper said, Im not saying no, but if the requests were picked up along his postal route, I would take the blame. Cooper was then asked if he was just being silly and he replied he did it as a joke and that he didnt know those voters.

Cooper was sentenced in federal court in Elkins for attempted election fraud and injury to the mail.

State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Cooper's conviction and sentencing "should serve as a strong warning to anyone else who feels tempted to commit election fraud.

Absentee ballot rules were relaxed last year to make voting easier and safer during the coronavirus pandemic. Absentee ballot applications were mailed to all registered voters in West Virginia to encourage mail-in voting for the June 2020 primary election. For the November general election, all state voters were allowed to fill out an absentee ballot application online.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
O'FALLON, Mo. (AP)  St. Louis and adjoining St. Louis County filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to block Missouri's new law barring state and local authorities from enforcing federal gun laws, saying the law would increase the risk of gun violence in a state already drowning in it.

The suit filed in Cole County Circuit Court seeks an injunction to halt enforcement of the law and to overturn it on the grounds that it violates the Constitution's Supremacy Clause, which established that federal law trumps state law.

The law, which Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed this month, would subject law enforcement agencies with officers who knowingly enforce any federal gun laws to a fine of about $50,000 per violating officer.

Republican lawmakers who championed the legislation said they were motivated by the possibility that gun restrictions could be tightened by President Joe Biden's administration. Democrats said the law is unconstitutional and predicted it wouldn't survive a court challenge.
ATLANTA (AP)  As a pair of election workers sat at a table counting ballots during an audit of Georgia's presidential election in November, no fewer than eight Republican monitors swarmed around them, hurling accusations of voter fraud and taking photos in violation of the rules.
"In view of the fact that playgrounds are established in certain communities to take care of children in those neighborhoods, it seems the policy already has been set and they will continue to function for the benefit of neighborhoods in which they are located."

O'Toole's order had called for admission of Negro children to all the playgrounds. The trouble started shortly after the Fairgrounds Park swimming pool opened at 2 p.m.

The pool operates on six one-hour shifts, being cleared every hour for a new group or swimmers. Juveniles use the pool from 2 to 5 p.m., and adults are admitted between 7 and 10 p.m.

During the first shift, approximately 35 Negro boys lined up at the entrance and were admitted to the pool with white youths. There were no disturbances in the pool, but groups of white youths, gathering outside the wire fence surrounding the pool, booed the Negro swimmers.

They were shoved around by white youths and their bicycles were smashed before police rescued the two and escorted them out of the park.

In an effort to avoid further trouble, the Negro swimmers leaving leaving the pool at the end of the first shift were instructed to remain in the locker room for a time.
WATER VALLEY, Miss. (AP)  A former Mississippi lawmaker was found shot to death during the weekend in a rural area outside the burned home where her sister-in-law was found dead after Christmas.
A lot of whats taught in school is male, pale and stale, meaning its always about old white men, white men who are passed away, and white men who we have very little contact with, he said.

Husband said that hopefully schools can create students who will go out and become anti-racist agents.

He said anti-racists are fighting against white supremacy and whiteness, which he defined as the notion that white is the default culture.

Teachers need to move away from being colorblind and become color-conscious, he said. People are either a part of the solution or a part of the problem, one slide said.

Alexa Yunes-Koch demonstrated outside the meeting in support of anti-racist education. She said she was with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Racial Justice Alliance, a student organization.

She said people who oppose critical race theory dont know what it is.

Its an academic framework, used mostly in higher education, she said. Its not something you could teach an elementary student. Its a framework through which you would teach.
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.

Ricketts has been a vocal opponent of many of the Biden administrations priorities and has weighed in on gun control, the southern border, COVID-19 relief spending and voting legislation. Recently, he has been traveling the state speaking out against Bidens 30-by-30 conservation plan, which calls for preserving 30% of the nations land and water by the year 2030.

Nebraska is stepping up to help Texas respond to the ongoing crisis on their border with Mexico, Ricketts said in the news release. The disastrous policies of the Biden-Harris administration created an immigration crisis on the border. While the federal government has fallen short in its response, Nebraska is happy to step up to provide assistance to Texas as they work to protect their communities and keep people safe.

Some have questioned whether the governor's actions amount to political posturing. But Gage said that the decision to send troopers to Texas was akin to granting other state requests for assistance.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill Thursday to expand qualified immunity for police officers and enhance penalties for protesters, including elevating rioting to a felony.

This is about protecting law enforcement and giving them the tools they need to keep our communities safe and showing them that we have their back, said state Rep. Jarad Klein, a supporter of the bill.

The bill passed the GOP-controlled Legislature despite promises last summer by the Republican governor and GOP legislative leaders to try to end discriminatory police behavior and adopt other criminal-justice reforms.

Reynolds introduced measures at the start of the 2021 legislative session to ban racial profiling by police and establish a system for tracking racial data on police stops. Both ideas were recommended by a task force the governor appointed in November 2019.

Instead, Republican lawmakers left out those proposals and pushed through the new bill.

Reynolds acknowledged that she doesnt always get what she wants, even from her own party. She plans to reintroduce the measures next year, a spokesperson said.

Reform advocates found the quick reversal by Iowa Republicans disappointing.
Des Moines Register. June 17, 2021.

Editorial: Please stop watering established grass in central Iowa. Your lawn will be fine

About 90% of Iowa is experiencing extremely dry or drought conditions. River levels are low. We are facing a water shortage. Des Moines Water Works is asking central Iowa residents to scale back lawn watering by 25%.

Thats a small ask. We can all certainly do that. Actually, we can do much more. We should immediately stop all watering of established grass.

Businesses, apartment complexes, nursing homes, churches, universities and individual homeowners should turn off the hoses and irrigation systems.

Go ahead and water new grass that needs moisture to seed, grow and build a root system. But skip the watering of established lawns. Lets make dormant grass cool. It will be fine for months.

Most of the turf grasses we grow in Iowa are designed to go dormant, and they can go dormant for 30 to 60 days, said Adam Thoms, an assistant professor in the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University who specializes in turf grass.

The worst thing we can do for the health of grass, he said, is bring it in and out of dormancy with sporadic watering.
Sarah Aker, the director of fiscal policy at the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations, said there has been a lot of concern from physicians" over the certifications for medical marijuana. She said doctors are hesitant to recommend pot because there is a lack of comprehensive research on its medical benefits, but they might be more comfortable writing certifications if they didn't specifically recommend using cannabis.

Jeremiah Murphy, a lobbyist for the Cannabis Industry Association of South Dakota, said medical marijuana advocates would support dropping that part of the recommendation requirement. But he opposed two other potential changes to the law that legislators discussed: restricting patients' ability to grow cannabis at home and allowing local governments to enter the medical marijuana business by obtaining retail licenses from the state.

Meanwhile, several Native American tribes in the state are planning to enter the cannabis industry, giving people an opportunity to purchase marijuana on tribal lands where it has been legalized. Ross Garelick Bell, a lobbyist for the Crow Creek Sioux, Oglala Lakota and Yankton Sioux, said tribal governments are hoping to make their own marijuana programs cohesive with South Dakota's regulations.
Visitors are given a chronological account of Nazi atrocities, followed by the flight and expulsion of the Germans in the final months of the war and afterward. At the same time, millions of Polish, Ukrainian, Hungarian or Slovakian citizens lost their homes, curator Jochen Krueger said. We tell their story here too.

The idea for a center commemorating the German expellees goes back to a call for a center against expulsions made in 1999 by Erika Steinbach, who at the time was the head of an organization representing the group and a lawmaker with Merkel's conservative party. It raised hackles in the following years in countries whose inhabitants suffered under brutal Nazi occupation.

Steinbach, who was deeply distrusted in neighboring Poland in particular, was kept off the board of the new center. In recent years, she has become a strident hard-right critic of Merkel, whose party she left in 2017, objecting in particular to her decision to allow in large numbers of migrants from Syria and elsewhere.

Steinbach wasn't invited to Monday's opening  because, Bavendamm said, that was limited due to pandemic restrictions to people directly involved with the center.

The new center opens to the public on Wednesday.

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

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BANGKOK (AP)  Britain's top diplomat arrived in Southeast Asia late Monday on a three-nation visit as his country looks to promote closer ties and trade with the region following the U.K.'s exit from the European Union.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  A new CEO for low-cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle was tapped Monday when the carriers Chief Financial Officer Geir Karlsen was named a day after the board decided to immediately terminate the contract with former CEO Jacob Schram.

No reason was given for the change. In a statement, board head Svein Harald Oeygard said Karlsen has the competencies, focus, trust and dedication that makes him the best choice as CEO of Norwegian.

Schram told the Norwegian news agency NTB that his firing came as a great surprise to me.

The ailing airline has struggled with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and a debt restructuring plan. Last month, Schram announced that Norwegian has been saved. The claim came after Norwegian had concluded a rescue plan, raising 6 billion kroner ($721 million) through the sale of perpetual bonds, new shares and a rights issue.

In January, the Oslo-based airline said it was ending its long-haul operations and was focusing instead on European destinations. The company then presented a plan that cut its fleet from 140 aircraft to about 50.
LONDON (AP)  Scotland's leader has defended the ban on non-essential travel between the country and the northwestern England city of Manchester after its mayor lambasted the decision and called for businesses to be compensated.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Taiwan says it will continue operating its de facto consulate in Hong Kong in spite of visa difficulties for its staffers while also providing consular services online.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong has been unable to get new visas for its staff after the Hong Kong government in 2018 began requiring that Taiwanese personnel at the office sign a statement accepting the one-China principle, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said. The office currently has just one staffer left in Hong Kong whose visa is due to expire next month.

The one-China principle holds that Taiwan is part of China and the Communist government in Beijing is Chinas sole legitimate government. Taiwan has refused to sign the statement.

The Hong Kong government also required the heads of Taiwan's trade office and tourism bureau in the city to sign a similar statement, the head of the Mainland Affairs Council said Monday.

The Hong Kong government did not impose such requirements in the past, Chiu Tai-san said. The goal is to belittle our country and force our staff to bow their heads to the Beijing authorities," he said.

Self-rule Taiwan has called the move political suppression and strongly condemned the Hong Kong government's action.
George Clooney has helped fund a new film and television school in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Unified School District unveiled the new specialised magnet school on Monday (21.06.21), after it was launched thanks to the help of the 60-year-old actor, as well as Don Cheadle, Eva Longoria, and executives at the Creative Arts Agency (C.A.A).

The Roybal School of Film and Television Production, housed within the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center, will open in the fall of 2022 with a budget of $7 million and an initial enrolment of 120 students.

George was among the people who initially put the idea forward to C.A.A co-chairman Bryan Lourd, who then got district officials to agree to the plan in just a matter of days.

Speaking to the New York Times, George said: We thought this would be a lot longer process, but we found we were pushing an open door.

Nobody is better at guilting a studio or union or guild into stepping up. Its what we do.

The school will help students in underserved communities develop the skills required to succeed in the film and television industry in Hollywood.
Mark Hamill has congratulated his Star Wars co-star Carrie Fisher on her new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The late actress  who passed away in 2016  was among those announced to be receiving a coveted star on the Walk of Fame as part of the 2022 honourees list, and to celebrate the occasion, her co-star Mark took to Instagram to heap praise on the Princess Leia star.

He wrote alongside a series of snaps of himself with Carrie: I congratulate & salute all 38 new #HollywoodWalkOfFame honorees-Welcome to the neighborhood!

Much love & a very special 1-finger salute to the incomparable, hilarious & irreverent force of nature that was my space sis Carrie Fisher. Her star will blaze from here to eternity (sic)

Mark  who played Leias brother, Luke Skywalker, in the sci-fi franchise  previously advocated for Carrie to receive a star on the iconic boulevard in 2018, although he noted stars who have died are often posthumously honoured at least five years after their death.

He tweeted at the time, which was the same year he received his own star: "Carrie WILL get her well-deserved Star on the Walk of Fame, it's only a matter of when. The rule is a 5-year wait when awarded posthumously (sic)
Its particularly bad in Maui, which has the most direct air travel from the mainland. Chelsea Martin, founder of boutique travel agency Passport to Friday, has seen her Hawaii bookings more than triple those of 2019. Maui, she says, is her top request.

Were seeing luxury spend like never before, says Jonathan McManus, co-owner of Hotel Wailea, a 72-suite Relais & Chateaux property. Our treehouse dinners, including wine pairings, cost about $2,000 for two people and are booked every night through the month. Its staggering.

Debbie Misajon, owner of Hawaii-focused agency Coconut Traveler, says shes booking 10-day family itineraries that push $50,000, not including accommodations. Who spends that in Hawaii? she asks.

Among those splurging is Greg Kroencke, a financial adviser from Houston. He recently visited Maui and the Big Island with his wife and three children and says it turned out to be one of the priciest family vacations theyve ever taken. His SUV rental on Maui cost more than $500 a day, and hes never paid more for a hotel room. Scenic helicopter flights on Maui were sold out, so he nabbed one on the Big Island for $1,600 for an hour. It seemed like a deal, compared to the $6,500, two-hour option my wife found, he says.
Q: What is the summer solstice?

A: The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year.

It is an astronomical event caused by Earths tilt on its axis and its orbit around the sun.

Monuments such as Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, demonstrate that ancient cultures knew the path the sun traveled through our sky changed in a routine way throughout the year. They undoubtedly observed that how high the sun appears in the sky varied throughout the year and that the higher the sun gets in the sky, the longer the length of daylight.

Our summer solstice occurs when the sun is directly overhead at noon at 23.5 degrees north of the equator, the latitude called the Tropic of Cancer. This is the farthest north the sun ever gets. This year, the sun reached the Tropic of Cancer at 10:32 p.m. CT Sunday.

At the summer solstice, the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, and daylight is longest. The sun rises and sets farthest north at the June solstice. However, our earliest sunrise occurred on June 14, while our latest sunset occurs about a week later than the summer solstice. So, while the summer solstice has the longest daylight hours, that day does not correspond to the earliest sunrise or the latest sunset.
Bob Smietana is national reporter for Religion News Service. He says covering religion is the best beat because you can talk about anythingpolitics, ethics, love, marriage, sex, scandal, its all here. That mix of politics, scandal, and ethics can get supercharged in one denomination in particular: the Southern Baptist Convention. Theyre the largest evangelical group in the country. And as Smietana puts it: Southern Baptists love three things: Jesus, the Bible, and a good fight. They dont mind having their fights in public, either.

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Every year, they come together for an annual meeting where megachurch pastors mingle with small-town preachers, and all of them try to hammer out the conventions rules. Its part political convention, its part family reunion, and its radically democratic, Smietana says. At this years meetingit took place last week, in Nashvillethe stakes felt high. Many church leaders had supported Donald Trump, while some individual pastors say they find Trump abhorrent. There were allegations of sexual abuse, racism.

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All of the people at this meeting said they wanted to find fellowship in the Scripture. But they couldnt stop fighting over how inclusive that Scripture actually was. Smietana describes it this way: Theyre making a decision: Do we want to withdraw and purify our church and only have people who agree with us on every single thing? And or do we want to have a more open-hearted response where there are going to be people who disagree with us on politics and culture, but agree with us on the essentials and we can work with them. On Mondays episode of What Next, I talked with Smietana about the Southern Baptist Conventions fight to survive. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Mary Harris: Before the South Baptist Conventions annual meeting, there were a number of headlines about a guy named Russell Moore, who recently left the denomination. Moore was in charge of the SBCs public policy arm. My understanding is that he was not at the meeting, but his absence hung over the meeting like a specter. Can you explain why?

Bob Smietana: Moore resigned recently as the head of the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He was the chief ethicist. And he had been a sore point in recent years, really since the election of Donald Trump. He had been very critical of Trump. He called him a huckster at one point. Trump eventually called him a little man with no heart. So there was personal animus between the president and Moore.

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And we should say Moore is quite conservative. Hes pro-life, anti-gay marriage.

Yes, hes very much like his predecessor, Richard Land, who was a legendary GOP activist and Southern Baptist ethicist. Land and Moore had very similar positions.

So, in the past couple of weeks, there have been these letters that have come out that have really laid bare the kind of battles Moore was having internally with his colleagues. Can you explain the letters and what they said?

Moore had long had adversarial relationships with some Southern Baptist leaders. Part of it was some churches began to withhold moneywhats called their CP dollars, or cooperative program dollarsbecause of Moores statements. So that caused consternation among a lot of Baptist leaders. And that made state leaders angry. Moore sometimes was antagonistic and was so confrontational against other Baptists that he turned people off. So theres personal politicking going on there. And he has also been very, very prosexual abuse survivors and addressing that.

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What youre saying is that Russell Moore would see these hot pans in the Southern Baptist Convention, whether it be allegations of sexual abuse or how the convention speaks about race, and rather than just ignoring them, he reached right over for them and said, Yeah, the Bible has something to say about this. The Bible has something to say about how we treat women, about how we treat people of color.

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Yes, he was very outspoken about this. He also was better at talking at people than talking to people. There are attempts to make Moore a hero or victim, but he was a flawed leader like anyone else.

You wrote about this moment where it sounded like he was just overwhelmed. One of his sons asked him why he was so frustrated, and in response, he took his son to a Southern Baptist Convention meeting so his son could see what he was dealing with. What did his son see there?

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His son saw people who really hated his dad and thought his dad was evil. Behind the scenes, there was a lot of fighting that was very cruel. And his son said something along the lines of why do you want to work for people who hate you? And I think that was a moment that led to his leaving.

The issues that eventually pushed Russell out, theyve come to consume the entirety of the Southern Baptist Convention. First, theres the issue of how the denominationwhich was founded by slave ownersthinks about and deals with race and racism. It only apologized for its connections to slavery in the 1990s.

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Then, theres the way the SBC handles sexual abuse inside its churches. This all came to a head a couple of years back, when the Houston Chronicle published a major investigation, revealing that hundreds of church leaders and volunteers had been accused of sexual misconduct, leaving behind more than 700 victims.

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At a meeting several years ago, after that came out, J.D. Greear, the president, got up and said, Heres 10 churches listed in that report that are still in our convention. We need to investigate them. One of those churches, a church in Georgiathey set up a small committee to look at them. The committee said were not going to look into these and essentially exonerated them. And some Southern Baptist leaders called the church and said were sorry. Well, then this past week, it came out that the person whod been the abuser at that church went on to abuse kids all over Georgia. And I think that was really a powerful thing.

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So theoretically, the convention could have stopped that.

Yes. Or the convention could have found out about it. The Southern Baptists, and this came through at the meeting, are horrified at the sexual abuse of children and women and boys and men. Theyre horrified by sexual abuse, and they are horrified by the idea that someone who has been sexual abused was not cared for and that someone who is a Southern Baptist pastor was allowed to go from church to church and do this. They would want to have known, so that they could have talked to survivors of abuse and minister to them, and so that they could have removed that person.

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I think a lot of people will remember the Southern Baptist Convention has a deep history when it comes to race as a pro-slavery church group that has tried to wrestle with that history over the past 50 years. Can you explain how the convention reached this point?

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There was essentially a civil war in the denomination over biblical inerrancy, basically, is what they called.

Whats biblical inerrancy?

It means that you think the Bibles without error and is trustworthy. And so you had folks who have more modern views of scholarship who say there was no Adam and Eve. Those arent real people. Or, there was no flood.

Its just a metaphor.

Its a metaphor. So they had a fight over what the Bible is. Is it a man-made document? Or is an inherent word of God? Almost a fundamentalist reading of it. Those folks won. The conservative resurgence won, and a lot of folks left. So when you talk about these arguments in the SBC now, its between very, very conservative people.

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But there has been a change. The SBC had been the denomination of slavery, and in the 90s, they had a long statement on racism, in which they repudiated the past. They have tried to be and they became more diverse. But now this comes with new problems. Because theyre more diverse, theyre going to change, and its going to change the culture, which is difficult.

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This year, the annual meeting of Southern Baptists was packed. The meeting had more attendees than its had in years. Almost everyone there had something they wanted to talk about. There were people there to defend survivors of sexual abuse. They wanted answers about how much SBC leadership knew and when they knew it. There was also a contingent of ultra-conservative membersthe Conservative Baptist Networkwho thought the church had become too liberal. They were especially upset the church was refusing to distance itself from critical race theory, or CRT.

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So you walk into the meeting, what is it like?

You walk in the door, first of all, its like going back in time because its almost 16,000 people and almost no ones wearing masks, because theres no longer a mask mandate here in Nashville. And when you walk in first, everyones chatting because its like a family reunion, and then they do prayer and worship and music and everybodys singing, and then they get down to business and then the tension rises, where you can see almost everything is contested.

When you vote, you have a yellow ballot in your hand. You raise that up. Well, if there was a close vote, there were boos. And they made them vote over again. And there was a sense that the leaders would say something and people were unhappy with them and would push back. There was a lot of tension and a lot of what they call subtweeting at the microphones, people kind of delivering veiled insults to one another.

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And then a lot of passion about the leadership. You work for us, and youre not going to investigate yourselves. And Were not going to mistreat abuse victims, or We dont like CRT. And youre going to have to answer to us. And so the people who are answering are saying, No, we dont like CRT, but we do care about racism. And at the same time, its like a giant business meeting with Roberts Rules of Order.

Sounds like Boys State meets Bible camp.

It is. But there was tension everywhere. And you could just read the room, like, these folks dont trust those leaders.

That tension was palpable when it came time to debate how the group would handle allegations that the SBCs executive committee mistreated survivors of sexual abuse and mishandled their allegations. A group of pastors made a motion for an independent investigation, but it was turned down by SBC leadership. That did not fly with the members in attendance. They didnt want the executive committee to investigate itself.

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The whole body of messengers from local churches said no. They overruled the chair of the meeting, and they got on the agenda that there is going to be a third-party investigation. And there was passionate debate about it and it passed overwhelmingly.

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That sounds like a victory for abuse victims.

It was seen as one for them. Its a huge change, because the executive committee leadership in the past has long resisted any national actions on sexual abuse. The way the SBC is set up is kind of an inverted triangle, where all the power is at the bottom. They like to say that the headquarters of the SBC is the local church. So the national office, which is very small, cant tell the churches what to do. So they have taken that to mean we cant track abusers; we cant do anything

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It means also we have no responsibility.

We have no responsibility. So there was a hostility toward taking any national action on this, and so that was a huge change.

In addition to those resolutions about what Southern Baptists believe, attendees also had to vote on the SBCs new president. This is where the Conservative Baptist Network was hoping to gain some ground. Their candidate, a pastor named Mike Stone, had been a vocal critic of what he called the SBCs liberal drift. In the end, it came down to a runoff between Stone and an Alabama pastor named Ed Litton. He was a relatively moderate candidate who wanted to focus more on building bridges between members. When the totals came back, Litton had won, but only narrowly, by about 2 percent.

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More people showed up who wanted the open-hearted approach. Litton, he has worked on racial reconciliation. Hes a very good preacher, but hes a pastor first, in terms of caring for people and empathy. He lost his wife about 15 years ago in a car wreck. His second wife, her husband have been a Baptist pastor and he died in a car wreck. So they have a family that has overcome tragedy and has walked through really hard times. So theyre pretty soft-hearted.

Reminds me of Biden.

Theres a personality like Biden. The principles are very different. But the approach is there. Theyre going to listen to you and tell you what they think, but they also care about you as a person.

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Well, its interesting you say the Conservative Baptist Network were saying the morning of the election that if they lose, theyre going to come back next year and the next and the next.

Yes.

And so while I think you could look at what happened at the Southern Baptist Convention and think like, Oh, well, it looks like the convention members are choosing a more progressive direction. But it sounds like its not quite that. It cant quite be that because theres still such fiery disagreement.

Yeah, theyre having the same problem that the GOP is. How do we put these conservative principles into practice? The problem is we dont have good language to talk about this, because if you say the word progressive, its taking sides. Early on, Al Mohler, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president, when the CBN was announced, said theres already a conservative network: Its the Southern Baptist Convention.

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Youve talked about how the Southern Baptist Convention is having the same issues that were seeing play out everywhere else in politics right now. But I wonder if watching the Southern Baptist Convention meet up teaches you anything about the way democracy works.

I think it has lessons on how do we act out our principles. Theres lessons in how we treat one another. I think we should be watching this and saying, Can these institutions build trust among people in a really difficult time and stay true to their principles? Theres a lesson for America. People forget how much change has happened politically, socially, economically, technologically. Everything about America has changed. And so were a different country. I was born in 65. Its a different country. Im 56. Its a different world than my parents were in. And how do we be Americans in this world, or for the Southern Baptists, how do they be Southern Baptists in this modern world? Do they withdraw and be a kind of chosen few with only the people who agree with them, or can you have a set of principles and say we have different viewpoints in this and we have empathy toward one another and change our behaviors?

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When the Federal Communication Commission asked the public what it thought about its net neutrality rules in 2017, the comments flooded inincluding millions submitted under fake names by bot-comment-generators. These missives added no value and raised concerns that peoples identities were being stolen. Now everyone from Congressional Republicans to the New York State Attorney General have their sights set on shutting down the bots. But anxiety about the risks of computer-generated comments might go too far. We dont want to allow overblown fears to squelch the development of future killer apps that could improve public participation in regulatory decision making.

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For decades, our federal rulemaking system has recognized the importance of giving the public an opportunity to comment on proposed regulatory changes. These days, government agencies typically post proposed rules and accept comments online. The age of electronic commenting has been a boon for public participation in many ways, but agencies also face some novel 21st century challenges.

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We were part of a research team convened by the Administrative Conference of the United Statesan independent federal agency that makes recommendations about the processes the government uses to make rules and other legal determinationsto examine how new technologies have affected the public comment process. The project comes after a turbulent few years in public commenting, when long-running debates about the proper role of public commenting ran straight into the politically charged net neutrality rule, resulting in a record number of about 22 million public comments, many of which turned out to be fabricated.

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The net neutrality incident garnered attention from many in Washington and beyond. One FCC commissioner decried the process as rotten, Wall Street Journal reporters carried out a special investigation, a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate issued a staff report on abuses of the rulemaking process, the Government Accountability Office began a study at the request of legislators, the New York state attorney general issued a report about this massive fraud, and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver covered it closely. This high-level attention could make you think that this happens all the time and that its ruining our rulemaking system, as a Future Tense article argued.

Contrary to some of the rhetoric, our report finds that incidents like this are rare and amenable to targeted responses. Its also important to note that agencies do not treat the public comment process like a vote. Rather than simply tallying up the yeses and the noes, agencies are supposed to examine comments for substantive feedback on their proposals. Ten million identical bot comments can be easily de-duped using simple software.

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Nevertheless, to date, computer-generated comments dont add much and have ranged from spammy junk mail to mass numbers of more realistic but mostly non-substantive comments submitted under fake names. If that was the limit of what we could expect from computer-generated comments, it would be reasonable to try to screen them out as unnecessary flotsam in the regulatory process.

But we can think of plenty of societally beneficial comments that software could generate. An automated system could gather up typos, broken links, and incorrect legal citations in proposed rules to send back to the agency. This kind of bot would help catch human errors and help make regulations more accurate. Language processing tools could analyze a proposed rule to determine its subject matter area, then crawl through related academic research to find and submit relevant scientific studies to the agency. This could help improve the governments analytical basis for its policy choices.

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Some people might want to opt-in to a bot that could identify rules that they might care about. This could work like a credit card fraud alert, which lets you know about dodgy-seeming purchases. Instead of alerting you to confirm whether you purchased gas in an unusual place, this system could alert you to proposed rules that are relevant to your life.

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For example, lets say you enjoy birding in national parks, and sometimes you post photos to social media with geotags. You could opt into a RegScan app that could use your social media information to infer that you might care about a proposed rule that would limit the hours at this park. If you have information about the public value of being able to observe particular birds at a specific time of day, you could share that with the government in a comment. The government might have missed this consequence of limiting park hours, and therefore your comment could shed new light on an important park use. Because it could help the government do a better job of balancing competing considerations, this kind of comment would be more informative and useful than an up-or-down vote.

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Apart from the good these apps could do in any particular rulemaking proceeding, they could also help remedy the collective action challenges of getting people involved in rulemaking. People are busy, and the rulemaking process is complex. In practice, this means that most people are probably unaware of rulemaking, the public comment process, or how to participate in it. We should support anything that helps people participate in meaningful ways. And when people participate in the process by adding unique information and perspectives, that can help improve the final regulation before it goes out the door. Agencies pay special attention to comments with this kind of substantive value, which cant just be filtered out as duplicates. While bots have a long way to go, if you squint a bit, its possible to see real potential.

On Thursday, the Administrative Conference voted on recommendations about how federal agencies should approach computer-generated and other forms of public comments. We think the Conference took the right approach by leaving a wide lane open for experimentation with computer-generated comments. While we might not have seen killer apps for public commenting yet, theres every reason to think they could be on their way.

This essay expresses the authors views only and does not necessarily reflect those of the Administrative Conference, its members, or its staff.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
This story was originally published by Grist and has been republished here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

On a sunny afternoon in April, Katie Nichols crouched over the edges of a small oyster reef in Newport Bay, California, peering into the mud that had been exposed by the receding tide. Where all I saw was a jumble of interchangeable shell fragments, Nichols quickly spotted what she was looking for.

There, she said, pointing to a small, white shell. Thats what a native looks like.

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Nichols was pointing to an Olympia oyster, the only oyster species native to the Pacific coast of the United States. Smaller and rounder than nonnative Pacific oysters, it was once abundant in the bays and estuaries of the California coastbut during the gold rush, the native species was overharvested and the population collapsed. The oyster became functionally extinct in Southern California, according to Nichols, and today, much of the habitat where it could have settled has been degraded.

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Nichols, the marine restoration director of Orange County Coastkeeper, a nonprofit clean water organization in Southern California, is working on a project trying to resurrect the Olympia oysterat least in Newport Bayand is trying to understand whether the unassuming bivalve could be a key part of helping coastlines adapt to the impacts of climate change.

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As the Earths temperature warms, coastal populations around the world are wrestling with how to adapt to rising seas. In order to protect coastal development from erosion and encroaching waters, America is shielding its coasts with concrete armorliterally. Coastal armoring refers to the construction of hard structures like sea walls along coasts, and nearly 14 percent of American coastline is already armored. That portion could increase to one-third by 2100 if current rates continue.

The goal of living shorelines is to create organic structures to protect coasts instead of using boulders and rocks.

This armor could actually be doing more harm than good. According to Molly Melius, program manager at Stanford Universitys Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program, sea walls can reduce beach width, decrease sand replenishment of beaches, and also accelerate erosion at the ends of the walls. In some cases, sea walls are inadvertently accelerating the problem they were designed to solve. Coastal armor can also degrade ecosystems that might naturally protect the shoreline from erosion. Previously, before a lot of development, there was a lot of room for shoreline migration, said Nichols, meaning that coastal ecosystems could migrate along with the coastline. The development of concrete structures like seawalls and other kinds of armor produces an effect called coastal squeeze, meaning that these ecosystems are not able to migrate. You can lose whole coastal habitats this way, says Melius.

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Nichols and her team are setting out to test an alternative path to protecting coastlines, one that involves using the ecosystems that already exist or once existed along the coast, instead of squeezing them out. Nichols oversees Coastkeepers living shorelines program, a project in partnership with California State UniversityLong Beach and California State UniversityFullerton that restores ecosystem structures like oyster beds and eelgrass meadows, which protect shorelines from waves, erosion, and sea level rise. Nichols says the goal of living shorelines is to create organic structures to protect coasts instead of using boulders and rocks.

In 2017, Coastkeeper set out to put the idea of living shorelines to the test in Upper Newport Bay. A team of volunteers and restoration workers hauled 40,000 pounds of Pacific oyster shells in biodegradable bags made of coconut husk onto the shore, to create a structure in which the larvae of native oysters could settle. The Olympia oyster population isnt larvae limited, says Nichols, meaning there are more than enough oyster larvae in the water to allow oysters to repopulate under the right conditions. The problem is the lack of suitable habitat for oyster reefs to form. Bringing in oyster shells to create a habitat allows these larvae to take root on the shoreline and form a self-sustaining oyster bed.

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Its now been four years since the restoration work in Newport Bay began, and Nichols took me to see how the shoreline has progressed. Clad in knee-high rain boots and carrying two shallow plastic crates, we approached the shoreline. You have to take care not to disturb the sediment, Nichols warned, setting down a plastic crate on the wet sand. Standing in the crates helps distribute weight, so we wouldnt leave scars in the sediment as we walked across the sand. We set down one crate after the other, cautiously leapfrogging across the shore to approach the exposed reefs. A small section of PVC pipe emerged from the reef like a sentinel, measuring how much sediment the reef traps over time.

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Oyster reefs provide a whole host of important environmental benefits. A single oyster can filter as much as 50 gallons of water a day, improving water quality, and the structure of the reef provides homes for other sea critters, including fish, crabs, and other bivalves. Reef structures also work as a natural barrier against storm surges. And most pertinent to those concerned about climate adaptation, they also help prevent the coastline from eroding. As waves and tides hit the shorelines, the structure of the oyster bed absorbs the energy from those waves and traps sediment. Instead of just having sediment loss, you might get what we call accretion, or some buildup, explained Nichols. Understanding just how much sediment these oyster beds accumulate is important for making decisions about land use and restoration along coastlines. If this small, 20-meter bed is really important in slowing down erosion, and we can track that over time, thats really good for managers and policy folks who are trying to deal with sea-level rise, said Nichols.

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Oyster beds arent the only thing that Coastkeeper is working on restoring. Nichols and her team have also planted meadows of eelgrass, another native California coastal species that has been almost eliminated regionally. Christine Whitcraft, a professor of biological sciences at California State UniversityLong Beach, has been studying eelgrass since her doctorate. I am more well versed in seagrass than I ever thought I would be, she quips. According to Whitcraft, up to 90 percent of seagrass meadows in California have been lostbut its hard to put an exact number on it, due to lack of good monitoring programs. Much like oyster reefs, eelgrass can provide vital benefits for the broader ecosystem and for people, including by providing habitats and nursery grounds for other species, improving water quality, and stabilizing sediments in their long root systems, further preventing coastal erosion.

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In addition to helping mitigate the impacts of rising seas, eelgrass provides another critical climate change function: carbon burial. Eelgrass absorbs carbon through photosynthesis, then stores it in its root structure for millenniaeven after the eelgrass dies. Much like permafrost and peat, the sediments beneath eelgrass meadows are wet, cold, and low in oxygen, meaning that the carbon stored there doesnt decompose and get released into the atmosphere. High sediment accumulation rates and low degradation ratesthats the magic formula for carbon storage, says Whitcraft. For that reason, marine ecosystems that store carbon, like mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows, are much more efficient at storing carbon than a forest on a square-foot basis.

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Even while they dutifully sequester away carbon and stabilize the coastline, eelgrass and oysters are themselves threatened by the impacts of rising temperatures. In addition to the effects of coastal development and water pollution, warming waters and heat waves can also lead to eelgrass and oyster mortality. Eelgrasses are combating climate change, but at the same time climate change is impacting them in negative ways, so its sort of a tug and pull between the two of them, says Whitcraft. Its a very interesting feedback loop.

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As a part of its research, Coastkeeper is testing out the effectiveness of restoring eelgrass and oyster beds both separately and together in test sites along the shore. Nichols says that restoring both eelgrass and oysters simultaneously will create a more complete habitat, from an ecological perspective, and the coastline can reap the benefits of each. But the project is small, for nowthe extent to which it can be scaled up is still an open question. Eelgrass and oysters might not work for living shorelines projects everywhere; different regions might have different strategies or species that suit the area best, says Nichols, like marshes, dunes, or kelp. But Coastkeeper is hoping to translate our work to useful strategies for managers in Southern California, a proof of concept for what could one day be a larger-scale solution.
This story was originally published by Grist and has been republished here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

Things have to be really bad to cancel the annual fifth gradeversus-faculty kickball game.

Last Monday, thermometers at Dyer Elementary School in Portland, Maine, registered 93 degrees Fahrenheit, and teachers were forced to make the tough decision to call off the big, ceremonial event, which marks the end of elementary school for the fifth graders. It sounds trivial, but the kids were really disappointed, said Andrew Hodgkins, a special education technician at the school. The next day, administrators canceled school entirely, instructing teachers and students to instead go back to distance learning. Its the first time Hodgkins, a Maine native, has heard of something like this happening. Im from around here, he said. I never had a heat day when I was growing up.

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One hundred miles south, in Groton, Massachusetts, Nicole Freitas, a Spanish teacher at Groton-Dunstable Regional High School, recorded temperatures of over 90 degrees F in her classroom. She managed to move her students into the library, one of the few air-conditioned areas on the schools campus. It was miserable, Freitas said. The students went from being really energetic and engaged to being really lethargic.

Across the Northeast, record-breaking temperatures last week forced districts to cancel school or call for early dismissal, following concerns about the dangerous combination of heat, a widespread lack of air conditioning, and COVID-19 rules that still limit fan usage and require mask wearing.

Education experts told Grist the heat wave illustrates just how underprepared schools in the United States are for the extreme weather that comes more frequently with climate change. Its showing that our schools are extremely out of date, said Laura Schifter, who leads K12 Climate Action, a project of the nonprofit Aspen Institute that addresses climate change through schools.

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Last year, the Government Accountability Office found that most school districts need major building system repairs, like heating, ventilation, and air conditioning updates. Some of those are schools, like Dyer Elementary, that have never had air conditioning before. One district in Michigan told the researchers that 60 percent of its schools had never had air conditioning and that in 2019 it had begun shuffling schedules to protect students from extreme heat.

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Climate adaptation isnt just about air conditioning: Its also important for schools to figure out how to support students and communities reeling in the wake of a wildfire or hurricane, Shifter said. In recent years, schools in the West have closed for smoke days, when wildfires made breathing hazardous. In the towns around Paradise, California, schools strained to keep the students whose homes had burned down from falling through the cracks. In Miami, schools worked to accommodate an influx of families from Puerto Rico fleeing the destruction of Hurricane Maria. Internationally, drought has emptied schools in Niger and Bolivia as families follow the receding water. Schools often dont need new physical renovations to prepare for disasters: In some cases its as simple as making a plan. If a school knows ahead of time who will take responsibility for responding to a disaster, or sets up a system for tracking students before they scatter, that can reduce the chaos significantly.

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In looking at the schools that need the most work to prepare for climate change, Schifter saw a familiar pattern. The need is greatest in low-income communities and communities of color, she said. These school districts have a harder time getting the money to pay for upgrades, she told Grist, and so instead they end up frittering away dollars on the maintenance of long-outdated systems.

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And as temperatures in classrooms rise, so too does the impact on students education. Each 1 degree F increase in temperature reduces the amount that students learn by 1 percent, according to a study published last year in the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. The study also found that in hotter parts of the U.S. with the greatest need for air conditioning, schools with a higher portion of Black and Hispanic students were less likely to have it.

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Despite the need, most school districts are juggling so many issues that climate adaptation isnt even on their radar. Air conditioning is expensive, noted Thomas A. Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents. The fact that we have two blistering days and only a handful of schools are releasing on an abbreviated schedule indicates that we tend to just deal with it. Its not that we wouldnt like to have the options for A/C, but there isnt a strong move to do it, he wrote in an email during the Northeasts heat wave last week.

But sometimes paying to prepare upfront costs less in the long run. When Arlington, Virginia, began the process of designing a new school, the architects suggested that it wouldnt cost much more to build in such a way that the structure generated all the energy it needed. Now, Discovery Elementary not only remains comfortable on hot days, but it also saves the district about $100,000 in utility costs every year.

In the meantime, students keep sweating, and schools keep shuffling schedules. When the weather finally turned in Portland, Dyer Elementary rescheduled the kickball game. Hodgkins was dismayed to report that the teachers lost to the fifth graders, 48.
Baldeo Paswan, 40, died less than 24 hours after testing positive for COVID-19. In his small home village of Muradpur Bangra, in the east Indian state of Bihar, his wife and children were devastated by his sudden death and did not know how to begin the cremation procedure. Paswan belonged to the historically oppressed caste community called untouchables, and lingering prejudice, coupled with the fear of the coronavirus, made it difficult for them to find anyone to help move the body to the crematorium grounds several miles away. And the family members themselves, mostly uneducated, struggled to find support. They reached out to a COVID-19 assistance call center run by the local government, but no one answered or called them back.

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The family was worried, and they dont even have a sononly daughters, their neighbor Harindar Paswan, a bricklayer by profession, told me about the incident that took place on April 30 during the peak of the second COVID wave in India. No one was willing to even come close to their home. Thats when Paswan (who is unrelated) gave a missed callthe practice of hanging up the call before the receiver picks upto a service called Mobile Vaani. Within a minute, he had received a call back with an automated menu. He pressed the number 3 on his basic feature phone and left a voice message explaining the familys predicament. A volunteer on the other end heard the recorded message, called Paswan back, and arranged a vehicle to take the body to the crematorium as well as provide a PPE kit.

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Mobile Vaani is tapping into an old culture of Indians of giving missed calls to their family and friends. Every day, more than 10,000 Indians from the villages within Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh use their phones to make calls they know wont be picked up. Mobile Vaani is an intelligent interactive voice response. People dial Mobile Vaanis number, and the call goes unanswered. Within a minute, Mobile Vaani calls back, giving the person the option to leave a message or listen to promos, hyperlocal news, updates and messages left by others. SOS messages are heard by volunteers and handled depending on the level of urgency.

The benefit here is that in India, people dont get charged to receive calls. So people only need to have a very small amount of their prepaid minutes to make the initial call, which itself wont cost them any minutes. Its also accessible for people who arent as literate: Dial a number, hang up, get a call back, press a few digits, and leave a voice message. Another advantage is that the user doesnt have to wait on hold, something that could prompt them to hang up out of impatience. Mobile Vaani has become a lifeline during the pandemic, particularly in parts of India where internet access and smartphones remain scarce. Think of it as a local radio service or a voice-based social media network that works without the internet.

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Unlike during the first wave of COVID-19 in India, when infections in the rural parts of the country spread at a slower pace, this time Indian villages have been heavily affected at a much faster rate, with half of the countrys COVID infections and deaths coming from rural areas. While urban India turned to Twitter and other social media platforms in April and May to crowdsource resources for COVID-19 aid, rural Indiansmany of them without smartphones or internet and facing a weak health infrastructuredidnt know where to turn to for help during this devastating pandemic. (India has nearly 700 million internet users, but that means almost half of its 1.36 billion population isnt online.)

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Mobile Vaani was started in 2013 by a social tech enterprise called Gram Vaani, to help rural Indians without the internet stay connected with local updates. During the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, Indias migrant workers used Mobile Vaanis missed call services to receive help while stranded on highways, after a nationwide lockdown forced them to return to their villages on foot. In mid-April, Mobile Vaani began focusing on COVID-19-related services. Mobile Vaanis volunteer network is based in the community it serves, which helps build trust and understanding. About 25 moderators listen to the voice messages left by people every day and pass them on to relevant volunteers from an active network of 300 spread across multiple districts in the northern and central parts of India.

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Mobile Vaani has helped people in these villages receive health care, teleconsultation services, and oxygen cylinders. In many cases, its prerecorded messages have helped people get over their fears or doubts. In villages, people dont want to accept that they have COVID and dont even want to get tested, says Sultan Ahmad, director of media and governance at Mobile Vaani. So we started giving informationthat if you have symptoms of cough and fever, you should immediately get tested. And then many people actually got themselves tested after listening to us because of the awareness created through the voice promos.

There is also a Mobile Vaani app for the rare user who has a smartphone in these locations. For example, Rakesh Kumar, a public elementary school teacher at a village in Bihar, has a smartphone, but he usually has to go to the rooftop of his place for proper internet connectivity. Hes also been a regular listener of Mobile Vaani for almost a year now. When he was unable to book a vaccine slot through the governments online booking portal, CoWin, he decided to turn to its services to help book a vaccine slot. It worked. I wasnt able to book for my wife and me, so Mobile Vaani was helpful with that, he says Kumar. They have now been vaccinated.

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Mobile Vaani is also helpful with the vaccine hesitancy that currently plagues rural India, due to misinformation and a low literacy rate. Several people in Bihara state that has had almost 9,500 deaths to datewho had scheduled their shots with the help of Mobile Vaani backed out of getting the jab at the last minute. They were scared they would lose their lives, says Ahmad. So our volunteers called them regularlysome four to five timesand explained that they also got vaccinated, had a fever for a day and then they were fine. That helped build trust and they agreed to get the shot. So far, the team has been able to help 200 people register, of whom about 80 have been inoculated. This number may seem small, but with 60 percent of people in rural areas not knowing how to enroll for vaccination, these numbers are promising.

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Public health experts say that even as local volunteer groups and services such as Mobile Vaani are coming together to help people in Indias rural areas, it shouldnt be up to them. Local networks can only have so much reach, says Sulakshana Nandi, national joint-convener of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan or Peoples Health MovementIndia. Its important for the government to undertake these tasks to have a higher impact. Its also the governments duty to provide these services. This includes not only circulating the right information but also providing enough resources and servicesfrom testing facilities and treatment to vaccines.

More than a month has passed since Paswans death. His wife and nine daughters (four of whom are married) continue to mourn his death while also figuring out ways of bringing food to the table, having lost their sole breadwinner to COVID-19. Mobile Vaani volunteers are currently assisting the family in procuring official IDs to be able to claim some of the government benefits they are entitled to.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Since the beginning of 2021, the NFT art community has existed somewhere between a bohemian utopia and a crypto-gold rush. And in a world where volatility is the only constant, the unrestrained early enthusiasm around NFTs has given way to some harsh legal and technical realities. While there have yet to be any significant court rulings relating to NFTs, inevitable high-profile disputes in the non-fungible art marketplace have begun to emerge.

On March 2, the artist Ali Sabet auctioned an original digital artwork as an NFT titled Quarantine Magic in Motion. The piece, a one-minute animated, digital collage of colorful skulls, faces, words, and macabre images, was minted and offered for sale in three editions. (What does it actually depict? Its a little hard to explain.) The first edition sold almost immediately for 10 ETH, a popular cryptocurrency (valued at approximately $15,000 at the time). The other versions were both purchased in the following days for comparable amounts. As is typical for NFT transactions, no intellectual property was transferred to the buyers, and no guarantees were made about the scarcity of the three prints. The buyers of these editions were presumably aware of this fact given their relative sophistication with this emerging market.

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Nevertheless, drama erupted two months later when Sabet sold a strikingly similar NFT entitled Quarantine Magic: The Creation 2020. The second artwork was also an animated piece that showed the digital painting being created over time, and it sold for a fraction of the price of the original. Unsurprisingly, the release of the secondary work concerned the original buyers as well as other members of the digital art communitynotably NFT promoter and activist Farokh Sarmad. Sarmad is an NFT enthusiast and known Clubhouse personality who has promoted artist NFT drops in social media and is an impassioned collector. Hes also a friend of Paolo Moreno, who purchased one of the Quarantine Magic in Motion editions.

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Farokh publicly condemned Sabet for selling the Quarantine Magic re-makes and requested as a remedy that Sabet return the money to the original purchasers of the Quarantine Magic in Motion piece and burn the NFTi.e., destroy the token and remove it permanently from the blockchain.

When reached for comment, Sabet would not answer any questions relating to the dispute or about Paulo or Farokh specifically. The matter was reportedly resolved with lawyers, though the terms of the settlement, if any, are not public.

Legally speaking, it is unclear whether Santos or the other original NFT purchasers had any viable claims against Sabet for selling the subsequent works. By law, Sabet retained all copyright to the original work, which includes the right to create and sell derivative works. The original purchasers of Quarantine Magic in Motion may have had legal recourse in the form of common law remedies like fraud or misrepresentation or violation of state consumer protection laws or U.S. securities laws. But such claims are very challenging to prove in these types of circumstances. Nevertheless, NFT creators and platforms would be wise to consider the potential legal ramifications of these products, especially as artists push the boundaries of what they create as NFTs and how they are marketed.

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As with the analogue art world, artists often sell limited edition prints or copies of their work but reserve the right to distribute additional copies at any future time. For example, a photographer who auctions 10 limited edition prints of a single photograph is entitled to sell future copies of the work on postcards, T-shirts, or even identical copies in exactly the same size and format as the original limited-edition piece. But as a matter of traditional art culture, this is considered declassee and rarely done with high-profile works. Creating nearly identical reproductions would damage the reputation of the artistand irrespective of legality, that is a sufficient deterrent. Moreover, some galleries or auction houses would likely refuse to display or sell these copies for fear of promoting poor artistic practices.

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Part of the problem with NFTs is that there is not yet any shared culture around reproductions or derivative works of short video, animations, or audio-visual works that derive their primary profit potential from NFT sales. For now, the primary mechanism for enforcing norms and punishing bad actors is via internal policing in the community, primarily through shaming, and almost exclusively on social media platforms. In this sense, the NFT community currently resembles the stand-up comedy world, where joke-stealing is primarily enforced through the tight community of performers and venues.

Central to the NFT economy is the abstraction of artificial scarcity. Part of the core ethos of blockchain advocates is in the belief that the technology cannot be gamed or manipulated. The medium (of exchange) is the message. But as with other digital files, digital art can be copied infinitely without degradation. This inevitably shapes the market for digital goods, from software to media to art.

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Notably, there are legal and technical solutions to these problems. One way is through the use of smart contracts to transfer rights or restrict the way both the artist and the purchaser display, copy, or exploit the work. For example, artists could offer, or purchasers could demand, a limited transfer of copyright or license to NFTs in a smart contract linked to the NFT. Similarly, an artist could guarantee that substantially similar works would not be sold as NFTs.

However, transfer of copyright is relatively unchartered territory in the art world. And many artists are understandably reluctant to sell off their intellectual property rights, especially without careful attention to the legal details. Moreover, smart contracts on the blockchain are still in their infancy. They can be expensive to implement and difficult to enforce, especially when a material part of the transaction occurs outside of the digital ecosystem.

In the meantime, NFT purchasers will likely have to rely primarily on artist reputations and they are wise to abide by the ancient adage caveat emptor. One thing thats certain is that these controversies will not be a rarity.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Pandemic situation improves, more districts lifting measures

The Health Ministry plans to stop registration for the Sputnik V vaccine in late June.

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(Source: Health Ministry)

The dropping number of new cases and hospitalisations allows for the lifting of more Covid-related restrictions across the country.

Our paywall policy The Slovak Spectator has decided to make all the articles on the special measures, statistics and basic information about the coronavirus available to everyone. If you appreciate our work and would like to support good journalism, please buy our subscription. We believe this is an issue where accurate and fact-based information is important for people to cope.

As many as 17 districts will switch to the green tier of the Covid automat alert system, with the most relaxed measures. Another 45 districts will be in the yellow tier, 15 in the orange tier, one in the light red tier and one in the red tier.

Although the situation in neighbouring countries is good, Matej Misik of the Institute for Health Analyses, running under the Health Ministry, warned against the recent developments in the United Kingdom and Portugal, which have both witnessed a steep increase in new cases, affected by the Indian Delta coronavirus strain.

Registration for Sputnik V will stop

Slovakia meanwhile continues vaccinating. More than 1.9 million people have received the first Covid vaccine jab (34 percent of the population), while nearly 1.2 million people have been vaccinated with both shots already (22 percent of the population).

The highest share of people vaccinated with the first shot is in the age group of 70-79 years (65 percent) and in the age group of 60-69 years (58 percent). The situation differs across regions, with the highest share of vaccinated people living in Bratislava.

More than 70,000 people are currently registered in the online waiting room.

Health Minister Vladimir Lengvarsky also announced that the registration for the uncertified Sputnik V vaccine will end on June 30, given the close expiration date. The unused doses will then be either donated or sold to countries interested in them, he said. Recently, the countries of the Western Balkans have shown an interest.

The minister confirmed that they plan to enable general practitioners and paediatricians to start vaccinating their patients from July 1.

Tiers of districts starting June 21 Districts at Warning Level 2 (red) Myjava Districts at Warning Level 1 (light red) Kysucke Nove Mesto Districts at Alert Level 2 (orange) Banovce nad Bebravou  Banska Stiavnica  Cadca  Gelnica  Humenne  Namestovo  Nove Mesto nad Vahom  Piestany  Ruzomberok  Senica  Skalica  Sobrance  Spisska Nova Ves  Trnava  Vranov nad Toplou Districts at Alert Level 1 (yellow) Bardejov  Bratislava I-V  Bytca  Detva  Dolny Kubin  Galanta  Hlohovec  Ilava  Kosice I-IV  Kosice  okolie  Krupina  Levice  Levoca  Liptovsky Mikulas  Lucenec  Malacky  Martin  Medzilaborce  Michalovce  Nove Zamky  Partizanske  Pezinok  Poprad  Povazska Bystrica  Presov  Prievidza  Revuca  Rimavska Sobota  Roznava  Senec  Snina  Trebisov  Trencin  Tvrdosin  Zarnovica  Ziar nad Hronom  Zilina  Zvolen Monitoring (green) Banska Bystrica  Brezno  Dunajska Streda  Kezmarok  Komarno  Nitra  Poltar  Puchov  Sabinov  Sala  Stara Lubovna  Stropkov  Svidnik  Topolcany  Turcianske Teplice  Velky Krtis  Zlate Moravce

More on coronavirus development in Slovakia

16. Jun 2021 at 18:20 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Austerity policies proved quantifiably deadly

EU's rescue fund is a complete reversal from the disastrous austerity policies pursued in Europe in the wake of the 2008 crisis.

Those responsible for Europes austerity policies cannot be allowed to pretend their decisions did not have consequences. (Source: Jana Liptakova)

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Last week Spain and Portugal were the first two countries to receive the European Commissions approval for their plans to tap into the EUs coronavirus rescue fund. For the first time ever, the 750-billion programme creates a common European debt pool, and the plan is a complete reversal from the disastrous austerity policies pursued in Europe in the wake of the 2008 crisis.

Led by Germany, and cheered-on by likes of then Slovak Finance Minister Peter Kazimir, Europe had thus far refused to issue common debt. Instead, during the rolling crises of the 2010s they opted to force (mostly) Southern European countries to cut spending in exchange for loans. More than a decade later it is clear that those policies did exactly the opposite of what people like Kazimir were claiming they would.

21. Jun 2021 at 8:39 | Benjamin Cunningham
Extremely hot weather continues, storms expected

Hydrometeorologists have issued several warnings for the coming days.

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The extremely hot weather in Slovakia continues. Temperatures neared 35 degrees Celsius on Sunday, June 20.

The highest temperature was recorded in the westernmost districts, reaching 34.6 degrees Celsius in Senica, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU) reported.

The hot weather will continue in the coming days. SHMU has issued a second-level warning against high temperatures for southwestern districts for Monday, June 21, between 13:00 and 18:00, and a first-level warning for most other districts, except for the northern ones. The hot weather may be accompanied by storms. A first-level warning against storms, in effect from 13:00 to 22:00, has been issued for all of western Slovakia and most districts in central Slovakia.

For now, a first-level warning against high temperatures has been issued for western Slovakia and the southern districts of central and eastern Slovakia for Tuesday, June 22, between 13:00 and 18:00.

As for Wednesday, June 23, SHMU issued a second-level warning, in place from 13:00 to 18:00, against high temperatures for several southern districts and a first-level warning for the rest of Slovakia, apart from the northern districts of central and eastern Slovakia.

Weather warnings for June 21-23, 2021. (Source: SHMU)

21. Jun 2021 at 10:57 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Slovakia breathes a collective sigh of relief as Kocner is stripped of his not-guilty verdict  for now.

Marian Kocner in Supreme Court during the appellate proceeding in the Kuciak murder trial. (Source: TASR)

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Welcome to your weekly overview of news from Slovakia. The leading news story came early on in the week, when the Supreme Court, acting as an appellate court, overturned the not-guilty verdict in the case of the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak. Life in Slovakia is getting more relaxed by the week, but the Delta variant now looms over the summer holidays. Slovak lawmakers have voted to reject a European Parliament report on reproductive rights, instead asserting that they should be the ones to decide on Slovaks sexual health. The Hungarian foreign minister visited Slovakia and gave a rare interview to the Sme daily.

Please note that foreigners without public health insurance who were not previously allowed to get a Covid vaccine in Slovakia can now register for their jabs. More info in this article.

Justice reconsidered in the Kuciak and Kusnirova murder case

When it comes to murders of journalists around the world, it is very rare for the masterminds behind such crimes to face punishment. The verdict of the Specialised Criminal Court in September last year, in which it decided to acquit two key defendants, suggested that the case of journalist Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova, who were killed in a planned, cold-blooded hit in February 2018, might end up being added to that list.

But last week, the Supreme Court decided to scrap the not-guilty verdict previously handed down to Alena Zsuzsova, the woman who had worked for Marian Kocner, a controversial tycoon and now convicted criminal who was recently pictured for the first time in prisoner attire, and to Kocner himself. The new decision had the country breathe a collective sigh of relief, together with the families of the murdered couple.

While it was very critical of some of the decisions that the justices of the Specialised Criminal Court senate, led by Judge Ruzena Sabova, the appellate senate did not oblige the prosecutors request to have a different senate of the lower-instance court deal with the case.

21. Jun 2021 at 14:22 | Michaela Terenzani
Croatia lifts limitations for incomers from Slovakia

People need their ID card or passport only, and are recommended to fill in a form.

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Our paywall policy: The Slovak Spectator has decided to make all the articles on the special measures, statistics and basic information about the coronavirus available to everyone. If you appreciate our work and would like to support good journalism, please buy our subscription. We believe this is an issue where accurate and fact-based information is important for people to cope.

People from Slovakia can now travel to Croatia without any limitations as the country has switched to the green tier on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) map.

This means that they will no longer be required to show a negative Covid test result, a confirmation of vaccination or a confirmation of recovering from Covid. They need their ID card or passport only.

Still, travellers from Slovakia are recommended to fill in the EnterCroatia form prior to their arrival to speed up the border check, Martin Klus, state secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, wrote on Facebook.

Travelling abroad is possible. This is what you should prepare for Read more

Read more about the coronavirus developments in Slovakia:

21. Jun 2021 at 17:38 | Compiled by Spectator staff
EC approves Slovakias recovery plan

EC President Ursula von der Leyen said the plan meets criteria and is also ambitious.

EC President Ursula von der Leyen and Slovak PM Eduard Heger during a press conference in Bratislava when announcing that EC approved the Slovak recovery plan. (Source: TASR)

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Slovakias recovery plan has received the green light from the European Commission.

EC President Ursula von der Leyen, who visited Bratislava on June 21, appreciated the fact that Slovakia was among the first countries to submit the plans and emphasised a great collaboration with the country.

Slovakia's recovery plan will be a storm of reform or a wasted opportunity Read more

She also said that the plans meet the criteria set by the Council of the EU, which needs to give its final approval to the plan, and also is ambitious.

Its an important milestone in Slovakias history, said PM Eduard Heger. Our future depends to a great extent on the recovery plan.

Slovakia should receive altogether 6.3 billion to be spent on investments and reforms. The main priorities are education, health care, environment, innovations, digitalisation, infrastructure and effective public administration.

Important task still lying ahead

The EC focused in its analysis on whether the investments and reforms support green and digital transformation, contribute to efficient solutions to challenges identified by the European semester, and support growth, job creation, and economic and social resilience, the SITA newswire reported.

Slovakia's recovery plan is ready to be sent to Brussels Read more

Heger stressed that despite the approval, Slovakia still has a difficult task lying ahead: the implementation of the planned reforms and investments. In this respect, he stressed the need for political cooperation and called on all relevant subjects to join forces.

Von der Leyen added that the recovery plan should help shape Europe for the future decades, as reported by SITA.

21. Jun 2021 at 17:44 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Friday (June 25) will be the last opportunity to consign horses to the 2021 Goshen Yearling Sale, to be held on Monday (Sept. 13) at the Mark Ford Training Center in Middletown, NY.

This years sale has once again drawn a lot of interest and there has been a late rush of consignments in recent weeks. However, Friday will be the final day to enter the sale.

This year's sale will offer an outstanding group of colts from our top consignors and that should push sales averages up across the board, especially as we move forward with business as usual after last year, said Mark Ford. We are looking forward to welcoming another great live crowd in September and will provide the best experience possible for both the seller and buyer.

Since 2015 the Goshen Yearling Sale has offered high quality stock from top breeders including sale regulars Cameo Hills Farm, Winbak Farm, Blue Chip Farm, Vieux Carre Farm and the Silver Tradition Stable.

The sales facility is located at 90 Slaughter Road, Middletown, NY, which is within a ninety-minute drive of many major race tracks and training centers in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Its also only three miles away from the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame and the Goshen Historic Track, making it easy to visit those historic places during your weekend.

Everything you need to know about this years Goshen Yearling Sale is available on their website at where consignment forms, a catalog request portal and hotel information for local lodging all can be found.

For any other inquiries please contact Mark Ford directly at 973-568-3253 or by email at [email protected].

(Goshen Standardbred Horse Sales)
A statewide effort has brought us to this point, with strong partnerships in our communities, health systems, the private sector, and across all levels of government. Even as we celebrate this tremendous achievement, we will continue working together to vaccinate everyone who is eligible so our Commonwealth so can keep moving forward.

Virginia continues to see a significant decline in new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. New daily cases exceeded a seven-day moving average of 5,900 in early January and dropped under 250 by June 1, according to the governors office.

The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 peaked in early January with a seven-day moving average above 2,600 and had decreased to nearly 500 by June 1.

Deaths from COVID-19 reached a seven-day moving average of 83 in mid-January and fell below seven patients by June 1.

In Culpeper, the seven-day average of new cases in early June was one; there was a sudden spike on May 26 with 24 new cases reported in that single day. In the past week, 6 new cases of the virus were reported in Culpeper, according to VDH, and two new hospitalizations. In the five counties, VDH reports 191 have died from COVID-19 since March of 2020.
An 80-year-old Lincoln man has been arrested after police say he shot his wife in the head on Sunday morning, leaving the 78-year-old in critical condition at an area hospital.

Lincoln Police Department Officer Erin Spilker said the man, John Kotopka, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault and use of a weapon to commit a felony after the shooting at around 8 a.m. Sunday.

The arrest came after officers responded to a call from a man who said he was awakened by a gunshot in his family's house near 18th and Dakota streets, where he found his mother, Janet Kotopka, in their living room with a gunshot wound, Spilker said.

The man lived at the house with his parents.

Janet Kotopka was transported to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, where she remained in critical condition Monday morning. Spilker said interviews led to John Kotopka's arrest.

Spilker said the gun used in the shooting was recovered from the home, which was processed for evidence by crime scene technicians. John Kotopka was taken to the Lancaster County Jail.
DENVER (AP)  The Lockdown Drill Generation.

Thats what 17-year-old Ellie Perlmutter said shes part of. No, it has nothing to do with the pandemic. Its the generation of students that have had to participate in active shooter drills at school.

Approximately 95 percent of schools practice what to do in case a shooter enters their facility. And growing up in Colorado, Ellie has gone through her share of those drills.

I always feel really nervous. And I always want to make sure there is a solid plan in place because I often notice inconsistencies, or a lack of care, if people know its a drill, she explained.

After the 2019 STEM School shooting in Douglas County, Ellie was frustrated with the lack of action on gun laws. She talked with her mentor, a teacher at her school, about what they could do to help students. They got to talking about the active shooter drills and the mental effect and the toll they take on the students to have to go through them, she said. And its not just high school students, its elementary schoolers, its teachers, its other staff.
Hill, however, said that preventing child sex abuse requires teaching some of those controversial topics, even to young children. Using accurate names for body parts is important when talking about safe and unsafe touch and for reporting abuse, she said. Knowing that they can refuse unwanted touching also is important to protecting children.

She noted that LB 281 would require that schools teach about child sex abuse prevention but would not mandate that they use a particular curriculum. She said the lessons could be part of teaching about safety.

Michael Carnes, a Wayne man who survived childhood sexual abuse and has pushed for the Nebraska legislation, said he understands Albrechts decision to delay her bill. But he said that the measure is needed and that leaving it to parents to teach prevention can be problematic because sometimes parents are the abusers.

Kids need to know that sexual assault is wrong and that what they are experiencing is wrong, he said. We teach kids what to do in case of fire and in case of tornado. It blows my mind that we dont teach them what to do in case of sexual abuse.

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BANGKOK (AP)  Lawyers for Myanmar's ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, said Monday she told them some of the testimony against her was wrong in her trial on criminal charges that could send her to prison and end her political career.

In the trial, now in its second week. Suu Kyi is charged with illegally importing walkie-talkies for her bodyguards use, unlicensed use of the radios, spreading information that could cause public alarm or unrest, and violating COVID-19 pandemic restrictions during the 2020 election campaign.

Critics of the ruling military junta say the case is meant to discredit her and legitimize its seizure of power. The charges in the trial are relatively minor, but if she is convicted could keep her from contesting a new election promised by the military within two years of its takeover.

Even if Suu Kyi is acquitted, there are two more serious charges against her that have yet to go to trial: violating a state secrets act, a holdover from British colonial law that is punishable by up to 14 years imprisonment, and accepting bribes, which carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence.
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In addition, a veteran is honored and recognized with the Code Honor protocol upon his or her death in the hospital. It provides an honorable discharge from the hospital upon a veterans death by draping the stretcher with the American flag and having the veteran and family members escorted by security from the deceased veterans room. Code Honor not only shows the hospitals respect for the veteran, but also for the family.

The first year of the Veterans Recognition Program was a huge success, providing over 500 welcome kits for patients. The program also held four Code Honor protocols.

As a patient, I have never been treated with the care and respect I received at Atrium Health Cabarrus, one veteran patient recently said. I was treated like a hero because I am a veteran. During everyday visits from doctors and nurses, I was told, Thank you for your service.

Said Keselowski: At its core, the Checkered Flag Foundation is about giving back to those that have served our great nation and protected its freedoms. Being able to say thank you to our local heroes through the Veterans Recognition Program at Atrium Health Cabarrus is a true honor. With the program now in its second year, we are very excited to watch the program continue to grow and reach more veterans deserving of our ultimate gratitude.
US House passed pay raises of 10%-50% for military. The pay-increase bill was sent to the Senate without debate. Members hoped that the pay increase would make it unnecessary to induct any men under the draft, a hope that the Army did not have. (6/25)

T/5 Elliott Perry home. Before returning to the States for discharge, the local soldier attended three sessions of the Nuremberg war trials. Perry was 18 months in the ETO and has three Bronze Stars and Combat Infantryman Badge. He saw combat with the 329th (Buckshot) regiment of the 83rd (Thunderbolt) Infantry Division. (6/26)

MM3/c Bruce Everidge has been honorably discharged from the Navy after 23 months service. He was in the Seabees and saw service in New Caledonia and Japan after going overseas. He received his discharge at Camp Shelton, Virginia. (6/27)

Seventy-five years ago:

Statesville Daily Record, June 21-27, 1946  Home front

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Local calls average 21,414 a day. With such an unprecedented volume of calls coming through the switchboards, which were already heavily loaded, there are times when the operators may not be able to answer right at once with the customary Number, please. (6/21)
Tauranga-based electricity company Trustpower has agreed terms with Mercury for the conditional sale of its retail business.

In media releases, both companies confirm the acquisition of $441 million including the sale of its gas, telecommunications and retail electricity supply business, excluding the supply of electricity to commercial and industrial customers.

The transaction is conditional on several matters, including Commerce Commission clearance, completion of the proposed restructure of Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust and Trustpower shareholder approval.

The sale follows a strategic review from Trustpower to test market interest in its retail business.

Trustpower chairman Paul Ridley-Smith says there were several interested parties in the acquisition of the retail business.

We are pleased that our business will stay in local hands, with a future owner committed to retaining Trustpowers Tauranga and Oamaru offices for the foreseeable future.

Mercury clearly understands the business and the strategic value of a proven multi-product offering, quality customer base and opportunities for future growth, Paul says.

Mercury chief executive Vince Hawksworth says the acquisition will accelerate Mercurys retail strategy, which is centred on delivering the right product mix and value for customers.

Mercury and Trustpower are two highly complementary organisations, and this agreement would see the best of both being brought together for our customers, says Vince.

We know customers value the convenience and ease of bundled services in their home and Trustpower has deep expertise in bundling products in a way that people clearly appreciate. We see this adding material value to our customers and Mercury.

Bringing together the retail businesses of Mercury and Trustpower will also give us the scale to make meaningful investment in the underlying IT systems, driving greater innovation for our customers.

Vince says the strength of Trustpowers retail offering was underpinned by a highly skilled and motivated team, with approximately 500 staff focused on retail, based in Tauranga and Oamaru.

We see a huge amount of talent and capability across both organisations, each with a strong focus on delivering the best possible outcomes for customers. Were excited for how we can continue to build on this together, he states.

Trustpower chief executive David Prentice says the opportunities for employees has been an important consideration in this process.

The capability and performance of our people is what makes the difference for our customers, communities, and shareholders. The majority of employees will get the opportunity to transfer to Mercury and of the rest of the employees most will remain with the generation business, David says.

Trustpower state they are confident once Mercury completes the purchase it will maintain and enhance the value and quality of Trustpowers customer service.

As to the future, this is an exciting time for Trustpower. New Zealand needs to greatly increase renewable energy generation to aid the de-carbonisation and electrification of the economy and we are in a unique position to play a role in helping the country achieve its climate change targets, says Prentice.

Trustpower says it will consider capital structure, dividend policy and opportunities for re-investment of the proceeds as settlement of the transaction approaches.

A further update will be provided at the Annual Shareholder meeting on September, 22.

The sale of the business will take effect following the conditions of the sale being met, which is expected to be late 2021 or early 2022.
This letter to you has been a decade in the making, and I sincerely apologize that it has taken me this long to put pen to paper. I wish that you were still here on earth with us to read this. The only thing that would make me happier would be to be able to sit with you on your front porch and tell you how much you have meant to me.

As I am writing this letter to you, I am reminiscing about the first time that I met you. It was about 13 years ago and I had just become a police officer with the Marion Police Department. I had been assigned a parking detail at Mt. Pleasant Methodist Church. I was dreading the assignment because working a parking detail isnt what most officers would consider a fun, exciting assignment. Little did I know that I would meet a petite, elderly African American lady there who would have a profound influence on my life. I remember when I first introduced myself to you. What transpired quickly made me forget about the mind-numbing duties associated with the parking detail. You started telling me about your life and what is known as Sallies Crying Tree and how your grandmother had used the tall oak tree for companionship and support so many years ago. You told me about how your grandmothers family was sold to a slave trader in Lynchburg, Va., and your grandmother had been bought to serve as a house maid in Marion. I tried to picture in my mind what it must have been like for your grandmother to not only live her life as a slave, but how it must have felt for her to be all alone with no one to confide in, no one to offer her support, no one to give her a simple hug and tell her that they love her.
Compensation adjustment, especially in the new labor market, is going to be necessary, but thats not going to turn the whole thing around, he said. Whats going to turn it around is restoring confidence in the law enforcement profession, that theyre supported by their communities, by their leaders and by their leadership in the department.

While the Marion PD largely has the support of the community it serves and the towns leaders, Clair said both the community and law enforcement still feel the social and political pressures felt in the rest of the state and country.

We need to seriously consider pulling that back, he said. That doesnt mean that criticism of improper policing stops or political goals arent met, but the rhetoric needs to come down if we expect to fill law enforcement positions.

Clair said he and Hamm have made it a priority to help boost morale within the department.

Were encouraging confidence in all our staff to remind them of how vital their role is in the community for safety, and for prevention and detection of crime. Classic policing is still a valid societal function and it is necessary, Clair said.

The two men were clear that the Marion Police Department is not currently in crisis.
Bushehr is fueled by uranium produced in Russia, not Iran, and is monitored by the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA acknowledged being aware of reports about the plant, but declined to comment.

Construction on the plant, on the coast of the northern reaches of the Persian Gulf, began under Iran's Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the mid-1970s. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the plant was repeatedly targeted in the Iran-Iraq war. Russia later completed construction of the facility.

The plant, which sits near active fault lines and was built to withstand powerful quakes, has been periodically shaken by temblors. There have been no significant earthquakes reported in the area in recent days.

Meanwhile, the European Union on Sunday chaired the final meeting in Vienna of the sixth round of talks between Russia, China, Germany, France, Britain and Iran.

The nations involved in the negotiations have been trying to resolve the major outstanding issues on how to return the U.S. into the landmark nuclear agreement, which then-President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of unilaterally in 2018. Trump also restored and augmented sanctions to try to force Tehran into renegotiating the pact with more concessions.

The meeting was the first since Irans hard-line judiciary chief won a landslide victory in the countrys presidential election last Friday. Some diplomats expressed concern that the election of Irans incoming President Ebrahim Raisi could complicate a possible return to the nuclear agreement.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
2000 block of Tibbetts Drive, Longview. Saturday. Black and silver Dongfong scooter taken sometime after 8 p.m. Washington 6F5092.

200 block of Allen Street, Kelso. Sunday. Red 2001 Ford Ranger. Occurred sometime overnight.

Thefts

1000 block of Third Avenue, Kelso. Friday. Package taken. Video of theft available.

1000 block of 15th Avenue, Longview. Saturday. Two paintball guns stolen, worth about $90 to $100.

3100 block of Ocean Beach Highway, Longview. Sunday. Gold Schwinn bike taken. Bike lock cut while owner was working at Fred Meyer.

Vandalism/malicious mischief

400 block of Inverness Road, Woodland. Friday. Mailbox knocked off its post.

1500 block of Second Avenue, Kelso. Friday. Vandalism to vehicle and home.

2200 block of 48th Avenue, Longview. Friday. Lantern pushed over and damaged.

3700 block of Ocean Beach Highway, Longview. Friday. Razor blade stuck in tire.

North Seventh Avenue and Cowlitz Way, Kelso. Saturday. Passenger of another vehicle threw rocks, cracked windshield.
COOS BAY, Ore. (AP)  Police searched Friday for a suspect believed to have killed three people in wave of violence that included a hit-and-run crash and a shooting at a pot shop in a small Oregon city.

The first person found dead was struck by a pickup truck at an RV park in the coastal city of North Bend, about 220 miles (354 kilometers) southwest of Portland, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. A woman also was injured in the crash and taken to a hospital, where she was in critical condition, Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier said at a news conference.

A few minutes after the wreck, police received reports of gunshots at a cannabis shop, where one person was killed. Officials believe the same suspect is responsible for the shooting and the hit-and-run crash.

After the shooting, Frasier said the suspect went to a nearby sporting goods store and bought more ammunition.
Bitcoin slid Monday amid a fraying appetite for riskier investments and an intensifying cryptocurrency crackdown in China.

The largest virtual currency fell as much as 9% to $32,605 and was trading a little under $33,000 as of 7:40 a.m. in London. Ether, the second-biggest token, declined as much as 11%.

The selloff came amid a broader retreat in assets like stocks and commodities in the wake of last weeks hawkish policy pivot by the Federal Reserve. Bitcoin was already under pressure over the weekend after a Chinese city was said to have begun a sweeping clampdown on crypto mining firms, just the latest step by officials in the worlds second-largest economy to rein in the industry.

If, as I expect, the global buy-everything unwind continues this week, Bitcoin will feel those chill winds as well, said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at Oanda Asia Pacific Pte.

A government official in Chinas Yaan told at least one Bitcoin miner that the city has promised to root out all Bitcoin and Ether mining operations within a year, said a person with knowledge of the situation.

Some commentators have said Chinas hashrate  the computational power used to mine coins and process blockchain transactions  is waning amid harsher regulatory oversight, rattling investors.

The crypto faithful are also grappling with a tumble in tokens used in so-called decentralized-finance  or DeFi  applications. DeFi apps let people lend, borrow, trade and take out insurance directly from each other using blockchain technology, without use of intermediaries such as banks.

DeFi Crash Accelerates With Some Once-Hot Investments Losing 50%

For instance, the DeFi Titanium token went from being valued at around $60 to $0  a rare occurrence even for famously volatile crypto markets. Famed mogul Mark Cuban had invested, telling Bloomberg News earlier that though it represented a small percentage of his crypto portfolio, the wipe-out was enough that I wasnt happy about it.

Bitcoin has been in a range between about $30,000 and $40,000 since last months collapse. The total market value of more than 8,000 coins tracked by CoinGecko is now at $1.5 trillion, down from a peak of about $2.6 trillion.
In the current circumstances, you would think that people would try to save more money for necessary things such as food. However, a new Canalys report says otherwise as the shipment of smartphones will grow by 12% this year. That's an estimated 1.4 billion units around the world, but why is that so?

According to Canalys, several countries are still under lockdown (such as Malaysia) and as you know, the tourist industry took a heavy blow over the past year. Case in point, the unavailability of travelling for a holiday allowed the consumers to spend on something else such as new gadgets. Also, since most of the new smartphones from 2020 have 5G connectivity, 5G phones account for 37% of the global shipment in Q1 2021 and it's expected to rise to 43% (610 million units) if the momentum continues.

Canalys also predicted that with the rolling out of 5G phones as the norm, phone brands may sacrifice some functions so that 5G can be integrated. 5G phones will also be a normal thing to have that cost less than $300 in the future, as many people are switching to it as we speak. Besides that, desktops, laptops and workstations shipment is increasing as well. To date, it has hit 82.7 million units of Q1 2021 which is a 55% increase from 2020.

While it looks good for business, this is not the case for semiconductors. In case you missed the news, the processors and chips shortage continues and brands may have to increase the price tag due to limitations. This is certainly challenging, especially for Malaysians who are price sensitive so brands must balance carefully at both quality and price. Otherwise, they could lose out since the competition is fierce.

If you would like to read the full report, you can visit Canalys' website right over here. Stay safe, stay healthy and stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.
We all know that Xiaomi puts a lot of effort into its flagship smartphones' cameras by using top-notch camera sensors or unique photo-processing algorithms. To further promote the cameras, the Chinese tech giant has created its own movie studio that focuses on shooting films with Xiaomi smartphones.

Today, the name of the movie studio has been revealed and it's called "Xiaomi Studios". It is said that the studio could be focusing on shooting short films like the ones made by Apple but also expanding upon the idea. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer has also announced the XIAOMI CREATOR programme to encourage content creators to explore their creativity by shooting movies with smartphone cameras.

This could be a good marketing strategy for Xiaomi to promote its camera features. Despite their limited functions compared to equipment used to shoot high budget films, smartphone cameras are actually capable of shooting high-quality videos nowadays. Previously, we've seen quite a few works including music videos, short films, and more experimenting with smartphone cameras, and we wouldn't even notice that they weren't shot using professional cameras.

Let us know what you think about this news on our Facebook page. Stay tuned to TechNave.com for more interesting tech news.
In this Nov. 20, 2020, file photo a U.S. Department of Homeland Security plaque is displayed a podium as international passengers arrive at Miami international Airport where they are screened by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Miami. The damned-if-you-pay-damned-if-you-don't dilemma on ransomware payments has left U.S. officials fumbling about how to respond. While the Biden administration "strongly discourages" paying, it recognizes that failing to pay would be suicidal for some victims. Credit: AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File

If your business falls victim to ransomware and you want simple advice on whether to pay the criminals, don't expect much help from the U.S. government. The answer is apt to be: It depends.

"It is the position of the U.S. government that we strongly discourage the payment of ransoms," Eric Goldstein, a top cybersecurity official in the Department of Homeland Security, told a congressional hearing last week.

But paying carries no penalties and refusing would be almost suicidal for many companies, especially the small and medium-sized. Too many are unprepared. The consequences could also be dire for the nation itself. Recent high-profile extortive attacks led to runs on East Coast gas stations and threatened meat supplies.

Although the Biden administration has made battling ransomware crime a national security priority, public officials are fumbling over how to respond to the ransom payment dilemma. In an initial step, bipartisan legislation in the works would mandate immediate federal reporting of ransomware attacks to assist response, help identify the authors and even recoup ransoms, as the FBI did with most of the $4.4 million that Colonial Pipeline recently paid.

Without additional action soon, however, experts say ransoms will continue to skyrocket, financing better criminal intelligence-gathering and tools that only worsen the global crime wave.

President Joe Biden got no assurances from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva last week that cybercriminals behind the attacks won't continue to enjoy safe harbor in Russia. At minimum, Putin's security services tolerate them. At worst, they are working together.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said this month that she is in favor of banning payments. "But I don't know whether Congress or the president is" in favor, she said.

And as Goldstein reminded lawmakers, paying doesn't guarantee that you'll get your data back or that sensitive stolen files won't end up for sale in darknet criminal forums. Even if the ransomware crooks keep their word, you'll be financing their next round of attacks. And you may just get hit again.

In April, the then-top national security official in the Justice Department, John Demers, was lukewarm toward banning payments, saying it could put "us in a more adversarial posture vis-a-vis the victims, which is not where we want to be."

Perhaps most vehement about a payment ban are those who know ransomware criminals bestcybersecurity threat responders.

Lior Div, CEO of Boston-based Cybereason, considers them digital-age terrorists. "It is terrorism in a different form, a very modern one."

In this Oct. 19, 2020, file photo Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division John Demers takes a question from a reporter via teleconference at a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington. The damned-if-you-pay-damned-if-you-don't dilemma on ransomware payments has left U.S. officials fumbling about how to respond. In April, the then-top national security official in the Justice Department, John Demers, was lukewarm toward banning payments, saying it could put "us in a more adversarial posture vis-a-vis the victims, which is not where we want to be." Credit: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool

A 2015 British law prohibits U.K.-based insurance firms from reimbursing companies for the payment of terrorism ransoms, a model some believe should be applied universally to ransomware payments.

"Ultimately, the terrorists stopped kidnapping people because they realized that they weren't going to get paid," said Adrian Nish, threat intelligence chief at BAE Systems.

U.S. law prohibits material support for terrorists, but the Justice Department in 2015 waived the threat of criminal prosecution for citizens who pay terrorist ransoms.

"There's a reason why that's a policy in terrorism cases: You give too much power to the adversary," said Brandon Valeriano, a Marine Corps University scholar and senior adviser to the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, a bipartisan body created by Congress.

Some ransomware victims have taken principled stands against payments, the human costs be damned. One is the University of Vermont Health Network, where the bill for recovery and lost services after an October attack was upwards of $63 million.

Ireland, too, refused to negotiate when its national health care service was hit last month.

Five weeks on, health care information technology in the nation of 5 million remains badly hobbled. Cancer treatments are only partially restored, email service patchy, digital patient records largely inaccessible. People jam emergency rooms for lab and diagnostic tests because their primary care doctors can't order them. As of Thursday, 42% of the system's 4,000 computer servers still had not been decrypted.

The criminals turned over the software decryption key a week after the attackfollowing an unusual offer by the Russian Embassy to "help with the investigation"but the recovery has been a painful slog.

"A decryption key is not a magic wand or switch that can suddenly reverse the damage," said Brian Honan, a top Irish cybersecurity consultant. Every machine recovered must be tested to ensure it's infection-free.

Data indicate that most ransomware victims pay. The insurer Hiscox says just over 58% of its afflicted customers pay, while leading cyber insurance broker Marsh McLennan put the figure at roughly 60% for its affected U.S. and Canadian clients.

But paying doesn't guarantee anything near full recovery. On average, ransom-payers got back just 65% of the encrypted data, leaving more than a third inaccessible, while 29% said they got only half of the data back, the cybersecurity firm Sophos found in a survey of 5,400 IT decision-makers from 30 countries.

In this May 11, 2021 file photo Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington. The damned-if-you-pay-damned-if-you-don't dilemma on ransomware payments has left U.S. officials fumbling about how to respond. While the Biden administration "strongly discourages" paying, it recognizes that failing to pay would be suicidal for some victims. Granholm said this month that she is in favor of banning payments. "But I don't know whether Congress or the president is." Credit: AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File

In a survey of nearly 1,300 security professionals, Cybereason found that 4 in 5 businesses that chose to pay ransoms suffered a second ransomware attack.

That calculus notwithstanding, deep-pocketed businesses with insurance protection tend to pay up.

Colonial Pipeline almost immediately paid last month to get fuel flowing back to the U.S. East Coastbefore determining whether its data backups were robust enough to avoid payment. Later, meat-processing goliath JBS paid $11 million to avoid potentially interrupting U.S. meat supply, though its data backups also proved adequate to get its plants back online before serious damage.

It's not clear if concern about stolen data being dumped online influenced the decision of either company to pay.

Colonial would not say if fears of the 100 gigabytes of stolen data ending up in the public eye factored into the decision by CEO Joseph Blount to pay. JBS spokesperson Cameron Bruett said "our analysis showed no company data was exfiltrated." He would not say if the criminals claimed in their ransom note to have stolen data.

Irish authorities were fully aware of the risks. The criminals claim to have stolen 700 gigabytes of data. As yet, it has not surfaced online.

Public exposure of such data can lead to lawsuits or lost investor confidence, which makes it manna for criminals. One ransomware gang seeking to extort a major U.S. corporation published a nude photo of the chief executive's adult son on its leak site last week.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, has asked in written requests to know more about the JBS and Colonial cases as well as CNA Insurance. Bloomberg News reported that CNA Insurance surrendered $40 million to ransomware criminals in March. The New York Democrat said, "Congress needs to take a hard look at how to break this vicious cycle."

Recognizing a lack of support for a ransom ban, Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner, D-Va., and other lawmakers want at least to compel greater transparency from ransomware victims, who often don't report attacks.

They are drafting a bill to make the reporting of breaches and ransom payments mandatory. They would need to be reported within 24 hours of detection, with the executive branch deciding on a case-by-case basis whether to make the information public.

But that won't protect unprepared victims from potentially going bankrupt if they don't pay. For that, various proposals have been put forward to provide financial assistance.

The Senate this month approved legislation that would establish a special cyber response and recovery fund to provide direct support to the most vulnerable private and public organizations hit by major cyberattacks and breaches.

Explore further Hit by a ransomware attack? Your payment may be deductible

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Germany's tougher stance against US digital giants came after new EU draft legislation unveiled in December aimed at curbing the power of the internet behemoths.

Germany on Monday opened an investigation against Apple over anti-competition practices, making the iPhone maker the fourth US tech giant to be hit by such probes.

The antitrust authority had in recent weeks opened similar investigations against Amazon, Google and Facebook under a new law that took effect in January giving regulators more powers to rein in big tech companies.

The watchdog said it has initiated the first stage of the probe to determine if Apple has "cross-market significance".

"An ecosystem extending across different markets can be one indication of such a position held by a company," said the authority. "Such positions of power can make it very hard for other companies to counter it."

Andreas Mundt, who heads the Federal Cartel Office, said his service will look at whether Apple has established such a digital ecosystem across several markets around the iPhone with its proprietary operating system iOS.

"A key focus of the investigation will be the operation of the App Store, because in many cases, it empowers Apple to have an influence on the business activities of third parties," he added.

An Apple spokesperson underlined the company's contribution to the employment market in Germany, saying its iOS app economy supported 250,000 jobs.

"We look forward to discussing our approach with the FCO and having an open dialogue about any of their concerns," said the spokesperson in a statement.

'Sufficient choice'

Following the first stage of the probe, the cartel office said it might then look at other specific issues after it received complaints from "several companies against potential anticompetitive practices."

This included a complaint against the company's alleged tracking restrictions of users in connection with the introduction of the iOS 14.5 operating system.

It added that complaints had also been filed by app developers disputing the usage of Apple's system for in-app purchases.

Germany's tougher stance against the digital giants came after new EU draft legislation unveiled in December aimed at curbing the power of the internet behemoths that could shake up the way Silicon Valley can operate in the 27-nation bloc.

The push to tighten legislation comes as big tech companies are facing increasing pressure around the globe, including in the United States, where Google and Facebook are facing antitrust suits.

Besides looking at the reach of the companies, scrutiny often extends to privacy issues.

In its investigation targeting Google, for instance, the German cartel office said it was examining if consumers who wish to use the search engine giant's services "have sufficient choice as to how Google will use their data".

The multinationals are also facing a crackdown from Western governments seeking to claw back taxes which they fear had been channeled unfairly into tax havens.

Germany and France have joined calls from the United States to impose a global minimum corporate tax of at least 15 percent, a move which targets multinationals like Amazon and Google.

Critics have repeatedly warned that many of the world's biggest companies use tax havens or exploit loopholes to pay far less in taxes than some individuals.

Explore further Germany opens antitrust probe into Amazon with tougher law

 2021 AFP
Victims of ransomware attacks are typically presented with a screen like this. Credit: TechnoLlama, CC BY

In their Carbis Bay communique, the G7 announced their intention to work together to tackle ransomware groups. Days later, U.S. president Joe Biden met with Russian president Vladimir Putin, where an extradition process to bring Russian cybercriminals to justice in the U.S. was discussed. Putin reportedly agreed in principle, but insisted that extradition be reciprocal. Time will tell if an extradition treaty can be reached. But if it is, who exactly should extraditedand what for?

The problem for law enforcement is that ransomwarea form of malware used to steal organizations' data and hold it to ransomis a very slippery fish. Not only is it a blended crime, including different offenses across different bodies of law, but it's also a crime that straddles the remit of different policing agencies and, in many cases, countries. And there is no one key offender. Ransomware attacks involve a distributed network of different cybercriminals, often unknown to each other to reduce the risk of arrest.

So it's important to look at these attacks in detail to understand how the U.S. and the G7 might go about tackling the increasing number of ransomware attacks we've seen during the pandemic, with at least 128 publicly disclosed incidents taking place globally in May 2021.

What we find when we connect the dots is a professional industry far removed from the organized crime playbook, which seemingly takes its inspiration straight from the pages of a business studies manual.

The ransomware industry is responsible for a huge amount of disruption in today's world. Not only do these attacks have a crippling economic effect, costing billions of dollars in damage, but the stolen data acquired by attackers can continue to cascade down through the crime chain and fuel other cybercrimes.

Ransomware attacks are also changing. The criminal industry's business model has shifted towards providing ransomware as a service. This means operators provide the malicious software, manage the extortion and payment systems and manage the reputation of the "brand". But to reduce their exposure to the risk of arrest, they recruit affiliates on generous commissions to use their software to launch attacks.

This has resulted in an extensive distribution of criminal labor, where the people who own the malware are not necessarily the same as those who plan or execute ransomware attacks. To complicate things further, both are assisted in committing their crimes by services offered by the wider cybercrime ecosystem.

How do ransomware attacks work?

There are several stages to a ransomware attack, which I have teased out after analyzing over 4,000 attacks from between 2012 and 2021.

First, there's the reconnaissance, where criminals identify potential victims and access points to their networks. This is followed by a hacker gaining "initial access", using log-in credentials bought on the dark web or obtained through deception.

Once initial access is gained, attackers seek to escalate their access privileges, allowing them to search for key organizational data that will cause the victim the most pain when stolen and held to ransom. This is why hospital medical records and police records are often the target of ransomware attacks. This key data is then extracted and saved by criminalsall before any ransomware is installed and activated.

Next comes the victim organization's first sign that they've been attacked: the ransomware is deployed, locking organizations from their key data. The victim is quickly named and shamed via the ransomware gang's leak website, located on the dark web. That "press release" may also feature threats to share stolen sensitive data, with the aim of frightening the victim into paying the ransom demand.

Successful ransomware attacks see the ransom paid in cryptocurrency, which is difficult to trace, and converted and laundered into fiat currency. Cybercriminals often invest the proceeds to enhance their capabilitiesand to pay affiliatesso they don't get caught.

The cybercrime ecosystem

While it's feasible that a suitably skilled offender could perform each of the functions, it's highly unlikely. To reduce the risk of being caught, offender groups tend to develop and master specialist skills for different stages of an attack. These groups benefit from this inter-dependency, as it offsets criminal liability at each stage.

And there are plenty of specializations in the cybercrime underworld. There are spammers, who hire out spamware-as-a-service software that phishers, scammers, and fraudsters use to steal people's credentials, and databrokers who trade these stolen details on the dark web.

They might be purchased by "initial access brokers", who specialize in gaining initial entry to computer systems before selling on those access details to would-be ransomware attackers. These attackers often engage with crimeware-as-a-service brokers, who hire out ransomware-as-a-service software as well as other malicious malware.

To coordinate these groups, darkmarketeers provide online markets where criminals can openly sell or trade services, usually via the Tor network on the dark web. Monetisers are there to launder cryptocurrency and turn it into fiat currency, while negotiators, representing both victim and offender, are hired to settle the ransom amount.

This ecosystem is constantly evolving. For example, a recent development has been the emergence of the "ransomware consultant", who collects a fee for advising offenders at key stages of an attack.

Arresting offenders

Governments and law enforcement agencies appear to be ramping up their efforts to tackle ransomware offenders, following a year blighted by their continued attacks. As the G7 met in Cornwall in June 2021, Ukrainian and South Korean police forces coordinated to arrest elements of the infamous CL0P ransomware gang. In the same week, Russian national Oleg Koshkin was convicted by a U.S. court for running a malware encryption service that criminal groups use to perform cyberattacks without being detected by antivirus solutions.

While these developments are promising, ransomware attacks are a complex crime involving a distributed network of offenders. As the offenders have honed their methods, law enforcers and cybersecurity experts have tried to keep pace. But the relative inflexibility of policing arrangements, and the lack of a key offender (Mr or Mrs Big) to arrest, may always keep them one step behind the cybercriminalseven if an extradition treaty is struck between the U.S. and Russia.

Explore further NCCoE preliminary draft report on ransomware risk management

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Quantifying electric fields in semiconductor devices: The schematic shows electric field distribution in the channel of a GaN transistor; laser beams highlight the second harmonic generation (SHG) nature of the technique. Credit: Yuke Cao

Researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered a method which will allow for faster communication systems and better energy saving electronics.

The breakthrough was made by establishing how to remotely measure the electric field inside a semiconductor device for the first time. A semiconductor is a material, such as Silicon, which can be used in electronic devices to control electric current.

Now, in this new study, published today in Nature Electronics, scientists outline how to precisely quantify this electric field, meaning next generation power and radio frequency electronic devices can be developed which have the potential to be faster, and more reliable, as well as more energy efficient.

Semiconductor device design can be trial and error, though more commonly it is based on a device simulation which then provides the basis for the manufacture of the semiconductor devices for real life applications. When these are new and emerging semiconductor materials, it has often been unknown how accurate and correct these simulations actually are.

Prof Martin Kuball of the University of Bristol's School of Physics said: "Semiconductors can be made to conduct positive or negative charges and can therefore be designed to modulate and manipulate current. However, these semiconductor devices do not stop with Silicon, there are many others including Gallium Nitride (used in blue LEDs for example). These semiconductor devices, which for instance convert an AC current from a power line into a DC current, result in a loss of energy as waste heatlook at your laptop for example, the power brick is getting warm or even hot. If we could improve efficiency and reduce this waste heat, we will save energy.

"One applies a voltage to an electronic device, and as a result there is an output current used in the application. Inside this electronic device is an electric field which determines how this device works and how long it will be operational and how good its operation is. No one could actually measure this electric field, so fundamental to the device operation. One always relied on simulation which is hard to trust unless you can actually test its accuracy."

To make good performance and long lasting electronic devices out of these new materials it is important that researchers find the optimal design, where electric fields do not exceed the critical value which would result in their degradation or failure. Experts plan to use newly emerging materials such as Gallium Nitride and Gallium Oxide rather than Silicon, allowing operation at higher frequency and at higher voltages, respectively, so that new circuits are possible which reduce energy loss. This work published by the University of Bristol group will provide an optical tool to enable the direct measurement of electric field within these new devices. This will underpin future efficient power electronics in applications such as solar or wind turbine stations feeding into the national grid, electric cars, trains and planes. Reduced energy loss means societies do not need to produce as much energy in the first place.

Prof Kuball said: "Considering that these devices are operated at higher voltages, this also means electric fields in the devices are higher and this in turn means they can fail easier. The new technique we have developed enables us to quantify electric fields within the devices, allowing accurate calibration of the device simulations that in turn design the electronic devices so the electric fields do not exceed critical limits and fail."

Prof Kuball and his team plan to work with key industrial stake holders to apply the technique to advance their device technology. Within an academic context, they will engage with partners within the $12M US Department of Energy (DOE) ULTRA centre, they are partnered in, to use this technique to make ultra-wide bandgap device technology a reality, allowing energy savings in excess of 10% across the globe.

"This development helps the UK and the world to develop energy saving semiconductor devices, which is a step towards a carbon neutral society," he added.

Explore further New material to pave the way for more efficient electronic devices

More information: Electric field mapping of wide-bandgap semiconductor devices at a submicrometre resolution, Nature Electronics (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41928-021-00599-5 Electric field mapping of wide-bandgap semiconductor devices at a submicrometre resolution,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41928-021-00599-5 The technique was developed as part of an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) project. Journal information: Nature Electronics
US director Steven Spielberg has since dismissed as false claims that he previously tried to bar Netflix from Oscars competition.

Steven Spielberg will produce multiple new films for Netflix every year, the company said Monday, in a major deal that highlights how fully Hollywood has embraced streaming platforms.

The partnership with arguably Tinseltown's top director is a coup for Netflix at a time when competition with streaming rivals including Disney+ and HBO Max is heating up.

It also follows reports that Spielberg had been skeptical about streaming in recent years, and had even moved to bar Netflix films from Oscars eligibilityclaims that the legendary "Jaws" and "Schindler's List" director has since dismissed as false.

In a joint statement about the Netflix deal, Spielberg praised "this new avenue for our films" as an "amazing opportunity to tell new stories together and reach audiences in new ways."

Spielberg also praised his close relationship with Netflix co-CEO and content chief Ted Sarandos, a former industry outsider who has risen to become one of Hollywood's top power brokers.

"We cannot wait to get to work with the Amblin team and we are honored and thrilled to be part of this chapter of Steven's cinematic history," said Sarandos.

Spielberg's Amblin Partners will continue to make content for Universal, one of Tinseltown's oldest major studios, while his upcoming "West Side Story" will be released by Disney-owned 20 Century Studios.

Monday's announcement does not specify whether Spielberg, who in recent years has produced many more films than he has directed, will personally direct any of the Netflix movies.

But the deal comes as the industry pivots from a model that insisted on lengthy, exclusive "windows" for movie theater releases, to one in which major films often appear on streaming platforms simultaneously or very soon after they hit the big screenor even skip theaters altogether.

That move has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Another production by Spielberg's Amblin, "The Trial of the Chicago 7," was intended for theatrical release by Paramount but ended up on Netflix last year while thousands of movie theaters were closed.

Monday's deal also did not say whether Spielberg's films for Netflix would also appear on the big screen first.

Other top directors who have recently joined forces with Netflix include Martin Scorsese ("The Irishman"), Spike Lee ("Da 5 Bloods") and David Fincher ("Mank").

As well as "West Side Story"which is due in theaters in December after being delayed by the pandemicSpielberg, 74, is currently developing a semi-autobiographical film about his childhood in the southwestern state of Arizona.

Explore further Apple teams with Steven Spielberg on video expansion

 2021 AFP
The VB 10,000 crane vessel completed its cut of Section 3 from the shipwrecked Golden Ray in the St. Simons Sound at around daybreak Thursday, ending an eight-week ordeal stymied by dense steel brackets and a massive internal fire.
Looking for in-depth reporting on labor issues? You're in the right place.

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AMPLIFIED MESSAGE: Elizabeth Crotty, a Democratic candidate for Manhattan District Attorney, took her law-and-order message to Washington Square Park June 17, where she called for legislators to dial back bail-reform laws and to give judges increased discretion on how to deal with offenders. She was flanked by leaders and members of the citys police unions, including, to her left, Paul DiGiacomo, the president of the Detectives' Endowment Association, and, to her right, Christopher Monahan, the president of the Captains Endowment Association.
As stated by Wendy Wood, a research psychologist at the University of Southern California, and reported by the Washington Post, we carry two sets of habits with us as we take one step closer to resuming our pre-pandemic lives. They consist of those that existed before the pandemic and those that were established during. The question is which behaviors will prevail: the good ones or the bad ones? And well have to choose which to repeat, says Wood, who is also the author of the book, Good Habits, Bad Habits. At present, it seems to be a toss-up.

Sometimes, it can feel like a battle when youre trying to change habits, especially when many people have been isolated (during the pandemic), therapist and mental health podcast host Celeste Viciere adds. While bad habits have crept in during the pandemic, some existing good habits have intensified.

Smoking cigarettes is a prime example. In recent years, we have seen significant declines in smoking. According to healthypeople.gov, the cigarette smoking rate among adults aged 18 years and over decreased by 31.6% between 2008 and 2017. For the first time, the observed rate had fallen below 15%, which puts the targeted rate of 12% seemingly in sight.
But last week, everybody had their eyes on ERCOT  the Electric Reliability Council of Texas  to watch a daily competition between the amount of electricity available and the amount of electricity demanded. Theyre rooting for available, too aware after February of the scary things that can happen when demand wins the race and Texans who need power cant get it.

Its a trust thing. At the beginning of February, its safe to assume that most Texans had no idea what ERCOT is, what it does or why its important. And because the states electric generators couldnt produce the power they were obligated to produce during that storm, forcing ERCOT to order blackouts, weve all got the fidgets.

What wasnt even entering our minds a few months ago is now front and center. Were not taking our electricity for granted at the moment. ERCOTs forecasts for this summer were that heat-related blackouts were possible. Now the prospect is real: The heat and the air conditioners and our memories of February are making it hard for the governor to direct our attention to his efforts to deal with an increase in migrants at the border.

He insisted Wednesday  emphatically and in a raised voice  that his call for a border wall isnt driven by politics, and that anyone who says otherwise doesnt know what theyre talking about.
I cant rule out we have visitors from other planets. But we need clear evidence. We need a clear photo for instance. So far, we do not have such evidence.

Q: So does that mean the UFOs are not real?

A: Well, you can often debunk one story, but you will then get another story and someone will say, OK, but explain this one.

In one video, a pilot said the UFO resembled a large Tic Tac mint and that it was defying the laws of physics over the ocean and moving fast. The problem here is that we dont know how far away it was. If it was high above the ocean, then the apparent motion is likely due to the airplane and not the object.

This is called parallax. You can often find answers like this, and so on.

So I am not optimistic that we will be shown extraordinary evidence where there is no natural explanation for what is seen.

Q: So you are saying that you can rule out most UFO sightings as something else and not a UFO?
Richwood, TX (77531)

Today

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 77F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Hackers are increasingly using ransomware as an effective tool to disrupt businesses and fund malicious activities.

A recent analysis by cybersecurity company Group-IB revealed ransomware attacks doubled in 2020, while Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that a ransomware attack will occur every 11 seconds in 2021.

Businesses must prepare for the possibility of a ransomware attack affecting their data, services, and business continuity. What steps are involved in recovering from a ransomware attack?

Isolate and shutdown critical systems Enact your business continuity plan Report the cyberattack Restore from backup Remediate, patch, and monitor

Isolate and shutdown critical systems

The first important step is to isolate and shut down business-critical systems. There is a chance the ransomware has not affected all accessible data and systems. Shutting down and isolating both infected systems and healthy systems helps contain malicious code.

From the first evidence of ransomware on the network, containment should be a priority. Containment and isolation can include isolating systems from a network perspective or powering them down altogether.

Enact your business continuity plan

The business continuity plan and its disaster recovery component are essential to maintaining some level of business operations.

The business continuity plan is a step-by-step playbook that helps all departments understand how the business operates in times of disaster or other business-altering scenarios. The disaster recovery component details how critical data and systems can be restored and brought back online.

Report the cyberattack

Many businesses may hesitate to do so, but reporting the attack to customers, stakeholders, and law enforcement is essential. Law enforcement agencies can provide access to resources that may not be available otherwise.

You will also need to consider compliance regulations. The GDPR, for example, provides businesses with a 72-hour window to disclose a data breach involving customers' personal information.

Restore from backup

The best protective measure you have for your data is backups. However, restoring large quantities of data can be time-consuming, forcing the business to be offline for an extended period of time.

This situation highlights the need to discover and contain ransomware infections as quickly as possible to reduce the amount of data that needs recovering.

Remediate, patch, and monitor

In the final phase of recovering from a ransomware attack, companies remediate the ransomware infection, patch systems that may have led to the initial ransomware compromise, and monitor the environment closely for further malicious activity.

It is not unheard of for malicious activity to continue, even if the ransom is paid, or if infected systems were restored. If the same vulnerability exists that led to the initial attack, the environment can become compromised once again.

Remediate common entry points for ransomware

As businesses look to bolster the environment against ransomware and other malicious threats, it is crucial to look at the common entry points for these types of attacks.

Cyberattacks use phishing attacks to harvest stolen credentials which can then be used to launch a ransomware attack, or access systems directly.

Prevention and next steps

Businesses must not be careless in handling password security, especially with Active Directory user accounts. Unfortunately, Active Directory does not have good native security tools for securing passwords in line with today's password security policy requirements.

Specops Password Policy provides breached password protection, disallowed password lists, and many other robust security features to protect your environment. It takes the very basic password policies available in Active Directory and aligns them with modern guidance from NIST and other cybersecurity authorities.

Learn more about Specops Password Policy and download a free trial to protect your environment from vulnerable passwords.
At the weeklong rendezvous in Cairo, re-enactors portray the trappers and traders. Over the course of the two weekends of the event, the public is welcomed to come to the rendezvous and mix with the re-enactors. During the week, the encampment is closed to the public and re-enactors recreate history down to its finest detail.

Dennis Souba of Omaha, who represents the High Plains Regional Rendezvous, said the event being held near Cairo is a five-state regional rendezvous  Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas.

What we do is re-enact and relive the fur trading era of the 1840s to the 1850s, Souba said. What we try to do is portray, in our costumes, living and cooking environments and everything we do, is to portray the time.

Souba is the events Booshway, which is what the leader of the party of trappers was called during the early 1800s. He would also be in charge of the annual summer rendezvous. The term comes from the French word bourgeois  meaning middle class.

Souba said he expects about 150 camps during the weeklong event or about 250 people.

He said the event is also drawing folks from across the country.

Souba said the rendezvous was born of necessity.
Out of the 49 counties in this heritage area, already 29 have passed these resolutions, Hall County Commissioner Karen Bredthauer told The Independent.

Bredthauer spoke against the plan, comparing it to the federal 30x30 plan being proposed by President Joe Biden.

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What they want to do is claim this is cultural, and they want to grab it onto important people, like Willa Cather or Dick Cavett, she said. They wrap something important around these 49 counties and say it is cultural heritage, but instead it goes to Congress and its like an overlap of being able to take land.

Many counties in the proposed area already have tourism agencies supported by local and state tax dollars, Bredthauer noted.

This is going to be a government overreach, she said.

A letter to the Willa Cather Foundation in Red Cloud from the office of Gov. Pete Ricketts expresses opposition to seeking the designation: While we appreciate the important contributions of Willa Cather and her writings to that area and the state of Nebraska as a whole, this designation poses the risk of federal overreach in our communities.

The designation requires National Park Service and U.S. Congress approval.
Heres what we do know, the governor said. 30 x 30 will not only have major consequences for private property rights, but also for the states tax base and economy. Unlike states in the western part of the country where there are already significant amounts of federally owned lands, 97% of land in Nebraska is privately owned. Federally owned land is not taxed, and restrictions will reduce our ability to develop it for agriculture, infrastructure or businesses. If 30% of land in Nebraska is set aside for conservation, it will shift the property tax burden onto fewer farmers, ranchers, homeowners and business owners. Right now, the federal government pays about $2.50 per acre on average in lieu of taxes on land it holds with conservation easements. Even if a land trust holds the conservation easement, the lands potential taxable value is still greatly reduced. This leaves fewer taxpayers to pay for schools, roads, bridges and other services. This would mean everyone elses taxes would go up. And if land would be taken out of land use, that puts pressure on the rest of the land, which would result in many other adverse consequences.
KEARNEY  The University of Nebraska at Kearney will once again offer a three-week session in January 2022, giving students additional opportunities to earn credit hours and pursue experiential learning activities during the extended winter break.

Approved in April by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, the modified academic calendar pushes the start of UNKs spring semester back bScheduled to run Jan. 3-21, 2022, the optional three-week session allows students to choose from a variety of on-campus and online courses offered across UNKs three academic colleges. y two weeks, creating flexibility for students who want to expedite their path to graduation or lessen their course load in future terms.

These courses, ranging from one to three credit hours, count toward the spring 2022 semester.

The three-week session also provides time for experiential learning activities, such as internships or research opportunities.

UNK introduced the three-week session in January 2021 as part of its COVID-19 mitigation plan. Nearly 600 students enrolled in classes during the initial offering, generating close to 1,500 credit hours.

That success led to the decision to bring it back next year.
Suppose 675,000 patients take aducanumab by 2026. Thats a reasonable estimate  Biogens drug is the first endorsed by the FDA as targeting a possible cause of the disease, and nearly 2 million Medicare beneficiaries take available medicines that only ease symptoms. In that case, annual spending on the drug could exceed the $37 billion that Medicare spent on all Part B drugs in 2019. Well over $1 billion would flow to physicians and hospitals from the add-on fee alone. Additional charges for patient visits, scans and infusions would further increase the cost to Medicare. And if doctors make the profitable and FDA-enabled choice to treat more advanced patients where the evidence of benefit is nonexistent instead of merely inconclusive (Biogen only studied the medicine in patients with mild Alzheimers), the cost could soar further and faster.
Paris, TX (75460)

Today

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. High around 85F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 69F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
We just dont have space to do those kinds of things, he said.

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Theres also the issue of separating witnesses, suspects and victims adequately and providing more comforting spaces for victims of sexual assault. The list of needs is long, and Page said the old building is just too small.

Page said another consideration for the new station would be a private place for the citys tactical team to get ready before serving warrants and making other calls. Currently they do this in the parking lot of the police station, in full view of the public. Page said this has led to social media posts he worries could tip off those committing crimes.

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Looked like somebody was going to be hit this morning, he recalled one recent post saying. He said photographs and even live videos of the tactical team heading out have been posted.

Bechtel and Page also said one of the chief goals for the new station is to have a multi-use facility room that would serve as an emergency operation center in the event of a disaster.

So, Page and Bechtel said, in April the Farnsworth Group, a national engineering firm, was chosen to begin design work. Also in recent months, Holland Construction Services, from Swansea, was hired to manage the construction project.
Its not enough to just tackle the problem of violence after it occurs, we have to identify some root causes, and I think education is one way to help reduce discrimination, to encourage young people and students to have more empathy and more compassion for people who have different identities from themselves, Pai said.

The bill requires schools to teach about Asian American history at the U.S., state and regional level. The proposed curriculum covers topics from Chinese workers on the Transcontinental Railroad and South Asian silk traders to contemporary issues like Islamophobia and the DREAM Act, according to materials provided by the advocacy group.

Lawmakers identified resources for educators, including the Public Broadcasting Services Asian Americans, a five-hour film series, and 30 supplemental lesson plans on Asian Americans ongoing role in shaping the nations story.

If Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs the bill into law, school boards would get to determine the amount of instructional time needed for the unit. The bill does not impose any new penalties or fines if school fail to add the lessons, Gong-Gershowitzs office said.

The Illinois State Board of Education was neutral on the measure, which the Illinois House approved 108-10. Most of the no votes were cast by Downstate Republicans.
Saudi Arabia was one of the first to respond after the crisis erupted, sending its foreign minister to Jordan and affirming its support for the king. Key Western and Arab countries also publicly backed the king, an indispensable ally in an unstable region.

Hamzah has denied sedition claims, saying he is being punished for calling out corruption and mismanagement. The royal palace declined comment when asked Sunday if the prince can move without restrictions and can communicate with others.

Awadallah and bin Zaid are the most senior establishment figures to appear before the security court, which typically goes after drug offenders or suspected militants.

Defense lawyer Mohammad Afeef, who represents Awadallah, told journalists after Monday's session that the defendants entered not guilty pleas. He said the court heard two prosecution witnesses, and that another session would be held Tuesday.

Some critics have expressed skepticism about the case, saying the purported evidence leaked so far does not appear to support the grave charges.

From day one, it's about leaks, said political analyst Amer Sabaileh. " They talked at the beginning about a coup, now a plot, and we ended up with something more like gossip.

Holding the trial behind closed doors could further erode public faith in the proceedings, he said. All the world knows that these people were arrested, he said. Then we should not keep it a secret.

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WATCH NOW: Officers, Rotarian honored for service; Morning club supports local, global efforts

T&D CORRESPONDENT YON LINE Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Officer II Devon Gilmore receives the Service Above Self award from Chief Michael Adams. T&D CORRESPONDENT YON LINE Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office Capt. James Green presents the Service Above Self Award to Deputy Jonnie Felder. T&D CORRESPONDENT YON LINE S.C. Highway Patrol Troop 7/Post B Capt. Nicklous W. King, left, presents the Service Above Self award to Trooper Alante T. Snell. T&D CORRESPONDENT YON LINE Amber Kadlowec was presented with the 2021 Rotarian of the Year award.

Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living.

That quote from physicist Albert Einstein could serve as the testimony of those honored at the Rotary Club of Orangeburg-Mornings 23rd Service Above Self banquet.

The club recognized area law enforcement officers and one of their very own for selfless service during the banquet, held at the Orangeburg Country Club on June 17.

The banquet was held to honor the law enforcement officers of the year from the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety, the Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office and the South Carolina Highway Patrol  Troop 7. The clubs Rotarian of the Year was also presented with an award.

We may be small, but we do great things in the Orangeburg community, club President Brenda Austin said.

She noted all that the club does in the local community and to support service efforts throughout the world, from providing dictionaries to third graders throughout Orangeburg to supporting polio prevention projects across the globe.

ODPS Chief Michael Adams presented Public Safety Officer II Devon Gilmore with his award. Adams cited Gilmores character.

WATCH NOW: 'Inspire and motivate': Orangeburg businesswoman gets character honor Brenda Austin has a charming personality that has endeared her to many in her community with whom she has worked in a variety of capacities.

I dont have a son. I have two girls. Thank goodness theyre not like me, but if I had a son, I could only hope and pray that he would be like Mr. Gilmore, Adams said.

Gilmore worked for the city as an animal control officer before finding his way to ODPS.

IN PHOTOS: Orangeburg Morning Rotary Service Above Self Awards

I knew him before he ever came with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety. His reputation was such that I just really felt compelled to meet him. His relationship with some of the area animal rescues, the things that he would do to help to find placement for stray, injured animals  that really just kind of speaks to his character, Adams said.

Service Above Self: Rotary Club honors communitys officers for protecting others The Rotary Club of Orangeburg recognized three area law enforcement officers and named its Rotarian of the Year at the 22nd annual Service Above Self awards banquet.

Adams continued, I did get him to come to work for the Department of Public Safety working in our animal support services. He took to that like a duck to water. I had so many people calling in, talking about the caliber of his work and his passion for the job. I told him that I felt like there were some things the he needed to do, and one of those was to get his Class 1 law enforcement certification. He agreed.

The chief cited the 29-year-olds infectious smile and willingness to go above and beyond his duties as among the things that make him an incredible man" and valued team member.

OCSO Capt. James Green presented Deputy Jonnie Felder with his award.

Im so excited tonight to be able to do this for him. It is definitely well deserved. Deputy Jonnie Felder has been vividly serving the citizens of Orangeburg County for four years, Green said.

Felder serves as a school resource officer at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler K-12 School in Norway. A graduate of Elloree High School, Felder went on to earn a bachelors degree in criminal justice from Claflin University. He is retired from the South Carolina National Guard after 30 years of service.

Green said Felders willingness to serve community members everywhere, from schools and nursing homes to apartment complexes and churches, was commendable.

He has hosted several community events. ... The list goes on and on and on. Thats the exciting thing about it. He never stops. He loves what he does, and that makes a difference when youre in law enforcement. He has touched many families and children with his selfless service, Green said.

SCHP Capt. Nicklous W. King of Troop 7 presented Trooper Alante T. Snell with his Service Above Self award. He said Snell exemplified the same values as those of Rotary members.

He serves his community in multiple capacities, not only to better himself but also the betterment of local communities and his country, King said.

Snell, a Lake Marion High School graduate, went on to enlist in the U.S. Army National Guard, which he has served for the past six years. He is currently assigned to the 133rd Military Police Company.

Later in 2018, in an effort to better serve his community and be a positive role model, he began his service with the South Carolina Highway Patrol. After patrol school, he was assigned to Troop 7, Post B, which serves Orangeburg and Calhoun counties, King said.

Snell also went on to earn a bachelors degree in criminal justice from Claflin University.

He devoted himself to his school work and his military service. In doing so, there were many struggles and setbacks along the way with all these extra duties  however, he never lost focus, King said.

Through it all, he remains humble, diligently strives to give back to his community, the same community that has provided him with so many opportunities, he said.

Amber Kadlowec was presented with the 2021 Rotarian of the Year Award and was praised for her dependability and willingness to work on the variety of projects Rotary is involved in, including her own task of overseeing a project to help increase primary care, dental care, womens health and other health services in the Orangeburg area.

Kadlowec is site administrator at HopeHealth in Orangeburg, a local clinic specializing in the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases which is now also providing primary health care for an increased population.

Kadlowec said, Im not a big public speaker either, but thank you so much. Totally unexpected. Im going to cry. I really appreciate it, thank you so much. I love Rotary.

Also during the banquet, the following were recognized as Paul Harris Fellows for their substantial contributions to Rotarys humanitarian and educational programs: Austin, Sandra Bethune, Melissa Cain, Lee Given, Michelle Holbrook, Dr. Kalu Kalu, Kadlowec, Carolyn Snell and Wayne Murphy.

The award is named for Rotarys founder, Paul Harris, a Chicago lawyer who started Rotary International with three business associates in 1905.

The following were recognized as a Multiple Paul Harris Fellows for their continuation of gifts to the Rotary Foundation: Labrena Aiken, Dr. Thomas Cassidy, John Singh and David Staten.

Club officers were also installed for the 2021-2022 year. They include Cassidy, president; Carolyn Snell, president-elect; Kadlowec, secretary; and Cain, treasurer. Incoming at-large members include: Allen Fairey, Ralph Faulling, Murphy, Carolyn Snell and Bethune.
Last October amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Mundy was featured in a video interview as part of SC States virtual Homecoming activities.

Just about all the students who were in my program were great kids anyway, Mundy said in the interview. They brought a lot to the program. They brought a lot of themselves. They were talented. They were eager. They were ambitious. So, they made my job easy.

Some students -- such as Javon Johnson, who stars in Tyler Perrys The Oval on BET -- went onto successful acting careers. Graduates from the SCSU drama program are now leaders in such theatre programs as North Carolina A & T and Florida A & M universities. They are shaping theatre in such organizations as the Actors Equity Association, The Black Theatre Network, and The National Association of Speech and Dramatic Arts.

But Mundy was equally proud of those in other fields of study who came through the drama program.

I was fortunate enough to have people who were successful in the military, successful teachers, successful artists who have done well and continue to do well, Mundy said in the video.
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Coquille, OR (97420)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 73F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low around 55F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
June 24 will be an Early Bird sale. All customers who schedule for that day will pay $20 at the door for admission to the sale. Any items they purchase that day will be sold at regular prices with hardbacks selling for $2 and all other items at $1 or less.

June 25 will be the Second Chance sale with customers paying $10 at the door for admission. Again, items will be sold at regular prices.

On June 26, there will be no admission charge and items will, once again, be sold at regular prices.

We continue to have a great number of donations arriving daily. You should not be disappointed. We hope to see you at the sale. Please email folncpl307@gmail.com with questions.

Parkinsons exercise group

This exercise class is open to anyone with Parkinsons Disease and focuses on improving balance, endurance, safety, and managing symptoms. It is open to all ages and the class can be tailored to meet varying exercise needs. The cost of the class is $5. The group meets Tuesdays from noon to 1 p.m. at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 East 2nd Street, Building #500. If you have any questions call 577-5204 or 237-1200.

Confidential Zoom suicide grief support groups
I dont know that theyre going to be calling it a complex, Nash said, referring to when two or more wildfire incidents are ongoing in the same area.

The Robertson Draw fire, estimated Sunday morning to be 29,437 acres, was reported to have 13% of its perimeter contained. Thats the first time any containment has been reported on the fire, which began burning on the afternoon of Sunday, June 13. At that point in time the fire was estimated to be about 20 acres.

Containment was defined in a Sunday morning Robertson Draw fire update as having constructed or utilized a line along the fires edge to stop fire spread.

A total of 296 firefighting personnel have been assigned to the fire, which is 7 miles south of Red Lodge. The National Geographic Area Coordination Center, a subset of the National Interagency Fire Center, reported Saturday that the Robertson Draw fire costs to date had reached $3.2 million, 26 structures had been lost.

A Sunday morning fact sheet issued by public information officers on the fire described the containment as being on the east side of the fire, where crews continued to patrol and cool down remaining heat pockets.
With every new census, those characteristics can fluctuate, spurred by anything from new development in a downtown neighborhood to a bust in the oil and gas fields. Members of the Legislature, with the help of local officials, are tasked with redrawing the maps every decade to reflect those changes in a manner that ensures equitable representation.

Once county-level census data (or at least estimates) are available, lawmakers  with the help of a Geographic Information Systems consultant and legal counsel  will compare demographic changes from the 2010 to 2020 census in an effort to gauge where the most significant redraws will need to occur. From there, specific committee members (typically hailing from the Corporations Committee) begin the lengthy process of meeting with local residents and officials to fine tune where the lines will ultimately fall.

Once preliminary maps are drawn, the plan will go to the full Legislature for approval during the 2022 Budget Session this winter.

Though Wyoming is unlikely to see major shifts to its district maps due to its anemic growth, the process still has potential for significant implications.
DENVER  A few years ago, the U.S. Forest Service sat down with Eagle County officials and delivered some bad news: The federal agency was short-staffed and would be closing campgrounds in the mountainous county that includes Vail, where outdoor recreation is king.

Eagle County responded by spending its own tax dollars to pay USFS employees, an unusual arrangement that has become commonplace in Colorados high country, where waves of tourists have poured into some of the most-visited forests in the nation.

It has rubbed some within the community the wrong way because its a federal property and they should manage it with federal money, Eagle County Commissioner Jeanne McQueeney said. But if that money is not allocated then they manage it by closing. They dont have the people.

Colorados ski areas send about $25 million a year in fees to the federal treasury in exchange for being on federal land, and only a small fraction returns to those forests for management. That is a frustrating contrast for ski companies that cant get expansions and upgrades approved in a timely way and for local governments that must maintain the forests or lose their economies golden goose.
July 3, 2021, is the 200th birth anniversary of my maternal great-grandfather, Norman McNeil.

According to the February 1822 Annual Return of Plantation Slaves, he was born on the Dunvegan Estate, in the Whim district of Tobago, on July 3, 1821, to a mother simply called Cathrine (sic). In the column headed Colour, he is listed as a mestee, which in the Tobago of the time usually meant the child of a white man and a mulatto or quadroon woman.
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.
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If the scenes of despair circulating around the nation and the desperate pleas by people are not enough to get the Government to understand the generational crisis we are facing, what will?
Compared to when I began working with UNHCR twenty years ago, it seems like governments have largely given up on diplomacy ... countries which have the least are doing the most to support the refugees, she said.

The truth is we are not doing half of what we could and should ... to enable refugees to return home, or to support host countries, like Burkina Faso, coping for years with a fraction of the humanitarian aid needed to provide basic support and protection, Jolie said.

Malians began fleeing to Burkina Faso in 2012 after their lives were upended by an Islamic insurgency, where it took a French-led military intervention to regain power in several major towns. The fighting has since spread across the border to Burkina Faso, creating the fastest growing displacement crisis in the world. Last month Burkina Faso experienced its deadliest attack in years, when gunmen killed at least 132 civilians in Solhan village in the Sahels Yagha province, displacing thousands.

The increasing attacks are stretching the U.N.s ability to respond to displaced people within the country as well as the refugees its hosting.
Staff will also be monitoring radar to begin barricading these areas before incoming stormwater arrives.

After the water recedes, the department will evaluate the conditions and remove possible debris before moving barriers aside for motorists.

To help Tucsonans deal with monsoon rain, the department is offering free sandbags for the sixth consecutive year.

The sand will be placed at the Hi Corbett Field east parking lot at Reid Park, 700 S. Randolph Way. It will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week ahead of the citys first forecasted storm, the department said.

However, visitors will need their own shovel as it is a self-serve site. Theres also a limit of 10 sandbags per vehicle.

The bags will be available until the operation concludes in mid-September.

Tucsonans have gathered about 115,000 sandbags since 2016 as part of this program, the department said.

For motorists, the National Weather Service says its best to take heed to the following best safety practices:
In 2011, five years after her accident, Ramp decided to go back to school. Her motivation was largely that her doctors didnt have the answers she wanted  they could not explain to her how she could be so dramatically altered, for example, and what her future might be like  so she decided to pursue those answers for herself as a neuroscience major. That was when she got her first service dog Theo.

And with Theo came the first barriers.

The class this first time was Chemistry 100 at Parkland Community College in Illinois, when Ramps academic advisor told her she would need to choose another major because service dogs were never going to be allowed in a science lab.

Ramp worked tirelessly with lab managers, faculty and disability office personnel to come up with requirements for her service dog in a lab setting. Later that year, Ramp and Theo were finally allowed to attend that chemistry lab. Theo had to wear personal protective equipment just like anyone else, including his own set of goggles.

Unfortunately, things got more difficult after that.

Each semester, prior to its start, Ramp had to spend weeks or even months trying to convince professors to allow her and Theo into a lab setting.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  Turkeys highest court on Monday accepted an indictment by a top prosecutor seeking to disband a pro-Kurdish opposition party on terror-related charges.

The Constitutional Court ruled in favor of hearing the case against the Peoples Democratic Party, or HDP, which was filed by the chief appeals court prosecutor who is accusing it of allegedly colluding with the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, and of seeking to destroy the unity of the state.

The prosecutor is demanding that the party be dissolved, that it be deprived of treasury funding and that about 450 party members be barred from holding political office for five years.

This was chief prosecutor Bekir Sahins second petition seeking HDPs closure after the Constitutional Court rejected a previous attempt in March, citing procedural deficiencies.

The HDP said the closure case was the culmination of a months-long political campaign against the party.

Everyone has seen with their own eyes that this is a political operation, said HDP chairman Mithat Sancar. We won't allow the struggle for (democracy) to regress. This case will further increase our determination for democratic politics and our determination to expand the struggle.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  State police released a number of additional reports Monday on the shooting deaths of a mother and her son from a prominent South Carolina legal family, but they contained little new information and a number of passages blacked out.

Paul Murdaugh, 22, and his mother, Maggie, 52, were found dead near each other outside their Colleton County home on June 7. Both had been shot multiple times.

Colleton County deputies quickly asked the State Law Enforcement Division to take over the investigation and in the following two weeks, state police have said little about their progress. No arrests have been made. Agents have not said if they have any idea who might have killed the victims.

In a statement issued along with 18 pages of police reports  all but one page with something redacted and some pages with all the information blacked out  agency Chief Mark Keel said agents have been constantly working on the investigation and their diligence and silence is to make sure any case stands up in court and the killer or killers face justice.
Records show Chock was given probation in 2012 but violated the conditions of it in May 2013. According to court paperwork, Chock rejected a chance at continuing probation and requested prison time. He was sentenced to two years and eight months but got more than 280 days credit for time served before sentencing. Online Arizona Department of Corrections records indicate he went to prison in May 2013 but was paroled in October 2014.

On Saturday, Chock is accused of speeding his truck into bicyclists gathered just before 7:30 a.m. for the annual 58-mile (93-kilometer) Bike the Bluff competition. It's the state championship road race, which determines Arizona's champion for the year in categories like professionals, men, women and teens and drew hundreds of participants. Witnesses described seeing the bodies of cyclists flying left and right.

Tony Quinones, a cyclist who saw the crash, said some riders wondered at first whether the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel. But Quinones said he saw the man speed toward the cyclists.

He went right at us, Quinones said.

Seven cyclists were rushed to hospitals, and six were listed in critical condition. The other was in stable condition. Sleighter said she had no update on how they are doing.
Five years ago: Hillary Clinton, during a visit to the battleground state of Ohio, said Donald Trump would send the U.S. economy back into recession, warning that his reckless approach would hurt workers still trying to recover from the 2008 economic turbulence. North Korea fired two suspected powerful new Musudan midrange ballistic missiles, according to U.S. and South Korean military officials, the communist regimes fifth and sixth such attempts since April 2016. The Obama administration approved routine commercial use of small drones in areas such as farming, advertising and real estate after years of struggling to write rules to protect public safety.

One year ago: An initially peaceful protest in Portland, Oregon, against racial injustice turned violent, as police used flash-bang grenades to disperse demonstrators throwing bottles, cans and rocks at sheriffs deputies. Spectators in Raleigh, North Carolina, cheered as work crews finished the job started by protesters and removed a Confederate statue from atop a 75-foot monument. NASCAR said a rope shaped like a noose had been found in the garage stall of Bubba Wallace, the only full-time Black driver in NASCARs elite Cup Series, at a race in Talladega, Alabama. (Federal authorities found that the rope had been hanging there for months, and that it was not a hate crime.) New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the American Museum of Natural History would remove from its entrance a statue depicting Theodore Roosevelt on horseback with a Native American man and an African man standing alongside; critics said it symbolized colonial expansion and racial discrimination.
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)  Serbia and Montenegro clashed Monday over Belgrades denial that genocide was committed in the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica during the Balkan wars, further straining relations between the two former close allies.

Montenegros parliament last week adopted a resolution on the 1995 massacre of about 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in Srebrenica by Bosnian Serb troops that has been branded genocide by a U.N. war crimes court.

Montenegros resolution banned public denial of the atrocity and said Serbs in general should not be blamed for genocide, but only those individuals who committed the war crime.

Both the wartime Bosnian Serb army commander, Ratko Mladic, and former political leader Radovan Karadzic have been sentenced to life in prison by the U.N. war crimes court in the Netherlands for genocide in Srebrenica.

However, Serbia's leadership reacted to the Montenegrin resolution with anger.

Montenegros foreign ministry said Monday that the resolution is not aimed against Serbs, but the individuals who committed the worst crime in Europe since World War II.
A suspect has been arrested and charged with murder in Russia after the death of Catherine Serou, an American student who vanished in the country's Nizhny Novgorod region, a local court told CNN. CNN's Camila Bernal has the details.

A suspect has been arrested and charged with murder in Russia after the death of Catherine Serou, an American student who vanished last week in the country's Nizhny Novgorod region, a local court told CNN Sunday.

The Gorodetsky City Court in the region said the suspect, identified by the court only as P., has been detained until August 15 for murder. There is no indication from the court that the suspect has entered a plea.

Serou, 34, was a student at the State University of Nizhny Novgorod, east of Moscow. Her body was found in the Nizhny Novgorod region on Saturday.

The court alleged in a statement Sunday that the suspect picked Serou up in his car last Tuesday, June 15, before killing her about an hour later.

According to the court's statement, the suspect saw the victim, identified as S., at a bus stop around 7 p.m. local time that night and offered her a ride.

At about 8 p.m., the court alleged, the suspect stopped in a forested area where, during a quarrel, he hit the victim several times with his fist and stabbed her at least twice with a knife he had.

The victim died of her injuries at the scene, the court's statement said.
I have lived in Tucson for four years. Every year in May, the news media starts the monsoon drumbeat. Columnists warn us about the danger of h
The glut of visitors, far exceeding Tibets population of 3.5 million people, means caution is necessary to protect the environment and culture, he said.

Tourists are drawn to the mystique and myth of Tibet as a remote snow-bound land, said Travis Klingberg, a cultural geographer at NYU Shanghai. But Tibet has become a place of beautiful natural landscapes meaningful to the Chinese nation.

Tibet has shifted its focus from international to domestic visitors as Chinas middle class has grown, said Emily Yeh, a professor of geography at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Tibetans have at times complained about Chinese tourists disrespecting cultural traditions, including stepping on prayer flags, she said.

The tourism sector reinforces government propaganda, Yeh said. The ruling Communist Party says it liberated hundreds of thousands of serfs when it overthrew the theocracy in 1951 and has since brought economic development to the high plateau that borders the Himalayas.

Rewriting of history is very much a part of the tourism landscape, Yeh said.
The director of one participating school said adding academic requirements like in other states would take away some of the flexibility of being a private school.

The more they add, the more difficult it might be to make sure were meeting everyones needs, said Clair Bartley, executive director at Paths to Independence, a private school in Bartlesville that educates students with autism.

She said the school evaluates each students growth based on an individualized plan, and while some students take the ACT or benchmark tests, for other students, it wouldnt make sense to require them to test.

The new data reporting requirements for the states other school-choice program, the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Scholarship Fund, are different from Lindsey Nicole Henrys. That program is not under the Education Department but is managed by scholarship-granting organizations, which collect donations and disperse the scholarship funds to private schools, and educational improvement grant organizations, which collect donations for public schools.

Under a new law, the Oklahoma Tax Commission will be required to publish the complete list of those organizations on its website as well as an audited financial statement of each and details about the benefits, successes or failures of the program.
"It's a little bit of both," said University of Tulsa political scientist Matt Hindman.

Hindman noted that states such as Oregon and Colorado, with relatively few barriers to voting and elections done mostly by mail, avoided the scrutiny applied to more restrictive states such as Arizona and Georgia, which happened to have highly competitive presidential and U.S. Senate contests.

"State election laws make a difference," Hindman said. "If it's easier to vote, more people are going to vote. Maybe not millions more in a state like Oklahoma, but maybe tens of thousands more."

One thing Oklahoma seems to do exceptionally well, almost everyone seems to agree, is conduct the actual elections. That's the result of several factors, but underlying much of it is that the simple act of voting at local polling places is easier in Oklahoma than in many of the states with controversial elections.

"If you have a spare half-hour on Election Day, it's probably safe to go vote, get in and out, and get back to work," said Hindman.
That commitment to basic needs and self-help continues today.

Earlier this year, the Wilma P. Mankiller and Charlie Soap Water Act was unanimously approved by the Council of the Cherokee Nation after being proposed by Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.

It doubles the spending on water lines and quality, pumping $4 million in northeastern Oklahoma infrastructure, starting with updates to that original Bell line.

After the water project, former Principal Chief Ross Swimmer asked Mankiller to run for deputy chief. Entering politics, she ran into sexism.

Mankiller once said she faced more discrimination as a woman than as an American Indian. But, in her autobiography, she states, Women can help turn the world right side up. We bring a more collaborative approach to government. And if we do not participate, then decisions will be made without us.

She became the first woman principal chief in 1985 after Swimmer resigned to lead the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Mankiller was elected in 1987 and re-elected in 1991 by a landslide with 83% of the vote, an almost unheard of level of popularity. She resigned from politics in 1995, not seeking another term.
The letter "Putting party above country can't be forgotten," (June 7) begins with the noble ideals of reasoning together and putting truth before party.

Then, it immediately violates those ideals by claiming the high road for an investigation into the Jan 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.

The letter states "not investigating the willingness of others to circumvent democracy  defies reality." Well, whatever it does, it works both ways.

I suspect those pushing for this superfluous investigation fought with all their might to avoid investigating the election fraud charges.

I dont think the election was stolen, but there were serious charges of abuse that seemed to have warranted a thorough investigation  an investigation that was denied by Democrats putting party above country.

The failure of Democrats to investigate these claims is what caused the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol.

Putting party above country" is not the way to protect democracy.
Car factories, including those of Renault-Nissan, Hyundai and Ford, can operate with full workforces in India's automaking hub from Monday, even though 75% of workers at the global carmakers' plants have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

India's southern Tamil Nadu state, known for its flourishing automobile industry, on Sunday allowed some industrial units including those of global automakers in and around capital city Chennai to operate at 100% capacity.

The move follows a Tamil Nadu Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health report dated 18 June, reviewed by Reuters, which shows three in four workers at the plants of Ford, Hyundai and Renault-Nissan near Chennai have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Of those who were vaccinated, the report did not say how many had received one dose and how many had received two.

The report said one in seven workers in these companies had contracted the virus, and 21 had died. Workers at the three plants accounted for around 4% of cases in the two districts where the plants are located.

"Working condition in such assembly lines poses challenges in maintaining social distancing norms due to the close proximity of workforce," the report said.

Ford, Renault-Nissan and Hyundai halted work at their plants for several days last month, after workers protested and some went on strike over safety concerns.

On June 17, the Chennai plants were functioning at over 90% of workforce capacity and the cumulative output was nearly two-thirds of pre-lockdown levels, according to the report.

Hyundai, Ford and Nissan, which majority owns the Renault-Nissan Chennai plant, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

New cases in Tamil Nadu have fallen from more than 30,000 a day in May to about 8,000 but still account for one-seventh of all cases in India, which is second only to the United States in total infections.

The report by the industrial safety department was filed in response to an Indian court tasking officials with visiting carmakers to draw up uniform safety guidelines, after workers at Renault-Nissan India filed a case asking operations be halted as social distancing norms were being flouted.

The case will be next heard on Monday.

The department recommended the speed of conveyor belts at the plants be reduced, and using idle workstations to ensure social distancing. It also recommended that workers employed in assembly lines be vaccinated as soon as possible.

Except for one of the two assembly lines at the Ford plant, the conveyor speed had not been reduced, the report said.
Various makeshift markets in Ho Chi Minh City had remained open as of Sunday even though city authorities required them to shut down in a bid to curb rising COVID-19 transmission.

As the virus has spread to every district of the city, local authorities decided to strengthen the social distancing mandate, having been in place for three weeks, by banning gatherings of more than three people in public, suspending taxi services and other means of public transport, and shutting down makeshift markets until further notice, starting Sunday.

However, sellers and buyers still gathered en masse in the surroundings of Ba Chieu Market in Binh Thanh Street on Sunday morning, ignoring various banners advising against unofficial outdoor vending in the area, a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper correspondent reported.

They were allowed to enter the market freely, as body temperature and health declaration checkpoints were barely functioning.

A street vendor said she was not informed about the shutdown mandate before arriving at the market that morning.

Many other sellers are also not informed of the shuttering of the unofficial market, so we still open our stalls at 4:00 am as usual, she stated.

Meanwhile, footfall at stalls inside Ba Chieu Market, which is recognized as an official market and is allowed to stay open, fared much worse.

Discussing with Tuoi Tre, Huynh Thanh Truong, head of the management team at Ba Chieu Market, said the failure to inform sellers and local residents led to the persistence of unofficial markets on Sunday morning.

We received the shutdown mandate at midday on Saturday, when most of the morning peddlers had gone home," Truong said.

We could not find a way to reach out to them in time, which is why they still showed up on Sunday morning.

Truong also cited manpower shortage, which was caused by an ongoing lockdown order at the Peoples Committee building of Ward 1 and Ward 2 that housed several officials, as the reason for the ineffective response.

Aiming to deal with the situation within the day, local authorities had to call for support from district-level officials.

Buyers and sellers gather in the surroundings of Ba Chieu Market in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, June 20, 2021. Photo: Thuy Duong / Tuoi Tre

Buyers and sellers gather in the surroundings of Ba Chieu Market in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, June 20, 2021. Photo: Thuy Duong / Tuoi Tre

In the meantime, a large crowd was also seen around Pham Van Hai Market in Tan Binh District, with monitoring efforts from local authorities proving futile.

The market management cooperated with ward-level officials to inform people about the market ban since the early morning, but sellers and buyers immediately resumed vending in the area after officials had left, Thai Binh Son, head of the management of Pham Van Hai Market, told Tuoi Tre.

Many of the vendors bring groceries and essential items, which is why they want to sell out within the day, Son said.

Buyers and sellers gather at the unofficial Cay Queo Market in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, June 20, 2021. Photo: Bong Mai / Tuoi Tre

Droves of vendors and sellers were also reported at Cay Queo, an unofficial market in Binh Thanh District.

Sellers there were notified of the shutdown, said Hanh, a stall owner in the market.

However, they kept stocking new items, only less than the normal quantity.

The clearance of makeshift markets has driven more customers to official places.

Stalled traffic inside Go Vap Market in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City, June 20, 2021. Photo: Bong Mai / Tuoi Tre

Volunteers help residents file medical declarations before entering Nguyen Dinh Chieu Market in Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, June 20, 2021. Photo: Nhat Thinh / Tuoi Tre

At Nguyen Thuong Hien Market in Binh Thanh District, various grocery stalls sold out within a few hours of opening.

However, the crowd in the market raised concerns about social distancing compliance, as narrow paths made it hard for shoppers to maintain a safe distance from other people.

Several other locales have doubled down on these concerns, as seen from the augmented measures of monitoring at the official Nguyen Dinh Chieu Market in Ward 4, Phu Nhuan District.

Local authorities have installed four checkpoints, where shoppers would undergo body temperature checks and medical declarations before they get to enter the premises.

Bao, a local resident, said she is happy to comply with these mandates, which will help curb the current outbreak in the city, which has recorded over 1,700 local infections since April 27, when the fourth and worst virus wave broke out in Vietnam.

The country has documented more than 10,000 domestic cases in 42 out of its 63 provinces and cities since then.

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A karaoke parlor in the southern Vietnamese province of Dong Nai has been caught operating and offering striptease services to attract customers despite a COVID-19 ban.

Police in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province confirmed on Sunday they had booked the owner of Thu Hang karaoke shop for failing to comply with COVID-19 prevention and control regulations.

This violation is punishable by a fine worth VND10-20 million (US$432-865) for individuals and VND20-40 million ($865-1,731) for organizations.

The decision came after officers inspected the venue on Saturday night.

About 20 people including customers and employees were at the karaoke shop at the time of the inspection.

Two female employees were naked as they danced for their guests.

These employees said they had agreed to offer striptease services in order to attract more customers and receive more tips.

To avoid getting caught, the venue locked its door and turned off all lights in the front, while some men were also tasked with keeping watch.

Dong Nai is one of the neighbors of Ho Chi Minh City  a major coronavirus site with over 1,650 domestic cases now.

Although Dong Nai has only recorded three local infections since a new transmission wave hit the country on April 27, authorities had ordered the closure of such non-essential services as karaoke and discos from April 30.

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The Hanoi Center for Disease Control (HCDC) has proposed that the municipal Health Department relax coronavirus control measures by resuming some essential businesses in the capital city soon, likely on Tuesday.

Khong Minh Tuan, deputy director of the HCDC, said that the center has proposed the reopening of food and beverage establishments, barbershops, and traditional markets first, based on the current epidemic situation in Hanoi.

Hanoi has closed many business activities for epidemic prevention purposes for a long time, so we are considering reopening some, Tuan told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Monday.

If approved, the loosening of epidemic control regulations will be applied on Tuesday, the health official said.

Accordingly, indoor restaurants and outdoor exercise activities would be restored, while street food operations would remain closed.

The loosening will be carried out on the principle of ensuring social distancing as well as strictly complying with other epidemic prevention measures, Tuan said.

All establishments allowed to be reopened must not gather more than 20 people at a time and must ensure a minimum distance between people, as well as other requirements.

Beer restaurants, if allowed to reopen, are required to use only 50 percent of their space capacity, the official said.

It is expected that the municipal administration will make a decision on this proposal within Monday, Tuan said.

Since June 15, Hanoi has yet to record any new domestic COVID-19 case, local health authorities reported.

On May 5, the Hanoi Peoples Committee decided to suspend massage parlors, movie centers, spa facilities, and gyms to curb the coronavirus spread.

Six days later, when the epidemic situation got more complicated, the local government requested the closure of all local beer catering points until further notice, while ordering the shutdown of all unofficial markets.

Since May 25, the municipal authorities have suspended all dine-in food and beverage outlets, allowing them to sell takeaways only, among other restrictions.

In a report released at noon on Monday, the Ministry of Health confirmed 90 new COVID-19 cases, including 88 domestic and two imported cases, of which 63 were recorded in Ho Chi Minh City.

The new cases have taken the countrys tally of patients to 13,348, including 5,229 recoveries and 69 deaths, including three announced on Monday.

Since April 27, when the pandemics fourth wave broke out in Vietnam, the country has documented 10,078 cases, of which 2,445 have recovered.

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The Department of Health of Nghe An Province, located in north-central Vietnam, said on Monday morning that it had detected four new COVID-19 cases in the community.

The first case was N.Q.B., a 28-year-old man living in Trung Do Ward in Vinh City, who had come into direct contact with a coronavirus patient and had been quarantined at a hotel.

The second was N.T.H., a 44-year-old woman in Kim Lien Commune of Nam Dan District.

On June 14, H. had a friend take her on a motorbike to Vinh City General Hospital, where she took a rapid test for COVID-19, with the result returning negative.

However, her second test came back positive for the virus on Sunday when she visited Nam Dan Districts medical center to check her fever and fatigue.

The remaining patients were D.S.T., a 59-year-old man in Hung Binh Ward in Vinh, and his wife, 55-year-old N.T.L.

L. bought medicine without a doctors prescription after developing a fever and tiredness on June 17.

T. took L. to Cua Dong General Hospital to take a rapid test for COVID-19 on Sunday.

After L.s test results returned positive for the pathogen twice, T. also took the same rapid test, with the result showing that he caught the virus.

The couple were examined again with real-time RT-PCR tests and confirmed as COVID-19 patients.

The Nghe An health department reported the four new infections to the Ministry of Health, which logged them into the official tally at noon on Monday.

The new cases increased Nghe Ans caseload recorded since June 13 to 31, including 19 infections in Vinh, nine in Dien Chau District, one in Quy Hop District, and one in Nam Dan.

Authorities collected 60,000 samples from people in Vinh, using the real-time RT-PCR technique, on Sunday evening.

Vinh City has also gone into social distancing from Saturday.

In addition to the four patients in Nghe An, the health ministry announced at noon on Monday 84 other local cases in Ho Chi Minh City, Bac Giang Province, Bac Ninh Province, and Ha Tinh Province, alongside two imported infections.

The national tally stood at 13,348, including 11,647 domestic cases and 1,701 imported infections.

Of that, 10,078 patients have been registered since April 27 -- the beginning of the fourth and worst infection wave in Vietnam so far.

Recoveries have reached 5,229 while 67 people, most of whom had had pre-existing medical conditions, have died.

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The fourth train for Ho Chi Minh Citys metro line No. 1 was transported to the Long Binh Depot, the routes technical and service station in Thu Duc City, at 0:00 am on Monday after arriving from Japan at noon on Sunday.

The train was carried by three longer and heavier vehicles from Khanh Hoi Port in District 4, along Ton Duc Thang, Nguyen Huu Canh, and Mai Chi Tho Streets and Hanoi Highways, before reaching the Long Binh Depot.

It was among two Japanese-made metro trains with six carriages received at the port on Sunday.

After the trains, the fourth and the fifth that have been shipped to Ho Chi Minh City so far, are both transported to the Long Binh Depot, they are expected to be installed on the T1 track at the depot on Monday and Wednesday for trial operations.

Previously, three other trains of the same type had arrived at the depot.

Three longer and heavier vehicles carry the fourth train for Ho Chi Minh Citys metro line No. 1 to the Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City, June 21, 2021. Photo: Nhat Thinh / Tuoi Tre

A worker handles a technical error during the transportation of the fourth train for Ho Chi Minh Citys metro line No. 1 to the Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City, June 21, 2021. Photo: Nhat Thinh / Tuoi Tre

The metro No. 1 project, also known as the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien route, runs from Ben Thanh Market in District 1 to the Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City and is 19.7km long, including a 2.6km underground section and a 17.1km elevated railway.

Construction started in August 2012, and about 85.9 percent of the work has been finished.

The metro line has a total of 17 trains, which consist of 51 carriages in total.

The maximum speed is 110 kilometers per hour along the elevated section and 80 kilometers an hour underground.

The project costs more than VND43.7 trillion (US$1.9 billion), most of which has come from Japan's official development assistance (ODA).

A longer and heavier vehicle carries a carriage of the fourth train for Ho Chi Minh Citys metro line No. 1 to the Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City, June 21, 2021. Photo: Nhat Thinh / Tuoi Tre

Technical workers check technical safety before the transportation of the fourth train for Ho Chi Minh Citys metro line No. 1 to the Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City, June 21, 2021. Photo: Nhat Thinh / Tuoi Tre

A longer and heavier vehicle carries a carriage of the fourth train for Ho Chi Minh Citys metro line No. 1 to the Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City, June 21, 2021. Photo: Nhat Thinh / Tuoi Tre

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A university student traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho City has tested positive for COVID-19 after two previous negative test results, becoming the Mekong Delta citys first local infection in the ongoing virus wave.

The local Center for Disease Control said on Monday that it had reported the case, 20-year-old P.C.T., to the Ministry of Health.

T., hailing from Long An Province, studies at the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, located in Go Vap District, which is currently a COVID-19 hot spot in the southern metropolis.

Starting from Long An, T. and his girlfriend traveled through Dong Thap Province before boarding Phong Hoa Ferry to O Mon District in Can Tho on May 31.

The student declared his health condition at the medical station of O Mons Thoi An Ward and came into direct contact with his girlfriends family members in Thoi Loi Village, situated in the same district.

Local authorities sent him to a centralized quarantine facility later the same day.

He had his samples collected for COVID-19 testing, with the results returning negative twice.

However, his third test came back positive for the virus on Sunday, according to Dr. Huynh Minh Truc, director of the Can Tho Center for Disease Control.

T. has been treated at the Can Tho Hospital for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, with his health in stable conditions.

He had stayed in his rented room on Tran Ba Giao Street in Go Vap District between May 29 and 30 before returning to his home in Long An on May 30, according to the patient.

Four people quarantined in the same room as T. and ten others from his girlfriends family all had their results come back negative in the first COVID-19 test and are waiting for the second one.

The Center for Disease Control is urgently tracing other direct and indirect contacts of the patient.

The Peoples Committee of Can Tho has also directed functional forces at COVID-19 checkpoints set up at the entrances to the city to conduct rapid tests on all drivers and people coming from virus-hit areas.

No local infections had been detected in Can Tho before T., who is waiting to be confirmed as a coronavirus patient by the Ministry of Health.

Vietnam has recorded 13,348 local infections, including 11,647 domestic cases and 1,701 imported ones, to date.

Of that, 10,078 patients, including 17 in Long An and 1,714 in Ho Chi Minh City, have been registered since April 27 -- the beginning of the fourth and worst infection wave in Vietnam so far.

Recoveries have reached 5,229 while 69 people, most of whom had had pre-existing medical conditions, have died.

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Vietnam has detected nearly 10,000 local infections since late April when a new coronavirus outbreak hit the country following about a month of no known community transmission, according to the Ministry of Healths statistics.

The health ministry announced 46 domestic cases on Monday morning, taking the cumulative tally to 13,258 patients, including 11,559 local infections and 1,699 imported ones.

The number of recovered patients has reached 5,229 while 66 have died, most with critical comorbidities.

Since April 27, when the fourth and worst COVID-19 wave broke out in the country after nearly a month of zero detected cases, the ministry has documented 9,990 community transmissions in 42 out of its 63 provinces and cities.

Health authorities have logged a daily increase of over 200 patients over the past week, with a record high of 503 cases reported on June 17.

Bac Giang Province, an industrial park hub in northern Vietnam, is on top of the table with 5,411 patients, followed by Ho Chi Minh City with 1,651 and Bac Ninh Province with 1,529.

By comparison, 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.

Vietnam has administered 2,422,643 AstraZeneca vaccine doses to medical staff, factory workers, and other frontline workers since it rolled out inoculation on March 8, according to the health ministrys data.

A two-jab course has been given to 121,683 people.

Vietnam set a target of securing 150 million vaccine doses and vaccinating two-thirds of its population of about 98 million people this year.

The Southeast Asian nation has received nearly four million AstraZeneca shots from the COVAX scheme, direct purchase via a local company, and Japan, in addition to 2,000 Sputnik V jabs donated by Russia and 500,000 Sinopharm doses gifted by China in the year to date.

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The special new episode of Ill Be Gone in the Dark, which followed writer Michelle McNamara (late wife of actor Patton Oswalt) screens on Binge tomorrow, as it unlocks another case

Writer Michelle McNamara was key to keeping the Golden State Killer case alive and in the public eye for so many years, but passed away in 2016, before she could witness the impact of her relentless determination in seeking justice for the victims.

This powerful special closes one chapter in McNamaras investigative work on cold cases, and brings to light another  the rape and murder of Kathy Lombardo in 1984 in McNamaras hometown of Oak Park, Illinois.

Featuring the late McNamaras own archival research and voice recordings, and interviews with residents of present-day Oak Park, the one hour special highlights the trauma that persists when a crime goes unsolved, with McNamaras work standing as a stark reminder of the importance of citizen sleuths who remain dogged in their search for the truth.

HBO Documentary Films presents A Story Syndicate Production. A series by Liz Garbus, based on the book written by Michelle McNamara. Directed by Elizabeth Wolff; produced by, Elizabeth Wolff, Kate Barry; co-producers, Erin Barnett, Leah Van Der Werff, Myles Kane, Josh Koury; executive producers, Liz Garbus, Dan Cogan, Michelle McNamara, Patton Oswalt, Dave Rath, co-executive producers, Paul Hanes, Billy Jensen; supervising producer, Julie Gaither. For HBO: executive producers, Lisa Heller, Nancy Abraham; coordinating producer, Anna Klein.

Tuesday June 22 on Binge / Foxtel on Demand.
He is coming up on SAS Australia and could yet appear on other unnamed projects but Manu Feildel has confirmed that his contract with Seven is concluding at the end of the month.

Feildel, who has had 11 years at Seven, is currently talking with other television networks and production companies about future opportunities and is keen for travelling and cooking projects (which he has also done at Seven).

Thats the type of TV I want to do, Feildel told the Sydney Morning Herald. There are smaller production companies not necessarily attached to a network that approached me for a few different ideas. Theyre great ideas and I want to be involved with them but, again, its having the idea, producing it and then selling it thats the trick.

Feildel also conceded My Kitchen Rules wasnt working, but says he would be eager to take part in a revamped format.

If it was to come back, I would be obviously happy to be part of it. Ive been part of it for from the beginning, but I think we should have a new version. It needs to be rethought. Its like recipes, you cant do the same thing everyday.

Director of Production Andrew Backwell has previously noted, MKR will come back. Well take it back to basics, well do a shorter run, well feature the elements that we know work in that show. I think over the years we expanded it to 50 episode runs. It needs to go back to basics then we can extend it again later.

SAS Australia returns after the Olympics.
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. (Romans 12:3)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials say a teenager camping with her family in the Cosby area of the American park was attacked by a bear just after midnight Friday morning. The 16-year-old was reportedly sleeping in a hammock near her family's tent at Backcountry Campsite 29 when the bear attacked.

The girl is listed in "stable condition" at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in nearby Knoxville, Tennessee. Local news reports say she suffered "multiple injuries," including lacerations to her head and hands. Witnesses said the victim remained conscious throughout the attack, and during her hours-long wait to be rescued from the backcountry site.

Bear responsible for attack killed

Two bears were spotted near the scene of the attack hours later, one of those bears was a large male who behaved aggressively and would not leave the area despite attempts to drive it away. Family members of the victim late identified that bear as the one responsible for the attack. Rangers then shot and killed the bear. Officials said forensic testing on the bear found traces of human blood, confirming it was indeed the right animal.

The family was on the first night of a two-night camping trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Family members say they took recommended precautions and all food and backpacks had been stored properly.

National Guard crew rescues victim

Backcountry Campsite 29 is several miles from any civilisation or emergency medical personnel. It would be more than 8 hours before a Tennessee National Guard medical flight crew was able to reach the teen and hoist her to safety. The crew was sent to perform an "emergency air evacuation mission" after officials with the Tennessee Military Department and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency received the report of the injured camper around 7 a.m.

Friday.

According to the Tennessee National Guard a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter was dispatched from Knoxville, which arrived at the campsite around 8:45 a.m. The helicopter was unable to land at the site due to rough terrain, so a hoisting operation began almost immediately to extract the victim. That operation took about 15 minutes, and medical crews began medical treatment during the 20-minute flight to UTMC.

The flight crew was made up of four Tennessee National Guard members, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Andrew Redley, pilot and mission commander; Capt. Philip Webster, pilot; Sgt. Tim Allen, crew chief; and Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Banta, critical care flight paramedic.

NPS officials warn campers

Park officials warn campers to understand that when visiting the GSMNP they are in bear country. Always take the proper precautions. Educate yourself on bear behaviour and what to do if you encounter a bear. Bear sightings are high at this time of year because the primary food source of the bears, berries, are not yet ripe and they are roaming in search of other food sources. A 13-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail A 13-mile from mile 451 to mile 464, was recently closed to camping due to reports of aggressive bear behaviour.

Hiking is still permitted on that section of the trail, but hikers are warned to be alert.

To learn more about bears and stay up to date on NPS warnings, along with campsite and trail closures visit the National Park Service website, NPS.gov.
Russian police arrest a LGBT+ campaigner (Reuters)

Where shall we go on holiday? As Covid restrictions ease very slowly and only few international borders are opening, for the first time in many peoples lives this question has morphed into: Where can we go on holiday?

But for gay people, this has always been the case.

There are still 69 countries around the world that legislate against same-sex relations. Some of these  such as Jamaica, Tanzania, Egypt and Saudi Arabia  it is absolutely not safe for gay people to visit. But others  such as Morocco, the Maldives and Mauritius  prosecute local gay people but spare tourists. Some even have resorts and hotels that actively target queer customers. But should we go? Its a real moral dilemma for gay men and lesbians and one that makes me feel conflicted.

In the course of my work as a journalist, Ive visited several countries  such as Russia, Poland and Sierra Leone  where I felt unsafe and experienced real fear as a visibly presenting gay man. This fear took me back to my childhood, to a time when gay people didnt have equal rights or high levels of acceptance in the UK, and the threat of verbal and physical violence was ever-present. It was a fear I thought Id escaped for good.

I also dont mind admitting that Ive taken holidays in countries where local gay people dont have equal rights, such as Morocco and a pre-olympics China, (albeit this was several years ago, before I was so politically aware or active).

Ive visited several others in which levels of acceptance are much lower than they are in the UK, countries where any signs of gayness are met by dirty looks, sniggers or disapproving glances. Now that Im marrying my long-term partner and we go on holiday as a couple, Im not sure Id want to do that again.

Part of me resents having such a limited choice of holiday destinations, and the activist in me wants to provoke change. I also want to do my bit to make things better for gay and lesbian people living in countries where they dont enjoy the same rights or levels of acceptance as I do. But whats the best way to go about this?

Story continues

One option is to boycott them. If the international queer community  plus our straight allies  refuse to visit countries that dont offer their own gay and lesbian citizens equal rights, this would put them under pressure to change their laws.

We know that boycotts can work. In 2019, Brunei announced it would be implementing Sharia law, meaning sex between men  not to mention adultery committed by women  would be punishable by stoning to death. Following a mass, celebrity-led boycott of the Sultans assets, including the Dorchester Hotel in London and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, the small South-East Asian nation backtracked and declared it wouldnt implement the death penalty.

Brunei is an extreme case and somewhere I wouldnt ever consider visiting as a gay man, let alone going on holiday. What Im looking at here is those countries whose response to gay and lesbian people is more nuanced. And in these cases, you could argue that a boycott aimed at bringing about new legislation or the repeal of old laws would be counterproductive. If the attitudes of local populations would be lagging behind, it might even provoke a backlash.

Another option would be for gay and lesbian tourists to visit these countries and hope that the increased visibility helps change attitudes. Remember that Harvey Milk said we should all come out of the closet, that if mainstream society could see that were just like them, gradually homophobia would disappear. Wouldnt the same apply here?

But why should our holidays have to take the form of political activism? Why cant we just go away and relax on a beach like everyone else?

Besides, the governments of many of these countries portray homosexuality as a foreign problem, a perversion imported by outsiders and one that threatens to destabilise traditional, local values. Any meaningful change doesnt just have to come from outside  it also has to come from within local populations.

Another issue is that, as citizens of a wealthy, and predominantly white country, we wouldnt want to be guilty of cultural arrogance or superiority. Not when there are still pockets of our own society in which queer people are persecuted. Just last month, a court in Devon found that 12-year-old schoolboy Riley Hadley had taken his own life following years of homophobic bullying. So if were going to demand change from foreign countries, shouldnt we put our own house in order first?

And while were on the subject, shouldnt we look at the areas of intolerance and oppression in other wealthy, predominantly white countries, such as large swathes of the Bible Belt in the USA?

Its a difficult, complicated subject, which is why I wanted to explore it in my new discussion show, Sunday Roast, on Virgin Radio Pride. Following our debate, I suspect the answer lies in some sort of amalgam of all the options  applied in different proportions to different countries and regimes.

In the meantime, whenever gay and lesbian tourists want to go on holiday, we have to continue carrying out our own risk assessments, and we have to ask ourselves about the level of discomfort were willing to put up with. We also have to hope that if we do decide to stay away from a destination, our straight allies will stand by us and do the same. After all, one thing weve learned from the coronavirus pandemic is that were all in this together.

But for now, few of us are going anywhere  and we all have to wait for the UK governments next announcement on foreign travel. But if any more countries are added to the green list and you do find yourself with a choice of where to go, please carry out a quick online search to find out how they treat their LGBTQ+ citizens. And, if possible, bear this in mind when making your choice.

If you are lucky enough to get away, happy holidays!

Matt Cain is the presenter of Sunday Roast on Virgin Radio Pride and the author of The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle

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Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students at the University of North Georgia (UNG) begin their time in the program by examining donated cadavers to learn about human anatomy, but they also gain respect for the donors.

This summer, eight third-year DPT students serve as teaching assistants in the anatomy class taught by Dr. Eunse Park, an assistant professor of physical therapy who oversees the Movement Science Lab at UNG. Regan Rhodes of Statesboro, Georgia, is one of the assistants.

"It's a learning experience like no other," Rhodes said. "You can't replicate it."

The Department of Physical Therapy puts the anatomy lab classes in the first year to lay a foundation for students. They don't have to imagine what is taught in class, as they receive a real-world context in the beginning. The doctoral students start with anatomy lab in the summer and work in the lab for the following spring semester in their neuroscience course.

UNG is also able to have biology and criminal justice students observe human organs and brains through the lab.

Dr. Susan Klappa, department head and professor of physical therapy, said many DPT programs lean mostly on technology for teaching anatomy, but UNG benefits greatly from the lab.

"You have something concrete to understand the relationships in the musculoskeletal and nervous systems by having these hands-on experiences," Klappa said.

Park, the teaching assistants and the students see the donors' death certificates and a little bit of biographical information before they work with the bodies. How to handle the donor's body in a respectful manner is part of the course, Park said.

"It's very weighty walking into that lab the first time and seeing the tables and the body bags and knowing these are all real people," Rhodes said. "We think of them as a teacher. It keeps their personhood on your mind."
Azerbaijan is committed to normalizing relations with Armenia, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said, noting that Baku has made a corresponding proposal to Yerevan.



The minister recalled that this position has been repeatedly expressed by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. "Azerbaijan, based on the norms and principles of international law, respect for territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of internationally recognized borders, advocates the normalization of relations (with Armenia - ed.) And a proposal has been made in this direction," he said.



The minister stressed that there is no alternative to cooperation in the region.
Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raeisi called on the United States on Monday to fulfil its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, ruling out new negotiations on the countrys nuclear program.

Addressing his first press conference after winning the June 18 presidential election, Raeisi said his message to the Joe Biden administration is to return to its obligations under the deal and lift sanctions imposed on Tehran.

Raeisi said Washington must be "held accountable" for violating its commitments under the nuclear deal, also known as JCPOA.

He said the U.S. "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran has failed, ruling out new negotiations with the West on Iran's nuclear program.

On the question of whether he would be willing to meet Biden, Raeisi gave a terse one-word answer: No.

He said Iran's negotiating team currently engaged in negotiations with world powers in Vienna to revive the nuclear deal will follow up on the talks. He added that removal of the sanctions and the US return to its commitments under the deal will be followed by verification by Iran.

The sixth round of talks between Iran and world powers in Vienna on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal were adjourned on Sunday, as delegates returned to their respective capitals for consultations and final decisions.

The newly elected president termed Irans ballistic missile program "non-negotiable", a stand maintained by all previous governments in Tehran.

Raeisi further said that his government's foreign policy will not be restricted to the nuclear deal, and that he will seek interaction with the world. He also spoke about his government's desire to have "friendly relations" with neighboring countries, Anadolu Agency reported.
Iran's only nuclear power plant has been temporarily shut down over a "technical fault", the country's atomic energy body said in a statement.

The Bushehr plant and its 1,000-megawatt reactor, on Iran's southern coast, were completed by Russia after years of delay and officially handed over in September 2013.

The shutdown comes as Tehran and world powers attempt to revive a hobbled 2015 agreement on Iran's nuclear programme in Vienna talks, which an EU negotiator said Sunday were moving "closer to a deal".

That agreement is stanchly opposed by Israel, which Tehran has accused in the past of sabotage against its nuclear enrichment efforts.

"Following a technical fault at Bushehr power plant, and after a one-day notice to the energy ministry, the plant was temporarily shut down and taken off the power grid," the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said on its website around Sunday midnight.

The statement said the plant will be reconnected to the grid and the issue will be resolved "in a few days", but did not elaborate further.

Iran's national electricity company had in a statement on Sunday called on Iranians to minimise consumption during peak hours due to a "predicted rise in temperature" and "limitations in power generation due to ongoing repairs" at Bushehr.

The company said that the repairs may continue until the end of the week, which is Friday in Iran, AFP reported.
Israels new foreign minister Yair Lapid will head to the United Arab Emirates next week for the first known visit by a top Israeli diplomat to the Gulf Arab country, the ministry said Monday.

Lapids trip comes after the two countries normalized relations last year in an agreement brokered by the Trump administration, the first of four similar deals with Arab states that had long shunned Israel over its conflict with the Palestinians.

Both Israels new government and the Biden administration have said they hope to reach similar accords with other Arab states. Israel and the UAE have meanwhile continued working to deepen ties despite last months Gaza war, The AP reported.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Lapid will visit the UAE June 29-30, and will inaugurate an Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate in Dubai.

"Ties between Israel and the UAE are an important relationship, the fruits of which will be enjoyed not only by the citizens of the two countries, but by the entire Middle East," it said in a statement.
The Kremlin sees acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan party's convincing victory in the parliamentary elections and congratulates the Armenian people on the election, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on the results of the snap parliamentary elections in Armenia.

"We welcome the information of the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia that these elections have taken place. And of course, we see that Pashinyan's party has achieved a convincing victory. We congratulate the Armenian people on the election," TASS cited Peskov as saying.

"Of course, we would like this election to help the Armenian people overcome the difficulties the country is currently experiencing and to embark on a path of sustainable development, including through the implementation of trilateral agreements reached and signed with the direct participation of the Russian President," the Kremlin spokesman stressed.
Russia welcomes the results of the Iranian presidential election, and expresses the certainty that Moscow-Tehran cooperation will continue in a positive and constructive fashion, Russia's special presidential representative for Afghanistan, director of the Foreign Ministry's second Asian department, Zamir Kabulov said on Monday.

"We are positive [about the presidential election in Iran], and are certain that our relations will keep developing constructively and steadily as before," TASS cited him as saying.

"We hope that the effects will be only positive, and then we will wait and see, what other parties to this agreement will do," Kabulov said in reply to a question.

The thirteenth presidential election in Iran's modern history ended Saturday night. A total of 28.9 million took part. Ebrahim Raisi received 17.9 million votes. The Interior Ministry said he was officially recognized the winner. Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message of congratulations to Raisi.
Irans top negotiator Abbas Araghchi said Tehrans policies are not going to change under the administration of President-elect Ebrahim Raeisi.

In an interview with Japans NHK in Vienna after the conclusion of the sixth round of JCPOA talks on Sunday, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Irans policies are unchanging, irrespective of different administrations.

Asked about Tehran's stance under the next president, Araghchi said President-elect Raeisi is a realistic and reasonable person, and that Iran's position will not change even after the transition of government.

Araghchi also stressed that what matters most to Iran is to preserve its national interests, noting that the difficult part of the talks still remains.

The top negotiator also expressed hope that the nuclear talks would conclude during the current administration of President Hassan Rouhani.

The negotiations are closer to a deal than ever, Araghchi told NHK, adding that negotiators decided to conclude this round and return home not only for further consultations but also for decision-making.

The deputy minister noted that he hopes to finish the negotiations, and even implement the deal, while the current government is still in office.
Russian diplomats in the United States are ready to mend the ties between the two countries, Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov said

Touching upon the problem with visas between the United States and Russia, Antonov said that this matter requires a dialogue, which can be conducted only on an equal basis.

"This is one of the issues that needs to be discussed thoroughly and in detail", Antonov told journalists.

Reacting to the news about potential new sanctions, the diplomat said that such measures are not the way to stabilise the relations between Russia and the United States and they contradict the tone Washington set after the summit in Geneva, Sputnik reported.
Vaccinated foreign nationals will be able to enter Israel beginning July 1, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked announced, confirming the timeline to reopen the countrys skies that had been set by the previous government.

In addition to those who are inoculated, children up to age 6 whose parents meet the requirement will also be allowed in.

No prior authorization will be required, but further details are currently being examined by the Health Ministry, Shaked said. These details include the list of countries from where people will be allowed to enter Israel, and which vaccines will be accepted.

Unvaccinated individuals entering the country will need to enter quarantine, as is required of Israelis returning from abroad who are not inoculated or recovered.

Shaked also said that Israelis are going to be able to continue traveling everywhere they wish, except for the countries with the highest risk of morbidity, for whom an authorization from the special governmental committee is going to be required. At the moment, the list includes Argentina, Brazil, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa.

Foreign nationals from these countries are also not going to be authorized to travel to Israel except in very limited circumstances, such as the parents of a bride or a groom, or foreign workers vaccinated in Israel.

All people entering Israel from abroad are required to undergo a PCR test upon arrival, in addition to presenting the results of another one before boarding the flight. For this purpose, a testing complex has been operating at the airport since March, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has proposed reducing the number of ministries and ministerial-level agencies from 22 at present to 16-18 by 2030; and to promote digital transformation and the digital government.

It is common in Vietnam that one product, one matter is managed by several ministries and government agencies.

The manager of a food processing business has said: One of our sausages is managed by seven ministries and agencies. They are the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Finance (together with the General Department of Taxation and the General Department of Customs), the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Public Security.

Problems in state management were exposed clearly after the incident last July in which dozens of people were poisoned after eating vegetarian pate products labelled Minh Chay, produced by Hanoi-based Loi Song Moi (New Lifestyle) Two-Member Co., Ltd.

This vegetarian pate product was certified by the Sub-department of Quality Management of Agro-Forestry-Fisheries under the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and inspected by the Market Management Administration under the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The Department of Food Safety of the Ministry of Health is in charge of food safety management.

Thus, at least three ministries and agencies were involved in the management of the product. Many inspection teams were established to inspect the operation of the producer, and the company was suspended.

In a petition sent to the Government at a session of the XIV National Assembly in 2019, voters representing the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises reported that the petroleum sector is under the management of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, but in fact, many ministries and agencies are involved in the management such as the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Finance...

On April 15, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the first meeting of the new cabinet. Photo: Nhat Bac

The fact that one liter of petrol is managed by more than five ministries and agencies with different regulations has caused many difficulties for businesses.

During the National Assemblys discussion on the amended Law on Public Investment in late 2018, deputy Tran Quang Chieu mentioned that the two ministries jointly manage the state budget.

Specifically, the Ministry of Planning and Investment manages the allocation and expenditure of investment while the Ministry of Finance manages the allocation of recurrent expenditures.

This leads to a situation where resources are scattered, overlapping, and inconsistent in management, thereby reducing the efficiency of budget expenditures, and creating lack of cohesion between recurring expenditure and investment expenditure.

Of 170 countries and territories, only Vietnam has two ministries that manage state budget capital, while the scale of our economy as well as the size of our budget is not large. So, there's no reason to give this task to only one agency," said National Assembly deputy Tran Quang Chieu.

Just cutting the top

He thong Thong tin bao cao quoc gia, Trung tam Thong tin, chi ao, ieu hanh cua Chinh phu, Thu tuong Chinh phu khai truong ngay 19/8/20200

At the beginning of the 14th Government term, the Prime Minister established a working group to help the cabinet head to review the overlaps and contradictions in the management and administration of ministries and government agencies.

In 2017, the head of the Prime Minister's working group led by the Chairman of the Government Office at that time - Mr. Mai Tien Dung  released a shocking number: on average, enterprises spent nearly 30 million working days and nearly VND15 trillion a year inspecting import and export goods.

There were nearly 100,000 items that had to be inspected at customs clearance, but the rate of violations detected through inspections was only about 0.06%.

A car manufacturing line was checked when it was imported, but when it was assembled at the factory, inspectors from another ministry came to check it again, said Mr. Mai Tien Dung.

The Prime Minister at that time ordered that only one product should be managed by one management agency.

The efforts of the Prime Minister, the Government and the Working Group during the past term helped to cut and simplify 63% of required business conditions and 68% of the list of specialized goods.

However, businesses still complained that they had to "go through many doors" to perform administrative procedures and had to "receive" many inspection teams.

No matter how much effort is made in the reform of administrative procedures, it still exists. If one procedure is cut, another procedure appears. The root of the problem lies in overlapping management, and duplication of functions and tasks between ministries and agencies.

The root in the apparatus

Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra. The Communist Party of Vietnam has clearly realized the root of this matter and has issued many important decisions in Resolution 18 from the 6th session of the 12th Central Party Committee, as follows: Urgently reviewing, resolutely amending, supplementing and perfecting functions, tasks, powers, responsibilities, and working relationships among ministries, sectors and organizations under ministries; thoroughly overcoming the duplication and overlapping of functions and tasks so that an organization can undertake many tasks; one organization to assume and take responsibility of one task. The Party also requested to review and reduce the number of inter-sectoral coordination organizations, especially those with full-time assisting departments. The resolution also noted to continue studying and clarifying the theoretical and practical basis of the multi-sectoral and multi-field management scope of a number of ministries and agencies, especially those with similar functions and tasks in order to have appropriate solutions. The aim is to implement consolidation, organizational arrangement, and reduction of these agencies in the next term, such as those in the field of transport - construction; finance - investment plan; ethnicity - religion. One of the key tasks stated in the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress is "Building a clean, strong, streamlined political system with effective and efficient operation". Implementing the Party's guidelines, the Ministry of Home Affairs is developing a project on the government structure for the 2021-2026 term. Home Affairs Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that one of the solutions proposed by the ministry to streamline the government apparatus is "Promoting the renewal of the government apparatus to be lean, effective and efficient on the basis of reasonable structure of multi-sectoral ministries. This is to thoroughly overcome the overlaps and interferences in functions and tasks between ministries and ministerial-level agencies; and ensure the principle of one task assigned to only one agency. The draft Resolution on the master program of state administrative reform for the period of 2021 - 2030 mentions many notable points about how to organize the state administrative apparatus in the coming period. The Ministry of Home Affairs is collecting opinions from ministries and agencies for the last time to submit to the Prime Minister for promulgation of the resolution. In particular, the Ministry of Home Affairs proposed strengthening innovation and improving working methods in order to improve the capacity of direction and administration, improve operational efficiency, and streamline the organizational system of administrative agencies at all levels as prescribed; and strive to reduce the number of ministries and ministerial-level agencies to 16-18 from the current number of 22, drastically reducing intermediary organization. To do this, the Ministry of Home Affairs has set out a number of tasks, including formulating and perfecting policies and laws on the organization of the state administrative apparatus. At the same time, it proposed researching a model of government organization in the context of promoting the development of e-government and digital government and actively participating in and adapting to the fourth industrial revolution; and researching a pilot model of independent agencies with law enforcement functions in a number of fields, moving towards separating the law enforcement function from ministries and ministerial-level agencies to refine the state administrative apparatus. The Ministry of Home Affairs also emphasized reviewing and clearly defining the tasks of administrative agencies, the tasks that need to be decentralized to local authorities and subordinates; and the tasks to be transferred to enterprises and social organizations. On that basis, design and arrange the appropriate administrative apparatus at the central and local levels. The Ministry of Home Affairs also said that it is necessary to study and clarify the theoretical and practical basis of the multi-sectoral management scope of a number of ministries and agencies, especially those with similar and overlapping functions and tasks to have suitable solutions. Redesigning the operation of the Government
If public agencies consider the work of people and businesses as their own, the number of complaints about administrative procedures will decrease.

Lan is a new graduate from a traditional medicine academy. Working as an acupuncturist, Lan often asks her patient if there is pain. Lan said: When we were at school, we had to prick ourselves with needles. Because if we don't use needles on ourselves, how can we know what the patient feels to do it right?"

Lans story actually has similarities to administration. Sometimes, the hardships suffered by people and businesses when performing administrative procedures will be less numerous if there are public officials who are more empathetic in the ways that traditional medicine schools teach its students, with the motto of lifelong professional practice.

The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) recently had two big events, both related to administrative procedures and business environment. One was the conference to announce the Provincial Competitiveness Index 2020 (PCI), and the other was to announce the assessment of Vietnam's business reform program from perspective of enterprises.

Based on an assessment of the implementation of Resolution 02 dated 2020 and Resolution 35 dated 2016 of the Government, the report of VCCI shows that Vietnam's business environment has improved significantly in recent years, which not only was shown through studies of international organizations but also from evaluations of the private business community in Vietnam. The PCI survey results show the positive movement of many areas of Vietnam's business environment from 2016 to 2020.

In the past five years, the areas with positive movements include reduced informal costs, stable legal and security institutions, more proactive provincial governments, significant improvement of administrative reform, and a more equitable business environment.

However, the survey results over the years show that the provincial governments need to improve more strongly the level of transparency in economic management; improve the efficiency and effectiveness of implementation at the district and department level; continue to reduce the burden of compliance costs for businesses through promoting administrative procedure reform and the burden of inspection and examination for businesses; and continue efforts to cut informal costs for businesses.

That is a general assessment, but going into specific issues, the two reports of several hundred pages each examined many cumbersome, complicated, overlapping and conflicting administrative procedures that people and businesses must endure daily.

Household enterprises and small-sized enterprises face more difficulties when carrying out construction procedures than foreign-invested enterprises and large-sized enterprises. Informal costs are the biggest problem for businesses. The biggest cause of trouble for businesses is the state employee handling documents and legal regulations, the VCCI report said.

This statement has been made in many reports on reform of administrative procedure and business environment in Vietnam over the past decade. From this perspective, it seems that the most painful stories are not over yet. There are even some procedures such as land, tax, and bankruptcy of enterprises that have had little progress.

Get better and reap sweet fruit

The business environment is sometimes not a policy priority of a locality. But without making efforts to improve these indicators, the locality may fall behind despite the fact that it is the "leader". On the contrary, if a locality considers it as "must-do task", the results will be huge.

For Quang Ninh province, with the PCI score in 2020 of 75.09 points, Quang Ninh has surpassed itself to firmly establish the top position in the PCI rankings for four consecutive years. It is also the only one of 63 provinces and cities that has surpassed the 75-point mark in PCI results from 2010 onwards.

Meanwhile, Da Nang has fallen from the top position for many years and is increasingly moving away from the top 3. Lao Cai has been rising and falling from the top position for several years. PCI data over the past 15 years shows that Lao Cai once ranked first and many times in the top 5 and top 10 nationwide, but also has experienced many fluctuations when ranking 17th (in 2013) and 25th (in 2019). In 2020, Lao Cai ranked 16th.

Party Secretary of Quang Ninh Province  Mr. Nguyen Xuan Ky said that he always remembers meetings of Quang Ninh leaders from time to time. The most difficult meeting is the one to find the answer to the question: To develop, how to remove the bottlenecks? One of the bottlenecks is administrative procedures. "Quang Ninh has to solve administrative bottlenecks itself."

The top leaders of Quang Ninh, and also junior officials, have visited China, Japan, and South Korea, and the Vietnamese provinces that are successful in administrative reform, such as Binh Duong, and Da Nang, to learn experiences from them.

Ben Tre - a poor province in the Mekong Delta - is also a case worth considering. The economic scale is small, the infrastructure is still poor, but for many consecutive years, this province has been in the top 10 of the Provincial Competitiveness Index.

At the entrance to the headquarters of the People's Committee of Ben Tre province, people and businesses can immediately see the slogan "strong government, high responsibility, creativity, serving the people, accompanying businesses".

Chairman of Ben Tre Provincial People's Committee Tran Ngoc Tam said: "That is the motto of the next term. Accompanying businesses means to do what can help businesses, in accordance with the law, remove difficulties and obstacles, and create conditions for enterprises to invest and develop in the best way."

Administrative reform is an issue we are very interested in, because it can be said that this is decisive for development. Previously, Ben Tre did not have a public administration center, but now we have established one. In particular, the handling of administrative procedures must be corrected, and the spirit and attitude of service staff must be thoroughly grasped," said Tam.

The localities in the top of the Provincial Competitiveness Index have created initiatives and reforms to better serve people and businesses. Many of them have received more investment capital, becoming bright spots for growth.

Administrative reform is sometimes like "beating our feet with a stone", but it must be done. If you do not "take a stone to hit your feet", it is impossible to remove the long-standing ulcers that have persisted in the execution apparatus. Understanding the hardships of people and businesses with such actions is similar to practitioners like Lan who prick themselves with needles to understand the patient's feelings.

If one knows how to empathize with the pain and hardship of others, then everything will be better and more effective.

Luong Bang

Reform of Government apparatus The Ministry of Home Affairs has proposed reducing the number of ministries and ministerial-level agencies from 22 at present to 16-18 by 2030; and to promote digital transformation and the digital government.

Further administrative reform needed Vietnamese people and businesses are still struggling with administrative procedures and are being held back by an unstable business environment.
With the COVID-19 situation under control in Hanoi, municipal authorities have approved the reopening of indoor dining and drinking venues along with barbershops, effective from midnight tonight.

In a document signed by Vice Chairman of Ha Noi Peoples Committee Chu Xuan Dung and issued late Monday, barbershops and indoor dining and drinking venues were allowed to resume operations, nearly a month after receiving closure orders.

Capacity is capped at 50 per cent, no more than 20 customers can be in a venue at any time and venues are asked to set up barriers between tables and ensure a safe distance between customers. They must also close by 9pm.

The owners of all venues must require customers to submit electronic health declarations during their time on the premises.

Wine bars, pubs, and bia hoi venues are only allowed to sell orders for delivery.

Inspections by local authorities will be conducted regularly to enforce the rules.

The city ordered the closure of massage venues, cinemas, spas, gyms on May 5, bars and bia hoi outlets on May 11, and forbade all restaurants and barbershops from providing indoor services from May 25.

In addition to the lifting of closure orders, the citys authorities noted many localities in the country are still suffering complicated COVID-19 outbreaks and people travelling from these areas constitute a high risk of virus transmission in the community.

The traffic police along with local governments must step up patrols and inspections at gateways into the city to monitor the flow of people into the city, especially arrivals from HCM City and a Nang City, as well as Binh Duong, Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces.

Noi Bai International Airport was asked to review the list of all passengers who arrive from HCM City and stay in Ha Noi so proper pandemic measures can be rolled out when necessary.

The health department was tasked with ensuring prevention of COVID-19 in medical establishments, as well as carrying out frequent COVID-19 screening in high-risk areas.

In the latest wave of infections since late April, Ha Noi has recorded more than 260 local cases (excluding the large clusters found in two major hospitals, both of which have exited lockdowns), but no new cases in recent days.

Source: VNS
Ho Chi Minh City will connect data with the National Center for Disease Prevention Technology of the Ministry of Information and Communications to speed up its vaccination campaign.

The Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Health have directed the Viettel Military Industry and Telecommunications Group to deploy the vaccination management platform and an electronic health book.

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh attends the launching ceremony of the vaccination campaign in HCM City and trialed one of the stages of vaccination. Photo: Thanh Tung

The electronic health book helps people to register for vaccinations and make medical declarations online. It has information about the vaccination site and the expected time of vaccination and necessary information about vaccination through the e-health book.

This saves time for people who need a vaccination, and limits the concentration of people at vaccination sites. Each citizen will be given a QR code. At the vaccination site, they only need to scan the code instead of having to fill in documents.

In addition, the screening examination information (temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, medical history, medication) of vaccinated people is also saved in their electronic health book to help compare symptoms after the vaccination.

After being vaccinated, if there are abnormal health symptoms, the vaccinated person can report through this application to get timely assistance from medical staff.

By using this platform, the dual goals of the vaccination campaign will be achieved: the vaccination will be implemented quickly, safely, and conveniently, and save time for people in large numbers, reducing the load on medical staff. Electronic health data for nearly 800,000 people in Ho Chi Minh City will then be created.

The e-health book can help the vaccination campaign board track the number of people vaccinated at each vaccination site, the number of people who registered but did not receive vaccination, number of people who are not healthy enough to be vaccinated shown via screening medical examinations, common symptoms after vaccination of each kind of vaccine, and number of cases of complications after vaccination.

The use of technology in vaccination is also significant in promoting the implementation of the vaccine passport. A representative of the National Center for Disease Prevention Technology said that Vietnam has had a Covid-19 vaccination management system and will soon have a system to provide electronic vaccine certificates.

Connecting to the national data system

500 workers in the HCM City Hi-tech Park were vaccinated on June 19. Photo: Thanh Tung

The Ministry of Information and Communications will assign a deputy minister and 15 experts to go to Ho Chi Minh City to help the city implement technological solutions to prevent the Covid-19 outbreak. The Ministry will also mobilize the participation of big names such as Viettel, VNPT, MobiFone and VnPost to help fight the epidemic.

On June 19, HCM City Chairman Thanh Phong signed a directive requesting strengthening of measures to prevent and control Covid-19. Under this directive, the city will set up a technology working group to deploy the Covid-19 vaccination management system at the proposal of the Ministry of Information and Communications.

The largest ever COVID-19 vaccination campaign with 786,000 doses distributed to Ho Chi Minh City also kicked off on June 19.

Ho Chi Minh City is currently a hotspot in the fourth wave of COVID-19 outbreaks, so the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control decided to immediately allocate 786,000 doses out of 1 million doses of vaccine donated by Japan to the city.

As many as 650 injection stations will be organised across the city, including mobile stations. The campaign is expected to be completed before June 27. HCM City is speeding up negotiations with vaccine suppliers and looking for vaccine sources, aiming to continue expanding vaccination for local residents, moving towards herd immunity as quickly as possible. It has set a goal that by the end of 2021, two-thirds of the city's population will be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Van Anh - Hai Dang
Two more made-in-Japan trains for HCM Citys Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line docked at Khanh Hoi port in District 4, HCM City on June 20.

They will be transported to the Long Binh depot in Thu Duc district for assembly on June 21 and June 23.

In October 2020, the first train with three carriages, out of a total of 17 trains, for HCM Citys metro line 1 arrived in Ho Chi Minh City.

The two trains No. 2 and 3, also with three carriages each, arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in May 2021. These trains were transported to the depot in Thu Duc district for assembly.

The trains are designed to serve up to 930 passengers each, with 147 seats. They can run for 110km per hour on elevated rail and 80km per hour on underground rail.

So far, 5 out of the 17 trains for the metro line No.1 have been transported to Vietnam.

The US$1.9 billion route which connects Ben Thanh Market in District 1 and Suoi Tien Theme Park in District 9 is 19.7 km long and will have 14 stations, including three underground.

Including four major bidding packages using official development assistance (ODA) and funds from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project is designed to have 14 stations, three of them underground.

To date, 85.9% of the workload of metro line No.1 project has been completed. In the context of complicated developments of Covid -19 in HCM City, the investor and the contractors have come up with solutions to both ensure construction progress and protect workers. The line is anticipated to be put into commercial operation next year.

The authorities of HCM City on June 9 issued a plan to implement tasks to effectively operate and exploit the project.

Tuan Kiet
Vietnam will receive one million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines each week starting in July, the licensed importer for the vaccine in the country has announced.

A nurse prepares a AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine shot in the northern province of Tuyen Giang.

Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC), a private firm that remains the only one to be authorised by the health ministry with regards to import of COVID-19 vaccine, said this is the fulfilment of the order of 30 million doses supplied within 2021.

VNVC paid US$30 million deposit to AstraZeneca (along with proof of import and storage capacity and commitment for equitable use) when the vaccine was still in phase 2 of clinical trials last year in order to get early access at a "special price" if it succeeded.

But they ran the risk that had AstraZeneca vaccine failed VNVC would not get the deposit back and would likely need to continue committing further money for next steps of development.

Taking this into account, the Vietnamese Government on June 1, 2021, awarded the commendation to the company for "outstanding achievement in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic."

The company from the onset said it was committed to sell back the entire 30 million doses on order to the Vietnamese health ministry on a non-profit basis.

The Government on June 19 issued a resolution officially greenlighting the purchase of the vaccines imported by VNVC (under the model of selecting contractor/provider in special circumstance in line with Law on Bidding), including the doses already arrived in Viet Nam since February.

It accepted the vaccine price set under the not-for-profit principle as reported by the health ministry about the result of the purchase negotiation with the VNVC.

In this agreement, in case AstraZeneca decides to cut the prices of the doses, VNVC would need to slash the price in accordance when selling to the health ministry, but should AstraZeneca decide to increase the price, VNVC would have to accept the prices as stated in the agreement with the health ministry.

However, the Government agrees to waive the responsibility of VNVC if it failed to deliver on schedule as well as the responsibility of both AstraZeneca and VNVC regarding any complaints emerging from the use of the vaccine.

So far, the delivery of the vaccine under this deal has been limited. About 405,600 doses arrived in Viet Nam in two shipments in late February and late May, with the first batch of 117,600 doses also the first COVID-19 doses to reach Viet Nam, allowing the country to startinoculation offrontline workers and medical staff.

It is expected that another million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines will be delivered to Viet Nam via COVAX initiative in late June, early July, adding on top of some 2.5 million doses already arrived in the country in April.

With the severe fourth wave of infections underway since late April, Viet Nam is looking at all sources of possible vaccine supplies to secure 170 million doses to inoculate 70 per cent of its near 97 million population by year-end.

According to the health ministry, as of 4pm June 20, 2021, 2,422,643 doses of vaccines have been administered in Viet Nam, while 12,683 have been fully vaccinated with two doses.

Source: VNS
Keep plugging away.

Thats the mantra for the New River Health District as staff members and volunteers continue the push to vaccinate as many people as possible for the coronavirus, traveling to community events, housing developments, convenience stores, and more.

Approximately, 70,000 people, or 39 percent, in the district are fully vaccinated, said Noelle Bissell, district health director, during a June 21 meeting with the news media. At least 45 percent of those vaccinated are older than 16 years old.

Gov. Ralph Northam announced on June 21 that on average, 70 percent of Virginians ages 18 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This makes Virginia the 16th state in the nation to meet this vaccination goal set by President Joe Biden ahead of the July 4th holiday.

Even so, the New River Valley lags behind some areas of the state. Bissell said she does not expect the district to reach the 70 percent goal by July 4.

The goal represents herd immunity, which occurs when a majority of a population is vaccinated.

When you look at getting control of the pandemic, the way to do that is through herd immunity. The way we get herd immunity is through vaccination, Bissell said.

She went on to explain that there are COVID-19 variants circulating in the state. Still, the district is seeing strong protection against serious illness, hospitalization, and deaths, even with the variants, in people who are fully vaccinated for the coronavirus, she said.

People who are not vaccinated are just as high risk as ever, and because of that we do see that most of our current hospitalizations and more serious illness are in people who are not vaccinated, Bissell said.

Also, the district still hears from people who dont want to receive a vaccine for a variety of reasons, such as a concern that vaccines were developed too quickly.

People need to understand that no shortcuts were taken in developing the vaccines available, Bissell said. Tens of thousands of people were included in the trials.

Also, the same technology used to develop the vaccines has been used for decades in cancer therapies and in trials involving humans, she said.

Additionally, any side effects to the vaccine may show up within days to months of receiving it. But they are minimal, compared with some of the long-term and chronic problems that people are developing after having had COVID-19, Bissell said.

We have really good evidence right now that the vaccines that are available are helping people start to get back to normal activity, she said. They decrease the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death. When you are trying to get out of a pandemic like this, thats what we need.

 Written by Jenny Kincaid Boone

Vaccines are required for Virginia Tech students and strongly encouraged for university employees. Heres the breakdown of when vaccines should be received and verification uploaded.

Students:

Moderna (4 weeks between shots): First shot no later than July 8, second shot no later than Aug. 5, upload verification no later than Aug. 6 deadline

Pfizer (3 weeks between shots): First shot no later than July 15, second shot no later than Aug. 5, upload verification no later than Aug. 6 deadline



J&J (one shot): Shot no later than Aug. 5, upload verification no later than Aug. 6 deadline

Employees:

Moderna (4 weeks between shots): First shot no later than July 17, second shot no later than Aug. 14, upload verification no later than Aug. 15 deadline

Pfizer (3 weeks between shots): First shot no later than July 24, second shot no later than Aug. 14, upload verification no later than Aug. 15 deadline

J&J (one shot): Shot no later than Aug. 14, upload verification no later than Aug. 15 deadline
In 1986, Janet Jacksons hit song Nasty topped music billboard charts, with the catchy yet controversial lyrics, Oh, you nasty boys. Thirty years later, in 2016, this song made a comeback after former President Donald Trumps nasty woman reference to Hillary Clinton during a presidential debate. Headlines blew up worldwide and the phrase went viral, spiraling into the Nasty Woman feminist movement.

In 2021, Virginia Tech students from Marian Mollins spring 2020 section of HIST 4914 (History Capstone Research Seminar) published the book "Nasty Women: Transgressive Womanhood in American History" as their primary assignment of the course. This rigorous and demanding class requires students to engage in original historical research and writing on a topic of their choice. The students chose Nasty Women in American History as their topic, looking at the long view of American women and examining their behavior of protesting societal norms and breaking boundaries through the decades.

Students in the class  Alicia Aucoin, Gillian Barth, Grace Barth, Helen Hickman, Savannah Lawhorne, Kat McGowan, Caroline McLean, Madison Sheehan, Elizabeth Sholtis, Trenton Spillman, Bethany Stewart, Alyssa Thompson, Liv Wisnewski, and Olivia Wood  all had a hand in writing the book.

In the books 14 chapters, the student authors recount stories of strong historical women, some enslaved, a few engineers, and even early celebrities. Taken together, the chapters demonstrate how there is no such thing as an average woman, as even those ordinary women are found doing extraordinary things.

Led by Mollin, an associate professor of history, in collaboration with Robert Browder, publishing coordinator of Virginia Tech Publishing housed in University Libraries, each student produced a chapter or article-length essay that resembled the kinds of scholarly papers historians regularly deliver at professional meetings or submit for publication. Then each of these works were combined and published into a book.

Compiling the essays into a published volume adds a level of seriousness and excitement to the class, said Mollin. Students universally love that their work will appear in an actual book rather than just submitted as a class assignment that no one except their professor sees. And knowing that their work will be published and available for public consumption pushes students to do their very best work.

This project is unique because each student gets to write about whatever they want to under the subject matter, said McLean, a student in the course and a double major in history and international studies with a minor in Spanish. That means that each author wrote about what they were most interested in and passionate about.

The now successful project encountered some challenges along the way. During the first months of the pandemic in spring 2020, the class shifted to remote learning. This almost derailed the entire book project.

The students had really just started their research, said Mollin. Some of their research was with online databases, but more were print library resources that suddenly were inaccessible. The lack of face-to-face contact was difficult as well. The work in this capstone research seminar is intense, and peer support is essential to the students successful completion of their projects.



The classmates were scattered geographically and met through Zoom, challenging their ability to maintain a sense of connection required to complete the high-level project.

All of my sources for my chapter were back in my dorm room in Blacksburg, said Liv Wisnewski, one of the class project authors. I hadnt brought them home with me over spring break, figuring I would only be gone for a week and not intending to work on the paper in that time anyway. I was away from them for a month and had to get special permission to return to campus early to get my things so I could finish my chapter.

The students did not give up.

They engaged in extensive primary source research about their chosen topics, and then collaborated in editing and layout. Not only did the process enable them to learn about history, but it also taught them to adhere to a rigorous schedule of frequent deadlines, work as a team, independently search for sources, and demonstrate an ability to think clearly and analytically.

Its great preparation for any kind of work, not just work in the discipline of history, said Mollin.

The class rallied and persevered. We used our Zoom meetings to help sustain the sense of intellectual community and camaraderie we had cultivated during the first half of the semester, said Mollin. The students found workarounds to complete their research. And, in an act of intentional defiance of the obstacles that the pandemic had thrown in their paths, the students doubled down on their commitment to produce high-quality work and turn their class assignments into an actual published book.

McLean helped write the acknowledgments and introduction, and her own chapter focused on the 1918 Chamberlain-Kahn Act, also called the American Plan, which humiliated and traumatized thousands of women during the first half of the 20th century.

I felt it was important to reveal lesser known historical events in the book, McLean said. Before writing this chapter, I didnt even know what the American Plan was and I am a history major! I was astonished that this type of forceful and humiliating repression against women even happened in the United States. I wanted to write about it so that more people learn about it and so that its never repeated.

Wisnewski chose to research and write about Alice Roosevelt, the original infamous woman, while also designing the front and back covers. It was a very fun process, not only getting to really dive into the history of a woman I have always been curious about, but then to create a very visible part of the physical results of the class.

Dr. Mollin stayed vigilant and guided us through the end of the project, McLean said. Without her persistence and the continued dedication of the students, this project would not have been possible to complete. She went over and beyond as a teacher and gave us all such a valuable experience.

The students are now proud published authors. The book is available both as a freely downloadable eBook and as an affordable paperback edition.

I believe that providing a professional venue for undergraduates to showcase the skills and talents they develop as students should be an integral part of their experience at Virginia Tech, said Mollin. And that is exactly what the history capstone book projects, done in conjunction with Virginia Tech Publishing, provide.

The opportunity to partner with Virginia Tech faculty to create opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in nonperishable scholarship through their course work is sublime indeed, Browder said.

Working with the staff at Virginia Tech Publishing, especially with Robert Browder, has been an incredible experience, said Mollin. While a number of history faculty had done book projects like this before, doing it under the auspices of Virginia Tech Publishing has made both the editing process and the end product much more professional. Robert has been great about overseeing the class book projects from start to finish. Other library staff, particularly Lauren Holt and Grace Baggett, played an instrumental role in guiding the students through the copyediting process and final proofing.

Working with both University Libraries and Virginia Tech Publishing was delightful, McLean said. University Libraries went above and beyond helping us find sources for the book, without which writing the book would not have been possible. Virginia Tech Publishing even taught a group of students from the class how to copyedit over the summer so that we could be directly involved in the publishing process on our own book. I am very grateful for the skills they taught me and their willingness to help along the way.

Students ended the 202021 school year with a published book on their resumes  and on a subject about which they are passionate.

This book and womens history mean a lot to me because it is important for people to know what conditions were like for women in the past, McLean said. Many take our positions in society for granted today and overlook the challenges that so many women had to face to get to this place.

Wisnewski wants to be an educator and plans on going into museum work. Not just because I love old stuff, which I do, but because I want to pass on that love to other people. Writing this book was part of that for me. I was excited to share my interest in Alice Roosevelt, to spotlight her and let people see her and learn from her like I did. I love teaching and telling stories, and writing is in some ways the best of both of those things.



Mollin hopes readers of the book will gain new insights. I love learning what each group of students considers important or usable from their study of the past, Mollin said. Because of generational differences, our students often see things in a different light than older and more established historians such as myself and my colleagues.

The whole book is really a testament to the academic spirit of the university and the passion students feel for their work, said Wisnewski. It was great fun to be able to complete the book and celebrate with my classmates this spring.

This project serves as a reminder not to take current circumstances and privileges for granted.

It is women like the ones in this book who broke the boundaries that allow the women of today to experience rights and freedoms, said McLean. It is also a reminder to the community that there is always room to enact change, to make the history of tomorrow.

Written by Elise Monsour Puckett
NORTH BEND, Oregon (AP)  A man sought in the killings of his father and two other people at a casino campground and in a shooting at a marijuana dispensary in a small Oregon city turned himself in to police in Milwaukee, authorities said Sunday,

Investigators believe Oen Evan Nicholson drove the over 2,000 miles (3,219 kilometers) from the coastal city of North Bend to Wisconsin, said Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Frasier. He is believed to have abandoned his father's truck after crashing it in Oregon on Friday.

Nicholson is suspected in the death of his father, Charles Simms Nicholson, whose body was found in a trailer in an RV campground of The Mill Casino in North Bend on Friday.

Nicholson was charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of his father, Oyster and Davidson as well as second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and failing to help a person injured in a traffic accident, Frasier said.

Nicholson will appear in court in Milwaukee in the coming days before returning to Oregon to face the charges, Fraiser said. It was not clear if Nicholson has a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
PEOPLE

Robotic Research brings in new finance chief

Autonomous driving technology firm Robotic Research has hired nearly two-decade business and industrial veteran Josh Araujo as chief financial officer.

Araujo joins Robotic Research from OGT Engineering and Construction, an energy industry project consultancy where he was CFO.

He is also a former senior vice president for Jeffries industrial investment banking group and mergers-and-acquisitions associate at Lazard.

Clarksburg, Maryland-headquartered Robotic Research said it also hired Don Lefeve as head of corporate affairs that include the companys functions for government relations and public relations.

Lefeve most recently was president and CEO of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association.
Dutcher, of Cedar Falls, has been flying kids through the skies of the Cedar Valley through the Young Eagles program along with about a dozen other members of the local EAA chapter, since the program began in the mid-1990s. In that time, the chapter has logged 5,500 flights with kids.

Dutcher has done more than 320 of them, with over 400 children ages 8 through 17 strapping into Susie 2, his burgundy 1977 Cessna 172 Skyhawk named after his wife, and learning the ins and outs of flying.

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Theyre all somewhat apprehensive: Theyre not sure they want to do this. For most of them, its their first time in an airplane, Dutcher said. As soon as the wheels leave the ground, its all smiles.

Dutcher started flying in 1982 at around age 35, looking up at an airplane in the sky and thinking, I want to do that. He got trained and his private pilots license, and learned from his mistakes  his first airplane ended up nose-first in the ground, though he wasnt seriously hurt and the FAA cleared him of wrongdoing, he noted.

Dutcher, his wife and their son were soon flying all over the U.S., for trips as far away as California and as close as Mason City, hopping in the plane like another family might hop in the family sedan.
Upon entering the stores front door, the deputy was met by an armed suspect who was trying to leave. The suspect fired a handgun at the deputy, who was struck by multiple rounds. The wounded deputy was flown to the hospital in Iowa City for treatment.

Donahue allegedly fled in a van at a high speed and was pursued by another deputy before crashing into a bridge under construction on the north edge of Coggon city limits, the sheriff said.

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Donahue allegedly fled on foot, and deputies used a search dog to track him north and east of the Coggon area before losing track. Officers from several local, state and federal agencies were assisted by dogs and a state airplane in their search, scouring cornfields and ditches but failing to find him for hours.

Authorities had asked people who live near Coggon to stay inside, lock their doors and vehicles and call police if any of their vehicles are missing.

Caseys spokesperson Katie Petru said no employees were injured during the robbery and shooting. She said the company was assisting authorities during this ongoing investigation and continued search for the suspect.
Additional Aircore Drilling Discovers New Widespread High-Grade Gold Zone at Mulgabbie



New Widespread High-Grade Gold Zone at Mulgabbie

Perth, June 21, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - OzAurum Resources Ltd ( ASX:OZM ) is pleased to announce significant high-grade gold aircore (AC) drilling results from 130 holes for 9,555 metres (m) of drilling at its Mulgabbie North Project, situated two kilometres from the Northern Star Resources ( ASX:NST ) Carosue Dam Mine Operations.Highlights- AC holes that intersected significant gold mineralisation from 4m composite samples include:o 4m @ 5.02 g/t Au from 24m - MNOAC 326o 4m @ 4.54 g/t from 40m - MNOAC 326o 4m @ 2.89 g/t Au from 28m - MNOAC 216o 4m @ 1.40 g/t from 28m - MNOAC 326o 4m @ 1.39 g/t Au from 32m - MNOAC 255o 4m @ 1.25 g/t Au from 52m - MNOAC 254- Discovery of new widespread gold zone up to 2.2km long and 150m wide intersected west of current Mulgabbie North Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling on the Relief Shear- New gold zone potentially represents the near surface footprint of significant primary gold mineralisation and high-grade gold paleochannel hosted mineralisation- Multiple zones defined by numerous AC drill holes intersected significant gold mineralisation at end of hole (EOH), with future RC drilling planned to test these zones- The 40-80m wide zone of Hematite alteration at Mulgabbie North, previously intersected in the bottom of hole AC samples, currently extends for 2.5 km along strike and 150m west of current RC drilling on the Relief Shear- Hematite is a key signature of the adjacent Northern Star Carosue Dam Karari and Whirling Dervish Gold Mines- where about 1.5 million ounces gold have been produced to dateMulgabbie North AC Drilling ResultsThe 130 AC holes drilled for 9,555m form part of OzAurum's initial 30,000m AC drilling campaign which began in February this year. So far, a total of 514 holes drilled for 37,398m has been completed. Results are currently pending for another 180 AC holes.The current AC drilling program has been extended by an additional 15,000m to undertake infill drilling at Mulgabbie North and to complete an initial four wide spaced lines at the southern area of E28/2477 within the Mulgabbie project area (see figure 1*).A new zone of widespread gold mineralisation extending for 2.2km long and up to 150m wide, has been intersected by AC drilling situated along and to the west of the Relief Shear at Mulgabbie North.Significant four metre composite AC drilling results from holes MNOAC 205-334 include 4m @ 5.02 g/t Au from 24m, 4m @ 1.4 g/t Au from 28m, 4m @ 4.54 g/t Au from 40m (MNOAC 326) along with 4m @ 2.89 g/t Au from 28m (MNOAC216) all situated west of the relief shear. Numerous other anomalous gold results can be found in table 2* of this release. The AC results have provided the Company with exciting new targets that will be followed-up with future RC drilling.The current interpretation is that some high-grade gold mineralisation is tertiary paleochannel hosted gold mineralisation. Ongoing and future work will involve systematic interpretation of the base of this highly mineralised paleochannel position, specifically locating the centre of the base of the mineralised channel facies. This new style of mineralisation is very encouraging and will be specifically targeted via future vertical AC drill holes.Another exciting aspect of the completed AC drill program at Mulgabbie North is that the number of AC holes drilled at the northern area of the Project have intersected sericite, +- hematite alteration, with associated pyrite and in some cases arsenopyrite + pyrite mineralisation at the end of hole sample. Gold mineralisation at Mulgabbie North is typically associated with pyrite and or arsenopyrite mineralisation. The Company is eagerly awaiting pending assay results of the final 180 AC holes that were drilled, and looks forward to updating the market in due course.Widespread gold mineralisation at this new 2km-long gold zone is currently open to the north. In addition, the new gold zone is co-incident with OzAurum's gold auger calcrete geochemistry anomalies, and a gravity low trough similar to the Northern Star ( ASX:NST ) Carouse Dam corridor of riches in which their operating gold mines are situated, which includes production of about 1.5 million ounces of gold to date.As previously announced, another significant aspect of the AC drilling program completed at Mulgabbie thus far is the discovery of a 40-80m wide zone of hematite alteration being intersected in the bottom of the AC holes, defining a trend striking NW for approximately 2.8 kms, and situated 150m west of the Relief Shear (see ASX announcement dated 15 March 2021). This is significant because hematite alteration is the characteristic alteration of the adjacent Northern Star's Karari and Whirling Dervish Gold Mines. The hematite alteration observed is indicating oxidised fluids from an intrusive complex suggesting proximity to the mineralising centre- likely to be within OzAurum's 100% owned Mulgabbie North tenure.AC drilling has also been completed on the southern area of E28/2477 where holes have been drilled at 1km x 80m spacing. This area is the interpreted position of the southern extension of the Relief Shear. Transported cover up to 40m thick has prevented previous effective exploration of this area.There is no historic drilling in this area, and early visual signs of bottom of hole chips is encouraging with sericite altered volcaniclastic rocks being intersected with pyrite mineralisation. Refer to figure 1 for the location of drilling in this area.The upcoming Mulgabbie North infill AC drilling program will be undertaken on a 100m x 40m drill spacing extending existing drill lines to the west. Of particular interest in this area is hole MNOAC 115 that intersected 3m @ 2.28 g/t from 71m, including a number of other holes that have intersected anomalous gold mineralisation. All holes are being drilled to top of fresh rock using the AC blade bit drilling to refusal, and utilising the aircore hammer where required. This is a critical drilling technique to discover gold mineralisation in fresh rock. Historic Freeport RAB holes drilled in 1984-1988 in the same area failed to reach the top of fresh rock in the highly prospective intermediate-felsic lithology due to transported cover and the shallow water table.OzAurum's Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Pumphrey, said:"The Company is proud to announce the additional high-grade AC intercepts uncovered by our large-scale drilling campaign. The discovery of a new widespread zone of gold mineralisation situated west of the Relief Shear provides us with even greater confidence in the Project. In particular, we are excited by the potential of this area where the host rocks are intermediate-felsic volcaniclastic units - very similar to the Northern Star Carosue Dam Karari and Whirling Dervish Gold Mines."In addition, a new 40-80m wide zone of Hematite alteration extending for 2.5km intersected for the first time in AC holes is very promising since this is a key signature of the adjacent Northern Star Carosue Dam Karari and Whirling Dervish Gold Mines that have so far produced about 1.5 million ounces of gold."Lastly, this area is under transported cover that has prevented previous effective exploration and now represents a significant exploration opportunity for the Company."In the coming months as drilling results become available the company will be providing the market with regular updates. Laboratory assay results are currently taking up to over 8 weeks from time of delivery causing delays in results being released to the market.To view tables and figures, please visit:About OzAurum Resources Limited

OzAurum Resources Ltd (ASX:OZM) is a Western Australian gold explorer with two advanced gold projects located 130 km north east of Kalgoorlie. The Company's main objective is to make a significant gold discovery that can be brought to production.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Thirty different addresses in her first 32 years of life kept Patricia Marquez Knighten and her family agile and mutable.

The daughter of a well-known Air Force lieutenant general, Knighten and her four siblings got used to traversing the country as their father gave them pep talks about the virtues of each new location.

My dad had a lot of charisma, so he could really band us into loving where we were going, no matter what, Knighten says. And that becomes a little more critical when youre living in northern California and doing very cool California things, and hes trying to get you to middle Georgia. And be excited about it.

The grown-up Knighten has left all that wandering behind.

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The same Four Hills home has been her headquarters for the past 30 years, despite career moves and the job she started in January  director of Innovation Commercialization at New Mexico State Universitys Arrowhead Center. The center is in charge of marketing NMSU research to a global market.

Four Hills, at the far southeastern edge of Albuquerque, has been her treasured home base for the last 30 years, with access to hiking trails and space to run with her now-deceased Airedales. (That is not a trivial dog, she says.)

Knighten has worked in the private and public sector, including small businesses, high-tech start-ups, Fortune 500 companies, federal research laboratories and government agencies.

Her first love was the aerospace field, born from the influence of her father, Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez, who rose to become the Air Forces highest-ranking Hispanic officer.

He engaged us as children, going to work with him on Saturdays, getting around airplanes, Knighten says. Even the smell of a hangar brings back really fond and fun memories.

Although Knighten first focused on engineering and technology, she quickly learned she was not suited to sitting behind a desk doing engineering work and decided to combine her technical know-how with business development skills.

I can very quickly  build rapport with the technical team, Knighten says. But I also keep in mind very strongly that the entity theyre working for has revenue and business goals, and I try to build the two of those and figure out the strategy to get there.

What do you do in your free time?

I feel that every day, I must get outdoors, and thats just whether its a 30-minute walk in the quiet night around my neighborhood or a sunset hike in the foothills or a bike ride. Ive got to be outdoors to feel good, at least for 20 or 30 minutes a day. I feel deprived if I cant have that. So Im pretty easy to please. I dont have great ambitions to explore the world, particularly, so Im entertained with home projects and bike rides.

What was your first job?

When I moved to California, I was just turning 15, and I was in high school. I really thought the idea of making money was important  to a large degree, just because I was a teenager who wanted that kind of shoes and my father would look at me like, No, Im not paying that kind of money for that shoe. It was the life of living on a constrained single-family income, and it was very funny. My dad was from a farm. And then, of course, my mother could look like a queen in a $10 dress. She just had that. Anyway, I wasnt old enough to get a legitimate job, so I took over an Avon route for a lady who had a route of 300 houses. Does this date me?

What has been a difficulty in your life and how have you dealt with it?

I always shout out and admire military families and spouses. They face challenges that are invisible to many people. To be different, to be new in a place, was a challenge I faced early in life, and I think it was easily overcome with friendliness and mutability. I could quickly develop rapport  so much that I got a southern accent after living in Alabama. Coming back to New Mexico, my grandfather wanted me to speak Spanish, and I didnt. Calling him granddaddy and saying, Yall was a little hard on him. And then, too, professionally, I think that my education happened outside of school to a large degree, and I feel sometimes that Ive had to work hard to overcome my lack of a great education. So when youre changing schools every year, there are new requirements. I studied the Civil War something like five times. I never pursued a masters degree or a doctorate, and Im very interested in doing both of those things still, late in life, in some way or another.

Do you have any hidden talents?

You know, a strange thing: I like hard physical labor. I started an experiment when I was really tightening my budget. A job had changed, we were trying to pay some debts and rather than pay the big bucks for a gym membership, I tried to move my exercise routine at home. And then I started thinking that if Im going to get a bunch of rocks for my yard project, how can I do this faster than carrying home a rock? So I modified an old mountain bike with giant baskets to go collect rocks, and I literally had a calculation that was like, OK, I could spend half an hour commuting, an hour at the gym and a half an hour (driving) home, or I could take that two hours and take a mountain bike out to the arroyo, which is right here and fill it with rocks and come home and probably get at least that much exercise. Physical labor is a great thing.

How do you hope to make your mark in the world?

Arrowhead and NMSU offer a new playground for me to try to make an impact. I love what its about. I really do get the urban-rural, the wealth and poverty, all the dichotomies to me are great intersections for NMSU to make a mark. The chancellor and the administration  have some aggressive goals, and so where I can fit in and help some of those things happen is a big objective of mine. On a personal level, I really just have ambitions of continuing to watch my daughters life evolve and continue to grow closer with my friends and family.

What makes you laugh?

Airedales. They are a total cartoon. They have very funny faces. I laugh at myself. I take things too seriously sometimes, so I have to laugh. Thats medicine for me. I think that smiles and laughter can really be momentous.
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The New Mexico Technology Council gave a hearty shout out to all women to Be Bold, Be Brave and Be You during its 13th annual Women in Technology awards on June 10.

The annual event, which this year honored seven women for their achievements, aims to encourage all women, especially younger ones, to pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, said Tech Council Executive Director Deborah Breitfeld.

This years theme  Be Bold, Be Brave, Be You  was inspired by the incredible accomplishments and contributions of todays honorees, Breitfeld told participants during the online ceremony. These women have all been bold and brave in their respective fields and have created opportunities for others through their work as managers, mentors and STEM advocates. By highlighting their work, we hope to encourage all women to choose to be bold and brave and to aim high and refuse to be limited by outdated expectations.

The annual celebration, which launched in 2009, has to date recognized more than 100 women in STEM fields, not only for achieving outstanding success in their careers, but for working to inspire others through volunteer efforts, community service and mentorship of other women, Breitfeld said.

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The event took place online for the second year in a row due to the pandemic. The award ceremony itself was streamed live, with Albuquerque-based Heritage Audio Visual managing logistics. But Heritage pre-produced biographical videos of the honorees and their acceptance speeches.

The Women in Technology awards elevate the careers of women, honoree Jessica DuVerneay, a design director with Albuquerque data analytics firm RS21, told event participants in her acceptance speech. It gives them a platform to be heard, seen, and, most importantly, to lead.

Pamela Koster, CEO of Santa Fe-based software-as-a-service firm Falling Colors, said women in technology have come a long way, but theres still a long way to go.

When I first started, I was always the only woman at the table, Koster said in her acceptance speech. It takes boldness to change  and the only way were going to get there is supporting each other, as exemplified by this award.

Overall, opportunities for women to pursue STEM careers are growing, especially as successful women like the Technology Councils honorees help blaze new paths forward as role models and advocates who inspire and mentor younger people, Breitfeld said.

The perception is changing as we see more and more young women getting into STEM fields at an earlier age, Breitfeld said. Educational institutions are working to get students involved at younger ages. And more businesses and other entities are working to hire women and build the female workforce.

UNM Economic Development Officer Lisa Kuuttila, who heads the universitys Rainforest Innovations tech-transfer office, also said a lot has changed since she started her career at Stanford University in 1982.

Theres been a tremendous amount of progress, such as in the number of women faculty and graduate students doing research at universities, Kuuttila told the Journal. And on the business side, there are many more women now heading up engineering and research at companies.

To highlight that progress, Rainforest Innovations held an all-women innovation showcase two days before the Women in Technology event, with six female professors and researchers discussing new technology they helped create as lead inventors at UNM.

Although women havent yet achieved parity with men in STEM fields, there are fewer barriers now for young women than in the past, Kuuttila said.

Indeed, the 2021 edition of Best Cities for Women in Technology, an annual report published in February by the financial research and consulting firm SmartAsset, shows important progress in Albuquerque, which ranked ninth best among 63 cities surveyed in 2020.

The report shows Albuquerque has the fifth-smallest gender pay gap compared with other cities, with women here making about 95 cents for every dollar that male co-workers receive. That compares to a national average of 83 cents for every dollar earned by male counterparts.

Women in Albuquerque also made up 30.6% of the citys tech workforce last year, up from 27.3% five years ago. In contrast, women nationally make up just 26.1% of the tech workforce, according to SmartAsset.

Apart from Jessica DuVerneay and Pamela Koster, this years Women in Technology honorees also include:

 Sandra Begay, an engineer and member of Sandia National Laboratories technical staff

 Stefany Goradia, vice president of health analytics at RS21

 Shelly Gruenig, CEO and executive director of Be Greater Than Average and R4 Creating

 Lorie Liebrock, computer science and engineering professor at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

 Tara King, developer outreach manager with software and web design company Pantheon

The last awardee, Tara King, received Women in Technologys first-ever Emerging Leader Award. The Tech Council created that new award category to honor young, up-and-coming women in STEM fields.

The nomination applications we get tend to reflect women who are more advanced in their careers with phenomenal, pioneering achievements, Breitfeld said. But there are a lot of younger women without the same credentials, so were now doing an annual emerging-leader award to recognize some of those women.

The awards also included a $5,000 scholarship, sponsored by Nusenda Credit Union, for Vivianne Gonzalez, a University of New Mexico computer science major who teaches computer literacy and provides mentorship through the Youth Leadership Program run by Mana de Albuquerque.

Kevin Robinson-Avila covers technology, energy, venture capital and utilities for the Journal. He can be reached at krobinson-avila@abqjournal.com.
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For years Americas infrastructure was the envy of the world, but no longer.

Most people in the United States agree we need to make a massive investment in our nations infrastructure; however, we cannot agree on how to pay for it. As Congress takes up the issue, we urge them to join the growing legion of supporters for a new National Infrastructural Bank (NIB), to be established if the recently introduced H.B. 3339 is enacted.

The need for such an institution was underscored yet again when the Society of Civil Engineers gave the nation a C- in its quadrennial infrastructure report card. We need to spend nearly $5 trillion to bring our infrastructure into good repair. Highlights of the report card include:

 A water main breaks every two minutes; an estimated 6 billion gallons of treated water is wasted each day.

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 Growing wear and tear on our nations roads have left 43% of our public highways in poor or mediocre condition.

 Currently, 42% of bridges are at least 50 years old; 46,154 are considered structurally deficient  in poor condition but remain in use and waiting to collapse.

Fixes have been put off until absolutely necessary. U.S. airports, roads and public transportation facilities draw frequent comparison to those in less developed countries. Meanwhile, Europe, and Asia have leapt ahead with so-called smart cities, high speed trains and eco-friendly buildings. In 2019, the United States ranked 13th in the world in a broad measure of infrastructure quality  down from fifth place in 2002, according to the World Economic Forums Global Competitiveness Report.

In New Mexico, 30% of roads are in poor condition, and each driver pays nearly $700 in auto repairs, while one in five households have no broadband, often because there is no service or it is not affordable. This was brought home in a significant way when far too many students were unable to participate when schools were forced to close during the pandemic.

Congress will likely fund one trillion of this through the budget, far short of what is needed to be competitive globally. NIB can finance the remainder of the $5 trillion needed for traditional infrastructure; it can also be used to expand investment in new manufacturing centers, broadband access as well as advances in science and technology.

The NIB will be capitalized with existing Treasury debt, requiring no new federal taxes. It will be capitalized at $500 billion and able to invest $5 trillion to repair and construct new infrastructure. The NIB is modeled on previous banks used by past presidents to build much of our infrastructure. President Washington used the NIB process to fuel the energy needed to grow the birth of the nation, Adams to reinvigorate the economy following the War of 1812, Lincoln to keep the economy going and win the Civil War and Roosevelt to recover from the Great Depression and win WWII.

The NIB will create 25 million new high-paying jobs, pay Davis-Bacon wages, and include buy-American provisions. It will ensure robust hiring and support of businesses led by people of color. It will supercharge industry and small businesses.

We must make a commitment now. We are losing a race with China, Europe and other developed countries. China is not only investing trillions domestically but also building influence among small countries by providing loans and grants for infrastructure projects. The race to be the global economic leader also includes developing the technologies of the future. The NIB is the best way to restore the U.S. as a leading country by providing a more modern system of transportation, education and communication for future generations.

You can help build that future by contacting your U.S. representative and senators today and encouraging them to support the National Infrastructure Bank by enacting HB 3339.
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Its never too late, or too early, to learn to read. And theres an army of volunteers out there who want to help.

Reading experts say the single best thing that can be done to raise a childs literacy level is to read to that child. Even explaining picture books to newborns is helpful. Other easy steps to improve a childs literacy include asking kids to help make a shopping list and using closed captioning while watching TV or a movie to help associate words with actions.

The Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring Program in Albuquerque has a team of 400 volunteers who work with students one-on-one at schools in the metro area. I dont have children and grandchildren, so this is how I get my young-person fix, retired occupational therapist Valerie Dalton told the Journal.

Dee Bovenzi, a 30-year volunteer with Rio Rancho-based ReadWest adult literacy program, tutors adult speakers of both Spanish and Vietnamese. She says many adults want to read about the U.S. Constitution, take a citizenship test, find better employment or just further their education. I get such satisfaction being able to help somebody to become an American citizen, help somebody get a better job, help somebody go to school and get a degree, she said.

A child who acquires a love of reading is more likely to get better grades in school, and adults who improve their reading skills have more opportunities for employment and promotion. Thats why the Albuquerque Journal, KOAT-TV and KKOB radio have joined forces to highlight literacy over the next 12 months. To see a list of literacy resources for children and adults in your area, go to ABQjournal.com/literacy.

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Help is out there, plenty of it. Dalton and Bovenzi are just two examples. And dont hesitate to use your local library. Thats why we have them. Theyre full of interesting books and resources and staffed with helpful people who want to open windows to the worlds weve never seen.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  A body was found in the Rio Grande in Truth or Consequences during the investigation into the well-being of a 5-year-old, according to New Mexico State Police.

Ray Wilson, a State Police spokesman, said that on Friday the agency was called and asked to check on Shaquille Furguson Jr., 5.

The caller told police that Furguson was last seen more than two weeks ago with a family member at Rotary Park in Truth or Consequences.

Wilson said the investigation led officers to send a dive team into the river in the area, and a body was found about 6 miles from the park.

He didnt say Sunday if it was a childs body.

Many details are still under investigation, he said.

Wilson said the body was sent to the Office of the Medical Investigator which will make the identification.

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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

A man shot twice and found bleeding in the street dies at a hospital.

Two hours later, officers try unsuccessfully to save a man who has been beaten and shot.

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Hours later, a person is found dead at a Northwest Albuquerque motel.

Albuquerque police launched three homicide investigations within nine hours Sunday night into Monday as the city continued on pace to shatter its homicide record.

The recent deaths being investigated occurred in three different quadrants of the city. Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina, during a virtual town hall meeting with police area commanders Monday night, didnt specifically address the recent homicides. But he did say that the police department was hoping that expanding technology, like shot spotter systems that alert police when a gun has been fired in a particular area, would help police fight violent crime.

Were slowly moving to get the equipment we need, which is going to make us very able to do the job that we need to do to combat this crime problem, he said.

Cmdr. Art Sanchez of APDs Northwest Area Command said the area he oversees is one of the parts of the city experiencing an increase in homicides this year. He said officers under his command are trying to be proactive to respond to the trend.

We are working different (tactical) plans to address (homicides) by looking at our numbers and looking to see where we are seeing these assaults happening, he said. Several happened at parties. So (officers) are doing outreach to residents in those areas.

Record pace

So far this year, APD has launched 56 homicide investigations involving a total of 60 victims  there have been two double homicides and one triple homicide, according to police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos.

The official number of homicide cases within a departments jurisdiction can change as investigations unfold. Gallegos said a homicide case in the city limits last month is being investigated by New Mexico State Police, so it doesnt count toward APD crime data.

The city set a record for homicides in 2019 with 80. By this time in 2019, there had been 35 homicides in APDs jurisdiction, Gallegos said.

There were 77 homicides reported in APDs jurisdiction in 2020, when much of the year was spent under pandemic restrictions. At this time in 2020, there had been 27 cases, Gallegos said.

Deadly night

The weekends deadly streak started at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, when police were dispatched to a shooting in the 500 block of Vassar SE, Gallegos said.

Officers responded and located a male with two gunshot wounds (lying) in the street, he said. Albuquerque Fire Rescue transported the male to University of New Mexico Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Two hours later, officers were called to 129 Pennsylvania NE after a 911 caller reported that someone was being beaten and had been shot there, Gallegos said.

Officers responded to the call and provided first aid to a male victim, however, he did not survive his injuries, he said.

Then at 3 a.m., a person was found in a room at the Motel 6 at 6015 Iliff Road NW, Gallegos said.

Officers located the deceased individual and requested homicide detectives to start an investigation as a result of evidence found at the scene, Gallegos said.

Police didnt immediately say whether the victim was a man or a woman, how the person died or if they have identified any suspects in the death.

More information will be provided as it becomes available, Gallegos said.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

It took nearly 80 years, but brothers Harold and William Trapp, killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, were finally given a formal burial last week at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.

The ceremony was more than I could have expected, said retired Albuquerque teacher Carol Sowar, who along with her husband, Jack, and 10 members of their family were in Honolulu for the ceremony honoring Sowars uncles, who died long before she was born.

It was very touching, from the bagpipe players to the 21-gun salute to the headstones, which were absolutely beautiful, she said. Everything was done exquisitely. It was meaningful and done with a great deal of respect.

Harold Frank Trapp, 24, and brother William Herman Trapp, 23, were both assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma when Japanese bombers darted through the sky, dropping torpedoes.

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The mangled and burning Oklahoma, with 1,398 officers and crew, capsized; 429 sailors and Marines aboard the ship were killed. Most were never identified and their remains were joined with others and buried at the cemetery. The Trapp brothers were among them.

They remained unidentified until late last year, when the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, after exhuming remains from common graves, notified Sowar that her uncles had been identified using DNA from Sowar and other family members for genetic comparison.

Last Tuesdays formal burial, with full military honors, not only brings closure to Sowar and her family, she said, but it also brings peace to the spirit of Sowars late mother, Irene Louise Trapp Welch, the dead sailors younger sister, who grieved for her brothers until her own death in 2007.
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Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-N.M., spent part of the day Friday on the northern reaches of her congressional district.

Though located in Albuquerque, Herrell said the southern parts of Kirtland Air Force Base are in the states 2nd Congressional District  Herrells southern New Mexico-based House seat. She toured the base Friday and received briefings from three colonels about the various missions based there.

When you get a chance to see the 30,000-foot view of all the different missions  its pretty remarkable, Herrell said. Theres a huge military presence in New Mexico, and I think its important as a member of Congress to understand all the missions, not just Holloman (Air Force Base in Alamogordo) missions, to be a good voice and good advocate for our military installations in Washington.

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Col. David Miller, the 377th Air Base Wing and installation commander; Col. Michael Curry, the commander of the 58th Special Operations Wing, and Col. Eric Felt, the commander of the Phillips Research Site and director of the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate, each gave Herrell an overview of the work under their command at Kirtland.

The first-term congresswoman asked the military officials what they were doing to protect critical American infrastructure, like satellites, from possible cyber attacks. She cited the recent hacks that affected Colonial Pipeline and meat supply networks.

Its an awakening now, two big hacks back to back  it brings that awareness to everyone, she said. I think we should be having more conversations  about how we can use dollars from the (Department of Defense) budget to protect these assets.

It needs to be a priority.

Felt said the AFRL research happening at KAFB includes working to protect American satellites in space from cyber attacks. Some of that work is being done at the recently opened Space Warfighting Operations Research & Development Laboratory.

Felt also talked about several other recent missions and experiments being done at Kirtland that aim to protect American assets from attack. One project in development is a directed energy weapon that will be used to protect military bases from drones by using high-powered microwaves.

Weve become very dependent on our space capabilities, Felt said. So now we have to protect and defend those capabilities.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Zack Quintero would be among the youngest elected state officials in the country if he wins election in 2022 as New Mexico state auditor.

But the 30-year-old Mesilla native  he would be 31 on swearing-in-day  has already built up a varied resume that includes spending most of the last year as New Mexicos state ombudsman, a position he was appointed to by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Quintero recently stepped down from the position to launch his campaign for state auditor, becoming the first candidate in the race for the $85,000-per year job.

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He said New Mexico voters have shown a willingness to elect young, focused community-driven candidates in recent election cycles.

And his tenure as state ombudsman, a position tasked with advocating for residents of nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, sharpened his interest in the State Auditors Office, Quintero said.

I started to be a lot more aggressive on abuse, neglect and financial exploitation issues, he told the Journal.

Quintero, who recently established a campaign committee with the Secretary of States Office, is hoping to succeed current state Auditor Brian Colon, who has announced his plans to run for attorney general next year.

If elected state auditor, Quintero said he would take a proactive approach toward monitoring guardianships, a legal arrangement that involves state-appointed attorneys overseeing the financial affairs of incapacitated adults, who are often elderly residents.

He also cited a desire to focus on financial fraud issues, which state agencies like the Department of Workforce Solutions have struggled to curb during the pandemic.

There is a new, expanded role that past auditors have built up, Quintero said, referring to fellow Democrats Hector Balderas, Tim Keller and Colon.

Its a very powerful office that can support the most vulnerable New Mexicans  the elderly, he added.

Quintero said his experience growing up in southern New Mexico with limited means as the son of a public school teacher and plumber helped fuel his desire to work in the public sector, saying, I saw this struggle at an early stage in my life.

Before his tenure as state ombudsman, Quintero worked as a legal analyst in Albuquerque and as an economic development specialist for the city of Santa Fe.

He also ran for an Albuquerque City Council seat in 2019, but narrowly lost in a hard-fought runoff election to incumbent Isaac Benton.

All statewide New Mexico elected offices will be on the general election ballot next year, including governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer and auditor.

Voters affiliated with major political parties will pick their nominees for the offices in June 2022.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

New Mexicos national child well-being ranking improved from 50th last year to 49th this year, displaced by Mississippi, and following Louisiana, according to the 2021 Kids Count Data Book.

The book also tracked improvements in the states national rankings in economic well-being and health.

Compiled annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the 2021 book, released Monday, primarily used statistics from 2019, the most recent year available. Consequently it does not reflect changes or trends that may be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Its encouraging to see that child well-being was improving before the pandemic hit, said James Jimenez, executive director for New Mexico Voices for Children, which is the state grantee for the Kids Count network.

Were cautiously optimistic that investments the state made in children and families beginning in 2019  as well as throughout the pandemic  helped offset some of the health and financial problems caused by the pandemic, he said.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a charitable nonprofit based in Maryland that focuses on improving the well-being and futures of American children and their families.

The rankings are based on 16 indicators that measure and track the well-being of children and families in the larger domains of economic well-being, education, health, and family and community.

While the state improved ever so slightly in many indicators over last years data book, New Mexico overall was worse than the U.S. average in most of those categories.

The good news is that compared to the previous years state numbers, in the domain of economic well-being New Mexico saw fewer children living in poverty, fewer children whose parents lack secure employment and fewer teens neither in school nor working.

In education, there were more eighth graders proficient in math, and more high school students graduating on time.

In the domain of family and community, there were fewer children in families where the head of household lacked a high school diploma, fewer children living in high poverty areas, and a lower teen birth rate per 1,000 births.

While there was no improvement over last years data book in the domain of health, the states national ranking in this area improved from 41st to 37th as a result of worsening conditions in other states.

Although its too early to know how the expanded 2021 child tax credit included in the American Rescue plan will affect New Mexico, it will no doubt translate to improvements in a future Kids Count Data Book, said New Mexico Voices for Children spokeswoman Sharon Kayne.

The tax credits, expected to start showing up in July, provide a couple with one child under age 6, and a household income of $150,000 or less, periodic payments totaling $3,600 per year, or $300 per month. Families with children 6 through 17 would receive a credit of $250 per month, or $3,000 per year per child.

About 95% of children in the state will benefit from the expanded tax credit, Kayne said, including nearly 32,000 children who will be lifted above the federal poverty level.

Child poverty really underlies a lot of the other indicators. So kids whose families earn a very low income are less likely to have the resources they need to do well in school, are more likely to lack health insurance, and more likely to have parents who lack a college degree or high school diploma, she said.

Tax credits like this one allow money to be spent in a way that the family deems is best for them. Most will spend it on food, clothing and other necessities, Kayne said, but parents can also get their car fixed so they can get to work or look for a job, or afford better childcare.
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SANTA FE, N.M.  State Police have cancelled the Amber Alert issued earlier this morning for a 5-year-old boy they said was abducted in Pecos early this morning.

Juan Antonio Gallegos has been located and is safe, the agency said in an update sent out about two hours after the Amber Alert was issued.

In the Amber Alert, authorities said Juan was taken from his home at the Casa de Herrera Trailer Park at about 4 a.m. They said he was abducted by his father, Johnny Joe Gallegos, 39, who doesnt have custody.

Johnny was accompanied by two unknown males when he kicked in the door and abducted Juan, authorities said.

The update doesnt say where the boy was found or whether his father is facing any criminal charges.

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ANNAPOLIS, Md.  The editor of the Capital Gazette, which won a special Pulitzer Prize citation for its coverage and courage in the face of a massacre in its newsroom, is leaving the Maryland newspaper.

Rick Hutzell, who worked at the Annapolis paper for more than three decades, authored a farewell column that was published on the papers website Saturday morning.

Hutzell said he took a buyout that was offered by the newspapers parent company. The Capital Gazette was owned by Tribune Publishing until it was purchased last month by Hedge fund Alden Global Capital.

Hutzell was editor of the paper when five employees were shot to death in the newsroom in 2018.

The murder of my five friends, Rob Hiaasen, Gerald Fischman, Wendi Winters, John McNamara and Rebecca Smith, changed me, he wrote on Saturday. I always enjoyed the job. But I became consumed with the notion that it was my purpose to save the paper. A man with a shotgun tried to kill us  to kill me and the newspaper Ive poured my life into for 33 years. I wasnt going to let it die.

Of course, it wasnt my responsibility alone, he continued. Together with a group of very talented journalists and other employees in Annapolis, Baltimore and across Tribune Publishing, we kept publishing.

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The paper published on schedule and won the Pulitzer citation.

The man behind the attack, Jarrod Ramos, had a long-running grudge against the newspaper. He has pleaded guilty but not criminally responsible due to insanity. A trial to determine whether he is criminally responsible is set to begin later this month.

Hutzell said hes not sure whats next. But he said the buyout represented a chance for something new.

I came to The Capital in October 1987, and promptly told Managing Editor Tom Marquardt I planned to stay for two years and then join the Associated Press and see the world, he wrote. One love of my life, Chara, two kids, two houses, four dogs, two convertibles and one Pulitzer Prize later, its clear I had no idea what I was talking about.

I wish I could say its all been grand, and Im headed off to retirement. But it hasnt, and Im not.
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  Five people were wounded in two separate shooting incidents in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Friday night, police say.

The first shooting involved a disturbance between two known groups at a mall carnival, where three juveniles were transported to a hospital, Colorado Springs police tweeted.

Police responded to a report of shots fired at the Citadel Mall about 9 p.m.

Police tweeted the injuries to the three juveniles were serious but not life-threatening.

While investigating the first shooting, police said they received another report of gunfire at a Boston Market restaurant across the street from the mall.

A preliminary investigation found the second shooting occurred when a suspect confronted three individuals in a parked car, police tweeted. Two people in the car were driven to a hospital after suffering gunshot wounds, police tweeted.

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DENVER  Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Saturday signed three of six gun bills passed in the latest legislative session into law.

The Denver Post reported the bills were all announced following a mass shooting at King Soopers in Boulder, Colorado, on March 22, when 10 people were killed.

Earlier this year, Polis signed two other bills, setting regulations for safe storage of guns in homes and requirements for reporting lost or stolen firearms. One other gun bill, meant to keep firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers, awaits the governors signature.

The three bills signed Saturday all take effect immediately. They would:

Require an expanded background check before a person can buy a gun.

Reverse a ban that keeps local governments, such as cities and counties, from creating their own gun regulations. Local jurisdictions can only make ordinances that are stricter, not more lenient, than state law. Any regulations currently in place that are less restrictive are overturned.

Gives about $3 million to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment for the first year to create the states first Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which will be tasked with promoting efforts to reduce gun violence.

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WASHINGTON  As ransomware attacks surge, the FBI is doubling down on its guidance to affected businesses: Dont pay the cybercriminals. But the U.S. government also offers a little-noticed incentive for those who do pay: The ransoms may be tax deductible.

The IRS offers no formal guidance on ransomware payments, but multiple tax experts interviewed by The Associated Press said deductions are usually allowed under law and established guidance. Its a silver lining to ransomware victims, as some tax lawyers and accountants put it.

But those looking to discourage payments are less sanguine. They fear the deduction is a potentially problematic incentive that could entice businesses to pay ransoms against the advice of law enforcement. At a minimum, they say, the deductibility sends a discordant message to businesses under duress.

It seems a little incongruous to me, said New York Rep. John Katko, the top Republican on the House Committee on Homeland Security.

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Deductibility is a piece of a bigger quandary stemming from the rise in ransomware attacks, in which cybercriminals scramble computer data and demand payment for unlocking the files. The government doesnt want payments that fund criminal gangs and could encourage more attacks. But failing to pay can have devastating consequences for businesses and potentially for the economy overall.

A ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline last month led to gas shortages in parts of the United States. The company, which transports about 45% of fuel consumed on the East Coast, paid a ransom of 75 bitcoin  then valued at roughly $4.4 million. An attack on JBS SA, the worlds largest meat processing company, threatened to disrupt food supplies. The company said it had paid the equivalent of $11 million to hackers who broke into its computer system.

Ransomware has become a multibillion-dollar business, and the average payment was more than $310,000 last year, up 171% from 2019, according to Palo Alto Networks.

The companies that pay ransomware demands directly are well within their rights to claim a deduction, tax experts said. To be tax deductible, businesses expenses should be considered ordinary and necessary. Companies have long been able to deduct losses from more traditional crimes, such as robbery or embezzlement, and experts say ransomware payments are usually valid, too.

I would counsel a client to take a deduction for it, says Scott Harty, a corporate tax attorney with Alston & Bird. It fits the definition of an ordinary and necessary expense.

Don Williamson, a tax professor at the Kogod School of Business at American University, wrote a paper about the tax consequences of ransomware payments in 2017. Since then, he said, the rise of ransomware attacks has only strengthened the case for the IRS to allow ransomware payments as tax deductions.

Its becoming more common, so therefore it becomes more ordinary, he said.

Thats all the more reason, critics say, to disallow ransomware payments as tax deductions.

The cheaper we make it to pay that ransom, then the more incentives were creating for companies to pay, and the more incentives were creating for companies to pay, the more incentive were creating for criminals to continue, said Josephine Wolff, a cybersecurity policy professor at the Fletcher School of Tufts University.

For years, ransomware was more of an economic nuisance than a major national threat. But attacks launched by foreign cybergangs out of reach of U.S. law enforcement have proliferated in scale over the past year and thrust the problem of ransomware onto the front pages.

In response, top U.S. law enforcement officials have urged companies not to meet ransomware demands.

It is our policy, it is our guidance, from the FBI, that companies should not pay the ransom for a number of reasons, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified this month before Congress. That message was echoed at another hearing this week by Eric Goldstein, a top official at the Department of Homeland Securitys Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency.

Officials warn that payments lead to more ransomware attacks. Were in this boat were in now because over the last several years people have paid the ransom, Stephen Nix, assistant to the special agent in charge at the U.S. Secret Service, said at a recent summit on cybersecurity.

Its unclear how many companies that pay ransomware payments avail themselves of the tax deductions. When asked at a congressional hearing whether the company would pursue a tax deduction for the payment, Colonial CEO Joseph Blount said he was unaware that was a possibility.

Great question. I had no idea about that. Not aware of that at all, he said.

There are limits to the deduction. If the loss to the company is covered by cyber insurance  something that also is becoming more common  the company cant take a deduction for the payment thats made by the insurer.

The number of active cyber insurance policies jumped from 2.2 million to 3.6 million from 2016 to 2019, a 60% increase, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, Congress auditing arm. Linked to that was a 50% increase in insurance premiums paid, from $2.1 billion to $3.1 billion.

The Biden administration has pledged to make curbing ransomware a priority in the wake of a series of high-profile intrusions and said it is reviewing the U.S. governments policies related to ransomware. It has not provided any detail about what changes, if any, it may make related to the tax deductibility of ransomware.

The IRS is aware of this and looking into it, said IRS spokesperson Robyn Walker.

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Suderman reported from Richmond, Virginia.
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DENVER  U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra visited a mobile vaccine clinic near Denver on Friday to promote COVID-19 shots among underserved communities of color that have some of the nations lowest vaccination rates.

He also met with Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, getting briefly interrupted by the governors dog, Gia, and another dog dashing through their closed-door session, giving the two a laugh. They discussed the states pandemic response and a new law creating a state-administered health insurance plan designed to reduce premiums and costs of care as well as get more people covered.

Later, Becerra, the agencys first Latino leader, and Democratic members of Colorados congressional delegation toured a mobile vaccine clinic focused on underserved communities in the Denver suburb of Aurora, which is nearly 30% Hispanic. Its one of nine mobile units made from converted buses.

While Hispanic people make up 20% of Colorados population, less than 10% have been vaccinated, according to the states vaccine dashboard. Across the U.S., a lack of vaccine access and distrust of the medical field within minority communities has made it harder to vaccinate those populations.

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Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, whose district includes Aurora, said many minorities and immigrants have trouble finding the time to get vaccinated while working multiple jobs, highlighting the need for the states mobile resources.

Where you are, we will go. Donde tu estas, iremos nosotros, Becerra said.

He asked Latino communities to identify trusted leaders to operate as vaccine ambassadors to convince those who are still hesitant. He reminded the public that the vaccine is free, noting that some may not believe there are no gimmicks attached to receiving the shot.

However, recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that Latino populations have received a higher proportion of administered vaccine doses in the last two weeks, narrowing the disparity, the Department of Health and Human Services said.

Becerra also met faculty and students at the Metropolitan State University of Denver to hear about the effects of a grant his agency gave for behavioral health workforce training.

Becerra said the U.S. is so far behind on behavioral health services but that the pandemic has opened the door for the federal government to invest in mental health and substance abuse disorders.

I think, to some degree, that taboo aspect of talking about it has dissipated, Becerra told The Associated Press. I think COVID really forced people to recognize that there are people who are really suffering from stress and beyond.

The secretarys visit included a discussion of the effects of President Joe Bidens American Families Plan on communities of color. The $1.8 trillion program increases spending for early and secondary education, child care and paid family and medical leave.

Becerra talked about increasing access to the plans child tax credits with Deidre Johnson, CEO and executive director of the Denver-based Center for African American Health, which focuses on Black health disparities. About 90% of eligible families are automatically enrolled, but the administration is working with community leaders like Johnson to increase participation.

Qualified families will receive up to $300 per month for each child under 6 and up to $250 per month for children 6 to 17. The credit was previously capped at $2,000 and only paid out to families with income tax obligations after they filed with the IRS.

Becerra said his visit to Colorado highlights the Biden administrations interest in partnering with states where you see innovation and change in lowering health care costs and improving access to affordable prescription drugs  measures state lawmakers passed this year.

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Nieberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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PHOENIX  Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Friday signed a bill rushed through in a special legislative session that provides $100 million in funding this year to battle wildfires, react to the damage they cause and to create a new force of more than 700 state inmates to clear brush.

The Republican called the bill he signed at the Capitol an important step in bringing relief to rural communities that have been impacted by a series of wildfires this year.

As many Arizonans know, we are in the midst of another catastrophic wildfire season, Ducey said. People and pets have been displaced, homes have been burned down, vast swaths of forest and desert have been decimated. Its been horrible.

The $100 million appropriation includes $25 million to pay for 720 state prisoners to clear brush and other flammable material under direction of state forestry officials and some contract clearing operations. Ducey proposed that spending in his January budget plan. The legislation includes money for those crews for the next two years that adds another $70 million in spending.

Theres also $75 million for firefighting efforts to help affected municipalities, people and property owners recover and to prepare for flooding and other fallout from large fires so far this fire season.

The moves come as several large fires are burning across the state, with one near the mining town of Globe already among the top 10 ever seen in the state. As of Friday morning, the blaze in the mountains 90 miles (144 kilometers) southeast of Phoenix has consumed 275 square miles (712 square kilometers) of brush and timber. Several small communities were under evacuation orders and others were under evacuation warnings.

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That large fire alone has consumed 52 structures but is more than 70% contained. Other smaller fires are burning as a heat wave that began early this week continues. The temperatures are so high that large aerial tankers cant always fly. Severe drought has also dried up water sources helicopters would normally access to drop on the flames.

House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who lost a home he used as a family retreat in the fire, said he was impressed how rural residents have responded.

Were grateful for the communities, how they pull together, or they help each other and call each other, Bowers said. Its an example of what rural folks do under pressure.

The bill has had overwhelming bipartisan support in the Legislature, although many Democrats argued that the state needed to take major action to react to climate change that is driving the drought and resulting fires.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  The board that oversees a state incentive program approved $1.1 million in state funding to support nine companies in June, according to a release from the New Mexico Economic Development Department.

The Job Training Incentive Program Board covers a portion of trainee wages  50-85% depending on location  for up to six months, according to a news release from EDD

Companies receiving at least $85,000 in funding include:

 The Boeing Co., which requested $480,353 in funding to support 16 new trainees in Albuquerque at an average wage of $53.11 per hour.

 BroadSpot Imaging Corp, which requested $253,126 to support 11 trainees and one intern in Albuquerque. The average wage for the new jobs is $40.34, and $22.50 for the intern, according to the release.

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 USA Beef Packing, which requested $134,099 to support 19 trainees in Roswell at an hourly wage of $14.96.

 Wavefront Dynamics, which requested $113,570 to support six new employees in Albuquerque at an hourly wage of $35.50.

 Fiore Industries, which requested $86,592 to support four new trainees in Albuquerque at an average wage of $39.50.
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DENVER  A Colorado father killed his 13-year-old son in 2012 over photographs that triggered a fatal rage, prosecutors argued in court Monday.

Mark Redwine stands trial in the killing of his son Dylan, who disappeared in November 2012 in the Vallecito area near Durango during a court-ordered visit over Thanksgiving break. Redwine told investigators he left Dylan alone at home to run errands and returned to find him missing.

Fred Johnson, special deputy district attorney, suggested that on the night he was killed, Dylan may have mentioned or shown his father compromising photographs of Redwine dressed in womens underwear and eating feces from a diaper, The Denver Post reported.

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A damaged relationship, exposed with compromising photographs, photographs in the hands of a 13-year-old who is disgusted by it, which triggered a violent rage in the defendant, Johnson said.

Redwine, who has pleaded not guilty, was arrested after a grand jury indicted him in July 2017, accusing him of second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death. He faces up to 48 years in prison if hes found guilty of his sons death.

Redwines public defender John Moran argued that text messages show Dylan had previously confronted his father about the photographs during a cross-country trip without suffering any harm.

Moran said the photographs come from deep within Marks private life and that the prosecution wont be able to prove a connection between his sons death and the photographs.

Dylans skull was found by hikers in 2015. Forensic anthropologists said the skull had injuries consistent with blunt force trauma at two locations, the indictment said.

Moran said during his opening statements that Dylan ran away from home and suggested he could have been attacked by a bear or a mountain lion  referencing the skull injury as a tooth mark on Dylans skull.

The case drew nation attention when Redwine and the boys mother, Elaine Hall, leveled accusations at each other during appearances on the syndicated Dr. Phil television show in 2013. TV host Nancy Grace also did a show Dylans disappearance.

Johnson said investigators found traces of Dylans blood in Redwines living room and a cadaver-sniffing dog alerted them to the smell of human remains in the back of Redwines truck and on his clothing.

Moran said the infinitesimally small amount of blood found in Redwines living room is likely to be found in anyones house, referring to the dogs scent as junk science.

Prosecutors said that Dylans body was found without his wallet or his backpack, which Moran said does not point to a scenario in which the boy ran away.

The prosecution described the first night when rescue crews were deployed to search for Dylan, scouring the woods near Redwines home. At around 11 p.m., all the lights in Redwines house went out, Johnson said.

At a time when most people would have been out in the woods with a flashlight, a time when most people would know to leave the light on in case a child was lost in the woods  At 11 p.m., the defendants house went dark, Johnson said. Dylan was gone.

Redwines day in court was postponed in 2020 and a judge granted several mistrials because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The trial is expected to continue through mid-to-late July. Testimony will begin Tuesday.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

The extreme heat will continue this week across New Mexico.

But the weekend could bring much-needed rain, said Alyssa Clements, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Albuquerque.

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The good news is by the time we head into this weekend, were looking at some real heat relief and an increase in thunderstorm and shower activity, with some real chances for beneficial rainfall, Clements said.

Albuquerque is expected to reach a high temperature of 97 degrees on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the metro area could hit 98 degrees.

Scattered thunderstorms will favor the states high-elevation areas for the first part of the week.

Gusty winds and lightning could accompany the storms.

Eastern New Mexico temperatures will skyrocket on Wednesday.

Tucumcari may reach a high of 106 on Wednesday, and Roswell could hit 105 degrees.

Albuquerque could record a high of 96 degrees on Thursday and 95 on Friday.

Temperatures will cool down slightly this weekend.

Its still going to remain hot, Clements said. But there is going to be this cold front approaching the area by the time we get into Friday night. And this is going to move pretty quickly through central New Mexico and eastern New Mexico.

Albuquerque has a 40% chance of precipitation on Saturday and a projected high of 90 degrees. On Sunday, the metro area has a 30% chance of precipitation and a forecast of 89 degrees.

Northern and eastern New Mexico have even better chances of rain this weekend. Statewide temperatures for the past weeks have closed in on several heat records.

Farmington recorded eight straight days of triple-digit temperatures, the citys second-longest streak in history.

Mondays high of 99 degrees in Farmington finally broke that streak.

Santa Fes June 14 temperature of 102 degrees tied the citys all-time record.

Meteorologist Scott Overpeck said the extreme temperatures mean that residents should drink plenty of water, seek air conditioning and shade, and never leave people or pets in a hot car.

Check the backseat, do whatever it takes if youre out and about running errands, Overpeck said. Make sure you stay aware.

Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  New Mexico passed another COVID-19 milepost Monday, with state health officials reporting that more than 1 million eligible state residents had completed their vaccine shots to make them less vulnerable to the virus.

The boost in vaccine numbers over the weekend pushed the total number of those getting the shots to 59.8%  or just short of the 60% goal set by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in order to eliminate pandemic-related business capacity limits and other restrictions on July 1.

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However, the Democratic governor announced Friday the state was forging ahead with its reopening plans, in large part since expected vaccine data from Texas and a federal agency could push New Mexicos fully vaccinated mark to the 60% mark  or even slightly above it.

Top health officials in the Lujan Grisham administration have said New Mexico will continue its push to increase vaccination rates, even though a $100 incentive program for getting fully vaccinated recently ended.

While more than 1 million New Mexicans age 16 and older have now completed their COVID-19 shots, Health Secretary Tracie Collins said last week there were still about 85,000 state residents eligible for their second shot after getting an initial dose.

We are learning that just receiving the first of two vaccines in a series is not enough to protect you against some of the highly infectious variants, Collins said in a recent statement.

With the vaccine rate increasing, New Mexicos rate of COVID-19 infections has dropped to its lowest level since April 2020 and the states death rate related to the virus has also gone down.

But the virus has not been fully stamped out in New Mexico  or other states  and state health officials on Monday reported 10 additional deaths due to COVID-19, bringing the states death toll to 4,326 since the pandemic began.

While most of those who have died from the virus were elderly New Mexicans with underlying health conditions, the latest fatalities included a Lea County man in his 30s and a Bernalillo County man in his 40s, according to Department of Health data.

Statewide, more than 94% of the individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 have made full recoveries, according to DOH figures, a number that could be even higher due to tracking gaps.
Instagram Celebrity

The 'Logan' actor receives a special surprise, his favorite breakfast, from his family who are miles away as he enters a mandatory quarantine in native country of Australia.

Jun 21, 2021

AceShowbiz - Hugh Jackman was feeling the love on Sunday (20Jun21) after receiving a surprise delivery of his favourite breakfast to mark Father's Day while stuck in quarantine in an Australian hotel.

The "Logan" star recently left his family home in New York to travel back to his native Australia, and is currently in the midst of the government's mandatory 14-day COVID-19 quarantine period.

However, his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, and their two kids made sure he didn't feel too lonely on Sunday as they arranged to have the actor's top menu picks from the Bills Australia restaurant delivered to his Sydney suite in honour of the holiday, which falls in September Down Under, but was celebrated in a number of countries worldwide on Sunday.

"Whilst it's not Father's Day in AU, it is in America and other countries," he tweeted, alongside a snap of his tasty treat, including bacon, eggs, toast, and ricotta pancakes, which he was eating for dinner.

"My amazing family surprised me with my absolute favorites from @billsaustralia! Happy Father's Day to all. #ricottapancakes #breakfastfordinner (sic)."

Meanwhile, stars like Reese Witherspoon, Kelly Rowland, and Kim Kardashian took to social media to celebrate the dads in their lives.

"Every day is Father's Day over here!" posted mother-of-three Witherspoon, alongside a photo of her husband Jim Toth and their son Tennessee. "These kids are so lucky to have a loving/ kind/ caring dad like Jim. Happy #FathersDay to all the amazing Dads out there!"

Kim Kardashian shared a series of family pictures on her social media pages, featuring her late dad Robert Kardashian, estranged husband Kanye West, and former stepfather Caitlyn Jenner, as well as brother Rob, and her sisters' baby fathers, Travis Scott, Tristan Thompson, and Scott Disick.

"Happy Father's Day to all the amazing dads in our lives! Love you unconditionally!!!" she captioned the slideshow of images.

There were similar well wishes posted by the likes of Mariah Carey, Kate Hudson, Diane Kruger, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mel C, AJ McLean, and new mum Kelly Rowland, who gushed about watching her husband, Tim Weatherspoon, introduce their new son Noah to their six-year-old boy Titan.

"My Love, This moment I felt like my heart could burst, because I never knew the overwhelming feeling of seeing our little world, we created together, all in one pic!" she wrote beside a sweet snap of the memorable moment.

"I have watched you be the most amazing Father with our beautiful boys, you are all that I've prayed for and then some! We LOVE YOU BEYOND WORDS! THIS DAY and everyday we celebrate you and all that you are to us...! #happyfathersday".
WENN/Avalon Celebrity

The 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' actor is devastated as his German Shepherd mauled a kangaroo to death while the star managed to save little joey in its pouch.

Jun 21, 2021

AceShowbiz - Russell Brand has reportedly been left devastated after his dog mauled a wallaby.

The 46-year-old comedian was walking his German Shepherd called Bear near his home in Henley-on-Thames when the dog attacked and killed the marsupial although Russell managed to save the joey in its pouch.

"Absolutely no one is blaming Russell or his dog - it's just a horrible accident," a source told Britain's The Sun newspaper. "In fact Russell was the hero because he managed to save the little joey. It could have been far worse if he hadn't stepped in so quickly."

"He is a very caring man with animals - he has plenty of pets and they're all his babies. I understand he's devastated over what happened. It's really sad."

Russell is an animal rights activist and previously revealed he hasn't eaten meat since he was 14 before going completely vegan after watching the 2017 documentary "What the Health".

"I was vegetarian from when I was a little kid," he said. "From (14-years-old) because of The Smiths. And because of like, 'oh, what? they do what in factory farms?' Y'know like, it was too brutal."

"What The Health shows how the diabetes, heart, and cancer foundation of America were funded by sort of meat and dairy and egg industries. And, like, they give the advice on what foods are healthy  we're not meant to eat any of that. So, the reason to become vegan, it was sort of anger actually, thinking about it now."
WENN/Apega Music

Ellefson has gotten the boot from the rock band after sexually explicit photos and video footage of him leaked online, along with allegations that he had been grooming an underage fan.

Jun 21, 2021

AceShowbiz - Rocker David Ellefson won't appear on Megadeth's upcoming album.

Although the bassist recorded some tracks for the project, frontman Dave Mustaine has confirmed that Ellefson - who was dismissed from the band last month (May 2021) - will not feature on the album and the songs will be re-recorded by another musician.

Speaking during "The Dave Mustaine Show" on Gimme Radio, he said, "I just wanna thank you for all the kind words and support as we get ready for this next tour and continue to hunt for a new bass player. We are making progress."

"The record's being completed, and we're gonna have someone coming in in a couple of weeks to replace the bass tracks that we had. Which should be relatively quick because the person we're talking to is a stellar bass player."

"And hopefully this will be an ongoing thing after the recording. Or we will find someone prior to the recording that will be our permanent guy going forward."

Ellefson was booted from the band in May after sexually explicit photos and video footage of the artist leaked online, along with allegations suggesting he had been grooming an underage fan from the Netherlands.

He vehemently denied the accusations, telling Rolling Stone in a statement, "Recently, a very private video was illegally posted on the internet and false allegations were made against me."

"The actions in the video were between two consenting adults and were recorded without my knowledge. I am working with Scottsdale Police Department [in Arizona] in their investigation into charges regarding revenge pornography to be filed against the person who posted this video."

"Also, my lawyers are preparing a defamation lawsuit to be filed against this person. This person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I am taking this time to be with my family. I wish my bandmates the best with their upcoming tour."

Ellefson previously shared a statement from the woman featured in the footage, who has insisted she was "the one to initiate" the interactions, and was "never" underage but "always a consenting adult".
Instagram Celebrity

Just a few days before he was taken into police custody, the professional mixed martial artist admitted that he has been 'going through serious mental health issues.'

Jun 21, 2021

AceShowbiz - Luis Pena has a run-in with the law. The professional mixed martial artist, who is also known as Violent Bob Ross, reportedly was arrested in Florida on Friday, June 18 and charged with robbery and assault.

Although a warrant was out for his arrest in another location, the 27-year-old was booked by the Coral Springs Police Department on counts of robbery by sudden snatching, battery and criminal mischief. By Saturday night, he was held by the Broward County Detention Center on a hold from Palm Beach County.

Offering more details about Luis' arrest was MMA Fighting. "It was actually called in by another police department for us to go and get him," Christian Swinson, public information officer for the Coral Springs police, told the outlet.

"And then we had an independent person tell us where he was, and they took him into custody under that warrant," Christian further explained. "Probably whoever called it in anonymously is involved in that case and wanted him to go to jail."

Just a few days before he was taken into police custody, Luis got candid about struggling with "serious mental health issues." On Wednesday, June 16, he wrote on Twitter, "People aren't comfortable talking about this, but I have been going through serious mental health issues my entire life."

"[I] have finally gained the strength to get and accept the help I've needed for a long time," the UFC fighter added. "If you're struggling take it from me its okay to reach out."

Luis Pena revealed he has been struggling with 'serious' mental health issues.

Luis then turned to Instagram to thank his online devotees for their support. "I appreciate everyone's support in my honesty it's not any easy subject to talk about or even acknowledge yourself," he penned. "If you're struggling take it from me its okay to reach out and I appreciate every person that's reached out to me in the proceeding hours since my initial tweet thank you everyone."
WENN/Sheri Determan Celebrity

The sweet social media post comes after the 'Chrissy's Court' star and the 'All of Me' hitmaker joined forces to deny bullying accusations against her by Michael Costello.

Jun 21, 2021

AceShowbiz - Chrissy Teigen had a tearful Father's Day amid her uprising bullying scandal. Honoring her husband John Legend on the special day with a sweet tribute post she shared on her social media account, the "Chrissy's Court" star revealed that she was "fresh out of" tears.

Taking to her Instagram feed on Sunday, June 20, the 35-year-old model posted an adorable photo of her musician husband posing with their two children, 5-year-old daughter Luna Simone and 3-year-old son Miles Theodore. Along with the loving snap, she added a caption that read, "There are no words. Only tears that I am fresh out of."

Chrissy went on to conclude her note with a love declaration to her husband, "To our everything, we love you forever." In the comment section, John replied to the sweet message with five heart emojis.

The tribute post came just days after Chrissy and John spoke out against claims that she bullied "Project Runway" star Michael Costello. "No idea what the f**k Michael Costello is doing," the former "Lip Sync Battle" co-host tweeted on Friday, June 18. She pointed out, "He just released a statement where he didn't at ALL acknowledge how fake the dm's were, & now claims to have emails that don't exist."

Her husband John jumped to her defense on the same day, posting a series of tweets supporting his wife and saying the allegation "was completely made up" and "fake." The "All of Me" crooner stressed, "Honestly I don't know why anyone would fake DMs to insert themselves in this narrative, but that's what happened."

Following Michael's accusation, Chrissy was hit with another bullying allegation. Cameroonian-born musician Dencia opened up that she was pushed by the "Cravings" author twice at the 2016 Grammy Awards.

Dencia recalled moments when Chrissy, who was pregnant at the time, "pushed" her on her way to the red carpet during an interview with The Sun. Just minutes after she was pushed by the TV personality, she claimed that the model shoved her again, saying, "She pushed me when I got off the carpet after them!" She added, "I almost fell flat on my face."
Instagram TV

The 'Real Housewive of Atlanta' star also makes it clear that she has 'moved on' from her husband of two years Simon Guobadia although their divorce has yet to be finalized.

Jun 21, 2021

AceShowbiz - Falynn Guobadia is not returning to "The Real Housewives of Atlanta". More than a month after her co-star Porsha Williams got engaged to her ex Simon Guobadia, the TV personality confirmed that she's departing from the Bravo series.

The 32-year-old made the revelation during a Q&A session on her Instagram Story. When a fan asked whether she "will be on the next season of 'RHOA'," she simply replied, "No." After another fan pleaded with her to come back to the show, she stressed, "NEVAAAAA!!!"

Falynn did not detail the reason behind her exit. However, when asked whether she is upset with Porsha for dating her estranged husband, Falynn noted, "I do not have any feelings for a person who does not travel on the same frequency as I."

That aside, Falynn shut down Simon's accusation suggesting that she is currently pregnant with her lover's child. Setting the record straight, she explained, "This rumor came from a hurt person. If/when I am pregnant, that will be my story to share with the world. Not a man's."

The reality star also insisted that she had never been unfaithful during her marriage. "I realize I haven't addressed this which is the only reason why I'm doing so now," she stated. "I never cheated in my marriage. Nor would I bring a man to our home where my children sleep. I had access to all of those cameras. The End."

Falynn, who has been married to Simon for around two years, additionally clarified whether they have finalized their divorce. "Counting the days," she pointed out. "But I've definitely moved on."

Earlier this month, Falynn made it clear that Porsha was not the reason behind her broken marriage. In an interview with Adam Newell, she explained, "No one has that power over my life, my husband's life and our marriage."

"However, Simon and I were the ones who are married to one another, we're the ones who created a family together and built a life with one another. I blame the both of us. He's to blame, I am to blame and that is all," she added. "Whatever came after that. I'm not saying it was right. I'm not saying it was wrong. But no. No one has that power besides Simon and I."
Instagram Celebrity

The romance speculation arises after the 'Twice' raptress posts on Twitter photos of her with her male companion during dinner, prompting people to feel disappointed that she's moved on from the late rapper.

Jun 21, 2021

AceShowbiz - Asian Doll a.k.a. Asian Da Brat may have found herself new love now that her grieving period is over. The raptress has sparked dating rumors anew following the death of King Von, whom she dated prior to his sudden and tragic passing in a shooting last year.

The Dallas native, whose real name is Misharron Jermeisha Allen, caused the talks about her supposed love life after she posted two photos of her with a mystery man on Twitter. In the images she shared on Saturday, June 19, she appeared to enjoy a dinner date with her supposed new man.

Asian was scantily clad in the pictures, wearing a pink bra top that barely contained her assets as she sat behind the table where some delicious-looking meals were served. In one of the snaps, she gave her male companion a side eye while he seemingly talked to him. Laughing at her poses in both pictures, she simply captioned them, "Being Mean," with several face with tears of joy emojis.

While Asian has not confirmed her relationship status with the man in the photos, some Twitter users are convinced that he's her new boyfriend. Feeling disappointed that she has allegedly moved on even before the one-year anniversary of King Von's death, one fan warned her, "I'm telling Von."

Others called out the apparent discrepancy between her words and her action after declaring herself Queen Von. "& Wtf going on here 'QUEEN VON'," another enraged fan asked. A third user echoed the sentiment, "That fact that she got von tatted after he died now moved on less than a year inching me a bit 'Queen Von'." Someone else argued, "You don't tatt people one you back to back when you know you gonna move on. What n***a gonna want a female with multiple tatts of a n***a name or face."

There were others who defended Asian though. "That's not her bf. And if it was so tf what- she broke up with Von like a whole year ago if she wanna move on LET ERRR!" one of them responded to the haters, suggesting that Asian and the man in the photos may be just friends.

Another hit back at the critics, "von ain even been dead a year???? Wym? She can move on but how u going so hard for him? N just cause she posted a pic with a boy don't mean she mess with him." One other said, "I don't under (sic) why y'all think sis can't move on ?? Ofc she loves Von Nd he forever in her hurt but she deserves to be happy again at sum point."

A fan of Von added, "I love Von & always been a his biggest fan & supporter. But how is y'all mad she moved on? Life goes on. She's still Queen Von." Someone else accused the critics of always trying to find Asian's flaws, writing, "y'all bullied the girl for grieving her man now y'all bullying her for moving on.. "
CHICO, Calif. - Scott Huber has formally announced his resignation from the Chico City Council.

The announcement comes after Huber said he resigned from his summer job due to what he called persistent harassment to his employer in Jackson, Wyoming.

In a statement Monday, Huber said plans to interfere with his wifes employment were discussed on social media and his home address was published.

Due to his employment, Huber said the business in Jackson was targeted with paid ads by a Facebook group in Chico.

RELATED: Councilmember Huber resigns from seasonal company due to what he calls persistent harassment

By doing so it seems clear that the escalating harassment will only continue to dog my ability to work, and given the tone and content of online discussions I genuinely fear for my familys wellbeing, Huber said in the statement.

The resignation will take effect immediately.

Huber said it was an honor and a privilege to work with city staff.

He was elected to City Council on Nov. 6, 2018.

RELATED: Citizens for a Safe Chico responds to Scott Hubers resignation

Action News Now reached out to Huber and is working to get a response.

Citizens for a Safe Chico, a Facebook group, posted the following statement in reaction to Huber's resignation on its Facebook page:

Our message to supporters has been simple: Contact Scott (on his city email address) and ask him to resign from the City Council or move back to Chico.

Our position has not changed: Scott Huber was wrong to secretly move to Wyoming for a new job. We dont care if it was 3 months, 6 months or whatever. Chico City Councilmembers should live in Chico. Period.

Its now clear that resigning from the City Council has been on Scotts mind for quite some time, well before the recent drama with his new Wyoming job. See the email below. Hes been thinking about resignation since January.

When Scott started receiving hundreds of emails about his move, he probably realized he made a mistake. And when he was given the chance to play the victim, he ran with it.

To be clear, we dont think its right that some people took it upon themselves to contact his employer. Thats not cool and we condemn it. Its also not cool that the enablers have falsely accused our organization of encouraging people to call and harass his Wyoming employer.

Scott Huber is not a bad man. But he made a bad decision when he moved to Wyoming without telling the public or even his colleagues on the City Council.

The good news is that your emails to Scott made a difference. We asked him to pick one (Chico or Wyoming) and he did. We wish Scott the best of luck in his future endeavors and thank him for his service to the City of Chico.

Onward,

Teri DuBose

President

Citizens for a Safe Chico
ANDERSON, Calif. - Anderson Police Departments Bike Team arrested two people outside a closed convenience store early Monday morning, police said.

The bike team contacted two vehicles just after 3:30 a.m. that were parked next to each other in a parking lot of a convenience store on Ox Yoke Road.

One of the subjects was recognized through prior contacts and he gave officers a false name. 37-year-old Clinton Benfer of Cottonwood had five warrants out for his arrest and for being on felony probation.

The second person, who was not identified by police, was on active California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Parole.

Police searched the person's vehicle and found drug paraphernalia including meth pipes, syringes and a scale. This person was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of the terms and conditions of his supervised release.

The two people were booked into the Shasta County Jail.
Popular stars of Colors Tamil came together virtually to celebrate International Yoga Day 2021 on Monday, advocating the importance of yoga in ones emotional, mental and physical well-being in these pandemic-hit times. Colors Tamil hosted the virtual yoga session in partnership with the Rotary Club of Madras Central, for the second consecutive year, bringing in renowned health experts, sports therapy consultants, reputed yoga instructors, fitness experts and physiotherapists from across the country. Focusing on the importance of healthy lungs, the program witnessed yoga sessions on Pranayama and Suryanamaskar, along with basic yoga that anybody could include in their daily life.



Spread over an hour, through a Facebook Live for its viewers, the e-yoga meet was led by well-known experts of Ayurveda and fitness trainers, including Dr Dharmesh Kubendran (Sports Therapy Consultant of Trimmers and Toners), Dr Simranjeet Kaur (Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist and Women Health and Pilates Instructor and a consultant to several celebrities), Dr Krishna Shah (Senior Physiotherapist from Spine Action), Nathiya (Ayurveda expert & yoga therapist) and Mrs Supriya Sundaraman (President of Rotary Club of Madras).The session had experts talk about coping with stress during the pandemic, working on the bodys flexibility, and overall well-being. They also gave tips for improving ones breathing and including yoga and other beneficial workouts as a daily healthy routine. Clearing the myths on yoga, they also discussed about the importance of right postures and living a stress-free healthy life brimming with more positivity, rejuvenation and higher energy levels etc.



Commenting on this enterprising initiative, Mr Anup Chandrasekharan, Business Head - COLORS Tamil, said, Overcoming stress and living a healthy life has always been a core requirement. But it needs to be inculcated even more seriously during these unpredictable and challenging times. We have partnered with the Rotary Club of Madras Central for the second time on International Yoga Day and are extremely pleased and enlightened after the virtual session. Its a privilege to be a part of such a healthy initiative and strongly believe that we all need to include and explore a lot of other exciting things, apart from the usual work schedules and other commitments.



Sharing their joy at being a part of this great initiative, the Colors Tamil stars who took part in the session, said in a joint statement, It was a very delightful experience to be refreshed and guided by such fine minds and health experts, who have been doing a yeomans service through their insightful sessions where fitness, health and Yoga have always been an inspiring force for many to transform their lives with good health, calmness and a healthy lifestyle.



The serene yoga session early in the morning had renowned actor/comedian Badava Gopi along with Reshma Muralidharan, Sanjay Raja and Suju from Colors Tamils Abhi Tailors, Sameer, Dharshini, Hanna, VJ Ayub and Shyam from Sillunu Oru Kaadhal, Amaljith, Pavitra, Vaigha and Harishankar from Amman and many others in attendance, who made the session even more popular with their active participation
Podcast listening has increased markedly in India in the past few years. According to a PwC report, monthly listeners (defined as people who listened to at least one podcast in the last month) totalled 4 crore at the end of 2018, up a sharp 57.6% from 2.54 crore in the previous year. This made India the worlds third-largest podcast-listening market (after China and the US), although it ranks much lower on a per capita basis. Growth is set to continue over the forecast period with listener numbers set to increase at a 34.5% CAGR to 17.61 crore by 2023.

IMAGEXX Awards 2021 Last Date - Monday, June 21, 2021 - ENTER NOW

The pandemic period and the lockdowns have further exacerbated the growth of podcast listenership in the country. In the last one and half years, several major media and social media players have upped their podcasting game. Earlier this month, Sony Pictures Networks India became the first major Indian broadcast company to venture into audio streaming with the Go-Beyond Podcast. The specially curated podcast celebrates individuals who have been exemplary in dealing with the cards that life dealt them.

Extending its commitment towards providing top-notch content to its viewers on its digital arm, ABP Live, ABP Network has introduced a suite of new programming within its audio content catalogue. ABP Live has recently partnered with HappyPlus Consulting to launch the Happiness Express Podcast series. The series of podcasts is hosted by radio jockey Dilip and HappyPlus Consulting Founder and CEO Dr Ashish Ambasta, where the latter will share his views and tips to manage workplace stress and to strike a balance between work and personal life.

Facebook has announced its new integration with Spotify, which enables users to listen and to share music tracks and podcast episodes directly on Facebook without opening any other app.

In April 2021, Amazon Prime Music announced the launch of podcasts in India, which is available to all Prime members at no additional cost. Customers can now have access to locally popular shows by creators, including Jay Shetty, Cyrus Broacha, Neil Bhatt, Robin Sharma, Sadhguru, Anupam Gupta, among others, as well as international Amazon Originals produced exclusively for Amazon Prime Music customers in multiple languages across motivation, business, technology, comedy, music, fitness and more.

GAMEXX Awards 2021 Early Bird Discount Last Date - Monday, June 21, 2021 - ENTER NOW

The growth story

"If you started listening to a podcast in the lockdown, chances are you will likely continue to listen to them once the lockdown lifts, Amit Doshi, Founder, IVM"

Commenting on consumers content consumption during the pandemic times, Amit Doshi, Founder, IVM, said, When calibrating content across shows, the most important thing is to try and deliver what consumers want, and we have always tried to get as much feedback from our listeners as we can. While times are challenging, we live in a world of constant communication and with a little attention, we can figure out how to effectively deliver as per listener preferences.

"With potential consumers tuning out of most other forms of advertising, it has become crucial for advertisers to find a way to break through this clutter of branded messaging to successfully find a way to reach audiences, Ishani Dasgupta- Lead of Podcast Partnerships, JioSaavn"

Speaking about the growth of the podcast industry in India, Ishani Dasgupta, Lead of Podcast Partnerships, JioSaavn, observed, Podcasting on the whole has grown in India over the course of the pandemic. On the consumer end, screen fatigue, compounded with the need to stay informed, increase ones knowledge or simply stay entertained, has motivated many to explore alternate mediums. Enter Podcasts. On the creator end, we have seen exponential growth not only in the number of independent first-time creators and podcasters that are successfully creating content, but also among established media networks that are also now adding podcasts as a part of their content offerings. Even on the technology front, we have a lot more homegrown solutions for hosting and distribution of podcast content.

"The market for podcast consumption is growing day on day in India and with it brings myriad opportunities for Indian creators, Kirthi Shetty - AVP of Creative Production, JioSaavn"

Kirthi Shetty, AVP of Creative Production, JioSaavn, added here, Given the times that we live in, its a great opportunity for everyone to have their voice heard. Over the course of a year, we have found that people are longing for a depth of understanding and connection. Creators who are able to generate content of relevance be it on culture, comedy or storytelling are doing a wonderful job of keeping their audiences engaged. Having said that, there is no one formula to keep up with consumer demands. Our data has shown that spiritual and wellness content is drawing considerable attention. People are engaging with content that is relevant and real, helping them connect and even relieve the considerable stress thats been brought on by the pandemic.

"Audio streaming emerged as a popular behaviour, given that it can be consumed anytime, anywhere, and on almost any device. Unni Nambudripad, Executive Producer  Podcasts, Spotify India"

At the same time, Unni Nambudripad, Executive Producer  Podcasts, Spotify India, noted that the biggest challenge for creators today is understanding and accounting for the times we live in, ensuring that they are able to provide content that gives listeners the comfort they seek and support their daily routines, while conditions continue to evolve.

He further said, We believe that everyone should have the mic, and this is why Spotify is deeply invested in nurturing the creator community to increase the potential of localised and personalised storytelling, for creators to reach out to right the listeners and vice versa. We want to ease the process of making podcasts through simple and free tools such as Anchor, which allow creators access and control to industry-leading podcast creation, hosting, distribution, and analytics services.

What consumers want?

"A podcast which is heard by a large audience will offer more breadth, whereas a podcast which is heard by a smaller but much more engaged audience will offer more depth, Vipul Bathwal, Strategy & Monetization Head, Gaana"

According to Vipul Bathwal, Strategy & Monetization Head, Gaana, On the demand side, consumers are also seeking more value from audio platforms in the form of podcasts related to yoga meditation, self help, etc. Apart from this, traditional Indian storytelling  mythological, devotional, romantic and socio-cultural  is also finding many takers.

To cater to the growing demand of relevant content for the Indian audience, Gaana has commissioned a number of original podcasts in a variety of categories. Original podcasts like Ummeed with Zakir Khan, Jamna Paar ka Jasoos, Ikk Kudi with Jasleen Royal and recently launched original audiobooks  Mere Samne wali Khidki and Malavgarj ki Malvika  provide a wide array of content for the Indian podcast listener to sample from.

Potential of podcast advertising

With the growing consumption of podcast content, brands are warming up to the potential of podcast advertising. Advertising within podcasts provides a whole array of advantages  right from dynamic hyper targeted ad insertions to customisable host reads.

"Audio streaming has high potential for growth, given the mediums immersive nature and listeners' increasing need to break away from the visual medium, Arjun Kolady, Head of Sales, Spotify India"

Speaking about brands interest in the audio industry, Arjun Kolady, Head of Sales Spotify India, observed, As listeners in India increasingly turn to music and podcasts, theres a growing opportunity for brands to reach audiences in a more meaningful and targeted way, through audio. Take for instance, Bumble  the brand used Spotify ads to promote their podcast, Is Romance Dead, which fit in well with their brand strategy and the audience.

"Brands are beginning to realise that the average podcast listener is engaged and actively seeking out the content they consume, Sanjeev Mehta, Business Head, IVM"

Sanjeev Mehta, Business Head, IVM, added here, Brands are beginning to realise that the average podcast listener is engaged and actively seeking out the content they consume. And there are a number of ways to leverage this attention from branded content, sponsorship and other ways that we may not even have thought of yet.

Monetisation of podcasts happens only if one increases its listenership base and identifies the correct target audience. It needs patience and a long term strategy planning, as well as close monitoring of the performance via analytics available to the podcasters/ creators, which will help them to make adjustments in their content based on consumption trends.

Talking about the newer strategies that creators/ podcasters need to adopt for monetising podcasts, Arjun Kolady pointed out, Globally, podcasting identifies as a great way to repurpose content, strengthen relationships with existing listeners and broaden appeal to newer audiences. In more mature markets such as the US, it also offers a lot of room for monetisation by channelling advertisement revenues. Creators can tap into these opportunities by assessing and availing options that fit best, including paid podcast platforms, paid promotions, sponsors, affiliate marketing and advertisements. In the near future, we will see creators in India monetising podcasts, but for that, it is important they begin today and build their listener base, so that brands are keen to associate with them when they are ready.

On the launch of new audio-socio platform Clubhouse, which has already started engaging the listeners with its new features and exciting invites, Vipul Bathwal of Gaana, remarked, It is too early to say how Clubhouse will impact the podcasting ecosystem in India, especially because until very recently, it was an iOS only app. However, platforms like Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces are live social audio platforms, which have a very different set of attributes compared to podcasts. Adoption of social audio by these platforms will probably drive adoption of pure audio as a content creation and consumption medium. This might benefit the adoption of podcasts in the long term.

When asked how the podcast journey looks like in the next five years, Doshi replied that it seems quite promising at the moment and with an increased presence in mainstream media, unprecedented growth can be expected, especially if it is fuelled by a growth in language podcasts.

According to Ishani Dasgupta, the podcast industry in India is growing and will continue to do so for years to come. Innovations and advancements in ad-tech within podcasts will most certainly be a contributing factor to podcast growth and adoption among factors such as creation of content in different regional languages as well.

(Edited and additional inputs by Shanta Saikia.)
HT Smartcast won in the Best Use of Audio category at the Global Media Awards hosted by International News Media Association (INMA).

The INMA Global Media Awards competition rewards outstanding achievements by news brands, their use of media platforms, subscriptions, business development, and data and insights. INMA revealed 58 first-place winners across 20 categories aimed at identifying innovation and best practices. HT Smartcast was one of the 644 entries from 212 news media companies across the world.

IMAGEXX Awards 2021 Last Date - Monday, June 21, 2021 - ENTER NOW

HT Smartcast offers an immersive online audio experience to consumers through podcasts, laced with authentic storytelling, likeable hosts, and fresh insights on different topics. HT Smartcast has created top-notch production quality content available to all free of cost. It has evangelized the podcasting category through marketing campaigns and created a robust website to showcase their catalogue.

Ramesh Menon, CEO at Fever FM, HT Media Ltd. said, The idea behind launching HT Smartcast was to expand the geographical footprint of the content we had as well as to ensure we cater to the changes in consumers audio consumption habits thats becoming more on-demand. Consumers are readily accepting our shows, which is visible via our increasing listenership, demand for fresh genres and new seasons for existing shows. When passion for a new business meets perseverance, consistency, and resilience, some awards come your way too!"

By circumventing traditional channels and curating podcasts on a wide range of topics covered by different HT Media Groups businesses - Mint, Hindustan Times, livehindustan, Fever FM, Radio Nasha, Radio One and Health Shots - HT Smartcast is the perfect one-stop podcast destination for millennials who want to be in control of their experiences.

GAMEXX Awards 2021 Early Bird Discount Last Date - Monday, June 21, 2021 - ENTER NOW

The audio content offered by HT Smartcast is comprehensive and short, a perfect companion to your daily commutes and busy routines. In less than 2 years, HT Smartcast has transformed from an idea to 150+ podcasts, 2000+ episodes, 40+ partners and 6 million+ monthly active listeners.

All HT Smartcast productions are easily accessible on major streaming platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Youtube, Spotify, JioSaavn, Gaana, Kuku FM, Pratilipi FM, Hubhopper and more.
LEAD School, a major K-12 EdTech player, today announced the appointment of TBWA and PHD, as its integrated creative and media partner. The mandate, won during a multi-agency pitch, will be managed from Mumbai.

TBWA and PHD are part of US based Omnicom group, a global leader in developing marketing communications for over 5,000 clients in 100 countries. While TBWA will develop a strong communication, creative strategy and campaign for the brand across television, outdoor and digital media platforms, PHD will be responsible for media buying and planning focused on building a resilient digital footprint for the EdTech enterprise.

LEAD Schools Integrated System is a one-of-its-kind solution that provides tangible results in student and teacher performance across 2,000+ schools catering to over 8 lakh students across the country. Over the next five years, LEAD School is on a mission to make excellent learning affordable and accessible to over 10 million children across 25,000+ affordable private schools in India.

Anupam Gurani, Chief Marketing Officer, LEAD School said, TBWA and PHD are admired globally for their campaigns that are testimony to their disruptive and digital-first brand storytelling and creative thought process. We are confident that this synergy will create a strong brand story for LEAD School which complements with our proposition of delivering a highly enriching and personalized educational experience to students, parents through our partner schools and teachers. We are excited to partner with TBWA and PHD in our journey of building LEAD School as Indias most loved education brand.

Govind Pandey, CEO, TBWA India said, It is inspiring for us to partner with LEAD School in creating a disruptive brand with the purpose that every child deserves an excellent education. We look forward to this journey together of fulfilling this vision.

Parixit Bhattacharya, Managing Partner-Creative, TBWA said, The Edtech category is ripe for a disruption. We look forward to creating an inspiring brand with the energising team at LEAD School. After all, it is not every day that you get to work on the future of the nation.

TBWA brings a unique dimension to creativity by using the Disruption thought process. Named one of the World's Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company for 2019 & 2020, TBWAs global clients include Adidas, Apple, Gatorade, Henkel, Hilton Hotels, McDonalds, Nissan, and Singapore Airlines.

Monaz Todywalla, CEO, PDH Media said, We are excited to partner with LEAD School for its national media mandate. Customization is the keyword of the decade and LEAD School is bringing that to education by seamlessly integrating it with technology but through a unique platform that enables the entire ecosystem. We hope to bring their mission to life with our resources and lead LEAD School to a resounding digital growth.

PHD Media with a strong tech affiliation and expertise in digital-first mandates will be responsible for media buying and planning to build a resilient digital footprint for the EdTech brand. Some of the successfully executed media campaigns of PHD for global brands include Rammed with Confidence for Volkswagen and What a Coinci-Dance for Skoda.
Swiss Federal Office of Energy

Bern, 21.06.2021 - In 2020, Switzerland's final energy consumption fell by 10.6% to 747,400 terajoules (TJ) compared to 2019. The main reasons for this are the COVID-19 pandemic and the warmer weather conditions compared to the previous year.

The sharp decrease of 10.6% in final energy consumption compared to 2019 is mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A number of indicators that determine the energy consumption were strongly affected by the two lockdowns: distance travelled and vehicle movements in passenger transport (air traffic: -64%; road traffic: decrease, but definitive values are not yet available), industrial production (-3.5%) and gross domestic product (real GDP: -2.9%).

Warmer weather conditions compared to the previous year also brought down energy consumption: the number of heating degree days, an important indicator of energy consumption for heating, decreased by 4.4%. In contrast, other factors that determine the long-term growth trend in energy consumption increased slightly in 2020: the permanent resident population (+0.7%), the number of motor vehicles (+1.3%) and the housing stock (increase; detailed figures are not yet available). Efficiency gains and substitution effects, meanwhile, tend to stem the growth in energy consumption. The annual ex-post analyses will provide further information on the factors influencing developments in energy consumption (to be published in October 2020).

Fuel consumption declined sharply

The impact of the pandemic on energy consumption is most evident in the use of fossil fuels. Petrol and diesel consumption fell by 8.1% overall (petrol -11.4%, diesel -5.2%). Sales of jet fuel fell dramatically, by 62.2%. Overall, this was a 23.0% decrease in fuel consumption compared to the level of 2019, a historic drop as shown in Figure 1 (attached). Fossil fuels account for about one third (30.3%) of total final energy consumption.

After having steadily increased since 2014, the consumption of biogenic fuels also fell compared to 2019 (-6.9%). However, their share of total petrol and diesel sales remained unchanged at 3.7%.

Decrease in energy use for heating

The warm weather conditions led to a significant decline in energy consumption for heating purposes. Consumption of extra-light heating oil fell by 10.4% and that of natural gas by 2.0% compared with the previous year. Electricity consumption also decreased (-2.6%). These are unremarkable changes in a historical context (see Figure 2 attached). However, COVID-19 had a clear impact on electricity consumption during the lockdowns (see SFOE media release dated 16 April 2021). The three energy sources mentioned account for more than half of final energy consumption (55.0%).

The use of industrial waste to generate energy decreased by 1.4% (share of final energy consumption: 1.5%). As in the previous year, coal consumption decreased (-3.9%), while use of heavy fuel oil remained at 2019 levels. However, the use of petroleum coke increased (+45.8%). The share of these three energy sources in total final energy consumption is very low (<1%).

Decline in consumption of renewable energies

The warm weather conditions did not affect all renewable energy sources for heating purposes equally. The consumption of energy wood decreased by 3.5%, as did the consumption of district heating (-2.2%). However, the use of solar heat and the use of ambient heat with heat pumps increased (solar: +0.8%; ambient heat: +3.6%). These energy sources represent 11.0% of total final energy consumption (energy wood: 5.3%, ambient temperature: 2.5%, district heating: 2.8%, solar thermal: 0.4%).

The direct use of biogas dropped by 2.6%. When the biogas fed into the natural gas grid (which is statistically accounted for under gas) is considered, there was a slight decrease in biogas consumption (-0.6%). The share of biogas fed into the grid was 1.2% of total gas consumption (2019: 1.1%).

The Swiss Overall Energy Statistics 2020 will be available online from the second half of July 2021 and in printed form at the beginning of August. An initial summary overview is now available (see attachment).

Address for enquiries

SFOE Media Office, 058 460 81 52

Publisher

Swiss Federal Office of Energy

http://www.bfe.admin.ch




Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 21.06.2021 - Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis travelled to Val Surselva on Monday 21 June 2021, where he met with a class from the secondary school in Glion. The pupils invited Mr Cassis during the first Emna rumantscha  Romansh Language Week  organised by the FDFA last February.

Ignazio Cassis visited Glion as part of the Romansh Language Week initiative. At the initiative's launch on 19 February, the head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said he was keen to deepen his knowledge of the five Romansh idioms. The Glion class of 12 pupils aged between 15 and 16 took him at his word and offered to give him a taste of the region's linguistic and cultural wealth.

In ferm toc Svizra  an essential part of Switzerland

"I would like to thank the pupils of Glion and their teachers for this invitation. With them, I have returned to the classroom to continue my journey of discovery of Romansh culture and the multiple identities that make up our country," said Mr Cassis, adding that "Romansh, like the other national languages, is 'in ferm toc Svizra'  an essential part of Switzerland." Mr Cassis also let the teenagers in on some ideas for the next edition of the Romansh Language Week, scheduled for February 2022.

Intercultural dialogue and diplomacy

The conviction that promoting intercultural dialogue is right at the heart of Swiss diplomacy spurred Mr Cassis to launch the Romansh Language Week initiative, whose joint organisation with the Canton of Graubunden also drew in numerous Swiss representations abroad. "Switzerland must continue to foster its linguistic landscape, which is an asset in our relations with other countries. Going back to school and learning from young people is one way to do that," he said.

Promoting the minority languages in Switzerland is also one of the priorities of the structured political dialogue that the head of the FDFA conducts with the Canton of Graubunden and the Canton of Ticino, as well as with the Italian-speaking members of the Council of States and the National Council.

Address for enquiries

FDFA Communication

Federal Palace West Wing

CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland

Tel. Communication service: +41 58 462 31 53

Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55

E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch

Twitter: @SwissMFA

Publisher

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html




Driving through the countryside, you can see many herds of cattle out on pasture. In areas where rain is short or non-existent, the grass wont last long.

Producers might have to sell calves early and put cows back into feedlots if it doesnt rain, but for now, producers may decide they want to set aside an area as a sacrifice pasture.

Whether rejuvenating a winter sacrifice pasture, setting up a summer-drought or flood-event sacrifice pasture, or maintaining high-quality summer grazing areas, frequent observation is the key to successful grazing management.

At a recent University of Minnesota Summer Beef Essentials webinar series, St. Louis County Extension educator Troy Salzer and Eric Mousel, cow/calf management Extension educator, described a sacrifice area as the following:

 Without vegetation

 Built-up with feed waste and manure

 Stocking density of less than 0.2 acres per animal unit per 45 days. This is the equivalent of 12,100-square-feet per cow, or 110- by 110-feet per cow.

This is not the recommendation, its just the definition of what a sacrifice area is, Mousel said.

Adequate pasture stocking rates during an average rain year are about 1.5-3 acres per cow/calf pair per growing season.

In Minnesota, sacrifice areas are a very critical component of an overall cattle management plan. These areas may be used for the better part of the year.

While cattle producers in some areas may have little need for sacrifice areas, producers in the Upper Midwest need a sacrifice area to keep cattle so they arent tearing apart their most productive pastures. Calving management is often tied to a sacrifice area, too.
Nearly 90% of South Dakota is now in some level of drought. According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, 56% of the state is in the Severe Dr
Michelle Hoffman, owner of My CBD Store in Ahwatukee, also is a novelist who has written nine books under the pen name Dorothy Shaw.
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NEW YORK (AP)  Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams lost much of his lead in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City after the first round of ranked choice tabulation was released Tuesday, sowing new seeds of uncertainty into an unpredictable contest.
Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter and six of the seven City Council members were sworn in for their new terms in office Thursday. Hunter, who is starting his second term as mayor, called on the community and local elected leaders to work together so that the city can rebound from a string of nat
For the past year and a half of COVID, we have been told by those supposedly in the know, to follow the science. Those who question the science are at best called names, like deniers or racists, and at worst, lose their jobs and reputations, and are banned from social media.

One gets an appreciation for what scientists of centuries ago endured as they questioned science dogma of the day such as the Earth being flat or the Sun revolving around Earth. Such censorship was attributed to the medieval scientific mindset centuries ago long before the enlightened age of Facebook, Twitter, and CNN.

Last years outbreak of the Chinese coronavirus allowed the world to travel back in time to an age where sailors feared sailing off the edge of the world into a pit of monsters or nothingness. Instead of being called flat Earthers they are called anti-maskers or anti-vaxers. How did we get to such a place where science cant be questioned, at least science deemed incontrovertible by the government and media?

It started with the climate change movement. Back in the 1970s, we faced a crisis of global cooling. A few decades later it changed to global warming, where the planet would heat up enough to melt the polar ice caps, flooding coastal cities. When these fatalistic predictions failed to pan out, the movement created a new name, climate change, that conveniently covered both warm and cool temperatures, rain, drought, storms, and all other forms of weather, attributing normally changing weather to something nefarious

Scientists are supposed to follow the scientific method, observing natural phenomena, collecting data, forming a hypothesis to explain these observations, then refining the hypotheses as new data emerges. Instead, with both climate science and COVID the process has been reversed, ignoring or jiggering the data to conform with a predetermined hypothesis, rejecting new or contrary data simply because scientists did not like or approve of the source of the contrary data.

The origin of the Chinese coronavirus has been a touchy topic. Dr Fauci and the medical smart set assured us that it came from a wet market and an animal host, despite no such host ever being identified. Ignored was the fact that the city of origin, Wuhan, was home to a bio lab that specifically studied coronaviruses.

Also ignored was that Dr Fauci and his agency were funding, either directly or indirectly, gain of function research into coronaviruses, essentially making them more contagious and/or deadly. Lastly, Dr. Fauci participated in a 'secret meeting' with scientists about COVID-19 origins in Feb. 2020, before the pandemic really began, where lab origin was already considered probable.

YouTube screen grab

Even comedian Jon Stewart surprised fellow leftists by recently making an impassioned case that COVID came from the Wuhan lab.

But the scientific community didnt want to hear of this. Why? Because President Trump suggested the possibility and dared name the virus after its place of origin, calling it the Wuhan flu, which was somehow considered racist. The same scientific community had no trouble with Ebola, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, German measles, Hong Kong flu, West Nile virus, and a host of other diseases named after their origination point without talk of racism. But Trump didnt name those other viruses.

Now that Dr Faucis past emails have been made public, showing his gain of function funding at the Wuhan lab, all of a sudden, the lab leak hypothesis is gaining traction. Is it because of new science? Or is it because of who is in the White House?

As Forest Gump would say, just like that, scientists are now curious over the lab leak hypothesis, after adamantly denying it for well over a year, and want to investigate further, according to a letter published by 18 scientists. As NBC reported,

And while public discussion of a potential lab leak has shifted significantly in recent months, as more people pay attention to a theory that was originally promulgated by former President Donald Trump and his followers, the scientific evidence has remained unchanged, according to interviews with five virologists who have experience in microbiology, infectious disease ecology and viral evolution.

Note the scientific evidence has remained unchanged. So what did change? The President changed.

There had been trepidation among some scientists about publicly discussing the lab leak hypothesis for fear that their words could be misconstrued or used to support racist rhetoric about how the coronavirus emerged. At the time, it was scarier to be associated with Trump and to become a tool for racists, so people didn't want to publicly call for an investigation into lab origins.

Unbelievable. These scientists ignored science over the fear of somehow being associated with Trump or proving him correct. What is the state of scientific thought if following the science can be construed as racist?

What else did scientists ignore or suppress simply to spite Trump and not give him any credit for his insights on the virus and pandemic? With all the fancy degrees after their names, doctors and scientists have boiled down science to something quite simple. If Trump says X is true, the scientific community says X is false, regardless of the science or the implications. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face!

Were the faulty case and death count methodologies fudged to make the pandemic appear worse to hurt Trumps credibility and reelection prospects? Were the benefits of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin poo-pooed simply because Trump suggested them as potential therapeutics?

How many people could have avoided hospitalization and death if these inexpensive and safe drugs were made available rather than banned, threatening the medical licenses of physicians daring to prescribe them, and firing or ostracizing those promoting their use? Or deplatforming their websites, as Amazon recently did to Americas Frontline Doctors.

Was vaccine safety and efficacy reported honestly? Or is politics guiding vaccination policy too? Not to mention masks, distancing, school and business closures, lockdowns, and quarantining the healthy. Were these measures science based or simply anti-Trump measures?

Did the medical and scientific establishment wreck the American economy, and destroy millions of families and businesses simply because it was scarier to be associated with Trump? How many Americans died or suffered medically due to virtue signaling scientists?

Ironically, scientists feared being labeled as racist if they didnt vigorously oppose anything Trump said. Yet their scientific malpractice made COVID far worse than it should have been, a disease that disproportionately affects people of color. Who are the real racists here?

Aside from the medical and scientific community having blood on their hands over politicizing the biggest medical calamity of our time, their future credibility is shot. When the next viral pandemic comes around, who will believe the follow the science experts? Will future health warnings be taken seriously? Will any pronouncements about climate change be viewed as anything but tabloid gossip?

Where was the media during this time? Rather than asking and questioning, as is their job, they clapped along like trained seals, repeating and defending every bit of the anti-Trump science, perpetuating the fraud. The media too has blood on its hands.

The scientific and medical communities now have as much credibility as Brian Stelter or Nicolle Wallace. And deservedly so. Once highly trusted, scientific and medical experts have taken a big step backward, with trustworthiness now approaching cable news or Congress levels. And they are unlikely to recover from their self-inflicted wounds.

Brian C Joondeph, MD, is a physician and writer. He is on sabbatical from social media.

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How far along are we into America's Maoist Cultural Revolution? Well, Tumblr encourages users to choose from 112 different genders and another 73 distinct sexual attractions that can be mixed and matched in order to "create the orientation that best describes you." Hmmm. Math is racist. White Democrats think black Americans can't figure out how to get a voter ID. And Tumblr believes there are at least 8,176 gender identities  for right now, mind you. A year from now, Tumblr's corporate board members will be bending over backwards during public struggle sessions trying to convince the woke mob that they failed to previously appreciate that there really are 17,429 gender identities or 835,709 different sexual attractions because the white patriarchy infected their brains with encephalitic hate. Nothing lasts very long in Mao's America.

For the political left, what is true is always changing. Just as our Constitution has been rendered meaningless by making it a "living, breathing" pile of gobbledygook subjectiveness, this year's truth will inevitably go out of fashion by this time next year, and the same Democrats who claim to believe fervently in the woke dogma of the moment will in the future deride and mock anyone who could so ignorantly believe in what they themselves believed only yesterday.

It took fifteen years to go from Ellen coming out of the closet on national television to Obama "evolving" on redefining marriage. It's taken less than a decade since then for Joe Biden to declare the trans movement the "civil rights issue of our time" and only a year for Big Tech to outright censor Americans for being so brazen as to believe there are two  and only two  biological sexes, a fact widely known by most Democrats just a short time ago. Now, in record time, Democrats have thrown cautious "evolution" out the window and decided that straight men must be shamed for not wanting to date men posing as women. Forget bodily autonomy, religious belief, or morality. You will bake that cake  I mean, date that guy with the pink lipstick, stubbly chin, and Manolo Blahnik knockoffs  or prove that you're irredeemably filled with hate. Yikes! We've gone from "tolerant people should accept Ellen for who she is" to "only bigots unworthy of our respect think there's a problem with men dressed as women twerking in front of children at story hour." That may not be "change we can believe in," but it's the kind of earth-shattering stuff that ends up torching entire societies. That's the thing with "cultural revolutions," though  a little kindling catches fire, and then the whole forest is ablaze before anyone knows what's happening.

First, viewpoints are attacked as illegitimate. Then books supporting those viewpoints are burned. Then the people who write those books (or read those books) join the bonfires themselves. So when Amazon banned scholar Ryan Anderson's book on transgenderism earlier this year, it wasn't just engaging in censorship. It was throwing a huge log onto the flames.

Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola's "bonfire of the vanities" in Florence in the late fifteenth century should have provided ample warning to future generations that burning books always leads to burning bodies, but humanity never learns the lesson. Young indoctrinated students not too different from those today rushed to the Bebelplatz in Berlin in May of '33 to burn tens of thousands of books for the Nazi cause, and twelve years later, Berlin lay in ruins. When Mao's Cultural Revolution really took hold in '66, idealistic brainwashed students, again not so different from those today, became Red Guard marauders, going from house to house, burning books and anything else that reeked of one of the "four olds"  old ideas, old customs, old culture, and old habits. Sound familiar? Gotta rid America of all that nasty "white supremacy," "systemic racism," "patriarchy," and "hate"  and "build back better"! Nobody wants to remember that Mao's version of "hope and change" killed off 65 million Chinese, condemned another 50 million to the gulag, and turned a generation of teenagers into a raging army of psychopaths who tortured their parents, neighbors, and teachers in the name of "progress" and killed over a million of their elders before the dust settled. Woohoo, now that's a "Great Leap Forward"! Or was it a "Great Lean Forward"? Eh, same difference.

It's just a little censorship, Google, Facebook, and Twitter say. So we put you in virtual time-out or purge your voice from the internet for "spreading hate"  what's the harm? It's just a little citizen designation, Attorney General Garland says. What could possibly go wrong with legally defining half of the American populace as "domestic violent extremists" because they voted for Donald Trump or as "white supremacists" because they have the wrong color skin? Conservatives are just too "touchy" these days. Nothing bad ever happens when a certain class of people are designated as enemies of the State for supporting the "wrong" ideas  nope, nothing to see here.

Except, it never, ever ends with just censorship or labeling. What starts with burning words  whether on paper or in digital space  always ends with burning people. Those most eager to start the fires learn quickly that in order to truly eradicate ideas, they must go after their "root causes"  the people who have those ideas and write them down in the first place. Pretending there are thousands of genders out there seems a little too crazy to take seriously. But "politics is downstream from culture," and when the "madness of crowds" takes over, blood is never too far behind.

Image via Pexels.

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A New Jersey Board of Education in Randolph, N.J. removed Columbus Day from their schools calendar and replaced it with Indigenous Peoples Day. They did so to be inclusive, and without publicizing that this change was being contemplated. Two minutes were given to the matter.

When word got out, a furor ensued among the community, including Italian-Americans and members of the Knights of Columbus. Many spoke in protest at the next BoE meeting. Here is one such protest.

Its been 529 years since Columbus found a new world. Now, you want to remove his memory, but are not exactly clear why. You reported acting because other places have done so. Really? What is clear is that in the half a millennia that since passed, weve lost much of what he did, what he looked like, or even where hes buried. We all know that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Social Media has given a huge megaphone to those who previously stood on soap boxes. They find others and together demand cancellation of whatever. Surrender incites the mob to ever more extreme demands. I speak today because someday, they will come for me. Unfortunately, seeing Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln -- and more -- get attacked, it doesnt surprise that Columbus is blamed for Native Americans dying over the next 400 years from diseases like Smallpox because they did not have natural immunity. As an American, I feel pride that our founding fathers -- including Washington and Jefferson -- birthed a new form of government, where all men are created equal. This ideal has bettered humanity around the world. Columbus discovery was the moon-landing of his era. So, will Neil Armstrong be blamed for all the litter accumulating on the moon? Our nation had a founding stain. President Lincolns blood and that of the 750,000 -- mostly men -- who died in our Civil War washed away slavery. Today, Americans continue to shed blood for others. The tree of liberty is watered by the blood of patriots. Two members of my family died in service. God rest all their souls. Speaking as a Catholic Knight of Columbus, his removal offends many in our order. We were named after him because of rampant, anti-Catholic bigotry in the 1850s. President Kennedy felt it a hundred years later. It is seen, still, today. Bigotry, even soft bigotry, is never acceptable. In 1790, President Washington wrote to the Jewish Community of Newport, RI, every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid. For happily the Government of the United States gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection be good citizens. Replacing Columbus to celebrate the Indigenous might be seen as Red skin being preferred to the almost black skin of Mediterranean Peoples like Spanish and Italian. My many Italian friends have told me it insults all of them. They feel Columbus and his explorations exemplify their rich history, as Saint Patrick does for the Irish. Lowering the Italians will not raise the indigenous. An Italian declared crossing the Rubicon important. The Randolph Board of Education should consider whether removing Columbus reflects: scholarship, a lessening of knowledge, or a Politically Correct bashing of America and its idols out of fear. I do hope you reverse your decision. Thank you.

Heres the next part of the story. Immediately after the last speaker sat down, the Board of Education considered what they had heard from the community. They thought the feedback valuable. It then voted to remove all mention of any holiday, replacing all with Day Off. Christmas, Martin Luther King, Memorial Day all will be known as Day Off.

The members of the audience were stunned. The audio of the meeting has members shouting, What is happening? What did you just do?

News of this decision exploded, locally and nationally, reaching even England and India.

A special meeting of the Randolph, NJ Board of Education has been called. It is anticipated that even more of the community will attend. They are seeing how much elections matter -- perhaps even especially to local Boards of Education as our children are our future.

Mike Czuchnicki has consulted around the world after a Technology-Executive career. He is a speaker, author, and founder of the YouTube channel, Be More Better. Help others. It helps you too.

Image: Pixabay

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I'm not a huge fan of videos showing elementary or middle school kids at school board meetings complaining about Critical Race Theory or BLM propaganda. It's always so obvious that the kids got a lot of help from Mom and Dad. The kids may believe what they're saying, but it's not their voices talking. That's not the case with a nine-year-old girl from Lakeville, Minnesota, who gave school board members a verbal whipping for lying about political posters on school property. While it's clear that her values come from her parents, the voice is her own.

To fully appreciate what she's saying, you need to have a little background. Lakeville is a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul and, with more than 67,000 people, has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the region. The spitfire in the video attends Lakeview Elementary School (LES).

Everyone involved with the school  teachers, administrators, and school board members  were forced to take "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DIE) training. DIE training is, quite simply, anti-White racism packaged as pro-Black non-racism. It's disgusting, un-American, illegal.

What happened at LES reflects the toxins that DIE infuses into public education. At a school board meeting, parents expressed different views about two Black Lives Matter posters put on LES's walls. One group of parents claimed that the posters just made a "declarative statement." Other parents, however, pointed out that the school had already banned posters with the same words from the Black Lives Matter Global Network (BLMGN), which everyone had agreed were political and had to be removed. Repacking the same material without reference to the BLMGN was a political distinction without a difference.

To justify their decision, those on the school board who had DIE'd spoke in Critical Race Theory (CRT) platitudes. At the same meeting, despite the fact that everyone involved in the school had DIE'd, that they were now speaking in CRT cant, and that they'd been game-playing with posters, Superintendent Michael Baumann made the risible claim that CRT was not in Lakeville Area schools: "Our curriculum does not include CRT" (although he noted that Minnesota is trying to make CRT an integral part of all social studies).

It was against that background that the nine-year-old complained about the school board's incredible hypocrisy regarding its poster policy  and about its condescension in thinking that, by repackaging the posters, no one would notice the difference:

Youve got to check out this 9 year old elementary school girl SMOKE THE SCHOOL BOARD! You know its bad when kids have morals and call you a lier, TO YOUR FACE. You go girl pic.twitter.com/36Tl96h9s0  Late Night with Bobby D (@LateNightBobbyD) June 18, 2021

I have no doubt that her parents helped her with that statement. The line about Amanda Gorman  "in case you don't know what that chick is, she's some girl who did a poem for Biden's so-called inauguration"  sounds like something repeatedly stated at the family dinner table. Nevertheless, she's not reading someone else's script. The passion is all hers. Kids dislike hypocrisy, and she's clearly angry at the school board's "rules are for the little people" attitude.

Every school board in America that's embraced CRT and DIE needs to push back. Even a country as strong as America cannot support having its children indoctrinated in race hatred.

Image: 9-year-old Lakeview student on BLM posters. Twitter screen grab.

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Remember the early months of the Trump administration, when a series of court decisions hamstrung the president's ability to implement policies nationwide, often because a single federal district court judge ruled against them? George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley remembers, and he's noticed that the early months of the Biden administration also have yielded a similar range of court actions against Biden  but with little media attention. Writing in The Hill, Professor Turley notes:

What is not being as fully reported is that Biden actually has racked up a litany of notable court losses that may now exceed those of his predecessor in his first six months. Indeed, the Biden administration has been found to have violated the Constitution in a surprising array of cases in a surprisingly short period of time. Across the country, trial courts have been finding constitutional violations by the Biden administration in areas ranging from immigration to the environment to pandemic relief. (snip) These rulings against the Biden administration came in the same areas covered extensively by the media during the Trump administration, including findings of constitutional violations and discriminatory practices. When early rulings were issued against Trump, legal and media experts declared that a war on the rule of law existed, if not the onset of tyranny. However, the media has given light coverage to Biden's legal losses.

Read the whole thing for a rundown on the cases.

My online friend David Kahn, a lawyer, emails:

The media repeatedly characterized the Trump administration as Lawless. This article shows that, if court decisions are to be a guide, the Biden administration is no better. But that gives an incomplete picture. The Biden administration has promoted illegal immigration and supported sanctuary cities, both violations of federal law. And while Trump was the target of the medias claim that he had dictatorial tendencies, Biden has issued more executive orders in the first part of his administration than any president in history. And Biden has complete control of the press while Trump had no press control. Even if you look at the Obama administration, Trump does not exceed Obama's tendency to act unilaterally, and Obama had better success in the courts and certainly enjoyed much more control of the press.

Spot the "lawless" and "dictatorial" president...

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay.

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This story is about a week old, but it's such a striking example of the way in which public schools have completely embraced leftist culture that it still deserves to be noted. A high school in New York's rural Honeoye Falls-Lima Central School District recently informed parents that school officials will literally be loudly disseminating information about sexual identity over the edifice's loudspeakers each June day in honor of Pride Month.

The school released a statement proclaiming: "Each day on the announcements we will be talking about a different part of the LGBTQ+ community to help educate people on it." Way to write a grammatically tone-deaf sentence, "educators."

The ever-growing list of sexual identities and perversions that the LGBTQIIA+ movement/community embraces should make it easy for the school's officials to generate a month's worth of material. That point was easily illustrated by the first few definitions to which the school referred, according to PJ Media: "demi-girl, demi-boy, and demi-sexual."

A quick check of webmd.com helps edify those of us old fuddy-duddies who aren't particularly versed in all things demi:

Demisexual people only feel sexually attracted to someone when they have an emotional bond with the person. They can be gay, straight, bisexual, or pansexual, and may have any gender identity. The prefix "demi" means half  which can refer to being halfway between sexual and asexual. Demisexuality can be a type of graysexuality. A graysexual person may experience sexual attraction only rarely, or they may feel sexual attraction but aren't that interested in sex. Demisexual people do not feel primary attraction  the attraction you feel to someone when you first meet them. They only feel secondary attraction  the type of attraction that happens after knowing someone for a while. Some people might use terms for other modes of graysexuality to refer to demisexuality. These include: Gray-A

Hyposexual

Semisexual

Low sexual intensity

Asexual-ish

Sexual-ish

Good thing we've queered, er, cleared that up!

Yes, that's just what we need our educational system to do. What parent doesn't approve of officials taking to a school's P.A. system to bark out obscure sexual identities like a crazed Dr. Ruth Westheimer with Tourette's syndrome?

First, there were "the birds and the bees." (Too binary!)

Now there is sexual-ish.

Is that really an improvement?

Image: Honeoye Falls-Lima High School. YouTube screen grab.

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When it comes to intersectionality, there are rules that I can't seem to figure out. The story of Kamau Bobb, Google's former global diversity lead, highlights intersectionality's struggle with including Jews and Israel.

Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how aspects of a person's social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege. These intersecting and overlapping social identities may be both empowering and oppressing. So how does an acolyte of this modern sociological theory reconcile a conflict between a social aspect of a person's life with his political aspect?

To be more specific, how do we resolve the social aspect of being a citizen of Israel, which is considered by most adherents of woke ideology to be "apartheid," with the political aspect of one of history's longest oppressed religious minorities and a primary victim of genocide in the 20th century?

How do we determine the weight of these two aspects in the intersectional calculation? If they are equal, do they cancel each other out? If one has more weight, how is the value derived? Does the recency of "apartheid" account for more or less than the persecution, pogroms, and exile of almost 2,000 years?

Let's ask some questions about what happened to Mr. Bobb to see if we can solve the equation.

No matter the time frame, how does a person whose career path put him on track to become the diversity lead at one of the most woke companies in the wokest of industries generalize such a thing about Jews?

His diatribe lamenting the mentality of Jews in his homeland said nothing about LGBT people. But Google had to include that group in its statement on the reassignment: "The company said Bobb's remarks "caused deep offense and pain" to Jewish and LGBTQ+ employees." Why?

According to the CNBC article, Mr. Bobb was "reassigned" and not terminated. Why?

At face value, it would seem to me that the recent accusations that Israel is an "apartheid state" outweigh the victimhood of Jewish oppression. But the more I pondered this question, the more I realized there were missing variables in the intersectional calculation, power, and privilege.

Most European Jews are Caucasian and, thanks to a fabricated anti-Semitic text, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, are perceived as powerful and wealthy. Seen in this light, Jews as White holders of power, it now is clear why Kamau Bobb is able to generalize his assertions about Jews.

Why did Google have to include LBGT in its tepid condemnation of Bobb even though they are not mentioned in his post? I surmise that Google's people could not defend the move against him for what he said about Jews. They needed to include a more "intersectionally acceptable" (read: oppressed) group who was likewise offended as part of their justification for his reassignment.

And last, we can assume he was reassigned and not terminated because the offended party was advantaged and not disadvantaged. Recall Google engineer James Damore, who has autism. His ten-page memo questioned diversity and inclusion based on research he conducted. He offended intersectionally acceptable groups and was canceled outright.

David Schraub, a Berkeley Law professor, wrestled with this topic as well. In the abstract to his article "White Jews: An Intersectional Approach," he concludes, "What Whiteness 'does' to Jewishness is act as an accelerant for certain forms of anti-Semitic marginalization even as it ratifies a racialized hierarchy within the Jewish community. Absent an intersectional vantage, many political projects and controversies surrounding Jewish equality will be systematically misunderstood."

Alan Dershowitz summed things up more colloquially. In his 2017 opinion piece as Stanford University Student Council debated a resolution condemning anti-Semitism, he concluded, "Intersectionality has forced artificial coalitions between causes that have nothing to do with each other except a hatred for their fellow students who are 'privileged' because they are white, heterosexual, male and especially Jewish."

Maybe the followers of intersectionality need to take a time out and think about what they are perpetuating.

Image: Google.

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In the last two days, three interesting stories have emerged from the Middle East. The first story is about Ebrahim "the Butcher" Raisi's election as president in Iran; the second is Israel's announcement that this election forces it to protect itself against this butcher; and the third is news that Iran's sole nuclear power plant abruptly shut down. The first and second stories are quite obviously connected. The real question is whether the third story is a promise of things to come or is just a coincidence.

That Raisi was going to be president is no surprise to regular American Thinker readers. Hassan Mahmoudi and Hamid Enayat wrote that Ayatollah Khamenei, who is the ultimate power in Iran, was backing Raisi's election, making it a done deal. They also wrote that the men (and women) on Iran's streets are deeply distressed by Raisi's elevation because he is known to be a mad butcher, who willingly turned his sadism on his own citizens.

This is not hyperbole. Even the New York Times has acknowledged that Raisi's crimes against humanity are so bad that both the U.S. and the European Union have placed him on sanctions lists. The Times, though, is a bit shy about telling the details, simply noting:

In 1988, when he was Tehran's deputy prosecutor general, Mr. Raisi was implicated in one of the bloodiest episodes in the history of the Islamic Republic. He sat on a four-man committee that sent about 5,000 imprisoned government opponents to their deaths, according to Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other organizations. Many were executed in prison even though they had not been sentenced to death, according to rights groups and relatives of the dead.

Britain's Sun is not so shy. And while there are doubts about whether Raisi was responsible for 5,000 deaths or as many as 30,000, the details about what he did seem clear. According to firsthand reports, in true Che Guevara fashion, Raisi and his fellow committee members lined men, women, and children up against walls and had them shot.

Farideh Goudarzi, eight months pregnant at the time, was brutally tortured in a room with multiple cables mixing with the blood already on the floor. Raisi, she said, liked to watch. Her husband and brother were both executed.

Under Raisi's reign of terror, Mahmoud Royaee spent ten years in prison after he was arrested at 18 for the "thoughtcrime" of reading newspapers supporting freedom. His ten-year stay in prison, during which he was regularly tortured and threatened with execution, ended only after his father was finally able to buy him out.

Certainly, Israel takes very seriously Raisi's reputation. According to i24 News:

Israeli security officials believe the country must prepare contingency planning for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities following the Islamic Republic's selection of a new president. Ebrahim Raisi  an ultra-conservative and former prosecutor alleged to have condemned thousands of people to execution  is likely to adopt Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's hardline views on foreign and nuclear policy. [snip] There will be no choice but to go back and prepare attack plans for Iran's nuclear program. This will require budgets and the reallocation of resources," an unnamed senior Israeli source was quoted as saying.

Lior Haiat, who is the spokesperson for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reminded the world just how bad Raisi is, making his regime an existential threat to Israel:

1/4 After the Supreme Leader effectively dictated to the Iranian public who they could choose, less than 50% of Iranian citizens eligible to vote have elected its most extremist president to date. pic.twitter.com/gYuBdUNMqx  Lior Haiat  (@LiorHaiat) June 19, 2021

2/4 The butcher of Tehran, Ebrahim Raisi, has been rightly denounced by the international community for his direct role in the extrajudicial executions of over 30,000 people. He is designated by the U.S. Treasury for these heinous crimes.  Lior Haiat  (@LiorHaiat) June 19, 2021

3/4 An extremist figure, committed to Irans rapidly advancing military nuclear program, his election makes clear Iran's true malign intentions, and should prompt grave concern among the international community.  Lior Haiat  (@LiorHaiat) June 19, 2021

4/4 More than ever, Irans nuclear program must be halted immediately, rolled back entirely and stopped indefinitely. Irans ballistic missile program must be dismantled and its global terror campaign vigorously countered by a broad international coalition.  Lior Haiat  (@LiorHaiat) June 19, 2021

Yair Lapid, who is Israel's actual minister for foreign affairs, put his imprimatur on the press release:

His election should prompt renewed determination to immediately halt Irans nuclear program and put an end to its destructive regional ambitions.    - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) June 19, 2021

Them's fightin' words  and rightly so. Having a madman with nuclear weapons aimed at your small nation is an existential crisis.

So maybe it was a coincidence, and maybe it wasn't, that on Sunday, Iran's only nuclear power plant had difficulties that required an emergency shutoff:

Iran's sole nuclear power plant has undergone a temporary emergency shutdown, state TV reports. An official from the state electric energy company, Gholamali Rakhshanimehr, says on a talk show that the Bushehr plant shutdown began on Saturday and will last "three to four days." He says that power outages could result. He does not elaborate, but this is the first time Iran has reported an emergency shutdown of the plant, located in the southern port city of Bushehr. It went online in 2011 with help from Russia.

With Trump in the White House, Israel knew that it had America's might and moral support at its back. However, Biden's desperation to return to the Iran accord, the many anti-Semites whom he's appointed to his administration, and Biden's own frequently displayed antipathy toward Israel all come together to tell that small Jewish nation in the midst of a sea of Muslims that it's on its own.

Even if the nuclear shutdown didn't involve Israel, I assume that the following weeks and months will bring more stories about things going wrong in Iran's nuclear industry. Israel's survival depends on it.

Image: Ebrahim the Butcher Raisi by Hossein Razaqnejad. CC BY 4.0.

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Because there's a lot of confusion about writing for American Thinker, here's a quick walk through our guidelines and writing suggestions.

American Thinker occupies a special niche in the realm of online conservative thinking because it's the only major conservative outlet that routinely looks to people other than its staff for material. While Thomas Lifson, Monica Showalter, and I contribute blog posts most days, all the long-form articles and at least 50% of the blog posts come from voluntary contributors. This gives American Thinker a unique depth of knowledge and insight. The site's submission guidelines are somewhat hidden, though, so this essay seeks to remedy that.

The guidelines are in the top menu bar under "More." Although you might think you'd get to them by clicking on "Rules/FAQS," that's not the case. Instead, they're under "Contact." You must familiarize yourself with them before submitting anything, but here are the top things people should know:

Articles run from 800 to 1,200 words. We publish only five to six of those a day, so it's going to be more of a challenge for your submission to beat the competition.

run from 800 to 1,200 words. We publish only five to six of those a day, so it's going to be more of a challenge for your submission to beat the competition. Blog posts run from 400800 words. Because we publish 1516 of those a day, if you can be brief, you will triple your chances of getting published.

run from 400800 words. Because we publish 1516 of those a day, if you can be brief, you will triple your chances of getting published. We accept only original material. Even if you published it on your small website or as a Facebook post, with only a dozen readers, it's not original. We understand that you may be trying out different ways to write about the same topic, but what comes to us must be unique and cannot have been published elsewhere.

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Every submission goes through an editorial review. We try to preserve each writer's voice, but these are some suggestions for improving your chances in the review process:

Unless you're an experienced writer, use an outline to organize your essay. Your high school teacher was correct that this is the best way to make sure you prove the elements of your argument and that your ideas have a logical flow.

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Don't turn verbs into nouns. Verbs are exciting, nouns flat. "She introduced her friend to the teacher" is punchier than "She provided her friend with an introduction to the teacher." A word search for "ion" often reveals a lot of culprits.

Don't be afraid of possessives. "The dog's ball" is better than "The ball of the dog."

You don't need to be a "fancy" writer to submit things to us. Part of Thomas Sowell's genius, for example, is that he presents complicated ideas in simple terms, without ever dumbing things down.

Be civil. Again, wit and snark can bite and add power and liveliness, but an essay filled with invective and insults gets boring.

This is shaping up to be a crazy year, and while we try hard, we cannot be masters of every bit of political and social information out there. We are always grateful for knowledgeable, thoughtful, and entertaining essays. If you've thought about submitting something to American Thinker, this may be your year.

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What to make of a new straw poll that shows Florida's popular Gov. Ron DeSantis now besting Donald Trump as GOP candidate of choice for the coming 2024 election?

According to Fox News:

The results of a straw poll of conservative voters this weekend [about 500 people] is spotlighting the appeal of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. DeSantis came out on top of a 2024 straw poll at the Western Conservative Summit, narrowly edging former President Donald Trump, according to organizers of the conference. The straw poll at the summit, which was hosted by Colorado Christian Universitys Centennial Institute, asked people attending the gathering both in-person and on-line to vote for all of the potential 2024 presidential contenders that they approve of  out of 31 choices of both Republicans and Democrats. DeSantis, a first-term governor and Trump ally whos become very popular among conservatives nationwide since the start of the coronavirus pandemic for his resistance to COVID lockdowns and other restrictions, scored a 74% approval, followed by the former president at 71%. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas at 43%, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at 39%, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, at 36%, rounded out the top five in the straw poll.

It sort of suggests that maybe the GOP public is moving on from Trump.

Which, for those of us who made a considerable mental investment in supporting Trump, and who would like to see an egregiously stolen election corrected, is a little bit of a disappointment. Trump, after all, needs justice. And so do we. We voted for him and we want to see him back where he belongs, in the White House, so that the economy can take off, the working classes can finally prosper, and the wonderful specter of a new party with growing appeal to black, Hispanic and all kinds of non-traditionally Republican voters can continue. He was a president like no other.

But it's not entirely bad news. DeSantis is pals with Trump and the two men see eye to eye on pretty much everything regarding policy. The pair have met at Trump's redoubt in Mar a Largo and one can only wonder with curiosity what might have been said between the two friends as fraudy Joe blows his presidency on leftwingery and the White House is very likely to next go to a Republican candidate. Would it be Trump? DeSantis? We know that both want it...

If Trump opts not to run for re-election, then the dilemma is easy: DeSantis would be a terrific choice, and it wouldn't be hard for a Republican to pick him at all.

Like Trump, DeSantis is a fighter. And like Trump, he understands the nature of the enemy. He has an unblemished record as governor of Florida, which is in fact a very heroic one.

Unlike the vile, corrupted, blue-state governors with their dreams of permanent lockdown, he protected his state's large elderly population from COVID by refusing to seed the nursing homes with highly contagious COVID patients, which is why so many elderly people stuck in blue states literally died. DeSantis also got his state open and returned to running normally back when the CDC and now-discredited medical bureaucrats with politicized agendas, such as Dr. Fauci, were advocating for more lockdowns and economic shutdowns in the name of "public health." Those now-discredited people creepily resisted any scientific findings to suggest that maybe they ought to open up, and making any risk of catching an illness more important than actually having an economy. They were absolutist fanatics happy to shut down the great U.S. economy in the name of countering a mere risk of an illness virtually everyone survives except for the vulnerable. DeSantis defied those dishonest people and decided instead that he would protect the elderly -- and protect the rest of the population from an economic shutdown and the horrific effect on kids of isolation from all society.

DeSantis opened his state with no bad results, acting on actual "science" instead of Get-Trump politics.

As a result, his state is an absolute magnet for refugees from one-party blue states, who keep rolling on into his fair state -- its taxes low, its government unobtrusive, its schools uncorrupted by Critical Race Theory, its business climate optimal, its leaders sensible and not under the thumb of crazed left-wing activists, and its citizens happy.

If Trump lost the election either legitimately (unlikely) or in part due to the COVID disaster, DeSantis could be an emblem for the road out of COVID. He could naturally be a Zeitgeist choice for that reason alone.

Still, a lot of us loved Trump. We knew for sure that he'd fight for us -- we've had him before and we knew what we would be getting. His showmanship was amazing, his outsized personality and flair for drama was refreshing. We love his trolling of pampered self-important media princelings, and his mean tweets directed at leftists, along with his general common sense as well as his accurate judgment about the nature of the left. He never betrayed us, he never insulted the little guy and he rarely let us down.

All the same, there's reason to think that the straw poll is accurate. Fox News notes that it's part of a trend of the GOP moving toward DeSantis for one.

Anecdotally, I think it could be true. This past weekend, I attended a big family party with relatives from all over flyover country, and they said the sentiment in their parts of the country was that it was time to move on. They favored DeSantis because Trump was "too divisive" and the crazed response from the left had some amazing ways of creating extended trouble for Trump -- from phony special counsel appointments created out of utterly false information, to phony impeachments once again, created from beds of lies and machinations of deep staters, to completely dishonest stories about what Trump supposedly said in non-public settings -- s-hole countries, a refusal to go to veteran cemeteries based on hair considerations, a phony claim about Russian bounties, these lies took up tremendous energy to counter and in the end, the president had great difficulty countering them. It's not that Trump wasn't wronged, but it was that he triggered these crazed extended reactions. Might it be possible to get a Republican in there who wouldn't have so many things the left could make up things about based on their incandescent hatred?

Another problem, it seems, was that Trump had huge difficulty getting control of the government. There was deep state and its dishonest intelligence community, of course, trying to get Trump prosecuted, busted, and impeached. But there was also the dishonest medical community, doing its utmost to "make the economy scream" while being in hock to China, collaborating with the Wuhan lab while taking on the role of halting the pandemic created by it, and dismissing important information about Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine as treatments for the ill, something that would have saved thousands of lives. This medical blob demonized authentic men of science, such as Dr. Scott Atlas, as well as the corps of doctors who advocated for hydroxychloroquine as a treatment based on their own experiences saving patients. Why did Trump keep trusting them? It's sad, given all the worse-than-expected information that is rolling out about them now. Trump also never got control of the Voice of America, which pretty much remained in the control of minions connected to the Washington Post and all its hostile agenda. Perhaps it was too much for one man.

The crazed reactions seemed to bother such voters even though Trump was blameless.

Perhaps the smoother, lower-key DeSantis, who did manage to navigate his state away from the leftist machinations skilfully, would be a harder target for them, as well as a nice contrast. Because right now, they're the crazy ones, not Trump, and voters are sure as heck noticing that. Maybe an obviously sane guy is the antidote. After all, DeSantis has never talked out of turn to the point of creating an 'in' for his enemies as Trump sometimes did.

A good analogy that I like to think of is in the California recall referendum coming up, which features three GOP candidates who'd like to replace the odious Gov. Gavin Newsom: John Cox, Caitlyn Jenner, and Kevin Faulconer. Which would I pick? Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, hands down.

Cox is a good Republican who likes to talk tough, but he's gone soft at key times -- as he did when he was running against Newsom in 2018. Therefore, he's hard to trust right there, and even more so since he's run for office several times in various places and never has managed to win. He's a good Republican, very likely, but also a guy who can't seem to win and can't seem to stick to the program. Not him.

Jenner is terrific too in many ways -- a fiery Republican who speaks as a transgender person which makes his statements on where the line should be drawn on transgender participation in parts of society far more weighty and powerful. Jenner's ads are wonderful in that they appeal to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people to join the Republicans, which is welcome stuff indeed in this blue state. No one has tried to do that and Jenner is very effective. However, she's a bit erratic on some issues, such as amnesty for illegals and other things she doesn't know a lot about. Jenner, fundamentally, is an outsider, and that's a problem, in that during the last recall referendum, when actor Arnold Schwarzenegger bested Gov. Gray Davis, it did not take long for the Sacramento Democrat machine to roll him, sometimes literally getting him drunk to get him to sign on to their program. This kind of inexperienced outsider is a recipe for disaster. Could Jenner, too, be rolled? I think so. They'd get something on her.

Faulconer, though, is impressive. He was a skillful moderate Republican who navigated the snake-filled thickets of San Diego's leftist politics and did not lose his integrity. He wasn't super-loud, he made no big statements, but he kept the accounting honest, he came up with workable solutions on the homeless issue, and he got the job done, sparing San Diego the horrors of Los Angeles and San Francisco under one-party blue rule. Faulconer was able to handle the leftist government itself without getting consumed and destroyed in the process. I'd take him as a first choice, with the solid knowledge that we know for sure that he has a decent and reliable record, often actually making things better.

That might be the same dynamic going on with the shift towards DeSantis. If this is what it takes to right the wrong and fraud of the 2020 election, I am all for it. May the best candidate win. The straw poll is early, of course, and things can easily shift. If we can't have Trump, DeSantis might just be the answer.

Image: U.S. Secretary of Defense (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

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Now that six months have passed since Donald Trump was forced out of the White House by a man who might go down in history as the Great Pretender, we're starting to see a certain headline (or variations thereof) with increasing frequency: "Trump was right!" This most recent iteration is about California's work to prevent another fire season as bad as the ones in 2018 and 2020. It turns out that California is now following President Trump's prescription, which was to thin out forest undergrowth to diminish the fuel. But Trump's been right about several more things, and I'm sure there will be more to come.

Regarding the new firefighting strategy in California, the Daily Mail, which tells the truth in a way America's drive-by media long since abandoned, isn't shy about giving credit where credit is due:

Trump was RIGHT! California will spend $500 MILLION this year to thin its 33 million acres of forests to lessen the chance of wildfires - after former president was laughed at in 2018 for suggesting raking the woodland floor [snip] California is adopting former Donald Trump's plan to thin out the state's 33 million acres of forests with controlled burns and raking the woodland floor - after state officials essentially laughed off the former president's idea a few years ago. Trump had suggested in 2018 that the Golden State start sweeping its forest floors of debris that often aids in the spread of wildfires. But by Aug. 2020, at the peak of the state's wildfire season, his suggestion became an ultimatum when he withheld wildfire financial aid on the basis of California's failure to clear its forests of dead trees, branches and leaves, Politico reported at the time. Now, California is putting Trump's plan into practice statewide as groups of 12-person crews set about a $500 million effort to thin the state's forests with controlled burns and sweeping the forest floors of pines, redwoods and firs, according to a recent Bloomberg report. 'I see again the forest fires are starting,' Trump said at the 2020 rally in Pennsylvania. 'They're starting again in California. I said, you gotta clean your floors, you gotta clean your forests  there are many, many years of leaves and broken trees and they're like, like, so flammable, you touch them and it goes up (in flames).'

Yup, Trump was absolutely right, and if California had listened in 2018, it could have saved a lot of damage in 2020. But on the left, throughout Trump's four-year term, Democrats could not admit that he was right about anything.

On June 12, Trump emailed out a list of all the things that he has said or done that have been proven to be true after he was driven from office:

Since that June 12 email, and in addition to the forest fire prevention plan, Trump's been proven right about a few more things:

1. Trump said there were dirty dealings in Georgia's election, at which point the Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, insisted that everything was above board. We know now that Raffensperger received real-time information about profound irregularities, and, suddenly, Raffensperger is admitting that there were serious problems.

2. Trump said Michael Avenatti was a con man. Prosecutors in Manhattan are recommending an eight-year prison term for him, so serious were his offenses.

3. Trump said he was the one keeping CNN afloat. He was right.

And let me remind you of one more thing: there was nothing "abnormal" about Trump's presidency. He didn't speak in polished, orotund, meaningless, and dishonest phrases like his immediate predecessor, but he was a spectacularly good president who put the American people first. What was abnormal was the Democrat response to him  especially the response by the drive-by media, which deliberately and dishonestly painted him as a madman, even as they're working now to take the derelict and demented Biden and pretend he's a statesman.

Image: A victorious Trump, tweeted from his since-deleted Twitter account.

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For each topic dominating the news, we are asked to suspend credulity, believe lies, go along with a story that makes no sense. The alternative is to get canceled as if we don't exist. We are required to subjugate ourselves to those who claim a right to power, who are purportedly acting for the greater good.

We're supposed to forget or deny our country's history. Deny knowledge of the planet and its evolution. Forget the basic rules of science and medicine. Treat others as less than equal humans.

Who benefits? Every single lie comes with consequences. The people in charge do not have anyone's best interests in mind, except for their own, bolstering their power, and amassing a fortune.

Climate change, COVID, violence in our cities, homelessness, borders and immigration, education, race  all of it is a means to an end.

Reality dictates that the climate has changed continually for 4.5 billion years, and we have proof of those changes going back 2.5 million years. Mountains were formed by upheavals in the Earth's crust, plains by glacial movement. Dinosaur bones were buried during an ancient climate cataclysm. Core sample studies show glacial history. Climate has constantly changed, from the Ice Age to a warming period, back to chilling again. Not one of these major climate changes was wrought by man, but by the changing of the earth's tilt and orbit around the sun, by upheavals under the Earth's crust, and by the sun's activity.

How, then, does anyone swallow the myth of man-made climate change? It's a vehicle to make people guilty and afraid, a way to control us, to enforce sacrificing common sense, in favor of allowing charlatans to take advantage and get rich.

Cleaning up our environment should be a separate issue. We need to be good stewards of our Earth, follow real science, and use resources wisely. Otherwise, we experience deadly outages such as Texas's recent freeze and California's ongoing brownouts when it's hot out. We set unattainable goals that impoverish our society but enrich the powerful.

Solar and wind farms kill birds and don't provide dependable power. If we eschew dependence on cheap, easily extracted natural gas, mandate all-electric homes and cars, and then destroy the electric grid with unsustainable alternative energy that works only when the sun shines or the wind blows, how many people will die? When people are starving, maybe we'll wake up.

Then there's COVID. We now know  despite suppression of that knowledge and the cancelation of scientists' testimony  that COVID is a treatable condition for otherwise healthy people.

Early treatment with cheap, off-patent drugs could have, would have, eliminated a lot of the 600,000 deaths we've had in America. Early management (e.g., not putting sick people in nursing homes) would have eliminated more. Shutting down society, cowering indoors, and masking ourselves and our children are futile and harmful efforts. Why are the people forcing these things still in power? Why are they pushing the vaccine on everyone, as unproven as it is? Why is there now a group of "vaccine billionaires"?

We've recently seen the results of lab analysis of masks children wore. In an open society, where news flows freely, this information would have moved like wildfire through the country, and our absurd mask mandates would be dropped like the hot potato they are, lest they further sicken our youth.

We've opened our border to a violent and dangerous influx. We've allowed, even encouraged, violence in our cities. We've seen the rise of Antifa and BLM alongside a Critical Race Theory curriculum in our schools. We've demonized police, and the U.S. attorney general has asserted the danger of "white supremacy" with no examples, not one indictment, and no proof.

We've continually referred to the January 6 demonstrations as an armed insurrection, yet there were no guns, and nobody died  except Ashli Babbitt, who died at the hands of someone on the Capitol police force or maybe a Secret Service agent. We've demonized whites as racists and ignored black-on-black crime completely.

Put these things together, you come up with an excuse to form a national police force. It is the final piece in the puzzle, leading us to a Marxist revolution, autocracy, and America's failure. Is that what we want? I think not. History has shown that to be a recipe for mass murder, every single time it's happened.

We must stop it. Parents are speaking out, objecting to CRT. People are refusing vaccines and masks. Elections will matter if we can break the control of the tech monopolies, a big "if." We need to be outspoken and brave, and we must remember that there are 75,000,000 or so of us. It's time to speak our values and counter the left's out-of-control counterculture.

Image: Edvard Munch's "The Scream." Public domain.

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Years ago, because my best friend had some Polish connections, I'd sometimes attend a "Polish" Catholic church in Brooklyn, New York City. Attendance was great enough that some parishioners had to participate in Mass on the sidewalk, and they, at the appointed times, would kneel down on the pavement as those inside the church knelt in their pews. But something else occurred that would've also been striking to many American Catholics:

After the consecration, fully half the parish did not go up to receive Communion.

The reason why was that, unlike people such as Joe Biden and Ted Lieu, those parishioners were serious about their faith.

In the controversy over whether Joe Biden and other proprenatal infanticide politicians should be denied Communion  a story now that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is drafting a "teaching document" about the meaning of the sacrament  some Democrats are tacitly indicating that they consider church attendance a ploy and Communion a prop. They're signaling that they have no respect for the Church  even as they imply that receiving Communion from it is so important.

Denying oneself Communion isn't just a Polish thing. When a woman close to me who ceased following Church teaching decades ago occasionally attends Mass, she reflexively refrains from receiving Communion. She's no theologian, but she knows the rules.

Here's the reality: the Church's teaching on Communion flows from 1 Cor. 11:26-29.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Paul then warns a line later:

For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment* on himself.

Now, I'm not here to argue theology, but I will explain what the Church  Biden's church  teaches. To wit: Being "worthy" to receive Communion doesn't mean being perfect (only God is so). It does, however, mean not being in a state of mortal sin.

As opposed to "venial sin," the mortal variety is sin grave enough to separate one from God. So the Church maintains that if you've descended into it, you must confess it, which involves contrition and a resolution to change your ways, before receiving Communion.

What constitutes mortal sin? Many trespasses do, but the significant point is that this is not a matter of opinion; it's all well explained in Church documents. And among the mortal sins is a refusal to assent intellectually to all definitive teaching.

Moreover and quite obviously, one definitive teaching is that direct abortion is never allowable  and supporting it is a mortal sin.

If the world's Joe Bidens don't like this, they should note what I heard a priest once say: "I'm in marketing, not design."

In fact, proprenatal infanticide politicians' sin is all the worse because they don't just support abortion privately, let's say, with a secret vote on Election Day. They advocate it publicly and obstinately, leading others astray, and facilitate it with policy.

A prime example is Democrat Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who proudly listed his deviations (and deviance) from Church teaching and then basically said "in your face!":

Dear @USCCB: Im Catholic and I support:



-Contraception

-A womans right to choose

-Treatments for infertility

-The right for people to get a divorce

-The right of same sex marriage



Next time I go to Church, I dare you to deny me Communion. https://t.co/bUmiyJ8TtH  Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 18, 2021

(Here's a pro tip for Lieu: on Judgment Day, don't tell God, "I dare you to send me to Hell!" It's widely rumored that He's not swayed by political considerations.)

For the record, Signorile needs to bone up on his theology. The Church does not teach that all mortal sins are equally grave but that, as I believe St. Augustine put it, there's a hierarchy of sin. And not many acts compare with murdering unborn babies.

I'll lastly mention that these Democrats' position is so irrational that no one taking his faith seriously could embrace it. After all, receiving Communion should be important to you only if you believe, as the Church teaches, that it actually is Christ's body and blood (as opposed to just a symbol). Yet this must be accepted on faith based on the supposition that the Church is guided on such matters by the Holy Spirit. So it makes no sense to accept that claim on the Church's word but then deny what it teaches is necessary to receive Communion, which often involves truths more easily discernible via reason.

In other words, "I'll believe you on the bread and wine becoming Jesus' body and blood," these would-be-theologian politicians tacitly proclaim, "but you can't be right on the wrongness of killing unborn babies!"

If you're sure the Church is so prone to teaching error, why believe one of the most striking things she has to say?

But then again, it would be silly to believe anything the world's Bidens and Lieus have to say. Their lack of seriousness and dishonesty (intellectual dishonesty in the least) about their faith just reflects their dishonesty in politics. They worship power.

Unlike the Poles and the woman I mentioned earlier, these left-wing politicians don't even have the respect to abide by the rules of an institution to which they belong voluntarily. So the truth is that contrary to billing, Biden isn't just not a devout Catholic  he's not even a good non-devout Catholic.

Contact Selwyn Duke, follow him on Gab or Parler (preferably) or Twitter, or log on to SelwynDuke.com.

Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.

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The University of Virginia is planning to host a class on the Mueller investigation of former President Trump, otherwise known as the Great Russian Collusion Hoax. The investigation, which spanned most of three years and cost millions of taxpayer dollars, ended with a whimper, but only after an armed SWAT team, guns drawn, conducted a pre-dawn raid on the home of 66-year-old former Trump associate Roger Stone and his wife, an embarrassment to Mueller and law enforcement in general. This would be akin to sending Delta Force to pick up Nancy Pelosi for jaywalking. As Stone said of the 29 FBI agents in 17 vehicles that swarmed his property, "they could have contacted my lawyer."

The university, which Thomas Jefferson founded, recently announced that its School of Law course will take students "inside the investigation that dominated headlines during the Trump administration." The news release added that the course will "offer an inside look at the role of special counsel" and will be taught by former members of Mueller's team...and Robert Mueller himself!

What a concept! No bias here! The release noted the Stone prosecution but somehow omitted the part about the entire investigation being a sham of epic proportions, a political witch hunt for the ages. The UVA class will almost surely also forget to mention that a prosecutor attached to Mueller's special counsel probe is being investigated for falsely testifying to Congress.

Axios reported, "The course will begin with the start of the investigation and Mueller's appointment as special counsel. It will then focus on the special counsel's relationship with Congress and the Justice Department, how the investigation related to the White House and the Roger Stone prosecution."

This is as if the Nuremberg Trials were conducted by Nazi Party officials. It is akin to Harvard letting Richard Nixon and H.R. Haldeman teach a course on the Watergate investigation. Did a major university have Oliver Stone and Nancy Reagan teach a course on the Iran contra scandal or Bill Clinton lecturing on the Monica Lewinsky affair?

Sadly, such is the state of higher education in America today.

Somewhere, Thomas Jefferson weeps.

Image: University of Virginia rotunda by Mark Lagola and Ben Lunsford. CC BY-SA 2.0.

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Sometimes it seems that the outside world does not see Jews at all as real living people, but rather as psychological projections of either the religious right or the Marxist left.

For the secular left in America, Jews have been praised for their universalism. Indeed, it would be difficult to name a group in America that has been more devoted to humanitarian concerns. This is certainly a beautiful aspect of Judaism, but such appreciation tends to ignore the reality that Jews are a distinct people, with their own place in history and their own goals and values. Indeed, this view describes only one branch, or Rabbi Hillel's famous injunction to the Jewish people: "If I am for myself only, what am I?" In this view, the value of Judaism is centered solely on its concern for the other  whether this is expressed in the realm of politics, economics, health, or law. But how are Jews viewed who don't subscribe to this view, but simply want to live their own lives?

For the religious right in America, especially the Evangelicals, the Jewish return to Zion has acquired strong theological overtones, valorizing Jewish particularism insofar as it fits into the Evangelical worldview. Although there are a number of branches of Evangelical thinking, the importance of Jews returning to Zion cannot be overestimated. It occupies a central role in the Christian view of salvation. An excellent source for greater detail in various Evangelical beliefs is Zeal for Zion by Shalom Goldman [1]. For some, this is expressed in that the "time of the gentiles" has passed in G-d's eyes, and the "time of the Jews" has returned. Others have different views. What is constant is the central role of Jews returning to Zion. This squares with the other side of Hillel's famous injunction. "If I am not for myself, who will be for me?" But is this acceptance really any less conditional than the first one described above? What would happen to this support if, G-d forbid, the Jews in Israel were dispersed again? Would this be interpreted as a sign that G-d has now turned his eyes away from the Jewish people?

What I am suggesting then is that much of the support of or opposition to the Jewish people stems from factors totally unrelated to actual Jewish behavior. For some on the secular left, Jews seem to have evaporated as a real people and turned into a disembodied set of values. For some on the evangelical right, Jews have similarly evaporated and are important only in terms of their role in the End Times.

While it is the height of folly and ingratitude to reject support from wherever it comes, it can be extremely self-deceptive and dangerous to ignore how conditional some of this support may actually be, focusing only on one or the other part of Hillel's injunction. As a people, Jews must be both particular and universal. We must not try to escape our particularistic identity in the diffuse helping of others. Likewise, we must not retreat from the world into insular communities. As difficult as it is critical, the Jewish people must insist on their own self-definition and not dance to the music created by the outside world. We must insist on our narrative and begin to speak to each other.

Kalman J. Kaplan, Ph.D. teaches in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois College of Medicine. The views expressed here are solely his own.

[1] Goldman, Shalom. Zeal for Zion. Chapel Hill, NC: The University Of North Carolina Press. 2009.

Graphic credit: Pixabay license.

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Does the word world represent the earth in its spherical sense, or the surface of the sphere where all living and non-living entities live on? If you chose the former, than the center lies in an incredibly dense, hot core thousands of kilometres below the planets surface. If you chose the later, than any place on the surface can logically be the center. At least, this is what many towns, especially around North America, believe in.

One of the serious contender to the title of the Center of the World is Felicity, a small town in Imperial County, in California. Its hard to refute the claim, especially when Californias Imperial County and the French government both recognize the site as the official center of the world. To prevent you from further questioning the claim, the towns founder and mayor, Jacques-Andre Istel, had a 21-foot tall pyramid build on the exact spot marked by a bronze disk set into the pyramid's floor. A visit to the place and standing on the spot will earn you a certificate signed by Mayor Istel himself.

The pyramid that houses the official center point. Photo credit

The town was founded in 1986 based on a children's book entitled Coe, the Good Dragon at the Center of the World written by Mr Istel, and named after his wife, Felicia. Felicity has a population of two - Mr and Mrs Istel, and a number of attraction besides the pyramid that reflect the eclectic tastes of the Istels.

This include a three-dimensional bronze sculpture of Michelangelo's Arm of God painted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling that acts as a sundial. The arm points to another attraction - the Hill of Prayer, a small mound built by moving 150,000 tons of earth and crowned by a church. Jacques-Andre Istel also managed to salvage a 25 feet high section of the original stairway of the Eiffel Tower and installed it near the parking lot. The section weighs 3,000 kg and was bought at an auction in 1989.

A Sun Dial Featuring Michelangelo's Arm Of God. Photo credit

The most unique attraction of Felicity is the Museum of History in Granite consisting of eighteen granite monuments, each 100 feet long, dedicated to various subjects that include the History of Humanity, the History of Arizona, the Marine Corps Korean War Memorial, the History of French Aviation, and the History of the French Foreign Legion, among many others. There is also a Wall for Ages where visitors can have their names engraved for $300. The Museum of History in Granite is alone worth visiting.

Finally, the Istels have their own post office established in 1987, at a time when thousands of small post offices were being eliminated as an economy measure. The day the post office was officially opened over 2,300 letters were mailed. It was a big ceremony presided over by Consul Zhou of the Peoples Republic of China who traveled 600 miles for the occasion.

Jacques-Andre Istel plans to eventually have one hundred monuments stretching over a third of a mile. The Master Plan shows that the walls will form a fish-shaped outline that encloses the Church and extends beyond, with its tail at the Pyramid and its nose way, way out toward the distant hills.

Aerial view of Felicitys monuments. Photo credit

A section of the original staircase of the Eiffel Tower. Photo credit

The church on Hill of Prayer. Photo credit

Jacques-Andre Istels wife Felica stands in front of one of the giant granite slabs in the Museum of History in Granite. The Hill of Prayer is seen behind. Photo credit

The Museum of History in Granite. The walls are engineered to last 4,000 years. Photo credit

The Museum of History in Granite. Photo credit

Details on two granite panels in the Museum of History in Granite. Photo credit

Details on two granite panels in the Museum of History in Granite. Photo credit

Jacques-Andre Istel and his wife Felicia. Photo credit

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Sources: Wikipedia / www.felicity.us / Roadside America
The Meikleour Beech Hedge is located right besides A93 Perth-Blairgowrie road, about 18 km north of Perth and 6 km south of Blairgowrie, in Scotland. This solid wall of beech trees is 36 meters tall at its northern end and 24 meters tall at its southern end, with an average height of over 30 meters, which makes it the tallest hedge in the world, as recognized by the Guinness Book of Records. It is also longest hedge in the world - 530 meters, more than half kilometer or one third of a mile long. Despite its monumental proportion, the hedge is easy to miss because to the untrained eye it looks like a tall, well-kept row of trees.

The hedge was planted in 1745 by Robert Murray Nairne and his beloved wife Jean Mercer, on the estate of the Meikleour House, which lies half a mile to the west of the hedge and whose eastern boundary it defines. This was the year of the Jacobite Rising, a political movement in Great Britain that aimed to restore the Roman Catholic Stuart King James II and his heirs to the thrones of England.

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Nairne was a Jacobite sympathizer, and upon learning that Bonnie Prince Charlie was in Scotland, rallied to join him in the fight against the English and Scottish troops. The following year, the Jacobite uprising came to a decisive end at the Battle of Culloden where they suffered a crushing defeat. Amongst the Jacobites killed in at Culloden was Robert Murray Nairne.

Devastated by her husbands death, his wife Jean decided to let the newly planted beech hedge grow up to heaven in memoriam of her lost husband and friends.

Meikleour House today has been turned into a rented villa, and is managed by the Meikleour Trust who also maintains the hedge. The hedge is trimmed every 10 years by a team of four men using hydraulic lift and hand-held cutting equipment, a process that takes six weeks to complete.

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Sources: Undiscovered Scotland / Nothing to See Here / Patheos
Nearly every German family in every German town contributed something to the two World Wars. For many, it was their men. For others, it was precious metal.

I gave gold for iron became the slogan of the collection campaign launched in 1914, in which the Germans were asked to donate materials essential to the war effort. The slogan has its origins in the War of the Sixth Coalition fought by the Kingdom of Prussia and its allies, in 1813-14, to achieve liberation of Germany from French occupation. During the war, Princess Marianne of Prussia appealed to all women of Prussia to exchange their gold jewelry for a brooch or a ring made of iron with the inscription I GAVE GOLD FOR IRON which the women could flaunt as a symbol of their patriotism.

Church bells of all sizes await their fate in a bell cemetery in Wilten, Austria. Photo: Stadtarchiv / Stadtmuseum Innsbruck

During the First World War, the call for gold went out again, and like before, many German women voluntarily gave up their jewelries and wedding rings in exchange of an iron ring, and later, medals inscribed with the same slogan. But as the war dragged on and shortage of metals became acute, the Berlin War Ministry ordered that all metals including copper, brass, tin, zinc, etc., needed for the manufacture of ammunitions and armament, be handed over. Failure to do so could attract up to a year in prison.

Besides pots, pans and statues, church bells all over the country began to disappear. By decree, all parishes in the German Reich were initially asked to provide a list of all bronze bells or bells of made of other copper alloys in their possession. Churches were allowed to keep the insignificant bells, usually those smaller than 25 cm. Also spared were bells used for signaling purposes on railways and ships. Depending on their art-historical value, the bells were assigned to one of three categories. Group A bells with little cultural value were melted immediately. Group B with moderate cultural and historical value was initially put on hold, and bells of Group C were considered protected.

Bell cemetery in the Wilten district of Innsbruck, around 1917. Photo: Grassmayr Bell Museum/Wikimedia Commons

During the Second World War, the Nazi administration classified the bells into types A, B, C and D. Types C and D represented historically valuable bells. While A and B had to be surrendered immediately, type C bells were put on hold awaiting examination by art historians for their cultural value, whereas type D was protected. Only one bell was allowed per church, usually the lightest. Bells from the 16th and 17th centuries and from the Middle Ages were generally spared.

After the bells were removed from the towers, they were taken by ships and freight trains to one of the two large smelting works in Hamburg. Other copper smelters in Oranienburg, Hettstedt, Ilsenburg, Kall and Lunen also received a fair share of bells. These smelters had large holding areas where the bells waited to be taken to the furnace and converted back into bronze ingots. They were called bell cemeteries or Glockenfriedhof.

The so-called bell cemeteries, where the bells were laid to rest before they fell victim to destruction, had something inexpressibly melancholy, says bell specialist Kramer, quoting a contemporary witness in his book Sounds of Infinity. Smaller bells were smashed with hammers, larger ones blown up: Usually the bell rang again at the moment it was blown, as if it had made its last wail.

Confiscated bells amass at Hamburg harbor. Photo: Germanisches National Museum.

It is estimated that around 65,000 bells amounting 21,000 tons were melted down during the First World War, and an additional 45,000 bells in Germany fell victim during the Second World War.

After the end of World War 2, around 13,000 bells that were confiscated but not melted still remained in bell cemeteries.

In 1947, the Allied authorities set up a committee called Ausschuss fur die Ruckfuhrung der Glocken (or ARG) whose objective was to safeguard the remaining bells and coordinate their return to their respective parishes. The ARG was involved in the return of bells only to the French and Soviet occupation zones. The return of bells confiscated in the later years of the war from the occupied territories (Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary) was overseen by the occupying powers.

In just six years, nearly all the bells were returned to the former communities, as far as they could still be identified.

Confiscated bells amass at Hamburg harbor. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Confiscated bells amass at Hamburg harbor. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

In addition to securing the still intact bells, the committee also took over the collection of broken bells from the Germans. In the largest German bell warehouse in Hamburg, there were still around 150 tons of broken bells that had been caused by bombing the warehouse. These were given to communities in East Germany, where they were distributed to the churches whose bells were confiscated. The rest was handed over to the regional churches in the Federal Republic, which suffered particularly heavy losses.

Many communities hid their bells instead of handing them over to the Nazis. These bells make news even today when they are unearthed or rediscovered.

References:

# Karsten Packeiser, Kirchenglocken wurden zu todlichen Granaten, WELT

# Glockenfriedhof - Wikipedia




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Indian coronavirus tally slides down further:- After reaching the peak daily tally of over 4 lakh cases per day, the second wave of coronavirus is sliding down on a regular basis. After reporting more than 60,000 cases on a daily basis, the cases dipped down further. A total number of 53,256 new cases for coronavirus are reported in the country yesterday taking the total number of cases reported till date to 2,99,35,221. 78,190 people recovered or discharged in the last 24 hours taking the total number of recoveries in the country to 2,88,44,199. 1422 new deaths are reported in the country taking the total death tally to reach 3,88,135. There are 7,02,887 active cases for coronavirus in the country for now and the total number of people who got vaccinated reached 28,00,36,898.

The country reported the lowest daily tally in three months. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed the Indian government for not offering any compensation for the families of the deceased due to coronavirus. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the people of the country to take up yoga to battle coronavirus on the occasion of International Yoga Day. The free vaccination drive for all the adults in the country starts today and the Centre will offer the vaccinations for free of cost to all the states and union territories. The World Health Organization asked all the countries to step up the vaccination drive to prevent another surge. China is said to have administered over one billion doses of coronavirus vaccines in the country till date.
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(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 21 - The CTS panel of experts advising the government on its battle against COVID-19 is set to meet on Monday to give its opinion on ending the obligation to wear facemasks outdoors in Italy given the improvement in contagion data.

The obligation could be removed as of June 28, when the whole nation is expected to classed as a low-COVID-19-risk white zone or from the following week, sources have said.

New tests, meanwhile, are arriving in Italy on Monday to recognise the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

As of Monday people arriving in Italy from the UK will have to spend five days in quarantine because of the spread of the Delta variant there. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 21 - The European Commission on Monday started the procedure to approve Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP or PNRR in Italian), sources said.

The Commission is expected to give the thumbs up within 24 hours, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meeting Premier Mario Draghi on Tuesday at Rome's iconic Cinecitta cinema studios and theme park to sign off on it.

Italy is getting the biggest single chunk of the EU's 750-billion-euro Next Generation EU Recovery Fund.

Italy will spend around 248 billion to make the country greener and more modern as it recovers from its biggest peacetime recession as part of the NRRP.

Around 191.5 billion euros of that money is coming from grants and low-interest loans allocated through the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Reforms to cut red tape and speed up a snail-paced justice system will go hand in hand with the plan. (ANSA).


EU targets key Belarus sectors after plane diversion Fertiliser, tobacco, petroleum, petrochemical, financial sector

(ANSA-AFP) - LUXEMBOURG, JUN 21 - EU foreign ministers eyed sanctions on key sectors of the Belarus economy Monday, as the bloc ratchets up pressure on President Alexander Lukashenko after the forced landing of an airliner. Ministers meeting in Luxembourg were discussing broad-ranging measures targeting major revenue sources for the Belarusian regime: potash fertiliser exports, the tobacco industry, petroleum and petrochemical products, and the financial sector. "We will consistently continue on the path of sanctioning Lukashenko and his regime. We will no longer only sanction individuals, but we will now also impose sectoral sanctions," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said. "We want to contribute in this way to the financial drying up of this regime." Austria's top diplomat Alexander Schallenberg said he expected ministers to give "unanimous" backing for economic sanctions that would also include a ban on sales of surveillance equipment to Belarus and tightening of an arms embargo. But EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned no final decision would be taken until after the bloc's leaders meet for a summit in Brussels later this week.



(ANSA-AFP).





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(ANSAmed) - BOLOGNA, JUNE 21 - Patrick George Zaki on Monday spent his 500th day in jail in Egypt. Riccardo Noury, spokesman for Amnesty International in Italy, said "one after one, they are 500 days of injustice, of grave physical and mental suffering, of detention without trial and without the possibility of defending himself".



"We wonder for how much longer we will have to continue to count the days before Egyptian and Italian authorities intervene to end this nightmare", added Noury.



Zaki, an Egyptian student of the University of bologna, who has just spent his second birthday in a prison cell in Cairo, has been in preventive custody in Egypt since February 7, 2020, on charges ranging from instigation to violence to terrorism for a post on a Facebook account which his lawyers say does not belong to him. (ANSAmed)
(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, JUNE 21 - The European Parliament will launch on Tuesday a website to present applications for the Daphne Caruana Galizia journalism prize at the Press Club Brussels Europe. The session will be attended by Matthew Caruana Galizia, one of the sons of Daphne Caruana, David Casa, a member of the European Parliament and quaestor, and Heidi Hautala, vice-president and lawmaker of the European Parliament.



The Prize, set up with the support of the European Parliament, is an homage to the Maltese investigative journalist and blogger murdered in October 2017. It will be awarded each year to the best journalistic work promoting or defending the fundamental principles and values of the European Union like human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, law and order and human rights.



The prize is open to professional journalists of any nationality who will be able to present in-depth reports published or broadcast by media outlets based in one of the 27 member states of the European Union.



The winner will be selected by an independent jury composed of representatives of the press and civil society of 27 countries of the European Union, as well as representatives of the main European journalism associations.



Prizes for 20,000 euros intend to show the strong support of the European Parliament for investigative journalism and the safeguard of journalists around the world. The event will be held on Tuesday, June 22, at 2 PM at the press club Brussels Europe, rue Froissart 95 - 1040 Brussels, and on Zoom.



(ANSAmed).
(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, JUNE 21 - Two high officials of the Hashemite kingdom pleaded not guilty on Monday in a military court on charges of attempting to destabilize the Jordanian kingdom. They were arrested on those charges at the beginning of April in what the media described as a plot against King Abdallah.



On the same occasion the movements of Hamza, the king's half-brother, were limited over his alleged implication in the case. The prince however has not gone on trial so far, according to a choice made by the monarch.



Basem AwadAllah - who is considered a close economic advisor to Saudi royal prince Mohammed bin Salman - and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, the two dignitaries in question, during the first hearing of the trial pleaded not guilty, according to a defense lawyer quoted by Israeli media. The charges - which carry a sentence of 30 years in jail - include the attempt to damage the political system of the kingdom and actions against public security. (ANSAmed)
France: talks begin for run-offs in regional elections Gaullist right, gauche fare well in first round, Le Pen down

(ANSAmed) - PARIS, JUNE 21 - Negotiations have started for support, opposition and agreements on withdrawals after the first round of regional elections yesterday and ahead of run-offs scheduled next Sunday in France. Negotiations are on until Tuesday at 6 PM and the situation appears extremely tense in the maxi region of PACA (Provence-Alps-Cote s'Azur), where the top candidate of the Greens, Jean-Laurent Felizia, does not intend to pull out despite the ultimatum of the party and the Socialists. He has been threatened of expulsion if he will not contribute to block Thierry Mariani, the candidate of the Rassemblement National.



Mariani leads with 36% ahead of the outgoing president of the Republicains, Renaud Muselier, who garnered 31% with the support of the government's majority.



For the party of Marine Le Pen, which surveys had predicted would lead in 6 out of 13 regions, the results were a disappointment, with the Rassemblement National obtaining 9 percentage points less than in 2015. Le Pen admitted that her backers "did not go to vote" and invoked a "comeback" for the run-off election. Although Le Pen obtained 61% of the vote in Pas-de-Calais where she was running for departmental elections, she did not pass due to a record abstention of 66.4%.



Candidates of the presidential majority of La Republique en Marche also did not fare well, totaling 11.5% nationally according to the Ipsos institute, confirmation of the failure of the party to consolidate its strength on the territory. The party was created by Emmanuel Macron four years ago.



The political scene is again dominated by the Gaullist right and the traditional gauche, 28.7% the first and 34.4% the second, with the Republicains able to maintain the seven regions they already govern and the left its five. The government was also defeated with the mobilization of five ministers - including controversial Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti - failing to prevent in the Hauts-de-France the stark victory of Xavier Bertrand, who appears to be the leader of the moderate right. His presidential ambitions are not a secret anymore.



Clear victories were also recorded for the other two Republicains, Laurent Wauquiez, in the Rhone-Alps and especially Valerie Pecresse, confirmed at the presidency of the region of Paris Ile-de-France. (ANSAmed).




(ANSAmed) - MADRID, JUNE 21 - Spanish Premier Pedro Sanchez has announced that a council of ministers tomorrow will discuss a proposal to grant a pardon to the separatist leaders of Catalonia who were convicted after a separation attempt in 2017.



Sanchez, speaking in Barcelona, said: "We could return to reproaches, remaining stuck in problems. Try more guilty parties (). Or we could dedicate our time and energies to resolve the problem and invest on harmony, which literally means 'with the heart'. The Spanish government has decided in this way ().



Tomorrow, thinking in the constitutional spirit of harmony, I will propose to the Council of Ministers to grant the pardon to nine sentenced in the trial on the separatist movement". With these words Spanish Premier Pedro Sanchez announced the intention of granting a pardon to the separatist leaders of Catalonia over their separatist attempt in 2017.



Sanchez spoke during a political event organized for the occasion at the Liceu theater in Barcelona. After the announcement, cries of protest against the premier could be heard. His speech was repeatedly interrupted.



"Independence is the only solution", was one of the sentences voiced. According to the newspaper El Pais, the protester was a supporter of Arran, a radical separatist movement.



Sanchez replied: "I don't ignore that there are people against this measure, nor their reasons. I respect this". And he added: "We are also in favor, we have our reasons, reasons for which expectations on the future weigh more than problems of the past". (ANSAmed)
(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, JUNE 21 - The Turkish Constitutional Court has backed a request filed by the Cassation's prosecutor general in Ankara to open a procedure to ban pro-Kurdish party Hdp, the second opposition force to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Parliament. Magistrates accuse in particular the PKK of acting as the political arm of the PKK, an organization that has been classified as "terrorist" by Turkey, the US and EU. The party has always denied any connection to armed groups.

The procedure, which started with the unanimous vote of constitutional judges, now provides for the prosecutions dossier to be sent to Hdp so they can present their defense statement, to which the prosecution will reply ahead of the final debate. The decision on a potential ban, provided for by article 69 of the Turkish Constitution, will be taken with the majority of two-thirds of the 15 members of the Constitutional Court, based on an evaluation made by the magistrate presenting the case. A request for the preventive freeze of the partys assets has been rejected.

Along with the closure of the party, the Cassations prosecutor, Berk Sahin, has called for the five-year interdiction from political office of its 451 officials. In the prosecutions 843-page indictment, the Hdp is accused of threatening the indivisible integrity of the state and the nation, acting as the political arm of the PKK. A first request of the prosecution, sent in March, was rejected for formal procedural flaws. In the crackdown in Turkey that followed a failed coup on July 15, 2016, Hdp suffered the arrest of hundreds of its top officials, including the charismatic leader and former presidential candidate Selahattin Demirtas, who has been detained for over four and a half years in a high-security jail, and the ouster of dozens of lawmakers and mayors.

The start of procedures for the ban comes just a few days after the armed assault against the partys headquarters in Izmir in which 20-year-old employee Deniz Poyraz was killed.





(ANSAmed)


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Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has confirmed he will run to become the next leader of the DUP.

The Lagan Valley MP is not expected to be opposed following a bruising party leadership contest last month.

In a statement on Monday evening, Sir Jeffrey confirmed he had submitted his nomination papers.

He spoke of optimism for the future while recognising the challenges which face Northern Ireland today.

People take part in a Loyalist protest in Newtownards, County Down, against the Northern Ireland Protocol (Brian Lawless/PA)

Sir Jeffrey called for unity to oppose the Northern Ireland Protocol and vowed to make the UK Government recognise the need to take decisive action.

Make no mistake, this is the number one issue facing our country, our people and our place within the United Kingdom, he said.

If elected, I will ensure that the Government doesnt just listen, but recognises the need to take decisive action to deal quickly with the protocol.

A failure to act will undoubtedly have consequences for the stability of our political institutions and the prosperity of our economy.

Earlier, First Minister Paul Givan said Sir Jeffrey will have his full support if he becomes leader of the DUP.

First Minister Paul Givan arrives for a visit to the PIPS Charity, north Belfast, in his first public engagement since taking office (Liam McBurney/PA)

Sir Jeffrey called for the DUP to unite.

It comes following a turbulent two months for the DUP that saw former leader Arlene Foster resign after an internal heave against her and her successor Edwin Poots follow suit after he was also fatally weakened by a party revolt.

His resignation on Thursday night came after just three weeks in the post.

It was prompted by his decision to press ahead with reconstituting the Stormont Executive alongside Sinn Fein, despite a significant majority of his MPs and MLAs being vociferously opposed to the move.

Sir Jeffrey said: We need to restore confidence and faith in our party and to work with other unionists of a like mind to broaden the appeal of unionism and secure the Union for the future.

We need to deliver tangible results for the people who have put their faith in us and that also means building bridges across our divided communities and developing what a shared future means for everyone in Northern Ireland regardless of their background or belief.

I believe that if I am elected leader, I can help the party deliver on these issues and put the Democratic Unionist Party on the path to victory at next years election.

Nominations for the DUP leadership will close at noon on Tuesday.

The next leader will be ratified by the DUPs central executive committee on Saturday.

Paul Givan with former DUP leader Edwin Poots (Brian Lawless/PA)

It is understood that Mr Givan has been urged to resign as First Minister when a new leader is in place.

Once Mr Givan resigns, deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill will also be removed from her post, triggering a seven-day period during which new office holders must be nominated or a fresh Assembly election will be called.

Sinn Fein Finance Minister Conor Murphy said his party has no demands before renominating a deputy First Minister.

Finance Minister Conor Murphy (Liam McBurney/PA)

Mr Murphy described the DUP as being at a crossroads.

They have to decide whether they want to be in a working Executive with the rest of us on the basis that they agreed to as a party  they signed up to this  or they want to frustrate things and prevent things, and create a very difficult working arrangement and ultimately threaten the future of the institutions, he told BBC Radio Ulster.

We have a lot to be getting on with, we have a pandemic that is still active, we need to see that out, we have huge economic challenges ahead of us, we have public services that have been starved by years of austerity cuts and we have a responsibility on behalf of the whole of society to deliver on these issues.

Mr Murphy denied his party had made additional demands over Irish language legislation last week to nominate Ms ONeill as deputy First Minister.

He said the party was staying faithful to the New Decade New Approach deal.

We have said we are not pushing for anything else, we want to just see the things that were agreed under NDNA implemented in the way they were agreed to, he added.

Sir Jeffrey narrowly lost to Mr Poots in the first leadership contest in the DUPs history.

Chastened by that bruising campaign, the party hierarchys preference is for an uncontested appointment this time round, though it remains to be seen whether Sir Jeffrey will face any challengers.

DUP member Paul Bell announces his resignation, due to the treatment of Arlene Foster, from the DUP party at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Belfast (Brian Lawless/PA)

On Monday, Paul Bell, a member of the DUP in Co Fermanagh, who dramatically announced his intention to resign from the party over the treatment of Mrs Foster, indicated he will remain in anticipation of Sir Jeffrey becoming party leader and First Minister.

He also told UTV that he wants Mrs Foster to play a major role in the party again.

During the last campaign Sir Jeffrey vowed to quit as an MP in Westminster to return to the Assembly and take up the role of First Minister.

If that were to happen, it would mean a Westminster by-election in Lagan Valley, a seat held by Sir Jeffrey since 1997.

One possibility is that he could seek to replace Mrs Foster as the MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone when she steps down.

However, with the DUP currently in such turmoil there are doubts whether the party would want to voluntarily trigger a by-election in Lagan Valley any time soon.

Sir Jeffreys commanding 19,000-vote majority in Lagan Valley in the 2017 general election was trimmed to 6,000 votes at the 2019 poll following a surge in support for the Alliance Party.

Another option could see Sir Jeffrey wait until just before the next Assembly election, scheduled in May 2022, before he resigns his parliamentary seat.

In that scenario he might appoint a temporary First Minister to fill the role in the interim.
The Scottish Governments decision to impose a travel ban on people entering the country from Greater Manchester has been defended by the Deputy First Minister.

John Swinney said the restriction on non-essential travel was justified by rising coronavirus cases in the Greater Manchester and Salford areas.

At the weekend, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham spoke out against the move, saying it was disproportionate and his administration was not contacted prior to the announcement.

Nicola Sturgeon announced on Friday that all non-essential travel to Manchester and Salford would be banned from Monday.

Mr Swinney was asked about the decision when he appeared on BBC Radio 4s Today programme on Monday.

He said: We have got to take decisions based on the data and the evidence that presents itself, and take decisions which are designed to stop the spread of the virus.

In our judgment, the rising case numbers and the high levels of the virus in the Greater Manchester and Salford area justified the decision we took and we are taking that to try and minimise the circulation of the virus.

Andy Burnham said his administration was not consulted on the decision (Barrington Coombs/PA)

When questioned about the last-minute nature of the ban, he added: That is something we will reflect on but we put in place very similar provisions in relation to Bolton, which is part of the Greater Manchester area, back in May, and weve just followed exactly the same approach in relation to this decision.

The Deputy First Minister also said Mr Burnhams call for compensation is not a relevant point.

He continued: We have in place, in Scotland, business support that we have made available to companies to try and sustain them, there will be support in place in England for exactly the same circumstances.

We have got to take decisions based on the data that presents itself and sometimes that is very uncomfortable data for us.

We have to act quickly to try to make sure we are doing everything possible to suppress the spread of the virus, and that is what members of the public would expect of us.
New romance? Millie Bobby Brown stepped out with new man Jake Bongiovi weeks after sparking romance speculation.

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The Stranger Things star, 17, was spotted holding hands with Jon Bon Jovis son on Thursday, June 17, in New York City, seemingly confirming their relationship. The Godzilla vs. Kong actress wore a pink skirt, white shirt, gold necklace, floral-print flats and sunglasses as she walked side by side with the 19-year-old, in photos obtained by the Daily Mail.

Bongiovi opted for tan, black and blue striped shorts, a matching tan button-down bowling shirt and sneakers while holding tight to his lady in the Big Apple. He carried Browns peace-sign printed blue tote bag, which held the Enola Holmes stars puppy, Winnie.

New Couple Millie Bobby Brown Spotted Jon Bon Jovis Son Jake NYC

The duo were first linked earlier this month when the New Jersey native shared a photo with the Intruders alum on social media. Bff

BFF , the actress wrote in the Instagram comments. The duo continued to exchange flirty social media messages throughout the month, causing some fans to think that they are more than just friends. The New Upside Down! Everything to Know About Stranger Things Season 4 Read article Wednesday mood, Bongiovi  who is one of the Its My Life musician, 59, and wife Dorothea Hurleys four children wrote alongside a throwback photo from his childhood, one day before being photographed with Brown in New York. Brown commented, ADORBS. The English actress shared a pretty solo shot on her Instagram page on Friday, June 18, which caught the attention of her rumored beau. Friyay! the Godzilla: King of the Monsters actress captioned a photo of herself wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, gold necklace and matching rings. Bongiovi replied, Definitely. He later posted a photo of Browns arm (wearing the same black top) and handbag while spending time with her over the weekend via his Instagram Story. Hollywood Love! Hottest Couples Who Fell in Love on Set Read article The Girls Ive Been star was previously linked to rugby player Joseph Robinson in January 2020, following her relationship with social media star Jacob Sartorius. Us Weekly broke the news of Brown and Sartorius romance in January 2018. They parted ways seven months later. The decision with Jacob and I was completely mutual, the producer wrote in a statement shared on her Instagram Story in July 2018. We are both happy and remaining friends.
For Jamal Khashoggi, it was the chance of a lifetime. Throughout the 1980s, Arab fighters were flocking to Afghanistan to wage war against the Soviet army. Khashoggi, then a young reporter, was offered a world exclusive  to cover the conflict and get rare access to the frontlines.

The man who invited him: a fellow Saudi who was then his good friend, Osama bin Laden.

Arab youths fight shoulder to shoulder with Mujahedeen, read the headline on one of Khashoggis stories in the English-language Arab News that ran on May 4, 1988. The piece extolled the struggle of the mujahedeen warriors and portrayed bin Laden as central to the conflict  calling him by his nom de guerre, Abu Abdullah, and quoting him approvingly about how the Afghan war was only the start of a jihad that would reverberate throughout the Muslim world.

An Arab News article from 1988 includes a photo of Jamal Khashoggi with a rocket launcher and a photo, below right, of Osama bin Laden.

And illustrating the article, next to a photo of bin Laden, was a picture of a smiling Khashoggi, carrying on his shoulder a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

Khashoggis long and complicated relationship with bin Laden is the subject of Jamal and Osama, Episode 3 of the new season of the Yahoo News podcast Conspiracyland, The Secret Lives and Brutal Death of Jamal Khashoggi. It is a story that, like much in Khashoggis life, is open to multiple interpretations. When he went to Afghanistan, was he just a journalist in search of his first big scoop? Or was he also a fellow Islamist who shared the worldview and goals of the Arab fighters whose cause he was championing?

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Subscribe and download: Conspiracyland on Apple Podcasts

The answer, it appears, is a bit of both. Khashoggi never condoned the slaughter of innocents that marked bin Ladens later terrorist career. But he never renounced his friendship with bin Laden either. And as one longtime colleague says in the podcast, he remained conflicted about the al-Qaida leader until the end of his life.

I just fell apart crying heartbreak to you, Abu Abdullah, Khashoggi tweeted in Arabic hours after the U.S. raid that killed bin Laden in May 2011. You were beautiful, brave in those beautiful days in Afghanistan before you succumbed to anger and passion.

The path that led Khashoggi to the caves of Afghanistan winds through a college campus in the heart of Middle America: Indiana State University in Terre Haute. Khashoggi was among hundreds of Saudi students attending the school in the late 1970s. While studying journalism, he made an impression as a devout Muslim who regularly prayed at the local Islamic Center and shared some of the prejudices of his fellow countrymen.

Omar Farooq, a convert to Islam who prayed with him at the Islamic Center, recalls Khashoggi urging him to shun contact with Shiite Muslims, whom many Sunni Muslims, like the Saudis, viewed as heretics. Khashoggi, he says, approached me about why I was spending time with these Shiites. As far as Jamals attitude, I dont think it was different than any of the other Saudis, and that would just be, as I say, pure hostility.

Khashoggis views on the subject were very much influenced by his involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood  a movement begun in Egypt as a secret society seeking to restore a purified version of Sunni Islam to the center of civic life throughout the Arab world. Khashoggi had begun attending Brotherhood meetings as a teenager growing up in Medina. When he returned from Indiana, he met and became close to a fellow Muslim Brother, bin Laden. The two had a similar outlook, as Khashoggi himself made clear in taped interviews he did in 2005 with journalist Lawrence Wright and which are played publicly for the first time in Conspiracyland. (Wright wrote about Khashoggis friendship with bin Laden in his book The Looming Tower.)

Osama bin Laden speaks to reporters in Afghanistan in 1998. (Rahimullah Yousafzai/AP)

Osama is from a generation, our generation, who were hoping to establish the Islamic state, Khashoggi told Wright. Just, an Islamic state, anywhere, because we believe that one state will lead to another. It could have a domino effect which could transform or reverse the history of mankind.

That was the perspective Khashoggi took to Afghanistan when bin Laden invited him to come cover the conflict. The CIA  with the financial assistance of Saudi intelligence  was backing the mujahedeen for strategic Cold War purposes: to counter and weaken the Soviets. But for Khashoggi, the time he spent with bin Laden and his fellow warriors was a personally moving experience.

He told Wright in those taped interviews about the many, many times he spent with bin Laden, traveling with him, staying in his camps, even sleeping with him in the same cave. What was moving about all this? Wright asked him.

It was moving because we were in a cave, Khashoggi replied. It was dark at night, on candlelight. He had a sentiment of Muslims, a concept of jihad, and of being close to God. Knowing that youre doing the right thing ... fighting those bloody Soviet infidels. It was a beautiful thing to me, particularly at that age.

Khashoggi repeated the story about his time with bin Laden in the Afghan cave years later to Hanan el-Atr, the Egyptian flight attendant he married in an Islamic ceremony in Virginia in June 2018. (The two never got a civil marriage license.)

He admitted to me how he was sleeping in a cave which was in a rough area, and he wasn't in a good posture, Atr said in an interview for "Conspiracyland." And Osama bin Laden met Jamals body and covered him. [Jamal] said, Hanan, as a human, hes very kind. It's not like what you think.

After the Soviets withdrew and the Taliban took control of the country, Khashoggi and bin Laden went their separate ways. Khashoggi, whose coverage of the Afghan war made a splash, moved up the ranks of Saudi journalism, becoming editor of a major newspaper, Al Watan, and gaining a reputation as somebody who was close to the royal family.

Bin Laden, for his part, founded al-Qaida and began to denounce the royal family  in part over its decision to allow American troops onto Saudi soil. By the mid-1990s he had taken off for Khartoum, Sudan, surrounded by Egyptians led by another hard-core Islamist, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Osama bin Laden, left, with Ayman al-Zawahiri at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. (Visual News/Getty Images)

But Khashoggi and bin Laden would soon reunite. Bin Ladens family  likely with the backing of Saudi intelligence  recruited Khashoggi to fly to Khartoum and attempt to convince bin Laden to renounce violence and return to Saudi Arabia.

As Khashoggi would later tell Wright, he and bin Laden met three nights in a row for lavish dinners on a terrace by the al-Qaida leaders house, with Sudanese servants laying out platters of rice and lamb. Armed with his tape recorder, Khashoggi pushed bin Laden. But bin Laden went back and forth  at times expressing a willingness to forswear violence (but only off the record) and at other times talking about waging jihad against the Americans and expelling them from the Arabian Peninsula.

We hit them in Aden and they left, bin Laden told him. We hit them in Somalia and they left again.

Finally, on the third night, Khashoggi told bin Laden he needed an answer  yes or no. Bin Laden huddled with his Egyptian confederates and came back to Khashoggi and asked him, Whats in it for me?

Khashoggi was frustrated. I would say to him, Osama, you should be aware that people, Saudi people, would be afraid to be seen with you in public, he told Wright in those taped interviews. Why dont you see that? Again, he would just put that smile, that famous smile, on his face. It made me feel as if he was out of touch. As if he doesnt realize what hes done or become.

Khashoggis views would evolve over the years, especially with the advent of the Arab Spring protests of 2011, causing him to become a fervent apostle of democracy in the Mideast. But he maintained a soft spot for bin Laden that stayed with him for years, according to Nawaf Obaid, a Saudi academic and colleague of Khashoggi's who worked with him at the Saudi Embassy in London in the years after the 9/11 terror attacks.

Jamal Khashoggi in 2015. (Hasan Jamali/AP)

For Khashoggi, what bin Laden had done in Afghanistan and how the godless communists were defeated, for him that impacted him a lot throughout his life, Obaid says. That thing impacted him. So he saw him as a hero.

Obaid says he would press Khashoggi on bin Laden and even grew exasperated at times by his friends attitude, lecturing him about how the al-Qaida leader had killed innocent people. One day, Obaid walked into Khashoggis office at the embassy in London and showed him pictures of people jumping from the World Trade Center towers to escape the burning buildings. You see. Look, this is bin Laden that did this, Obaid recalled telling him.

If we cannot come out and condemn this, then we are no better than him, Obaid continued. And [Khashoggi] took the pictures and he went quiet. And then several hours later, I saw him again and he said, Yeah, you're right.

Even then, Obaid says, he sensed Khashoggis inner conflict about his old friend. I would say he was ideologically, and I would even go as far as theologically, conflicted by him, he says.

Next on Conspiracyland: Episode 4, A Revolution Crushed

With his life threatened by one Saudi prince, Khashoggi is rescued by another  Prince Turki bin Faisal, the former chief of Saudi intelligence who hires the journalist as his media adviser while serving as the Saudi ambassador in London and later in Washington. But when Khashoggi returns to journalism, he develops a passion for democracy that leads him to Cairo, where he smuggles a letter from a prominent Egyptian dissident out of prison that winds up on the Facebook page of Barack Obama. It is the start of Khashoggis involvement in civic protests that later makes him a champion of the Arab Spring  only to watch in horror while those democratic dreams are crushed.

In case you missed it:

Episode 1, Exclusive: Saudi assassins picked up illicit drugs in Cairo to kill Khashoggi

Episode 2, Arms, harems and a Trump-owned yacht: How a Khashoggi family member helped mold the U.S.-Saudi relationship

Cover thumbnail photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Universal History Archive/Getty Images, Hasan Jamali/AP

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Read more from Yahoo News:
FILE PHOTO: A view of the U.S. Capitol Dome from a skylight inside the building, in Washington

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The fundraising arm of the Republican Party raised less money in May than its Democratic counterpart but spent more, shelling out millions on efforts to win back Congress, as well as $175,900 at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.

Disclosures filed on Sunday with the Federal Election Commission showed the Republican National Committee raised $11.1 million last month, just below the $12.1 million raised by the Democratic National Committee.

The RNC spent nearly $23 million during the month, more than twice what it raised, transferring $10 million to party committees that support candidates as the party prepares for next year's congressional elections.

The DNC, by comparison, spent just under $9 million, including $200,000 on Facebook for online fundraising. U.S. politicians use Facebook ads to reach small donors, who are an important source of campaign cash.

Democrats have narrow majorities in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, and losing control of either in the November 2022 contests would be a blow to Democratic President Joe Biden's agenda.

A Republican Party spokesperson said the $175,900 spent at Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, was to pay for the resort hosting part of an April retreat for Republican donors.

Both parties said their hauls were the highest ever for a May following a presidential election.
UFC veteran fighter Luis Pena was arrested on charges of robbery and assault in Florida on Friday, ESPN and MMA Fighting reported.

Pena was taken into custody by the Coral Springs (Florida) Police Department on an extradition warrant from another Florida county's police department. Those details were not available, per MMA Fighting. He was picked up by police on an anonymous tip to his whereabouts, and as of Saturday night was being held by the Broward County Detention Center on a hold from Palm Beach County, per ESPN.

Luis Pena was arrested in Florida. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Pena, 27, was charged with robbery by sudden snatching, battery, and criminal mischief. The robbery and battery charges are listed as "pending trial." Christian Swinson, a public information officer for the Coral Springs Police Department, told MMA Fighting it could mean Pena missed an arraignment hearing for those charges prior, or they were added into the course of the investigation following initial charges, triggering the warrant.

On Wednesday, Pena tweeted about "serious mental health issues" he's dealt with his entire life and is getting help.

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He wrote:

"People aren't comfortable talking about this, but I have been going through serious mental health issues my entire life and have finally gained the strength to get and accept the help I've needed for a long time. If you're struggling take it from me it's okay to reach out."

He re-tweeted fans wishing him good thoughts and sharing their own stories.

Pena's team at First Round Management did not respond to requests for comment from either ESPN or MMA Fighting. Hunter Campbell, UFC's executive vice president and chief business officer, told ESPN they're looking into the situation and have been aware Pena is going through mental health and substance issues.

Campbell said the UFC would not book a fight for him until it finds out more, per ESPN. Pena's last fight was a win against Alexander Munoz on April 17.

Last year he was suspended for a positive marijuana test. He is 5-3 in the UFC.

More from Yahoo Sports:
Not even award-winning celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck is immune to the labor shortage plaguing the restaurant industry.

The two-Michelin starred chef told Yahoo Finance Live that he still hasnt been able to re-open some of his more than 20 restaurants around the world, like Cartier in Beverly Hills, because he doesnt have enough workers.

People get paid really well, Puck said. Still, it's difficult to find people to work. At Chinois in Santa Monica it's the same thing. I cannot open for lunchtime. Or even at Spago in Beverly Hills, you know, where people, waiters, make $120,000 a year. But I cannot find them.

Pucks plight has become a familiar theme in recent months. The restaurant industry has 1.7 million fewer jobs filled than before the pandemic  thats the highest on record  despite raising pay and posting almost a million job openings in March.

Millions of workers who left the industry during the pandemic havent come back for a myriad of reasons including concerns about safety. Republicans blame the labor crunch on the Biden administrations move to boost supplemental federal unemployment benefits. Business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, say the extra unemployment insurance is discouraging some employees from returning to work.

Puck said it's difficult to get back to normal business.

The demand is definitely there. We get enough customers, but we cannot serve them. In an upscale environment, you have to give people great food and great service. So it's difficult to find enough people.

Puck, who's net worth is estimated at $90 million, points to issues around immigration as part of the reason why he cant find skilled workers.

I think the government really should loosen up and have cooks come, if it's from France or Italy or from South America or wherever, so we can get the workforce up to par. If they are professional, why not get jobs? And then they pay taxes, and everything will get better, said Puck.

Wolfgang Puck's Spago restaurant at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.

Puck said varying COVID-19 restrictions and the pace of the virus in certain geographies has made for an uneven return to business.

His restaurant CUT in Bahrain, for example, has been unable to reopen because the small island nation has seen a recent surge in coronavirus cases to record levels.

But, his restaurants in Las Vegas just had a record month now that COVID-related restrictions in Nevada have been lifted.

Puck, who also has his eponymous line of cookware, wine, coffee and cookbooks, is considering opening ghost kitchens for some of his locations to handle takeout and delivery services, something he says his current fine dining restaurants are not equipped to handle.

Takeout is not our main business, he stressed. Our main business is keeping the customer, making the customer happy in our restaurant, make them feel good, give them great food and great service.

Through it all, Puck, who has a documentary debuting on Disney+ June 25 chronicling his rise to chef stardom, remains optimistic. I really believe come September people will come back. People will have parties. People will go out like it used to be."

Alexis Christoforous is an anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @AlexisTVNews.
By APD writer Shristi Kafle

As Nepal has been struggling against the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the monsoon-induced calamity has added more tragedy.

Floods and landslides across the country have created havoc since last week, as many lives have been lost and hundreds of families have been displaced.

Amid such, the Indian media has once again created a false narrative which has upset the Nepali public, who are already suffering with impacts of pandemic and disaster.

Indian Media News24 reported last week that China has designed a plan against India via Nepal through the use of water. It accused China of building a hydro electric project in the bordering Sindhupalchowk district by deviating the way of at least 11 rivers. "Thus, the increasing pressure in the rivers has increased the risk of floods in Nepal," it further said.

The media reported that the latest flood has impacted not just Nepal, but even India, particularly the Bihar state. "Half of the Bihar can face the inundation," it said. It also shared that at least 1.8 million Nepali could be affected this time.

Monsoon-induced disasters in Nepal are yearly phenomenon in the Himalayan country, due to vulnerable geography and most importantly, the gradual impacts of climate change. The rivers flow from north to south, Nepal to India, since centuries, which is a basic information ignored by the Indian media.

However, the Indian media tried to reject the natural disaster stating that its a "Xi Jinping's Water Plan" against India via Nepal. It also repeatedly used the terms like "Dragon's Ploy" and 'Nepal-India in Danger" to create a false narrative among the public.

Discarding the natural factors, the Indian media accused China of making plans against India through floods, stating that China is working in at least 6 hydropower projects in Sindhupalchowk district.

The 15-minute- long report presented the baseless reporting, which has been viewed for at least 32,000 times in its YouTube channel alone, and filled with hateful comments.

The Indian media has been facing a lot of criticism for its coverage of the tragedy. People have taken the social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to express their anger over such false and insensitive narratives.

Priyasha Maharjan commented in YouTube, "Shame on you and your journalism. Stop blaming China for everything your government cannot manage and stop using Nepal in your fight."

"Please dont make the natural disaster as propaganda. Please try to be conscious and control your madness," another comment reads.

Nepali People have complained that the coverage had been insensitive and shameful, among other things. There are stories aplenty of how the Indian media, mostly the TV channels, have covered the latest flood. People have mostly commented with "Rest in Peace Indian Media."

Anjali Rajbanshi said, "You should first learn about Nepal and Indian geography."

Arun Budhathoki, a Nepali journalist, tweeted, "I've many friends in India but please this sort of garbage is too much to handle." Another journalist Santosh Ghimire tweeted, "Propaganda machine."

Krishna Kumal, an engineer, said, "Are they so insensitive towards Nepalese?"

Many in Nepal feel that the "outsized" coverage of the Indian media is done with an aim to shade the efforts being made by the northern neighbor China to help Nepal fight the pandemic.

China has been supporting Nepal through vaccines and essential medical supplies to battle the shortage of public health infrastructures and help save lives. It has already sent 1.8 million doses of vaccines to Nepal as part of grant assistance.

This is not the first time that the Indian media has faced criticism in Nepal. It had received similar backlash in the past several times including the insensitive coverage of devastating earthquake of 2015.

Even the Indian audiences have enough frustrations against the Indian TV channels. Amid such, experts believe that it is time now for India's news channel to introspect and do some credible and factual reporting and enhance the declining quality of Indian media.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
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Summer classes started this week and we are in full summer-mode at Treasure Vall
Presently over 22 lakh health care workers are covered under the insurance scheme

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday asked the Centre whether NDMA, headed by the Prime Minister, has taken a decision not to pay Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia to families of victims of COVID, and observed that to avoid heart burn among beneficiaries, framing of a uniform compensation scheme may be considered.

The Centre, which in its affidavit said that paying ex-gratia compensation was beyond the fiscal affordability and the finances of central and state governments as they were under severe strain, told the top court however that it was not the case of the government that it does not have money".

Our case is that we are utilising the funds available for other things rather than utilising funds to build health infrastructure, ensure food to all, vaccinate the entire population and provide financial stimulus to boost the economy.

You (Centre) are right in clarifying because saying that the Central Government has no money has very wide repercussions, a special vacation bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and M R Shah told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta while reserving verdict on two pleas seeking ex-gratia compensation for dependents of those who died of COVID-19.

Observing that the Finance Commission's recommendations on dealing with disasters cannot override statutory schemes on compensation under section 12 of the Disaster Management Act, the bench asked the Centre whether the National Disaster Management Authority, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has taken any decision that no compensation should be given as ex-gratia.

Mehta referred to some decision taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the nodal agency for disaster management, saying that he was not aware of any such decision of the NDMA.

The top court termed as prima facie more complicated the present process of issuing death certificates and asked the Centre to simplify it to enable the dependents of COVID victims to get such certificates corrected even after their issuance so that they can avail benefits of the welfare schemes.

Can it be said that a COVID positive patient who was hospitalised, will be issued such a death certificate.., the bench asked.

When humanity is gone and things like black marketing is happening, what can be said? But our priority is the common man, the bench said, asking the Solicitor General to do the needful to ensure that families of those who died of COVID get the proper death certificate and the provision for amending the reason for death should be there.

On being pointed out that states do not give uniform compensation to families of the victims, it asked whether uniform guidelines on compensation can be framed under the Act "otherwise there will be heartburn. Somebody will get some money and others will get more.

The Centre can consider having a uniform scheme under other provisions of the DMA, Mehta said.

The bench, which asked the parties to file written submissions within three days, took note of the fact that the Finance Commission has laid down the schemes for five years on tackling the disasters, but said that the recommendations cannot override a statutory obligation.

Finance Commission states the way how mitigation needs to be done and thus amounts are earmarked. If the plea succeeds, then allocation has to change... The Finance Commission's focus is more on preparedness, mitigation and response.., the Solicitor General said.

He said the issue of granting insurance cover to those working in crematoriums was a valid concern as presently they are not covered and the Centre will take care of this aspect.

Presently over 22 lakh health care workers are covered under the insurance scheme, Mehta said.

At the outset, senior advocate S B Upadhyay, appearing for a petitioner, referred to the statutory scheme under the DMA and said the government cannot take the plea that it will not have the compensation scheme due to financial constraints.

The government is saying that this is not the kind of disaster that the Act foresaw because other disasters are a one-time event and this COVID is recurring...flood, tsunami, cyclones are also recurring phenomena, he said.

Under the law, the Centre must have a compensation scheme and the amount of Rs 4 lakh was not so important, Upadhyay said.

The bench said: Every disaster is different. There can be small and big pandemics. Or a big flood or small food. If the standard or gravity of a pandemic is more, then you cannot say that the same standard can be applied for every disaster.

On June 11, the Centre had told the top court that issues raised in the pleas, seeking directions for ex-gratia compensation of Rs 400,000 to the families of those who have died of COVID-19, are genuine and are under consideration of the government.

The apex court is hearing two separate pleas filed by lawyers Reepak Kansal and Gaurav Kumar Bansal respectively seeking directions to the Centre and the states to provide Rs 4 lakh compensation to the families of coronavirus victims as provisioned under the Act, and a uniform policy for issuing death certificates.
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A few decades ago, there was only a handful of motorcycle manufacturers that knew the recipe for a purposeful tourer as well as the mighty BMW . Theyre comfy, reliable and will deliver smooth performance when put to the test on the highway. As such, every time a retro Beemer pops up in an online auction, it tends to attract a fair bit of attention from potential buyers.Without further ado, we have the pleasure of introducing you to a neat 1988 BMW R100RT thats searching for a new home. You may place your bids for this well-kept Bavarian on Bring A Trailer, where the bike is offered at no reserve until Monday, June 21. At the time of this article, youd need around three grand to become the top bidder.Before you head over to the BaT website, lets take a minute to remember what Motorrads machine is made of. The 88 MY R100RT is put in motion thanks to an air-cooled 980cc boxer-twin engine that packs twin constant-depression Bing carbs and a total of four valves. This bad boy will supply a peak horsepower figure of no less than 60 ponies at 6,500 spins per minute, while a solid 55 pound-feet (74 Nm) of twist will be accomplished at 3,500 revs.The force is routed to a shaft final drive by a five-speed transmission, resulting in a top speed of 115 mph (185 kph). A steel duplex cradle frame holds the powertrain components in place, resting on a pair of telescopic forks up front and a Monolever suspension setup on the opposite end.Dual 285 mm (11.2 inches) brake discs and two-piston calipers are tasked with bringing the front wheel to a halt, accompanied by a 200 mm (7.9 inches) simplex drum unit at the rear. Before receiving any of the necessary fluids, the R100RT tips the scales at 505 pounds (229 kg). Now, wed encourage you to visit Bring A Trailer for a more detailed analysis of this bargain.
The Mille Miglia was an open-road motorsport endurance race held in Italy between 1927 and 1957 when it was canceled due to safety concerns. Twenty years later, it was reborn under the name Mille Miglia Storica and has since become one of the world's most renowned classic endurance car races.Participation is limited to cars produced no later than 1957, which had attended or were registered to the original race. This year's event started on Thursday, June 16th, and ended on Saturday, June 19th.Unlike other years' races, this one had 375 cars admitted who followed the well-known route of 1,618 kilometers (1,000 miles), but in reverse. To celebrate the special edition, Chopard has designed an equally special chronograph.The new Mille Miglia 2021 Race Edition watch has a 44 mm stainless steel case water-resistant up to 100 meters (328 ft) and a scratch-proof sapphire glass that covers the matte gray dial. The black bezel features a tachymeter scale with white markings, offering riders the possibility to calculate their speed on the track.Like all Chopard Mille Miglia models, this one too has a red arrow symbol of the famous race that points to the date window. Powered by the COSC-certified self-winding mechanical movement, this timepiece's heart beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour (vph) and has enough juice to run for 48 hours.On the case back, there is the iconic checkered finish flag along with the Mille Miglia logo and the inscription "Brescia-Rome-Brescia," which describes the route of the historic rally. The chronograph is limited to 1,000 in stainless steel or to 250 pieces in two-tone stainless steel and 18-carat rose gold.
Nothing stopping Tesla team at our car plant from voting union. Could do so tmrw if they wanted. But why pay union dues & give up stock options for nothing? Our safety record is 2X better than when plant was UAW & everybody already gets healthcare.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 21, 2018

EV

The documentary was filmed by More Perfect Union  apparently, an initiative to make union stories more visible. It had Ortiz himself tell his story, which makes it way more credible than having just a name written anywhere.Ortiz states in the video that he started working for Tesla in 2015. He used to work for NUMMI, the factory run by Toyota and GM, which Tesla ended up buying to build Fremont. He made $30 to $35 an hour at NUMMI. At Tesla, people made $20 for 12-hour shifts, six days a week  if they had a premium.According to Ortiz, he decided to start unionizing efforts at the Tesla factory after getting tired of seeing his fellow workers having issues. He said he has seen people throwing up in buckets not to ask for sick leave and lose their jobs. The turnover was so fast people did not make plans: they were afraid they could be suddenly fired. In Ortizs words, Tesla is using them up and spitting them out.Ortiz was also concerned with safety. He said they would sometimes have a single employee perform two jobs at the same time. Running back and forth to take care of everything would cause unnecessary hazards. According to him, Tesla wouldnt deal with safety complaints. It would just take notes, and youd never hear about that again.In 2017, he was invited to a UAW meeting where he told the union leaders why any effort in Fremont would not work. Despite knowing what the outcome would be, Ortiz signed up to lead a unionizing campaign there. At the same time, Musk slammed the movement and promised employees frozen yogurt, according to a Buzzfeed article published on February 24, 2017.Ortiz started distributing flyers about the unionizing efforts after or before his shifts. Tesla would then have begun to harass them. On the first day, an additional security staff, fit and finished, very military-type, would have coercively interrogated him on May 24, 2017. Then, two girls from the HR department would have done the same on September 21. Ortiz said he was questioned about union activities.The metalworker was then moved to make parts in an isolated part of the factory. In October, Ortiz published something in a Facebook group for Tesla workers and was again interrogated on October 12 and finally fired on October 18, alleging underperformance. UAW then started a legal battle against Tesla. On March 25, 2021, the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) ordered Tesla to reinstate Ortiz, Elon Musk, to erase a 2018 tweet that asked why pay union dues & give up stock options for nothing, and to recognize its wrongdoings in the case to all employees. The company appealed the decision to a federal court.Meanwhile, Ortiz pledged to get back to unionizing efforts as soon as he gets his job at Tesla back. If the PRO Act (Protecting the Right to Organize Act ) becomes law, Musk could also be fined for his efforts in avoiding the unionizing of Tesla factories. By the way, the tweet he was ordered to erase is still online, as you can see above.Although this legal dispute is still far from ending in the U.S., Tesla will someday start making cars in Germany, possibly somewhere between May and November 2022. To Brandenburg's minister Jorg Steinbach , the company promised it would comply with the countrys labor laws. IG Metall has already said it is prepared to confront Testa in case it doesnt. Perhaps it should talk to UAW to see how things are going at themakers home market.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NHTSA

Conducted together with the), the safety campaign covers 2,622 units of the Land Rover Defender, made from July 15, 2020 to May 26, 2021, all of them fitted with the OEM smoked taillights.According to a bulletin released by the safety agency, a voltage spike triggered by a bright light shining on the rear of the vehicle, can cause the turn signals, brake lights and taillights to fail. In other words, the sun could damage the clusters , and while the turn signals and stop lamps could reset without intervention, the taillamps will extinguish until power feed is cycled.Should these components fail, then other road users may not be aware that the vehicle is slowing down, stopping or changing direction. Moreover, they might not be seen at night, so the risk of injury and/or accident is high. Nevertheless, Jaguar Land Rover is unaware of any accidents, injuries or fires related to this concern.The issue is blamed on the component manufacturer, Varroc Lighting Systems of Suvorovova, Czech Republic, and will be corrected by the Jaguar Land Rovers technicians, who will replace the taillight assemblies. All work will be performed free of charge, as the vehicles are covered by the companys warranty program.Dealers will be informed this week, and owners should hear from the car manufacturer on or before August 3. The latter date is also when the recall is expected to commence.In the meantime, concerned owners with question on the topic can contact the Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837, using the recall number N598. They can also reach out to the NHTSAs Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.
The footage was taken right before the Italian supercar was loaded into a truck, most likely to be transported back to Lamborghini's headquarters. But not before the company showcased it for a bit in the pedestrian zone in Milan city center, where the show took place. And needless to say, the Sian looks right at home among cultural heritage buildings and statues.While it doesn't sound as thunderous as the Bugatti Bolide's straight exhaust W16, the Sian's V12 makes quite the racket when the gas pedal hits the floor. There is some revving going on in the video (not as much as we'd like though) to remind us that Lambo's last naturally aspirated V12 is a work of art.The guys at Lambo don't seem to be in a hurry to load the supercar into the truck. The driver circles the auto show area and leaves the car parked a few times with both doors up, the perfect opportunity for bystanders to take shots of the Sian in all its glory.As a brief reminder, the Sian FKP 37 is Lamborghini's first hybrid production vehicle. The all-motor 6.5-liter V12, rated at 774 horsepower, is backed by a 34-horsepower electric motor. The combo generates a combined 807 horsepower, more than any other Lamborghini in production right now.The Sian also showcases innovative battery technology, using a supercapacitor instead of conventional lithium-ion units. Integrated with the electric motor into the gearbox, the supercapacitor provides three times the power of a conventional lithium-ion battery of the same weight.Limited to only 63 units as a tribute to Lamborghini's founding year, the Sian FKP 37 is priced at around $3 million. Most of these cars will probably rest in private collections so many of us won't get to see them in the metal. We might as well enjoy all the video footage we can get.
Perhaps one of the most outrageous Lamborghinis belongs to someone you might not even have heard of: her name is Daria Radionova and she is a London-based businesswoman, social media model and influencer. She is also a self-confessed gearhead and obsessed with all things sparkly. Someones gotta live up to those female cliches, and Daria is perfectly willing to be that person.Her latest custom car is not new but its still getting plenty of headlines. What with all the buzz around Kim Kardashians viral and widely panned Lamb-Bo, Lamborghini Urus covered inside-out with fuzzy boucle fabric of the kind she uses for her homeware line, its time to revisit this insane custom Lambo that, unlike the Lamb-Bo, retains fully functionality.Daria originally got the Lamborghini Aventador in Rosso Bia  a gorgeous cherry red that is both girly enough for her tastes and dramatic enough to get all attention. Its a stunning color, no doubt. Towards the end of 2018, she told her social media following that she was done with the red and would opt for something a bit more daring, to say the least.By that time, Daria had become a fixture on the London party / socialite scene. Hailing from Moldova and supposedly born to wealthy Russian parents, she came to the UK to study at the university, but eventually wandered into fashion and beauty. She currently owns a luxury goods store, retailing fur and leather clothes and accessories, and a beauty salon, but shes also a rising social media star, an influencer and, if you believe the haters, always in search of the next sugar daddy to fund her excessive lifestyle.Speaking with Barcroft Cars in 2019, shortly after the unveiling of the restyled Aventador , she got the idea for it from her crystal-covered Louboutins. If she can wear shoes with Swarovski crystals, why not drive a car covered in them? Indeed, why not?Truth be told, while this Aventador is (unofficially) the first Swarovski-covered Lambo in the world, its not Darias first car to wear so many crystals. In fact, its her fourth: she started off with a white Mercedes CLS, followed it with a partially-bedazzled Bentley, and then got a red-crystal Huracan.Not that this makes the Aventador, which she lovingly calls The Panther, any less impressive. Work on it was done by Cars in Cloaks, a London-based custom shop, with jewelers supposedly flown in from Russia. She never disclosed the final tally for the custom job, though she did say the car itself cost some $480,000: the crystal custom job is priceless.Over 2 million crystals were used, and each one was glued to the car by hand. The 4-month project was so stressful and time-consuming that the team at Cars in Cloaks came close to abandoning it several times. The protective coat on the red paint was removed, and a black wrap was applied: technically, if Daria wanted, she could return the Aventador to the original state.If Bruce Wayne was a girl this would be his car is how Cars in Cloaks described the Aventador at the time when she took it for a first drive.To her credit, Daria does drive it  and she drives it a lot. Influencers and Instagram models are often accused of using their expensive cars only as props for their photos, but Daria is different. She does that too, but she also drives it whenever she can. In fact, based on her timeline, it seems The Panther is her daily, except for those times shes chauffeured around in a Rolls-Royce.The 28-year-old once said the Aventador is her dream car in every way, but she wont be holding on to The Panther for much longer. Even back in 2019, she was saying her next project was a $1.3 million Bugatti.
It was Suzukis British branch that announced this week the availability of new Akrapovic slip-on silencers for the bike, so limited in numbers that if one blinks, theyre gone: just 20 of them are available, selling on the local market for 2876.05, which is close to $4,000 at todays exchange rates.The silencers are made of titanium, and can cut the weight of the bike down by 4 kg (8.8 pounds) while increasing power by 2.6 hp. Add to that the fact they significantly alter the sound the motorcycle makes, and the three-year warranty when fitted at point of sale, and the parts are quite the interesting proposition.Paying tribute to the family it is part of, the 2021 Hayabusa comes to the market with an impressive arsenal of new parts over the previous generation, over 550 of them. They include everything from the vertically stacked LED headlights to the straight-edged exhaust.The bike is powered by 1,340cc powerplant, not different in displacement compared to what came before, but boasting new pistons, camshaft, cam chain tensioner, crankshaft, crankcases, new gears, clutch assembly, and so on.With all these changes, the hypersport two-wheeler is capable of reaching a top speed of 299 kph (186 mph), but thats because thats how fast the Japanese bike maker allows it to go through electronic limitations.For the American market, the Hayabusa comes with three color combinations and sells from $18,599. Theres no word yet on when or if the specially-developed Akrapovic silencers will make their way here.
The first attempt in this direction was made at the 2011 Paris Motor Show, when the former VW head honcho, Ferdinand Piech, declared his admiration for Alfa, saying that it could flourish under their ownership.Piech went as far as stating that the Italian company could operate under Porsches umbrella, perhaps getting the flat-four boxer engines introduced in the Cayman and Boxster five years ago. The endless possibilities of such a marriage would have been something to write home about.As the years went by, Piechs desire to see Alfa Romeo under the roof of the Volkswagen Group grew stronger, to the point where on his prompting, VW boss Herbert Diess and FCA chief Mike Manley sat together in June of 2018. Diess reportedly considered it his duty to follow through on Piechs request, Autocar states, quoting an undisclosed source, and he asked if Alfa was for sale. The answer was no, and the two are said to have discussed other matters.A talented and intelligent manager with a great love for cars, Ferdinand Piech , who is responsible for the Bugatti Veyron, Volkswagen Phaeton and XL1, passed away on August 25, 2019, and with him, probably the only chance VW ever had to add Alfa Romeo in its portfolio.On a different note, Stellantis, which is Alfas new parent company, said that every brand that operates under its roof, including Lancia, will receive significant investments over the next 10 years. As a result, none of them are for sale, so the Volkswagen Group would have to look elsewhere should they still want to bring new blood into their home.
When a satellite completes its mission, there are 2 ways of removing it from space, either through a controlled reentry, where the satellite is guided to a designated landing area, or an uncontrolled reentry, when whats left of the satellite can become a hazard According to the European Space Agency (ESA), regulations require that the casualty risk from impacts in uncontrolled descents is lower than 1 in 10,000. This means that the satellite components should disintegrate before getting close to the ground.Since the Solar Array Drive Mechanism (SADM) could be considered the main trouble-maker because its one of the bulkiest components of a typical satellite, ESA and SADM manufacturer Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace (KDA) have decided to demonstrate the fact that it can be completely destroyed and, therefore, safe. An effective satellite should be resilient enough to perform its mission in space, but also capable of melting down safely, when it falls back to Earth.The experiments were conducted at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). A SADM prototype was slightly modified in order to become more vulnerable to higher-altitude breakup, then it entered a plasma wind tunnel, where atmospheric reentry conditions were recreated (including the temperature and the speed).As you can see in the video, the result was the total destruction of the satellite component. The test successfully demonstrated that when a satellite reenters the Earth atmosphere, the speed and the heat are enough to completely melt it, before it can get close to the ground and pose a threat. So, in specific conditions, the atmospheric destruction of satellites can be guaranteed.Following the tests, a Debris Risk Assessment and Mitigation Analysis (DRAMA) software tool was developed as a basis for creating a new model of the SADM, for future use.These experiments were conducted as part of ESAs larger program, Cleansat, which is developing new technologies to make sure that satellites comply with the D4D criteria and are not a risk.
But at the same time, the Google-owned application can also become a life-saving piece of software, especially because it can provide users with the fastest and safest way to leave a specific region.And this is exactly whats happening right now, as Waze has partnered with the Chatham Emergency Management Agency specifically for a partnership that would help provide safer evacuation information for residents of Savannah, Georgia.In other words, given the 2021 hurricane season is upon us, the local authorities are now collaborating with the Google company in an attempt to provide Waze users with up-to-date information on safer routes to evacuate the region and return home.CEMA has therefore obtained direct access to Wazes systems, which means the local experts themselves can flag the road closures within the app and therefore let users know which paths to avoid. Waze should then be able to find faster and safer routes when its being used to evacuate the city.CEMA explains that Waze is now a must-have application because it helps everybody get around road closures , not necessarily to beat the traffic, but to safely evacuate areas affected by broken trees or power lines, all based on official information.Waze is available on both iPhone and Android, and of course, it can also run on CarPlay and Android Auto when a mobile device is connected to a compatible head unit. Waze uses the community power to help find a faster route to a user-defined destination, as it relies on reports sent by other drivers to figure out what areas could slow you down and then help avoid them.The Google-owned company hasnt provided any information if any similar partnerships with other U.S.-based authorities are planned for the traffic navigation app.
Last March, the Nurburgring's most famous female racing driver, Sabine Schmitz, passed away after a long bout with cancer. No doubt, fans of both the track and the Queen of the Nurburgring were shocked and saddened by the news. It also led to people asking for the Nurburgring to name a corner after Schmitz.

While some brushed off the possibility of that happening, it seems the Nurburgring has indeed named a corner after Schmitz. The official social media accounts of the Nurburgring made the announcement and called it the Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve. Which corner is that? Well, the Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve is the very first corner of the Nordschleife.

For those not too familiar, several corners of the Nurburgring have different names. The most popular would have to be the carousel and flugplatz. Then there's the unofficially dubbed YouTube corner, but we'll let you find that out for yourself. But the first corner of the Nordschleife, a sharp left-hander that leads downhill is also a very memorable part of the track. However, it has remained unnamed for the longest time. Officially naming it after Sabine Schmitz is no doubt a great tribute to the Queen of the Nurburgring.

Schmitz herself grew up near the corner she was named after. A few meters away from turn one at Nordschleife lies the German town of Nurburg, Schmitz home town.

An official inauguration will take place at the six-hour race of the Nurburgring Endurance Series on September 11, 2021. Over the years, Schmitz has been synonymous with the Nurburgring. Apart from setting over 20,000 laps, she's one of the first women to win the 24 Hour of Nurburgring endurance race. But with a corner named after her, she will continue to do so forever.
Palmdale, CA (93550)

Today

Sunny skies. Becoming windy late. High near 100F. Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low 69F. SSW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph.
How President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (above) manage that relationship will shape the prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East. They are ushering in an era no longer shaped by the powerful personality of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
President Biden will meet with financial regulators on Monday.

Driving the news: "The meeting will cover regulatory priorities including climate-related financial risk and agency actions to promote financial inclusion and to responsibly increase access to credit," said press secretary Jen Psaki, according to a press pool report.

Why it matters: Wall Street, K Street, Congress and beyond have signaled to financial regulators their interest in influencing new federal climate disclosure requirements.

The SEC plans to begin formal rule-making later this year.

The big picture: Biden is also set to continue negotiations with Republicans and Democrats on the American Jobs Plan next week, per Psaki.
California will pay off the accumulated unpaid rent that has piled up during the COVID-19 pandemic, the AP reports.

Why it matters: The move would fulfill a promise to landlords to help them to break even, while giving renters relief, the AP writes.

The big picture: A little over 2% of people in California who have applied for rent relief during the pandemic have received it, KQED reports.

The state has accrued $5.2 billion from various federal aid packages to pay off people's rent, which should be enough to get the job done, Jason Elliott, senior counselor to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on housing and homelessness, told AP.

California has been slow to distribute the funds. The state has received $490 million in rental aid requests through May 31, but only $32 million has been paid out, when not including the 12 cities and 10 counties that run independent rental assistance programs, per AP.

But, but, but: State officials also haven't yet decided whether they'll extend California's eviction moratorium, which is set to expire on June 30.
Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he rejected requests from the Biden administration to inform the U.S. in advance of Israeli operations against Irans nuclear program, and falsely claimed Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid made such a commitment to Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week.

Why it matters: Since realizing he would be ousted as prime minister, Netanyahu has been planning a months-long campaign against the Biden administration and the new Bennett government over the Iran nuclear deal. Netanyahu wants to be the face of Israel's opposition to the deal at home and in Washington  and he is forcing the issue.

Driving the news: Lapid spoke with Blinken last Thursday for the second time since assuming office. He released a short statement after the call stressing that he agreed with the Secretary of State on a no surprises policy, without mentioning Iran specifically.

On Monday, Netanyahus office told reporters he was going to deliver an important foreign policy statement. When the reporters arrived at the Likud faction meeting at the Knesset, they discovered Netanyahu was planning to attack Lapid politically.

What they're saying: Netanyahu falsely claimed Lapid committed to a "no surprises" policy on Iran and said the State Department issued a statement about it  a claim that was also false.

Netanyahu said Lapid's purported commitment harms Israels national security, claiming the foreign minister has given up on Israels freedom of operations against the Iranian nuclear program and on its sovereign right to self-defense.

Netanyahu claimed he rejected such a request for no surprises from President Biden during one of their phone calls, as well as a similar request by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during his last visit to Israel.

I told them I will take their request into consideration, but stressed that on matters that are existential I will maintain Israel's freedom of operation without any obligation for prior notice," Netanyahu said.

He said Lapids agreement with Blinken sends a signal of weakness to Iran and to a Biden administration that is rushing back to the dangerous nuclear deal with Iran."

Lapid replied in a short statement calling Netanyahus remarks false: "I thank the leader of the opposition for his advice. We will take it from here."

Between the lines: Despite his attacks on Lapid for the no surprises agreement with Blinken, a similar understanding existed when Netanyahu was prime minister just over a week ago.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan repeatedly refused to acknowledge China's repression of Uyghur Muslims during an interview with "Axios on HBO," deflecting to other global human rights issues and citing China's denial of the crackdown in Xinjiang.

Why it matters: As one of the most prominent leaders in the Muslim world, Khan has otherwise been leading a public campaign against Islamophobia in the West  especially in Europe. His demurral hints at China's sway over his country.

Khan is silent for a simple reason: cash-strapped Pakistan has become increasingly financially dependent on China, for billions in loans and investment.

These loans come at a price: the developing countries receiving them better not say anything publicly to incur Chinas wrath.

Between the lines: Khan delivered a powerful speech against Islamophobia at the United Nations and published an open letter urging other Muslim leaders to join his fight.

But Khan has been totally silent about China's detention of more than 1 million Muslim minorities just across his border.

about China's detention of more than 1 million Muslim minorities just across his border. It's part of a sweeping campaign by China of forced assimilation, forced labor and sterilization that the U.S. and several Western parliaments have deemed a genocide.

What they're saying: Pressed by Axios' Jonathan Swan about why he has been silent, Khan pointed to Beijing's repeated denials of the crackdown in Xinjiang  denials that fly in the face of mountains of witness testimonials, satellite images of detention camps and other evidence.

"Whatever issues we have with the Chinese, we speak to them behind closed doors. China has been one of the greatest friends to us in our most difficult times. When we were really struggling, our economy was struggling, China came to our rescue. So we respect the way they are," Khan said.

with the Chinese, we speak to them behind closed doors. China has been one of the greatest friends to us in our most difficult times. When we were really struggling, our economy was struggling, China came to our rescue. So we respect the way they are," Khan said. Asked if it makes him feel "sick" that he must be silent because of the money China has poured into Pakistan, Khan responded: "I look around the world what's happening in Palestine, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan. Am I going to start talking about everything? I concentrate on what is happening on my border, in my country."

Flashback: Khan says he will "absolutely not" allow the CIA to use bases in Pakistan for Afghanistan operations.
For the first time since the pandemic hit and barred in-person gatherings, people across the United States are turning out to celebrate Pride Month.

Why it matters: The annual Pride Month honors the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, which is credited with galvanizing the modern gay rights movement. It's a time of celebration of the LGBTQ community, and a recognition that the fight for equality continues.

The past year has seen a slew of GOP-led legislation targeting trans people, as well as higher risks of mental health issues, homelessness and lost income among LGBTQ Americans due to the pandemic.

"Our lives are worth protecting," trans actress and activist Laverne Cox told JuJu Chang on ABC News' Pride Month special. "Our humanity is worth protecting."

In photos

Two people kiss during the Brooklyn Liberation: An action for Trans Youth March in Fort Greene Park on June 13 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Photo: Alexi Rosenfeld via Getty Images

An attendee gets emotional and cries during the Brooklyn Liberation: An action for Trans Youth March in Fort Greene Park on June 13 in Brooklyn, New York City. Photo: Alexi Rosenfeld via Getty Images

A protestor wearing "Black Trans Lives Matter" wings marches during the Brooklyn Liberation: An action for Trans Youth March on June 13 in Brooklyn, New York City. Photo: Alexi Rosenfeld via Getty Images

Members and allies of the LGBTQ community dance and celebrate at the end of the Pride Walk and Rally in Freedom Plaza on June 12 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Drew Angerer via Getty Images

Members and allies of the LGBTQ community dance and celebrate at the end of the Pride Walk and Rally in Freedom Plaza on June 12 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Drew Angerer via Getty Images

Neighborhood residents and friends gather on June 6, ahead of the first annual Woodmoor Pride parade in the Silver Spring neighborhood in Maryland. The neighborhood also marked the beginning of Pride Month by flying a Pride flag at the community's flagpole. Photo: Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Hayastan reiterated that the results are extremely dubious. We have serious grounds to consider these elections illegitimate, it said in a statement.

The bloc again charged that irregularities reported by its proxies from many polling stations testify to a systematic and pre-planned falsification of the election results. It accused the Armenian authorities of abusing their administrative levers and harassing Hayastan activists to keep Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in power. It also pointed to power outages that plunged much of Armenia into darkness shortly the start of vote counting late on Sunday.

The Hayastan alliance will use all legal tools, including an appeal to the Constitutional Court, to challenge the election results, added the statement.

It was announced separately that Kocharian and his close associates will hold a news conference on Tuesday.

Pashinian described the snap election as free and fair when he claimed victory overnight. European observers likewise gave a largely positive assessment of the authorities handling of the vote.

According to the official results announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) on Monday morning, Pashinians party won almost 54 percent of the vote and will retain a two-thirds majority in the Armenian parliament.

Kocharians bloc came in a distant second with 21 percent, followed by the opposition Pativ Unem alliance led by another ex-president, Serzh Sarkisian, which got 5.2 percent, according to the CEC.

Pativ Unem will have parliament seats despite failing to clear a 7 percent vote threshold because Armenian law stipulates that at least three political forces must be represented in the National Assembly. It did not officially react to the official vote tally by Monday evening.

It is expected that the new parliament will have 107 seats and 71 of them will be controlled by Civil Contract. Hayastan and Pativ Unem should have 29 and 7 seats respectively.

The opposition blocs fuelled speculation that they could refuse to take up their seats in protest against the alleged vote rigging. With the Armenian constitution reserving at least one-third of the parliament seats for the opposition, commentators wondered if such a drastic step could hamper the work of the new parliament or call into question its legitimacy.

Speaking at a news conference, the CEC chairman, Tigran Mukuchian, was reluctant to comment on potential legal consequences of an opposition walkout. He said only that Hayastans and Pativ Unems seats cannot be passed on to other election contenders in that case.
Warm congratulations to Nikol Pashinian on elections victory, tweeted European Council President Charles Michel.

The EU stands by Armenia in support of deepening reforms, he wrote. We are also ready to further support regional stabilization and comprehensive conflict settlement.

The EU announced last week that it has allocated almost 1 million euros ($1.2 million) for the proper conduct of the snap elections aimed at ending a serious political crisis in the country. Much of that money was provided to local election observers.

I call upon all electoral stakeholders, their supporters and those who use the mass media and social media to increase efforts to contribute to making June 20 a day in which democracy wins, for the future of Armenian children, Andrea Wiktorin, the head of EU Delegation in Yerevan, said on June 17.

Michel and Pashinian met in Brussels as recently as on June 2. A continuing border dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan was reportedly high on the agenda of their talks.

Michel also had a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev later that day. A spokesman said he told Pashinian and Aliyev that the EU is ready to provide expertise on border delimitation and demarcation and to support confidence building.
ANTELOPE VALLEY, AZ (3TV/CBS 5)  A wildfire burning in eastern Arizona is forcing some residents of Heber, Antelope Valley area to evacuate.

Navajo County announced on Twitter that Heber residents east of SR-260 and north of SR-277 have been ordered to evacuate. However, Forest Road 504 opened to residents and property owners Saturday morning. The Antelope Valley area continues to be under an evacuation order as well. All other residents of Heber are being asked to prepare for a possible evacuation.

#WyrickFire #evacuationsHere is a map of the area currently under GO! status in Heber. pic.twitter.com/2GazPmHpNW  Navajo County (@NavajoCountyAZ) June 21, 2021

A shelter has been set up for evacuees at Holbrook High School, 455 N. 8th Ave., Holbrook. While SR 377 is closed because of the fire, evacuees can head northbound to Holbrook. Animals can be evacuated to the Navajo County Fairgrounds

As of Saturday morning, 7,592 acres have burned with 76% containment.

Like many wildfires burning in Arizona right now, weather  continued hot temperatures with a chance of thunderstorms  is a significant concern for fire managers. Crews are expecting "extreme fire behavior."

More than 90 people have been assigned to the Wyrick Fire.
More than 100 sheep died in Baker County in 2020 from pneumonia, but this years lamb crop looks healthier
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Mostly sunny. High 104F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low around 75F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
Finals just wrapped up in the Kern High School District this week, but it wont be a long break for many. Summer school kicks off on Monday, a
Mystery of the Tube-like Find You Might Make on Oregon Coast Right Now

Published 06/21/21 at 4:55 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Seaside, Oregon) - It's not necessarily a rare find, but it's certainly not commonplace either, and it's causing quite a few folks to scratch their heads. (All photos courtesy Seaside Aquarium)

There have been a few scattered reports up and down the Oregon coast of odd little clusters of white tubes, or as some have described them, worms. Among those to point out the curious finds are the Haystack Rock Awareness Program in Cannon Beach. One of their crew found a handful in recent days.

They are egg casings  and sometimes if they're still vital you can see the teeny, tiny embryos in there. When they're in this particular shape and configuration they're squid egg casings.

Seaside Aquarium's Tiffany Boothe has dealt with them numerous times over the last decade.

These strange gelatinous tubes are squid eggs, she said. Squid form large schools and lay their eggs together on the bottom of the seafloor. Each female may lay up to 12 egg capsules and each egg capsule has between 180 and 300 eggs developing inside. As the eggs develop you can actually see the baby squid moving while still in the egg. When they hatch they are about the size of a grain of rice.

In recent years, the Seaside Aquarium has had them on occasion, hatching them in the aquarium. Some are from a creature called the Opalescent squid (Loligo opalescens), which can reach up to 11 inches in length. They are found from Mexico to northern British Columbia and come into shallow waters to spawn.

During the spring and summer large schools of Opalescent Squid move into shallow coves and bays to mate, lay their eggs, and die, Boothe said.

After that, the egg sacs automatically attach to each other, forming huge clusters. It then takes about five weeks for them to hatch.

Boothe said nature has a unique way of hiding these from predators: the capsules have no taste or odor.

Some of the photos of the near-hatched squid eggs at the north Oregon coast facility show the tiny creatures: you can see their dot-like black eyes. MORE PHOTOS BELOW

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CAMP HILL, Ala. (AP)  Girls have often lived a life of abuse, abandonment or neglect by the time they land at a Christian youth home in rural Alabama, but an annual trip to the beach with the director and her family offered them a bright spot in otherwise tough times.

This years trip to the Gulf Coast ended in disaster when four residents of the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch, two of the directors children and two guests were among 10 people killed in a fiery crash on a rainy highway as Tropical Storm Claudette barreled through Alabama.

In all, the storm took 14 lives before it rolled through the Carolinas and headed out to sea, where it was expected to dissipate. A 24-year-old man and a 3-year-old boy were killed Saturday when a tree fell on their house just outside Tuscaloosa, and a 23-year-old woman from Fort Payne, southeast of Huntsville, died after her car ran off the road into a swollen creek, authorities said.

Search dogs located the body of a man believed to have fallen into the water during flash flooding in Birmingham, according to news outlets.

The van in Saturday's crash erupted in flames in the wreck along a wet Interstate 65 about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Montgomery. Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock said multiple vehicles probably hydroplaned in the vacationer-heavy area he said was notorious for dangerous conditions where the northbound highway curves down a hill to a small creek.

The van was carrying children ages 4 to 17 who were being cared for at the ranch, which is operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association and takes in abused and neglected children, including foster children. The group was heading back to the ranch near Camp Hill, northeast of Montgomery, after a week at the beach in Gulf Shores.

A U.S. flag flew at half-staff at the ranch on Monday, and bouquets of flowers decorated a sign. Grim-faced workers and volunteers came and went in silence as the chief executive struggled to keep his emotions in check.

I know that we lost eight of our children. Thats what I know, said Michael Smith.

Smith said there were two vans from the camp along with a car pulling a trailer loaded with suitcases. The lead van was involved in the crash, he said.

Many of our children have never even seen the beach, so its an annual event that were able to take these children down there, he said. This was the first visit back to the beach after the COVID-19 pandemic, "and we were so excited.

The crash also claimed the lives of two people in another vehicle  a 29-year-old Tennessee man and his 9-month-old daughter. Other people were injured.

Smith said victims included Ben Gulley, who would have turned 4 on Tuesday and was the son of ranch Director Candice Gulley, the vans only survivor, who was pulled from the flames by a bystander. Another of her children, age 16, was also killed.

Four others killed were ranch residents, and two were guests, Smith said.

A GoFundMe page started to pay the funeral expenses of the two guests, 12-year-old Josiah Dunnavant and 8-year-old Nicholas Dunnavant, said the boys were Gulley's nephews.

Words cannot explain what I saw, Smith said of the accident site, which he visited Saturday. He returned from Gulf Shores in a separate van and did not see the crash when it happened.

Gulley remained hospitalized Sunday in Montgomery in serious but stable condition. In a Facebook post from earlier this year, she described her love for the work that the ranch does.

This place holds a huge place in my heart and its mission has become my personal mission, Gulley wrote.

Volunteers delivered food Monday to the ranch, which is on a section of a two-lane county highway lined with white wooden fences. Sheriffs cars and orange traffic barrels blocked the road leading to the area where girls live in homes with their house parents.

Students and community members gathered for a prayer service Sunday at Reeltown High School, the school the girls attended. One of the surviving girls, who was traveling in a separate vehicle, wept as she spoke about her "little sisters," al.com reported.

When people hear about the ranch, they usually assume that the girls have done something wrong or bad to get there. But thats not the case, said the teen, who was not identified because she is in state custody.

These girls have been through so much, and they were such strong, wonderful, kind family members, and it was my privilege and my honor to be their big sister, she said.

In Camp Hill, Smith said those affiliated with the ranch were in a state of grief but would work on healing.

In the Bible, it says God wont put anything on us that we cant handle, and weve questioned that quite a bit these past few days," Smith said. "But Gods got big shoulders, and we know that our only way to get through the grief that we have right now is with prayer.

___

Chandler reported from Montgomery. Jeff Amy in Atlanta, Amy Forliti in Minneapolis, Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.
A Laredo woman and her two children went missing after visiting family in Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, a town located about 78 miles south of Nuevo Laredo, Mexican authorities said.

Gladys Cristina Perez Sanchez, 39, along with Juan Carlos Gonzalez, 16, and Michelle Cristina Duran, 9, were last seen June 13 after departing from Sabinas Hidalgo, authorities said.

They were believed to have disappear along the Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo Highway. The family was in a yellow 2014 Chevrolet Sonic bearing Texas license plates NBX-4740.

Perez Sanchez is a custodian with the United Independent School District, a spokesperson said. She had been working for the district for three years.

People with knowledge of the whereabouts of the family are asked to call in Mexico 82 42 42 57 72 or 81 20 20 57 00.

Federal Bureau of Investigation officials said that pursuant to FBI policy, they could not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.

The San Antonio FBI continues to encourage members of the public to contact the FBI if a U.S. citizen friend or relative goes missing in Mexico. Moreover, any threatening communications received in the United States, demanding ransom in exchange for the release of a kidnapped victim should also be reported. Concerns about missing U.S. citizens should also be reported to the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate, the FBI said.

If you are concerned about a U.S. citizen relative or friend who is traveling or living abroad, you may contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate, or call our Overseas Citizens Services office in Washington, D.C. at 1-888-407-4747 (from outside the United States and Canada, call 202-501-4444).
When Robin Mouton earlier this year announced her bid to be Beaumonts next mayor, she said she was the best one to get the job done.

A majority of Beaumonts residents who cast a ballot during the weekends mayoral runoff agreed.

I just believe that it spoke volumes that people are ready for a change. A lot of people got into the fact that it was a Black female running against a white male  west end against the south/Pear Orchard, she said. For me, it wasnt about that. Ive been on council and Ive served.

She said when people apply for jobs, they supply references or examples of past work. This time, it seems her past work on the council reigned as opposed to people who simply voted for their friend or based on gender or race.

The retired AT&T executive and Hebert High School graduate made clear during her campaign that her love for the city of Beaumont and all of its residents would guide her actions in the seat.

And on Sunday, she was practical about her plans for her first few days in office  being briefed on what the councils discussed in executive session during the few meetings shes been away, settling into her office and having her ID made.

But once shes sworn in, thats when the real work begins to unite the city  the 8,600 who voted for her, the 7,600 who didnt and all the others who didnt turn out.

Ive represented the city since I was 15 years old as an athlete when I represented Beaumont four times as a state track runner. Ive also represented the worlds greatest female athlete from Beaumont, Texas  Babe Didrikson Zaharias  by carrying the torch that now sits at the Smithsonian, she said during an interview with The Enterprise earlier this year. Im now asking to carry the next torch for mayor to build a better Beaumont.

If she could talk to that teen today, shed remind her that she was born for the role and tell her she can do it. In fact, thats the same message she plans to give the youth group shes scheduled to speak to early this week.

While Mouton didnt run for the office to make history or ask people to vote for her because shes a Black female, she still knows shell be picking back up the torch for more than just herself. The Enterprise spoke with a few local leaders on just how important this milestone is for the city and the entire community. Heres what they had to say:

Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens and the first Black female sheriff elected in the state of Texas

I have known Robin (Mouton) for a long time, and shes someone thats always been involved.

Its always great to see boundaries and barriers broken, and the fact that we now have an African American woman leading one of our cities, it tells me our community is reaching a point where they understand the importance of electing people based on their qualifications and commitment.

Crossing racial and gender boundaries is important, but it also takes dedication and leadership. I wanted to become sheriff because I was the best candidate for the job. (Mouton) wanted the job because she believed she had the right skill set. I ultimately vote for individuals that can provide the best interest in the position they are asking to be elected to.

Its important to me, so I dont minimize it, but I didnt strive for my job just to be the first. My skill set has provided me the opportunity to do it. But, I do know I have girls, African American girls, looking to me and saying I can do that.

I appreciate that there are still elders in our community that got to see something they never thought was possible at one time. Many of our great grandparents and grandparents arent too removed from some horrific things. First hand, they get excited when they see accomplishments like this.

Thurman Bill Bartie, Port Arthur mayor

I am really ecstatic. I am peacock proud that the majority of voters, even if its a small majority, did select my friend Mayor-elect Robin Mouton for this term to serve as mayor. And I dont think it could have happened on any other more historic holiday than Juneteenth. It stands for what we as African Americans have endured. To see her elected on this day is significant. And being female and African American, those were two obstacles that she has to overcome.

I think the council and those who are governing should reflect whom they govern. America is a government by the people, of the people and for the people. I think every level of government should reflect who is governed. That diversity should be present in elected officials.

When we look at the Golden Triangle, Port Arthur has an African American mayor; Orange has an African American mayor; Beaumont has an African American female as mayor. This speaks volumes for our region to have three qualified African American leaders at the head of the cities in the Golden Triangle.

The Rev. Michael Cooper, president of the Beaumont chapter of the NAACP

For the area, this was needed. When we congratulate the first African American female mayor, we also have to realize we are in 2021. We should be talking about having the best mayor, no matter the race or gender but are also considering the first female African American mayor in Beaumont after over 180 years. That is long overdue.

I think all the communities are excited about this. Mayor-elect Mouton is well liked in all communities and both were qualified candidates that ran clean races.

You also have to admit she worked her fingers to the bone. There were people who worked on her campaign that stood behind her and believed in her.

It was also a historic day because of Election Day falling on the first Juneteenth as a national federal holiday. It almost seemed like a perfect day in a world that isnt so perfect.

I think people are pleased for the most part, and this is a sign of good times we are in. As we celebrate the win and a victory, we have to look ahead at what is left to accomplish.

Audwin Samuel, Ward III Beaumont councilman

Its a great day for Beaumont. Were excited about her leading and I think shes excited about moving the city forward, as well. I think shes going to be great, and shes proven to make great decisions.

I think her election is very significant, and the coincidence of it coming on the first celebration of Juneteenth as a national holiday added to that. It lets little girls and little African American kids see what is possible.

I think we are going to see more focus on goals for all people in Beaumont, not just a select few. Voters demonstrated that they believe in order for Beaumont to be its best, all parts of the city have to rise.

I do think with the campaign, she had to be aware she was the only female on council. I think the fact she would be a female on a majority male council, that became noticeable. Through her leadership, I think she looks beyond the color of skin or gender. Im excited about working with her, just as it was a pleasure to work with Mayor (Becky) Ames.

I believe it isnt about longevity or age, its about the heart of the individual. If you have someone that loves the city and has a desire to serve, thats what is most important. Whether youve been there for months or years, thats what is most important.

Becky Ames, outgoing Beaumont mayor

Its always important on any body or board that we have diversity, whether it be from a gender status, political status, ethnic status. I dont think that an all-male council would have been in the best interest of Beaumont. The voters spoke, and Im proud of Robin.

I think that this outcome says something about the citizens  its a diverse city, and were electing people on their merit. As for being the first Black female mayor, that means a lot to Robin, and I know her dad is really proud. I told her this morning that she gave her dad a really nice Fathers Day present. Shes very excited. Im willing to help her in any way I can. I told her we skated past a hurricane in my last two weeks, but if something comes up, Im happy to help here. Theres a familiarity there.

Zenobia Bush, former Beaumont school board member and the first Black woman elected in Beaumont

I am pleased with the outcome of the election. How rewarding that on Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday, that Beaumont stepped into history with its first Black female mayor. I wish Robin well and hope to see council make historical strides in under-served areas of the community.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com
Bedford, PA (15522)

Today

A few clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 57F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 57F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.
Bedford, PA (15522)

Today

A shower or two possible this evening with partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 57F. NW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

A shower or two possible this evening with partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 57F. NW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
You likely recognize him as the youngest sibling of the Baldwin brothers who accepted Jesus in the aftermath of 9/11. But what many dont know about the actor turned born-again Christian is how he found God, and the story is quite incredible.

Stephen turned to Jesus Christ after the September 11th terrorist attacks, but the real transformation came after his childs Brazilian nanny was singing about Jesus in Portuguese to the Stephens baby in front of his Brazilian wife Kennya.

In an interview with CBN, Stephen talked the encounter that changed his life and his wifes life forever.

So we hired this lady from Brazil named Augusta, and the whole first week shes working for us shes singing in Portuguese, which she only spoke that language with my wife, Stephen told CBN. Shes singing about Jesus, and my wife comes to me in a few days and asks me, Do you hear what shes singing about? Shes singing about Jesus.

After a few days, his wife approaches her about it.

I noticed your singing, and Im wondering why every song is about Jesus?, Kennya said.

What she didnt expect was her nannys reaction. She didnt expect for her to burst out laughing. Kennya asked her what was so funny.

Quite frankly, I think its a little bit funny that you think Im here to clean your house."

Quite frankly, I think its a little bit funny that you think Im here to clean your house, Augusta said.

Augusta goes on to tell Kennya that before she accepted the job, she prayed with her pastor and some church members in Brazil. She was told through a prophetic word that if she went to live with the Baldwins, then one day Kennya and Stephen would come to faith in Jesus Christ and be involved in ministry.

But it didnt stop there. Augusta also told her that she had a dream and saw their family it.

In the beginning, Stephen was not impressed or fazed by his nannys words. He was raised Roman Catholic and was in the church up until age 12 and religion didnt stick.

[I] went out into the world and did my own thing, Stephen said.

And that he did. Stephen went on to appear in a number of films, becoming an award-winning actor, producer and author.

While all of this was happening, Kennya was spending more time around Augusta and talking about Jesus. After some time, Kennya attended a Brazilian church in New York City and started learning more about Jesus. She was the first in the family to receive him.

Kennya was open with Stephen about her experience.

She said, Honey, sit down. Ive got to talk to you. Ive accepted Jesus Christ tonight as my Lord and Savior. Ive been baptized in water. I need you to know that, from now on, what I need to do each day to the best of my ability is to become the most obedient servant to Jesus Christ that I can. Now, I need that to be clear, and I need you to understand. I dont know what youre going to do, but thats what Im going to do Then I watched her go through this radically beautiful metamorphosis. It was amazing, Baldwin said.

Kennya didnt try to force Jesus on him, but also remained very open with him.

She went into prayer and Bible study regiment unlike anything Id ever seen before. Up in the morning, on her knees face on the ground for an hour, without flinching, up off her knees into the bed with the Bible at least 30 to 45 minutes, every morning, every night for one year.

Around the same time, Stephen also became curious and started asking questions. Then 9/11 happened and things really changed.

September 11th kind of freaked me out. I said, Hey, whats this all about? My wifes a Jesus freak. Maybe its time I begin thinking about this faith thing, Pursued it, became born again, accepted the Lord, baptized in water, Stephen said.

But Stephens outspokenness and unconventional behavior left some skeptical and critical of Stephens shift. He has been vocal about losing roles since turning his life over to Jesus.

When asked about being outspoken on his faith, Stephen told Hollywood Reporter, Well, if you Google Stephen Baldwin, the fourth thing that comes back is that Im the Jesus freak of Hollywood.

When asked about whether the term Jesus freak bothers him, he was candid about his experience of persecution in Hollywood.

Yes and no. Its unfortunate that because I have believe in Jesus for 15 years that there are many in Hollywood who are unwilling to work with me. Thats not a guess. Casting people and produced have told me that theyve brought up my name in a room and the response was, No way, were not bringing that guy and his Bible over here.'

While he is open about the fact that his faith has cost him roles in Hollywood, this hasnt stopped him from sharing his faith story and the Gospel of Jesus with others. He just goes about sharing his faith a little differently now.

I just think that probably when somebody calls themselves born again and kind of goes out there in a pretty radical zealous way, professes their glee about that, it can creep people out, Bald told Fox News. I have no regret about that, but I have chilled out a lot more because Im a little more seasoned as a Christian believer.

Stephen has starred in a number of faith films, television shows and movie projects since he turned his life to Christ. He has also turned down several roles that he thought didnt mesh well with his faith.

Stephen is also unafraid to share his faith on social media. His twitter bio reads Love AllServe God!! He uses the platform mostly to promote his faith, politics and prayer.
Military personnel are seen at a seaside hotel in Yaring district in southern Thailands Pattani province, during a standoff with two suspected separatist insurgents, June 21, 2021.

Thai security forces gunned down two suspected insurgents during a shootout at a beach resort in the Deep South on Monday, saying they were wanted in connection with the killings of three family members by rebels in a roadside ambush.

Mondays killings brought to six the number of suspected separatist Malay Muslim rebels slain by government personnel since late April in Thailands troubled southern border region, with one analyst remarking that the rebels were now clearly on their back foot.

The two suspects were hiding out at the Awada Resort in Yaring, a district of Pattani province when security forces raided the seaside hotel at 3 a.m. to capture the pair, authorities said.

Security forces surrounded the resort but they resisted, so we asked religious and local leaders to help negotiate their surrender, said Maj. Gen. Komkrit Rattanachaya, commander of the Pattani Task Force.

They opened fire [and we were in a] stand off for hours. So we returned fire, resulting in two deaths.

The two suspects were identified as Amran Mahile, 29, and Aduere Manputeh, 32, Komkrit said.

The standoff lasted till around 10 a.m., when government forces cleared the site after the suspects were killed.

They were in the same group of attackers who killed a businessman, his daughter and nephew in Pattanis Sai Buri [district] on April 24, Komkrit said.

They are key insurgent members with criminal records and we were looking for them.

Amrans uncle, who was not at the scene, said his family was aware that his nephew was wanted by the police.

He left home a long time ago and police were after him, the uncle, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told BenarNews over the phone.

The victims in the April attack were a businessman, Suporn Kittiprapanan, 58; his daughter Jiraporn, 26; and his nephew Santipattana Kittiprapanan, also 26. The relatives were traveling from Had Yai district in Songkhla province to Narathiwat province to deliver foam and plastic products when suspected rebels attacked them on a highway in Sai Buri, a district of Pattani, police said.

Four men on two motorbikes kept firing at the victims pickup truck until it swerved into a ditch, police said.

Jinaporn died in the truck, which the assailants set on fire, Suporn was dragged out of the truck and shot dead, and Santipattana died as he was being transported to a hospital.

Officials claimed then that the gruesome attack was in retaliation for the killing of a suspected insurgent and the arrest of two others in Narathiwat two days earlier.

Conflict will continue to smolder

According to statistics recorded by the police in the Deep South, insurgent-related violence dropped to six incidents in May from 19 in April.

The Deep South encompasses Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala provinces and four districts of Songkhla. It has been the flash point of armed conflict between government troops and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (the National Revolutionary Front or BRN), Thailands largest separatist insurgent group, over several decades.

The violence in the Deep South remains at amongst the lowest levels since 2004, said Zachary Abuza, a Deep South security expert based in Washington who contributes columns to BenarNews.

The insurgents are clearly on their back foot. Attacks against civilians do occur, but they are infrequent, a fraction of what they were at the height of the insurgency. If militants do initiate attacks, its usually against security forces, Abuza, a professor at the National War College and an adjunct at Georgetown University, told BenarNews via email.

Still, the conflict in the Deep South will continue to smolder, he said, citing the Thai governments reluctance to address the core political grievances of the border regions predominantly Muslim Pattani Malay community as among the reasons.

Since the decades-old insurgency reignited in January 2004, more than 7,000 people have been killed in the region, according to Deep South Watch, a think-tank based in Pattani.

Face-to-face peace talks between Thailand and the BRN have been stalled since March last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but both sides said they continued to meet online at technical-level panels, with Malaysia serving as facilitator.

The last virtual meeting was held in February, Abdul Rahim Noor, the Malaysian broker of talks between the Thai government and the rebels, confirmed to BenarNews at the time.
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The Lanesborough Select Board is poised to hire Capt. Robert Derksen of the Cortland County Sheriffs Office in central New York as the successor to Police Chief Timothy Sorrell, who is retiring June 30.
Students as well as adults who are not fully vaccinated are still required to cover their faces indoors through the end of the 2020-2021 school year, according to Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley.
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As I drove past the luscious green pastures with pearl painted fences, I noticed all of the cows grazing for food. It seemed like these cattle were living the life, a nice red barn to sleep in, as much grass as they wanted each day, and basking in the bright sunshine. However, the number on their ears told a different story. The fabulous life these cows have leads to a meat market. The security and comfort which they take in the farm is a false idea of where they are headed. They are being groomed for destruction. I pondered as I rode past that we too can be in what we believe is a happy place in our sin, but are really headed for our own downfall.

Dont get me wrong, one of my best friends is married to a cattle farmer in Kansas. They rely on these cows for their livelihood and do take good care of the cows before sending them off for meat. However, go with me for a moment and imagine your most enticing sin. Think about the pleasure, pride, or power you feel when you walk in that sin. This is no different from a cow living on a farm being prepared for the meat industry. Everything might seem like you are living your best life, when in reality you are plumping yourself full of emptiness and living in a false reality that your struggle is better than God.

Psalm 23:1-4 says, The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

The Lord tells us that He makes us lie down in green pastures and the He will lead us beside still waters. There is no better field to graze in than in the land of God. So why do we often choose other places to wander?

Why do we trade in our Farmers fields for the enemys deception? Oftentimes because the Fathers farm is not as easy. Sinful decisions are frequently the popular or easier routes. When a businessman is told that he will lose his job if he does not treat clients unfairly, he could simply push aside his morals and make more money and climb the corporate ladder of success. When a college student on scholarship failed to study well and does not know the answers to the finals, she could easily cheat to keep her scholarship. When a husband knows his wife is not home, he could choose to look at a variety of women without her knowing.

Being in the field of sin may appear appetizing and enjoyable, but over time as believers, that grass makes us sick to our stomachs over the conviction of the amazing Holy Spirit inside of us. If a person is saved, the Lord does not hold him hostage into doing the right things, but allows the free will to make choices. Sure you can go graze in another field, but after truly knowing the depth of satisfaction and identity in Christ, a person would not be able to be gone for long.





Photo credit:Getty Images/goodmoments

There is a well-known wisdom in Proverbs 26:11, As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly. The ways of the world are vomit in the sight of God. It is foolish to continually go back to ways of living that oppose the Lords best for our lives. How often though do we see perpetual sin in our life or in the lives of other believers. We know what is best for us, but we are stubborn, not spending time seeking the Lord regularly, or we just plain ignore the Holy Spirits leading.

It is the shock that comes up when another man leaves his wife and kids over an affair. It is the deepening pit of anxiety to feel like you are in control. It is the violent movies and video games that motivate a young boy to buy a gun. It is the tiny bit of credit card debt over online shopping that slowly adds up over time. A little grass here, a little grass there, sunshine here, sunshine there, then we all walk into the slaughterhouse of the devil.

I am by no means saying that we will lose our salvation. However, we can lose our way like prodigals. We can choose to live our lives by the flesh instead of the Spirit.

Romans 8:31 says, For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

But what if, instead of selecting lives that receive great praise from the world in which we live, that we graze in Gods pasture? It is not always easy, there are times when we will walk through the valleys and when the grass looks greener on the other side. But we have to remember that our ultimate destination is leading to a greater reward in heaven. Our Farmer is not out to kill us, He is out to rescue us and restore us.

Proverbs 24:11 says, Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. David Guzik says, Surely we did not know this: We shouldnt be indifferent towards those headed toward death. Since they often reject Gods wisdom and are hostile, it is easy to give up on them or ignore them. Yet God, He who weighs the hearts, does know and consider this.

Are you roaming in a territory that is going to end badly? Is a loved one straying from the pasture of God? Cry out to the Lord today on your behalf or on theirs. Confess and turn away. I think about the prodigal son. He may not have even had the strength to run to his Father, but when his Father saw him, he ran to his son and embraced Him. May we all look with discernment in every season to make sure that we are restoring and resting in the presence of the Lord and living out His best for our lives.

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Emma Danzeys mission in life is to inspire young women to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. Emma is a North Carolina resident and green tea enthusiast! She is married to her husband Drew and they serve international college students. She enjoys singing, dancing, trying new recipes, and watching home makeover shows. During her ministry career, Emma recorded two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, ran the Refined Magazine, and served in music education for early childhood. Currently, she is in the editing stages of her first two writing projects: a Bible study on womanhood and a non-fiction book on singleness. You can visit her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com
What Is Glossolalia?

Many of the creations and wondrous acts of God defy the imagination, yet He gave us the language the writers of Scripture used to impart His words to us. We can also describe with language, to the best of our ability, what we read in Scripture. The Holy Spirit is of the utmost importance for us; He gives us an understanding of Gods word, and we discern what the world will never comprehend (1 Corinthians 2). The second chapter of Acts introduces one such wonder to us, and its what some define as glossolalia. Acts 2:1-4 records what happened on the Day of Pentecost when the sound of a mighty rushing wind came accompanied by divided tongues of fire that rested on each of the disciples who were gathered together. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4).

Glossolalia is a 19th-century term extrapolated from the Greek word, glossa, which is the word Peter used in this passage. Glossa means tongue (in this case it means language). Lale is defined as to speak. Therefore, glossalalia is defined as speaking in tongues. The Oxford Languages Dictionary defines glossolalia as the phenomenon of (apparently) speaking in an unknown language, especially in religious worship. It is practiced especially by Pentecostal and charismatic Christians. It is also said to be speech-like sounds thought to be a spiritual manifestation of the Holy Spirit for use in private or public prayer in a language that does not exist.

What Does the Bible Say about Speaking in Tongues?

Speaking in tongues is first mentioned in Mark 16:17, as Jesus foretells, And these signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues. Jesus, in this passage, spoke to the disciples (the 11those who would become the apostles). New tongues are new languages, and this happened on that amazing Day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2. (Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include Mark 16:9-20, although evidence points to their inclusion).

The word, new is important as we look at this passage. Its the Greek word, koinos, which means new of form, not of something that is entirely unknown, but new to those who heard them. They were new languages to the speakers, unlike that to which they were accustomed. The disciples who were gathered together on the Day of Pentecost is a poignant depiction of this. The people in attendance heard in their own languages what the disciples said. Peter, thenwhen he stood and preachedis not said to be perplexed by his own speech. He spoke with a firm stance and without hesitation. He knew what he said (Acts 2:11).

In Acts 10, after Peter was brought to the house of Cornelius (a Gentile) by the Spirit (Acts 10:19-22), he shared the Gospel with Cornelius household. And all the [Jewish] believers with him were amazed because the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. They heard the Gentiles speak in other languages (tongues) just as happened to them(Acts 10:44-48).

Pauls ministry is affected by this, too. Acts 19 reports the account of Paul while he ministered in Ephesus. He encountered about 12 disciples who had not heard of the Holy Spirit. Paul laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. Here again, the term tongues means languagesknown languages.

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12, records the gifts of the Spirit and the purpose of speaking in tongues. Throughout the chapter, Pauls overarching message is that although there are various kinds of gifts, there is one Spirit Who empowers them (1 Corinthians 12:11).

Facts about languages (tongues) as mentioned by Paul are:

The manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good (v. 7).

Various kinds of tongues (languages) is mentioned in v. 10 as one of the gifts. It would have been an important gift during the first century, as the spread of Christianity eclipsed the confines and local languages of Judea and Samaria (Acts 1:8).

In 1 Corinthians 13:8, Paul highlights lovehow it will never end. As a contrast, Paul says the gifts of prophecy and knowledge will pass away, and the gift of tongues will cease. The when of cessation is implied to be at the Second Advent of Christ because the apostle Paul includes himself in that period (1 Corinthians 13:12).

An essential proviso of the gift of tongues is an interpreter, and the goal is to build up the church (1 Corinthians 14:5-6).

In 1 Corinthians 12:30, Paul reasons with the church about the various gifts and how they are distributed. We are not to be upset if we do not have the same gift(s) as someone else. Not everyone will be able to speak in another language. The key is to work together with the gifts we are given.

Paul also says speaking in other languages is a sign for unbelievers. Since glossa refers to language, it would not make sense for a church full of believers to need this sign gift. In 1 Corinthians 14:18, Paul says he is thankful he speaks in tongues (other languages) more than all of you. That makes sense because he is the great missionary of the first century and he would require the gift to interact with people of other nations.

Paul gives further reference to tongues in 1 Corinthians 12:28 (a list of gifts), 13:1,8; 14:18, 21-23, 39.

What Is the Difference between Xenolalia and Glossolalia?

Xenolalia is when a person speaks in a language unknown to him. The Greek word means foreign-speaking. In modern-day usage, it could be likened to a missionary in a foreign country who has the ability to speak the native language with no training. Glossolalia is defined as something which sounds similar to speech, but which does not correspond to a known language.

Is Glossolalia Biblical?

This demands a two-fold answer. The Greek word glossa is used in all New Testament passages which refer to speaking a language (Scriptures as noted above). The idea of speaking in an unintelligible language, or as ecstatic utterances (glossolalia) via spiritual experience (whether forced or not) is a late 19th-century development by German Protestant theologians; they attempted to explain tongues as recorded in the New Testament. The term, glossolalia was coined by F. W. Farrar in his 1879 book, The Life and Work of St. Paul.

As used by those whose definition of glossolalia fits the term as defined in the 19th century, it is not biblical. Intelligence is part of the character God imparted to us as His image-bearers. To speak in public with sounds and utterances which cannot be interpreted, nor which do not serve to build up the church is chaotic and confusing, and God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). Earlier in the same chapter (vv. 26-28), Paul gives a mandate about the use of speaking in other languages within the church setting. He is clear all should be done to build up the church body, and he reiterates the need for an interpreter. If none is present, silence is the rule, and the person should speak to himself and to God (1 Corinthians 14:26-28).

1 Corinthians 13 is called the love chaptera whole chapter devoted to love! Verse eight says, Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. Starting in 1 Corinthians 13:1, Paul reiterates the supreme importance of love, which is to direct how the church uses each of its gifts. Love is a gift from the Lord, and He is the Giver of every perfect gift (James 1:17), and lest we forget, God is love (1 John 4:8). Paul uses hyperbole to make a strong defense of his point about love being the greatest (1 Corinthians 13:13). When he says, If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal, the meaning is clear. That the tongues of men is genuine language is affirmed in Acts 2:1-13. As for tongues (languages) of angels, there is nothing in Scripture that corroborates this as actual language. Paul is being suppositional.

In conclusion, it would be out of character for the Spirit to give a gift that does not edify nor contribute to the well-being of other members of the church; a nonsensical utterance (glossolalia) does not benefit anyone. Nor does it bring glory to the Lord, which is our chief end. Jesus structured His church as one of love and order (unity), where believers glorify the Lord and edify each other through the use of their spiritual gifts.

Photo credit: GettyImages/gorodenkoff

Lisa Loraine Baker is a rock & roll girl who loves Jesus. She and her husband, Stephen, inhabit their home as the Newlyweds of Minerva with crazy cat, Lewis. Lisa is co-author of the non-fiction narrative, Someplace to be Somebody (End Game Press, spring 2022). She has also written for Lighthouse Bible Studies, and CBN.com,
What about giving? In Acts 20:35, the Apostle Paul quotes Jesus as his closing word of encouragement to the Ephesians saying "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Paul was departing for Jerusalem to preach the gospel, and he stopped at Ephesus, a church he had planted and where he had ministered longer than any other place. He called for the elders of the church and gave one of the most impassioned sermons in Scripture. Yet, the crescendo is this quote from Jesus, a quotation not mentioned in the Gospels, and was by direct word from Jesus, or, perhaps, had come to him from Peter or another of the Twelve. The climactic word? It is better to give than to receive. Do you find that a little odd? Surely, one might ponder, Paul could have given a more inspiring word to that going away gathering than a stewardship admonition. Is there something more in these few words than merely a concern about giving in the Church?

3 Points to Understanding the Meaning of it is better to give than to receive.

1. The Apostle Paul used the message of giving to encourage the Church.

The Apostle Paul gives a great gift to the Ephesians as he is about to depart from them. His gift is to remind them of the blessing of generosity. Isn't it interesting that one of the last things that he says is to remind them to give? This was not a self-serving reminder (Now, you all send in your pledge cards, you hear!). No, Saint Paul did not ask for money. Indeed, he talked about how he had earned his own way. However, the great apostle of the heart set free was concerned about the souls of the Ephesian Christians. In an affluent community like Ephesus, the natural human impulse is to accumulate. "To receive is better to give" is the base attitude of not only an unregenerate heart but a believer in the midst of sanctification. So, it is interesting that Paul uses his final words to the Ephesian to encourage a spirit getting.

2. The Apostle Paul used a message of giving that he had received from the Lord Jesus.

If you have a Bible or a Bible mobile device that presents Jesus' words in red you will see that this famous statement on giving is better than receiving is attributed to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. However, there is no Gospel record of Jesus uttering these words. Indeed, without this utterance by Paul, we would not know that Jesus gave this teaching. So, did Paul make it up? Well, of course not. The Apostle John tells us that the works of Jesus, and he intends by his mention of books to mean both words and deeds, exceed what John and his colleagues have recorded: And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen (John 21:25). This statement does not intend to give credence to apocryphal works about Jesus, composed by those who were not eyewitness (and, thus, not breathed forth by the Holy Spirit), but rather to emphasize that the message of John (and by extrapolation, Matthew, Mark, and Luke) provides all that is necessary to establish the person and nature of our Lord Jesus and to provide precisely what is needed for you to believe. The old Puritan Presbyterian standard commentator, Matthew Henry, put it thus:

"If it be asked why the gospels are not larger, it may be answered, It was not because they had exhausted their subject; [Instead] It was not needful to write more; It was not possible to write all; [and] It was not advisable to write much."1

The Apostle Paul, as authoritative spokesman of the Lord, is a remarkable exception to the other apostles. He says that he is the last of the apostles and the least of the apostles (1 Cor. 15:9). However, he is remarkable also for being taught directly by the resurrected Christ. For we read, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord (2 Cor. 12:1); and For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you (1 Cor. 11:23). The other disciples, also, considered Pauls writings to be that of the Lord (2 Peter 3:16). So, while these words were not recorded in other parts of the Scripture they were spoken by Jesus to Paul and they are completely compatible with the rest of the teaching of Scripture.

One might surmise that Paul chose this revelation from Jesus to more emphatically emphasize his own personal concern for the Ephesians. It is like saying, If there is just one thing I would say to you to help you in the very areas where I see problems, it is thisas Jesus saidit is better to give than to receive.

3. The Apostle Paul used the message of giving as a way to teach other spiritual lessons.

The larger context of Pauls teaching in Acts 20 points to a deeply spiritual message that uses his experiences, lessons, and history of planting the church, to cultivate spiritual fruit in the Ephesians. So, too, Pauls quotation of Jesus that giving is better than receiving is not a name-it-and-claim-it formula for self-promotion or privatized prosperity, but is, rather, a truth that opens up other truths to heal the pathologies of the human soul. The matter of giving is a gateway teaching into a more comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of the soul. So, Paul used a message of Jesus to deal with presenting mattersperhaps, a lack of priority of missions to other churches or areas where the gospel was neededthat, if followed, would, also, bring healing to other areas of the Ephesians lives.

So, let us ask the question, how is it better to give than to receive?

3 Practical Reasons Why it Is Better to Give Than to Receive

The call to give is an invitation to a work of the Holy Spirit in other parts of ones life. Let us consider three reasons why it is better to give than to receive.

1. It is better to give than to receive because giving liberates us from a privatized faith.

It is better to give than to receive because giving releases us from the isolation of self. To receive something is a privatized act.

When we receive a gift from someone elseof money, goods, or even the gift of encouragementwe experience at minimum a sense of appreciation and often a time of great joy and comfort. No one would want to miss out on the gift of love, or the gift of support when we need it! But that is not what Paul is concerned with, in Jesus statement. Receiving is good. However, receiving is a pleasant joy that is experienced, mostly, in isolation. In receiving, I experience the blessing. There is nothing wrong with such a response. Indeed, we are all recipients of Gods grace in Jesus Christ.

Yet, in assessing, diagnosing, and treating the spiritual ills of the Ephesians, Jesus, through Paul, taught that as good as receiving is, the giving is even better. Why? Whereas, receiving is often personal, giving leads to joy with others. If God wanted the Ephesians to experience the joy of the Lord in community, He would call them to know the joy of giving. Paul taught the Ephesian to give to those in the community who were poor and hungry and in need. In doing so, they become part of something larger than themselves. They become a true community.

The command for us to give is not merely to support local ministry, foreign missions, and the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Jesus is concerned with your growth in grace. To give is to experience being a part of a movement that is bigger than you are. To give is to experience the liberation from a privatized religion into a global movement of Christian faith, and this opens up our hearts for even greater spiritual blessings.

2. It is better to give than to receive because this is an imitation of Christ.

The Bible says that Jesus did not cling to His divine privileges in heaven, but He left His royal robes of kingship to come to earth and take up the form of a man (without ever ceasing to be God). The passage in Philippians 2, like Acts 20:35, is related to our giving of ourselves to others to imitate Jesus and, thus, become more fully integrated into the motif of Christ: the cross, the resurrection, the ascension, and the glorious and certain hope of a new heaven and a new earth. Note the breadth and depth of this teaching and the timeline, from eternity past to eternity future:

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:3-11)

The essential nature of the incarnation is one of giving. Thomas a Kempis wrote the classic, the imitation of Christ. In that remarkable book, which I've used to my own devotion, Thomas a Kempis demonstrates how the imitation of Christ causes believers to begin to look more like the life of Jesus. We began to take on the family resemblances of our Lord. Giving is, therefore, part of growth in Christ. To withhold, to only receive from others, is to thwart the Spirit-controlled growth in the likeness of Christ. So, it is better to give than to receive because to give is to imitate Christ and thus to become more like him in our lives.

3. It is better to give than to receive because giving is an act of worship.

To give not only brings us into the life of community and away from the isolation of selfishness; it not only is an imitation of Christ and stirs one to God's mission in the world, but Giving is a supreme act of worship. Indeed, I wrote a book on this for my own congregation which was subsequently used in others. My encouragement to them was that joyful generosity would more nearly free them from the distractions of the world to worship in spirit and in truth. The essence of worship is giving: giving praise, giving thanks, giving our supplications and needs to the Lord. So, to give away ones possessionsoneselfis a defiant act in the presence of a fallen nature. This happy defiance, however, cultivates a soul that is free to prioritize Christ; a will that is more nearly bent to grace-induced obedience, and, thus, to enter into a posture of total worship.

Giving is an act of worship because it ushers us into a mission that is larger than ourselves, a life of discipleship that is shaped on the life of Jesus and cultivates a lifetime of doxology.

The goal of giving is altogether related to the worship and the kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives. And that is why giving is better than receiving. The thing is, because of all of these truths, you will end up receiving far more than you could ever give. To receive by giving is the powerful paradox of lavish generosity. To die to self is to experience true life. To forgive is to be forgiven. In all of these things, manifestations of the single gospel truth of Gods gift to us, we see that giving out of our receiving the gift of ChristHis life given as the righteousness we need, His death given as atonement for the sin we have committedis just the power of the cross.

Note:

1. As quoted in Lange, John Peter, and Philip Schaff. A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: John. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2008. Photo credit: GettyImages/sticker2you

MICHAEL A. MILTON (Ph.D., University of Wales; MPA, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; MDIV, Knox Theological Seminary; Cert. in Higher Education Teaching, Harvard University) serves as the Provost and James Ragsdale Chair of Missions and Evangelism at Erskine College and Seminary. A Presbyterian minister (PCA, ARP), Milton has penned more than thirty books, hundreds of articles in journals, magazines, opinion columns, and newspapers. As president of the D. James Kennedy Institute and Faith for Living, Milton has served as a public theologian. His work has been cited on numerous national media outlets as he provides historic Christian insights into faith and life in a changing world. Dr. Milton's record of ministry includes seminary chancellor, president of three seminaries, senior minister of one of America's historic churches, founder of three congregations, and a Christian academy. A composer and artist, Mike and Mae Milton reside in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Learn more at michaelmilton.org/about. [from a press release by McCain& Associates.]

This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.

Listen to our Daily Bible Verse Podcast Now!




Not long before my grandmother passed away, she called me into her room and pulled a small treasure from behind her back. When you were little, I told you this would be yours one day. Then grandma placed her ruby ring in my palm.

The ring is special to menot because of its worth, but because I adored my grandmother, and it is the last gift I received from her.

In the same way, Christ had gathered his disciples to warn them of his death and give them something of value. But unlike my grandmothers ring, Jesuss gift was intangible and of incalculable value. John 14:27 (NIV) explains, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.

Do you have peace today?

What Does 'My Peace I Give You' Mean?

Rather than greeting one another with a handshake, Hebrew men at the time of Christ welcomed or parted ways with the words, Shalom, shalom which means peace. But, Jesus said, my peace I give you. What did Jesus mean?

According to Biblehub.com, the Greek translation of peace is eirene. The root is thought to mean to join or set at one again while its everyday use inferred quietness or rest.

Christ lived a life of peace and, as a result, was offering his followers peace in at least three specific areas.

Peace with God. Whether He faced storms, temptations, or trials, Jesus remained rooted in God. John 10:30 (KJV) reads, I and the Father are one. In other words, they were joined together or at peace with one another.

Christs disciples and other believers also receive a oneness or peace with God through Jesuss sacrifice on the cross which provided a way for people to be set at one again in a relationship that had been fractured as the result of the fall of man.

Peace with self. Our society is flooded with stories about people struggling with poor self-image. Despite his humble birth and servant-leadership style, Jesus did not grapple with identity issues. Without apology, Jesus announced his deity when He proclaimed, before Abraham was, I am (John 8:48 ESV).

When we accept Christs gift of peace, we begin to understand our identity rests in what God says about us. Even though we will continue to struggle with sin, our faith in Jesus will produce peacethat sense of quiet rest, through the fruit of the Spirit.

Peace with others. When Christ gave his followers the gift of peace, they could not have known this would alter their relationship with the Romans who oppressed them. But after Jesus resurrection, the Lord commissioned the disciples saying, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15 NKJV).

Every creature included the Romans. In obedience to Christs command and transformed by His life and resurrection, men who had detested the Romans began ministering to and caring for them.

The Prince of Peace also equips us to share His love with those with whom we may not agree, understand, or be like. Scripture reminds us that if possible we are to live peaceably with all (Romans 12:18 ESV).

Why Was it Important that Jesus Said 'My Peace I Give You' before His Ascension?

A soldier for many years, my husband frequently deployed to out-of-the-way places. Because communication was limited during his months away from home, he penned daddy notes in advance for our two small boys which I delivered and read each morning before breakfast.

These notes filled our children with hope as they anticipated their fathers return and reminded them of his love. They also provided reassurance, comfort, and encouragement.

When Christ gave his disciples the guarantee of peace before His ascension, He also extended a reminder of secure love, reassurance, comfort, and encouragement.

They would need it. After all, the disciples witnessed or were aware of all Jesus endured including the following:

Jesus was:

The disciples would hide in the upper roomunsure and mourning the death of their leader. Jesus had promised them His peace, but it is unlikely they understood what He meant until the miraculous happened. John 20:19 (NTL) readson Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! Peace be with you, he said (John 20:19 NLT).

What were the first words Jesus said when greeting the disciples?

Peace be with you.

Why Is Jesus Known as the Prince of Peace?

An Old Testament birth announcement composed by the prophet Isaiah gave Christ one of His many titles, the Prince of Peace. That Bible verse, Isaiah 9:6 (NLT), also tells us the government will rest on His shoulders.

In our world, few if any governments rule peacefully. The kings, chiefs, despots, presidents, and other officials often battle for power and influence. And, unfortunately, countries war with one another and even within their own boundaries.

The position Jesus holds as the Prince, or Sar, of Peace is far different from what we see around us. This is no ordinary person. Sar means ruler or chief of angels.

Christ, who claimed equality with God as mentioned earlier in the article, is the ruler of angels and the chief of all government. He will not be overthrown, overcome, or overpowered. He has proven that through His resurrection.

In addition, the word for Peace in this verse is from the Hebrew, shalom, which means: 1) wholeness and 2) peace and safety.

Like me, you may long for a city, country, and world that lives in continual wholeness, peace, and safety. Without division and free of racism, hatred, and strife. A world of shalom. That is the sort of rule Jesus will bring when He returns as the Prince of Peace. You can read more about His coming rule here.

How Does Jesus Give Us Peace Today?

During the same discussion in which Jesus promised the disciples His peace, He also comforted them by saying, Do not let your hearts be troubledMy Fathers house has many roomsI am going there to prepare a place for you (John 14:1-2 NIV).

Gods promises are as true for us as they were the early disciples. When our newsfeed swells with bad news or social media spills over with negativity, we can meditate on Christs words as we look forward to a hope-filled future.

But knowing the words of Scripture, understanding His promises, and growing in our relationship with God requires action on our part. We will not be at peace if we are not soaking in His presence.

Imagine you marry someone you adore. A few months after the wedding, you feel comfortable in your relationship and stop texting at random times, refuse to visit the in-laws because they annoy you, and decide spending time together is useless since you are already married. A marriage relationship with lackluster devotion deteriorates.

In the same way, our relationship with Jesus suffersalong with our peaceif we fail to spend time communicating and learning from Him through prayer and worship, reading Scripture, and other spiritual disciplines.

If you are struggling to find peace, seek Him; Jesus longs to give you His shalom.

Further Reading

40 Powerful Prayers for Peace Within

What Did Jesus Mean by 'My Peace I Give to You'?

Photo credit: Unsplash/Priscilla Du Preez

Tammy Kennington is a writer and speaker familiar with the impact of trauma, chronic illness, and parenting in the hard places. Her heart is to lead women from hardship to hope. You can meet with Tammy at her blog www.tammykennington.com where shell send you her e-book, Moving from Pain to Peace-A Journey Toward Hope When the Past Holds You Captive.

This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.

Listen to our Daily Bible Verse Podcast Now!




KAMIAH - On Saturday, June 19, at approximately 3:14pm, Kamiah Fire-Rescue crews were dispatched to 6 miles up Beaverslide Road after receiving reports of a grass/brush fire.

A command officer, brush engine, structure engine, and water tender responded. Idaho Department of Lands Maggie Creek Station was also immediately requested.

Upon arrival, crews found members of the North Central Idaho Radio Operators working to help secure the fire. Crews quickly were able to suppress the fire, which was roughly 30 feet by 45 feet and did not threaten any primary structures.

Kamiah Fire-Rescue would like to thank all cooperation of responders from NCI Radio members, IDL Engine 34, and Idaho County Sheriff's Office.

They would also like to remind the public its going to be extremely hot and dry over the next several days. Please use caution, stay hydrated, and do not delay any call to 911 for a fire.
UPDATE (6/22/21): After searching since the evening of June 19, 2021, searchers Donny and Jerry Keeler located John Mack McBoyle Jr. at approximately 3pm today, June 22, 2021. He was found in the area of Service Flats, which is approximately 4-5 miles west of where Mr. McBoyles vehicle was parked. Mr. McBoyle was in fair condition, but disoriented.

UPDATE (6/21/21): On Monday, June 21, the Idaho County Sheriff's Office continued the search but were unable to locate Mr. McBoyle. Search efforts will continue on Tuesday, June 22.

GRANGEVILLE - On Saturday evening the Idaho County Sheriffs Office received a report of a mushroom hunter who was overdue. The reporting party advised dispatch that the man was foraging for mushrooms in the vicinity of forest road 2000, near Fish Creek Campground. The missing subject is 76-year-old John Mack McBoyle Jr, of Grangeville.

On the night of June 19 and through the evening of June 20, Idaho County Sheriffs Office Deputies, Grangeville Mountain Rescue Unit, the Idaho County Sheriffs Posse, Valley County Search Dogs, Two Bear Air & Rescue, and other volunteers conducted a thorough search of the area, where they found McBoyle's vehicle, but were unsuccessful in locating McBoyle.

Wildland Firefighting crews, who were on foot in the area, also searched Sunday night.

Idaho County Sheriff Doug Ulmer said Monday morning that the search is still ongoing, and that military search crews will be flying the search area Monday.

Anyone who had any contact with McBoyle after 1:00 p.m. Saturday is asked to call the Idaho County Sheriffs Office at 208-983-1100 Ext. 0, or dial 911.
MECOSTA COUNTY  The Muskegon River Watershed Assembly received $270,000 in grants to help fund the removal of two Mecosta County dams.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently announced the 17 fish habitat conservation projects in streams and lakes across the state that will share over $2.1 million in Fisheries Habitat Grants.

The projects, supported by an additional $616,000 in matching partner contributions, will rehabilitate and protect valuable fish habitat that provides the foundation for Michigans world-class fisheries.

Eleven of the funded projects are priority habitat conservation projects as identified by the DNR.

The Muskegon River Watershed Assembly received $114,700 to help fund the removal of the Altona Dam, and $156,200 to remove the Buckhorn Dam.

The Altona Dam project was put at the top of the water authoritys list because it's currently failing and portions of the dam are falling into the river.

The project will include stabilizing the embankments and the eroding stream bank; reestablishing the stream channel; grading and sloping of newly established banks; and planting native trees and shrubs.

The other area is the Buckhorn Dam along the Buckhorn Creek in Paris Park, which adjoins the White Pine Trail Linear State Park.

The MRWA hopes to create a plan that will result in a free-flowing river, which will include stabilization of the stream banks and maintenance of the trail crossing to ensure its integrity.

Once completed, seven miles of natural stream will be reconnected to allow fish movement upstream and downstream and create new fishing opportunities.

The Fisheries Habitat Grant program provides funding for a variety of activities including fish habitat conservation, dam removal and repair, resource assessment studies and access to recreation opportunities like fishing.

Funding from fishing license sales, State of Michigan general funds and a settlement with Consumers Energy is distributed through three grant areas: aquatic habitat conservation, dam management, and aquatic habitat and recreation in the Au Sable, Manistee and Muskegon river watersheds.

Joe Nohner, a resource analyst with the DNR Fisheries Division, said the funded projects will protect and rehabilitate fish habitats across the state, while in many cases improving public safety by removing dams.

When completed, these projects will reconnect fish passage on over 250 miles of streams, including coldwater habitats that provide greater resilience to warming on some of the states premier trout and salmon rivers such as the Au Sable, Boardman, Pere Marquette and Muskegon, Nohner said. Well also be able to get valuable new information about inland lake aquatic vegetation, mussel populations and northern Michigan trout streams, which means even more effective resource management.
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Heres whats happening across our nation. Drug seizures surge at the southern border Officials in New York drop charges against hundreds of rioters

California Governor Gavin Newsom attacked in Oakland Portland police disband an elite unit after calls to Defund the department Catholic Bishops move forward on new rules for pro-abortion politicians Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, is America no longer one nation?





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The Vaxxinity UB-612 vaccine is the first Multitope protein/synthetic peptide vaccine to fight the SARS-CoV-2 virus

Vaxxinity, a US-based company pioneering the development of a new class of immunotherapeutic vaccines, in close collaboration with Taiwanese firm UBI-Asia, has announced a purchase order for its COVID-19 vaccine, UB-612, with the Government of Paraguay, contingent upon issuance of an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Taiwanese Food and Drug Administration (TFDA), which will trigger an EUA in Paraguay.

The UB-612 vaccine is expected to be delivered later this summer, pending issuance of an EUA by the TFDA and subsequent registration by Paraguays National Health Surveillance Authority (DINAVISA). As the Ministry of Health and Welfare noted the leadership shown on June 16 by the Government of Paraguay guarantees that Paraguay will be one of the first countries in the world to receive UB-612 once it is issued an EUA.

Vaxxinity, in close collaboration with its partner, UBI-Asia, is completing a large Phase 2 clinical trial of UB-612 in Taiwan, with support from Taiwans Ministry of Health and Welfare, and will soon begin its Phase 2/3 efficacy trial in India in partnership with Aurobindo. Vaxxinity has also announced a global logistics partnership with Maersk, the worlds largest shipping and integrated logistics provider, that creates a framework for all transportation and supply chain services that will be needed to deliver UB-612 around the world.

The Vaxxinity UB-612 vaccine is the first Multitope protein/synthetic peptide vaccine to fight the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The UB-612 vaccine elicits broad humoral or cellular immune responses against several viral proteins to protect against COVID-19.
The 100-bed hospital was built from the ground up in less than 20 days

Boeing India with Doctors for You (DFY) and SELCO Foundation have established a 100 oxygenated bed facility at Karnataka State Power Corporation Ltd. (KSPCL), Yelahanka, to treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases and support existing hospitals in the region. Boeing India has funded the facility, Doctors for You - is providing the necessary staff and care, SELCO Foundation has set up the pre-fabricated facility. KSPCL provided the land necessary to set up the hospital.



It is commendable that corporates have joined hands with the government in the fight against COVID second wave. Its indeed a great pleasure that Boeing India has partnered with SELCO Foundation and Doctors for You (DFY) to build a 100-bed oxygenated super-speciality Covid care facility at KSPCL, campus in Yelahanka, Chief Minister of Karnataka, BS Yediyurappa said at the inauguration.



The hospital was built from the ground up in less than 20 days. Of the 100-oxygen beds, 10-beds are dedicated for ICU services and 20-beds for the High Dependency Units (HDU) ward. The hospital will also have areas for triage, donning and doffing, pharmacy, laboratory, rest areas, nurse stations and meeting rooms for medical staff. The DFY team will comprise specialist and generalist doctors, paramedics, and facility management staff. Boeings funding will also provide medical equipment, including CT scanners, ventilators, oxygen cylinders and concentrators, flow meters, and ambulances to the hospital.



We sincerely thank Boeing India, SELCO Foundation and Doctors For You (DFY) for helping set up a 100-bed oxygenated facility in Yelahanka, Bengaluru. It is heartening to see private-public collaboration to augment health infrastructure in the state and create a positive impact on people in need, DV Sadanand Gowda, Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers said.



Boeings contribution is part of its $10 million emergency assistance package announced in April to support Indias COVID-19 response.



The KPCL campus in Yelahanka was chosen because of its proximity to an already existing oxygen generation plant. The design and construction of the hospital have been done in an environmentally friendly manner - building materials were chosen to maximise thermal comfort for patients and hospital staff. Daylighting and solar power for night-time electricity requirements ensure reliability and efficiency.



We are thankful to Boeing India, SELCO Foundation and Doctors For You (DFY) for establishing a 100-bed COVID Care oxygenated facility at Karnataka Power Corporation Limited. (KPCL) premises in Bengaluru. Thank you to all stakeholders for supporting the state in our efforts to fight the COVID-19 battle, P Ravi Kumar, Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka said.



Boeing stands in solidarity with India and wants to be a part of the solution in the fight against COVID. Our ongoing relief efforts in association with our partners, are aimed at reaching communities most impacted by the virus and includes providing medical supplies, emergency healthcare and setting up COVID-care hospitals for communities and families affected, said Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India.
In a letter sent out recently, the brand has highlighted the importance of making yoga an integral part of the COVID-19 recovery process

SARVA, Indias fastest growing yoga-based wellness platform, has reached out to the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, to offer its services digitally completely free of cost.

In a letter sent out recently, the brand has highlighted the importance of making yoga an integral part of the COVID-19 recovery process. The brand delineates how the ministry has taken commendable steps towards not only curbing the pandemic, but also highlighting the true power of yoga to the entire world.

Speaking about this, Sarvesh Shashi, Founder, SARVA, said, There cannot be a more opportune time to integrate yoga into peoples lives than now. Given how the last two years have been with the pandemic and how yoga has benefitted several people, there is a need to make it a national practice. Once the dangers of the pandemic ease out, government needs to provide parks, beaches and other recreational centres with a dedicated space for people to frequent and practice yoga. Our country has no dearth of such spaces and an initiative by the Ministry of Ayush can bring about an incredible change, driving people towards Fit India Missions goal. This is what we have set out to do with our initiative.

Mumbai-based SARVA is equipped to offer its vast resource pool, operational technical platform and regional language content to conduct interactive as well as on demand sessions to support the ministry in execution.

The M-Yoga app announced just recently is another focal point of an alliance that SARVA aims to leverage with the ministry. The brand has expert Yoga trainers from prestigious Yoga schools in Rishikesh with proficiency in Hindi, English and regional languages. SARVA aims to leverage its knowledge and the power of digital communication to help as many people in India as well as globally in boosting their immunity and recovery from COVID-19.

SARVA recently launched SARVA 2.0 digital platform with over 1500 hours of Yoga and mindfulness content, 280+ guided goal based programmes which makes it one of the largest content banks for a yoga app in the country. The app has yoga modules across various categories and offers pre-recorded classes on the app, live classes led by instructors and celebrities, and personal training for quicker more focused results.
The conclave spearheaded discussions on the evolving SCD landscape, emerging therapies, and SCD care for women and children, including pregnancy and neonatal care

FICCI, in collaboration with Novartis, National Alliance of Sickle Cell Organizations (NASCO) and Global Alliance of Sickle Cell Disease Organizations (GASCDO), recently held the 2nd National Sickle Cell Conclave on the occasion of World Sickle Cell Day. The conclave, aimed at raising awareness of the need to combat Sickle Cell Disease.

The 2nd National Sickle Cell Conclave was convened with the hope of spearheading a vital discussion on SCD in this evolving landscape and the way forward for the same. The event was graced by speakers including Brig Dr Arvind Lal, Chair  FICCI Swasth Bharat Task Force and Executive Chairman, Dr Lal Pathlabs and Naval Jit Kapoor, Joint Secretary, MOTA, GoI who outlined a roadmap for India, discussing new SCD guidelines report currently underway that will be jointly issued by MOTA and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. He also emphasised the key role of public-private collaborations to scale impact and benefit patients.

Speakers also included Dr Aparup Das, Director, ICMR-NIRTH Jabalpur and Dr Anurag Agrawal, Director, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, who discussed diagnostic and therapeutic advancements with CRISPR technology. Dr Shailendra Hegde, Senior Vice President, Piramal Swasthya also introduced the Unmukt project, with Arjun Munda, Union Minister for Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MOTA), GoI and Renuka Singh Saruta, Minister of State, MOTA, GoI, by flagging off the mobile vans for SCD screening and giving a keynote address.

Kevin Zou, Head of Oncology, Asia Pacific Cluster, Novartis and Anil Kumar Jha, Secretary, MOTA, GoI, also addressed the conclave. A poignant video message addressing the challenge of SCD from Mary Ampomah, President and CEO, GASCDO was also showcased. The event also discussed challenges and recent advancements in SCD management through a panel discussion with health experts in the field, moderated by Vinita Srivastava, Tribal Health Cell, MOTA, GoI and Dr Tulika Seth, Professor Haematology, AIIMS. The panel explored the need to augment awareness, introduce effective preventive, management and novel treatment initiatives with a focus on women and children, including the need to scale neonatal and pregnancy screening.

Arjun Munda commented, We aim to scale the impact of such efforts, through various collaborations and commitment to disadvantaged communities, including tribal and non-tribal populations. SCD has also been highlighted by the Honble Prime Minister who has identified the need to combat the disease through advances in treatment.

Saumil Mody, GM, Novartis Oncology India and Member of the National SCD Council said, Through innovative and digitally-enabled solutions, we hope to meet our dual objectives of empowering our patients through improved SCD screening and access to advanced therapies across the country.

Novartis has embarked on its latest endeavour towards enabling patient access, facilitating a CSR initiative, Unmukt, to send mobile vans across Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand for SCD screening. Novartis has also signed an MoU with Sickle Cell Institute, Raipur to create a centre of excellence and strengthen the public healthcare systems approach towards SCD.
Leading SA marketing technology agency, Social Places, has introduced a community management portal to complement its existing reputation management software. The reputation suite also aggregates reviews from across multiple channels, manages in-store and website feedback, chatbot conversations as well as email and telephone cases - creating a holistic customer care solution for multi-location brands.

Personalised suggested responses in your brand tone allow you to streamline responses at scale and have quicker turnaround times.



Custom workflows for teams/franchisees to easily collaborate on customer feedback across teams.



Omni-channel chat support - Easily email, sms or respond to a customer within the same chat window.



Our proprietary Action items feature ensures you never miss a comment.



Categorise comment sentiment to provide insights at a brand or store level.

Managing the comments, messages and interactions you receive across multiple Facebook pages can be a challenging one, especially for multi-location brands with 100s and sometimes 1000s of location pages, says Ashleigh Wainstein, cofounder of Social Places.The team at Social Places has designed the feature specifically to make community management easier for franchise and multi-location brands. We believe we are the first SA-based technology product to provide a holistic CRM solution covering reviews, social comments, surveys and chatbot conversations. Since launching the feature last week we have already aggregated over 1.2 million comments, across 500,000+ posts for our clients.The Facebook Community Management tool, includes the below features:For more information or a demo of our Social Comments Management Tool please contact oi.secalplaicos@selas Social Places is a marketing technology agency which assists multi-location brands to manage their listings, reputation, reviews, ads, social and bookings at scale, across multiple channels. Their clients include leading global franchise brands such as Massmart, McDonalds, Spur Group and Pepkor.
Zambia-born former banker, author and entrepreneur Edwin Ngwane has created a platform that gives consultants, freelancers, unemployed graduates, semi-skilled and skilled individuals access to markets. After spending 10 years in the banking sector, holding various positions Ngwane took the daunting and often uncertain road of entrepreneurship. A decision he says was inspired by feeling stagnant in what was his dream job.

Edwin Ngwane, founder of Kawiwi.com

Can you tell us a bit about Kawiwi?

When, how and why did you get started?

What is the core function of Kawiwi?

What are some of the obstacles you've had to overcome since starting out?

What advice would you give to other aspiring entrepreneurs?

What has been your proudest achievement thus far?

What does the future of entrepreneurship look like to you?

What would you like to see changed in the African startup landscape?

I know a number of entrepreneurs who have given up because they lacked enough belief in their work and what they set out to do.

What do you believe are the traits an entrepreneur needs in order to succeed?

Tell us about your biggest struggles as an entrepreneur, as well as some major highlights.

In Africa, we do not have many banks or financiers for startups and this tends to be a challenge for most upcoming entrepreneurs.

Why would you encourage someone to become an entrepreneur?

Where would you like to see Kawiwi in the next 5 years?

We find out about his most recent project, an online platform called Kawiwi.com Kawiwi is an online marketplace for freelancers, consultants and service providers. It is a platform which allows people to have access to qualified and verified consultants and service providers.Kawiwi was built in 2020 after seeing the challenges which consultant, freelancers and service providers face with getting paid clients. We also realised that many clients were struggling with finding credible and verified consultants and service providers. We therefore embarked on creating a platform which was going to be a solution for both clients and consultants. And that's how we started the project and launched it in demo mode later in 2020.The core function of the platform is being a platform where clients can easily hire credible and verified consultants and service providers. The platform also gives consultants access to a global clientele.The challenges we faced in the beginning was acceptance of the platform. However, many people have started accepting the platform and we are seeing many consultants and clients signing up every day.An aspiring entrepreneur needs to understand that building a startup is not easy, but it is an endeavour worth pursuing. Once you embark on the entrepreneurship journey, you will meet challenges along the way, but you will be pleased with the rewards once it works.The greatest achievement for me has been the number of people I have come to meet because of being in business. Entrepreneurship has opened so many doors for me that I have met and held meetings with great and powerful people.The future looks very bright. Kawiwi is still in its infancy stage and yet the progress is very exciting. We believe that with hard work and commitment, we will be soon become a household name in the business services space.I believe that the African startup landscape is going in the right direction, but we need more belief.And since entrepreneurship is not an easy journey, self-belief helps along the way when you face challenges. I therefore encourage any African Entrepreneur to believe in themselves so much until the business works.Hard work will always be key for any business to succeed, but it has to be coupled with goal focus, determination, resilience, innovation and people skills. These traits have helped me along the way and I think they can help any person who wants to succeed in the entrepreneurship journey.The biggest challenge in my entrepreneurship journey has been financing. Almost every project I have worked on has been self-financed. And this is not easy.I remember getting a personal loan of about $25,000 from the bank for personal use and ended up diverting the funds to build Kawiwi. And this put a financial strain on my life, but I really didn't care until I finished paying off the loan and I think it was worth it.Entrepreneurship is the surest way of building wealth. I know that someone can build a steady income with a job but if you want to build wealth that will last a lifetime, entrepreneurship is the way to go.And the other reason for becoming an entrepreneur is the control you tend to have on your life. When I was an employee, I can't count the number of times I missed radio and TV interviews because the company I worked for couldn't give me the time to do those interviews. And it wasn't because they were a bad company, but because I needed to offer a service to their clients and I was responsible enough to understand that I couldn't leave my work for my personal things.However, after I left my job, I have been able to travel at short notice and do many interviews in a short period of time. This has helped the growth of Kawiwi and my writing businessKawiwi is the next big thing. I believe that the future is not about permanent jobs but rather consulting and short-term gigs. Kawiwi will therefore become an African giant and provide opportunities for skilled people. Consultants and service providers will be able to get paid clients through the platform, and clients will also get access to verified and credible consultants and service providers.We believe that Kawiwi will help with giving an alternative to employment and change the narrative about what the job is all about. Many African youths will use Kawiwi to offer their expertise and services and it will create employment for many youths.
After civil war forced Samuel Dhol Ayeun to flee South Sudan as a teenager to neighbouring Uganda in 2013, memories of watching friends die of preventable diseases due to inadequate medical care inspired his goal of becoming a doctor.

Samuel Dhol Ayeun, a trainee doctor who fled from South Sudan to Uganda. ReuterAbubaker Lubowa

Being a refugee, it's not a punishment. It is an opportunity to continue with your dreams outside your country.

First in his family

Now 27, Ayeun has graduated from medical school and is busy attending to Covid19 and other patients at the prestigious Mulago National Referral Hospital in the Ugandan capital Kampala."I made it," he told Reuters this week during his shift.Ayeun and his family are among an estimated one-million South Sudanese refugees who fled into Uganda after war broke out just two years after Juba gained independence following decades of conflict with Khartoum.The East African country's refugee policy permits refugees free movement and access to public services including education and healthcare.A total of 1.5-million refugees live in Uganda, making it the fourth-largest refugee-hosting nation in the world after Turkey, Colombia and Pakistan, Wendy Kasujja, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Uganda.However, only 20% of South Sudanese refugees of secondary education age in Uganda are currently in school as there are too few places to meet the demand, said Kasujja.Ayeun was one of the lucky ones. He attended a public high school, earning top marks and winning a scholarship from a German organisation, Duffy, to attend Uganda's prestigious Makerere University. He worked part-time as teacher to contribute to his university fees, he said.The first in his family to earn a university degree, he says he hopes to specialise in neurosurgery and intends to go back to his homeland and work as a lecturer."Considering where Ive come from, my parents were really excited," he said, adding that his family travelled from the refugee settlement where they live in northern Uganda to attend his graduation.
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...
For the past few weeks, I have been listening to both political and economic analysts to try and understand how bad this situation is. Some analysts have deemed the state of youth unemployment in SA as not only dire, but as one of the pandemics along with gender-based violence (GBV), Covid-19 and others...
There are two prevailing theories about the origins of SARS-CoV-2. The first is that SARS-CoV-2 emerged naturally and jumped from wildlife to humans, with or without an intermediary host. The other is that the virus was being kept and/or studied in a lab, from which it escaped.

Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, is one of the most ardent supporters of the natural origins theory. He told The Associated Press in November 2020 that SARS-CoV-2 could have passed from a wildlife poacher to a trader who brought it to Wuhan.1 Daszak also organized the publication of a scientific statement, published in The Lancet and signed by 26 additional scientists, condemning such inquiries as conspiracy theory.2

Daszak, however, is part of the World Health Organization team that investigated the origins of SARS-CoV-2 and has a long history of close ties to the Chinese laboratory in question  the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), from where it appears increasingly likely that the virus emerged.

The video above, Deception in America Episode One: The Tale of Peter Daszak, presents a succinct history of his involvement, as well as that of Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and who has also long backed dangerous coronavirus research, including that conducted by EcoHealth Alliance. According to the film:3

From the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, said to have begun some time in December of 2019, the battle to control the narrative has been fought ferociously by global organizations, CEOs, billionaires and the programs at the center of the Wuhan Institute of Virology controversy  Despite his attempts to shift the blame to anyone else but himself and his team, all roads eventually lead back to Daszak.

EcoHealth Alliance Is the Middleman for NIAIDs WIV Funding

EcoHealth Alliance is a nonprofit organization that receives millions in funding every year from NIAID, and then gives it to WIV. In fact, the film reveals that, since 2002, EcoHealth Alliance and Peter Daszak have received over 32 grants worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from NIH, with most coming from NIAID:4

Over the years, Peter Daszak and the Ecohealth Alliance have received $5,764,128 from the Fogarty International Center and $7,875,012 from the NIAID, for a grand total of $13,639,140.

EcoHealth Alliance also has contracts with other government departments worth millions of dollars. The following contracts are among them:5

$4.5 million with the Department of Defense (DOD)

$2.9 million with DOD

$499,000 with the National Science Foundation

$566,000 with the Department of Homeland Security

$1.2 million with the Department of Commerce

There are many others as well. According to USASpending.gov, EcoHealth Alliance has 36 contracts with various government agencies.6 Over the years, the organization has been awarded $61.5 million, with DOD chief among its funders, giving them a total of $41.9 million. Overall, 91% of EcoHealth Alliances funding comes from government grants.7

Daszak Joins the Lancet Commission on COVID-19

Daszak has extensive connections, including having worked for the Center of Infection and Immunity at Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, alongside colleague Jeffrey Sachs, the former director of The Earth Institute at Columbia.8 Sachs, also an adviser to the United Nations, spearheaded the Millennium Villages project, which was an attempt to reduce extreme poverty in Africa, supporting a shift to self-sufficiency.

While the project claimed to be a success, an evaluation in 2012 revealed its goals were unrealistic and serious questions were raised about the projects ability to create long-lasting impact, along with its cost-effectiveness.9

Sachs also wrote a number of articles in support of China, stating, for instance, that the U.S., not China, is the real threat to international law,10 and was named chair of the Lancet Commission on COVID-19. He then named Daszak as one of the commissioners.

Peter Daszaks constant involvement with people like Jeffrey Sachs and the World Economic Forum suggests that he could be another one of those types of men who are so disconnected with reality that they will do anything to shape the world, not realizing what they are doing, the film noted.11

In fact, in a Tweet from May 10, 2011, EcoHealth Alliance wrote, Q for the crowd: is western style democracy, a la USA, compatible with sustainability? Or is eastern style (a la China) better?12 As further noted by the film:13

Peter Daszaks Ecohealth Alliance receives far more in funding from the U.S. government, including grants from the Department of Defense, among others. He is also closely associated with Jeffrey Sachs via Columbia, who frequently appears alongside George Soros in talks and seminars.

Daszak is very well connected to many globalist enterprises and their organizers. His own organization touts the sustainable development goal model, originally devised by Jeffrey Sachs.

So, when Peter Daszak deflects and says his team and their research that are directly involved the Wuhan Virology Lab has nothing to do with the SARS coronavirus outbreak in 2019, it follows a pattern that the organizations he surrounds himself with do, wherein they blame a lack of funding, or other outside factors. It is never his fault.

Daszaks Gain-of-Function Research

Gain-of-function (GOF) research refers to studies that have the potential to enhance the ability of pathogens to cause disease, including enhancing either their pathogenicity or transmissibility.14 Such research is by its very nature controversial, since there are clear risks should the information be misused or the pathogens escape (or are maliciously released).

Jonathan Latham, Ph.D., a molecular biologist and virologist and Allison Wilson, Ph.D., a geneticist, are among those who believe gain-of-function research performed at WIV played "an essential causative role in the pandemic."15 However, Daszak continues to say emerging infectious diseases come from climate change and ecological drivers, ignoring the gain-of-function research that he and his organization are directly involved with.

For instance, as reported by Alexis Baden-Mayer, political director for the Organic Consumers Association, EcoHealth Alliance lists WIV and the Wuhan University School of Public Health as subcontractors under a $3.7-million NIH grant16 titled, Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence.

EcoHealth Alliance also used a sub-grant17 from the University of California at Davis to fund a gain-of-function experiment by Shi Zhengli, Ph.D., the director of WIVs Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, also known as bat woman, and colleague Ralph Baric from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, involving the use of genetic engineering to create a new bat SARS-like virus ... that can jump directly from its bat hosts to humans. According to Baden-Mayer (see hyperlinked article above):

The work, A SARS-like cluster of circulating bat coronaviruses shows potential for human emergence,18 published in Nature in 2015 during the NIHs moratorium19 on gain-of-function research, was grandfathered in because it was initiated before the moratorium  and because the request by Shi and Baric to continue their research during the moratorium was approved by the NIH.

As a condition of publication, Nature, like most scientific journals, requires20 authors to submit new DNA and RNA sequences to GenBank, the U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information Database. Yet the new SARS-like virus Shi and Baric created wasnt deposited21 in GenBank until May 2020.

Unacceptable Risks of a Man-Made Pandemic

Daszak and WHO officials continue to state that safety guidelines make it very unlikely that SARS-CoV-2 could have escaped from a lab, but a paper published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists22 revealed in 2012 that its a matter of when, not if, a potential pandemic pathogen (PPP) escapes.

At the time, they noted that there were at least 42 facilities engaged in research on live PPPs, and the actual number is likely higher. Using a conservative estimate that the probability for escape from a lab in a year is 0.3%, they found:

[This] translates to an 80 percent likelihood of escape from at least one of the 42 labs every 12.8 years, a time interval smaller than those that have separated influenza pandemics in the 20th century. This level of risk is clearly unacceptable.

In fact, biosecurity breaches in high containment biological labs in the U.S. and around the world have occurred with surprising frequency,23 and as the film noted:24

It is hardly reassuring that despite increased policy demands for rigorous biosecurity procedures, potentially high-consequence breaches occur nearly daily. In 2010, 244 unintended releases of bioweapon candidate select agents were reported. Being practical, the question is not if such escapes will result in a major civilian outbreak, but what the pathogen will be and how well it can be contained, if it can be contained at all.

WHOs investigative commission, tasked with identifying the origin of SARS-CoV-2, announced the Wuhan Institute of Virology and two other biosafety level 4 laboratories in Wuhan, China, had nothing to do with the COVID-19 outbreak in February 2021. Since then, WIV deleted mentions of its collaboration with the NIAID/NIH and other U.S. research partners from its website.25 It also deleted descriptions of gain-of-function research on the SARS virus.

Several members of the U.S. Congress have now vowed to launch their own investigation to explore the lab accident theory. The Energy and Commerce Committee has also requested extensive records from both the NIH and EcoHealth Alliance detailing research and collaborations with WIV.26

If SARS-CoV-2 did, in fact, come from a lab, it shows clearly that gain-of-function research is the real threat and reason for locking down the healthy and highlights the disturbing truth that any such pathogen manufactured to infect humans can be designated as a biological weapon, even if it was created with non-nefarious intentions.
Some witnesses said the crash appeared to be an intentional act. Spectator Christina Currie told the South Florida SunSentinel that she was with her family at the start of the parade.

All of a sudden there was a loud revving of a truck and a crash through a fence, Currie said. It was definitely an intentional act right across the lanes of traffic.

But Fort Lauderdale Police Detective Ali Adamson told reporters that authorities were investigating all possibilities.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis told reporters police had "apprehended the driver" and that the vehicle missed a parade car carrying Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) "by inches."

The man appeared to be wearing a shirt from the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus, with the acronym "FTLGMC" written in rainbow-colored lettering visible on his back. LGBTQ+ flags were also displayed on his truck.

Trantalis said he believed the incident was "premeditated" and characterized it as a "terrorist attack against the LGBT community."

But Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus president Justin Knight told news outlets that the driver and victims were a part of his group and that he understood it to be an accident, rather than a deliberate action.

To my knowledge it was an accident. This was not an attack on the LGBTQ community, Knight said in the statement. We anticipate more details to follow and ask for the communitys love and support.

Email just into our newsroom from the Fort Lauderdale Gay Mens Chorus, saying the man in custody connected to the incident in #WiltonManors is one of their own pic.twitter.com/QXgr3v968E  Layron Livingston (@LayronWPLG) June 20, 2021

However, we are sure no stone will be left unturned to denounce this as a hate crime no matter what the facts are.
On December 8, 2020, when most of America was consumed with what The Guardian called Donald Trumps desperate, mendacious, frenzied and sometimes farcical attempt to remain president, the Senates Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing on the Medical Response to Covid-19. One of the witnesses, a pulmonologist named Dr. Pierre Kory, insisted he had great news.

We have a solution to this crisis, he said unequivocally. There is a drug that is proving to have a miraculous impact.

Kory was referring to an FDA-approved medicine called ivermectin. A genuine wonder drug in other realms, ivermectin has all but eliminated parasitic diseases like river blindness and elephantiasis, helping discoverer Satoshi Omura win the Nobel Prize in 2015. As far as its uses in the pandemic went, however, research was still scant. Could it really be a magic Covid-19 bullet?

Kory had been trying to make such a case, but complained to the Senate that public efforts had been stifled, because every time we mention ivermectin, we get put in Facebook jail. A Catch-22 seemed to be ensnaring science. With the world desperate for news about an unprecedented disaster, Silicon Valley had essentially decided to disallow discussion of a potential solution  disallow calls for more research and more study  because not enough research and study had been done. Once, people werent allowed to take drugs before they got FDA approval. Now, they cant talk about them.

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Yesterday, the Supreme Court reversed a lower-court ruling in favor of corporate giants Nestle USA and Cargill, leaving human rights advocates furious.

Over a decade ago, six men had attempted to sue Nestle USA and Cargill over claims they were trafficked as child slaves to farms in the West African nation of Ivory Coast that supply cocoa to the two giant food companies, reports CNBC.

According to Common Dreams, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 against the plaintiffs, saying they had not proven the companies activities in the U.S. were sufficiently tied to the alleged child trafficking. The companies had argued that they could not be sued in the U.S. for activities that took place in West Africa.

The six plaintiffs, from the nation of Mali, claim they are survivors of child trafficking and slavery on the ivory coast and had filed their lawsuit under the Alien Tort Statute which gives the federal courts jurisdiction to hear lawsuits filed by non-U.S. citizens for torts committed in violation of international law.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has limited when the Alien Tort Statute can be invoked, especially when the offense had mostly occurred abroad.

The corporations should be held accountable for abetting a system of child slavery, says Paul Hoffman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs.

Human rights advocates have stepped in giving their opinion on the matter and showing their disdain for the Supreme Courts decision.

The ruling implies that U.S. corporations whose executives decide, from comfortable American boardrooms, to profit from murder, torture, and slavery abroad cannot be sued in U.S. federal courts for violating international law. This ruling has disturbing implications for future victims of human rights abuses seeking justice against businesses in U.S. courts. This ruling also sets a dangerous precedent, giving corporations impunity for profiting from human rights abuses, says Marco Simons, general counsel for EarthRights International.

Were celebrating the end of slavery but American companies are still profiting off of slave labor, tweeted Organizer Bree Newsome.
We need to regain trust is the theme of the year, according to remarks made by the World Economic Forums executive chairman Klaus Schwab in January 2021. But trust may be hard to engineer in an age of professional disinformation campaigns by governments, the mainstream media, and a handful of powerful elite public relations companies.

Edelman, an American public relations and marketing consultancy firm founded by Daniel J. Edelman in 1952, is the largest public relations firm in the world by revenue, and some would also say by reputation. Today, the company is run by Daniel Edelmans son, Richard Edelman. It is a firm with a rich history of controversial efforts to completely change the narrative of some of the most contentious modern issues. It also boasts close ties to the World Economic Forum and the Forums attempt to engineer trust in its various agendas.

Edelman is often found representing organizations experiencing what could be best termed as public relations nightmare scenarios. Edelman, with its previous experience representing the American Petroleum Institutethe trade association for the oil and gas industry that lobbied for the Keystone XL pipeline and the fossil fuel exploration of the Canadian tar sandsis no stranger to advocating for companies stuck in atypical negative PR situations with little, if any, possible positive outcomes. If you are a giant corporation with a reputation to launder, then Edelman is the go-to professional firm to help your organization rebuild its image or to simply help mitigate as much reputational damage as possible.

Edelman has worked on behalf of some of the most powerful businesses in the corporate world, including Microsoft, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, Wal-Mart, and General Electric to name just a tiny fraction of their past and present clientele. The company is one of the largest PR firms in the world for a reason: it fights dirty, and in doing so it often uses imaginative, yet underhanded, methods of manufacturing public consent.

The Edelman empire wasnt created by a simple run-of-the-mill marketing graduate, but rather its founder, Daniel J. Edelman, was part of the US Armys Psychological Warfare Unit during World War II. Dan Edelman was an expert in analysing and utilizing propaganda to change the mindset of the general population. His ties to the US national-security state persisted after the war, particularly through his decades-long close friendship with secretary of defense and pharmaceutical executive Donald Rumsfeld. Today, the Edelman company practices aggressive marketing techniques that achieve results like those in wartime.

The Edelman firm has not only been a vehicle for laundering the public images of big corporations, but it is also used by various governments worldwide, which allows it access to all the major halls of power. Edelman is also deeply involved with the World Economic Forum, with Richard Edelman not only an official agenda contributor to the WEF, but his firm managing the very image of the globalist organization, which is advocating for a great reset to launch us into what the WEF terms the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Edelman was also represented during the suspiciously timed Event 201 pandemic simulation of 2019, which was arranged by the WEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

In studying Edelman, we soon discover a theme that is similar to that of other elite organizationsthat is, truth is often defined in terms that are technical and disconnected from the average humans general understanding of what truth really means. Edelman is an organization that has consistently been caught using some of the most deceitful methods known in fighting against actual truth. Edelman is not a standard PR firm, but rather it is a modern propaganda machine that is often caught helping criminal corporations and rogue governments get away with murder. Understanding how it works is fundamental to our ability to make informed decisions based on fact rather than on feelings manipulated by elite malevolent players. Klaus Schwab and his World Economic Forum are, even so, hoping that Edelman will be able to help restore public trust in its stakeholder capitalism and globalism in general through its time-tested methods of deceit and manipulation.

The Edelman Trust Barometer

One of Edelmans most well-known gimmicky vehicles for the manufacture of consent is what it calls the Edelman Trust Barometer. Launched in 2000, the Edelman Trust Barometer is an annual survey of how much trust and credibility the worlds four major institutionsgovernment, business, media, and nongovernmental organizationshave in the eyes of the public. The measuring of public trust has allowed Richard Edelman to be seen as a veritable prophet in the world of public relations, even though many of his prophecies merely state the obvious in the view of most people. When such messages are conveyed to an elite that is completely isolated from experience with the general public, however, they are greeted as profound insights.

In 2020, as host of the Edelman Trust Barometer annual event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Richard Edelman explained to a small audience that in the first ten years of the new millennium, certain events during the proceeding decade negatively affected the level of trust people now have in institutions. He identified the Iraq War, globalization, the Great Recession, and the rise of India and China as the leading factors in the loss of trust. Edelman contended that these events were the primary cause of the mass class divide, the battle for truth (due to social networks), and an incredible concern for the future of work because they led to the rise of the gig economy, automation, and outsourcing. Edelman went on to say, The hypothesis Im going to make today about the construct for trust is that it now relies not just on competence, but it also relies on ethical behavior. Richard Edelmans use of a technical description of truth is telling as to how he perceives the concept of ethical behavior.

The Edelman Trust Barometer can be a fairly accurate judge of public opinion regarding major institutions both public and private, but it is often used as a tool to aid in crafting the public image of some of the most brutal, iron-fisted regimes in the world. An example of this is Edelman frequently representing of one of the least-free nations on earth, Saudi Arabia. Even though Saudi Arabia has been wrapped in controversy, including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, since the rise of Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the Edelman Trust Barometer has apparently found the kingdom to be one of the most trusted governments in both 2020 and 2021. This obvious contradiction with reality lays bare the true reason for the Edelman Trust Barometerits use as a tool for manufacturing consent for the MBS regimes war crimes in Yemen.

One of the more interesting and topically relevant conclusions drawn from the Trust Barometer results over recent years relates to fake news. If you were to assume that when Edelman uses the term fake news it is always referring to misinformation on social media by unknown and nefarious sources, you would be wrong. In a YouTube video on Edelmans official channel from 2018, Richard Edelman discusses fake news openly, saying that the Edelman Trust Barometer 2018 showed two main causes for concern: an implosion of trust in the United States and the decline of trust in the global media. Edelman also notes that, in that year, America had witnessed absolutely the biggest decline that weve seen of trust in a country in one year. The 2018 survey also showed that media was the least trusted institution for the first time on record and that media was distrusted in twenty-two of the twenty-eight countries included in the Edelman survey.

Also in 2018, it was reported that Edelman was lobbying the public relations industry to shift from advocacy to education in the fake news era, asking businesses to re-educate their staff and going on to characterize the post-Trump era as the age of disinformation. When the results of the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer were announced in Davos at the WEF, the situation had not improved for the mainstream media, with Richard Edelman describing media institutions as a plane thats running out of gas. He suggested that the cause of the distrust in mainstream media is mostly due to the politicization of big news organizations, a criticism that appears obvious to any regular observer of mainstream news organizations.

Since the dawn of the COVID-19 era, Edelman has been busier than ever. In 2020, Richard Edelman coauthored an article alongside Mercks executive vice president and chief patient officer Julie Gerberding entitled Vaccine Hesitancy Poses a Major Threat to Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Gerberding had served as head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) before becoming a Merck executive. In the article, originally published on the World Economic Forum website, Edelman and Gerberding assert that building and sustaining public trust and confidence in immunization systems is essential. They add, With 78% of people saying that businesses have a responsibility to help protect their employees and their communities, the World Economic Forum, informed by the collective expertise of its partners, is initiating a coalition of like-minded employers committed to building and sustaining vaccine confidence and literacy in the workplace.

For many people, the merger of business and government is not only the exact definition of fascism, but it can also be a way for public bodies to avoid accountability for making legally questionable or outright illegal policy choices. Yet, Edelman, Gerberding, and the WEF claim they want to simply see businesses educate their employees about the potential dangers of vaccine hesitancy.

The firm uses its annual Edelman Trust Barometer to produce stats to back up its assertions, an additional use of the gimmick for manufacturing consent and altering public perceptions. In the previously mentioned article authored by Edelman and Gerberding for the WEF, they justify their assertions by quoting simplistic survey data from their 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust and the Coronavirus. That report claimed that 63 percent of employees want their employers to share coronavirus information with them daily. The report goes on to warn that the future will remain in suspended animation unless we leverage our roles as employers to promote a credible, factual understanding of infectious disease, disease prevention, and confidence in vaccination.

Flooding the Zone

In October 2019, Edelmans chief operating officer Matthew Harrington took part in Event 201, the simulation of a global coronavirus pandemic that was hosted by the World Economic Forum, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. This fantastically timed pandemic simulation covered the potential measures that governments and corporations would need to enact to control the global population in the time of a great pandemic, including ways to control the narrative through the mainstream media and social media. Speaking at the event during segment 4, entitled Communication Discussions and Epilogue, Matthew Harrington stated, I think were at a moment where the social media platforms need to step forward and recognize that the moment to assert that theyre a technology platform and not a broadcaster is over. They in fact have to be a participant in broadcasting accurate information and partnering with the scientific and health communities to counterweight, if not flood the zone, of accurate information. Because to put the genie back in the bottle of disinformation or misinformation is nigh on impossible. The flood the zone approach Harrington suggested using was subsequently enacted during the actual COVID-19 crisis via the targeting and censoring of any alternative information to officially sponsored narratives. It should also be noted that Edelmans inclusion in the Event 201 simulation is questionable in itself: Why would a major PR firm be one of the first partners chosen to help respond to a pandemic, especially a company with such a long history of producing disinformation and misinformation?

Edelmans Matthew Harrington speaking at Event 201

This technique of flooding the zone is a PR media strategy in which the press and hired media experts create a veritable flood of news stories to distract and deflect from bad press created by a controversial decision, policy, or event. This will usually include, but is not limited to, unnamed officials leaking a story that will take the lead in the following news cycle, news articles around a particular narrative or topic being created by mainstream outlets and their allies en masse and using trusted sources and celebrities to help spread the right messaging on all social media platforms. When enacted over a long period of time, flooding the zone becomes akin to brainwashing as it blocks out all alternative views, whether they are credible or not. This strategy is usually employed by authoritarians, populists, and dictators to force a specific narrative on a population.

In January 2020, Vox reported that Steve Bannon, the former head of Breitbart News and former chief strategist for Donald Trump, used this technique to help Trump get into the Oval Office. The Democrats dont matter, Bannon reportedly said in 2018. The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit. The same article goes on to posit that Bannon sees Trump as a stick of dynamite with which to blow up the status quo. So flooding the zone is a means to that end. But more generally, creating widespread cynicism about the truth and the institutions charged with unearthing it erodes the very foundation of liberal democracy. In todays world, the same techniques that mainstream outlets have admitted erodes the very foundation of liberal democracy is being used by liberal democracies to control peoples perception of the alternative and independent media.

The usual goal of propaganda is to reinforce a consistent official narrative. But zone flooding seeks to disorientate its audience through an abundance of competing stories that leave people confused and susceptible to a well-branded, well-prepared, and more manipulative narrative. The Vox article is itself a perfect example of a carefully constructed narrative-seeder, as it later audaciously accuses Vladimir Putin of having pioneered the technique of flooding the zone in post-Soviet Russia without mentioning the techniques longstanding use by American public relations companies such as Edelman.

Until recently, zone flooding has been seen as a dirty tactic to control a narrative the establishment views as threatening, but now it is freely offered up by Matthew Harrington of Edelman as the obvious solution for drowning out competing narratives and information during the COVID-19 era. Given that the Event 201 pandemic scenario coincided with the first reported cases of COVID-19 and that since then we have witnessed all mainstream sources and global social media platforms flooding the zone with their information, anyone should be able to see the power and influence Edelman has over government and corporate policy, as well as how those entities react to public-health emergencies and how they communicate with their populations.

Murderous Marketing

For most people trust is earned, but for many of Edelmans clients and for the company itself trust can be bought by marketing, cheating, tricks and gimmicks, as well as through censoring competing, and often more truthful, narratives. In this year, when Klaus Schwab, the World Economic Forum, and their partners are attempting to regain trust, Edelman global communications and Richard Edelman will be at the frontline of the battle. What is striking about the many blogs and interviews Richard Edelman has put out into the world is that he never seems to say trust is something that is gained by being honest. Instead, businesses are encouraged to have an external perception of honesty. For Edelman, appearing ethical is much more important than being ethical.

The entity charged with selling (or restoring) trust in global institutions is a professional trickster that has helped some of the most heavily polluting, health damaging, and dangerous corporations appear innocent to an angry publicwell before COVID-19 or the Great Reset. This is noteworthy because a turning point that Klaus Schwab has talked about since the beginning of 2021 is the WEFs change of focus from the global coronavirus pandemic to the climate crisis. But how can we trust the opinions of these stakeholder capitalists on climate change when they are intimately supported by organizations that have spent decades working for some of the biggest polluters on earth?

Edelmans support of the biggest polluting corporations on the planet and its willingness to support the Saudi Arabian regimes authoritarian actions should normally be too much for most people to swallow. But most people have never heard of Edelman and have no idea that it helps sustain criminality in both the private and public sectors. Edelman works in the shadows and regularly hires ex-politicians and their assistants to aid them in gaining access to the halls of power. The firm has carried out some of the dirtiest public relations campaigns in recent history. It makes a living by distracting people from the widespread malpractice of its clients by using some of the cheapest and most underhanded methods available. Public opinion regarding many of the worlds most important issues seems to be easily swayed by Edelmans slick PR tactics and its political influence. Richard Edelman has collected many affiliations during his prestigious career, and one is being an agenda contributor for the World Economic Forum. Now, with the Great Reset in full swing, we can expect to see more activity from Edelman and his PR firm than ever before.

There is a theme running throughout the world of the elite and the powerful members of the WEF that we should pay attention to. As I reported in a February 2021 article entitled Schwab Family Values, Klaus Schwabs father, Eugen Schwab, and his company helped the Nazis try to obtain an atomic bomb, which, of course, could have changed the fortunes of Hitlers Germany. Years later, Klaus Schwab similarly helped the same company try to aid the South African apartheid regime gain a nuclear weapona perfect example of a son following in his fathers footsteps. With Richard Edelman, we can see a similar pattern. Whereas Daniel J. Edelman worked in the US Psychological Warfare Unit during World War II, it appears that his son has gone on to work as the point man for the Psychological Warfare Unit of the World Economic Forum.
Listen to a reading of this article:

During an astonishingly sycophantic press conference after the Geneva summit with Vladimir Putin, President Biden posited an entirely hypothetical scenario about what the world would think of the United States if it were interfering in foreign elections and everybody knew it.

When APs Jonathan Lemire asked the president of the most powerful government in the world what consequences hed threatened the Russian leader with should the Kremlin interfere in US elections going forward, Biden meandered his way through one of his signature not-quite-lucid word salads, and then said the following:

Lets get this straight: How would it be if the United States were viewed by the rest of the world as interfering with the elections directly of other countries, and everybody knew it? What would it be like if we engaged in activities that he is 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.

The fact that the entire press corps did not erupt in side-splitting laughter at this ridiculous utterance is in itself proof that western news media is pure propaganda. The United States has directly interfered in scores of foreign elections since it began its ascent to global domination at the end of the second World War, to say nothing of all the coups, color revolutions, proxy conflicts and regime change military invasions it has also participated in during that time. The US openly interfered in Russias elections in the nineties, and literally just tried to stage a coup in Bolivia by interfering in its democratic process. The US is far and away the single most egregious offender in the world on this front, which is largely why it is perceived around the world as a greater threat to democracy than any other government.

This is not a secret, internationally or in the United States. Anyone who has done any learning about the US governments actual behavior on the world stage knows this. Hell, a former CIA director openly joked about it on Fox News a few years ago.

Foxs Laura Ingraham unsurprisingly introduced former CIA Director James Woolsey as an old friend in a 2018 interview about Special Prosecutor Robert Muellers indictment of 13 alleged members of a Russian troll farm, in which Woolsey unsurprisingly talked about how dangerous Russian disinformation is and Ingraham unsurprisingly said that everyone should actually be afraid of China. What was a bit surprising, though, was what happened at the end of the interview.

Have we ever tried to meddle in other countries elections? Ingraham asked in response to Woolseys Russia remarks.

Oh, probably, Woolsey said with a grin. But it was for the good of the system in order to avoid the communists from taking over. For example, in Europe, in 47, 48, 49, the Greeks and the Italians we CIA-

We dont do that anymore though? Ingraham interrupted. We dont mess around in other peoples elections, Jim?

Woolsey smiled and said said Well, followed by a joking incoherent mumble, adding, Only for a very good cause.

And then they both laughed.

The fact that not one person in the press pool questioned or criticized Bidens outrageous remarks tells you everything you need to know about the western media and what its real function is. This is further illustrated by the rest of the behavior of these odious propagandists during the summit, which was illustrated quite well by the glowing praise of Democratic Party insider Andrea Chalupa on Twitter:

The winners of #GenevaSummit2021 are the White House press corp, Chalupa said. Excellent questions confronting Putin and challenging Biden on holding a summit with a ruthless dictator. And they literally held their ground when shoved by Putins security and propagandists.

That actually says it all. Western reporters are forbidden by their oligarchic owners from ever confronting power in any meaningful way; the closest theyre ever allowed to get to punching up is challenging the leaders of CIA-targeted governments, and demanding to know why their own officials arent being more hawkish and aggressive toward those leaders.

As RTs Murad Gazdiev pointed out, ABC, NBC, BBC, CNN, and many other Western outlets were invited for Putins press conference. No Russian media was invited to Bidens press conference. The whole thing was a navel-gazing, masturbatory cold war propaganda orgy where western journalists made up fantasies about their soup-brained leader staring down Putin, where they yelled nonsense about Alexei Navalny at the Russian president and then fangirled at Bidens response.

Real journalists go to Belmarsh Prison for exposing US war crimes. Western propagandists ask Putin why hes such a doodoo dumb dumb poopy head and then dream about Pulitzers all night.

Western news media exists to funnel propaganda into the minds of the public. It is controlled by plutocrats who work in alliance with opaque government agencies to weave narratives about why the US government needs to do the things it had already planned on doing anyway. This gets more obvious by the day.

____________________

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Of course youve heard the name George Soros, often invoked as a sort of folk demon on the American and international right, its likely that you have some vague notion of why you think hes a bad guy, or maybe you think the whole thing is a bunch of hype.

However, if youre a freedom lover, theres nothing hype about the influence that George Soros has around the world attacking your freedom. Indeed, you probably vastly underestimate the influence that he has on politics.

From the perspective of someone who values life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, there is no more dangerous man today than George Soros. This is not hyperbole, it is the simple truth. While we dont plan to paint a picture of a man standing behind the scenes, rubbing his hands together and cackling as he plays puppet master over each and every attack on freedom around the world, Soros acts as a strawman and a caricature of what is actually going on in the world.

George Soros, his money, and his NGOs are bankrolling and influencing public policy and opinion from the local level all the way up to the national level. Entire nations have been made to bow to the Soros agenda, but perhaps more importantly for our purposes, key local officials in government are increasingly wholly owned subsidiaries of the Soros machine.

Ever wonder why urban terrorists can burn down cities with no consequences but the McClaskys are prosecuted for defending their home against the same? The answer is George Soros, his money, and his influence.

Do You Know Who Your District Attorney Is?

American political culture focuses almost entirely on Presidential elections, with Congressional and gubernatorial races getting much less attention from the general public. When it comes to local politics, unless you live in a large city, chances are good that you dont know much about city politics. For example: Who is your local district attorney or county prosecutor?

Most people have no idea. Its a low-key office, generally staffed by someone looking to do public service, not advance their career. There is little glamor, low pay, and lots of thankless work to be done at this level, which means that for the most part, this is not where social climbers begin their careers.

That being said, these elected officials have enormous amounts of power because they decide who gets prosecuted, who doesnt, and what charges are levied against them. If your DA decides that the local band of looters are actually peaceful protesters, they wont ever see the inside of a courtroom. Similarly, if the local DA isnt a fan of the right to self-defense, one must consider this when choosing whether or not to pull your firearm if a mob of them shows up on your lawn.

George Soros understands this and has been quietly funding a campaign to place district attorneys amenable to his agenda across the United States.

The Los Angeles Times  hardly the Epoch Times  describes this as a years-long campaign by liberal groups to reshape the nations criminal justice system. You should believe them when they tell you this, because that is precisely the goal. Not the litigation of the 10-yard fight that is the minutiae of law in America, but the radical reshaping of the legal system as we know it.

Part of this is just the very nature of bureaucracy, the plainer term for what people mean when they talk about the deep state. The government rests on men doing things, chief among these are what Vladimir Lenin called special bodies of armed men: cops, courts, and jails. According to Lenin, this is the very essence of the state. Libertarians will sympathize with this definition of the state. At its core, the state is a man with a gun who will throw you in a cage or kill you if you fail to comply. Everything else is just window dressing.

The local prosecutor is a chokepoint in the special bodies of armed men. The attorney general isnt euphemistically called top cop for no reason and in his own way, the local prosecutor is also a top cop, albeit with a much smaller jurisdiction. This also means that he has more direct control over the individuals in his district, as the attorney general deals more in broad brushstrokes.

Who is your local DA? George Soros knows. He might very well be his paymaster.The campaigns for local DAs and the like arent shy about stoking racial resentment and animosity. The Democratic Partys playbook hasnt changed much since the days of Jim Crow, its just that it has found new ways to make political hay out of sowing racial divisions among Americans. One Soros-produced ad for Noah Phillips campaign for District Attorney of Sacramento County, focuses almost exclusively on a black boy in a hoodie.

It is of course unrealistic to expect that even highly bureaucratic roles are entirely apolitical, however, the Soros DAs have ratcheted up the partisanship, not just in the race, but in the actual execution of the office. As of September 2020, there were 31 Soros-backed DAs in the United States. That might not sound like a lot, but it includes the DAs of Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, and St. Louis. All told, tens of millions of Americans are now victims of the Soros racket in the form of their local top prosecutor.

Some examples of the Soros machine at work in Americas DA offices include:

After the last round of rioting, looting, and arson in St. Louis, Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner dismissed charges against all 36 people arrested. Shes on the take from Soros for $307,000. This is also the prosecutor who filed charges against the McCloskeys.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon got over $2 million from the Soros operation, he ended cash bail and is no longer prosecuting the crimes of trespassing, disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, prostitution, or driving without a license.

Kim Foxx is the Illinois States Attorney and has received $807,000 from Soros. She also declined to prosecute rioters, saying The question it comes down to is, is it a good use of our time and resources? No, its not. Foxx likewise declined to prosecute hate crime hoaxer, Jussie Smollett.

Philly District Attorney Larry Krasner has received $1.7 million from Soros. He wont be prosecuting rioters, looters, and arsonists. Krasner was very open about the ideology driving his permitting chaos in the city: Prosecution alone will achieve nothing close to justicenot when power imbalances and lack of accountability make it possible for government actors including police or prosecutors to regularly take life or liberty unjustly and face no criminal or career penalty.

Krasner is worth calling out for special attention because he filed 75 cases against the police and has represented both Occupy Philadelphia and Black Lives Matter. At his victory party, supporters chanted, F*** the police! F*** the police! He generally declines to call himself a prosecutor, instead labelling himself a public defender with power.

The results in Philadelphia are stunning as charges are dropped in 60 percent of all shooting cases  though we suspect your odds of being a conservative self-defense case and having your charges waived are rather slim. Shootings in Philadelphia were up 57 percent year over year from 2019 to 2020.

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, whos working off $620,000 in Soros money, proclaims that [t]he criminal justice system isnt just massive and brutal, its also racist. He doesnt prosecute crimes such as solicitation, public camping, or public urination, which has certainly transformed San Francisco into a paradise on earth. Homicide rates have increased, burglary cases have increased by 42 percent, motor vehicle theft increased by 31 percent, and arson rates increased by 45 percent. He was formerly an advisor to Hugo Chavez and his parents were members of the Weather Underground, a far-left terrorist organization who directly participated in the robbery of an armored car. His victory party included obscene anti-police chants.

DA Mike Schmidt of Portland, whos received $230,000 in Soros money, also declined to prosecute rioters who burned the city for months while besieging a federal building. He openly sympathized with the rioters saying that they represent the instinctive reactions of people who have been gassed repeatedly, who have been struck with kinetic projectile weapons.

If the Soros machine can capture a District Attorneys office in San Francisco, which is extremely expensive, there is little preventing them from capturing prosecutorial powers in Omaha, Annapolis, or Colorado Springs  or indeed your hamlet.

The Soros Machine and Racial Unrest

Much like the Democrat Party he supports, George Soros is not the slightest bit afraid to go into the mud of the politics of racial resentment. The Open Society Foundations are the primary mechanism for Soros delivering money to political activists in the United States and around the world. In 2020, The Open Society Foundations unveiled plans to spend $220 million on efforts to achieve racial equality in America.

To show you the relative priority that the Soros machine places on racial equality as opposed to electoral politics, the Soros machine only spent $28 million on the Democrat Party in 2020.

When Soros says racial equality, he means something very different from what you or the average American means when they say it. What Soros deems racial equality might more accurately be called racial revenge, though the left prefers to use the term racial equity. We will dive more into the ideology motivating Soros later, but our article on the Frankfurt School and Cultural Marxism is also an excellent resource on the deep philosophy of the Soros machine.

What Are the Open Society Foundations?

Its important to know how the Soros machine operates so that you can learn to look for it. The Open Society Foundations is the main umbrella under which Soros distributes money. It includes a number of organizations, most of which youve probably never heard of and most of which feature very innocuous, even bland-sounding, names. The think tank used to generate the ideology is New America, formerly known as the New America Foundation, the name of which is much more direct about what it intends to create.

So what is an Open Society? Well its based on a phrase used by Karl Popper, a somewhat obscure 20th Century thinker known best for his paradox of tolerance, which essentially says that liberals should stop tolerating diversity of opinion when it begins to threaten liberalism.

Where does the Soros operation put its money in America in order to transform the country into an open society? It aims to abolishing the police and invest $1.5 million into the Community Resource Hub for Safety & Responsibility, another one of these blandly named organizations working to undo the American way of life. Additionally, his money has been linked to the urban unrest in Ferguson in 2014. In total he spent $33 million fomenting chaos in the formerly safe suburb of St. Louis.

Of course, no rogues gallery of the radical left would be complete without mentioning Black Lives Matter (BLM), another one of these vaguely innocuous-sounding organizations that Soros spends his money on. And boy howdy, did he spend money on BLM - George Soros spent $33 million on BLM alone.

What Is the Philosophy of the Open Society Foundations?

Weve seen the modus operandi of the Soros machine, but what is the ideology that motivates it?

Soros umbrella organization is The Open Society Foundations. The phrase open society is one of those things that sounds so unassailable that no one could be against it. After all, are you for a closed society?

This is the framing trick used by the left since time immemorial. Something vague and innocuous sounding is picked as a name which means something very, very different to those in the know. So what is an open society to Soros and his retinue?

It is a concept developed by Karl Popper, Soros intellectual hero. Popper was not a Cultural Marxist, in fact he was highly critical of Marxism. However, there is so much overlap in terms of end results that it becomes a distinction without a difference.

Karl Popper didnt invent the concept of the open society, despite his association with the term and his development of the idea  that dubious honor falls to a Frenchman by the name of Henri Bergson. However, we can credit most of what the open society is understood as today as springing from the mind of Karl Popper.

There are some key takeaways about what an open society actually is. First, the open society is an atomized society. People are to be seen not as part of any kind of social organism, but rather as radically separate individuals. The individual is not an essential building block of society, it is the end to itself. Social norms and traditions are seen as necessarily oppressive.

The open society is hostile to the notion of natural law and instead puts man-made laws, properly called legislation, over and above a more natural law flowing from a set of first principles, most notably God. Again, like Cultural Marxism, it seeks to dethrone God from society, replacing it with a cult of human judgment.

Popper also believed in a culture of constant critique, this is a point of overlap with Cultural Marxism; and humanitarianism, which is a loaded word designed to sound innocuous, but which actually means something far more specific than being nice to people.

Perhaps most frighteningly, the open society is just that  open. That is, entirely without any sort of privacy. While the notion of a right to privacy as interpreted by United States courts as a justification is troubling in practice, far more troubling is Poppers conception of a society where every facet of a persons life is in the public sphere, irregardless of their consent.

Free speech and free elections were seen as a necessity for such a society, however, Popper and the Open Society Foundations had different interpretations for this. Free speech does not apply to opponents of the open society unless they are critiquing society from the left  the only way to complain about Comrade Stalin is to say how much better we would all be if there were but two of him. Similarly, free elections means that of the kind we had in 2020  one with absolutely no safeguards against abuse and taking place behind closed doors under the supervision of ideologically motivated monitors with rampant fraud.

Its not just in America, its a worldwide phenomenon.

George Soros: King of the Color Revolution

George Soros primary weapon for changing countries to be more pliable to his desires is the color revolution. Youve probably heard of revolutions occurring, generally in post-Soviet states, but also elsewhere. They have names like the Yellow Revolution (the Philippines), the Rose Revolution (Republic of Georgia), the Orange Revolution (Ukraine), and the Saffron Revolution (Myanmar).

There are some common themes to a color revolution which are worth noting for those wishing to prevent such a thing from happening in their own country. A disputed election where there is widespread cheating on the part of the opposition candidate generally kicks things off. The opposition is controlled by the Soros machine and friendly to NATO or other Atlantacist political organizations. There are then street rallies where violent operatives hide in crowds of otherwise peaceful protesters.

The government then responds and there is outcry from humanitarian organizations that the government has dealt sternly with what are effectively terrorists using human shields. There are generally operatives within the command structure who are sympathetic to Soros and his allies in Western governments.

There have been mixed success with color revolutions. They fail more often than they succeed. But they do succeed, especially where one defines success not so much as overthrowing the existing government, but forcing it to accept radical concessions that dramatically remake the political culture in the country. Color revolutions have resulted in what was effectively regime change in the Republic of Georgia (twice), Ukraine, the Arab World, and Belarus.

George Soros is deeply embedded in color revolutions around the world through the auspices of his Open Society Foundations NGO. The playbook should look somewhat familiar to most Americans after the summer riots of 2019 and 2020, as well as the aftermath of the 2020 elections.

Its important to remember that George Soros is not a god. He is simply a man with a lot of money. Thus, we should be cautious in attempting to attribute each and every action on the far left to him, particularly in the view that he is some kind of micromanaging puppet master who is involved in the trenches of making policy or street activism. He is not.

He is a real-world supervillain and he is able to direct the law, constitutional, and political culture of entire nations using his money and his vision for what society ought to look like. He is able to get away with it thanks to general ignorance of just how effective he is and a coordinated effort by the media to smear anyone who calls him out as a dangerous fanatic.

It is George Soros, however, who is the dangerous fanatic. He is gunning for you, your property, your children, and ultimately your way of life.


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Earlier this month, members of the Brandon Bear Clan celebrated the groups four-year anniversary by carrying out their usual safety patrols in the downtown area, supplying food, clothing and moral support to those in need.

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Members of the Brandon Bear Clan drop by the Brandon University campus right before their patrol on Friday night in honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day. They are, from left to right, Ashley Moodie, Lisa Ramsay, Cyndi Price, Kim Longstreet and Mervin Leclair. The group has been operating in Brandon since June 2017. (Kyle Darbyson/The Brandon Sun)

Earlier this month, members of the Brandon Bear Clan celebrated the groups four-year anniversary by carrying out their usual safety patrols in the downtown area, supplying food, clothing and moral support to those in need.

While health restrictions eliminated the possibility of putting together a big celebration, founding member Kim Longstreet said the occasion still gave volunteers pause to think about how far this group has come since 2017.

Talking to the Sun last week, Longstreet said the organization was originally formed in response to an uptick in violence being reported in Brandons downtown area throughout 2016, with many of the cases involving women.

"The Brandon Friendship Centre and Tammy Hossack actually pulled together a community meeting," she said. "Ian Grant was our chief of police at the time and he was fully on board with the concept."

Brandon Bear Clan volunteers bring pizzas to a downtown man on a cold January evening. (File)

After months of planning, the Brandon Bear Clan finally hit the streets on June 2, 2017, hoping to follow in the footsteps of the Indigenous-led approach to community safety and conflict resolution first popularized in Winnipeg.

"Some of the members actually went into Winnipeg and walked along with the Bear Clan there to see what they did and we brought back some of what they were doing  and made it fit into our community," Longstreet said.

At first, Longstreet admits the group was a little bit out of its depth, with members going on patrols with a negligible supply of food that provided little nutritional value for Brandons most vulnerable populace.

"Then we started recognizing that people were hungry and a cookie and granola bar wasnt going to suffice, so we moved to providing a (full) lunch," she said, adding the group eventually branched out to also provide clean clothes and hygiene products.

Longstreet and her fellow volunteers also werent prepared for the sheer amount of used needles they would find on Brandon streets, and quickly made syringe disposal a regular part of their patrols.

Brandon Bear Clan members collect a needle in a downtown alley in January. Members safely disposed of more than 1,500 needles in 2020. (File)

The Brandon Bear Clan got rid of more than 1,500 syringes last year, which marks a significant uptick from the 1,060 needles they disposed of in 2019.

Outside of all these new services, Longstreet believes the groups biggest accomplishment during the past four years has been the strong ties theyve established in the Westman community at large.

While the groups patrols are mostly relegated to Brandons downtown core, Longstreet said the emotional and financial support theyve received over the years extends far beyond this small geographic space.

"When we first started, never could we have imagined how the community would embrace us," she said. "Not just our community, but the whole Westman area. Weve got a lot of support from rural communities as well."

This level of engagement was really put on display in the wake of the Massey Manor fire of 2018, when the Brandon Bear Clan organized a food and clothing drive for families who lost everything in the blaze.

Members of the Brandon Bear Clan celebrate their four-year anniversary before embarking on an evening patrol on June 3. (Submitted)

"We had to shut down within about 25 minutes," Longstreet said. "Because we were so bombarded with stuff  the cars were right around the block. The community always comes forward when we need it, so were very blessed for that."

A lot of this momentum was ground to a halt in March 2020, when COVID-19 cases first began popping up across Manitoba.

While the Brandon Bear Clan has been active throughout the entire pandemic  completing their 400th patrol at the beginning of this year  Longstreet said they havent been able to provide their clients with the same kind of intimate contact that sometimes makes all the difference.

"We give people the trust and the comfort level to be able to talk to us about anything," she said. "Theres lots of laughter and lots of tears, sometimes, on patrol when people share their pain with us."

The inability to provide a friendly hug or handshake has been especially difficult lately, following news that a mass grave containing the remains of 215 children was recently discovered near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in B.C.

Longstreet said she can see the ripple effect of Canadas residential school system every time she goes out on patrol, especially since a similar facility operated in the Brandon area between 1895 and 1972.

"I would hazard a guess that pretty much any Indigenous person we see (on the street) is a direct descendent of somebody who has been in a residential school," she said. "Whether that is directly with a family member or indirectly dealing with the fallout of that, we do see that a lot  the pain and the hurt that comes with knowing what went on there."

Now that COVID-19 vaccine rollout is fully underway, Longstreet is hopeful their services can get back to normal soon and leave room for the Brandon Bear Clan to branch out even further in the future.

Not only does the group want to establish its very own headquarters outside of the Brandon Friendship Centre, but Longstreet is hoping they can expand their reach beyond the downtown core and begin regularly patrolling other areas of the city.

"Thats kind of our mission now, is to grow a little bigger so that we can do a little bit more work in the community," she said.

Despite all the ups and downs the group has experienced during the past four years, Longstreet believes the Brandon Bear Clan has a bright future, especially given how much support and resources theyve accumulated in such a short period of time.

"We absolutely need everybody to know how much we appreciate their support," she said. "Because we literally could not be doing what we do without the community."

By Longstreets count, the Brandon Bear Clan consists of more than 400 registered volunteers, with 30 to 40 volunteers regularly taking part in patrols.

 kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @KyleDarbyson
OTTAWA - The House of Commons defence committee on Monday ended months of hearings on the Liberal governments handling of sexual misconduct allegations involving senior military commanders without producing a report.

Chief of Defence Staff Jonathan Vance sits in the front row during a news conference in Ottawa on June 26, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - The House of Commons defence committee on Monday ended months of hearings on the Liberal governments handling of sexual misconduct allegations involving senior military commanders without producing a report.

The committee had been investigating the government's handling of complaints against former defence chief Jonathan Vance and his successor Admiral Art McDonald since allegations against the two first emerged in February.

Yet the committee ended its last meeting on Monday without finishing a report on its investigation after Liberal members continued what opposition parties have alleged is a filibuster by speaking for nearly two hours.

The chances of the committee now producing a report appear slim to none as many expect an election to be called in the fall. The move also means two other reports by the committee, including one on access to mental-health services for troops, will not be tabled.

The impasse started last month when the Conservatives sought to call Defence Minister Harjit Sajjans former chief of staff, Zita Astravas, to testify into what happened after the military ombudsman flagged a complaint against Vance to the minister in March 2018.

Astravas had previously skipped a call from the House of Commons to appear before the committee after the government said ministerial aides would not be allowed to testify.

The filibuster continued even after the Tories tried to drop that request at the end of May.

Liberal member Anita Vandenbeld blamed the opposition during her nearly 30-minute intervention on Monday for letting the debate drag on by trying to limit the parameters for writing the report on military sexual misconduct.

Vandenbeld, who is also Sajjans parliamentary secretary, also suggested a report would have been finished if the opposition hadnt kept calling witnesses after Liberals and the Bloc Quebecois voted in mid-April to stop the committees investigation.

I think we all want to see this report and the other reports, she said. Given that we are now at this 11th hour, I think all of us feel a little bit deflated about the fact that we're unlikely to see some of these recommendations, especially the ones that matter to the survivors.

Conservative defence critic James Bezan, the only non-Liberal to speak on Monday, used his own five-minute intervention at the very end of the meeting to fire back at the Liberals while also lamenting the impact on victims of military sexual misconduct.

I've never been more disheartened being a member of this committee for the past 10 years, he said. It's egregious that Liberal members put more time into protecting the minister of national defence  than protecting the women or men in uniform.

Liberal members later released their own set of recommendations that they said were intended to fight sexual misconduct in the military.

Retired colonel Michel Drapeau, who is now a lawyer specializing in military affairs and who testified before the committee, described the committees failure to produce a report and recommendations as a major embarrassment.

The defence committee was actually one of two committees looking into military sexual misconduct. The committee on the status of women had been investigating the broader issue and produced a report last week containing recommendations to address the problem.

While he praised the recommendations released last week by the status of women committee, Drapeau suggested the defence committee  and Liberals in particular  were turning their backs on women in uniform.

Truth be told, the Liberals led by (Vandenbeld) come across as obstructionists, he said in an email. In a smart-ass manner, they act as an impediment to putting into place a mechanism to bring about necessary cultural and statutory changes to the military sexual culture.

Megan MacKenzie, who studies military sexual misconduct at Simon Fraser University in B.C., was similarly upset, saying in an email: Its so baffling that the prime minister continues to defend the minister on this.

I would hope more pressure could be shifted directly to the prime minister on this issue at this point. Hes meant to be a feminist prime minister with a feminist mandate and hes essentially been using the committee process to silence information about sexual assault. Its not okay.

But Maya Eichler, an expert on military sexual misconduct at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax who also testified, said unlike the committee on the status of women, the defence committees study was rife with partisan politics from the very beginning.

The focus of course became the minister, and that political focus was too strong for there to be any collective interest in doing something meaningful for the impacted military members and for long-term military culture change, she said.

In my opinion, (the defence committee) miserably failed (military sexual trauma) survivors, military members and the Canadian public by refusing to work together across party political lines on this pressing issue.

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 declined requests for comment from The Canadian Press, but Global has reported he denies any wrongdoing. McDonald, who temporarily stepped aside as defence chief after a month in the job, has not commented.

Both are currently under military police investigation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2021.
VICTORIA - Three British Columbia First Nations are getting federal funding to buy rescue boats to expand an Indigenous-led coast guard auxiliary.

Bernadette Jordan addresses the media following a swearing in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on January 14, 2019. Jordan says the government will provide $2 million to allow First Nations to continue to strengthen the marine safety system across Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

VICTORIA - Three British Columbia First Nations are getting federal funding to buy rescue boats to expand an Indigenous-led coast guard auxiliary.

Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan says the government will provide $2 million to allow First Nations to continue to strengthen the marine safety system across Canada.

The Quatsino First Nation, the Heiltsuk First Nation and Kitasoo Nation in B.C. are among eight across Canada to receive funding to support their safety programs.

Conrad Cowan, executive director of the Coastal Nations Coast Guard Auxiliary, says the new boats will help the volunteer programs, which have trained more than 50 people in marine search and rescue.

Jordan says five other First Nations on the East Coast and in the Northwest Territories and Ontario will share in the $2 million to fund vessel shelters and new rescue boats as part of the government's Oceans Protection Plan.

Canada's coast guard commissioner, Mario Pelletier, told a news conference Monday that volunteer auxiliary units across Canada respond to about 25 per cent of calls for help, including life-saving efforts.

"Our motto is safety first, service always, and what better way to pursue this alongside our Indigenous partners in this very important initiative," Pelletier said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2021.
Halifax police lacked training or written procedures on spit hoods at the time of a cell death five years ago, an officer who audits policies testified Monday during a hearing before the Nova Scotia Police Review Board.

A police car is shown in Halifax on Thursday, July 2, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Halifax police lacked training or written procedures on spit hoods at the time of a cell death five years ago, an officer who audits policies testified Monday during a hearing before the Nova Scotia Police Review Board.

Jeannette Rogers is alleging before the board that three arresting officers didn't properly handle her son Corey Rogers when he was brought to the station so drunk he couldn't stand and had to be carried to his cell.

According to the medical examiner, the 41-year-old man died of suffocation on June 15, 2016 while in a barren cell with a spit hood covering his mouth as he appeared to be vomiting. Spit hoods are normally used to stop someone from spitting or biting.

Sgt. Stephen Gillett, an internal audit and oversight officer with the Halifax police, testified Monday about police policies on handling lockup prisoners. Jeannette Rogers has alleged that constables Ryan Morris, Donna Lee Paris and Justin Murphy failed to follow proper police procedures and argues the discipline they've received to date is insufficient.

However, Brian Bailey, the lawyer for Murphy and Paris, pressed Gillett on whether there were clear policies on the use of spit hoods.

Trial evidence has indicated the arresting officers had placed the hood on Rogers after his arrest outside a Halifax children's hospital, where he had been extremely intoxicated following the birth of his child.

Video shown at Monday's hearing showed a groggy Rogers being carried into the booking area and the three arresting officers bringing him into the cell, where he was placed on the floor with the spit hood still covering his face.

Gillett said there were no clearly stated rules on how to use the spit hood in such situations. "There was no policy," he said during his testimony, adding there was also no training on use of the spit hoods at the time. He said that since Rogers' death, training on use of the spit hoods by booking officers has been instituted.

Special Const. Stephan Longtin, a booking officer with the Halifax police, also testified there was no training available at the time, even though spit hoods were used regularly.

"It was just a tool. Something to prevent us from being spit at," he said.

Still, Jason Cooke, the lawyer for Jeannette Rogers, asked Longtin to read the warning and instruction on the spit hood.

"Improper use (of spit hoods) may result in serious injury or death, asphyxiation, suffocation or drowning in one's own fluid," said Longtin, reading the label.

Gillett also cited the police force's policy on admitting extremely intoxicated prisoners to the lockup, saying "that's on the same scale as somebody they (paramedics) think is having a cardiac arrest." He said in such cases, the policy suggests the person should be taken to hospital for a medical assessment.

He said responsibility for the well-being of the prisoner appears to shift to the booking officers after the prisoner is brought through "a red door" into the cells, but "it's not a super clean line" of responsibility in cases where the prisoner is escorted to the cell by an arresting officer.

Ted Murphy, the lawyer for the Halifax Regional Municipality, noted there is a policy that arresting and booking officers should "work in collaboration" for the safety and security of prisoners admitted to the facility. Gillett said the collaboration referred to the discussion between officers on whether a person should be admitted to cells or sent to hospital for care.

During cross-examination, Bailey read the sections of the policy that give discretion to arresting officers and booking officers on when they call paramedics. Gillett agreed that booking officers and arresting officers are not compelled to send intoxicated persons for emergency treatment if the person involved "can be easily aroused to a state of alertness."

In January, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal ordered a new trial for two special constables at the Halifax lockup, Daniel Fraser and Cheryl Gardner, who were convicted in November 2019 of criminal negligence in the suffocation death.

The police review board hearing is expected to continue Tuesday with further expert testimony and testimony from the officers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2021.
IQALUIT - A pilot project in which Mounties in Nunavut's capital wore small black recording devices on their chests has wrapped up even as concerns remain about whether wearing body cameras does anything to increase police accountability and trust.

An RCMP officer wears a body camera at the detachment in Bible Hill, N.S., on Sunday, April 18, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

IQALUIT - A pilot project in which Mounties in Nunavut's capital wore small black recording devices on their chests has wrapped up even as concerns remain about whether wearing body cameras does anything to increase police accountability and trust.

The trial run rolled out in phasesstarting late last fall, increasing the number of Iqaluit officers wearing cameras, until all 53 were equipped in February.

Over the last six months, the RCMP received about 5,000 calls for service and 3,500 videos were captured. Ninety-one were redacted for court purposes. Three complaints were made against the force.

The RCMP also put out an online survey asking for the public's feedback on the cameras. The results showed that most agreed or strongly agreed the cameras increased their trust in police, but only 23 people responded.

Amanda Jones, chief superintendent of the Nunavut RCMP, said despite some adjustments in the beginning, she considers the program a success.

"It went very well. We had a robust training program from the start with all officers getting four hours of training on the cameras," Jones said.

David Qamaniq, who represents Pond Inlet in Nunavut's legislative assembly, has called for body-worn cameras in Nunavut since he was first elected in 2019. His son, Kunuk, 20, was shot and killed by RCMP in 2017.

"Ever since Nunavut was created, there have been similar situations to what happened to my son. We need transparency and accountability," Qamaniq said.

He wanted the pilot project to take place in all three regions of Nunavut rather than just in Iqaluit.

"There is systemic racism going on in Nunavut. I thought that with body-worn cameras, this wouldn't stop, but at least the officers would think twice about doing something criminal."

Nunavut Senator Dennis Patterson, Iqaluit Mayor Kenny Bell and Nunavut MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq all supported body cameras when the pilot project was discussed at a community roundtable last year.

Stephanie Boydell, acting chief executive officer of Nunavut Legal Aid, said the project's phased approach made it difficult to evaluate because there were only about three months where all officers were wearing cameras.

Boydell said Legal Aid handled cases where a camera was only turned on after an arrest. She also said that a camera only points in one direction, so it doesn't capture everything.

"I don't think it holds them accountable in the same way until we see a more broad and strict approach to when those cameras get turned on," she said. "We're still very much at the mercy of the officer turning on that camera."

Legal Aid wants to see the project expanded across the territory, she said.

Kevin Walby, an associate professor with the University of Winnipeg's criminal justice department, said body-worn cameras do not increase police transparency or accountability.

"There's no guarantee that even if there is an image that is damning of police that police will release it," Walby said.

The cameras also come with a heavy price tag, including storage capacity costs and pay for administrative staff to redact footage. Walby believes that money could be better spent elsewhere.

"I'm saddened by the fact that police and policy-makers have bought into the rhetoric of the companies that sell these cameras instead of actually listening to Canadians who are saying we want to address conflict and transgressions in a different way."

The RCMP has said it will start wearing body cameras in detachments across the country next year. Walby said that decision defeats the purpose of the Nunavut test run that was supposed to help inform that decision.

"They're rolling these things out under the guise of a pilot to do a study when, in fact, they've already decided without any good evidence that this is what we want to do."

Nunavut legislature members also recently passed a new police oversight bill that opens the door for civilian oversight of the RCMP.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2021.

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Karina Reid watched as the little boy, fascinated by the running tap water, jumped into the bathtub.

Atosha Ngage (left) and Karina Reid went on a trip to see snow as shown in this undated handout image. Ngage, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, just arrived in Canada and it's her first time to experience winter. Approximately four million Canadians are open for potential recruitment to a program that aims to sponsor refugees to the country, study.THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Karina Reid*MANDATORY CREDIT*

Karina Reid watched as the little boy, fascinated by the running tap water, jumped into the bathtub.

This is the best day of my life! then four-year-old Delphin said.

Delphin and his pregnant mother Atosha Ngage had just arrived in Canada earlier that day in February 2019. They stayed at a refugee camp in Namibia after leaving their home in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The little family arrived in Canada through the Blended Visa Office Referred Refugees (BVOR) program, one of the country's three resettlement streams to sponsor refugees. Reid, along with five of her friends, sponsored Ngage, who was pregnant with her second child, and Delphin.

It was the most life-changing experience for them but also for me, Reid said in an interview. It changed my entire view of the world.

Reid is one of the many Canadians who have brought a refugee family to Canada via the BVOR program. Its the most distinctive of the three refugee resettlement programs; the others are Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) and Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR).

The BVOR program allows private citizens and non-governmental organizations to step up and sponsor individuals or families with whom they dont have prior relationships.

We also refer to this kind of sponsorship model as sponsoring the stranger, said Louisa Taylor, director of Refugee 613, a communications hub that works to build inclusion and welcome newcomers.

Taylor said people in her circle know how "powerful" and "transformational" the experience of sponsorship can be for both newcomers and sponsors. Usually, these stories are relayed through word of mouth, such as Reid's case.

However, there has been no data or resources to help promote the BVOR program properly, Taylor said.

So recruiting new sponsors has long been a struggle, she said.

In the hopes to rectify this, Refugee 613 partnered with the Environics Institute to conduct a market study on refugee sponsorship in Canada. The project was funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada but all data gathered are owned by Refugee 613 and Environics.

The study involved a representative sample of 3,000 Canadians ages 25 and over and with household incomes of $30,000 or more, which translates to roughly 24 million individuals.

Results suggest close to one-fifth of the target population, who haven't been involved in sponsoring a refugee or refugee family yet, say they could definitely or likely see themselves participating in the program at some point over the next few years.

This translates into a pool of approximately four million Canadians who are open to potential recruitment into the program, the report reads.

In contrast with BVOR, the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program has had no issues with recruiting sponsors, Taylor said.

For the most part, PSR sponsors are motivated because they are sponsoring a relative or a friend or a friend of a friend, she said. So the PSR program has largely become a way to reunite families.

Between 2015 and 2016, when Canadians became exposed to the idea of supporting Syrian refugees and the issue of refugee resettlement became an issue, Taylor said the BVOR program was oversubscribed.

However, since then, the program's annual target of around 1,000 people has never been met.

That causes a lot of pressure within government if youre not meeting your targets, Taylor said. You're seen as a failed program.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino told reporters Friday that BVOR is one of those streams that had some challenges around "finding a proper alignment between what the community needs and what is the best fit for refugees."

Taylor said the new data proves that theres still interest in sponsoring refugees and refugee families to Canada.

The next question is: how do we reach them and what messages do we share with them to show them that not only is there still a need, there's a whole spectrum of organizations ready and willing to walk people through this process? she said.

They may just find it's the most powerful experience of their lives.

Its been more than two years since Reid and her friend picked up Atosha Ngage and Delphin at the airport. Since then, there have been powerful memories shared between people who were once complete strangers.

They've made snow angels, gone to the pool and shared lots of laughs.

Reid said the program is one of the best-hidden gems in Canada. Through it, she met people she would treasure for a long time.

The BVOR program is life-changing, Reid said. It opens doors to curiosity, understanding and wanting to make your community a better place like.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2021.
PORT HAWKESBURY, N.S. - An inquiry investigating why a former Canadian soldier killed his family and himself in 2017 heard Monday from a close relative who said Lionel Desmond's mental health appeared stable after he served in Afghanistan in 2007.

The home of Lionel and Shanna Desmond in Upper Big Tracadie, N.S., is shown in this undated police handout aerial photo. An inquiry investigating why a former Canadian soldier killed his family and himself in 2017 heard today from a relative who said Lionel Desmond's mental health appeared stable after he served in Afghanistan in 2007, but there was a dramatic decline over the next 10 years. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Lionel Desmond Fatality Inquiry

PORT HAWKESBURY, N.S. - An inquiry investigating why a former Canadian soldier killed his family and himself in 2017 heard Monday from a close relative who said Lionel Desmond's mental health appeared stable after he served in Afghanistan in 2007.

But Shonda Borden said Desmond suffered a dramatic decline after he left the military in 2015.

Borden, the younger sister of Desmond's wife, Shanna, told the inquiry that she lived with the couple and their young daughter in Oromocto, N.B., near Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, between 2008 and 2012.

Borden said Desmond was a cheerful, fun-loving man when she first met him when she was 16 years old, and she described his relationship with his wife as normal, even after his particularly violent tour of duty overseas.

"It was a normal relationship," she testified via a video link from her home in Regina. "They had little arguments here and there."

Despite the harmonious relationship, Borden recalled how her sister once told her about how he had a nightmare and she awoke to find him trying to strangle her.

"He was quite shaken up by it," Borden said. "They talked it through .... She was very adamant that he needed help."

The inquiry has heard Desmond was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in 2011 while still in the military. He was medically discharged in 2015.

Between 2011 and 2015, Desmond received psychiatric treatment through the military, which included prescriptions for medical marijuana and other drugs, but the inquiry heard that his treatment was often interrupted by his trips to his hometown in eastern Nova Scotia.

Borden testified that Desmond, then a corporal with the infantry, complained about being a victim of anti-Black racism before he left the Canadian Armed Forces, and she made it clear Desmond's relationship with her sister started to deteriorate in 2012 and 2013, saying he would provoke arguments and become angry over petty disagreements.

She went on to describe how Desmond became convinced his wife was cheating on him. As well, he became more controlling, particularly in 2015-16, after his discharge, she said. Borden said the smallest irritant for Desmond could set off a daylong tirade.

"We used to call it his 'switch,'" she said. "It was like walking on egg shells."

Borden also confirmed that Desmond and his wife struggled to get him help for his worsening condition in 2016 after he returned home to Nova Scotia.

"In the end, it was becoming way too stressful for her," she said, adding that the couple talked of divorce. "They both told me they were done with each other."

Still, the couple continued to work together to find a solution to their problems, she said. Between June and August of 2016, Desmond took part in an intensive residential treatment program for veterans at Ste. Anne's Hospital in Montreal.

The inquiry has heard Desmond received no therapeutic treatment for the following four months, though he did try to get help by presenting himself at the emergency rooms at hospitals in Antigonish, N.S., and Guysborough, N.S.

About a month after he returned home to the Guysborough area, Desmond's mental state rapidly deteriorated, Borden said. Asked if she was concerned for the Desmond family's safety, Borden said she was.

At that point, Desmond starting sending her texts speculating that he might have schizophrenia or a brain tumour. He talked about concussions he suffered while in the military, and he also changed his name on his Facebook page to read "Lionel Demon."

"He constantly had dreams of Shanna cheating on him," she said. "Any time he got mad, he would talk about the devil and demons."

On Jan. 3, 2017, Desmond bought a rifle and later shot his 31-year-old wife, their 10-year-daughter Aaliyah, and his mother Brenda, 52, before killing himself in their home in Upper Big Tracadie, N.S.

In the months and years that followed, friends and relatives openly complained that Desmond's attempts to seek help for PTSD led him nowhere.

The inquiry is examining whether Desmond had access to mental health and domestic violence services, and whether he should have been able to buy a rifle. It is also investigating whether the health care and social services providers he dealt with were trained to recognize occupational stress injuries or domestic violence.

The inquiry, which started hearings in January 2020, resumed Monday after a month-long break prompted by the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2021.

 By Michael MacDonald in Halifax
OTTAWA - Parliamentarians are in their final week before a summer break in the House of Commons, where federal parties are using the minority makeup to posture for a potential election.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a debate in the House of Commons, in Ottawa, Tuesday, June 1, 2021. Parliamentarians are entering what could be their final stretch in the House of Commons before it breaks for summer as the Liberal government sharpens its focus around two key pieces of legislation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - Parliamentarians are in their final week before a summer break in the House of Commons, where federal parties are using the minority makeup to posture for a potential election.

With only days left before the House rises, the Trudeau government has begun to single out the Conservatives for using procedural tactics to block the passage of legislation around climate accountability, banning conversion therapy, changes to the Broadcasting Act and a bill to implement its budget.

In Monday's question period Liberal House leader Pablo Rodriguez told the party it should "support us, support Canadians."

The Conservatives and New Democrats hit back at the government's cries over urgency, saying the Liberals mismanaged the agenda and delayed introducing bills until it was too late to pass them.

Members of Parliament entered the chamber, some in person, but most virtually, where they are scheduled to sit until Wednesday for what could be the last time under the current makeup, with several bills still outstanding.

Given the minority government, the possibility of a general election at any time hangs over the House  autumn marks two years since the Liberals were re-elected to power.

Last week, the possibility of a vote happening later this year was heightened when MPs not seeking re-election delivered farewell speeches to Parliament.

All of Canada's federal leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have spent months saying they don't want to send Canadians to the polls while provinces battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the situation is improving, with infections steadily falling as millions more Canadians get vaccinated against the virus, and provinces are moving to lift some of the strictest measures to allow people to socialize again.

Trudeau used his government's briefing on the pandemic last Friday to blast the Conservatives for obstructing its agenda, and the Bloc Quebecois as well as NDP for joining in the political games, including on legislation around pandemic supports.

"If the Liberals are planning to go to an election in August or September then why introduce these bills at all?" NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Monday.

"To me, it looks like they are just putting on a show."

Last October is when the Liberals reintroduced their proposed banon conversion therapy, a widely discredited practice that aims to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity.

It was initially tabled in March 2020, but delayed when the pandemic hit and then died when the government prorogued parliament last summer in the midst of the WE Charity scandal.

Bardish Chagger, minister of diversity, inclusion and youth, shared a letter on social media she penned to Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole ahead of Monday's debate on the bill, asking his MPs to stop talking so that a vote can happen.

Several Conservative members have raised concerns about the Liberals' definition of conversion therapy.

These Tories say they don't support the coercive practice, but worry the government's definition is too broad and could threaten individual conversations about sex and gender, particularly between adults and children.

Also on the Liberals' agenda is a proposed a law that would track Canada's progress on reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Conservatives, along with Green MP Elizabeth May, have raised concerns over the speed at which the Liberals, with the help of the NDP, are trying to get the proposed climate accountability law passed through the House of Commons, saying it needs more scrutiny.

O'Toole's MPs have so far voted against the bill for what they say is a lack of inclusion from the oil and gas industry and presence of "climate activists" on a government-assembled advisory panel, designed to provide feedback on how to drastically cut Canada's emissions by mid-century.

"To say this bill is urgent after not calling it for months and indeed after proroguing the house and delaying everything  is the height of hypocrisy," said Conservative environment critic Dan Albas said in a debate on Monday.

For their part, the Greens have said what the Liberals are proposing is a lacklustre regime of timelines and goals compared to similar laws in other countries that keep nations on track to reach their climate goals.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2021.
OTTAWA - The Conservatives are asking that the Public Health Agency of Canada's offices be searched after a public shaming of the agency's president failed to persuade him to turn over unredacted documents related to the firing of two scientists at the country's highest-security laboratory.

OTTAWA - The Conservatives are asking that the Public Health Agency of Canada's offices be searched after a public shaming of the agency's president failed to persuade him to turn over unredacted documents related to the firing of two scientists at the country's highest-security laboratory.

PHAC head Iain Stewart was hauled Monday before the bar of the House of Commons to receive a reprimand from Speaker Anthony Rota for his repeated refusal to provide the documents.

President of the Public Health Agency of Canada Iain Stewart, right, approaches the bar in the House of Commons to be admonished by the Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, June 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Stewart duly showed up  the first non-MP to be subjected to such a procedure in more than a century  and stood impassively at the brass rail at the entrance to the Commons, as ordered by a motion passed by the combined opposition parties last week.

Rota informed Stewart that the Commons possesses constitutional powers to order the production of any documents it sees fit. Those powers, he said, "are essential to the performance" of MPs' duties.

"The House has the power and indeed the duty to reaffirm them when obstruction or interference impedes with its deliberations," Rota said.

"As guardian of these rights and privileges, that is precisely what the House has asked me to do today, by ordering the Speaker to reprimand you for the Public Health Agency of Canada's contempt, refusing to submit the required documents."

Rota told the Commons that Stewart's lawyer had informed him earlier in the day that the PHAC head was still not able to release the unredacted documents, as twice ordered by the Canada-China relations committee and twice by the House itself.

Stewart was not given a chance to say anything Monday. But he told the health committee last week that he is bound by law to protect national security and privacy rights and nothing in the House order relieves him of that obligation.

In a sign of support from the minority Liberal government, the 27-year veteran public servant was accompanied to the chamber Monday by acting Privy Council clerk Janice Charette, who could be seen giving him an elbow bump before he walked in.

Opposition parties have joined forces to demand the documents in hopes that they'll shed light on why scientists Xiangguo Qiu and her husband, Keding Cheng, were escorted out of Winnipegs National Microbiology Laboratory in July 2019 and subsequently fired last January.

They are also seeking documents related to the transfer, overseen by Qiu, of deadly Ebola and Henipah viruses to China's Wuhan Institute of Virology in March 2019.

Stewart has said the virus transfer had nothing to do with the subsequent firings. He's also said there is no connection to COVID-19, a coronavirus that first appeared in China's Wuhan province and which some believe may have been released accidentally by the virology institute.

Nevertheless, opposition parties continue to suspect a link and are, hence, determined to see the unredacted documents.

Stewart was forced to stand at the bar for some 40 minutes while MPs debated what should happen next. Opposition MPs initially refused unanimous consent to let him depart but eventually relented.

"Having Mr. Stewart at the bar was very difficult for many of us to witness," Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux told the Commons later, questioning why "an outstanding" public servant who has done "such a wonderful job" during the COVID-19 pandemic was treated so badly.

"The amount of time he stayed at the bar was deeply offensive to many members."

But opposition MPs argued that the issue goes to the heart of Canada's democracy and the government's continuing refusal to comply with the will of the elected members cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged.

"This government is rolling back 18 decades of parliamentary evolution with its defiance of now four orders of this House and its committee," said Conservative MP Michael Chong.

"Why do Canadians send 338 of their fellow citizens to this chamber if their decisions are going to be ignored? Why do we spend $400 million a year on this chamber and the other one (the Senate), if our votes don't mean anything? Why do we vote to adopt orders if they don't have effect?"

Conservative House leader Gerard Deltell served notice that he will propose a motion calling on Rota to instruct the Commons sergeant-at-arms to search PHAC offices and seize the documents.

If Rota doesn't agree with that, Deltell said he'll move that the issue be referred to the procedure and House affairs committee to consider an enforcement mechanism. If the committee fails to issue a report within four weeks, then the sergeant-at-arms would be directed to search PHAC offices and seize the documents.

"Let me be clear," Deltell said. "This House has a job to do and this House shall be respected and, especially, shall be respected by its own members."

New Democrat MP Jack Harris signalled that his party supports the Conservatives' proposal. The Bloc Quebecois reserved its opinion, as did Rota, who at several junctures noted that he was dealing with "a very touchy" and "unique" and "unprecedented" situation.

Liberal House leader Pablo Rodriguez proposed an alternative to the original House order, which ordered PHAC to turn over the documents to the parliamentary law clerk, who would redact them as needed, with members of the Canada-China relations committee retaining the right to publicly release redacted material.

Rodriguez said the government is prepared to go along with the law clerk vetting, provided that he is assisted by national security specialists.

He argued that the law clerk does not have "the necessary training or expertise" to determine what sensitive information could negatively impact intelligence agencies. Disclosing sensitive information, Rodriguez said, could inadvertently reveal "covert methods of operations," imperil human sources, identify employees and have "a severe impact on Canada's reputation as a responsible security partner."

Rodriguez also challenged the opposition's position that parliamentary privilege supersedes all other laws, pointing to a 2005 Supreme Court ruling that found legislatures "do not constitute enclaves shielded from the ordinary law of the land."

However, opposition parties countered that he should have made that argument before Rota ruled last week that the Commons and its committees have unfettered power to demand the production of documents, no matter how sensitive.

They similarly dismissed Rodriguez's proposal to let the law clerk vet the documents, with advice from security experts, as too little, too late.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2021.
OTTAWA - The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases attributed to the highly contagious Delta variant jumped 66 per cent in Canada this week.

Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam listens to a question during a news conference, in Ottawa, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases attributed to the highly contagious Delta variant grew in Canada this week. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases attributed to the highly contagious Delta variant jumped 66 per cent in Canada this week.

Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said as of Friday there are just over 2,000 confirmed cases of the variant.

Just three days ago, the Public Health Agency told The Canadian Press there were 1,187 confirmed cases.

"The Delta variant is now in all provinces and at least one of our territories," Tam said at the House of Commons health committee.

"Of course, as with all coronavirus cases, we may not know every single case that has occurred in Canada, hence my warning of precaution and the need to get two doses of vaccine into as many people as possible."

The variant was first identified in India but has now become the dominant strain in the United Kingdom where it is spreading rapidly, mostly among unvaccinated people.

It is believed to be at least 1.5 times as contagious as the Alpha variant first identified in the U.K. Alpha is, for now, the dominant variant in Canada, with more than 216,000 cases confirmed.

Public Health England reported Friday the number of confirmed Delta cases in the U.K. had grown 80 per cent in the last week, to almost 76,000. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had to delay plans to fully lift all public health restrictions next week, with plans to keep the final limitations in place at least another month.

Tam says the variant is a concern because one dose of vaccine isn't as effective against it and it underscores the need for Canada to keep picking up the pace on second doses.

Two doses of the vaccines Canada is using are believed to offer very good protection against Delta, and even one dose has been found to be good at preventing serious illness.

All provinces are warning against the existence of Delta. At least a dozen cases of it were confirmed this month in the northern Ontario region served by the Porcupine Health Unit, which is the only region in the province that didn't start to lift lockdown restrictions June 11. The variant has not been confirmed as part of an outbreak in the Kashechewan First Nation in that region.

Delta was involved in an outbreak at a Calgary hospital, and is also worrying health officials in Waterloo, Ont., which is suddenly the province's COVID-19 hot spot.

Data on the variant in Canada, however, is limited and it hasn't yet been added to the Health Canada website reporting variant cases. Only Alpha, Beta (the B. 1.351 variant identified in South Africa, and Gamma (the P. 1 variant first identified in Brazil), are listed on Canada's website.

That site also hasn't adjusted the names to use the Greek alphabet now preferred by the World Health Organization. A spokeswoman for Health Canada told The Canadian Press in early June that Delta would be added to it in "the coming weeks."

When asked again this week, the same answer was provided.

Dr. Howard Njoo, the deputy chief public health officer, said data gathering on the variant hasn't been easy and there is a lag in reporting.

"There are obviously some issues we need to work on," he said, noting there "are probably more cases" than we have seen reported.

He said, however, the data provinces and territories do have suggest most of the Delta cases are being found in people who aren't vaccinated.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2021.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said the Delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 was confirmed in the Kashechewan First Nation in the Ontario region served by the Porcupine Health Unit.
MONTREAL - Quebec isn't interested in adding a statutory holiday in the province to recognize Indigenous Peoples.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault responds to questions from reporters after receiving his second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Montreal, on Monday, June 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

MONTREAL - Quebec isn't interested in adding a statutory holiday in the province to recognize Indigenous Peoples.

Premier Francois Legault told reporters today the province has enough statutory holidays and the government isn't interested in adding another, no matter the reason.

The federal government recently adopted Bill C-5, which designates Sept. 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation; it will apply to federally regulated workers.

Legault says the province marked National Indigenous Peoples Day today and that there's a lot of work to do on reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in the province.

He notes that his government has brought back a roundtable with the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador and says a first meeting was held last week.

Legault says he hopes Indigenous Affairs Minister Ian Lafreniere will be able to eventually conclude agreements with each of the 11 nations in the province.

"I understand very well we have a lot of work to do for reconciliation between our nation and each of the 11 nations," Legault said today. "We have to honour them, we have to respect them, we have to make sure we don't see racism like we have in the past unfortunately, so there's still a lot of work to do."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2021.
OTTAWA - As many settler Canadians gain greater awareness of the dark and disturbing truths about the country's mistreatment of Indigenous populations, political leaders struck conciliatory tones in recognizing National Indigenous People's Day Monday.

Inuk elder Reepa Evic-Carleton light a qulliq, a traditional oil lamp, at a public ceremony to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day on the bank of the Ottawa River behind the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que. on Thursday, June 21, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Kawai

OTTAWA - As many settler Canadians gain greater awareness of the dark and disturbing truths about the country's mistreatment of Indigenous populations, political leaders struck conciliatory tones in recognizing National Indigenous People's Day Monday.

The normally colourful and celebratory day  which has been marked in Canada since 1996  came on the heels of several weeks of emotional events that have highlighted the need to reform institutions and policies that perpetuate systemic racism and discrimination against Indigenous Peoples.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement celebrating the "vibrant and diverse cultures, languages and beautiful traditions of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples," but he also acknowledged there is more work to do on reconciliation efforts because "saying sorry is not enough."

He pointed to the recent discovery of what are believed to be the remains of 215 children at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

"We must never forget those innocent souls lost  this must be our collective commitment toward reconciliation," Trudeau said in his statement.

"We need to right past wrongs and address ongoing challenges, and we can only accomplish this with action."

But NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh accused the Liberal government of being "hypocritical" for saying it wants to make reparations for past sins against Indigenous people while continuing some actions that have sparked strong rebuke from Indigenous communities.

He pointed specifically to the ongoing legal challenge by Ottawa, which is asking the Federal Court to set aside two rulings by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal rulings that found the federal government discriminated against Indigenous children by not properly funding child and family services.

"To me it really speaks of incredible hypocrisy that, on one hand at the federal level, we would celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day, and on the other hand, we've got a Liberal government that's now fighting them and continues to fight these kids in court," Singh said.

A number of Indigenous groups also condemned Ottawa's action plan responding to the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, calling the development process not consultative enough and the plan fragmented.

Inuk NDP MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq did not mince words when she told the House of Commons that Monday should have been a celebration of Indigenous culture and history, but instead it filled with her with sadness and anger.

"This place pats themselves on the back while denying Inuit access to safe, livable space that keeps them alive. There is nothing, nothing to be proud of for Indigenous Peoples in this institution," she said.

"You should all feel extreme shame. I feel shame that Inuit are continuously being denied the right to live, the right to self-determination."

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet stressed the importance of acknowledging historic truths, however painful, to help the process of healing for families and grieving for nations.

He successfully received unanimous consent for a motion calling on the federal government to fund the identification of other residential school burial sites and to investigate the potential presence of other remains of children across the country.

The federal government recently said it would make $27 million urgently available to locate and memorialize children in unmarked graves, money that was originally earmarked in the 2019 budget. Saskatchewan committed $2 million to support searches in that province last week and on Monday, Manitoba committed $2.5 million toward these efforts.

Across the country, political leaders and Canadians shared tributes to Indigenous Peoples and cultures and recognized the need to do more to take responsibility for wrongs perpetrated by the state against the First Peoples of this land.

Indigenous leaders, meanwhile, shared words of mourning and calls for greater accountability for those past wrongs.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said National Indigenous Peoples Day coming in the wake of the discovery in Kamloops highlights the "pain, trauma and hurt that continues to be inflicted by practices of colonialism."

Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council Grand Chief John Boudrias said he considers it positive that governments are now recognizing the mistakes of the past, apologizing and promising reconciliation, but without a real process to repair these mistakes  especially in the management of Indigenous territories  these remain "empty phrases."

If Mr. Trudeau recognizes that he is in Algonquin territory when he is in Ottawa, he should also recognize that as the owner of this territory, the Algonquins have the right to participate in its management and benefit from it, Boudrias said.

He also called on Quebec Premier Francois Legault to recognize that systemic racism exists against Indigenous people in his province.

In Eastern Canada, about 150 people gathered on the front lawn of the New Brunswick legislature in an event meant to convey the need for more "allyship" with First Nations.

St. Mary's First Nation Chief Allan Polchies Jr. offered prayers of healing to First Nations communities, especially to those that didn't have the opportunity to have closure  like the families of the 215 children.

"For many Canadians this was an eye-opener, a revelation that confirmed what Indian residential school survivors were telling us for centuries, but nobody was listening."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2021.

With files from Kevin Bissett in Fredericton, Kelly Geraldine Malone in Winnipeg and Beth Leighton in Vancouver
The Branson Board of Aldermen on Thursday (now postponed to July 28) will consider an ordinance that would require face coverings in public spaces. The aldermen might approve it, disapprove it, or approve an amended version. Would you be in favor of some form of mandatory face covering ordinance in the city of Branson?

You voted:
1. In 2018, former West Australian Rural Woman of the Year Catherine Marriott revealed she made a sexual harassment allegation against Joyce . And what did the Nationals do? They had an internal party investigation. The federal body sent it to the state branch. Joyces own team investigated Joyce and found it was unable to make a determination about the allegation because of insufficient evidence. The branch refused to release the final report, Joyce has denied harassing Marriott and claimed the allegations were spurious and defamatory. I havent heard hes sued Marriott.

The party did not even blink. Or think. I cant think of a person less suited to lead a party in disarray, or even array, in 2021, although Tony Abbott would also be bad. Here are the reasons why Joyce is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad choice.

It is hard to believe that this year, of all years, a political party would elect a pants man as leader. Yet here we are, 2021, the year that brought us powerhouse Brittany Higgins and brought down former attorney-general Christian Porter  and the Nationals have reJoyced, with Barnaby Joyce elected leader of the Nationals in place of the charmless but stoic Michael McCormack.

Still. As Marriott said at the time: The party never had the external processes in place to deal with a complaint of sexual harassment by a member of parliament ... my complaint was handled internally by NSW National Party executive with no professional external expert brought in at any stage to handle the matter. It would be like getting members of the Australian Club to investigate sexism and misogyny. This is the guy the Nationals have elected to run their party in the same year as we have Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins holed up at Parliament House to try to sort through the mess exposed by former staffer Higgins. No process, no judgment. Speaking of staffers ...

2. The Marriott news happened just after we discovered Joyce was having a relationship with his staffer, Vikki Campion, resulting in Malcolm Turnbulls brilliant bonk ban. Barnaby Joyces political judgment sucks (although not when it comes to women. Both his wife Natalie Joyce and partner Vikki Campion were too good for him.) Again, no clear process, poor judgment.

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3. For years Joyce lectured us about how we should behave. Back in 2005, the brand new Queensland senator for the Nationals told The Ages Jason Koutsoukis: Im a strong Catholic. Im anti-abortion, Im anti death penalty and Im going to be standing up for conservative family values. And quicker than you can say shocking hypocrite (or 12 years), we discover Joyce abandoned his wife and four daughters to shack up with staffer Vikki Campion. I cant find any wedding notices for the happy couple but I do note they now have two beautiful baby boys. Not that theres anything wrong with that (I certainly shagged before I married; and after, but with the bloke I married). But Id have thought strong Catholics preferred not to live in sin. Maybe Joyce has shunned marriage now gays can wed, seeing as he campaigned against equal marriage at the time.

4. The Coalition is trying to overhaul Medicare with six weeks notice of changes to 900 items on the Medicare Benefits Scheme. No wonder its terrifying people. The last time Joyce had anything to say about health, he told us that he would not back the free provision of Gardasil (the human papillomavirus vaccine) on the national immunisation program because it would encourage promiscuity. I assume he cant blame this lifesaving vaccine for his own behaviour.
Let me be blunt: there is no defensible argument for why the Murugappan family shouldnt return to Biloela. Not one.

It is a tragedy that Priya and Nades Murugappan have spent the last three years raising their Australian-born daughters, Kopika and Tharnicaa, in the remote Christmas Island detention centre. This latest decision to reunite them in Perth, some 3500km from their community in central Queensland, is a political Band-Aid designed to take their plight off the front pages and out of the public consciousness.

Nades and Priya Murugappan with their daughters Kopika and Tharnicaa.

This farce must end. Far from sparking a resurgence in people smuggling, an act of compassion could enhance Australias reputation globally. The only cost would be to Scott Morrison who, in the toxic internal politics of the Liberal Party, knows politicians rarely lose points for oppressing the vulnerable. Morrison may have built his reputation on the slogan stop the boats, but he would be acutely aware of being outflanked by leadership rival Peter Dutton, the archdeacon of far-right virtue-signalling.

Morrisons political calculus is the key; the responsibility might notionally belong to Immigration Minister Alex Hawke, a factional warlord and Morrison supporter, but it is the Prime Minister who will ultimately call the shot.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Queenslands most senior health bureaucrat, Jeannette Young, was far from a household name.

But in 2020, as COVID-19 cases mounted and the country looked on at an increasing death toll, Dr Young became the face Queenslanders grew to trust.

Now the Queensland Chief Health Officer, the longest-serving CHO in Australia, is preparing for her next role: Queensland governor.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has been announced as the states next governor. Credit:Getty

Already dubbed the peoples governor by the Premier, Dr Young will be Queenslands 27th governor, succeeding Paul de Jersey on November 1 after his seven-year run.
A Brisbane artist who claimed he received service awards and academic credentials was caught after he lied to a police officer in an attempt to get work off the Police Commissioner.

Chalkboard artist Neville William Gentry, 52, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of fraud and one count of improper use of a service decoration in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.

Neville William Gentry (right) leaves Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday with his protective umbrella. Credit:Toby Crockford

He wore replicas of the Medal of the Order of Australia and Officer of the Order of Australia pin and claimed to have earned them. He also falsified university academic achievements.

After sentencing on Monday, Gentry hurried from court and used an umbrella to try to shield himself from the cameras waiting for him outside. He made no comment.
Queensland health authorities have confirmed the woman who tested positive to COVID-19 hours after leaving quarantine at the weekend acquired the virus while in hotel isolation in Brisbane.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said there was no doubt the woman acquired the virus in the Four Points by Sheraton when she came in contact with another positive case at the hotel.

The woman, who arrived on an Emirates flight from Portugal to work as cabin crew on other airlines once she reached Australia, was confirmed to have the B117, or the Alpha variant.

Were working out how that transmission occurred, Dr Young said.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Theresa May was less than two months into the British prime ministership when she met her Australian counterpart in September 2016, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China. The encounter with her old friend from Oxford, Malcolm Turnbull, in the city of Hangzhou, would lead to one of the biggest shake-ups of Australias security and intelligence agencies in history. While Brexit dominated the discussion, Turnbull wanted to raise another matter with May: whether to create a super department modelled on the United Kingdoms Home Office. While the idea had been floated before, including by Scott Morrison when he was immigration minister after the 2013 election, there was a growing push within senior ranks of the government to make Immigration, Border Force, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) work together more closely under one portfolio. Under the plan, Australias domestic security agencies would maintain their statutory independence but answer to one minister. With Australia facing escalating threats of foreign interference, cyber attacks and serious and organised crime, along with the persistent threats of terrorism and violent extremism, it was thought a more unified policy approach was needed. There was also growing anxiety about Chinese corporations owning and controlling critical infrastructure, such as Australias 5G network, which Australian intelligence agencies feared could have given Beijing the ability to shut down networks such as electricity grids. So, who do our intelligence operatives now work for? And what makes a good spy today? Former PMs Malcolm Turnbull and Theresa May at the G20 meeting in Hangzhou in 2016. Credit:Sanghee Liu How is a security mega-portfolio created? In Hangzhou, May, who had just served as home secretary for six years, told Turnbull that reorganising domestic security under one umbrella was an idea worth pursuing. May made officials from the Home Office available to Turnbulls department to talk them through how the British mega-portfolio operated.

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In early 2017, Martin Parkinson, who was at the time secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, gave Turnbull a concept paper setting out how a proposed Department of Home Affairs should operate. Work on the super portfolio had been tightly guarded within Turnbulls own department, but Parkinson said it was time to start consulting other agencies. The immigration minister at the time, Peter Dutton, was naturally supportive of the idea  he would likely be in charge of the new portfolio. Other cabinet ministers, particularly attorney-general George Brandis, told Turnbull he was apprehensive about giving Dutton more power. There was another important decision to be made, and it would forever change the make-up of Australian spies. It was soon decided that the person to be given the mammoth task of putting it all together should be Michael Pezzullo, the then secretary of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, who had been pitching the concept of a home affairs department for more than a decade. Pezzullo, a tough-minded former Defence bureaucrat known within senior ranks of the government for getting things done, would be appointed secretary of the new department. Loading There was another important decision to be made, and it would forever change the make-up of Australian spies. While the Turnbull government was putting the finishing touches on the structure of its super department, former Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) secretary Michael LEstrange and former senior intelligence officer Stephen Merchant were nearing completion of their review into Australias intelligence services. The review recommended that the Office of National Assessments (ONA) be turned into the Office of National Intelligence (ONI), with an augmented ability to supervise the nations other spy agencies. The nations premier foreign cyber intelligence agency, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), would also become its own statutory agency, reporting directly to the defence minister, giving it more independence  and highlighting the escalating threat of cyber attacks by state-based actors and sophisticated cyber criminals.

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On July 18, 2017, Turnbull announced the creation of Home Affairs, giving Dutton control of the new department and revealing that the government was accepting all the recommendations in LEstrange and Merchants report. Nick Warner, the then head of ONA, would lead the newly created ONI, essentially becoming Australias top spy. Partly because of the personalities involved and partly because the two major changes were revealed on the same day, this announcement has led to a number of misconceptions. First, the creation of Home Affairs immediately sparked accusations that Turnbull was placating Dutton, his eventual challenger for the prime ministership. In fact, Turnbulls own department, as well as Morrison and Pezzullo, had been urging him to explore the model for years. Second, some insiders argue the creation of Home Affairs has undermined the rationale for the establishment of the ONI as the main co-ordinating agency for our spies. In truth, Home Affairs is no different to any other department  just a lot bigger. Its co-ordination role is centred on policy and action; in other words, working out how to best manage a risk or respond to a threat. Intelligence co-ordination  the role of the ONI  is primarily concerned with discovering things and making sense of them. Spies tell you what the problem is while senior bureaucrats and politicians work on the policy response. So if everyone stays in their lane, there is no contradiction between the two major changes. Loading Other gripes centre on the sheer size and power of Home Affairs. Some senior officers in the AFP were never happy with moving, along with ASIO, from the Attorney-Generals Department. Others say having the attorney-general as the person who signed off on warrants for the AFP and ASIO, while also being the minister responsible for their day-to-day operations, was never appropriate. The ONI, like its predecessor the ONA, is Australias peak intelligence assessment agency. It draws on information collected by Australian agencies and other countries, as well as unclassified and open source material, to assess potential threats. The key difference between the ONA and the ONI is that the latter now plays a major co-ordination role for the entire Australian intelligence community. Whereas before, the ONA primarily assessed foreign intelligence, its successor deals with intelligence relating to foreign as well as domestic threats. Former ONA head Allan Gyngell says the ONI is much better resourced and the 2017 overhaul recognises it is no longer possible to sustain a clear distinction between foreign and domestic intelligence. After all, international terrorists operate both within and outside Australia. Gyngell, national president of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, says the creation of the ONI helped fulfil the vision of Australian intelligence originally put in place by the Hope royal commissions in the 1970s and 80s.

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It places the national intelligence assessment and analytical capability  clearly independent from the direction of policymakers  at the centre of the Australian intelligence community, elevates the position of the director-general within the public service and gives him or her the necessary resources to co-ordinate and evaluate the work of the other intelligence agencies, Gyngell says. The ONI was, until the end of 2020, headed by one of Australias most experienced diplomats and top spies in Warner, the former head of both the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) and the Department of Defence. With the creation of the ONI, Warner also became Australias first director-general of national intelligence. When Warners term as the ONI boss expired in December 2020, he was replaced by Morrisons cabinet secretary Andrew Shearer, a former deputy director of the agency. ASIO chief Mike Burgess, a new breed of national security leader who is expert in cyber-security. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen What do modern spies do? Australian spy agencies require a mix of different talents. The computer whiz who sits in an office in the ASD trying to detect the next cyber attack is a world away from the ASIO agent installing a listening device on the car of a potential terrorist or agent of foreign influence. Some operatives need considerable interpersonal skills  including charm  to cultivate sources and get the information they need, especially within espionage and counterespionage agencies such as ASIO and ASIS (see below). For spies engaged in signals intelligence at the ASD  the interception of electronic transmissions  these kinds of skills may be less important. The game is back on. If it was ever off, its certainly not off now  its well and truly life and death stuff. ASIO, the nations domestic spy agency, counters threats of terrorism, violent extremism, espionage and foreign interference. The agency is headed by Mike Burgess, one of a new breed of national security leader appointed by the Morrison government. Security chiefs would once have been drawn mostly from the ranks of DFAT or Defence but Burgess, who also holds the title of director-general for national security, has spent most of his career working in the cyber-security space  an area that poses an ever-increasing threat to Australias national security.

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Sometimes spies themselves are not aware of where their jobs fit into the big picture. John Blaxland, one of the principal authors of a three-volume official history of ASIO, says the role of the agency and its spies has changed significantly since its inception in 1949. Blaxland, professor of international security and intelligence studies at the Australian National University, says one of the most gratifying experiences of writing the history was giving former ASIO operatives a broader understanding of what theyd been doing all those years. Insiders, by and large, operate according to the need to know principle. So you get your own little, very narrow laneway of information and responsibility with very strict blinkers on what you are and are not allowed to see and delve into, Blaxland says. They were given certain responsibilities but the broader context was never given to them and in reading the books they were able to put their life experience into [that] broader context, and they said that was very rewarding, very satisfying, because they said it made things make more sense. Loading Blaxland, who was given unparalleled access to the secret organisation when investigating its history, says the modus operandi of spies is drastically different today. Technology makes it almost impossible to hide identities, meaning traditional espionage and statecraft are a lot more difficult. Cyber attacks, foreign interference and espionage are now front of mind for an agency such as ASIO. Twenty years ago, espionage was arguably seen as a quaint little Cold War anachronism, a holdover from the Cold War, Blaxland says. But nowadays, there is a broader recognition that its actually pretty darn serious and the game is back on. If it was ever off, its certainly not off now  its well and truly life and death stuff. John Blaxland, who wrote the official history of ASIO, says the game is back on. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos What is our equivalent of MI6?

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Wellington: Victorias trans-Tasman travel bubble will resume from midnight Tuesday after New Zealands Ministry of Health decided the remaining public health risk to be low.

In a statement, the ministry said the pause would be lifted at 11.59pm on Tuesday, and travellers would no longer be required to have a pre-departure test, or spend two weeks in quarantine on arrival.

New Zealand says it will reopen the travel bubble with Victoria.

New Zealand first paused the bubble in late May following Melbournes COVID-19 outbreak. Last week, the New Zealand government indicated the bubble would be resumed due to the decreasing risk to public health in New Zealand.

In the statement on Monday, the ministry said all travellers were encouraged to continue monitoring for symptoms and checking the Victorian Health website for any updated locations of interest.
A Victorian sentencing review has found that the number of recorded rapes and sexual assaults both doubled in the 10 years to 2019, but there was no increase in the number of offenders sentenced.

Advocates say the figures in a Sentencing Advisory Council study showed the justice system does not take sexual assault and rape seriously enough and scrutiny is needed on why so many recorded sex offences do not progress all the way through the criminal justice system.

Justice is proving persistently blind for many victims of rape and sexual assault in Victoria. Credit:iStockphoto

The review also showed complaints of rape, incest and offences against children increased by a total of 63 per cent but only one in five sex offences and one in 23 recorded rapes resulted in a sentence.

Karen Hogan, chair of Sexual Assault Services Victoria, said the report reflected that more people who had experienced sexual assault and rape now felt safe to come forward but too many were dropping away as they went through the criminal court process.
Australia has hit out at a United Nations move to list the Great Barrier Reef as in danger, the federal government saying it was a flawed process that ignored its successful management plans.

Scientists backed the announcement overnight by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) - whose member countries control World Heritage listings - saying the threat of climate change and the governments lack of action to address it is to blame.

The United Nations has warned of the danger facing the Great Barrier Reef. Credit:James Brickwood

The panel is currently chaired by China and its draft in danger listing for the Great Barrier Reefs status could be the first step in a process that sees the multibillion-dollar tourism drawcard and generator of 60,000 jobs removed from the list of World Heritage sites.

Environment Minister Sussan Ley said Australia would challenge the UNESCO decision, and argued the federal and Queensland state governments were investing more than $3 billion to protect the reefs fisheries and to improve water quality.
Wellington: New Zealands medical regulator has granted provisional approval for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be given to 12 to 15-year-olds.

Medsafe had already approved it for use in those 16 and older, and the move follows a decision to approve the vaccine for use in 12 to 15-year-olds by other regulators in Europe, the US, Canada, and Japan.

It will allow 265,000 people in the age bracket to be vaccinated by the end of the year, if the Ardern governments vaccine rollout goes according to plan.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern receives her first Pfizer vaccination on Friday. Arderns first dose comes four months after the first person was vaccinated in New Zealand. Credit:Getty Images

It has 10 million doses of Pfizer on order in 2021, enough for 5 million people  meaning the new rules shouldnt lead to anyone else missing out.
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Leading telecom firm on Monday announced a strategic partnership with the steel-to-software conglomerate for solutions. Based on open radio access network (ORAN) technology, the plan is to roll out the solution initially for India and subsequently for exports.

The move is being seen as far more ambitious than Airtels original plan of collaborating with hardware and software players to build a at the lowest price. As a senior executive said, the original plan was not to become an R&D provider for the world.

With the latest announcement, the Sunil Mittal-led firm is expected to now take rival head on. Mukesh Ambanis telecom venture Jio is already working on trials for its indigenously developed 5G network, based on ORAN. Jio would also sell the technology and solutions to global telcos, it had announced earlier.

has roped in (TCS) for its system integration capability. The ORAN technology requires expertise in integration of disparate elements of hardware and software based on an open source technology.

The earlier technology, provided by incumbent telecom gear makers like Ericsson and Nokia, was based on proprietary technology with hardware and software fused into one offering.

Under ORAN, telecom operators can buy their hardware as well as software from multiple players, thus increasing competition and reducing overall costs of the network. But to enable this, telcos need a system integrator for powering the network.

The Tata group, quite like Reliance Jio, has also built state of the art ORAN-based radio as well as standalone and non-standalone core, which control the network. The ORAN network is increasingly dependent on software, giving it more flexibility as well as efficiency. Reliance, which also bought Radisys in the US, has used it as a base for software solutions required for 5G.

Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO (India and South Asia) of Bharti Airtel, said: We are delighted to join forces with the to make India a global hub for 5G and allied technologies. This will also provide a big boost to Indian innovation and manufacturing destination.





N Ganapathy Subramaniam, COO of TCS, said: As a group we are excited about the opportunity presented by 5G. We are pleased to have Airtel as our customer.

The new alliance has an advantage over Jio in the global market as already either has its own networks or holds stake in telecom ventures across many geographies including Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. As for TCS, it services numerous telcos around the world.

For Airtel, the initiative to develop its own 5G technology based on ORAN is not new. Earlier, it had discussions with to engage it as a system integrator and software partner. It has also tied up with global partners including Japanese hardware giant NEC, Taiwanese major Sercomm, cloud player Red Hat and start ups like the US-based Mavenir, apart from Rakuten of Japan. It also tied up with US-based firm Altiostar to build small cells for deployment in 4G and later for 5G.

There are other JVs too. For instance, the group has signed up with Dixon Technologies for manufacturing a range of telecom products under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme.

An internal R&D team will be at work for system integration and technology collaboration.

TCS is not the only player in the ORAN sweepstakes. Tech Mahindra, apart from talks with Airtel, has also shown interest in bidding for BSNL 4G network. Wipro and HCL Technologies have also had talks with global players in this space. Among others, Sterlite Technologies is building its own technology for ORAN radios while HFCL wants to go a step further and manufacture the radio too. Bengaluru-based Saankhya is there too, having developed 5G radio along with base stations and chipsets.
Malaysian telecoms firm Axiata Group Bhd and Norway's ASA sealed an agreement to merge their mobile operations in Malaysia in a $15.8 billion deal, forming a new market leader in the competitive Southeast Asian nation.

The had said in April that they were in advanced talks to merge Celcom Axiata Bhd and DiGi.Com Bhd, and both parties would each own 33.1% of the merged firm.

The combination of the country's second and third largest mobile services providers will create a company estimated to have annual revenue of $3 billion, with core profitability of $1.4 billion from a subscriber base of about 19 million, Axiata and said in a statement.

Celcom Digi Berhad will remain listed in Kuala Lumpur, in line with a preliminary agreement announced in April.

The implied enterprise deal value is based on Digi's share price of 4.18 ringgit as of Friday, a source familiar with the deal said.

The deal comes at a time when mobile operators are facing pressure on profits in a challenging industry environment. Celcom Digi's main competitor would be the largest telecoms operator in the country, Maxis Bhd.

"The merged entity will be commercially stronger and more resilient with greater scale to invest in improved network coverage and quality," Axiata and said.

"(It) will also have greater scale which will allow it to drive 5G implementation in the consumer segment in the future," Axiata said in a stock exchange filing.

The transaction, which is subject to regulatory and other approvals, is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2022.

As a result of the deal, the plan cost cuts and savings on capital expenditure with a net present value amounting to about $2 billion, Telenor said in a statement.

Axiata said it entered into the agreement with Digi, where 100% equity interest of Celcom Axiata, would be transferred to Digi for a total consideration of 17.76 billion ringgit ($4.3 billion).

Digi said the merger would result in Axiata receiving newly issued shares in Digi and a cash consideration of 1.7 billion ringgit from Digi as new debt in the merged company.

"As part of an ownership equalisation in Digi under the terms of the merger, Axiata will also receive close to 300 million ringgit from Digi's largest shareholder Telenor," it said in a statement.

Axiata said last Tuesday it hoped to seal the merger deal within days or a week having completed due diligence.

Morgan Stanley was the sole advisor to Axiata on the deal, while Citi advised Telenor.

($1 = 4.1480 ringgit)

(Reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo, Liz Lee in Kuala Lumpur and Anshuman Daga in Singapore; Editing by Christopher Cushing, Stephen Coates and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

(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.)
Billionaire on Monday pressed for bridging the digital divide "both among nations and within nations", saying connectivity and communications have become the fundamental rights of every person.

Also, there is a need to bring back the economies around the globe.

Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum, he said it is difficult to imagine what India would have been without the 4G telecom network during the pandemic.

"The digital divide must be bridged, both among nations and within nations. This is because connectivity and communications have become the basic needs, and also fundamental rights of every human being on the planet (just) as basic as food, clothing, and shelter," he said.

Ambani, who heads India's youngest but the largest telecom operator, said the day was saved because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for 'Digital India' much before the pandemic broke out.

Launched in September 2016, Reliance Jio revolutionised the telecom industry in the country by offering free voice calls and dirt-cheap data. Competitors matched its offering, making India home to 1.18 billion mobile phones and 775 million internet users fed on the cheapest data in the world.

"Our Prime Minister (had) given a call for Digital India and I was privileged (that) our digital services company called Jio rolled out a 4G network across the length and breadth of the country by 2018," Ambani said. "We have always wondered what would we have done without a 4G network across India in facing the corona crisis."



And this digital infrastructure has helped in the rollout of the world's largest vaccination programme, helping children learn from home and let people work from anywhere.

"I think that this string of digital and physical (healthcare infrastructure) will be the new normal," he said. "To my mind, it is an absolute must for all economies to integrate, and enhance this digital infrastructure which has been so very useful in the corona crisis."



Ambani, chairman and managing director of Ltd -- India's most valuable company, said COVID-19 is a once-in-a-century humanitarian crisis and the world was not prepared for it.

"The crisis tested the resilience of mankind. The world has suffered, but ultimately what will triumph... is not the virus, but the human spirit," he said, adding there has been unprecedented global solidarity in the production of vaccines as well as the inoculation drive.

The global collaboration was not restricted to just vaccines. Countries came out to help the ones that were facing a crisis.

"We in India will never forget Qatar's friendship during this crisis when it moved much beyond commerce and even used all their passenger aircraft to get medicine and supplies to India" during the second wave of COVID-19 infections, he said.

The second wave of coronavirus infections strained the already stretched healthcare system, with hospitals running out of beds and oxygen supplies.

"What this has shown is that Qatar will be a small nation in sight but it has a very big heart," he said. "Because I think that trade along with purpose, and compassion is the way forward."



Ambani said the second challenge is to make sure that economies that did not have the benefit of stimulus support, are nursed back and they grow.

This so that the whole world grows in a sustainable way and not just the developed economies, he said.

To a question, he said there is no option but for businesses to adopt a sustainable business model by embracing clean energy.

"We at Reliance have adopted this wholeheartedly and transforming each one of our business lines to be sustainable, recyclable and fully transparent environment, social, and governance standards. And I think that's a prerequisite for every business to survive, as we go forward," he said.

On his connection with the Middle East, Ambani said he was born in Yemen where his father Dhirubhai had gone to work.

And "he (Dhirubhai) always said I have Arabic blood", he said, adding Reliance values its relationships with all the Arabic countries.

Reliance operates the world's largest oil refining complex at Jamnagar in Gujarat, which uses oil sourced from the Middle East and elsewhere to produce fuel such as petrol and diesel.

Also, sovereign wealth funds of the Gulf countries have invested in Reliance's digital and retail business.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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James Murdoch is considering raising funds from ultra-rich families around the globe, a move that would give him more firepower to make acquisitions and further establish his investment firm.

Murdochs Lupa Systems is looking for about $150 million each from fewer than half-a-dozen for in India, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. It intends to use an external fundraiser to help with the drive, said the person, who asked not to be identified as the plans are private and still tentative.

A spokesperson for Murdoch declined to comment.

James, 48, set up Lupa Systems in 2019. Based in New York and Mumbai, it already counts Indian startups Doubtnut and Harappa Education among its The firm is also backing a U.S. blank-check company that will focus on India as it hunts for targets across south and southeast Asia.

Nitin Kukreja, a former Morgan Stanley banker, is managing director of Lupa Systemss operations in India.

The firm also owns a $160 million stake in MCH Group, the organizer of the Art Basel shows. In 2019, it invested in Norwegian drone technology company UBIQ Aerospace, New York-based comic book publishing startup Artists Writers & Artisans and the owner of the Tribeca Film Festival.

James Murdoch was once in pole position to lead his familys sprawling media operations. He was chief executive officer of 21st Century Fox before Walt Disney Co. acquired most of its assets in 2019, leaving him and Rupert Murdochs five other children in line to receive about $2 billion each from the deal.

James cut ties with his familys media businesses-- Corp. and Fox Corp.--last year after clashing over its editorial direction. His brother Lachlan, 49, now helps to run both

Rupert Murdoch, 90, has a net worth of $8.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

At great organizations, the mission really should be to introduce fact to disperse doubt--not to sow doubt, to obscure fact, if you will, James told the 'New York Times' in October.
operator Yahsat has filed for a listing in in what would be the first initial public offering on the emirates stock exchange since 2017.

Al Yah Communications Co., fully owned by Abu Dhabis $243 billion sovereign fund Mubadala Investment Co., plans to offer a stake of as much as 40% next month, according to a statement. The company offers communications solutions in over 150 countries.

Abu Dhabis top state holdings are stepping up efforts to boost the domestic equity market and diversify the economy away from oil. Sovereign funds ADQ and Mubadala -- alongside the emirates state energy company -- have signaled their intentions to list more assets locally.





Aside from Yahsat, Mubadala is also considering an of Emirates Global Aluminum PJSC while National Oil Co. seeks the same for its drilling business and a fertilizer joint venture. Chipmaker GlobalFoundries, backed by Mubadala, has meanwhile started preparations for a U.S.

Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg Television, Musabbeh Al Kaabi, chief executive officer of UAE investments at Mubadala, said Yahsats plan is a vote of confidence in the Securities Exchange, whose performance this year ranks it among the best globally, and reflects the resilience of the economy of the United Arab Emirates.

Technology Play



Were bringing a technology play to the market, said Al Kaabi, whos also chairman of the board of directors at Yahsat. So that will provide the diversity in the market. And well position the ADX as a leading market in the region.

Yahsat posted 2020 revenue of $408 million, underpinned by long-term UAE government contracts, and has a future backlog worth $2.2 billion, it said. The company boasts a fleet of five satellites and owns satellite phone operator Thuraya Telecommunications.

Listing technology on the local stock market is at the heart of the economic diversification agenda that Mubadala embraced more than 15 years back, Al Kaabi said. Emirates Global Aluminium is definitely a candidate to list and is working with advisers on identifying the right timing, he said.

The wealth funds focus is increasingly on helping a range of non-oil industries -- from life sciences and health care to advanced manufacturing -- to take root locally.

Were anticipating more activities and pushing the agenda on the newer sectors, Al Kaabi said. These are some of the ideas that were trying to push going forward and try to help on the economic diversification of the UAE.

Yahsat offer details:



for minimum 731.9 million shares and a maximum 975.9 million shares, representing minimum 30% stake and maximum of 40% stake in the company



Offer expected to close July 6 for first and third tranche and July 8 for second tranche



Final offer price and size: July 9



Expected date of listing in Abu Dhabi: July 14



Joint global coordinators: First Abu Dhabi Bank, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley



Joint bookrunners: Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, EFG-Hermes and HSBC Bank Middle East



Yahsats share sale would mark the first IPO in Abu Dhabi since Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. for Distribution PJSC began trading in 2017
Around 25 telecom gear makers -- including and -- have applied under the Rs 12,195 crore production linked incentive scheme for the sector, according to official sources.

Indigenous Tejas Networks and Dixon Technologies have confirmed that they will apply for the scheme before the deadline ends on July 3.

"25 have registered for the till date. We have received interest from big as well. They are expected to apply before the deadline ends," an official source told PTI.

Under the scheme, an investor can get the incentive for incremental sales up to 20 times the committed investment, enabling them to reach global scales and utilise their unused capacity and ramp up production.

Managing Director Mahendra Nahata and Coral Telecom confirmed that they have applied for the scheme.

Another official source said that has also registered for the scheme.

Coral Telecom managing director Rajesh Tuli said there are no choice for any micro, small and medium enterprises because they will become non-competitive by 7 per cent if they don't participate in the scheme and die.

He said the telecom sector PLI is an excellent scheme, but large weightage should be given to 'the domestic value addition to the selection criteria.

"Otherwise, you may get 10 big investors or even traders bidding in MSME category each committing to invest Rs 50 crore who would do soldering and assembly which is about 7 per cent of the manufacturing cost.

This 7 per cent would be reimbursed by the government. One has to be careful and safeguard against such situations where we may only create traders who upscale themselves by one step," Tuli said.

Tejas Networks chief executive officer and managing director Sanjay Nayak and Dixon Technologies executive chairman Sunil Vachani said they will be applying for the scheme.

State-owned telecom gear maker ITI Limited is also in the process of submitting applications.

The scheme will be effective from April 1, 2021.

Investments made by successful applicants in India from April 1, 2021, onwards and up to the financial year 2024-25 will be eligible for incentives, subject to qualifying incremental annual thresholds.

The support under the scheme will be provided for a period of five years from FY22 to FY26.

The scheme is expected to bring an investment of over Rs 3,000 crore and generate tax revenue of about Rs 17,000 crore.

The government expects that the scheme will encourage the production of equipment worth Rs 2.44 lakh crore, with exports of around Rs 2 lakh crore over a period of five years.

(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.)
PNB Housing Finance (PNB HFC) has appealed against an order by Indias capital market regulator asking it to hold a proposal to get shareholders nod for issuing equity shares and warrants on preferential basis to a clutch of investors led by the Carlyle Group.

The company told BSE it has filed an appeal before the (SAT) against the letter issued by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on June 18. Its stock was down five per cent at Rs 702.4 per share on BSE.

had last week asked the company not to act on agenda (for preferential allotment) until an independent valuation of shares was done.





ALSO READ: Stocks to watch: RIL, PNB Housing, Centrum Capital, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank

The housing finance firm was planning to issue shares and warrants on a preferential basis to Carlyle, a private equity firm, and associates. The clique was reported to be investing Rs 4,000 crore to acquire a controlling stake of over 50 per cent in the Delhi-based mortgage lender.

The copany is to hold an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders on June 22 to consider many agenda items including the preferential allotment (shares and warrants). The price of each share and convertible warrant is Rs 390.

had said the resolution about the issue of securities and related matters was ultra-vires of the Articles of Association (AoA). The resolution will not be acted upon until the company does the valuation of shares (for preferential allotment) by an independent, registered valuer.

PNB HFC, in a late Saturday night filing, with the BSE said the company had acted in compliance with the laws, including pricing regulations prescribed by and the AoA. Such preferential allotment is in the best interests of the company, its shareholders, and all relevant stakeholders. The company is evaluating further steps in this regard.
The (SAT) has allowed to go ahead with its scheduled extraordinary general meeting (EGM), scheduled for Tuesday.

The mortgage lender has been even allowed to carry out voting on the controversial resolution pertaining to the infusion of Rs 4,000 crore to an investor group led by Carlyle on a preferential basis.

The tribunal, however, has directed PNB Housing to not disclose the voting result on the resolution until further directions.

SAT has also asked the company to tell NSDL to not declare the voting pattern and it should be kept in a sealed cover till further orders.

The matter will come up for hearing next on July 5, when the tribunal will decide whether a valuation report from a registered valuer is required to be done.

PNB Housing has argued that under Section 62(1)(c) of the Act, a provision has been made for valuation through a registered valuer but under Rule 13 of the (Share Capital and Debentures) Rules, 2014, this requirement has been dispensed with in a case where a preferential allotment of shares is being issued by a listed company.

SAT has directed the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to file a reply by June 26 and rejoinder, if any, by July 4.

Last week, PNB Housing said it had received a letter from Sebi, asking the company to not go ahead with the preferential allotment until it did a valuation of its shares by an independent valuer.

has appealed Sebis directive before SAT. The company in a statement has said that it has complied with all relevant applicable laws, including the applicable pricing regulations prescribed by Sebi, and the Articles of Association of the Company. It has further said the preferential allotment is in the best interests of the company, its shareholders and all relevant stakeholders.

Sources said Sebis letter led to ambiguity on whether PNB Housing could go ahead with its EGM. Besides the resolution pertaining to preferential allotment, the company has sought the shareholders approval on nine other resolutions passed by its board of directors. Electronic voting on all the resolutions commenced on June 18.





SAT said a stay on voting on any of the resolutions won't be fair as the electronic voting was already underway.

 never said the EGM should not take place. It said dont act on the resolution until you meet certain conditions, said J N Gupta, managing director of Stakeholders Empowerment Services (SES), which has raised the red flag on the Carlyle deal and has recommended that the shareholders cast the against vote.

Shares of PNB Housing hit a 5 per cent lower limit on Monday and closed at Rs 702.4 per share.

On the face of it, SES finds this deal unfair to public shareholders of the company and shareholders of PNB. As controlling shareholder of the company, PNB has blown away the value. (Currently), PNB Housing is bracketed as a public sector undertaking (PSU) as PNB, a government entity, is the promoter. PSUs historically for millions of reasons get valuations which are quite low compared to private sector peers across all sectors, SES had said in a note.

PNB Housings board has approved a preferential allotment of Rs 3,200 crore worth of shares and Rs 800 crore worth of warrants to Carlyle, Aditya Puri family investment vehicle Salisbury Investments, General Atlantic, and Alpha Investments at Rs 390 apiece.

The transaction will trigger an open offer as Carlyle will replace state-owned PNB as the controlling shareholder of PNB Housing. The open offer to acquire 26 per cent shares from the public will be made at Rs 403 per share.

Following the deal announcement, shares of PNB Housing nearly doubled to Rs 881. The stock has come off amid uncertainty around the deal.

Legal experts said the deal hinged on the fair price discovery by the independent valuer.

In case the acquisition price recommended by the valuer is higher, the fate of the deal will depend on whether Carlyle and other investors agree to match it, said a lawyer.
The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) has dismissed an appeal filed by Rana Kapoor, erstwhile promoter of Yes Bank, against an order passed by market regulator imposing a penalty of Rs 1 crore for not following disclosure norms.

In 2018, Rana Kapoor-owned Morgan Credit had raised Rs 950 crore through zero coupon non-convertible debentures (ZCNCD) issued to a mutual fund house. Kapoor had provided personal guarantee for the transaction.

It was alleged that Morgan Credit company had failed to disclose encumbrance on the banks shares either to Yes Bank nor the stock exchange.

In May 2019, had issued show cause notices to Kapoor and his firm for the alleged lapse in disclosure norms.

Having heard the learned counsels on both the sides, in our view, Regulation 4(2)(f) clearly mandates that the transactions of the nature detailed therein are required to be disclosed by the key managerial persons to the company, SAT has said in an order.

As regards the quantum of penalty, learned adjudicating officer found the default to be of a serious nature principally because the appellant was the then managing director and CEO of the company and therefore maximum penalty of Rs.1 crore was imposed, SAT said adding that it did not find any mitigating factor to interfere in the quantum of the penalty.
Indian telecommunications firm Bharti Airtel, on Monday, announced a strategic partnership with IT services firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for implementing broadband network solutions in India.



Tata Group has developed a state-of-the-art O-RAN (Open Radio Access Network) based Radio and NSA/SA Core and has integrated a totally indigenous telecom stack, leveraging the Group capabilities and that of its partners. This will be available for commercial development starting January 2022.



As per the partnership, Airtel will pilot this indigenous solution during its rollout. The pilot will begin in January 2022 as per Government of India guidelines.



With its world-class technology ecosystem and talent pool, India is well-positioned to build groundbreaking solutions and applications for the world. This will also provide a massive boost to India becoming an innovation and manufacturing destination, said Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO (India and South Asia) at Bharti Airtel.



The solutions, once commercially proven in Airtels diverse and brownfield network will open export opportunities for India, which is now the second-largest telecom market in the world after China.



Airtel is a Board member of the O-RAN Alliance and is committed to explore and implement O-RAN based networks in India. Earlier this year, Airtel became the first telecom company in India to demonstrate 5G over its LIVE network in Hyderabad. The Company has started 5G trials in major cities using spectrum allocated by the Department of Telecom.



Other Indian telecom players such as Reliance Jio have also commenced 5G trials, even as experts believe that the prolonged second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic will delay the countrywide rollout of the technology.
The Supreme Court was informed by the Assam and Tripura governments on Monday that their state boards have cancelled the ensuing class 12 exams.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari said it will hear all the pleas on cancellation of state board exams on Tuesday at 2 pm.

The Counsel for the Karnataka government said it too has announced that class 12 board exam has been cancelled, but no final decision has been taken as far as Class 10 examination is concerned.

Advocate Mahfooz Nazki, appearing for Andhra Pradesh, said that state government has decided however to conduct the examination as the COVID-19 situation is better in the state.

He said the final decision on holding exams will be taken in the first week of July.

On June 17, the top court was informed that out of 28 states, six states have already conducted the board exams, 18 states have cancelled them, but four states (Assam, Punjab, Tripura and Andhra Pradesh) have not cancelled them as of now.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The on



Monday dismissed the West Bengal government's plea for recalling its order that directed the Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to examine all cases of alleged human rights violations in post-poll violence in the state.

A five-judge bench of the high court dismissed the prayer of the West Bengal government for recalling the order passed in respect of a bunch of PILs alleging displacement of people from their residences, physical assault, destruction of property and ransacking of places of business owing to post- poll violence in the state.

The bench had passed the order on June 18, taking note of a report submitted by the Member Secretary of West Bengal State Legal Services Authority which said that 3,243 persons were reported to be affected till noon of June 10.

The Member Secretary of WBSLSA further mentioned that in a number of cases the complaints were referred to the superintendents of police or the police stations concerned but no response was received.

The five-judge bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and justices IP Mukerji, Harish Tandon, Soumen Sen and Subrata Talukdar, had in its order directed the chairperson of the to constitute a committee to examine the matter.

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday told the that the was not cooperating" with the agency in its probe against former state home minister Anil Deshmukh, who is facing allegations of corruption and misconduct.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the CBI, told the HC that while the probe, initiated following a previous order of the high court, was a chance to clean up the entire state administration, the was refusing to cooperate with the central agency. Mehta denied the accusations made by the state government that the was going beyond the high court's order by including issues of the reinstatement of former assistant police inspector Sachin Waze, and Deshmukh's undue interference in the transfers and postings of Mumbai police officers.

He denied the allegation made by state's counsel, senior advocate Rafiq Dada, that the was using the Deshmukh probe to gain backdoor entry into investigation against IPS officer Rashmi Shukla in a case of illegal phone tapping and alleged leaking of sensitive documents related to police postings. The Solicitor General made the submissions before a bench of Justices SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar that was hearing a plea filed by the seeking to expunge two paragraphs from the FIR registered by the against Deshmukh earlier this year. The CBI is probing a case of alleged corruption and misconduct on part of Deshmukh in the aftermath of allegations made against him by former Mumbai police commissioner Pram Bir Singh.

The probe was initiated after a high court bench, led by Chief Justice Dipankar Datta, in April directed the CBI to initiate a preliminary inquiry against Deshmukh based on a criminal complaint lodged at a Mumbai police station by lawyer Jaishri Patil. Deshmukh had resigned from the state cabinet after the HC order. Patil had filed a PIL in the HC seeking action on the complaint registered by her.

She had referred to the allegations made by Singh against Deshmukh in her plea, and had also attached a copy of a letter written by Singh to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in which he had made the allegations against Deshmukh. Mehta, therefore, told the HC that since Singh's letter was a part of Patil's complaint on which the CBI's probe was based, and since the letter spoke of Waze's reinstatement and Deshmukh's interference in transfers and postings, the CBI was well within the ambit of the High Court's order in delving into these issues (which state government wants deleted from FIR). The issues of Waze's reinstatement and the transfers and postings are linked intrinsically to the allegations of corruption against Anil Deshmukh, Mehta said.

If there existed a racket of illegal postings and transfers, then the CBI is supposed to look into it. How can the state government then say that delete these portions from the FIR? he asked. Mehta said Waze, now dismissed from service, faced allegations of having been a part of some extra judicial killings in the past. He said that Waze was merely an assistant inspector of police and yet he seemed to have a direct access to the then state home minister (Deshmukh).

These were issues that would seem abnormal even to a layman, and therefore, the CBI was looking into the same, Mehta said. Waze, an API, had direct access to the home minister's residence. He had a shady past and yet, was reinstated into the force (in 2020) after 15 years when a certain state home minister was in charge, Mehta said. At this, the court asked if the CBI was also inquiring against the three-member committee that had approved Waze's reinstatement? Mehta said while it wished to do so, the Maharashtra government was not giving the CBI the papers related to Waze's reinstatement. The problem is that we do not have the requisite papers. Everything is open to investigation, including Param Bir Singh. It is not my case that my investigation is restricted to Deshmukh, Mehta said.

What I am submitting is this. We require some documents that they (Maharashtra government) are not giving us. They (state government) are not cooperating despite a direction of a division bench of this court, he said. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, who also appeared for the CBI, too, questioned how the state government could seek those two paragraphs (related to Waze's reinstatement and Deshmukh's interference in transfers and postings) of the central agency's FIR be deleted? Any sort of hindrance caused in carrying out a fair and impartial investigation would defeat the very purpose, object and intent of the High Court's order, Singh said. The state's counsel, advocate Dada, however, said the HC could not presume that the court order, directing a preliminary inquiry, also required the state government to handover the papers sought by the CBI. The HC will continue hearing the matter on Wednesday. The CBI extended its previous statement on not asking for the papers related to Rashmi Shukla's case, and on not taking any coercive action against Deshmukh till the next hearing. Deshmukh has also filed a plea in the HC seeking that the FIR registered by the CBI against him be quashed. The HC will hear the NCP leader's plea after completing the hearing on the state's plea.

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The centralised free vaccination policy began on Monday under which the government will provide free COVID-19 vaccine to all Indian citizens above 18 years of age.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement in a televised address to the nation and said the central government would take over the nationwide vaccination drive, and the Centre would procure 75 per cent of vaccines and give them to states for free distribution to all citizens above the age of 18.

The Centre will also handle the 25 per cent vaccination that was with states till now under the liberalised plan announced earlier.

In a briefing on Friday, the health ministry had said states would be playing a facilitatory role by aggregating demand and vaccination capabilities of private hospitals in the state and ensure the administrations of vaccinations.

"There will be a systematic flow of vaccines to the private sector as well. I am hopeful that in this way, there will be a lot of energy in the participation of the private sector and vaccination sites will increase," Dr VK Paul, Member, Health of the Niti Aayog said.

From June 21 (International Day of Yoga), the Centre will provide free vaccines to states," PM Modi said.

"Whether it is the poor, the lower middle class, the middle class, or the upper-middle class, under the central government programme, everyone will get free vaccines," the Prime Minister said.

Private hospitals will continue to buy the remaining 25 per cent and inoculate those willing to pay for their jabs. They can't, however, charge more than Rs 150 as a service charge per dose over the fixed price of the vaccine, the PM said.

The health minister had stated that the maximum price that can be charged per dose by private vaccine centres for the three vaccines currently available in the country - Rs 780 for Covishield, Rs 1,410 for Covaxin and Rs 1,145 for Sputnik V.

Before the Centre's takeover, it was the responsibility of state governments to procure and administer 50 per cent of the vaccines for citizens between the ages of 18 to 45. The Centre supplied free of cost vaccines to people aged 45 and above.

Chief Ministers of several states had urged the Centre to procure vaccines after manufacturers denied to supply directly. The shortage forced many vaccination centres across the country to shut down.

The Supreme Court had also slammed the Centre for the 'liberalised' vaccination policy for the 18-45 age group, calling it 'arbitrary and irrational'. The bench, headed by Justice DY Chandrachud, had asked the Centre about the Rs 35,000 crore earmarked for procuring vaccines in the Union Budget.

As per the union health ministry, as many as 27,66,93,572 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across the country so far, including 38,10,554 on Sunday.

As many as 5,42,21,110 citizens in the 18-44 age group and 14,42,38,142 0ver the age of 45 have received their first dose.

70,65,889 healthcare workers, 90,32,813 frontline workers, 12,27,088 between the age of 18-44, and 3,36,80,696 over the aged 45 and above are fully vaccinated.

As per a statement on Sunday, more than 29.10 crore (29,10,54,050) vaccine doses have been provided to States and union territories so far by the Centre through the Government of India (free of cost channel) and through direct state procurement.

More than 3.06 crore (3,06,34,638) COVID Vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be administered, the statement said.

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Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday said the central government will be supplying only 15 lakh Covid vaccine doses for use in the national capital in July, and it will take around 16 more months to inoculate the city's entire population at this rate.

On June 7, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that all citizens aged 18 years and above will be vaccinated free of cost from June 21 with the central government distributing doses to states.

"I got to know that no free vaccine has been supplied for use beyond June 2," Sisodia said at a digital press conference.

The central government will be supplying only 15 lakh doses in July, he said.

"Going by this rate, it will take 15-16 more months to vaccinate entire Delhi," Sisodia said.

"You have been saying India has been conducting the largest vaccination drive globally, but it has turned out to be the most mismanaged, derailed and messed up exercise in the world," he alleged.

(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.)
will face 'isolation in the international community' if Beijing does not cooperate with a further probe into the origin of the pandemic, said US national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday.

In an interview with Fox News, Sullivan praised President Biden for inducing his fellow G-7 leaders to put pressure on to allow a transparent investigation of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"What Joe Biden did in Europe this week was rally the democratic world to speak with a common voice on this issue for the first time since Covid broke out. President Trump wasn't able to do it. President Biden was. He got the G7 to endorse a statement saying in unison that must allow an investigation to proceed within its territory," Sullivan said.

"It is that diplomatic spadework - rallying the nations of the world, imposing political and diplomatic pressure on China, that is a core part of the effort we are undertaking to ultimately face China with a stark choice: Either they will allow, in a responsible way, investigators in to do the real work of figuring out where this came from, or they will face isolation in the international community," he added.

He further said that the US will not rely solely on China and indicated that America will use the efforts of its intelligence community and allies to press the matter on every front until a result is found.

In a press conference on Wednesday, President Joe Biden said: "China's trying very hard to project itself as a responsible and very, very forthcoming nation. They are trying very, very hard to talk about how they're helping the world in terms of COVID-19 and vaccines and they're trying very hard."

"One thing we did discuss, as I told you in the EU and at the G7 and with NATO: what we should be doing and what I'm going to try to make an effort to do is rally the world to work on what is going to be the physical mechanism available to detect early on the next pandemic and have a mechanism by which we can respond to it and respond to it early... It's going to happen and we need to do that," Fox News quoted him as saying.

This comes after the G7 leaders earlier this month called for a "timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based WHO-convened" investigation into the origins of COVID-19, including, as recommended by the experts' report, in China.

"Strengthening transparency and accountability, including reiterating our commitment to the full implementation of, and improved compliance with, the International Health Regulations 2005. This includes investigating, reporting and responding to outbreaks of unknown origin. We also call 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," said the leaders in a joint communique.

The origin of that causes COVID-19 has remained a mystery even after over 1.5 years the first case of infection was reported in the Wuhan city of China.

After the conclusion of the meeting in the UK, US President Joe Biden on Sunday called on China to act more responsibly in terms of international norms on human rights and transparency concerning the origins of COVID-19.

Speaking to reporters, Biden said: "I think China has to start to act more responsibly in terms of international norms on human rights and transparency. Transparency matters across the board."

The lab leak theory of COVID-19 origins has recently become the subject of renewed public debate after several prominent scientists called for a full investigation into the origins of the virus.

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At a Senate hearing on efforts to combat Covid-19 last month, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky asked Dr. Anthony S. Fauci whether the National Institutes of Health had funded gain-of-function research on coronaviruses in China.

Gain-of-function research, as you know, is juicing up naturally occurring animal viruses to infect humans, the senator said.

Dr. Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, flatly rejected the claim: Senator Paul, with all due respect, you are entirely and completely incorrect, that the N.I.H. has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute.

This exchange, and the bit of scientific jargon at the heart of it, has gained traction in recent weeks, usually by people suggesting that the was engineered, rather than having jumped from animals to humans, the explanation favored by most experts on coronaviruses. The uproar has also drawn attention back to a decade-long debate among scientists over whether certain gain-of-function research is too risky to allow.

Spurred by some contested bird flu experiments in 2012, the U.S. government adjusted its policies for oversight of certain types of pathogen studies. But some critics in the scientific community say that the policy is overly restrictive and that its enforcement has been far from transparent.

The stakes of the debate could not be higher. Too little research on emerging viruses will leave unprepared for future pandemics. But too little attention to the safety risks will increase the chances that an experimental pathogen may escape a lab through an accident and cause an outbreak of its own.

Sorting out the balance of risks and benefits of the research has proved over the years to be immensely challenging. And now, the intensity of the politics and rhetoric over the lab leak theory threatens to push detailed science policy discussions to the sidelines.

Its just going to make it harder to get back to a serious debate, said Marc Lipsitch, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who has urged the government to be more transparent about its support of gain-of-function research.

In the 1970s, researchers were learning for the first time to move genes from one organism to another to make bacteria produce human insulin. From the start, critics worried that such experiments could accidentally create deadly pathogens if they escaped from labs.

ALSO READ: China risks isolation in quest for coronavirus origin: US NSA Jake Sullivan



Tinkering with genes isnt the only way that a scientist can give an organism new abilities. Researchers can also stage evolutionary experiments, in which pathogens are grown in the cells of an unfamiliar host species. At first, they dont replicate well. But new mutations can help them adapt, gradually improving their performance.

A decade ago, researchers used serial passage, as this procedure is known, to learn how new strains of influenza evolve. Flu strains start off in the guts of birds, and sometimes manage to mutate into a form that can spread among people.

Two teams of researchers--one from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and the other at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands--designed experiments to identify which genetic mutations were essential for a successful jump from birds to people. They injected bird flu viruses into the noses of ferrets, waited for the viruses to replicate, and then transferred the new viruses to new ferrets. Soon the viruses evolved to become better at replicating in the ferrets.

When news of the experiments broke in late 2011, a controversy exploded. Some critics said the research was reckless and shouldnt be published, for fear that other researchers would copy the work and accidentally release a new pandemic strain of flu.

A year later, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services held a meeting to consider what it called gain-of-function research. The name took hold, but scientific experts have grown increasingly frustrated with it ever since.

Its a horribly imprecise term, said Gigi Gronvall, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

Many gain-of-function experiments could never pose an existential threat; instead, they have provided huge benefits to humanity. In 1937, researchers found that when they passed the yellow fever virus through chicken cells, it lost the ability to cause disease in humans  a discovery that led to a vaccine for yellow fever. Likewise, herpes viruses have been engineered to gain a new function of their own: attacking cancer cells. Theyre now an approved treatment for melanoma.

But the bird flu experiments raised concerns that certain gain-of-function studies could pose a tiny but real risk of dangerous outbreaks. In 2014, U.S. officials announced that 18 such studies would be paused. The experiments were not just on influenza viruses, but on the coronaviruses that caused SARS and MERS.

Three years later, the government rolled out a new policy  the P3CO framework  for research on enhanced potential pandemic pathogens. The rule requires the agencies under the H.H.S. umbrella, like N.I.H. and its several institutes, to carry out a special review of grant applications for any research on a credible source of a potential future human pandemic. In 2019, after conducting such a scientific review, the agency gave the green light for two influenza projects to restart, triggering more debate about whether its policy was thorough enough.

When questioning Dr. Fauci last month, Senator Paul brought up one of the most cited examples of gain-of-function research, a study of coronaviruses done by Ralph Baric at the University of North Carolina published in Nature Medicine in 2015. Working with data sent from Shi Zhengli, the director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Dr. Baric and his colleagues built a new from an existing one. All of the work was done in the North Carolina lab, and neither Dr. Zhengli nor members of her lab participated.

The so-called chimeric virus that resulted was not more pathogenic than the parental virus, Dr. Baric said. This work was approved by the N.I.H.., was peer-reviewed, P3CO reviewed and approved, Dr. Baric wrote in an email last month. The work also involved a very different strain of beta than the one that causes Covid-19, he said, and was considered low risk because of the particular strain in question.

In the paper, he and his colleagues cautioned others about similar research. The potential to prepare for and mitigate future outbreaks must be weighed against the risk of creating more dangerous pathogens, they wrote.

The P3CO policy has a significant shortcoming, according to David Relman, a member of the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity and a microbiologist at Stanford University: It only applies to the grant process in agencies that are part of H.H.S. Grants from the National Science Foundation, the Pentagon or other agencies could include dangerous research and also need oversight, he said. Then there is the even thornier question of private research, not funded by the government.

Dr. Relman has also criticized the governments process for screening and approving gain-of-function research. At a January 2020 meeting of the advisory board, he objected to the lack of information released about how two research proposals were approved.

Rozanne Sandri-Golin, editor in chief of the Journal of Virology, a scientist who works on the herpes virus and a fellow member of the board, said Dr. Relman made a strong case about the lack of transparency in the grant-screening process. The board was told that a committee made the decision but their names werent published, their backgrounds werent published and the process that they used for deciding whether or not it was going to be all right to now proceed with this research was not clearly defined, she said.

The secrecy of the screening process was the most worrisome part of government oversight of potentially dangerous research, according to Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at University of Saskatchewans Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, who was doing research in the United States at that time. Its not clear how they decide whats acceptable gain of function and whats not, she said.

However, the star chamber nature of the process was not its biggest problem, said Richard Ebright, a molecular biologist at Rutgers who has also been one of the most vocal proponents of the lab leak theory, and a longtime advocate of stricter control of research on dangerous pathogens. An even bigger issue, he said, was that gain-of-function research was simply not being screened in accordance with the policy established by H.H.S., which includes the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, run by Dr. Fauci.

The ideal solution, he said, would be the creation of an independent body to provide the oversight of dangerous pathogen research, similar to what the Nuclear Regulatory Commission does for studies of radioactive materials.

In the United States, there are no biosafety rules or regulations that have the force of law, he said. And this is in contrast to every other aspect of biomedical research. There are enforceable rules, for example, for experiments with human subjects, vertebrate animals, radioactive materials and lasers, but none for research with disease-causing organisms.

Dr. Relman, who also supports the need for independent regulation, cautioned that legal restrictions, as opposed to guidelines or more flexible regulations, could also pose problems. The law is cumbersome and slow, he said. At one point in the evolution of laws relating to biological warfare, for example, Congress prohibited the possession of smallpox. But the rules language, Dr. Relman said, also seemed to ban possession of the vaccine because of its genetic similarity to the virus itself. To try to fix it took forever, he said.

The current H.H.S. policy also doesnt offer much guidance about working with scientists in other countries. Some have different policies about gain-of-function research, while others have none at all.

Dr. Gronvall of Johns Hopkins argued that the U.S. government cannot dictate what scientists do in other parts of the world. You have to embrace self-governance, she said. Youre not able to sit on everyones shoulder.

Even if other countries fall short on gain-of-function research policies, Dr. Lipsitch said that shouldnt stop the United States from developing better ones. As the worlds leader in biomedical research, the country could set an example. The United States is sufficiently central, Dr. Lipsitch said. What we do really does matter.

Ironically, the pandemic put deliberations over such issues on hold. But theres no question the coronavirus will influence the shape of the debate. Jesse Bloom, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, said that before the pandemic, the idea of a new virus sweeping the world and causing millions of deaths felt hypothetically plausible. Now he has seen what such a virus can do.

You have to think really carefully about any kind of research that could lead to that sort of mishap in the future, Dr. Bloom said.
India administered a record 8.1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines on Monday  about 2.5 times the weekly average of 3.2 million shots a day  as the central government-led free for all drive kicked off.

With increased supplies, more centres, and walk-in registrations allowed under the revised guidelines, the numbers have seen a surge in many states, including Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh.

At this pace of daily vaccinations, the entire adult population in the country can be inoculated by December 2021-January 2022, according to estimates. The government is also hopeful of an improved supply situation from July onwards. Three-fourths of the total supplies are now available for the Centre, and the remaining are for the private sector.

Population, disease burden, progress of vaccination, and vaccine wastage are among the main criteria for the allocation of vaccines to states.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government would buy 75 per cent of all vaccines from manufacturers and distribute them for free to states.

Around 50 million people have already got two doses of the vaccine. Another 170 million people have got one dose. The government will need to administer another 1.63 billion vaccine doses to vaccinate the entire adult population, which is estimated to be around 865 million.

ALSO READ: Delhi sees lowest single-day Covid rise this year as cases fall below 100 The data on Co-WIN portal showed that the highest number of vaccinations was done in Madhya Pradesh on Monday. The state more than trebled its rate to over 1.5 million doses from its maximum daily rate of 500,000 doses so far, according to state officials.

Madhya Pradesh had received 1.9 million doses from the Centre for the first day of vaccination under the revised guidelines, as against its demand for 2 million. The response has been unprecedented... We have also increased the number of centres to 10,000-12000, including drive-throughs, which would remain open till 10 pm, said Santosh Shukla, state immunisation officer.

The second-highest vaccinations were held in Karnataka, which administered 1.06 million doses in a single day, followed by UttarPradesh, which gave out 674,557 doses on Monday. UP expects to vaccinate 1 million people a day from July 1.

However, West Bengal is among the states that have complained of vaccine shortage. The state is focusing on vaccinating priority groups only till availability improves. West Bengal has the capacity to increase vaccinations to 500,000 a day, but is administering 200,000-300,000 doses a day due to the shortage. Once we complete the priority groups, we will decide on the 18-plus, Ajay Chakraborty, director of health services, West Bengal, said. The state administered over 188,000 doses on Monday.

Maharashtra has been giving priority to the 30-44 age group and plans to start vaccinating the 18-plus lot from Tuesday, after a hiatus of several weeks. In Mumbai, the total number of vaccinations for 18 years and above has crossed 1 million, of which 90 per cent has happened through private vaccination sites.

ALSO READ: Covid-19 impact on Ola, Uber lower during second wave; Ola fares better The Delhi government said the Centres vaccination campaign was only for advertisements and announcements. The reality is that Delhi has not been supplied even a single dose today, when a universal campaign was supposed to be launched, Aam Aadmi Partys Atishi Marlena said. Delhi has only five days of Covaxin stock and 57 days of Covishield stock.

The Centre will be making merely 1,519,000 doses available in July. At this speed, Delhi will take more than 13 months to vaccinate its population, Marlena added.

Experts say that in order to achieve the full vaccination target, coverage has to be improved across the country and not just in some states.

During the month of May, more than 79 million vaccines were available for the nationwide vaccination exercise. These were ramped up to 118 million in June. These include the free supply of vaccines to states from the Centre, as well as those directly procured by the states and private hospitals, the said.

The revised guidelines require the states to aggregate the demand of private hospitals keeping in view equitable distribution between large and small private hospitals and regional balance.

A small hospital chain, which caters largely for rural areas and smaller towns, said it could not get even a single dose even after it told the state about its demand. We gave a minimal demand of 100 doses a day when large hospitals are doing so much more, but we have not been able to get any till now. We can go out in villages to vaccinate people but not without any supply, the owner of the hospital chain said.

Meanwhile, vaccine supplies are set to increase from this month after vaccine makers have scaled up manufacturing. Serum Institute of India (SII), for example, is set to make 100 million Covishield doses from July. The company is likely to manufacture 90 million doses in June, and around 75 per cent of this, or 68 million doses, would go to the Centre.

Bharat Biotech says it is on track to touch 1 billion annual doses, or roughly 80-83 million doses a month, by the October-December quarter this year. The company does not give a break-up of monthly vaccine production now, but industry sources and analysts estimate it is around 40-45 million doses a month now.

(Inputs from Virendra Singh Rawat in Lucknow, Ishita Ayan Dutt in Kolkata, and Vinay Umarji in Ahmedabad)
India on Monday reported a net reduction of 26,356 in active cases to take its count to 702,887. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 6.08 per cent (one in 16). The country is second among the most affected countries by active cases. On Sunday, it added 53,256 cases to take its total caseload to 29,935,221. And, with 1,422 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 388,135, or 1.29 per cent of total confirmed infections.

With 3,039,996 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Sunday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 276,693,572. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 28,844,199  or 96.36 per cent of total caseload  with 78,190 new cured cases being reported on Monday.

With a daily increase of 53,256 in total cases, Indias tally of coronavirus cases has risen from, 29,881,965 on Monday to 29,935,221 an increase of 0.2%. has reached 388,135, with 1,422 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 424,811 cases in the past 7 days.

India now accounts for 6.08% of all active cases globally (one in every 16 active cases), and 9.96% of all deaths (one in every 10 deaths).

India has so far administered 280,036,898 vaccine doses. That is 935.5 per cent of its total caseload, and 20.1 per cent of its population.

Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Maharashtra (32394410), Uttar Pradesh (30447058), Gujarat (26033788), Rajasthan (25993661), and West Bengal (23045019).

Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Kerala (412959), Gujarat (407591), Delhi (404086), Uttarakhand (365207), and J&K (339887).

Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 14 days.

The count of active cases across India on Monday saw a net reduction of 26,356, compared with 30,776 on Sunday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are Mizoram (399), Manipur (75), and West Bengal (3).

With 78,190 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 96.36%, while fatality rate increased to 1.30%.

The Indian states and UTs with the worst case fatality rates at present are Punjab (2.67%), Uttarakhand (2.08%), and Maharashtra (1.97%). The rate in as many as 17 is higher than the national average.

Indias new daily closed cases stand at 79,612  1,422 deaths and 78,190 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 1.78%.

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 389.3 days, and for deaths at 188.8 days.

Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Kerala (11647), Maharashtra (9361), Tamil Nadu (7817), Andhra Pradesh (5646), and Karnataka (4517).

Among states with more than 100,000 cases, the five with worst recovery rates at present are Karnataka (94.27%), Maharashtra (95.76%), and Kerala (95.78%).

India on Sunday conducted 1,388,699 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 392,407,782. The test positivity rate recorded was 3.8%.

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 (18.51%), Maharashtra (15.12%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.52%), Kerala (12.79%), and Sikkim (12.02%).

Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added  are, Mizoram (20.3%), Kerala (9.57%), Manipur (8.97%), Meghalaya (8.68%), and Goa (5.97%).

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 (1109984), J&K (698097), Kerala (615174), Karnataka (484580), and Uttarakhand (470182).

The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (5972781), Kerala (2809394), Karnataka (2806453), Tamil Nadu (2422497), and Andhra Pradesh (1850563).

Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 9361 new cases to take its tally to 5972781.

Kerala, the second-most-affected state by total tally, has added 11647 cases to take its tally to 2809394.

Karnataka, the third-most-affected state, has reported 4517 cases to take its tally to 2806453.

Tamil Nadu has added 7817 cases to take its tally to 2422497.

Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 5646 to 1850563.

Uttar Pradesh has added 219 cases to take its tally to 1704358.

Delhi has added 124 cases to take its tally to 1432292.
Assets worth over Rs 40 crore, including equity and preference shares in three luxury hotels, of Pune-based builder Avinash Bhosale and his family members have been seized by the (ED) in a probe linked to alleged violation of the forex law, the agency said on Monday.

"These properties have been seized as equivalent value of foreign securities or properties held by Bhosale and his family members in contravention of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999 which provides for seizure of equivalent value, situated in India, of foreign security or immovable properties held outside India," the agency said in a statement.

The attached assets are in the form of equity shares and preference shares held in Classic City Investment Pvt Limited, Pune, which owns three luxury hotels in five-star category--Hotel Westin, Pune, Hotel Le Meridien in Nagpur and Hotel W Retreat & Spa located in Goa, it said.

Equity shares held in ABIL (Avinash Bhosle Infrastructure Private Limited) and bank balance of around Rs 1.15 crore lying in bank accounts held in the name of Bhosale and his family members have also been seized, the ED said.

The agency said the action has been taken against Bhosale as part of a investigation against him and his family members that first began in September, 2017.

An information was then received that Bhosale and his family members have acquired some assets in Dubai in contravention of the FEMA, it said.

"Bhosale and his family members acquired foreign securities of a company Rochdale Associates Limited, Dubai, which held immovable property worth AED 20,000,000 (about Rs 40.34 crore)."



"To acquire the property, Bhosale and his family members remitted the funds through Liberalised Remittance Scheme in their bank accounts held outside India," the ED alleged.

Funds were remitted in different categories like for purchase of equity shares in Rochdale Associates Limited, family maintenances, savings received from NRI for family maintenance etc, it claimed.

"However, remitted funds were utilised to purchase the said immovable property and shares of the company were allotted against the remitted funds."



"It was declared that company is engaged in real estate business activity, however, investigation revealed that company does not have any business activity and is generating no income whatsoever," the ED alleged.

The ED had raided some premises linked to Bhosale in places like Pune, Mumbai and Kolhapur of Maharashtra in February even as it had questioned him and his son under provisions of the sometime back.

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foreign ministers will approve Monday a fresh set of sanctions against scores of officials in and prepare a series of measures aimed at hurting the country's economy, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

The EU has ratcheted up sanctions since President Alexander Lukashenko won a sixth term last August in elections slammed as fraudulent by the 27-nation bloc. The measures have targeted people accused of electoral misconduct and responsibility for the police crackdown that followed.

We will approve the package of new sanctions, which is a wider package, Borrell told reporters as he arrived in Luxembourg to chair the ministerial meeting. He said asset freezes and travel bans will be slapped on a total of around 86 people and organisations.

Diplomats have said that a number of those targeted are linked to an incident last month in which a Ryanair flight travelling from Greece to Lithuania was diverted to Minsk, where authorities arrested Raman Pratasevich, a dissident journalist who was on board the airliner.

The EU has already banned airline companies from flying over the bloc's territory or using its airports.

Borrell said the ministers will also prepare a raft of economic sanctions for EU leaders to endorse at a summit on Thursday. These are going to hurt, going to hurt the economy of heavily, he said.

The measures are likely to include action against the export of potash a common fertilizer ingredient tobacco industry exports and petroleum products, among others.

We will no longer just sanction individuals. We will now also impose sectoral sanctions -- meaning that we will now get to work on the economic areas that are of particular significance for Belarus and for the regime's income, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.

Maas said the 27 EU countries stand united on sanctions We are really very, very determined not to budge, not just today -- nothing about this will change in the coming weeks and months, he said.

To kick-off their meeting, the ministers held a working breakfast with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition candidate to challenge Lukashenko in last year's election.

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protesting against the three agri laws, which were enacted last year, blocked a highway here on Monday, forcing a minister to skip a scheduled meeting in the city.

Education Minister Kanwar Pal was supposed to chair a meeting at a panchayat bhawan located along the AmbalaHisar highway, which the had blocked for a few hours, officials said.

The gathered for their protest when Pal was scheduled to reach the venue to chair the district grievance committee's meeting. The minister skipped it following the demonstration by them, sources said.

Senior officers of the district were present at the panchayat bhavan for 11 am meeting, the officials said.

Police had barricaded all roads leading to the meeting's venue in the morning and deployed a large number of personnel. The blocking of the highway caused inconvenience to some commuters, but farmers ensured emergency vehicles like ambulances are allowed to pass during their protest.

The farmers had gathered near the Agarsain Chowk near the meeting venue, and they also broke barricades in a bid to reach it, police said.

Police had a tough time controlling the situation.

Ambala president of farmers' union BKU, Malkeet Singh, said that they will continue to protest the public programmes of the ruling BJP-JJP's leaders till the time the black farm laws are rolled back.

Farmers have been opposing public functions of BJP-JJP leaders in the state over the laws.

Several farmers have been camping at Delhi's borders since November last year demanding that the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee minimum support price for crops.

However, the government has maintained the laws are pro-farmer.

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The Delhi High Court Monday asked the authorities to file a report on the current medical condition of Rajya Sabha MP Amarendra Dhari Singh, arrested in a money laundering case related to an alleged scam.

The high court's order came on a plea by Singh urging to be kept in house arrest till his bail plea is decided by the trial court as he is suffering from various ailments and his condition is deteriorating in

Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani said before issuing notice on the plea, it is deemed appropriate to know the status of current health condition of Singh.

Accordingly, let a medical status report be called from the jail superintendent on the current health condition of petitioner (Singh), the court said and listed the plea for further hearing on Wednesday.

Senior advocate Siddharth Aggarwal, representing Singh, said the 62-year-old leader is suffering from lymphatic cancer for last 19 years and several other ailments and his condition is deteriorating in

He said he was not aware of the current medical condition and urged the court to call for a report from jail authorities.

Advocate Zoheb Hussain, representing the ED, said the order on Singh's bail plea filed before the special judge was reserved and it is listed for Tuesday.

He also told the court that another application seeking to be lodged in house arrest during the period of judicial custody has also been filed by Singh and is pending before the special judge.

The high court asked the counsel for the parties to apprise it on Wednesday about the status of the bail plea and said that a copy of its today's order be sent to the jail superintendent forthwith.

Singh, a member of Parliament and a businessman, was arrested by the ED on June 2 under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is under judicial custody.

The case pertains to an alleged scam linked to the IFFCO and India Potash Limited (IPL), in which the CBI had registered a corruption case in May.

Singh is stated to be the senior vice president of a firm involved in the case, identified as Jyoti Trading Corporation.

The plea said the complaint dates back to April 2013 and the CBI registered and FIR for the alleged offences of cheating, criminal conspiracy under the IPC and under the Prevention of Corruption Act in May 2021.

Pursuant to the registration of the FIR, a search/raid was conducted at Singh's residence and office premises on May 19 this year in which he and his employees duly cooperated.

The next day, that is May 20, the ED also registered a case against him and between May 20 and June 2, when he was arrested, no summons were issued to him to join the investigation, his plea said.

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From free bus tickets to refrigerators in lucky draw, trader organisations and businessmen are offering gifts to people to encourage them to get vaccinated against COVID-19 here in Madhya Pradesh.

On Monday, the MP government launched a mega campaign to vaccinate the state's eligible population.

"We are offering free bus tickets to passengers getting vaccinated at the Navlaka vaccination centre for one-time journey," Prime Route Bus Owners Association president Govind Sharma told PTI. "We have suffered huge losses due to COVID-19. Therefore, we are praying that this vaccination drive gets successful and this pandemic gets over soon," he said.

Sharma informed at the Navlaka centre, the association is also getting drivers, conductors and cleaners vaccinated against

Officials said for the first time, vaccination centres have been set up at three shopping malls in Indore.

The owner of these malls, Karan Chhabra, informed that they are offering selfie sticks and other gifts on the spot to those getting jabs at these centres. Those getting vaccinated at these sites will be eligible to take part in a lucky draw where a refrigerator and other gifts are on offer, he said. People coming to get vaccines are also being offered snacks.

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Jammu and Kashmir's Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh on Monday said a "good number" of foreign are present in the valley, but they are "lying low" and "keeping a distance".

Addressing a press conference at the Polie Control Room (PCR) here, he said only two foreign have been killed in Kashmir this year in two encounters.

"Both were killed in Sopore (in north Kashmir's Baramulla district), including one on Monday. Both were from the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), which clearly indicates that foreign terrorists are present here. They are lying low and keeping a distance. We have their details, according to which our operations are launched," the DGP said.

One of the most wanted militants, Mudasir Pandit, and a Pakistani ultra were among the three killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Sopore, police said on Monday.

The DGP said a strict check on infiltration and the understanding on the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan have had a positive impact on the situation in the valley.

"Infiltration has been strictly kept under check this year. The understanding at a high level on the ceasefire pact between the Indian and Pakistani armies has had a positive impact and we welcome that. But it would be wrong to claim that there are no foreign terrorists. They are here in good numbers and our operations will target them in the coming days," he said.

Asked whether there was any active militant in Srinagar, the DGP said there was "no big presence" of ultras in the city.

"We have a couple of people who are moving around the city outskirts and also going to the neighbouring districts. We have been tracking their movements.

"It is a fact that one or two incidents have taken place in Srinagar city. That is possible in the kind of scenario that we have in big cities where a lot of movement takes place. We cannot filter every movement, but I assure you that in the near future, we will launch some more good operations in Srinagar city," he said.

On a question about the annual Amarnath Yatra, Singh said the security forces have put the basic security apparatus in place and are prepared, but the decision on the pilgrimage has to be taken by the Amarnath Shrine Board.

The police chief also informed that the culprits behind the killing of an off-duty policeman in the Eidgah area of the city last week were identified.

"They will be brought to justice very soon," he said.

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Hong Kong authorities said quarantine requirements will soon be relaxed for travelers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and arrive from certain lower-risk countries.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Monday said the relaxation of quarantine measures will first be open to Hong Kong residents returning to the city.

They must have been fully vaccinated for at least 14 days, must undergo a serology test to prove they have the antibodies and must test negative for the upon arrival in Hong Kong.

The announcement comes amid a shortage of quarantine hotel rooms in the city. Current quarantine restrictions can require arrivals from various countries to serve between seven to 21 days of quarantine at designated hotels, and many of the city's hotels are booked through August.

Officials said the arrangement could begin on June 30, and that it is looking to open a similar arrangement for non-residents later.

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India's Commissioner to Vikram Doraiswami on Sunday said that the country is keen to resume the of COVID-19 vaccines to Dhaka as soon as possible, but there is no word yet when it will resume the

"We hope the problem will be resolved soon," Doraiswami told reporters after a meeting with Awami Jubo League Chairman Fazle Shams Parash in Bangladesh, reported Dhaka Tribune.

"The corona situation in India is still at a dangerous stage. So we are not yet able to say the exact time of giving vaccines to Bangladesh," he added.

On the other hand, Parash recalled India's crucial help during the 1971 Liberation War and said India has always been by Bangladesh's side in everything. "India is our friend of bad days and partner in good days as well," he said.

Parash said that he discussed with the Indian envoy about the current coronavirus situation in India.

According to Dhaka Tribune, Doraiswami watched two documentaries on the humanitarian activities of the ruling party's youth wing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

had started its inoculation drive against coronavirus with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine procured from India at USD 5 per dose. However, due to the devastating second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, vaccine exports have temporarily come to a halt.

Meanwhile, is also experiencing an alarming rise in fresh COVID-19 related deaths and new cases. The health authorities had also detected the presence of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, which is highly contagious.

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India will have 257 crore Covid vaccine doses by December to take up double dose vaccination of people in full swing, BJP national president JP Nadda said on Monday.

He said this while visiting a vaccination centre at the RML hospital in the national capital.

Nadda said 130 crore people of the country have come forward to take vaccines on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, despite the opposition trying to mislead them and create obstructions.

"Some leaders opposed vaccines saying they were not guinea pigs or mice. Those who doubted vaccines are now getting them. I want to ask such leaders if it was due to change in their mind, heart or soul," the BJP national president said.

He lauded BJP workers for helping people during the pandemic, saying that while other parties went into quarantine or the ICU, party workers risked their lives to provide relief to the people on the ground.

Nadda said BJP workers in all booths of the country were reaching out to people to ensure implementation of the prime minister's call for vaccination.

He said that in India, the world's "largest and fastest" vaccination programme is going on and within 9 months the country produced two indigenous vaccines against Covid under the leadership of Modi.

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By Fayaz Bukhari

SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Kashmiri politicians will urge Indian Prime Minister to restore Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy when they meet him on Thursday for the first talks since he took away the region's special status two years ago, party officials said.

New Delhi has struggled for decades to dampen secessionist sentiments in what had been its only Muslim majority state, blaming neighbouring Pakistan for supporting insurgencies in the Himalayan region, which Islamabad denies.

Reasserting New Delhi's control in August 2019, Modi abolished Article 370 of the Constitution, ending the region's autonomy and removing its statehood by splitting it into the federal territories of (J&K) and Buddhist-dominated Ladakh.

Some of the politicians set to meet Modi on Thursday were among the thousands of people detained back then to forestall a backlash against the shock move. The government also imposed months-long communications restrictions in the highly-sensitive Kashmir valley to stifle opposition.

"Our agenda is restoration of pre-August 5, 2019 status of Jammu and Kashmir," People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti told her colleagues on Sunday, according to two officials who attended the online meeting.

Senior leaders of the Conference also met over the weekend and backed a decision to push for the restoration of statehood and special status, a party official said.

"We will press for these two demands during the meeting with the prime minister," the official said. All three officials declined to be named because the discussions were private.

Representatives of the and Conference will meet on Tuesday along with other members of an alliance formed last year to seek a peaceful restoration of Kashmir's autonomy, to prepare for their talks with the prime minister, spokesman Suhail Bukhari said.

The 2019 decision to withdraw Indian-administered Kashmir's autonomy drew a sharp reaction from Pakistan, leading to downgrading of diplomatic ties and suspension of trade.

But the nuclear-armed neighbours have held secret talks this year in an effort to reduce tensions, and agreed to observe a ceasefire along the disputed border in Kashmir.

(Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari in SRINAGAR, Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani & Simon Cameron-Moore)

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Kerala Chief Minister



on Monday termed as a 'form of healthcare' and said if it is confinedwithin the frames of any religion, a vast majority of the society would be denied its benefits.

Modern is not something that should be seen in connection with spirituality or any particular religion, the Marxist veteran said in his video message to mark the seventh Day.

Stating that Yoga is beneficial for both the physical and mental well-being of people, he urged people to make the ancient practise part of their daily routine.

"Modern Yoga is not something that needs to be seen in connection with any particular religion or spirituality. It should be seen as a form of healthcare,"Vijayan said.

Saying that Yoga is a scientific physical exercise practise, he said it would ensure health and peace of mind to people.

"It's benefits will be denied to a larger section of the society if it is connected to any particular religion or spirituality and it should not happen," he added.

The Chief Minister praised the efforts of the Kerala Yoga Association (KYA), a registered outfit in the southern state to promote yoga science,for its efforts to retain the 'secular nature' of Yoga.

The outfit had imparted yoga training to at least 50,000 people in the state to fight the COVID-19 during the time of the severe spread of the pandemic, he added.

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West Bengal Chief Minister has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Calcutta High Court's denial for filing of affidavits by her and state Law Minister Moloy Ghatak on their role on the day of arrest of four Trinamool Congress leaders on May 17 by the CBI in connection with the Narada sting tape case.

A bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Aniruddha Bose will be hearing the separate appeals filed by the chief minister, Ghatak and West Bengal Government on Tuesday.

Earlier, the top court had said that it would hear on June 22 the appeal filed by Ghatak.

The top court On June 18 had requested the high court to hear the case a day after the apex court considers the appeals of the state government and Ghatak against the order.

On June 9, a five-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court, hearing CBI's application for transfer of the Narada sting tape case from the special CBI court to the high court, had said it will decide later on considering the affidavits by the Banerjee and Ghatak on their respective roles on the day of the arrest of four leaders in connection with the case.

Senior advocates Rakesh Dwivedi and Vikas Singh, appearing for Ghatak and the state government, had said it was necessary to bring on record of the high court the affidavits as they deal with the roles of the persons concerned on May 17.

The law minister was attending the cabinet meeting and was not in the court premises at the time of hearing, Dwivedi had said, adding that even the CBI officials were not there on the spot as the lawyer for the agency addressed the court virtually.

It has been alleged that the state ruling party leaders played key role in stopping CBI from performing its legal duty after the agency arrested four leaders on May 17 in the case.

Singh had contended that under the rules there is a right to file affidavits and, moreover, CBI filed as many as three affidavits and did not take the permission of the court.

The high court, which on June 9 decided to consider later the affidavits of Banerjee and Ghatak, was urged by the Solicitor General that the affidavits cannot be accepted on the ground of delay as they were filed after the completion of his arguments.

The CBI, which has filed an application seeking transfer of the Narada sting tape case from the special CBI court to the high court, has made the chief minister and the law minister parties in its plea there.

It had claimed that while the Chief Minister had sat on a dharna at the CBI office in Kolkata soon after the arrest of the four accused, Ghatak had been present at the Banshall Court premises during the virtual hearing of the case before the special CBI court there on May 17.

Ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, Trinamool Congress MLA Madan Mitra and former mayor of Kolkata Sovan Chatterjee were arrested by the CBI which is investigating the Narada sting tape case on a 2017 order of the high court.

The five-judge bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and justices I P Mukerji, Harish Tandon, Soumen Sen and Arijit Banerjee, had adjourned the hearing in the matter.

The bench had granted interim bail on May 28 to the four accused.

The special CBI court had granted them bail on May 17 itself, but the order was stayed by the high court, which remanded them to judicial custody.

They had been placed under house arrest on May 21 by the high court, modifying its earlier order of stay on the bail.

The Narada sting operation was conducted by journalist Mathew Samuel of Narada News, a web portal, in 2014 wherein some people resembling TMC ministers, MPs and MLAs were seen receiving money from representatives of a fictitious company in lieu of favours.

At that time, the four arrested politicians were ministers in the government.

The sting operation was made public ahead of the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal.

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A three-hour protest led by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sambhaji Chhatrapati on the issue was held in Nashik on Monday, with leaders cutting across party lines, including two Maharashtra ministers, arriving at the venue on Gangapur Road here to offer support.

The silent protest, with participants wearing black shirts and black masks, took place from 10am to 1pm and among those who came to offer support to the cause were ministers Chhagan Bhujbal from the NCP and Dada Bhuse from the Shiv Sena, as well as NCP's Narhari Zirwal, deputy speaker in the state Assembly.

"The Maratha community must get reservation. The NCP, Sena and Congress support this demand. The Supreme Court struck down quotas for Marathas, and also reservation in local bodies for OBCs. The Maratha community and OBCs should get together to fight for their demands and the Centre must cooperate in the court battle," Bhujbal said.

On May 5, the Supreme Court had struck down a Maharashtra law that gave reservations in jobs and education to Marathas under the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes category.

The apex court also ordered recently that reservation in local bodies in Maharashtra for SC, ST and OBCs etc should not cumulatively exceed 50 per cent of the total number of seats.

Meanwhile, organisers of the protest said BJP MP Sambhaji Chhatrapati would address a meeting later in the evening on a proposed 'long march' of outfits demanding quota for the Maratha community.

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The Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has constituted a committee to inquire into the complaints of post-poll violence in following a Calcutta High Court order in the matter, officials said Monday.

The multi-phase Assembly elections in March-April were marred by incidents of post-poll violence.

In a statement, the said Monday its chairman Justice (retd) Arun Mishra has constituted a committee to "inquire into the complaints of post-poll violence in West Bengal, in accordance with the orders of the Calcutta High Court".

Earlier in the day, the Calcutta High Court dismissed a government plea for recalling its order that directed the to examine all cases of alleged human rights violations and during post-poll violence in the state.

The committee, which will start functioning immediately, will be headed by Member Rajeev Jain.

It will examine the complaints which have already been received by the NHRC or which may be received, the officials said.

The panel shall also point out the "persons, prima-facie, responsible for crime and the officers who maintained calculated silence on the issue", the statement said.

The panel members include, Atif Rasheed, Vice Chairperson, Commission for Minorities; Rajulben L Desai, Member, Commission for Women; Santosh Mehra, Director General (Investigation), NHRC; Pradip Kumar Panja, Registrar, West Bengal State Human Rights Commission; Raju Mukherjee, Member Secretary, West Bengal State Legal Services Authority; and Manzil Saini, DIG (Investigation), NHRC, the statement said.

The committee shall also examine the complaints which have been received by the West Bengal State Legal Services Authority and further complaints that may be received by the Authority, it said.

"The cases shall be examined, including by visiting the affected areas and (the committee) shall submit a comprehensive report to the High Court of Calcutta about the present situation and also steps to be taken to ensure confidence of the people that they can peacefully live in their houses and also carry on their occupation or business to earn their livelihood," the statement said.

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Maharashtra Rural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif on Monday said there will be no elections to local bodies in the state till 70 per cent population is vaccinated against COVID-19.

Till Sunday, 2,76,99,419 people were inoculated against COVID-19 in Maharashtra, according to the health department.

NCP leader Mushrif was talking to reporters in Kolhapur when he was asked about Maharashtra minister and Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar's comment that he would not allow local bodies polls to be held in the state till the OBC quota issue is resolved.

"Due to corona, there will be no elections till 70 per cent vaccination is done. So, till then, the quota issue will also be resolved," Mushrif said.

To a query about Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik's letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray wherein he alleged that the Congress and NCP were weakening the Shiv Sena by creating divisions in its ranks, Mushrif dubbed it as an attempt by the BJP to destablise the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra.

The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress share power in the state.

Mushrif said, "The Congress and NCP are nowhere in the state working to weaken the Shiv Sena. In fact, both the parties are working to strengthen the MVA government and the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray."



"Sarnaik has been on the BJP's radar ever since he moved a breach of privilege notice against (actor) Kangana Ranaut and (journalist) Arnab Goswami," Mushrif claimed.

He said Sarnaik's claim in the latter of he and his family members being harassed by central investigating agencies was a cause of concern.

Mushrif wondered "why the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is not making public who is the mastermind behind placing the explosives-laden vehicle near the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani" here in February.

Policemen of inspector and assistant inspector rank, including Sachin Waze, have been arrested in connection with the case and dismissed from service. "But, former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, to whom all these arrested policemen reported, is still moving scot-free," he said.

"The CBI is probing a baseless allegation made by Param Bir Singh against (NCP leader) Anil Deshmukh and he had to resign from the post of state home minister. Such attempts to destablise the government will not work," Mushrif said.

He also said that if NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Shiv Sena head Uddhav Thackeray wish, the MVA government will continue even for 25 years.

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on Monday eased some restrictions on the Strip that have threatened a fragile cease-fire which halted an 11-day war last month with the territory's Hamas rulers, Palestinian officials said.

They said 11 truckloads of clothes were exported through Kerem Shalom crossing for the first time in 40 days. On Sunday, said it will allow limited agricultural exports from

The easing also included the resumption of mail service in and out of Gaza, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Since the 11-day war in May between and Gaza's Hamas rulers, thousands of Gazan passports and other essential paperwork had accumulated on the way to the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority for further processing.

Other restrictions by Israel remain in place. They include restrictions on the zone for fishermen, a limit on the number of medical patients who can get treatment in Israel or the West Bank, and a ban on raw materials for Gaza industries.

Egypt brokered the cease-fire that went into effect on May 21, ending the fourth war between Israel and Hamas since the militant group seized power in Gaza in 2007.

Hamas has been calling for significant easing of the blockade. Last week, Hamas-linked activists launched incendiary balloons across the border, burning farmland and triggering Israeli airstrikes despite the cease-fire. Egypt is continuing its efforts to cement the shaky truce.

On Sunday, Israel's new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, warned Hamas that Israel would not tolerate even minor attacks from Gaza.

The war started when Hamas fired salvos of rockets toward Jerusalem and other Israeli towns last month. Hamas says the attacks were a response to Israeli police raids and heavy-handed policy against Muslim worshippers at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque and planned evictions of Palestinian families from an Arab neighbourhood.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian migrant workers, hit by the pandemic-led downturn, are confronted with a new challenge--a reduction in the Minimum Referral Wages (MRW) mandated by the government to protect them from exploitative employers abroad. MRW applies to poorly educated, low skilled blue-collar workers who have to produce an Emigration Check Required (ECR) passport when they seek to migrate to 18 countries for work.

The countries seeking ECR clearance include the Gulf Cooperation Council members and others like Sudan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Jordan. But MRW is most critical in the Gulf, a favoured destination for Indian migrants, due to the lack of systems in these countries.

In September 2020, the overseas employment division of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued two circulars fixing the reduced MRWs thus: Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the UAE at $200 per month, Saudi Arabia at $324 and Kuwait at $245 in the case of work-visa holders and $196 for domestic workers. Implemented across all skill levels and occupations, the reduction in MRW ranged between 30% and 50%.

The government reasoned that this reduction would ensure that do not lose out on overseas employment opportunities given the economic conditions due to Covid-19. have higher wages than their South Asian counterparts, leading to a decline in recruitment of Indians in the Gulf and an increase in recruitment from other South Asian nations such as Bangladesh and Pakistan, the rationale went. However, civil society organisations and migration experts fear that lowered MRW could actually lead to job losses, exploitation, and, in the long-run, a less competitive Indian migrant workforce.

Migration experts and civil society organisations believe that reducing MRWs could increase employment of in the short-term, but these gains will last only until other source countries for migrant workers also do the same. This could hit the competitive edge that Indian workers hold. Migrant unions also point out that workers who signed employment contracts before the reduction of MRWs would now have to either accept lower wages or let go of the employment opportunity.





ALSO READ: NHRC issues more advisories on bonded labourers, migrant workers amid Covid

The reduction in MRWs is uniform, that is it fixes the same wage level across occupations in one country, as shown by the recent data on consolidated MRWs from the eMigrate portal. For example, a cook, a nurse, a domestic worker and a machine operator, all have an MRW of Rs 14,575 in Bahrain. In Saudi Arabia, the MRW across these occupations is fixed at Rs 14,083. The variations depend on the cost of living.



Telangana Protests

Civil society organisations, most notably the Emigrants Welfare Forum of Telangana, a non-profit organisation for migrant communities and migrant rights, have protested. The first organisation in India to raise this concern, the forum wrote to the state's NRI affairs minister who then appealed to the MEA to raise the MRWs and ensure that "migrant workers' interests are protected".

A 10-member delegation of the Telangana Gulf Workers Joint Action Committee (Gulf JAC) organised a 'Chalo Delhi' programme in early March 2021 seeking repeal of the circulars. The Emigrants Welfare Forum has also filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Telangana High Court in this regard.

The Union Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan, stated in parliament that there was no proposal to further review the referral wages. In response to a question by Pinaki Mishra in the Lok Sabha, the minister stated that MRWs were reviewed because of the economic crisis following the pandemic.

Protection from exploitation

The Indian migrant population--450 million internal migrants and 18 million emigrants--was heavily impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent countrywide lockdown measures. Internally, migrants were locked down in expensive urban areas with limited resources and loss of income and internationally, the Indian government undertook the Vande Bharat Mission to bring home stranded emigrants from various countries. In April 2020, following consultations with the recruiting industry and state-level protectorates, the mission began to repatriate Indians from abroad. As of March 2021, the mission had completed 10 phases, including over 14,000 flights. With their workplaces closing down due to lockdowns, Indian migrants in the found their employment terminated or were placed on forced leave, with no wages or social security benefits.

For emigrants seeking employment in certain countries, including the Gulf, the Indian Emigration Act of 1983 requires those in the ECR category to get clearance from the Protectorate of Emigrants before migrating. (This includes those with low educational qualifications or those who are semi-skilled or unskilled.) It was to protect these workers that the Indian government began the system of MRWs, which evolved from the concept of minimum wages.

For emigration clearance out of India, MRWs prescribe the least wage acceptable to the Indian government. Many key work destinations for Indian emigrants do not have systems, according to a 2018 policy brief from the International Labour Organization on wage systems in Arab states. For example, Qatar is the only GCC country with a statutory for all workers, announced via a statement by the Qatar Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs in 2020.

India's Minimum Wages Act, 1948, provides clear guidelines for the fixing, regulating and revision of domestic minimum wages based on occupation types, schedules and other factors. But MRWs do not have a statutory foundation and are mostly fixed through executive orders from the Ministry of External Affairs. The living costs and recommended wage rates in destination countries are taken into account while fixing the MRW. There seems to be no uniform criteria for the referral wage rates across occupations or skill levels, a 2016 assessment of the MRW System by ILO India noted.

India's referral wages were significantly higher than the prevailing wage rates in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait, said the 2016 ILO report. But the "reported actual wages''--that is, wages reported by migrant workers on the ground--in low-skilled occupations are lower than the referral wages. This showed that employers' wage preferences in these countries were below India's MRWs, said the report, which also flagged the issue of contract substitution--the practice of duplicate contracts issued at destination, which reflect lower wages than the MRW-compliant contract signed during emigration clearance.

'No consultations'

As per the September 2020 MEA circulars, the MRW for emigrants to the Gulf has been reduced by 30-50%. The previous referral wages were fixed specific to skill levels and occupational categories, but the current slabs apply to all Indian emigrants across skill/occupational levels.

The Telangana government criticised this move on the grounds that it will give destination countries a reason to lower the prevailing wage rates for migrants. "Our major concern is why the government didn't consult any stakeholders before reducing the MRW. What is the reason behind the reduction, did foreign countries ask for it, and also the basis of the reduction to 200 dollars?" said Bheem Reddy, president of the Emigrants Welfare Forum of Telangana.

52% workers in Arab region have no minimum wage cover

Fair and ethical recruitment in the international labour market has become an area of interest for governments, international organisations and other stakeholders. The concept of ethical recruitment does not have a universal definition and various international organisations have interpreted it differently. The International Organisation for Migration's (IOM) International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS), for instance, consists of seven principles: fundamental worker rights, ethical and professional conduct, respecting freedom of movement, transparency in terms of employment, confidentiality and data protection, access to remedy, and prohibition of recruitment fees for jobseekers.

The 2012 Dhaka Principles for Migration with Dignity, developed by the Institute for Human Rights and Business, also provide a roadmap for ethical overseas recruitment of migrants. The fifth among the Dhaka Principles postulates that "wages are paid regularly, directly and on time", and that employers should pay at least the legal minimum wage to all workers or the appropriate prevailing wage.

The recent ILO Global Wage Report 2020-21 states that 90% of ILO member-states have minimum wages, and the GCC countries implement them the least. Within the GCC, Kuwait and Oman have minimum wage specifications, but only for their nationals. There is no minimum wage system in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain or the UAE. The ILO report also states that the share of wage workers residing in Arab countries with no minimum wage is 52%.

Lower than Nepal's MRWs

Indian migrant workers face direct competition in the job market from two neighbouring countries -- Nepal and Bangladesh. Of them, only Nepal issues MRWs.

The 2020 Nepal Labour Migration Report outlines the process of calculating referral wages based on living costs, prevailing wages and referral wages of other nationals in destination countries. Nepal's MRWs for low-skilled workers were lower than those set by India, as per the 2016 ILO report. But with the recent revisions, Indian MRWs are now below Nepal's as reported by Nepal's Ministry of Labour, Employment & Social Security.





"Industries and trades like construction and facility maintenance are the only ones where MRW is higher than what the overseas market actually pays and these trades are always in high demand," said Amit Saxena, head of Ambe International, one of India's oldest private recruiting agencies, and director at the Federation of Indian Emigrants Management Councils and Associations (FIMCA). "Indian workers were more expensive than workers from other countries for these specific trades. This is reflected in the falling share of Indian workers in the GCC recruitment market, compared to recruitment from Pakistan and Bangladesh."





As Indian migrants lost favour, countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan stepped in--in 2016, the share of migrant workers going to Saudi Arabia from Bangladesh increased from 7% in 2015 to 19%. In the same year, the share of Pakistani workers going to Saudi Arabia increased from 48% in 2014 to 60%, this 2017 article published in Outlook India noted.

A. Didar Singh, former secretary to the government of India (Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs) and a migration expert, was of the view that the revision in MRW though well-intentioned, may have adverse impacts. workers. "While it is fully appreciated that the reduction in MRW by the government is a move taken in the interest of workers migrating to the Gulf, it actually lowers the Indian brand which has been built over the years," he said. "Indians are preferred as migrant workers in the Gulf due to various reasons and the government needs to nurture and enforce this preference."

'Remittances will fall'

While higher referral wages may reduce the preference for Indian migrant workers, the question is will reduced minimum wages guarantee increased employment opportunities? The decision to reduce MRWs may cause a rise in demand for Indian workers, but this may be temporary, said migration activists.

"The major players in the international labour market, especially the other South Asian countries, would definitely either reduce their minimum referral wages or supply skilled manpower at the same cost. The reduction in the referral wages would add to the existing vulnerabilities of Indian workers," said Rafeek Ravuther, founder of the Centre for Indian Migrant Studies, a Kerala-based civil society organisation working on emigrant welfare.

In the economic crisis created by the Covid-19 pandemic, more migrants may lose their jobs, not have contracts renewed, or may be forced to accept lower wages, said Reddy. "There are two options for the workers--either they sign these contracts or return to India. Remittances are also bound to be affected by this reduction."

In setting the MRW, factors such as sectors, skill levels, market trends and rights of migrant workers must also be considered. "A more scientific MRW would help if it takes into account the concept of cost-to-company of compensation as well -- this would include, along with the salary, the cost of food, accommodation, transport, medical that is provided or paid by the employer," said Saxena. "Right now, the MRW does not incorporate better opportunities for Indians especially where they may get facilities like paid leave, gratuity, accomodation, overtime, travel compensation, paid vacation, etc."

Stakeholders such as civil society organisations and trade unions should have a say in the MRW process in order to keep Indian migrants safe from exploitation, Ravuther said. "Country-specific and sector-specific minimum referral wages can only be developed with the help of non-government actors and grassroot level organisations."





(Nidhi Menon is a researchers at Mumbai-based migration data, research, and policy organisation, India Migration Now. IMN is a venture of the South East Migration Foundation. Follow their work: Twitter/@nowmigration and Instagram/@indiamigrationnow)

(Rohini Mitra is a researcher at Mumbai-based migration data, research, and policy organisation, IMN)
On the occasion of the seventh International Day of Yoga, Union Health Minister on Monday said that the relevance of Yoga has increased during COVID-19 and asserted that Yoga has helped people to maintain physical and mental health.

After performing Yoga at Maharaja Agrasen Park here, Vardhan said, "Relevance of Yoga has increased during COVID-19. Yoga has helped us to maintain our physical and mental health. We should make Yoga or other physical activities a part of our daily life. These will help us to increase our immunity against "

"I assure you, include yoga in your daily routine, it will increase your body's urgency and inner strength, it will also give you more strength in the fight against Covid," he added.

"In the battle of the second wave of covid, we are slowly moving towards success, we do not have to be careless at all, if we would be careless and relax again, then there can be many more cases of Covid again," Vardhan warned.

Vardhan also said that the free vaccine will be provided to every citizen who is above 18 years of age at every government health center from today.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Yoga has provided a ray of hope to the people across the world amid the ongoing Covid pandemic.

"Yoga is a ray of hope amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as the enthusiasm for Yoga has only increased over the last two years," he said while addressing the seventh International Day of Yoga (IDY).

While giving the mantra of 'Yoga se sahyog tak', the Prime Minister announced the launch of the M-Yoga app for yoga training videos that will be available worldwide in different languages and said that the application will play a 'great role' in expanding yoga across the globe.

This year, the theme of the occasion is 'Yoga For Wellness', and will focus on practicing Yoga for physical and mental well-being.

Since 2014, the occasion has been observed in mass gatherings in different parts of the country. Last year and this year, however, the lead event has been presented in a televised programme due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The observation of IDY is a global activity and the preparatory activities normally start 3-4 months prior to June 21. Millions of people are introduced to Yoga in the spirit of a mass movement as part of IDY observation every year.

(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 country's largest bank, State Bank of India, plans to raise upto Rs 14,000 crore through additional tier-I bonds (AT1 bonds) in current financial year (FY22) to enhance capital adequacy profile.

The Central Board approved the capital raise by way of issuance of Basel lll-compliant debt instruments in rupee and/or US dollar in FY22, bank said in a BSE filing. Its stock closed 1.64 per cent higher at Rs 419.55 per share on BSE.

An executive said this is an enabling provision and the actual issuance will depend on the market conditions and credit growth in the system.

The fundraising is subject to concurrence with the Government of India, its promoter, which held 57.63 per cent stake on March 31, 2021.

Its capital adequacy ratio (CAR) stood at 13.74 per cent as of March end 2021, up from 13.06 per cent in March 2020. Its Common Equity Tier I (CETI) was 10.02 per cent in March 2021 higher than regulatory requirement of 7.97 per cent. Its AT-1 level was 1.42 per cent in March 2021, up from 1.23 per cent in March 2020.

Being a systemically important financial institution, the bank has to maintain a higher level of CAR than its peers.

With CETI level higher than regulatory requirements, is not looking at raising equity capital for now. Besides retained earnings, the bank has an option to monetize stake in subsidiaries like general insurance and asset management unit through their listing to raise resources.

As and when external capital is required, it would approach the board and shareholders for requisite approvals to raise resources from the market.
Aimed at effectively facing



the possible third wave of the pandemic, a separate COVID Care Centre (CCCs) will be set up for children at every taluk or assembly constituency level, Karnataka Minister for Women, and Child Development Shashikala Jolle said on Monday.

Amid concerns that children may be hit hard in case of a third wave, the Minister said a hospital in Bengaluru city will be identified as a special COVID hospital for children.

"Department is making arrangements to identify children with symptoms during the possible third wave at every taluk or assembly constituency level, and on testing positive they will be shifted to COVID Care Centres for children at taluk and assembly level along with their mothers," Jolle said.

Speaking to reporters here, she said government hostels are being identified for this purpose, and separate girls and boys units will be set up for children above 10 years.

"Arrangements are being made at separate hostels for children who are differently abled," she said, adding that in urban districts like Bengaluru, community halls and choultries will also be used for CCCs to quarantine children who are asymptomatic.

The Minister further said hospitals have been identified in Bengaluru city by authorities in case the children infected need hospitalisation, and 1,419 beds have already been reserved.

She said along with enhancing the number of beds, it has also been decided to identify a special COVID hospital for children in Bengaluru.

Citing reports and experts' opinion that children may be infected in large numbers during the third wave, Jolle said children were infected during the first and the second wave as well and pointed out 2,38,252 children between the age group of 0-18 years were infected in Bengaluru urban.

Many of them were asymptomatic, very few were hospitalised and most recovered at the COVID care centre. As per the war room data, 51 children have died and several of them had comorbidities, she said.

Noting that during the second wave about 50 children have lost their parents in the state and have become orphans, she said most of them are from middle class and poor families, and assistance is being provided to them under the "Chief Minister's Bala Seva Scheme".

The Minister, in response to a question, said vaccination trials have been conducted on about 30 children and depending on the outcome of these trials , vaccination drives for children may start.

"The CM and PM will decide on it," she said.

On experts' opinion to reopen schools for children in a phased manner, she said in the backdrop of possible third wave, she will discuss with the education minister in this regard.

(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.)
Telangana on Monday added



1,197 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 6,14,399, while the death toll rose to 3,576 with nine more fatalities.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 137 followed by Nalgonda (84) and Suryapet (72) districts, a state government bulletin said, providing details as of 5.30 PM on Monday.

The number of recoveries outnumbered fresh cases on Monday with 1,707 people recovering from the infectious disease, taking the cumulative number of recoveries to 5,93,577.

The number of active cases was 17,246, the bulletin said.

It said 1,19,537 samples were tested today and the total number of samples tested till date was 1,76,45,176.

Samples tested per million population were at 4,74,077.

The case fatality and recovery rates were at 0.58 per cent and 96.61 per cent, respectively.

(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.)
One of the most wanted militants, Mudasir Pandit, and a Pakistani ultra were among the three killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in the Sopore area of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said on Monday.

Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh said all the three slain were top commanders of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit.

The operation was very important for the police and other security forces as the were involved in several attacks and killings, he added.

These include two major attacks in Sopore -- one on March 29 in which two municipal councillors and a policeman were killed and another on June 12 in which two policemen and an equal number of civilians were killed.

The encounter broke out late on Sunday night as the security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation following information about the presence of at least three militants, including Pandit, in the area.

"The operation was very important for the police and security forces. In the encounter, three dreaded terrorist commanders, who were active for a long time and were involved in several terror crimes, were killed," Singh told reporters at a press conference here.

He identified one of the slain militants as Mudasir Pandit alias Umer alias Mass Bhai, who was the commander of the area since June 19.

"There are 18 FIRs against him and he was involved in the killing of nine security forces' personnel, four civilians, two former militants, three sarpanches and two separatists," the DGP said.

He said the other slain militants were a Pakistani named Abdullah alias Asrar, who was working with Pandit for long, and Khursheed Mir of Sopore against whom there were six FIRs and who was involved in the killing of seven security forces' personnel and five civilians, besides two grenade attacks.

"The group was also involved in two major attacks in Sopore -- the first one on March 29 in which two municipal councillors and a policeman were killed and another on June 12 in which two policemen and two civilians were killed in the main market area," the DGP said.

Inspector general of police (IGP), Kashmir Vijay Kumar said the slain militants were hiding in a house that belonged to the family of another militant.

"I urge the militant families not to give shelter to active militants. Then they blame the police for misbehaving with them.... The families of militants should refrain from providing food and shelter to active militants," he said.

The IGP said there was a huge support from the locals in tracking the militants.

"We had circulated posters with the images of all three wanted militant commanders. The police tracked them down to their exact location, but the locals supported us. I thank the locals for the huge support," he said.

General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the Army's Kilo Force Major General H S Sahi said a soldier was injured in the operation and he was evacuated to a hospital where his condition is stated to be stable.

He said this was the second such instance in the valley in recent times where local militants were found to be accompanied by Pakistani ultras.

"This is a big network nexus that exists, which is a cause of concern. This nexus needs to be broken and destroyed so that there is no hurdle in the peace and development of Jammu and Kashmir," Maj. Gen. Sahi said.

He appealed to the civil society and the people of Kashmir to cooperate with the security forces to break this network.

"This network wants to continue the cycle of violence. We have been saying that this cycle of violence needs to be destroyed," he said, adding that the support to this network should stop so that the lives of innocent Kashmiris are saved.

Maj. Gen. Sahi also appealed to the local militants to give up their arms and join the mainstream.

"If they do not, then I assure you that they will meet the similar fate as that of the slain militants in the Sopore gunfight," 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.)
: on Monday organised a



protest in Kerala against the Central government over rising prices of fuel.

Traffic on major roads in the State were affected for 15 minutes due to "halt-the-wheel protest" by the trade unions, police said.

Members of 21 like CITU, INTUC, UTUC, STU, HMS and AITUC, participated in the protest.

They stopped vehicles and demanded that the Central government take measures to arrest the rising prices of and

Commuters faced a tough time in many busy junctions in the city like Kochi.

The unionists urged the Centre to stop levying additional excise duty and cess.

The union leaders alleged that the excise duty on and was increased several times by the BJP-led government at the Centre paving the way for the price hike.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India Managing Director Manish Maheshwari has been summoned by police for questioning on Thursday over tweets on the assault of an elderly Muslim man in Ghaziabad. This comes hours after Maheshwari had made himself available over a video call.

You couldnt remove certain tweets even after you were asked to by authorities. You understand Indian laws and are bound to follow them, the notice said, according to the report.

As the issue spiralled into a major controversy, on Monday withheld 50 tweets related to the video. According to information on the Lumen database, received a legal request from the Centre on June 17, seeking action on 50 tweets.

These tweets have been withheld and the content could not be independently verified. Upon clicking on the blocked URLs listed on Lumen database, a message saying the tweet has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand is displayed. According to sources, these tweets contained content related to the said video clip.

As explained in our Country Withheld Policy, it may be necessary to withhold access to certain content in response to a valid legal demand or when the content has been found to violate local law(s), a Twitter spokesperson said.

The spokesperson noted that the withholdings are limited to the specific jurisdiction/country where the content is determined to be illegal. The legal requests that we receive are detailed in the biannual Twitter Transparency Report, and requests to withhold content are published on Lumen, the spokesperson added.

Requests received by Twitter for withholding content are published on Lumen database  an independent research project studying cease and desist letters concerning online content.

The Ghaziabad Police have booked Twitter and six persons for circulating a video that claimed to have the elderly Muslim man saying he was allegedly thrashed and asked to chant Jai Shri Ram. Police said this was done to create communal unrest. The Ghaziabad Police said the assault was a personal dispute but was being painted as a communal issue on Twitter. Some media platforms and journalists were also named in the complaint.

Maheshwari had been summoned last week for questioning by
has "withheld" 50 tweets related to a communally sensitive video clip of an elderly Muslim man in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh on the microblogging platform, according to sources.

According to information on the Lumen database, received a legal request from the Indian government on June 17 for actioning 50 tweets.

These tweets have been withheld and the content could not be independently verified.

Upon clicking on the blocked URLs listed on Lumen database, a message saying the tweet has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand is displayed.

According to sources, these tweets contained content related to the said video clip.

When contacted, a spokesperson said: As explained in our Country Withheld Policy, it may be necessary to withhold access to certain content in response to a valid legal demand or when the content has been found to violate local law(s).

The spokesperson noted that the withholdings are limited to the specific jurisdiction/country where the content is determined to be illegal.

The account holder is notified directly - by sending a message to the e-mail address associated with the account(s), if available - so that the user is aware that Twitter has received a legal order pertaining to the account.

The legal requests that we receive are detailed in the biannual Twitter Transparency Report, and requests to withhold content are published on Lumen, the spokesperson added.

Requests received by Twitter for withholding content are published on Lumen database - an independent research project studying cease and desist letters concerning online content.

The Ghaziabad police have booked Twitter and six people for circulating a video that claimed to have the elderly Muslim man saying he was allegedly thrashed and asked to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'. Police say this was done to create communal unrest.

The Ghaziabad police have sent a notice to Twitter India Managing Director Manish Maheshwari, asking him to join a probe in connection with the case.

Twitter has drawn flak for failure to fully comply with the new IT rules, which mandates among other requirements, the appointment of three key personnel - chief compliance officer, nodal officer and grievance officer by social media platforms with over 50 lakh users. All the three personnel have to be resident in India.

While the rules came into effect on May 26, Twitter is yet to adhere to the social media guidelines, despite repeated reminders from the government.

The government, last week, had slammed Twitter for deliberate defiance and failure to comply with the IT rules, which has led to the US giant losing its intermediary status in India and becoming liable for users posting any unlawful content.

Twitter and the government have been at loggerheads over multiple instances in the past months, including during the farmers' protest and later when the microblogging platform tagged political posts of several leaders of the ruling party BJP as "manipulated media", triggering a sharp rebuke from the Centre.

Twitter has an estimated 1.75 crore users in India, as per data cited by the government recently.

Earlier this month, Twitter had blocked accounts of Punjabi rapper JazzyB, Sydney-based hip-hop artist L-Fresh the Lion and two others following demands by the Indian government.

Earlier this year, more than 500 accounts were suspended and access to hundreds of others in India blocked after the government ordered the microblogging platform to restrain the spread of misinformation and inflammatory content related to farmers' protests.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two are being held captive by their employer in Yanbu city of despite an assurance by authorities that they will be allowed to return by April-end, a local Congress leader alleged on Monday and appealed to President Ram Nath Kovind to intervene.

Gaffar Mohammed (49) of Bundi district and Vishram Jatav (46) of Bharatpur district had gone to over three years ago on a work agreement, which expired in November 2020.

They requested their employer to send them back to India. However, it is alleged, the two were held captive under inhuman conditions, and the issue was brought to the notice of the central government.

"The PMO website, on complaint number PMOPG/D/2021/0105100, dated April 3, 2021, responded that the case was closed on April 26, 2021 as the sponsor of the two Indians granted them the permission for exit by end of the month (April)," Charmesh Sharma, Congress' Bundi district vice president, claimed.

"The fact is that the two Indians are still living in captivity," Sharma said and claimed he had spoken to them four days ago over the phone where they again narrated their plight.

Sharma said he has written to President Ram Nath Kovind to intervene in the matter and ensure the safe and immediate release of the two Indians.

"The two labourers have somehow managed to survive on leftovers given to them by other others labourers out of pity," 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.)
The on Monday granted transit anticipatory bail to journalist Rana Ayyub for a period of four weeks in connection with an FIR registered against her by the Uttar Pradesh police for allegedly circulating a video in which an elderly Muslim man claimed he was thrashed and asked to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'.

The police in their FIR claimed the video was circulated to create communal unrest.

The FIR was registered at the Loni Border police station at Ghaziabad in UP on June 15 under IPC Sections 153 (giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153A (promoting enmity between groups on ground of religion, class etc), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feels of any class by insulting its religion or religious belief) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

Ayyub's counsel Mihir Desai on Monday told a single bench of Justice P D Naik that the applicant was a journalist who had just forwarded the video from her Twitter handle.

"On June 16, when she came to know that the content of the video was not correct, she deleted the same," Desai said.

He further said the offences under which Ayyub has been booked are all punishable only up to three years in jail and hence, she should be given time to approach the court concerned in Uttar Pradesh to seek relief.

Justice Naik noted that the police probe subsequently found the person, who allegedly claimed he was thrashed and forced to chant 'Jai Shri Ram', had some altercation with the people who beat him over some other transaction.

"Considering the factual aspects of the case and to enable the applicant (Ayyub) to approach the court concerned in Uttar Pradesh where the FIR is lodged, protection from arrest can be granted for a temporary period of four weeks," the court said in its order.

"In the event of the applicant's arrest in this period, she shall be released on a personal bond of Rs 25,000," Justice Naik said, adding there would not be an extension of the time period granted to the applicant.

Apart from Ayyub, the FIR names Twitter Inc, Twitter Communications India, news website 'The Wire', journalist Mohammed Zubair, Congress leaders Shama Mohamed, Salman Nizami, Maskoor Usmani and writer Saba Naqvi.

As per the FIR, the accused persons did not verify the credibility of the video, and shared it online with a communal angle with an intention to disrupt public peace and create a divide between two religious groups.

In a video clip, which surfaced on social media on June 14, the man, identified as Abdul Shamad Saifi, was heard saying he was thrashed by some young men and asked to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'.

However, the Ghaziabad police ruled out a communal angle and said the accused persons were unhappy about a tabeez (amulet) which the victim had sold to them.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Joe Biden's special envoy for said on Monday he hopes to see a positive reaction from the North soon on US offers for talks after the North Korean leader ordered officials to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation.

Sung Kim, Biden's special representative for North Korea, is in Seoul to speak with South Korean and Japanese officials about the United States' stalled diplomacy with the North over its nuclear programme and US-led sanctions.

The trilateral talks followed a North Korean political conference last week where leader Kim Jong Un called for stronger efforts to improve his nation's economy, further battered last year by pandemic border closures and now facing worsening food shortages.

The US envoy Sung Kim said the allies took note of the North Korean leader's comments and are hoping the North will respond positively to the proposal of a meeting.

We continue to hope that the DPRK will respond positively to our outreach and our offer to meet anywhere, anytime without preconditions, Kim said during his meeting with South Korean and Japanese nuclear envoys, Noh Kyu-duk and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively. He was referring to the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry said the officials from the three countries reaffirmed a coordinated approach toward and shared commitment to work toward a quick resumption of dialogue.

North Korea's economic setbacks followed the collapse of Kim Jong Un's ambitious summitry with then-President Donald Trump in 2019, when the Americans rejected the North Koreans' demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of their nuclear capabilities.

Kim Jong Un in recent political speeches has threatened to bolster his nuclear deterrent and claimed that the fate of diplomacy and bilateral relations depends on whether Washington abandons what he calls hostile policies.

US officials have suggested Biden would take the middle ground between Trump's direct dealings with Kim and President Barack Obama's policy of strategic patience.

But some experts say the North likely must take concrete steps toward denuclearisation before the Biden administration would ease any sanctions.

South Korea, which is eager for inter-Korean engagement, has expressed optimism about a quick resumption of diplomacy.

Seoul's Unification Ministry said Kim's comments during a ruling party meeting last week, where he said he expected both dialogue and confrontation with the United States, demonstrated a flexibility toward diplomacy.

But others saw Kim's comments as merely a reiteration of Pyongyang's wait-and-see stance of insisting Washington budge and offer concessions first.

While Kim urged officials to boost agricultural production and brace for prolonged COVID-19 restrictions, none of the decisions reported after the party meeting seemed directly related to facilitating talks with the United States.

While displaying an openness to talks, the Biden administration has provided little detail about its policy on beyond a long-term principle of taking a calibrated and practical approach on diplomacy while simultaneously upholding sanctions against the country.

Thae Yong Ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected and was elected a South Korean lawmaker, posted on Facebook that Kim's comments at the party meeting seemed tailored to mirror what the Biden administration has said about the North.

Advocates of engagement see Kim Jong Un's recent mention of dialogue as a sign North Korea is opening the door for talks, but Pyongyang has not yet expressed a willingness for working-level negotiations on denuclearisation, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

He said the North may return to negotiations only after demonstrating its strength with post-pandemic economic recovery and provocative military tests, which could possibly come later this summer when the United States and South Korea usually hold their combined military exercises. The allies describe the drills as defensive in nature, but the North claims they are invasion rehearsals.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister on Monday unveiled his government's ambitious plans to become a global science superpower and replicate the success of the country's COVID-19 vaccination programme.

A new Science and Technology Council, chaired by prime minister Johnson, will provide strategic direction on the use of science and technology as the tools to tackle great societal challenges.

And, the government's Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, will head up a new Office for Science and Technology Strategy (OSTS), based in the Cabinet Office, as he takes on the additional role of the new Technology Adviser.

From discovery to delivery, our vaccination programme has proven what the can achieve at scale and at speed, said Johnson.

With the right direction, pace and backing, we can breathe life into many more scientific and technological breakthroughs that transform the lives of people across the and the world. That's why I'm establishing a new ministerial council and office at the centre of government, so we can realise the limitless possibilities that research and technology has to offer and cement the UK's place as a global science superpower, he said.

The new OSTS is designed to strengthen the government's insight into cutting-edge research and technologies and work across departments to put science and technology at the centre of policy and public services.

It will also identify what is needed to secure and protect the capability in science and technology required in the UK to deliver the government's ambitions.

The new Office for Science and Technology Strategy will put science and technology right at the heart of policy-making and strengthen the way we work across government to reinforce the position of the UK as a science superpower, said Sir Patrick Vallance.

One of the first tasks of the Office for Science and Technology Strategy will be to review the technology bets the UK should back and prioritise for strategic advantage.

Downing Street said the government's successful vaccine and therapeutics programmes have proven how science can deliver real, meaningful benefit to the British people and transform lives around the world, helping to protect people from coronavirus and enable societies to reopen again.

The Prime Minister is tasking the whole of government, working with the new council and office, to take the success of the UK's approach to vaccines and apply it to other priorities setting bold visions, acting with speed, and taking risks, which can bring high rewards and benefits to the UK, including in developing technology to reach net zero, curing cancer and not only treating it, and keeping our citizens safe at home and abroad, it added.

The UK government said it is currently investing GBP 14.9 billion in research and development (R&D) for 2021-22 year, dubbed the highest R&D spend for four decades.

(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.)
UK travel officials set to challenge fourth lockdown warning

As infections led by the Delta variant surge in England, health officials are warning about a fourth lockdown that might be needed this year to contain the spread. However, this is widening the rift between airlines and authorities. Travel officials say around 195,000 jobs will be at risk if curbs continue on overseas travel. They plan to hold events in London in a bid to draw attention to their woes, that have worsened by the lockdowns. It will be interesting to see how Boris Johnson, who until now enjoyed an unflinching support from every section on handling the pandemic, manages the new crisis. The British government signaled that its restrictions will continue and suggested citizens take vacations at home. Read here



Let's look at the global statistics



Global infections: 178,492,010



Global deaths: 3,866,209



Vaccine doses administered: 2,605,578,970



Nations with most cases: US (33,541,984), India (29,935,221), Brazil (17,927,928), France (5,819,088), Turkey (5,370,299).



Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center

China risks isolation in quest for virus origin, Biden aide says

China will risk international isolation if it fails to allow a real investigation on its territory into the origins of the virus that caused the Covid-19 pandemic, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said. The goal is to present China with a stark choice: Either they will allow, in a responsible way, investigators in to do the real work of figuring out where this came from, or they will face isolation in the international community, Sullivan said in an interview. Read here

Brazil reported one of the highest Covid death tolls in the world

The Covid-19 death toll in Brazil has now surpassed 500,000, behind only the United States, which crossed 600,000 deaths last week. Nearly 18 million people have been infected so far, and the country is averaging almost 73,000 new cases and some 2,000 deaths a day, according to official data. But many experts believe the numbers understate the true scope of the countrys epidemic. Brazils president, Jair Bolsonaro, has been heavily criticised for dismissing the threat posed by the virus, despite contracting it himself last year. Read here





Anger in as third wave hits

South Africa, the worst-hit country in the continent, has reported a doubling of new daily cases over the past two weeks, with no sign of the rise slowing. The country has suffered two major waves already. Hospitals and health workers are close to being overwhelmed. Expectations of the government are low, with much anger at a series of corruption scandals involving Covid-19 spending. Despite having many advantages over other African countries, the authorities have struggled. The economic damage wrought by the pandemic has already been severe. Read here
President on Monday greeted citizens on the and said it can be extremely helpful during Covid.

He said yoga is one of India's greatest gifts to the world.

The is celebrated with much fervour every year on June 21.

"#InternationalDayOfYoga greetings! Our ancient seers' vision of bringing mind-body together to achieve holistic health and happiness has benefited millions over millennia. One of India's great gifts to the world, it can be especially helpful during Covid-19. #BeWithYogaBeAtHome," the Rashtrapati Bhavan tweeted, along with a picture of Kovind performing yoga.

(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 Centre is planning to make procedural changes in the stressed asset guarantee plan for small businesses to make it more popular. With this, promoters may not need to take risk in their personal capacity to avail the benefits of the scheme. The industry has been calling for tweaking some provisions of the scheme so that more businesses are able to avail benefits.

There could be around four-five procedural changes in the scheme, a senior government official told Business Standard. The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) ministry will soon take it up with the finance ...
The price of diesel has crossed the Rs 100/litre-mark in some parts of the country on the back of global cues and sustained high levels of state and central taxation.

Rajasthans Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh, and Odishas Koraput, Nabarangapur, and Malkangiri were some of the districts in the country where diesel sold above Rs 100 a litre on Monday, while in Madhya Pradeshs Anupur, the rate was Rs 99 a litre.

Diesel is expensive in these states as they levy the highest rates of Value Added Tax (VAT) alongside cesses on auto fuels in the country. The price is even higher in these cities because of added freight costs, incurred in transporting diesel, that are also borne by consumers.

States such as Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya, where diesel is the cheapest have low VAT rates ranging less than 13 per cent.

In addition to the state levies, the Centre imposed a basic excise duty of Rs 1.80/litre, special additional excise duty of Rs 8/litre, agriculture infrastructure and development cess of Rs 4 per litre and additional excise duty (road and infrastructure cess) of Rs 18 a litre. The correspondingly high state levies are largely on account of the tweaking of central levies to increase the take of the central government at the cost of the states.

For most of 2016-17, some 56 per cent of the excise duty on auto fuels was levied as cess. This is revenue from excise collections which the Centre retained. The rest of fuel revenues went to the kitty, which was shared with states.

But in 2020-21, less than 10 per cent of excise taxes went to that kitty. In other words, the Centre now keeps much more of the tax collected on auto fuels solely for itself, and does not share it with states.

This puts the states, especially those that are not on favourable terms with the central government, in a position where they need to maintain higher levels of state levies.

The Centre had hiked these duties when global crude oil and benchmark petrol and diesel prices were at lows. The fall in international prices was due to a demand slump in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. But that pessimism seems to have been shrugged off and Brent (the most popular marker for crude oil prices) is well above $70 a barrel now.

This is due to a strong global drive towards vaccination and expectations of a demand recovery as lockdowns ease around the world. In Delhi, the price of diesel has risen from Rs 73.87 a litre on January 1, 2021 to Rs 87.97 a litre on Monday (June 21). This rise of over Rs 14 a litre has a cascading effect on all other commodities since it pushes up freight costs through truck rentals.
Production linked incentives for manufacturing advanced chemistry cell batteries will be offered only to those firms that have been allocated the production capacity under the national programme on ACC battery storage through a transparent mechanism.

According to a notification issued by the Department of Heavy Industry, the incentives will not be offered to conventional battery pack segment of the industry as such manufacturing activities are already happening in the country.

In May, the government approved the PLI (Production Linked Incentives) scheme for manufacturing ACC (Advanced Chemistry Cell) batteries at an estimated outlay of Rs 18,100 crore.

ACCs are the new generation advanced energy storage technologies that can store electric energy either as electrochemical or as chemical energy and convert it back to electric energy as and when required.

All the demand for the ACCs is currently being met through imports in India.

As per the notification, the beneficiary firm will have to commit to set up a minimum of five GWh (Gigawatt hours) of ACCs manufacturing facility.

The total annual cash subsidy to be disbursed by the government will be capped at 20 GWh per beneficiary firm.

The scheme envisages setting up of a cumulative ACC manufacturing capacity of 50 GWh for ACCs and an additional cumulative capacity of 5 GWh for niche ACC technologies.

"Incentives will be offered only to those firms that have been allocated ACC production capacity (with cumulative capacity for all beneficiary firms combined together 50 GWh) under the said programme through a transparent mechanism by inviting the Request for Proposal," the notification said.

The programme refers to the national programme on ACC Battery storage.

Further, the beneficiary has to ensure a domestic value addition of at least 25 per cent and incur the mandatory investment (Rs 225 crore /GWh) within two years. The domestic value addition has to be increased to 60 per cent within five years, either at mother unit, in-case of an integrated unit, or at the project level, in-case of 'Hub & Spoke' structure.

"To ensure a single-window mechanism for the potential investors, a state-level grand challenge will be initiated, including provision for encumbrance-free land, trunk infrastructure facilities, power at rationale rate to the potential investors for attracting the projects in their states," it said.

Incentive disbursement would commence once the committed domestic value addition and actual sale of the ACCs begins.

An Empowered Group of Secretaries chaired by the Cabinet Secretary will monitor the PLI scheme, undertake periodic review of the outgo, and take appropriate action to ensure that the expenditure is within the prescribed outlay.

(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.)
Industry chamber on Monday said the recent changes in the FAME II scheme, including enhanced subsidies for electric two-wheelers, are expected to accelerate demand for in the two-wheelers, three-wheelers and bus segments.

Yet, the chamber asked the government to also raise the demand incentive on electric three-wheelers like it has done for e-two-wheelers.

Earlier this month, the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) had increased the demand incentive for electric two-wheelers to Rs 15,000 per KWh as compared to Rs 10,000 per KWH earlier, while capping incentives at 40 per cent of the cost of vehicles as against 20 per cent earlier.

Also, Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), a Government of India procuring body, will aggregate demand for 3 lakh electric three-wheelers for multiple user segments.

For e-busses, EESL will go for aggregation of demand in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Surat, and Pune on OPEX (operational expenditure) basis and the details are to be worked out.

Commenting on the steps by the government, EV Committee Chair Sulajja Firodia Motwani said, "It is a great move from the government to revise upwards the demand incentive of electric two-wheelers from Rs 10,000 per KWh to Rs 15,000 per KWh, which also has been recommending in the past."



Motwani, who is also founder and CEO, Kinetic Green Energy & Power Solutions Ltd, further said, "These measures will help reduce the cost of ownership difference between ICE engine vehicle and EV in the two-wheeler segment and encourage consumers to adopt electric two wheelers."



She said FICCI also welcomes the initiative to aggregate demand for buses and electric three-wheelers (E3W), which will benefit the E3W designed for cargo solutions and the industry is looking forward to working with EESL, DHI and NITI Aayog to make this vision a great success.

"At the same time, we request the policy makers to revise upwards the demand incentive slab for electric 3-wheelers from Rs 10,000 per KWh to Rs 15,000 per KWh as well. This will help create demand for E3W for passenger movement which will greatly help in creating self-employment and reduce pollution in our cities," Motwani said.

FICCI said the aggregation of orders/demand of E3W through EESL at national scale will bring down cost and eventually increase demand too.

"The notification also mentions that for electric buses, EESL will go for aggregation of demand in these 9 cities for remaining e-buses under the Scheme on OPEX basis. With this amendment the EV Bus segment can create the impact in the world as it did for 4-wheeler in the past," 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.)
Holdings Plc is targeting to become the number one wealth manager in in roughly five years as Europes largest bank shifts capital to tap clients in the increasingly affluent region, according to Pinnacle Venture Chief Executive Officer Trista Sun.

Household wealth in China has grown so rapidly, become the second largest globally, Sun said in a Bloomberg Television interview on Monday. And within it we see a middle class of about 340 million population, which we expect to grow to about 500 million by 2025.

The London-based bank is pinning its future on Asia, and has outlined ambitious plans to expand in wealth management, particularly in China. Its shifting billions of dollars to and plans to hire more than 5,000 new wealth planners to grow its business over the next three to five years.

China will more than double the number of millionaires in the next five years and boost the size of the middle class by almost half, spurring consumption in the economy, according to





ALSO READ: HSBC Holdings plans to split oversight of Asia between two co-heads

Only Constant



Chinas onshore wealth market -- dominated by its lenders including China Merchants Bank -- comes with its challenges, including fierce competition, as international including Credit Suisse Group AG and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. make a push into the market. The latter is setting up a joint venture with Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd.

The market is big enough for everybody, said Sun. The only constant in China market is speed and change, regulations are changing, customer needs are changing.

HSBC has hired about 350 wealth planners so far and the bank is adopting a hybrid model that focuses on digital and people, according to Sun. In certain areas such as the Greater Bay Area, Sun sees greater potential, especially with the upcoming wealth link that will allow investments across the border with Hong Kong.

The bank has expanded its mobile personal wealth planning service to four cities in mainland China --Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
gave a first glimpse of the ambition behind the merger of two of its pension and insurance funds with a plan to rival the worlds largest

The new entity will boast assets of over $250 billion, according to the chief executive officer of Hassana Investment Co, the investment management arm of the kingdoms General Organization of Social Insurance. GOSI, as the fund is known, will combine with the Public Pension Agency in a move that will reduce costs and help increase investment returns, Saad Al-Fadly, CEO of Hassana, said in an interview.

The merger will strengthen the position of the fund, enhance performance, and position GOSI as one of the top 10 pension plan in the world, he said, in the first public comments to put a figure on the size of the new state investor.





Scale is a benefit that helps in relationship management, cost management and in negotiations, so it helps in many aspects which will improve returns, he said.

has been taking steps to merge and restructure various entities as it looks to boost efficiency as part of a plan to diversify the economy away from oil. Its also been building up its sovereign wealth fund to raise its reach and influence. The government has outlined a plan to grow its assets to over $1 trillion by 2025.

Diverse Portfolio



The GOSI and PPA merger, which was announced last week, will create a fund that not only holds large stakes in Saudi companies, but also has a global portfolio that includes shares worth $204 million in AstraZeneca Plc and $171 million in HSBC Holdings Plc.

Domestic assets include a combined $8.7 billion holding in Saudi National Bank and a $4.3 billion stake in Al Rajhi Bank, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Their portfolios also include real estate and bonds.

The funds will conduct a review of investment strategy as part of the merger process, Al Fadly said. Returns have been really good, and we hope that will continue, he said, declining to give specifics.

Hassana has meanwhile joined a consortium of with EIG Global Energy Partners of the U.S. and Chinas Silk Road Fund that are paying $12.4 billion to acquire a 49% stake in Aramco Oil Pipelines Co.

The largest public pension fund in the world is currently Japans Government Pension Investment Fund, with assets of $1.7 trillion, according to data provider Global SWF. The 10th largest fund -- the New York State Common Retirement Fund -- has assets of $255 billion.
The country's largest lender on Monday said its central board has approved a proposal to raise up to Rs 14,000 crore by issuing Basel-III compliant bonds.

The bonds are proposed to be raised in Indian or US currency.

"The central board of the bank at its meeting held today on June 21, 2021, accorded approval for raising capital by way of issuance of Basel III compliant debt instruments in USD and/or INR during FY22," said in a regulatory filing.

Under this, the bank plans to raise fresh additional tier I capital up to an amount of Rs 14,000 crore subject to the government of India concurrence, it added.

Tier 1 capital refers to a bank's core capital. It includes disclosed reserves that are present on a bank's financial statements and equity capital. A lender uses tier I capital to function on a regular basis and it forms the basis of a financial institution's strength.

To comply with Basel-III capital regulations, globally need to improve and strengthen their capital planning processes.

These norms are being implemented to mitigate concerns on potential stresses on asset quality and consequential impact on performance and profitability of

The scrip of closed 1.64 per cent higher at Rs 419.55 apiece on BSE.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Sonali Paul

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - The Australian government has rejected plans for a $36 billion wind, solar and project in a remote area of Western Australia, leaving what would have been one of the world's largest green energy projects in limbo for now.

In a decision dated June 15, published on the environment department's website, Environment Minister Sussan Ley ruled that the project, the Asian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH), "will have clearly unacceptable impacts" on internationally recognised wetlands and migratory bird species.

The AREH project, located in the state's Pilbara region, was designed to initially build 15 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity, eventually to be expanded to 26 GW and produce green and ammonia for export.

The government had awarded the project fast-track approval status last September, touting the jobs, clean energy for local industry and large-scale export opportunity that it would bring. AREH is being developed by privately owned InterContinental Energy, renewables developer CWP Energy Asia, top global wind turbine maker Vestas and a Macquarie Group fund.

The environment minister cited the expansion plan in the rejection decision. The project's original plan won environmental approval last December.

The proposed enlargement came with a port facility for ammonia; a town that would be home to 8,000 people including project workers; expanded solar arrays; ammonia, and desalination plants and storage facilities; and a pipeline route for transporting ammonia, seawater and brine through wetlands.

"We are now working to understand the minister's concerns, and will engage further with the minister and her department as we continue to work on the detailed design and engineering aspects of the project," the AREH consortium said in a statement. The project, on the drawing board since 2014, originally planned to generate wind and solar power and transmit it via an undersea cable to Asia, but last year changed plans, aiming to use clean power to split water to produce hydrogen and ammonia for export.

Australia's Clean Energy Council on Monday said it expects the government will work with AREH to assess and address any environmental impacts. "If the government is to be taken seriously on developing a hydrogen economy, companies prioritising genuinely zero emissions projects should be assisted to reach a final investment decision," said Dan Gocher, climate and environment director at the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility.

(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China summoned officials from its biggest banks to a meeting to reiterate a ban on services.

Representatives from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China and payment service provider were reminded of rules that prohibit from engaging in crypto-related transactions, according to a statement from the central bank on Monday.

The latest development is a sign that China will do whatever it takes to close any loopholes left in crypto trading. In May, Chinas State Council  the countrys cabinet  called for a renewed crackdown on Bitcoin mining and trading activities.

China has longstanding rules that bar banks from offering crypto-related services. However, in the past few years, individuals have moved to trade the digital coins on over-the-counter platforms and even offshore exchanges.

Crypto activities disrupt financial order and also breed risks of criminal activities like illegal cross-border asset transfers and money laundering, according to the statement from Chinas central bank.

The financial have pledged to step up inspections into crypto activity and close related accounts. They wont offer account opening, clearing or settlement to assist crypto trading, they said.

China Construction Bank, Postal Savings Bank of China and Industrial Bank were also at the meeting, according to the PBOC statement.

The countrys tough regulatory stance is a contrast to the US, where crypto trading is big business. Banks such as JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs Group and Morgan Stanley are beginning to wade into the industry and offer products for wealthy clients that want access to the volatile asset class.

Bitcoin fell to a two-week low amid an intensifying crackdown in China.

The largest virtual currency fell 10 per cent to $32,350 as of 8.50 am in New York. Ether declined 13 per cent to $1,950.

The PBOC crackdown is going further than initially expected, said Jonathan Cheesman, head of over-the-counter and institutional sales at crypto derivatives exchange FTX. Mining was phase one and speculation is phase two.



Separately, a Chinese city, Yaan, with abundant hydropower has stepped up action to rein in mining.
US-based Delos, a wellness real estate and technology company, has tied up with realty data analytic firm Propstack for the promotion of an advanced air purification system in India.

Through the collaboration, Propstack will accelerate the adoption of Delos' advanced air purification units to improve the quality of indoor environments across the country, a company statement said.

Delos' advanced air purification system helps remediate air quality and pathogens, pollutant particles, expel odors and remove allergens.

"From more than eight years of experience and extensive research, we know that our indoor environments can play a significant role in safeguarding our health and well-being. We are proud to collaborate with Propstack to make our science-backed solutions more accessible in India and advance health and wellness across the country, said Delos Chief Executive Officer and Founder Paul Scialla.

Raja Seetharaman, Propstack Co-Founder, said the opportunity in India is massive. "Both existing and new buildings can benefit from these evidence-based solutions," 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.)
Hyundai Motor Group said on Monday its three affiliates and its chief have acquired a controlling stake in US-based firm Boston Dynamics for $880 million.

The investment is part of the South Korean automaking group's broader plans to strengthen its competitiveness in future mobility solutions.

In December, the board of directors at the three affiliates -- Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Mobis and Hyundai Glovis -- approved the plan to acquire a combined 80 percent stake in Boston Dynamics whose value is estimated at $1.1 billion, from Japanese investment firm SoftBank Group Capital Ltd and two individuals.

In the same month, Hyundai announced it will invest 60.1 trillion won by 2025 for future mobility to gain a bigger share in the rapidly evolving global automobile market, reports Yonhap news agency.

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun last week visited Boston Dynamics in the US to discuss the latest technology trends with its executives.

In December last year, the world's fifth-largest automotive group acquired an 80 percent stake in Boston Dynamics, which is famous for its dog-like robot Spot to leverage its technology in other industrial areas.

Hyundai Motor said it plans to create synergy between robotics, autonomous vehicles, urban air mobility and smart factories to provide various mobility services both in private and public sectors.

Boston Dynamics is the established leader in developing agile, mobile robots that have been successfully integrated into various business operations.

The deal is also expected to allow Hyundai Motor Group and Boston Dynamics to leverage each other's respective strengths in manufacturing, logistics, construction and automation.

Boston Dynamics is also entering the logistics automation market with the industry leading Pick, a computer vision-based depalletizing solution, and was likely to introduce a mobile robot for warehouses this year.

--IANS

na/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a move to kickstart the energy transition globally, the Foundation and the Foundation announced today that they will each donate $500 million to support distributed renewable generation projects in developing nations.

Roughly 2.8 billion people worldwide dont have access to reliable power, according to the United Nations, but the two philanthropies estimate these funds will bring energy to a billion of them over the next decade. Further, since the partnership will target communities that might otherwise rely on fossil fuels for power generation either now or in the future, they expect that the combined gift will reduce carbon emissions by a billion metric tons.

Really nothing has ever been attempted even close to this kind of scale when it comes to bringing renewable energy to the world's poor, said Rajiv Shah, president of the Foundation. The two foundations said their money will be used to de-risk the kind of projects private capital has tended to shy away from and will be shared through a new third public charity. This, Shah said, will help increase their leverage through private corporations and development agencies.

The announcement comes as rich countries are under growing pressure to deliver on a decade-old climate finance pledge. In 2009, wealthy nations promised to mobilize $100 billion a year by 2020 to help developing countries deal with the worst impacts of climate change and invest in green technologies. But a meeting of Group of Seven leaders last week merely reiterated a promise to reach the milestone, even though it was supposed to have been achieved last year. They reached $78.9 billion in 2018, far short of the $100 billion agreed, according to the latest data from the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development.





ALSO READ: Proposed global UN roadmap shows universal access to clean energy by 2030

The question of who pays to tackle climate change is essential to ramping up efforts to rein in temperatures. Poor countries say they need funding if theyre to step up their carbon-cutting ambitions and invest in the technologies needed to wean themselves off fossil fuels. The investment divide is particularly stark in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, with rich countries investing trillions in recovery while poor nations struggle to recover.

China has been investing heavily in energy generation in developing nations for well over a decade. In 2019 and 2020 alonean anemic period due to the pandemicChina pumped over $20 billion into energy projects in developing nations, according to information gathered by The American Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based think tank. This included coal projects as well as renewable projects in solar, hydro and nuclear, as well as grid investments.

We need to be honest and recognize that the current approach is not delivering the impact the world needs in the time that we have, said Per Heggenes, chief executive officer of the Foundation. This is all about acceleration.

If wealthy nations are to fulfill their $100 billion promise, it will likely be through a mix of public funding and private finance, said Jennifer Layke, global director of energy at the World Resources Institute, a non-profit not party to the agreement. Some of the persistent challenges with getting markets to change and getting investment to flow into the developing world have remained really sticky problems, she said.

Layke also said that philanthropies could play an important role in unsticking the market by supplying seed capital to model projects that demonstrate their viabilityexactly what and partnership was designed to do.

This is absolutely seed capital, Shah said. It's risk capital, so that we can motivate to provide more commercially oriented investment capital to take these to scale.



ALSO READ: Climate summit: Modi announces launch of India-US clean energy partnership

He pointed to India, where Rockefeller spent a decade funding 200 micro-solar grids to serve remote villages. Once the kinks were worked out, Indias own Tata Power agreed to expand the project to 10,000 grids.

Ikea has made similar investments in the past, but the two hope that by combining forces, they will be able to leverage billions more dollars and move at a new scale.

The partners say they have a roster of shovel-ready projects across India, Africa and Latin America. Rockefeller already signed commitments for development from both the Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, and the U.S. Development Finance Corporation, Americas development bank.
By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, Jonathan Saul and Chen Aizhu

LONDON/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Iran could quickly export millions of barrels of oil it is holding in storage if it reaches a deal with the United States on its nuclear programme and has been moving oil into place to prepare for an eventual restart, four traders and industrial sources said.

The U.S. and Iran began in mid-June their sixth round of indirect talks on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal that former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of in 2018. Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran's energy sector, leading refiners in many countries to shun Iranian crude and forcing Tehran to pump well below capacity.

Negotiations for the nuclear deal took a pause on Sunday after hardline judge Ebrahim Raisi won Iran's presidential election. Two diplomats said they expected a break of around 10 days.

Iran sits on the world's fourth-largest oil reserves and relies heavily on oil revenues. If and when the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden and the Iranian government agree a deal that results in the lifting of sanctions, Iran plans to increase output to 3.8 million barrels per day (bpd) from the current 2.1 million bpd, according to oil ministry officials.

That would return the country's production level to where it was before the sanctions, but would take time because of years of low investment in mature oilfields and heavily reduced output.

As a stopgap measure while it works on boosting production, the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) is expected to export from onshore and offshore storage that contains as much as 200 million barrel, according to energy consultancy and monitoring firms.

This could allow the country to export an extra 1 million bpd, or 1% of global supply, for more than six months.

"Iran will be using its nearly 60 million barrels of crude inventory, of which 30-35 million barrels are built during the past two years, within a few months of sanctions removal," said Iman Nasseri, managing director for the Middle East with FGE consultancy.

An increase of 1 million bpd of Iranian crude would put downward pressure on benchmark global oil prices, but investment bank Goldman Sachs said last month that the global oil market should be able to absorb the additional supply relatively quickly.

Fuel demand is rising as global economic activity recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and OPEC producers and their allies have been cautious about increasing supply to the market in part to avoid a shock should Iranian supply return.

"From a macro perspective, a return of Iranian barrels to the market should not derail OPEC+ intentions to gradually increase production as long as demand in Europe and the United States continues to recover," said Florian Thaler, the CEO and co-founder of consultancy OilX.

PREPARING FOR AN EXPORT RESTART

Iran has boosted the volume of crude it has stored on oil tankers in recent months, according to data intelligence firm Kpler, in what may be a preparation for a restart to exports. Some of those tankers are already in Asia, historically the biggest market for Iran's oil.

"We currently estimate around 78 million barrels of oil and condensate are stored on water and this compares against only 41 million barrels at the same time last year," said Homayoun Falakshahi, a senior analyst at Kpler.

"A lot of tankers are already parked close to East Asian markets, so it could be a question of days," he added.

Tankers holding 8 million barrels of Iranian oil including condensate were using waters outside Singapore's coast to carry out transfers when needed, two shipping sources said.

Iran reduced exports to China in April and May and pumped more into storage, perhaps with the aim of selling it at a higher price when sanctions are lifted, a senior Chinese trader said.

Iranian oil in floating storage stood at between 50 million and 60 million barrels according to estimates from consultancies FGE, IHS Markit and OilX.

FGE and OilX said most of Iranian floating storage was condensate, a preferred feedstock for petrochemical plants in China, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.

According to FGE, Iran has around 120 million barrels of crude and condensate in on-land storage, almost one third of it in overseas storage facilities, mainly in China.

Two Western trade sources said there was between 20 to 30 million barrels of storage space in that region of China earmarked for Iranian oil.

A handful of mostly privately controlled Chinese companies which have stepped into the market over the past two years have been leasing up land storage in the eastern province of Shandong - China's hub for independent refineries- and northeast China's Liaoning province, said a Chinese trader close to some of these firms. At least 13 million barrels of storage space are dedicated to storing Iranian oil, the trader estimated.

PREPARING FOR RESTART

Expecting a deal in coming weeks or months, NIOC's marketing division has been in contact with historical customers.

At least one European refiner has held in-depth discussions with NIOC on resuming purchases and Indian refiners say they plan to reduce spot purchases to make way for Iranian contract barrels.

Chinese and Indian firms, and European consumers such as Saras, Eni and Repsol are expected to show interest in Iranian barrels, according to Falakshahi.

Iranian officials are optimistic they can increase production quickly, and one senior Iranian oil ministry official said earlier this month that most output could be restored within a month. Observers expect it will take a little more time.

"We do expect a recovery of 500,000 to 700,000 bpd within 3 months from sanctions removal, and total 1 to 1.2 million bpd of oil production recovery within 6-12 months from sanctions removal," said Sara Vakhshouri, president of SVB Energy

(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Jonathan Saul in London and Chen Aizhu in Singapore; Additional reporting by Florence Tan in Singapore; Editing by Louise Heavens)

(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 will host Afghan President Mohammad and Chairman of High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah at the White House on June 25, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

The visit "will highlight the enduring partnership between the US and as the military drawdown continues", Psaki said in a statement on Sunday.

The US is committed to providing assistance to support the Afghan people and remains deeply engaged with Kabul to ensure "the country never again becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups who pose a threat to the US homeland", the Press Secretary added.

The visit comes amid a deteriorating security situation in

Taliban militants have intensified attacks against government forces since the drawdown of US troops on May 1.

The banned outfit said they captured more than 40 suburban districts over the past month.

Biden announced in April that all American troops would leave before September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that drew the US into its longest war.

The US military said earlier this month that it had completed more than half of the withdrawal.

--IANS

ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President would meet Afghan President and its CEO Dr at the White House on June 25, a presidential spokesperson said.

"The visit by President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and as the military drawdown continues," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Sunday.

"Biden looks forward to welcoming Afghan President and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, to the White House on June 25," she said.

The United States, Psaki said, is committed to providing diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian assistance to support Afghan people, including Afghan women, girls and minorities.

She said the United States will remain deeply engaged with the government of to ensure the country never again becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups who pose a threat to the US homeland.

"The United States continues to fully support the ongoing peace process and encourages all Afghan parties to participate meaningfully in negotiations to bring an end to the conflict," Psaki 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.)
New York [US], June 21 (ANI): The seventh Yoga Day was celebrated at the iconic Times Square in New York on Sunday. The day-long yoga festival with the theme of 'Solstice in Times Square 2021' was attended by more than 3,000 people where yogis, with their yoga mats and flexible bodies, filled Times Square to mark the start of summer.

Consulate General of India, New York partnered with the Times Square Alliance to host the Yoga celebrations under the theme 'Solstice for Times Square 2021'.

"As we celebrate yoga at the iconic Times Square - at the crossroads of the world, let us remind ourselves of the truly global embrace of yoga. Yoga was born in India but is part of global heritage today. Yoga is about health, well-being and about living in harmony with nature. Yoga is a way of life and we must try to practice it in its entirety, for a peaceful society and for a greener planet," Randhir Jaiswal, Consul General told ANI.

"It was an incredible experience leading yoga, pranayama and meditation at Times Square NYC. Seeing thousands of yogis experience stillness amidst the chaos of the city that never stops," said Ruchika Lal who participated in the event.

In keeping with this year's global theme - Yoga for Wellness - as coined by the United Nations (UN), the event showcased holistic health, Ayurvedic and nature-based wellness products from Tribes India (TRIFED) and other Indian companies. The stalls attracted a large number of visitors, eager to learn about the uniqueness of Indian Tribal, Ayurvedic and natural products.

The day-long yoga celebration offered experienced yogis and first-timers alike the chance to bring a yoga mat to the iconic public space and participate in a free yoga class. The Consulate General handed a bag of products from TRIFED and some wellness products produced in India as well.

"I love to practice Yoga at Times Square every year on Solstice. I want to thank the Consulate for this gift," a participant said.

The registration for the event is full, according to the Times Square website. The event could also be attended virtually by watching a class over a live stream. The Times Square yoga ran from 7:30 am until 8:30 pm, broken into nine separate classes, according to a schedule.

The Day of Yoga was also celebrated in New Jersey today at the Liberty State Park with the Statue of Liberty in the background. This was a community-led event anchored by the Federation of Indian Associations. Famous yoga instructor Thara Natalie led the yoga session.

(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.)
If your business falls victim to ransomware and you want simple advice on whether to pay the criminals, don't expect much help from the The answer is apt to be: It depends.

It is the position of the that we strongly discourage the payment of ransoms, Eric Goldstein, a top official in the Department of Homeland Security, told a congressional hearing last week.

But paying carries no penalties and refusing would be almost suicidal for many companies, especially the small and medium-sized. Too many are unprepared. The consequences could also be dire for the nation itself. Recent high-profile extortive attacks led to runs on East Coast gas stations and threatened meat supplies.

The dilemma has left public officials fumbling about how to respond. In an initial step, bipartisan legislation in the works would mandate immediate federal reporting of ransomware attacks to assist response, help identify the authors and even recuperate ransoms, as the FBI did with most of the $4.4 million that Colonial Pipeline recently paid.

Without additional action soon, however, experts say ransoms will continue to skyrocket, financing better criminal intelligence-gathering and tools that only worsen the global crime wave.

President Joe Biden got no assurances from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva last week that cybercriminals behind the attacks won't continue to enjoy safe harbor in Russia. At minimum, Putin's security services tolerate them. At worst, they are working together.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said this month that she is in favour of banning payments. But I don't know whether Congress or the president is in favour.

And as Goldstein reminded lawmakers, paying doesn't guarantee you'll get your data back or that sensitive stolen files won't end up for sale in darknet criminal forums. Even if the ransomware crooks keep their word, you'll be financing their next round of attacks. And you may just get hit again.

In April, the then-top national security official in the Justice Department, John Demers, was lukewarm toward banning payments, saying it could put us in a more adversarial posture vis-a-vis the victims, which is not where we want to be.

Perhaps most vehement about a payment ban are those who know ransomware criminals best threat responders.

Lior Div, CEO of Boston-based Cybereason, considers them digital-age terrorists. It is terrorism in a different form, a very modern one.

A 2015 British law prohibits UK-based insurance firms from reimbursing companies for the payment of terrorism ransoms, a model some believe should be applied universally to ransomware payments.

"Ultimately, the terrorists stopped kidnapping people because they realized that they weren't going to get paid, said Adrian Nish, threat intelligence chief at BAE Systems.

US law prohibits material support for terrorists, but the Justice Department in 2015 waived the threat of criminal prosecution for citizens who pay terrorist ransoms.

There's a reason why that's a policy in terrorism cases: You give too much power to the adversary, said Brandon Valeriano, a Marine Corps University scholar and senior adviser to the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, a bipartisan body created by Congress.

Some ransomware victims have taken principled stands against payments, the human costs be damned. One is the University of Vermont Health Network, where the bill for recovery and lost services after an October attack was upwards of $63 million.

Ireland, too, refused to negotiate when its national healthcare service was hit last month.

Five weeks on, healthcare information technology in the nation of 5 million remains badly hobbled. Cancer treatments are only partially restored, email service patchy, digital patient records largely inaccessible. People jam emergency rooms for lab and diagnostic tests because their primary-care doctors can't order them. As of Thursday, 42% of the system's 4,000 computer servers still had not been decrypted.

The criminals turned over the software decryption key a week after the attack following an unusual offer by the Russian Embassy to help with the investigation but the recovery has been a painful slog.

A decryption key is not a magic wand or switch that can suddenly reverse the damage, said Brian Honan, a top Irish consultant. Every machine recovered must be tested to ensure it's infection-free.

Data indicate that most ransomware victims pay. The insurer Hiscox says just over 58% of its afflicted customers pay, while leading cyber insurance broker Marsh McLennan put the figure at roughly 60% for its impacted US and Canadian clients.

But paying doesn't guarantee anything near full recovery. On average, ransom-payers got back just 65% of the encrypted data, leaving more than a third inaccessible, while 29% said they got only half of the data back, the cybersecurity firm Sophos found in a survey of 5,400 IT decision-makers from 30 countries.

In a survey of nearly 1,300 security professionals, Cybereason found that 4 in 5 businesses that chose to pay ransoms suffered a second

That calculus notwithstanding, deep-pocketed businesses with insurance protection tend to pay up.

Colonial Pipeline almost immediately paid last month to get fuel flowing back to the US East Coast before determining whether its data backups were robust enough to avoid payment. Later, meat-processing goliath JBS paid $11 million to avoid potentially interrupting US meat supply, though its data backups also proved adequate to get its plants back online before serious damage.

It's not clear if concern about stolen data being dumped online influenced the decision of either company to pay.

Colonial would not say if fears of the 100 gigabytes of stolen data ending up in the public eye factored into the decision by CEO Joseph Blount to pay. JBS spokesman Cameron Bruett said our analysis showed no company data was exfiltrated.

He would not say if the criminals claimed in their ransom note to have stolen data.

Irish authorities were fully aware of the risks. The criminals claim to have stolen 700 gigabytes of data. As yet, it has not surfaced online.

Public exposure of such data can lead to lawsuits or lost investor confidence, which makes it manna for criminals. One ransomware gang seeking to extort a major US corporation published a nude photo of the chief executive's adult son on its leak site last week.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, has asked in written requests to know more about the JBS and Colonial cases as well as CNA Insuranc e. Bloomberg News reported that CNA Insurance surrendered $40 million to ransomware criminals in March. The New York Democrat said Congress needs to take a hard look at how to break this vicious cycle.

Recognising a lack of support for a ransom ban, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner and other lawmakers want at least to compel greater transparency from ransomware victims, who often don't report attacks.

They are drafting a bill to make the reporting of breaches and ransom payments mandatory. They would need to be reported within 24 hours of detection, with the executive branch deciding on a case-by-case basis whether to make the information public.

But that won't protect unprepared victims from potentially going bankrupt if they don't pay. For that, various proposals have been put forward to provide financial assistance.

The Senate approved legislation this month that would establish a special cyber response and recovery fund to provide direct support to the most vulnerable private and public organisations hit by major cyberattacks and breaches.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid nationwide criticism over Pakistan's newly introduced federal budget, Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday lashed out at the ruling government, terming the country's budget a 'pack of lies'.

"The parliament used to represent an institution of supremacy, but it was desecrated during the budget session," said the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief during a press conference, reported The Express Tribune.

Speaking of the ruckus that marred the budget proceedings, the opposition leader questioned the behaviour of lawmakers during the budget session. "How could one talk of the parliament's supremacy?" he asked.

Terming the federal budget a "pack of lies", he said that the Imran Khan-led government resorted to chaos [to hide those lies], adding that the Pakistani parliament cannot continue to run with such bitterness.

During the conference, Fazl on Sunday announced a new round of rallies against Prime Minister Imran Khan's government in Karachi and Swat.

The PDM, an alliance of the opposition parties, will hold its first rally in Swat on July 4 and the second one in Karachi on July 29, Fazl said in Peshawar.

"A historical gathering will be organised in Swat on July 4 [and] we will prove how the government was imposed on the people," he said.

"The government doesn't have any grounds at all to stay in power... We will strive to bring back on the track of the Constitution," The Express Tribune quoted the PDM chief.

Fazl further stated that the alliance supports the proposal of Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N's) President Shehbaz Sharif to organise an all-parties conference (APC) to discuss the electoral reforms.

He also said that opposition parties will not negotiate with the government but they are ready to talk to those who brought Imran Khan's government to power.

Fazl said that Imran Khan was planning to allow US bases in Pakistan but the JUI-F chief claimed he had warned the PM that the country will become Afghanistan if he allows US bases in the country.

(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.)
Russia's ambassador has returned to the United States three months after being recalled as tensions rose between and Washington, according to a tweet from the Russian Embassy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Joe Biden agreed at their summit in Geneva last week on the return of Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov and US Ambassador John Sullivan, who left in April.

Antonov on Sunday boarded an Aeroflot flight to New York and then travelled to The Russian Embassy tweeted Sunday night that he had returned to his duties.

Antonov was called home after a Biden TV interview in which he said Putin was a killer; Russian officials then suggested Sullivan should leave.

(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.)
Talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are "closer to a deal," said a (EU) official on Sunday after the latest meeting that wrapped up the previous six rounds of negotiations.

"We are closer to a deal, but we are not still there," Enrique Mora, deputy secretary-general and political director of the European External Action Service, told reporters following a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission, attended by representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran, Xinhua reported.

"We have made progress on a number of technical issues. We have now more clarity on technical documents, all of them quite complex. And that clarity allows us to have also a clear idea of what the political problems are," Mora said, adding that they are "closer (to a deal) than one week ago."

Meanwhile, all participants will travel back to their capitals for consultations. Mora said that he hopes that in the next round, delegations will come back "with clearer instructions, clearer ideas on how to finally close the deal."

The EU diplomat also noted that this round of talks has taken place "against important political developments," citing the recent meeting of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and the US officials in the EU-US summit and Borrell's meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

"Welcomed progress made over last weeks, but difficult decisions remain. It is important to seize the political opportunity, and for all to be flexible. In view of today's Presidential elections, I called for continued commitment by Iran," Borrell tweeted Friday after meeting with Zarif.

Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister and top nuclear negotiator, told reporters before the meeting that documents for an agreement on the revival of the 2015 are almost ready, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"We are closer to an agreement ever than before, but bridging the gaps... requires decisions by the parties," he said, adding that some issues still need to be resolved.

The US administration under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally reimposed sanctions on Iran. In response to the US 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.

--IANS

int/pgh

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The top United Nations human rights official said on Monday she hoped to agree terms for a visit this year to China, including its Xinjiang region, to look into reports of serious violations against Muslim Uyghurs.

It was the first time that Michelle Bachelet had publicly suggested a timeline for the visit, for which her office has been negotiating the terms since September 2018.

Chinas UN mission in Geneva, contacted by Reuters for comment, said Xinjiang and Hong Kong were inalienable parts of China's territory and that it brooked no interference by external forces, but made no comment on her visit.

Bachelet is under growing pressure from Western states to secure unfettered access to Xinjiang, where activists say more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims have been held in camps, some of them mistreated or subject to forced labour.

(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.)
TOKYO (Reuters) - tumbled on Monday as China's crackdown on bitcoin mining expanded to the province of Sichuan.

Bitcoin fell to as low as $32,288 for the first time since June 8, and was last down 7.9% at around $32,781.

Smaller rival ether dropped below $2,000 for the first time since May 23, before trading 10% lower at 2019.01.

Cryptomining is big business in China, accounting for more than half of global bitcoin production.

(Reporting by Kevin Buckland; Editing by Toby Chopra)

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Shares of hit a fresh 52-week high of Rs 2,522.25, up nearly 2 per cent on the BSE, in intra-day trade on Monday after the management said the outlook from June21 onwards is likely to stay positive, barring the emergence of a third Covid-19 wave.

The stock of the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) giant, which was trading higher for the fifth straight day, surpassed its previous high of Rs 2,504.30, touched on April 13, 2021. It had hit a record high of Rs 2,614 on April 8, 2020. In the past one week, it has gained 6 per cent as compared to a per cent decline in the S&P BSE Sensex.

India witnessed a second wave of Covid and went under a state-wise lockdown for a couple of months. However, with faster recovery and drastic fall in positive cased, India is unlocking gradually. Hence, analysts expect categories like packaged food, health and hygiene and some discretionary categories like cosmetics, skin care, etc to witness acceleration in demand in H1FY22E.

"With various parts of India progressively opening up, the management of believes the impact from the second Covid wave would have peaked in May21 and things will progressively get better. The increase in store operating hours is also a positive development," analysts at Motilal Oswal Financial Services said in a report after interacting with the management of the company for an update on overall market conditions.

It added: Rural continues to do better than urban, despite experiencing a higher impact from the pandemic in 1QFY22 relative to last year. Prediction of a normal monsoon, good Rabi harvest, favorably timed Kharif sowing, and MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) provide prospective support as well.

In January-March quarter (Q4FY21), delivered decent numbers, both, on the volume and profitability front amidst headwinds on margins slump in discretionary consumption. The company took price increases in Skin Cleansing in Q3FY21 and Q4FY21 and would take increases going forward as well. The company has also taken price increases in Tea and reversed the earlier price cuts in Detergents.

In the GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare business, penetration and volume growth are the key focus areas; the company delivered volume growth in the high teens, with underlying volume growth (which includes the mix) in the early double digits. The companys earnings growth has gained further momentum in recent years before COVID-19 (an ~18 per cent EPS CAGR in the four years ended FY20 v/s a ~12 per cent CAGR over the 10 years ended FY20), analysts at KRChoksey Shares and Securities said in Q4FY21 result update.
SGX Nifty traded over 200 points or 1.3 per cent lower at 15,545 around 8.30 am, indicating a gap-down start for the benchmark indices on Monday.

Here are the top stocks to track in today's trade:

Earnings Today: Oil India, Info Edge, Bharat Dynamics, TCNS Clothing, and VST Tillers Tractors are among 70 companies slated to post their quarterly numbers today.

RIL: Saudi Aramco chairman and Governor of the Kingdom's wealth fund Public Investment Fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, may be inducted on the board of (RIL) a precursor to a USD 15 billion deal, reports said.

Airtel, RIL, Voda Idea: Reliance Jio gained over 79 lakh mobile users in March, comfortably surpassing the combined net adds by rivals Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea during the month, according to data released by TRAI on Friday. Bharti Airtel added 40.5 lakh wireless users, and interestingly Vodafone Idea gained 10.8 lakh customers during March.

PNB Housing Finance: In a rare regulatory move, Sebi has restrained PNB Housing Finance from going ahead with shareholders' voting on the proposed Rs 4,000 crore-deal with Carlyle group and directed the company to carry out the valuation process as per the relevant legal provisions.

NTPC: The company posted nearly three-fold jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 4,649.49 crore for March quarter 2020-21 on the back of higher revenues. The consolidated net profit of the company in the year-ago period was Rs 1,629.86 crore.

UCO Bank:The lender said its board will meet next week to consider raising up to Rs 500 crore as tier-II capital.

Reliance Home Finance: Authum Investment and Infrastructure Ltd has emerged as the highest bidder for Reliance Home Finance (RHF) with about Rs 2,900 crore offer. Sources said lenders led by Bank of Baroda would receive Rs 2,587 crore or 90 per cent upfront and the remaining Rs 300 crore within a year.

Centrum Capital: Diversified financial services player Centrum Group on Friday said it has received an in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to take over the troubled cooperative lender PMC Bank and re-launch it as a small finance bank.

Vedanta: The Anil Agarwal-led firm has emerged as successful bidder for a coal block in Odisha which was put for re-bid in the second attempt of auction of blocks for commercial mining.

Karnataka Bank: Private sector Karnataka Bank has declared accounts of Reliance Home Finance and Reliance Commercial Finance a fruad with combined loan outstandings of over Rs 160 crore to the lender.

HDFC Bank: The private lender said its board has given its approval to buy more than 3.55 crore shares in group firm HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company for over Rs 1,906 crore from the parent company Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC). That apart, the company board has declared a dividend of Rs 6.50 per share for the year ended March 2021.

Srei Infra Finance: Srei Equipment Finance, subsdiary of Srei Infrastructure Finance, on Saturday said it has received investment interest of Rs 2,000 crore from US-based Arena Investors LP (Arena) led consortium. A day earlier, the company had received a Rs 2,200 crore investment proposal from Singapore based Makara Capital Partners Pte Ltd (Makara).

Alkem Laboratories: The company said the US health regulator has issued two observations after inspection of its St Louis-based manufacturing facility.

Adani Power: The firm has emerged as the successful bidder for Essar Power's 1,200 MW thermal power project in Mahan, Madhya Pradesh. The Adani Power bid for the project has been approved by a committee of creditors.

ICICI Bank: S&P Global Ratings on Friday said it has revised the rating outlook on Ltd to stable from negative on grounds that the lender will benefit from the sale of stake in subsidiaries.

NBCC (India): The company has awarded the work order for construction of residential towers and civic amenities at Karkardooma in New Delhi on TOD Norms, EPC mode to NCC Ltd at their quoted price of Rs 859.84 crore.

Bharat Heavy Electricals: Crisil has downgraded the rating on the long-term bank facilities of the company from AA/Negative to AA-/Negative. The rating on the short-term facilities has been reaffirmed at A1+.

Phillips Carbon Black: The company has commissioned 8 MW power plant at Mundra, in Gujarat.
Shares of rose 6 per cent and hit a 52-week high of Rs 1,455 on the BSE in intra-day trade on Monday on the back of heavy volumes. The stock of the breweries & distilleries company surpassed its previous high of Rs 1,432.85, touched on June 8, 2021.

The trading volumes on the counter doubled with a combined 2.6 million shares changing hands on the NSE and BSE. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 0.40 per cent at 52,136 points at 12:06 pm. In the past one month, the stock has rallied 14 per cent, as compared to 3 per cent rise in the benchmark index.

On June 7, 2021, informed the stock exchanges that the Deputy Director, Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Mumbai has transferred 41.31 million equity shares constituting 15.63 per cent of the equity share capital of the company (out of 42.70 million equity shares constituting 16.15 per cent) to the Demat account of Recovery Officer I DRT-II. Earlier these equity shares were held by certain of our Promoter group Companies, the company said.

Meanwhile, in the January-March quarter (Q4FY21), volumes grew across markets, excluding Telangana, Odisha and Delhi. North/West/East grew in double-digits, whereas growth in South was largely impacted by the steep decline in Telangana on higher Covid taxes.

Category recovery has been encouraging in H2 and improves visibility of volumes recovering strongly on full unlocking. While Q1 remains uncertain due to lockdowns and will impact FY22 growth, volume outlook for FY23 based on full unlocking remains intact which can see upside risk from recent price reductions in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and benign taxation across most markets, analysts at Emkay Global Financial Services said in Q4FY21 result update.

United Breweries has displayed solid cost savings in previous quarters but the sharp reduction in overhead costs may also be partly due to the temporary cut in ad spends as well as one-off savings. Despite a difficult year, the company has generated higher cash flows, driven by working capital reduction, and has turned net cash positive, the brokerage firm said.

During the financial year 2020-21 (FY21), the United Breweries said it witnessed strong progressive demand recovery quarter by quarter. The various measures taken by management resulted in recovery of market shares in the second half of the year, improved underlying profitability and strong free operating cash flow results. With the onset of a second Covid wave at the start of FY21-22, the beer industry is again negatively impacted, and the outlook is volatile.

Although the trajectory of Covid is unknown, confidence is derived from the trends after the first Covid wave, whereby consumer behavior towards beer consumption remained intact, the company said in FY21 annual report.
HDFC Bank on Saturday announced that its board has approved to buy 3.56 crore shares or 4.99% stake in HDFC ERGO General Insurance Co. from its parent and mortgage lender Housing Development Finance Corporation. The aggregate consideration for purchase of 3,55,67,724 shares of Rs 10 each of HDFC ERGO is Rs 1,906.43 crore i.e. Rs 536 per share.

Consolidated net profit of NTPC rose 195.94% to Rs 4541.79 crore in the quarter ended March 2021 as against Rs 1534.70 crore during the previous quarter ended March 2020. Revenue from operations declined 0.95% to Rs 30102.60 crore in the quarter ended March 2021 as against Rs 30390.51 crore during the previous quarter ended March 2020.

Credit rating agency CRISIL has downgraded the rating on the long-term bank facilities of Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) from CRISIL AA/Negative to CRISIL AA-/Negative.

Alkem Laboratories said that the USFDA had conducted an inspection of the company's manufacturing facility located at St. Louis, USA from 14 June 2021 to 18 June 2021. At the end of the inspection, the company has received Form 483 with two observations.

On a consolidated basis, Jubilant Industries' net loss (from continuing operations) widened to Rs 27.75 crore in Q4 FY21 compared with net loss of Rs 1.19 crore in Q4 FY20. Revenue from operations surged 58.48% to Rs 195.82 crore in Q4 FY21 compared with Rs 123.56 crore in Q4 FY20. Pre-tax profit stood at Rs 6.73 crore in Q4 FY21 as against a pre-tax loss of Rs 1.07 crore in Q4 FY20.

On a consolidated basis, GMR Infrastructure reported net loss (from continuing operations) of Rs 725.47 crore in Q4 FY21, lower than net loss of Rs 1,127.16 crore in Q4 FY20. Revenue from operations dropped 16.12% to Rs 1,633.76 crore in Q4 FY21 as against Rs 1,947.90 crore in Q4 FY20.

NBCC (India) has awarded a work order for the construction of residential towers and civic amenities in New Delhi on TOD norms, EPC mode to NCC at their quoted price of Rs 859.84 crore.

Insecticides (India) reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 21.78 crore in Q4 FY21 as against a net loss of Rs 7.11 crore in Q4 FY20. Net sales during the quarter increased 7.1% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 255.60 crore.

Centrum Capital said that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued an in-principle approval to Centrum Financial Services, the company's step-down subsidiary, to establish a small finance bank (SFB).

On a consolidated basis, Ashoka Buildcon reported 5.9% rise in net profit to Rs 142.46 crore on 9.6% increase in net sales to Rs 1735.57 crore in Q4 FY21 over Q4 FY20.

The board of UCO Bank will meet on 23 June 2021 to consider the proposal of raising Tier II Capital of upto Rs 500 crore.

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S&P Global Ratings has revised its rating outlook on ICICI Bank to stable from negative.

"We affirmed our 'BBB-' long-term and 'A-3' short-term issuer credit ratings on the India-based bank. We also affirmed our 'BBB-' long-term issue rating on ICICI Bank's senior notes," the credit ratings agency said in a statement.

S&P Global Ratings has revised the rating outlook to reflect its view that ICICI Bank will maintain its strong capital position over the next 24 months. The bank will benefit from the sale of stake in subsidiaries and gradual normalization of earnings, which should reduce risks associated with its capital position.

The ratings agency has forecasted that ICICI Bank will maintain a risk-adjusted capital (RAC) ratio of more than 10% over the next 24 months. Its expectation factors in 13%-14% credit growth for the bank, an improvement in earnings, and sale of stake in insurance subsidiaries over the period.

"ICICI Bank's stressed loans (nonperforming loans and restructured loans) are likely to remain high when compared to that of international peers. We expect the bank's stressed loans to peak at 6% of total loans in fiscal 2022 (year ending March 31, 2022), lower than our estimate of 11%-12% for the Indian banking industry.

"We forecast ICICI Bank's credit costs will be about 2.0% of total loans in fiscal 2022 before normalizing to the long-term average of about 1.5% from fiscal 2023. The bank's new nonperforming loans (NPLs) are likely to stay elevated in fiscal 2022 owing to the impact of the second wave of COVID-19 infections. In our view, localized lockdowns will hit small and midsize enterprise (SME) borrowers the most. Retail loans, especially unsecured personal loans and credit card debt, are also vulnerable. For ICICI Bank, SME loans (accounting for 4.2% of total loans), personal loans (6.7%), credit cards (2.4%) and rural loans (10%) could contribute to the increase in NPLs, it added.

S&P Global further said that ICICI Bank has made COVID-19 related provisions to the tune of 1% of advances. This should help smoothen the hit from pandemic-related losses. The bank's better customer profile and underwriting relative to the Indian banking system should limit losses. Most of ICICI Bank's retail loans are to salaried professionals and have low loan-to-value ratios (e.g. average for home loans is 65%). Moreover, 65%-75% of loans in key retail segments (such as mortgage, vehicle, and personal loans) are to existing liability customers. ICICI Bank's aggressive write-off strategy and recovery of NPLs should also contain its stressed loans.

ICICI Bank's lower credit costs than in the past should enhance its profitability. S&P Global has estimated core earnings will be 1.3%-1.6% of assets over the next two years, with further upside possible from the sale of stake in subsidiaries.

The credit ratings agency could lower the ratings on ICICI Bank if the bank is unable to maintain a RAC ratio above 10% on a sustained basis. This could be due to higher credit growth than expected, a sharp rise in credit costs, or sale of stake in subsidiaries not progressing as planned.

ICICI Bank is a private sector bank. The bank had a network of 5,266 branches and 14,136 ATMs at 31 March 2021.

The private lender reported net profit of Rs 4,403 crore in Q4-2021, up 260.61% compared with net profit of Rs 1,221 crore in Q4-2020. Total income during the quarter increased by 2.2% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 23,953.02 crore.

The scrip fell 1.77% to currently trade at Rs 619.10 on the BSE.

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Tata Motors Ltd is quoting at Rs 332.65, down 1.41% on the day as on 13:19 IST on the NSE. The stock jumped 224.06% in last one year as compared to a 52.06% rally in NIFTY and a 54.31% spurt in the Nifty Auto index.

Tata Motors Ltd fell for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 332.65, down 1.41% on the day as on 13:19 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 0.03% on the day, quoting at 15678.95. The Sensex is at 52373.35, up 0.06%.Tata Motors Ltd has gained around 6.67% in last one month.Meanwhile, Nifty Auto index of which Tata Motors Ltd is a constituent, has increased around 0.66% in last one month and is currently quoting at 10443.75, down 0.58% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 194.93 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 368.03 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark June futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 332.55, down 1.61% on the day. Tata Motors Ltd jumped 224.06% in last one year as compared to a 52.06% rally in NIFTY and a 54.31% spurt in the Nifty Auto index.

The PE of the stock is 0 based on TTM earnings ending March 21.

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Regulation only by one regulator can make a difference. Uddalok Bhattacharya sums up

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) proposes to radically change the regulations for the industry. Good news, says Tamal Bandyopadhyay. Read it here.

Debashis Basu tells you how investors are short-changed.

Read it here.

OUR EDITS SAY

Govt and industry must be open to free trade pacts. Read it here.

Hounding tech platforms cant be the solution. Read it here.
BJP's general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh and Uttar Pradesh in-charge Radha Mohan Singh on Monday held meetings with RSS office-bearers here during which assembly election preparations and the row over Ram Temple land purchase were discussed, party sources said.

Arriving here on a two-day visit, the two leaders also met UP chief Swatantra Dev Singh and state general secretary Sunil Bansal and discussed various campaigns of the party.

This is their second visit this month as the party sets in motion preparations for the crucial assembly polls next year in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two leaders later headed for the office of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Niralanagar locality in the state capital.

Party sources said that at the RSS office, Santhosh and other party leaders met Sangh office bearers, including 'Kshetra Pracharak' Anil.

They held discussions on the 2022 and the allegations of corruption in the purchase of land in Ayodhya by the Ram temple trust, the sources said.

However, when asked about the meeting, Swatantra Dev Singh said that it was a courtesy call.

He said that a meeting is proposed at the residence of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath where discussions on organisational campaigns will be held.

A UP spokesperson said that Santhosh will hold meetings with party office bearers and review COVID-19-related campaigns and other ''seva'' works. He will also give his guidance for upcoming party campaigns and programmes.

A party office-bearer said that Santhosh has come for the "monthly review" of the various ongoing programmes of the party.

"There are 11 programmes, and he has come to see how they are being implemented by the UP unit of the BJP," he said.

During their earlier visit from May 31 to June 2, Radha Mohan Singh had shot down speculation of a leadership change in the state and had defended the Yogi Adityanath government's handling of the COVID-19 situation.

Opposition parties, which have been attacking the Yogi Adityanath government over the situation during the second COVID-19 wave, have in recent days trained guns at the over allegations of corruption in the purchase of land in Ayodhya by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which has dismissed the charges as politically motivated.

The BJP leaders have hit back at the opposition, claiming it was an attempt to derail the Ram Temple construction by levelling false allegations.

(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.)
MP on Monday said the coordination among allies of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra was a model example of how a coalition government should function.

Attempts to create a rift among the ruling allies - Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress - will not work, Raut told reporters here.

"The bond among the three parties is strong," he asserted and said all of them were also working to strengthen their respective party organisations.

Raut's comments came days after Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole spoke about going solo in future elections.

"There is no decision yet on how to contest future elections and it will be taken at an appropriate time. The commitment of the three parties is that the present government will last for five years. The common minimum programme (CMP) is the soul of this alliance," the Rajya Sabha member said.

Raut also made it clear that any attempts to create a rift among the allies will not work, and said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is maintaining an excellent rapport with the Congress and NCP.

Notably, MLA Pratap Sarnaik, who is under the Enforcement Directorate's scanner for alleged money laundering, has urged Thackeray to reconcile with the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi "before it is too late", saying such a move will save leaders like him from problems being created by "Central agencies".

In his June 10 letter addressed to Thackeray, Sarnaik alleged that the Congress and NCP were weakening the by creating divisions in its ranks.

Asked about Sarnaik's letter, Raut said the Shiv Sena has only one faction -led by Uddhav Thackeray.

"Our party is yet to be affected by factionalism. The party's stand of joining hands with the Congress and NCP was taken after due consultation with all Shiv Sena leaders," he said.

Pratap Sarnaik is a Sena leader and "is in trouble", Raut said, adding that the MLA had mentioned he and his family were being harassed by central investigating agencies and that he wanted the party to reconcile with PM Modi.

"It is his personal view. The party's stand has been decided. The party stands by Sarnaik in his time of trouble," Raut said.

He further said harassment of political rivals by central investigating agencies was also witnessed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders in West Bengal.

"This doesn't suit Maharashtra's culture," Raut said.

Asked what 'asana' he would suggest to the BJP on the occasion of the International Yoga Day, he said, "Shavasan."



Meanwhile, an editorial in the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said, "When the Shiv Sena and BJP were allies, the BJP also had shatpratishat bhajapa (100 per cent BJP) programme. It is not wrong if any party speaks of fighting alone. The only thing is they have to check the ground beneath.

(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 yet another jolt to the BJP,



the party's Alipurduar district president, Ganga Prasad Sharma, joined the on Monday, as senior leader of the state's ruling party Mukul Roy, who also switched sides two weeks ago, claimed that this was the "beginning of the saffron party's end" in the state.

Seven other leaders from the region, too, followed in Sharma's footsteps and joined the Mamata Banerjee camp.

Roy, addressing a press meet here, said the BJP's rise in the state began with the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when it managed to bag several seats in north Bengal, and its downfall, too, will start from the region.

"This is just a glimpse of what lies ahead... The BJP's fall in the state is imminent," Roy, who was the saffron partys vice president until recently, underlined.

Asked what he might have to say about MLA Suvendu Adhikari's insistence that he quit as an MLA, having won the Krishnanagar Uttar assembly seat on a saffron camp ticket, Roy said, "He should first find out what his father (Sisir Adhikari) was up to."



Roy was referring to the TMC's demand for disqualification of Kanthi MP Sisir Adhikari, who crossed over to the BJP, much like his son, ahead of the polls.

Sharma, on his part, alleged that the has ignored the sentiments of grassroots workers while choosing candidates for the assembly polls, "inducting people at its own will and flying them to Delhi".

"We felt neglected but still gave our best to the organisation and ensured that five saffron camp candidates from Alipurduar district get to win the assembly elections. Now, however, I intend to work for people under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee," he stated.

Rejecting Suvendu Adhikari's assertion that Sharma changed sides as he was denied a saffron party ticket in the assembly polls, Sharma said, "Let me ask him why he chose to join the BJP ahead of the polls? Also, I wish to know why he was made the leader of opposition in the Assembly and not Manoj Tigga, who is a senior and loyal member of the camp."



Coming down heavily on local MP John Barla, who has recently sought a separate union territory comprising north Bengal districts, the BJP turncoat pointed out that the parliamentarian, instead of doing something constructive for the region, is "fanning the flames of division".

chief whip in the Upper House, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who was also present at the press conference, said the people of the state will distance themselves from the BJP even further due its demands of "separatism".

Echoing him, education minister and senior leader Bratya Basu noted that the saffron camp, on one hand, is observing 'Poschimbongo divas' ( Day), and on the other, its MP is seeking a bifurcation of the state, with no regard for its integrity.

Talking about Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar's visit to north Bengal, the TMC's Rajya Sabha MP said, "He is free to go anywhere he wishes to... but he should have taken the state government in confidence."



Dhankhar has embarked on a week-long visit to north Bengal earlier in the day amid the controversy that has erupted in the region in the wake of Barla's demand.

Slamming state BJP president Dilip Ghosh over his claim that Bengal is becoming a "safe haven of terrorist outfits due to inaction of the state government", the TMC MP said, "There are central agencies to keep a check on terrorist activities. If we were to believe him, the obvious question would be what are these agencies doing."



"Are the agencies only there to harass and arrest student activists and the ones who raise their voice against the policies of the BJP government?" the MP 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.)
chief Bhai Jagtap on Monday confirmed that the party will contest the BMC elections alone and not with the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance.

"From day one of assuming charge as chief, I have been saying that will contest all 227 seats (of BMC) alone. This will not be the first time. Between 1999 and 2014, we shared power with NCP, Samajwadi Party, and RPI but fought separately," said Jagtap.

Indicating alternate angle of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's "chappal" remark, Jagtap said the latter could have been to encourage his party.

"Uddhav Thackeray Chappal's statement could be to encourage his party as far as upcoming BMC elections are concerned will go solo," said Jagtap.

His remarks come a day after CM Thackeray, said that people would "beat with chappals" those who only talk about contesting polls alone without offering solutions to people's problems.

During a function held on the foundation day of Shiv Sena on Saturday, Thackeray had without naming anyone attacked his allies. "A few people are talking about going solo and fighting elections on their own. People would hit them with chappals if they do so," the chief minister had said.

Earlier, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on June 14 indicated that the party will contest the next Assembly polls alone and not as partners of Maha Vikas Aghadi Alliance.

"Congress will contest the Maharashtra Assembly Elections alone. I am ready to be the CM face if the high command decides," Patole had said.

However on Sunday Patole had said that the three-party MVA alliance, comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress, was formed in Maharashtra for five years and it is not a permanent fixture.

Staunch adversaries for long, the Shiv Sena and the Congress had banded together with the NCP to form the MVA government in Maharashtra after the Uddhav Thackeray-led party fell out with the BJP in 2019.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ahead of Prime Minister's meeting on Jammu and Kashmir, opposition leaders in Delhi are scheduled to hold a meet at Sharad Pawar's residence on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Before this meeting, met poll strategist Prashant Kishor, second time in ten days. The buzz is that Kishor-Pawar meet may be a part of larger schme of things in view of next general elections and aimed at uniting like-minded parties.

Though the agenda for the meet is unclear, but it's in the backdrop of the Prime Minister's meeting on J&K. The invitation has been extended to 15 opposition parties, but a few of them so far have confirmed participation. The Congress has not yet said yes to the meet.

It would be interesting to see whether Congress will attend the meet or not. Till the afternoon on Monday, there was no confirmation from the Congress but 7 parties have confirmed participation for the meet.

The NCP has called meet of its own office bearers on Tuesday morning, ahead of the meet.

(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 former finance minister Yashwant Sinha by his side and political strategist as his sherpa, veteran political leader with across-the-board acceptability, Sharad Pawar, has launched a new political initiative to unite the non- opposition with a view to defeating the Narendra Modi-led (BJP).

The NCP supremo has invited all non- political parties to his Delhi residence for a meeting on Tuesday that could set off a round of conclave that was a dominant feature of Indian in the decades of the 1980s and led to a new alignment of forces that forced the out of its dominant political position for many years to come.

Pawars initiative pointedly excludes the Congress. While the move is not without its internal political contradictions, much more than Narendra Modi, it is the Congress that needs to worry, said a former Congress chief minister.

Meanwhile, Congress President has called for a meeting of party officebearers to discuss ways to address multiple challenges, including high petrol prices.

has had two rounds of meeting with Pawar. In the first three-hour round, among other things, the two discussed the possibility of the Pawar-led (NCP) and the joining up for the Brihannmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. When a senior Congress leader called on Pawar in (who was convalescing after surgery of his mouth), he said the NCP leader conceded to him that a large opposition grouping that excluded the Congress would not be strong enough to challenge the BJP). But apparently Kishor told him otherwise and Congress leaders are homing in on Prashant Kishores influence on Pawar to turn him away from the Congress.

Within days of that meeting, Pawar is making his moves, surefooted and agile. The expectation is that even if senior leaders like K Chandrashekhara Rao (Telangana CM and leader of the TRS), MK Stalin (Tamil Nadu CM and leader of the DMK) and (West Bengal CM and leader of the TMC) are unable to attend, they will send representatives senior enough to indicate their engagement. It is not yet clear if the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), an ally of the BJP till recently, has been invited. Sources advising the SAD said the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab will not yield the kind of decisive victory the Congress is seeking and the SAD would like to keep its options open if it has to approach the BJP for help in forming a government.

The CPI (M)-led Left Front has an alliance with Sharad Pawars NCP in CPI(M) General Secretary and Pawar have been in close touch. But Mamata Banerjees TMC and the Left parties are bitter rivals in Bengal. Can the two groups sink their differences in the large cause of unity against the BJP? This will be evident on Tuesday, but many Congress leaders think this is not a deal-breaker when opposition to Modi is involved. The group that is most on the back foot is the Congress. Leaders were brave in public but conceded privately that the initiative had been taken and the Congress was nowhere in the picture: In the given situation, there is not much he (Pawar) can do) said a Congress leader. But the meeting is going to be crucial. And it will lay bare before the world, the irrelevance of the Congress leadership.

Pawars lieutenants had, some months ago, flagged the issue of the leadership of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) wondering why the Congress was doing nothing to make UPA a serious and active vehicle of the opposition. His supporters had suggested that Pawar might make a better chairman of the UPA.

Some months ago, before the West Bengal elections, Banerjee had written to all opposition parties, including the Congress, imploring that they come together to jointly oppose the undemocratic of the BJP. The letter met with a tepid response. But Pawars initiative, given his seniority and his capacity to negotiate, might not meet the same fate. It is the Congress that should have made this move. It is tragic that we let someone else do it, said a Congress leader.
NCP chief is working to unite all opposition leaders, party spokesperson Nawab Malik said while commenting on a meeting of Pawar with political strategist Prashant Kishor in New Delhi on Monday.

The meeting at Pawar's Delhi residence was held ahead of the NCP's executive meet scheduled on Tuesday.

When asked about it, Malik said, "Pawar is working to unite all opposition leaders. May be, the meeting was to discuss it. The party's executive meeting is also taking place in the capital tomorrow."



The NCP currently shares power with the Shiv Sena and Congress in Maharashtra.

Earlier, Kishor called on Pawar at the latter's residence in Mumbai on June 11 when the two held talks for around three hours, setting tongues wagging in political circles.

Kishor had helped craft the election strategy for the DMK and the TMC in the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, respectively.

After these two parties emerged victorious in the polls held earlier this year, the election strategist had said he was "quitting this space".

(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 IT Ministry is likely to issue FAQs pertaining to the new intermediary rules in the next 1-2 weeks, a source said.

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) would touch upon various aspects of the new rules, including the measures, how the norms would benefit users of platforms, and any other clarification that stakeholders may have.

The FAQs are currently being worked on and are likely to be issued in 1-2 weeks, the source in the IT Ministry said, adding that the set of FAQs would address 10-20 questions.

The new IT rules for companies, which came into effect last month, mandate large platforms like Facebook and to undertake greater due diligence and make these digital platforms more accountable and responsible for the content hosted by them.

Under the rules, significant intermediaries -- those with over 50 lakh users -- are required to appoint a grievance officer, a nodal officer and a chief compliance officer. These personnel have to be residents in India. Further, social media companies are required to take down flagged content within 36 hours and remove within 24 hours content that is flagged for issues such as nudity and pornography.

Earlier this month, the government had given one last chance to to comply with the new rules 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.

recently lost its 'safe harbour' shield 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 is now liable for users posting any unlawful content.

The IT Ministry had questioned Twitter over not providing information about the Chief Compliance Officer as required under the rules. Also, the resident grievance officer and nodal contact person nominated by the company is not an employee of Twitter Inc in India as prescribed in the rules, the ministry had earlier flagged.

(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 chief data protection regulator in the has expressed grave concerns over the inappropriate use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology in public places.

Unlike CCTV, LFR and its algorithms can automatically identify who you are and infer sensitive details about you.

It can be used to instantly profile people to serve up personalised adverts or match their images against known shoplifters as they do their weekly grocery shop.

"I am deeply concerned about the potential for live facial recognition (LFR) technology to be used inappropriately, excessively or even recklessly. When sensitive personal data is collected on a mass scale without people's knowledge, choice or control, the impacts could be significant," Elizabeth Denham, Information Commissioner, said in a statement.

In future, there's the potential to overlay CCTV cameras with LFR, and even to combine it with social media data or other "big data" systems -- LFR is supercharged CCTV.

The Information Commissioner has also published a detailed opinion on the use of LFR in public places by private companies and public organisations.

It explains how data protection and people's privacy must be at the heart of any decisions to deploy LFR.

"And it explains how the law sets a high bar to justify the use of LFR and its algorithms in places where we shop, socialise or gather," Denham said.

In the US, people did not trust the facial recognition technology. Some cities banned its use in certain contexts and some major companies (like Microsoft and Amazon) have paused facial recognition services until there are clearer rules.

"Organisations will need to demonstrate high standards of governance and accountability from the outset, including being able to justify that the use of LFR is fair, necessary and proportionate in each specific context in which it is deployed," the UK watchdog emphasised.

--IANS

na/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nashik (Maharashtra) [India], June 21 (ANI/NewsVoir): Jitendra Electric Vehicles welcomes the recent amendments in the Fame-ll policy under National Mission on Electric Mobility (NMEM) by the Department of Heavy Industries, Government of India.

"I thank the Central government and especially the Department of Heavy Industries for supporting our EV industry in a time of crisis. The sharp decline in on-road prices will make electric two wheelers more affordable for the common person. We have slowly started reeling from the economic halt spurred by the deadly second wave of COVID-19. Therefore, the timely tweaks in FAME-ll policy are all the more important for the domestic EV industry by accelerating EV adoption among the common people," said company's Co-founder Director Samkit Shah.

According to the notification issued by the Department of Heavy Industry, the incentive for electric two-wheelers is Rs. 15,000 per kWh, Rs. 10,000 per kWh up from the earlier subsidy rate. The limit on the incentives for an electric two wheelers is now capped at 40 percent of its price, twice the previous limit of 20 percent. Jitendra Electric Vehicles and their valued customers are direct beneficiaries of the government's move to accelerate EV adoption in the country.

Jitendra Electric Vehicles' high speed (upto 51km/hr) but pocket friendly (mileage 90km/charge) electric scooter JMT 1000 HS, which was cleared by the Government for availing a subsidy, has gained more from the recent changes in FAME-ll. There is a whopping price drop on the fast charging IOT enabled e-scooter which comes with features such as 1KW motor, 2KW battery, regenerative braking system, reverse assistant and find-my-scooter. JMT 1000 HS is now available with 3 years' warranty at Rs. 61,995, Rs. 12,082 less from the earlier price.

Elaborating on the prospects for the company, Shah said, "Our company plans to sell 3X units this fiscal year as compared to last fiscal year. The increase in subsidy will definitely boost sales and help us achieve our target. It will further ease in reaching out to customers in all districts throughout India and thus increase out footprint in the national market."

Jitendra New Ev-Tech Pvt. Ltd., incorporated in 2016, is a leading EV company based in Nashik, Maharashtra. It has been producing and selling 2 and 3 wheeler EVs with the vision to make smarter electrical vehicles for making smart & green cities in India.

For more information, please visit:(https://jitendraev.com/).

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

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Electronics major Samsung has completed the construction of the display manufacturing unit that is shifted from China to Noida in Uttar Pradesh, a release said on Sunday.

A delegation of electronics major Samsung led by the company's Southwest Asia President & CEO Ken Kang called upon Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday.

The delegation said that owing to the better industrial environment and investor-friendly policies, Samsung decided to establish the Display Manufacturing Unit, which was located in China, in Noida, and the work of establishing it has been completed, an official release said.

The delegation mentioned that the construction work displays the commitment towards India and to make Uttar Pradesh a manufacturing hub, it said.

During the meeting with the delegation, the chief minister said that Samsung's Noida factory is a classic example of success of the 'Make in India' programme, and added that this will help the youth of the state to get employment in the state.

Adityanath assured the delegation that the state government will continue to extend help to the Samsung company in future as well.

Also read: Cashify to expand presence; plans to have 150 retail stores by 2021-end
Bitcoin plunged on Monday after a nationwide crackdown on cryptocurrency mining in China. The world's most popular cryptocurrency fell 5.79 per cent to $33,218 on Monday afternoon, according to CoinMarketCap. Bitcoin's dip was triggered by a crackdown by local authorities at the southwest province of China's Sichuan that ordered a halt on Bitcoin mining amid energy usage concerns. Over 90 per cent of China's Bitcoin capacity is expected to shut down. This is but the latest sign of how global authorities are toughening their stance on crypto.

The cryptocurrency had touched $65,000 during its peak in April. But China's Bitcoin mining operations have been on a retreat since May when the government confirmed a ban on its transactions. China was one of the world's most vibrant markets for digital currency trading and mining, as mentioned in a report in the Financial Times. The crackdown is driven by environmental concerns brought about by the industry.

Sichuan has ordered 26 of the largest local mines to stop operating as investigation is conducted, following meetings by the Development and Reform Commission's Energy bureau. The probe will last till June 25. Many miners believe this is the end of their time in the country. Governments in Xinjiang, Yunnan and Qinghai -- all leading mining locations -- also announced plans to shut down mining operations.

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision had also warned that the growing use of crypto assets has 'the potential to raise financial stability concerns'. Global regulators called for the toughest bank capital rules to be imposed on cryptocurrencies.

Chinese officials announced further measures targeting Bitcoin creators in the country. The northern region of Inner Mongolia also banned mining and introduced a telephone hotline for reporting of suspected operations.

Beijing is putting immense pressure on local governments to reduce energy intensity as the country aims to reach peak output of greenhouse gas by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, the daily stated.

Long hours of running computers to produce Bitcoin is bad for the environment, analysts have long pointed out. According to Cambridge University's Bitcoin Electricity Consumption index, Bitcoin mining consumes 133.68 terawatt hours of electricity a year -- that is more than what Sweden consumed last year.

Also read: Bitcoin falls to $36,279 as China blocks crypto-related accounts

Also read: Bitcoin selloff: Will the cryptocurrency drop to $20,000?
Facebook and WhatsApp on Monday urged the Delhi High Court to stay the Competition Commission of India (CCI) notice asking them to furnish certain information in relation to a probe ordered by it into the instant messaging app's new privacy policy. A vacation bench of Justices Anup Jairam Bhambhani and Jasmeet Singh said it will pass an order on the application.

During the hearing the bench said since it was sitting on a vacation bench, it did not want to delve into the merits of the matter even as the main petitions are pending before a bench headed by the Chief Justice. We will pass an order. The matter will be listed on July 9 (the date already fixed for the main petitions), the bench said.

The case relates to the appeals of Facebook and WhatsApp against a single judge order dismissing their pleas against the probe CCI ordered into the instant messaging app's new privacy policy. The high court had earlier issued notices on the appeals and asked the Centre to respond to it.

In their fresh applications filed in the pending appeals, Facebook and WhatsApp sought stay on the CCI's June 4 notice asking them to furnish certain information for the purpose of inquiry conducted by it. Senior advocate Harish Salve, representing WhatsApp, said the problem is that they have received a fresh notice on June 4 and the last date to respond is today, that is June 21.

He said the privacy policy is already under challenge in the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court by way of a batch of petitions and even the government is looking into it. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Facebook, said the question here is of propriety and it is not correct as the highest court of the country, that is, the Supreme Court is looking into the matter.

Why did they wait for June 4 evening to issue the notice? They could have done it earlier, he said.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aman Lekhi, representing CCI, opposed the pleas saying at the stage of inquiry furnishing of information will not lead to any order by the CCI and the notice is in pursuance to the inquiry which was not stayed by the high court and that this not the first notice issued to them.

ASG Balbir Singh, also appearing for CCI, said since there is a statutory order against Facebook and WhatsApp, they should not use the high court's order and say that they will not furnish the information sought by CCI and the information should not be stalled at this stage.

When the court asked what was the hurry of issuing notice by CCI, Lekhi said the question was not of hurry but the matter itself requires a lengthy process. He said till a report is submitted by the Director General to the CCI, there will be no precipitate action against them.

The high court had on May 6 issued notice and sought reply of CCI on the appeals filed by Facebook and WhatsApp. The single judge on April 22 had said though it would have been "prudent" for the CCI to await the outcome of petitions in the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court against WhatsApp's new privacy policy, not doing so would not make the regulator's order "perverse" or "wanting of jurisdiction".

The court had said it saw no merit in the petitions of Facebook and WhatsApp to interdict the investigation directed by the CCI. The CCI had contended before the single judge that it was not examining the alleged violation of individuals' privacy which was being looked into by the Supreme Court.

It had argued before the court that the new privacy policy of WhatsApp would lead to excessive data collection and "stalking" of consumers for targeted advertising to bring in more users and is therefore an alleged abuse of dominant position. "There is no question of jurisdictional error," it had contended saying that WhatsApp and Facebook's pleas challenging its decision were "incompetent and misconceived".

WhatsApp and Facebook had challenged the CCI's March 24 order directing a probe into the new privacy policy. CCI had also told the court that only after the investigation can it be determined whether the data collection by WhatsApp and sharing it with Facebook would amount to an anti-competitive practice or abuse of dominant position.

It had also contended that the data collected, which would include an individual's location, the kind of device used, their internet service provider and whom they are conversing with, would lead to creation of a customer profile and preference which would be monetised by way of targeted advertising and all this amounts to "stalking".

The two social media platforms had contended that when the top court and the Delhi High Court were looking into the privacy policy, CCI ought not to have "jumped the gun" and intervened in the issue.

They had also said that CCI's decision was an abuse of the commission's suo motu jurisdiction. They had claimed that the CCI in the instant case had "drifted far away" from the competition aspect and was looking into privacy issues which were already being looked into by the apex court and the Delhi High Court.

In January, the CCI on its own decided to look into WhatsApp's new privacy policy on the basis of news reports regarding the same.

Also read: Govt to issue SOP for new IT rules; release FAQ to simplify requirements
China, Hong Kong, India and the United Arab Emirates have defied the global trend to register growth in foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in pandemic hit 2020, says the just released World Investment Report 2021 of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

In a year when global FDI flows dropped by 35 per cent to $1 trillion, from $1.5 trillion in 2019, FDI flows to developing countries in Asia - led by the four countries - increased by 4 percent to $535 billion, reflecting resilience amid global FDI contraction, the report said.

"Despite the pandemic, FDI to and from the region remained resilient in 2020. Developing Asia is the only region recording FDI growth, accounting for more than half of global inward and outward FDI flows," said UNCTAD's director of investment and enterprise, James Zhan.

"FDI prospects in 2021 for Asia are more favourable than the global average, because of recovery in trade, manufacturing activities and a strong GDP growth forecast," he added.

Also read: US replaces Mauritius as second largest source of FDI in India in 2020-21

Within the region, FDI in South Asia rose by 20 percent to $71 billion, driven mainly by a 27 percent rise in FDI in India to $64 billion. The report attributed robust investment in ICT (Information and Communications Technology) and construction for rise in India's FDI inflows. India's cross-border M&As also surged 83 percent to $27 billion, with major deals involving ICT, health, infrastructure and energy.

In China, FDI rose 6 percent to $149 billion in 2020, reflecting the country's success in containing the pandemic and its rapid GDP growth recovery. The growth was driven by technology-related industries, e-commerce and research and development. Hong Kong surged by 62 percent to $119 billion, after a sharp fall of FDI in 2019 and due to corporate reconfigurations by multinational enterprises (MNEs) headquartered in the economy. FDI in the United Arab Emirates rose by 11 percent to $20 billion because of significant acquisitions in the energy sector.

Meanwhile, FDI fell in other South Asian economies that rely on export-oriented garment manufacturing. Inflows in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka contracted by 11 percent and 43 percent respectively. In Pakistan, FDI was down by 6 percent to $2.1 billion, cushioned by continued investments in power generation and telecommunication industries, the report said.

Also read: India bucks global decline in FDI; grows 13% against world's 42% fall in 2020

South-East Asia, an engine of global FDI growth for the past decade, recorded a 25% FDI contraction to $136 billion. Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam, the region's largest FDI recipients in that order, all recorded FDI declines. FDI to Singapore fell by 21 percent to $91 billion, to Indonesia by 22 percent to $19 billion, and to Viet Nam by 2 percent to $16 billion. Lockdown measures, successive waves of COVID-19 infection, supply chain disruption, falling corporate earnings, economic uncertainties and delayed investment plans were key reasons for the contraction.

Outward FDI (OFDI) from Asia increased by 7 percent to $389 billion - again, the only region recording expansion in outflows. The growth was driven by strong investment from Hong Kong (China) and Thailand. China, the largest investor country in 2020, saw OFDI (outward foreign direct investment) stabilising at $133 billion.

The report said that FDI prospects for the region are more favourable than the global outlook, with a projected growth of 5 percent to 10 percent, thanks to resilient intraregional value chains and strong economic growth prospects.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has proposed a host of revisions in the revised Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 to make it more stringent.

The revised draft, released for stakeholder consultations, will define 'cross selling', 'fall-back liability', 'flash sale', 'mis-selling', among others, to avoid misrepresentation. It proposes to end the practice of flash sale and distinct identification of sponsored list of products displayed on the e-commerce platform. It will also make registration with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) mandatory for all e-commerce entities.

The proposed changes will also incorporate a provision to appoint a chief compliance officer in every e-commerce entity for a proper grievance redressal mechanism. In case of imported goods, the e-commerce entity will have to ensure that the product carries adequate additional information, including the country of origin. A pre-purchase search provision by country of origin on e-commerce websites has also been proposed.

The draft rules say that no logistics service provider of a marketplace e-commerce entity shall provide differentiated treatment between sellers of the same category.

It is also proposed that e-commerce entities will not use any information collected through its platform for unfair advantage of its related parties and associated enterprises. The related parties and associated enterprises have also been prohibited from enlisting as sellers for sale to consumers directly.

Also read: FinMin officials to take up glitches in new I-T portal in meeting with Infosys

The revised rules may also introduce a fall-back liability concept under which if a seller registered on a platform fails to deliver the goods or services ordered by a consumer due to negligent conduct, omission or commission, then the e-commerce entity will be responsible.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) welcomed the proposed changes and said that the draft rules have been proposed on the basis of several rounds of discussions held in the past with stakeholders.

"The new draft is a guiding stone to purify e-commerce landscape of the country which has been greatly vitiated by various e-commerce global companies to the extent that not only the domestic trade has been damaged but even the consumers are also feeling the heat of their unethical business practices," CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said.

Hoping that the new rules will also carry enough provisions for their strong implementation, Khandelwal said that CAIT will study the rules in depth and will submit its comments.

The government has given time till July 6 to stakeholders to submit their comments and suggestions on the proposed changes.

Also read: Airtel, TCS join hands for 'Made in India' 5G network
The newly-formed Tamil Nadu government has roped in leading economic experts from across the world to advise Chief Minister MK Stalin on the state's economy.

Delivering his ceremonial address during the first session of the 16th Assembly of Tamil Nadu, Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Monday said the government will form an Economic Advisory Council to the Chief Minister to advise on revitalising the state's economy.

Former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan, Nobel laureate Esther Duflo, development economist Jean Dreze, former Chief Economic Advisor to Government of India Arvind Subramanian and former Union Finance Secretary S Narayan will be part of the council, he said.

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"Based on the recommendations of this council, the government will revitalise the state's economy and ensure that the benefits of economic growth reach all segments of society," Purohit said.

The government will also form an expert committee of industrialists, financial and banking experts, and government officials for forming schemes to revive micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), he said.

This was Purohit's first address to the assembly after DMK formed the government after winning the April 6 Assembly polls. He said the government is guided by the spirit of the Dravidian movement and identifies social justice, gender equality, economic equity, opportunity for all through reservations and progress through education and social reforms as its core values.

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India gave out a record 7.5 million vaccine doses on Monday under a federal campaign to inoculate all adults for free after weeks of criticism that a chaotic rollout had worsened a second wave that killed hundreds of thousands.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government would buy 75% of all vaccines from drug makers and distribute them for free to states, which along with private hospitals had earlier been buying shots for people aged 18-45.

India's previous record of 4.5 million doses was on April 5, followed by a sharp decline with average daily inoculation falling below 3 million.

Experts have said India needs to administer 10 million doses a day to achieve its aim of inoculating 950 million adults by December. So far, India has fully vaccinated fewer than 5% with two doses.

"If supply remains consistent, we will be on course to innoculate most of our population by the end of the year, D N Patil, a senior health official in the country's richest state of Maharashtra, told Reuters.

Maharashtra has a population of more than 125 million.

Earlier this month, the government said India could have as many as 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines available per day in July and August.

Government adviser Vinod Kumar Paul said on Monday that administering 10 million shots per day was not a "set goal".

"As the ramping up takes place, speed of implementation should also ramp up and that would lead to a certain number," Paul said in an interview with CNBC-TV18 channel.

"There is a demonstration by the system of how much can be done on a given day, at least this is something that should become obvious by the end of the day."

The country is using domestically made doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and Indian company Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. The government is attempting to secure foreign vaccines such as Pfizer's and has waived strict rules to allow quicker imports.

Infections Decline

Over the last 24 hours, India reported 53,256 new cases, the lowest since March 24. Infections hit a peak of about 400,000 a day in May and deaths soared to around 170,000 in April-May.

With an overall case load of 29.9 million, India ranks second-highest globally behind the United States.

Since May, widespread vaccine shortages have worsened the divide between urban and rural areas, as many younger city-dwellers turned to private hospitals, paying between $9-$24 a dose.

"It marks the beginning of the end of adversities related to COVID-19 in the country," Giridhara Babu, a member of the Indian Council of Medical Research, the country's main health research agency, told Reuters.

Experts warn that millions remain vulnerable to infection, particularly in the countryside where two-thirds of the population lives. And a swift reopening of cities could complicate mass immunisation efforts.

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Also Read: 'Pure plumbing failure': Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee describes India's COVID-19 lockdown
PNB Housing Finance share hit its lower circuit of 5% today after market regulator Sebi asked the firm not to go ahead with its Rs 4,000-crore capital raise plan led by Carlyle group. Stock of PNB Housing Finance fell 5% to Rs 702.4 against previous close of Rs 739.95 on BSE. The stock has lost 6.36% in the last 2 days. The midcap stock opened with a loss of 5% today. Since then, the share is stuck in the lower circuit of 5%.

The stock trades higher than 20 day, 50 day, 100 day and 200 day moving averages but lower than 5 day moving averages.

In one year, the stock has gained 224.51% and risen 92.76% since the beginning of this year.

In a month, the stock has climbed 68.89%.

Market cap of the firm fell to Rs 11,836 crore. Total 2,845 shares changed hands amounting to turnover of Rs 19.99 lakh on BSE. The share hit its 52-week high of Rs 924 on June 8, 2021 and 52 week low of Rs 193.20 on July 16, 2020.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has instructed Punjab National Bank Housing Finance (PNBHF) to halt its proposed Rs 4,000-crore deal with Carlyle Group.

SEBI halts Rs 4,000 cr Carlyle-PNB Housing deal

The capital markets regulator restrained the housing finance company from going ahead with shareholders' voting on the deal, directing the company to conduct the valuation process as per the relevant applicable legal provisions.

The deal, which came under SBI and RBI's lens, following concerns expressed in certain quarters, including by a proxy advisory company, would ultimately see US-based private equity giant Carlyle Group taking control of PNB Housing Finance, a subsidiary of Punjab National Bank.

Meanwhile, PNB Housing Finance has reached the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT), filing an appeal against the letter by Sebi asking it not to go ahead with its Rs 4,000-crore capital raise plan led by Carlyle group.

"Please note that company has filed an appeal before the Securities Appellate Tribunal against the letter issued by the Sebi on June 18, 2021," the firm said in a filing on Monday.

The company's EGM is scheduled for June 22 to seek shareholders approval for the proposal among others.

The firm's capital raise plan through issuance of preference shares and warrants has come under the scanner, with concerns raised about hurting interest of minority shareholders as well as the issue price being fixed much lower than the prevailing market price of the stock.
Share of Bandhan Bank rose 8 per cent today after the Assam government announced relief as well as incentives for Micro Finance Institutions (MFI) loans.

The stock ended 7.91 per cent higher at Rs 341.10 against the previous close of Rs 316.10. Market cap of the firm rose to Rs 54,938.06 crore on BSE.

It has gained 14 per cent in the last one month. The share stands higher than 5 day, 10 day, 20 day, 50 day, 100 day, and 200 day moving averages.

ICICI Securities said that Bandhan Bank witnessed a couple of favorable developments in the week gone by.

Firstly, RBI's consultative paper on harmonisation of regulations for MFIs subsides the concerns of the bank being subjected to the maximum number of lenders or lending rate cap.

Secondly, the Assam government's decision of providing relief as well as an incentive for MFI loans will partially address one of the key concerns of its elevated stress pool in Assam (14% in 90+dpd and 11% in 31-90 dpd bucket for Assam as of Mar '21).

"Bandhan Bank, with highest market share in Assam (>55% market share with Rs70bn exposure), is naturally bound to benefit from the scheme designed in a way to retain credit culture and promote responsible repayment behaviour," it noted.

"However, it is difficult to quantify the extent of impact as borrower indebtedness of only up to Rs125k is eligible and Bandhan is actively graduating borrower from MFI to individual loans," the brokerage house added.

Credit Suisse has upgraded the stock to 'outperform' and raised the target price to Rs 390 per share.

"The Assam government's MFI bailout package will aid recoveries and credit costs. However, potential stress from the second wave will keep the slippages elevated," the brokerage house noted.

However, CLSA has maintained an 'underperform' call on the stock with the target price at Rs 300 per share.

"Assam government's MFI package should provide significant relief and that it will be credit positive for the firm's Assam portfolio but the impact of the second wave of COVID-19 could be large" the brokerage firm noted.

Assam government has been holding continued discussions with MFIs, following which the outstanding loan amount has been brought down to Rs 8,250 crore from Rs 12,500 crore and this will benefit 22 lakh poor and deprived women of the state, Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam said at a press conference on Friday.

"The outstanding loan has come down as MFIs had flouted the norms set by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and these include giving a loan of over Rs 1.25 lakh to one group or giving more than one loans to one person or group," he added.
It was announced yesterday that McDonalds will hire 800 people in jobs across Ireland expanding its workforce in Ireland to almost 6,000 employees.



The roles will be in McDonalds restaurants nationwide including counties Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Limerick, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, and Wicklow.

The roles are being driven in anticipation of crew capacity in restaurants increasing in the coming months, in line with the easing of Government restrictions and public health guidelines.



Welcoming the news, Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar said, "Today's announcement of 800 new jobs by McDonald's is a welcome boost, demonstrating the company's continued commitment to Ireland, where it already has a strong employment presence throughout the country. As Ireland continues on the path to a full reopening, it is extremely positive news to see companies such as McDonald's planning for expansion and growing its workforce."



CEO of McDonalds UK & Ireland, Paul Pomroy added, "There is no doubt the pandemic has had a huge impact on many peoples employment opportunities and threatened the future of high streets up and down the country. Our 95 restaurants are run by 22 local franchisees which means we have a personal stake in every one of our communities. Its a big responsibility, and the moves weve announced today reflect our commitment to continue to innovate and invest in the local communities and economies we serve."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Heres todays ranking of the top 10 most-read domestic stories in China, in economics, finance and current affairs. We want to help give you a sense of whats trending in the Chinese language sphere.

Internet users continue to follow the countrys Covid-19 vaccine drive which has exceeded 1 billion doses. They are also interested in Sichuan shuttering cryptocurrency mining.

1.Delta variant arrives in Dongguan

Dongguan, a major manufacturing center in Guangdong province, kicked off citywide Covid-19 testing on Monday after two new cases of the delta coronavirus variant were reported over the weekend. The delta variant is considered highly infectious by experts and was originally discovered in India.

2.Covid-19 vaccination drive hits 1 billion dose milestone

China had administered more than 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines as of Saturday, according to the National Health Commission, going from 900 million doses to 1 billion doses in just five days.

3.Vast garbage patch reappears

A huge garbage patch (external source, in Chinese) covering nearly an acre of a nature reserve has reappeared in in the Hoh Xil region of the Tibetan Plateau. In 2019, media outlet Economic Observer reported on garbage accumulation in the reserve, and it was cleaned up by the local government.

4.CCTV exposes high salary outbound work is a scam

State broadcaster CCTV has exposed (external source, in Chinese) human trafficking gangs which offer people highly paid jobs overseas, but then get victims involved in fraudulent and illegal activities. Since 2020, the cops and immigration authorities have broken up more than 450 gangs of human traffickers.

5.China to strengthen marriage counseling

Last Friday, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Development and Reform Commission published a plan (external source, in Chinese) that calls for strengthening pre-marriage guidance and health care as well as marriage and family relationship counseling and divorce counseling to reduce marriage and family disputes.

6.Gree CEO said to sell houses to employees at cost

Dong Mingzhu, CEO of the home-appliance maker Gree Electric, said (external source, in Chinese) that the company will sell the homes it provides to some of its employees for them to buy at cost. She said her original plan was to give it to them for free when they retired, but apparently many employees didnt want to wait so long.

7.Surveying womens pregnancy plans

Following the recent relaxation on birth restrictions  the so-called three child policy  several cities have begun to survey (external source, in Chinese) the childbirth plans of local women of childbearing age, including Shijiazhuang, capital of North Chinas Hebei province; Jinhua, Zhejiang province; and Chongqing municipality.

8.Cryptocurrency miners kicked out of Sichuan

As the countrys crackdown on cryptocurrencies continues, Southwest Chinas Sichuan province has announced it's going to shut down all cryptocurrency mining projects based there, following the lead of other domestic hubs like Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Yunnan.

9.Ordos Basins proven shale oil reserves top 1 billion tons

State-owned oil giant China National Petroleum Corp, announced (external source, in Chinese) Sunday that 550 million tons of shale oil reserves were discovered in the countrys Ordos Basin in the first five months of this year. The basins total proven reserves have topped 1 billion tons, making it the countrys largest shale oil field.

10.Jiangsu built the first highway supporting driverless cars in China

Inspections have been completed (external source, in Chinese) on a highway in East Chinas Jiangsu province, which has features to accomodate autonomous driving. It is the first of its kind in China.

Read the top 10 global news on the same day.

Translated by intern reporter Chen Bingyi

The daily ranking of most read news stories among Chinese people, about China and global affairs, is jointly provided to you by Caixin Insight and HANA Data, an artificial intelligence technology team.

The key indicators calculated on the list are based on mass data sourced from Chinas mainstream social media platforms and online news websites. Click here for a detailed introduction of our methodology.
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Do you have an athlete in mind that contributes to the team or sport, holds sportsmanship and team spirit, has epic playmaker moments and/or in general makes the the sports fun? If yes, please make your nominations for our edition of Athlete Spotlight.

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A fishing vessel moves into Taylors Creek near Beaufort in January. Legislation that did not meet the state legislature's crossover deadline has alarmed some commercial fishing advocates. (Mike Shutak photo)
The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission meets Wednesday in the Beaufort Hotel to discuss, among other matters, allowing floating structures at shellfish lease sites. (Mike Shutak photo)
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A B.C.-based luxury tour operator is trying to bounce back after the COVID-19 pandemic hit their business hard.

The new endeavour is called the BC Adventure Company and they are launching new adventures targeted to B.C. residents and Canadians.

Rockwood Adventures business model was geared towards a well-heeled international clientele but travel restrictions shut that stream down and forced the company to pivot. Company owners, Alasdair Douglas and Nancy Celetti, tell Castanet they are now targetting Canadians interested in multi-day private excursions in beautiful B.C.

With every challenge, there is an opportunity, Nancy and I are very excited about the partnerships weve forged with fellow BC tourism businesses, global brands and exceptional individuals to bring BC Adventure Company to life, says Douglas. We are passionate about offering one-of-a-kind experiences to guests seeking an escape from the everyday. Our mantra is: The finest gift is the gift of time. Perhaps one perfect, unforgettable day 

Rockwood Adventures, like many tourist-based businesses, was hit hard over the past year  zero-revenue  hard. Douglas and Celetti have now decided to channel their efforts toward attracting local Canadian business. Rockwood represents to our wholesale clients a solid partnership where we take care of the adventure needs of international customers. Our goal is to maintain the positioning with our Rockwood brand, Douglas says.

Some of the adventures include Bowen Island: Coastal Rainforest Adventure by Land, Sea, and Air and a new Okanagan offering, Meet the Insiders Outside: Okanagan Savouring Sustainability Adventure. Described as, "an incomparable all-inclusive three-to-five-night customizable experience where guests are entertained and escorted across the Okanagan with a personal guide."

Rockwood Adventures has been in operation since 1995.
Victoria Femia

June is bringing the heat this week with temperatures expected to rise to 38 C by Saturday.

The Thompson-Okanagan region should expect some very hot and dry weather conditions for the next several days.

On Monday, temperatures are expected to reach 33 C all throughout the region with a mix of sun and clouds.

Tuesday will maintain the heat, rising to 34 C.

The coolest day of the week, Wednesday, will go down to 32 C in Kamloops, Penticton and Kelowna. In Vernon, temperatures will go down to 31 C.

Philippe-Alain Bergeron, meteorologist for Environment Canada, expects the hot weather to last up to 10 days.

Thursday will maintain the 32 C weather, with cloudy conditions in Kamloops.

Heading into the weekend, the region will see temperatures jump to almost 40 C.

In Penticton, Kelowna and Vernon, the mercury will hit 34 C and sunny, while Kamloops will hit a high of 36 C and sunny.

Both Saturday and Sunday will see a high of 37 C in Kelowna and Penticton with Kamloops and Vernon temperatures increasing to 38 C.

After a spout of rain showers on June 19, Bergeron says thats not enough to combat the high risk of wildfires that this hot and dry weather could cause.

We had significant rain in the Central Interior, but in the Thompson-Okanagan region it was only one millimetre or so, which is not enough to be of much help, said Bergeron.

They will be monitoring this hot and dry weather very closely in terms of combating the forest fires. The fire index will probably be rising as well.
Photo: The Canadian Press Inuk elder Reepa Evic-Carleton lights a traditional oil lamp at a ceremony to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he believes the Liberal government is "hypocritical" for saying it wants to make reparations for past sins against Indigenous people while also facing tough criticisms of its handling of a number of key files.

Singh says the Liberals are hoping to turn the page and celebrate their achievements on reconciliation with First Peoples today, on National Indigenous Peoples Day, but he believes they should instead be taken to task on their record.

The Liberals have faced several weeks of challenging questions following the discovery of what are believed to be the remains of 215 children at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

A number of Indigenous groups also condemned Ottawa's action plan responding to the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, calling the development process not consultative enough and the plan fragmented.

Ottawa was also in Federal Court last week challenging two Canadian Human Rights Tribunal rulings that found the federal government discriminated against Indigenous children by not properly funding child and family services.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau published a series of tweets today celebrating the "vibrant and diverse cultures, languages, and traditions of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples," but he also acknowledged that action must be taken because "saying sorry is not enough."
Garry Rayner writes about communist treachery and lo and behold as if it was a gift from the gods, we have the words of the arch prince of wokery, the costumed clown of political correctness himself Mayor Colin Basran to entertain us.

During a recent RDCO board meeting Basran made the comments I would say that listening to the public for every decision we make is called populism and thats not good leadership, and public input is an important part but it shouldnt always dictate the decision we make.

Oh dear Colin, you really don't get democracy. You listen to the public and act on public guidance on issues, rather than following agendas, being influenced by self interest, and driving your own personal ideology. True democracy is bottom-up, not top-down. You're paid by the people to act for the people. Yet Canada is now moving in a different more malevolent direction. We created indebtedness and increased taxation instead of regenerating our economy though rapid reopening and we prolonged the 15 months of misery, the great era of despair. The desperate fearful population cling grimly to the comfort blanket of oppressive health tyranny instead of opting for personal responsibility, risk management and freedom. They beg for handouts, grants and enhanced EI instead of getting back to the business of working and making a profit. This isn't the nation our forepersons founded.

The likes of Basran are driven by their own extremist socio-political ideologies. End goals and agendas drive their worldview rather than what drives the needs of the broader more moderate voter. Rainbow crosswalks instead of jobs and prosperity. Virtue signalling rather than hard measurable deliverables. Racism in everything they see instead of the reality that we live in a beautiful country crammed full of diversity and a wholeness that demonstrates, in the real world outside of Basranland, that 99.9% of Canadians coexist in harmony. The cancerous toxic nature of people like Basran is that they see negativity and personal political affront in everything they look at. Everything is an opportunity to virtue signal. They exist in a world of perpetual drama. For them to lead meaningful lives, drama must be whipped up at every opportunity. Division must be created in all things. They divide us. Governments at various levels and psychopathic religious maniacs. We do not commit such terrible acts, yet their divisive behaviour erodes our strength and unity.

We are allegedly all in this together (communism) as Basran drives the wet housing agenda, plonking facilities in residential neighbourhoods, adjacent to schools. Destroying people's hard earned assets (reduced home equity, property saleability) yet somehow, Basran's neighbourhood and protected suburban idylls such as the Lower/Upper Mission avoid such fate. Because some are more in this together than others. In this dystopian Animal Farm reality of modern life, it is all about the image and perception rather than the reality. One does not simply approve a wet house in Kettle Valley, because some are more equal than others.

Talking of theatre, at this week's G7 meeting of global political illuminus, none of the elite had to wear masks, there was a distinct lack of socialist distancing, and apparently no quarantine period was required. Junior was able to enjoy a luxury standard of quarantine when he returned to Canada. Attendees flew in on jets, watched a display of the Red Arrows, and ate BBQ food. Last time I checked propane and jet fuel are hydrocarbons. But climate change! But global warming! Leadership by example is sadly missing from this political theatre. Zoom meetings are for thee, but not for me. My private jet awaits, global peasant class. Know your place in the new order of things, and do as you are told.

If people can't see the total theatre involved in this sham, then there's no future for humanity. We are doomed if people cannot see through all this. The occult (from the Latin word occultus "clandestine, hidden, secret") is now coming out from the shadows and we can see for ourselves the farcical truth of all matters pandemic and climate change related. Are you looking forward to your carbon taxes and climate change lockdowns? Somewhere in the world, right now, someone is clamouring to put fart collectors on cows. Perhaps they could research the fact that modern cow feed causes the increase in methane production, and in a natural environment, cows would not produce so much. Fix the root cause, not the symptoms.

This week's current affairs topic within the miasma of the global casedemic includes more proof of live bat colonies and exposure to virology researchers in Wuhan. We've come a long way from wet markets and bat soup. Seems it's unravelling bit by bit. The Narrative is slowly falling apart, as yet another US state this week (AZ) rejects it, and banned the odious oppressive tactics of health tyranny from its schools.

Don't fall for the distraction tactics of division.

Ricky Daytona, West Kelowna
Photo: The Canadian Press One Reconciliation Pole and two Welcome Figures were unveiled during a ceremony in honour of truth and reconciliation on National Peoples Indigenous Day at the Vancouver School District in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday, June 21, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Premier John Horgan is marking National Indigenous Peoples Day by celebrating First Nation communities while recognizing systemic racism continues to be a reality for them.

A statement from Horgan and Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Murray Rankin says they honour the leadership, resilience and strength of First Nations, Inuit and Metis people.

But the statement says B.C. must also recognize the "systemic racism, discrimination and intergenerational trauma Indigenous Peoples have experienced and continue to experience."

A release from the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs says it's time Canada admitted accountability for past wrongs.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip says Indigenous Peoples Day comes during grieving after it was announced that 215 unmarked graves were found at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, and the "pain, trauma and hurt that continues to be inflicted by practices of colonialism."

National Indigenous Peoples Day has been marked in Canada since 1996 and as a statutory territorial holiday in the Northwest Territories since 2001 and in Yukon since 2017.

Penticton Mayor John Vassilaki says his city is the latest to call off Canada Day celebrations in order to mourn the Kamloops discovery.

"Out of respect for Indigenous communities across Canada who are grieving, it is important to Penticton city council that this years Canada Day activities honour the history, culture and traditions of Indigenous people," Vassilaki says in a recent statement.

Time constraints and pandemic restrictions prevent planning for more appropriate events, the mayor says.

He advises residents to use the day to reflect on Canada's history and seek ways to create inclusive communities.

Victoria city council voted unanimously earlier this month to cancel a planned Canada Day broadcast and instead "explore what it means to be Canadian, in light of recent events."

The chamber of commerce in Port Hardy also recently announced it had scrubbed Canada Day events, saying celebrations would not be "appropriate or respectful" while the investigation in Kamloops continues.
Photo: The Canadian Press Belarusian dissident journalist Raman Pratasevich attends a news conference at the National Press Center of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Minsk, Belarus, on June 14, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP - Ramil Nasibulin - POOL

Canada has announced new sanctions against Belarusian officials and entities in response to the politically motivated arrests of journalist Raman Pratasevich and his companion Sofia Sapega.

In a joint statement with the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States, Ottawa says the sanctions are a response to the forced landing of a commercial flight between two EU countries on May 23 and the arrests of the pair.

The statement calls on the Belarusian regime to end its repressive practices against its own people, and expresses disappointment that the regime has opted to walk away from its human rights obligations, adherence to democratic principles and engagement with the international community.

It also calls on President Alexander Lukashenko's regime to co-operate fully with international investigations into the landing of the commercial flight and immediately release all political prisoners.

Foreign Affairs Canada says 17 individuals and five entities have been added to the list of sanctioned persons, which bans anyone in Canada as well as Canadians outside of the country from doing business with them.

An air navigation services company, oil company and two Belarusian automobile plants are among the newly sanctioned entities.
Indonesias face of recovery

Published 21 June 2021

COVID-19 restrictions disturbed the Indonesian cement market last year, with demand and utilisation levels falling as the country continues to exhibit a significant capacity overhang. LEK Consulting provides a summary of 2020s implications on the local cement scene and identifies key emerging themes that will shape the face of its recovery. By Manas Tamotia, LEK Consulting, Singapore.

A rapidly-developing nation with a growing population of ~271m, Indonesias cement demand has significantly grown in the past decade, driven by large infrastructure and development projects. Like the global cement sector, Indonesia has seen a rush of M&A activity and expansion activities consolidating the market. With 16 players, operating a capacity of ~120Mta, the Indonesian cement sector is fairly bolstered by the presence of large operators. However, like global markets, the domestic cement sector has not been precluded from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background

From 2009-19, cement demand in Indonesia grew at a CAGR of 6.2 per cent. With ~69.9Mt of cement consumption in 2019, demand growth stemmed from large infrastructure projects and industry development. However, Indonesia exhibits significant capacity overhang as historical demand growth has been below expectations. In the last decade, capacity building has outstripped consumption growth, causing industry utilisation levels to fall from over 90 per cent in 2011 to around 60 per cent in 2019 before the onset of the pandemic.

From a supply standpoint, the industry is fairly consolidated with the top two cement companies  Semen Indonesia and Indocement  representing two-thirds of capacity. Yet the industry is quite fragmented with Chinese and domestic competitors entering the market. New entrants such as Panasia, Conch and Cemindo have also considerably contributed to capacity share, thus growing output even through the pandemic year (see Figure 1).

2020: year in review

The past year disrupted the Indonesian cement sector, as COVID-19-induced lockdowns and movement control orders stalled all public and private construction. With domestic demand witnessing significant declines (over 10 per cent lower YoY) and capacity share simultaneously growing slightly (at about a one per cent increase), industry utilisation has collapsed to the mid-50s. This level of demand contraction and industry utilisation was last seen during the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 1990s (see Figure 2).

Even though the demand outlook remained bleak, there were certain mitigating factors that offset the overall impact of COVID-19. Despite lower demand, the sector saw only a minor decline in prices. For example, Indocement reported only a 1.4 per cent price drop in 2020 even with such significant demand destruction. This may be because of the ongoing domestic price maintenance measures undertaken by cement players to ensure profitability. The focus of Tier 2 players especially seemed to be on profitability rather than just market share. Furthermore, the Indonesian antitrust committee (KPPU) recently fined industry player Conch for selling at below break-even price, which has deterred new entrants and smaller players from undercutting prices aggressively.

The market has also witnessed some compensation in exports. Semen Indonesia increased exports from 6.3Mt in 2019 to 7.7Mt in 2020, with new markets including Myanmar, Brunei Darussalam and Taiwan, while increasing sales to existing export destinations such as China, Australia, Bangladesh and others.

Lastly, lower costs also helped to reverse some of the losses caused by the pandemic. By August 2020, coal prices had declined by ~30 per cent YoY. Growth in the use of alternative fuels at key manufacturers also contributed to a reduction in production costs.

As a result, some operators maintained strong profit levels in 2020 despite the industry contractions caused by a less optimal demand landscape. Indocement, the industry giant, is indicative of this trend, as its revenues contracted 11 per cent, yet EBITDA grew 4.9 per cent and annual profit declined only 1.6 per cent. Another example is Semen Indonesia with its revenue contracting 13 per cent but EBITDA growing by 4.3 per cent.

2021: key trends

As cement plant operators and government bodies rise to the challenge of the ongoing pandemic, a few key themes will shape the Indonesian cement sector going forward. This response will be instrumental in shaping the industry outlook, even in a post-pandemic world.

Some volume recovery is to be expected within the domestic market. As the government expands its infrastructure budget by 47 per cent in 2021, some of the lost demand for cement is set to be recaptured by public sector initiatives. While in 2020 a significant portion of the infrastructure budget was redirected to the pandemic response, the 2021 budget is set to hit IDR417trn (US$28.75bn).

Moreover, the Indonesia Sovereign Wealth Fund will spend US$15-20bn on infrastructure, which is expected to improve sentiment and balance sheets of state-owned contractors. Therefore, with robust government expenditure set to reinvigorate cement demand, operators can count on the public sector facilitating some of their recovery.

However, demand from the private sector is still expected to remain subdued, which will impact players in the market as the residential and property segment accounted for ~77 per cent of total FY20 cement demand. The private property market, specifically for the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) residential segment (ie, less than IDR1bn) is expected to recover only in the second half of 2021.

The road to recovery will be paved by government measures, such as accelerated loan disbursement, allowing property developers to receive 90 per cent of the loan amount upfront as opposed to receiving the funds upon project completion. The government will also potentially lower mortgage rates driven by a lower policy rate and relax the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio to 100 per cent (zero per cent down payment) for mortgages.

Market expectations

Operators like Semen Indonesia and Indocement expect domestic cement volume to grow 3-5 per cent YoY in 2021. The demand is driven more by bulk sales (6-7 per cent expected growth) than bagged (2-3 per cent), given that government spending is expected to be a greater driver as opposed to private sector expenditure. Despite all the demand stimulation led by the government, volumes are unlikely to fully recover to pre-COVID-19 levels until 2023.

Apart from capturing demand, the cement industry will also continue focussing on domestic price maintenance as it did in 2020. With profitability as a key focal point for Tier 2 players, competitive practices will remain in check and regulated to discourage pricing wars which would bring down market sentiment.

As Figure 3 shows, EBITDA margins are closely linked to industry utilisation. In a bid to improve respective bottom lines, producers will also undertake operational improvements to reduce costs. These include increasing utilisation, which would consequently help industry profitability.
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David McKendree Key (January 27, 1824-February 3, 1900) was a Democratic United States Senator from Tennessee from 1875 to 1877. He was also a state Chancellor (judge) as well as the United States Postmaster General under President Rutherford Hayes.

From 1880 until 1895 he served as the United States District Judge for both the Eastern and Middle Districts of Tennessee as the first federal judge from Chattanooga.

Key was born in Greene County in upper East Tennessee but the family moved to Monroe County in 1826. It was there he was raised and graduated from Hiwassee College in 1859 and read with another attorney to be admitted to the practice of law.

He and his family moved to Chattanooga in 1853.

Key entered the Civil War on the Confederacy side and eventually rose through the ranks to become a Lieutenant Colonel prior to the end of hostilities.

Returning to Chattanooga he re-entered the practice of law.

In 1870 he served in the Tennessee state constitutional convention and that same year was elected as a Democratic Chancellor.

He ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives in 1872 while a sitting judge but resigned his judgeship in 1875 to accept an appointment to the United States Senate by Tennessee Governor James D. Porter created by the death of former President Andrew Johnson.

Key was closely aligned with President Rutherford B. Hayes and, after he was defeated in the next election in the Tennessee General Assembly to retain his Washington Senate seat, he was appointed Postmaster General by the president and served from 1877 to 1880.

It was during this period of service that Key received strong criticism for his performances as postmaster general by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) in The Autobiography of Mark Twain published in 2010 after Twain had directed it not be released to the public until he had been dead for 100 years (1910-date of his death).

In spite of Twains criticism Hayes nominated Key to a federal judgeship in both the Middle and Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga upon the death of Connally F. Trigg in 1880.

After he was confirmed by the Senate he served in that capacity until 1895 and died in 1900. He is buried in Forest Hills Cemetery.

On August 8, 1885, Chattanooga conducted a memorial service for Ulysses S. Grant who had successfully led the Union Army to victory at the Battle of Missionary Ridge in November, 1863.

The main address was given by Judge Key and he regaled the audience by alternatively paying tribute to the character of Grant as both general and president and by also telling numerous anecdotes about Grant.

As a final compliment to his former war opponent Key stated, My friends, the brightest star has fallen from our nations firmament but the story of its luster and beauty shall live as long as history shall last.

During his tenure as judge Key was noted for seeking justice rather than for adhering to the strict letter of the law.

Of his 24 years of public service Judge Key spent 20 years on the bench either as a state or federal judge.

Judge Key handled many cases involving violations of the liquor laws in the illicit manufacturing of liquor (moonshine) which was produced in substantial quantity by the mountaineers of East Tennessee.

Applying his practical sense Judge Key, after a defendant was convicted, would often allow them to return home to finish harvesting their crops in exchange for his promise that the offenders would return to the next term of court for sentencing.

Judge Key was fond of saying that not one offender had ever broken faith with him!

He had married Elizabeth L. Lenoir in 1857 and they had eight children. She was the daughter of General Albert S. Lenoir of Loudon County, Tennessee for whom Lenoir City is named.

In 1967 David Abshire wrote a book entitled The South Rejects a Prophet: The Life of Senator D.M. Key, which was published by the F.A. Prager Company in New York which describes in greater detail the interesting life of the first federal district judge from Chattanooga.

* * *

Jerry Summers



(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com)
The 10th Anniversary of the Chattanooga ACT-SO Showcase will be held at ArtsBuild, 301 East 11th St., Unit 300, on June 25 at 6 p.m. Visual Arts participants will have their work on display, with a live presentation from the Performing Arts participants. The NAACP ACT-SO announces ArtsBuild as an inaugural co-sponsor of the event.



This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Showcase that is the brainchild of the Chattanooga ACT-SO Co-Chair Dr. Sandra Affare. Dr. Affare has served in ACT-SO leadership for over 10 years. The Showcase is an opportunity for the parents, donors and supporters to see the work of the participants, and for the community to come together to show support for the youth. The Anniversary Showcase will include past Chattanooga ACT-SO Champions with pre-recorded Alumni Reflections. You will hear what ACT-SO means to them in their current careers.



Thessela White, Tennessee ACT-SO state chair and vice president for the NAACP Chattanooga Hamilton County Branch said, The community should support programs like ACT-SO because if we want the best for our community, we should continue to invest the best in our youth.



NAACP Chattanooga Hamilton County Branch President Reverend Ann Jones Pierre said, As we complete 40 years of work of excellence with the students in our area, we hope that the future will exceed the past. Those individuals who serve in ACT-SO leadership, as participants, judges, sponsors and members of the community are pushing the excellence of the program through their unselfish act of support.



ACT-SO, (Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, Scientific Olympics), is a national year-long enrichment program for high school students offering 33 categories of academic and two performance competitions. Approximately 150 ACT-SO programs compete for a chance to have

their local winners advance to the National ACT-SO competition in July of each year.



To support the Chattanooga ACT-SO program, contributions and donations can be mailed to Chattanooga ACT-SO, P.O. Box 3226 Chattanooga, Tn. 37404 or at https://actsochattanooga.org.



Chattanoogas ACT-SO Medalists for 2021 are:

 DeSean Aaron, Dramatics, Silver Medal, The Howard High

 David Crum, Photography, Bronze Medal, McCallie School

 Santana Etchison- Poetry Written, Gold Medal, Girls Preparatory School

 Jerald-Arden Freeman, Sculpture- Gold Medal STEM School

 John-Paul Freeman, Drawing, Silver Medal, Sculpture Silver Medal STEM School

 Chloie Marshall, Poetry-Written, Silver Medal, Drawing-Bronze Medal, STEM School
The Gulf Coast and southeastern United States endured the first significant impact of the 2021 hurricane season over the weekend in the form of Tropical Storm Claudette, which formed early Saturday morning after the system made landfall, then weakened to a depression, and regained tropical-storm-force over land again during the early morning hours on Monday.Claudette turned deadly on Saturday when 10 people, including eight children, were killed in Alabama in a crash involving 15 vehicles, The Associated Press reported.The crash occurred on Interstate 65, about 35 miles south of Montgomery, Alabama. Three additional deaths were reported as a result of Claudette on Saturday. A 24-year-old man and a 3-year-old boy were killed when a tree fell on their house near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. A 23-year-old woman died when her car ran off the road into a swollen creek in DeKalb County, according to the AP.After being named Potential Tropical Cyclone Three by the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center (NHC) late on Thursday afternoon, the system further developed into Tropical Storm Claudette at 4 a.m. CDT, Saturday. By late Saturday afternoon, Claudette had been downgraded to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph.As of 5 a.m. EDT on Monday, Claudette was located 65 miles east-southeast of Raleigh, North Carolina, and was moving east-northeast at 25 mph.On Saturday evening, a flash flood warning from the National Weather Service in Alabama was upgraded to "considerable," and the agency said it could be life-threatening."Flooding can be impossible to see at night. Move to higher ground if you live in a flood-prone area," the NWS in Birmingham, Alabama, tweeted. The NWS also confirmed that water rescues were ongoing overnight Saturday.Several tornado warnings were issued on Saturday morning in parts of southern Alabama and the Florida panhandle as Claudette moved inland.Storm damage was reported in East Brewton, Alabama, around 8:15 a.m. CDT after a tornado that was confirmed by the Escambia County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) tracked through the area. The now-confirmed EF2 tornado was one of several suspected tornadoes on Saturday morning. Damage and debris was scattered across some neighborhoods.According to officials, the tornado resulted in damages to 30 to 40 structures in the town, AccuWeather's Kim Leoffler reported.The National Weather Service reports that there were up to 20 injuries related to the tornado. While most were minor, two were confirmed to be serious.A tornado in Kirkland, Alabama, was confirmed on radar, according to the National Weather Service. A trailer in Kirkland was flipped over, but no injuries were reported.After pushing toward the central Gulf Coast Friday and Friday evening, in an unusual turn of events, Claudette formed inland over far southeastern Louisiana Saturday morning. At the time Claudette was named, the storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 45 mph -- well over the 39-mph threshold needed to be considered a tropical storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.On Friday evening, AccuWeather's Bill Wadell reported that the winds in Biloxi, Mississippi, were "really starting to pick up." Boats had to be moved to the harbor to wait out the worst of the storm's impacts on the coast.Leoffler reported that the winds in Biloxi, which reached up to 27 mph, began to stir up some waves along the coastline.Red flags were out at Pensacola Beach in Florida on Friday evening, meaning no swimming or wading in the ocean is authorized."Please, please do not get in the Gulf of Mexico," Wes Moreno, Escambia County Public Works Director, Interim County Administrator, told AccuWeather's Emmy Victor. "The rip currents are there and they are strong."Moreno said the biggest threats to the area from the storm are likely flooding and rip currents and said for the next 36 hours Emergency Management would have all hands on deck.On Thursday, officials along the Gulf coast began to issue warnings ahead of the storm's arrival. A tropical storm warning was issued on Thursday that covered from just east of Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Okaloosa/Walton County line in the Florida Panhandle.The New Orleans metropolitan area was covered under the warning as well. A tropical storm warning goes into effect when tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere in the area within the next 36 hours.In addition, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a state of emergency declaration Thursday ahead of any tropical storm conditions. The declaration of a state of emergency allows the use of state resources to provide storm response aid.Lake Charles, Louisiana, still not fully recovered from the damages from last year's hurricane season, began preparation for Claudette. Mayor Nic Hunter posted to Facebook on Thursday that the city was requesting additional help from FEMA ahead of landfall."To my knowledge, FEMA has never dealt with one community that has endured four federally declared, natural disasters over the course of less than a year," Hunter wrote on social media. "The people who need FEMAs help the most are the most vulnerable population, many of whom have endured multiple disasters with multiple applications for assistance."As what would become Claudette approached the U.S. coast on Friday, winds really began to pick up just off the coast of Louisiana and rain continued to fall.According to AccuWeather forecasters, some portions of southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi have already picked up more than eight inches of rain since Friday.Ahead of the storm's arrival, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency distributed 90,000 sandbags to residents in the southern and southeastern portions of the state to help redistribute flood water away from their homes.With flooding being a major component of this storm for much of the affected areas, the EMA is reminding people of flood safety. If a roadway looks flooded, the agency says it is best to "turn around, don't drown.""People drive through flooded roadways, but you can't see how deep it is or what's below, you're going in blind," Kelly Richards, Public Information Officer for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, told AccuWeather's Emmy Victor. "We really do urge everyone to turn around and find another way for you to encounter those flooded roadways."Images poured in overnight Friday of flooded roadways and stranded cars in Slidell, Louisiana.Claudette is the third tropical storm in the Atlantic Basin in the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, following Tropical Storms Ana in May and Tropical Storm Bill earlier in June.
Fifteen local restaurants all across Chattanooga will be joining forces with Cempa Community Care to raise money and awareness for HIV programs in the Tennessee Valley through the organizations annual Dining Out For Life event on Thursday. Proceeds will benefit those within our community who are affected by HIV.

Participating restaurants include 1885, Big Chill & Grill, Brewhaus, Easy Bistro, FEED Co. Table & Tavern, Flying Squirrel, Frothy Monkey, Il Primo Northshore, Il Primo Ooltewah, Main Street Meats, Public House, Sing It or Wing It, Southern Star, Tremont Tavern, and Universal Joint.

To join the cause, simply dine in at a participating restaurant or pick up a meal to eat at home. If you cant make it to a restaurant, you can still give back by texting CEMPA to 205-7110.

Im proud to be a part of an event that not only spreads awareness for HIV, but also encourages people to support their local community, said Mike Rice, 2021 Dining Out For Life restaurant ambassador.

The past year was challenging for so many in our community, and our local restaurants are no exception, said Shannon Stephenson, Cempa Community Care CEO. Many of those in this list participated last year, even as they navigated challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are so grateful for their continued support of our organization and our community as a whole.

Dining Out For Life 2021 is presented by the Chattanooga CARES Foundation, Subaru of America, and NPS Pharmacy.

More details can be found here: https://cempa.org/dining-out-for-life/
The Aster Awards has awarded Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation the Gold Award in the Billboard Design Series category for its Because of Siskin Hospital, I Can! billboards.

In addition, Siskin Hospital received the Bronze Award for its end-of-year Direct Mail Piece, among thousands of other entries from across the country.

These awards are in addition to the Healthcare Marketing Report Awards Siskin Hospital received in May.

I am exceptionally pleased with the distinctions our marketing team has once again attained among its peers, said Dr. Matthew A. Gibson, president and CEO of Siskin Hospital. Its remarkable creativity consistently enhances our brand and is a credit to the field of medical rehabilitation.

The Aster Awards has honored excellence in healthcare advertising since 2002. One of the largest and most respected national competitions of its kind, participants across the U. S. compete for awards against similar-sized organizations in their specific groups and categories, in advertising, marketing and communications.

The 2021 Aster Awards received entries from across the entire United States as well as abroad. All entries are judged on creativity, layout/design, typography, production, quality and overall effectiveness. A diverse panel of industry experts, comprised of design and healthcare marketing professionals with decades of combined experience, judge all entries. Awards were issued for entries that received top marks from judges placing them in the nations top 16 percent for advertising excellence. Specifically, Gold Awards score in the nations top five percent and Silver Awards in the top 12 percent.

The goal of many of Siskin Hospitals marketing communications is to celebrate life beyond disability through stories of actual patients who have overcome significant challenges and find that life is full of possibilities. For more information about Siskin Hospital and its rehabilitation services, visit www.SiskinRehab.org.
I love Tennessee. Mostly for its natural beauty. Certainly not for its pervasive dumbness.

Seems like the very people who are elected to look after our best interests are hellbent on enabling and facilitating the very worst.

Thanks to the legislative freedom afforded everyone in this state, anybody - and that literally is anybody - can own an open or conceal carry a firearm without having any formal training, education, practical use or common sense.

This makes everyone safer? From whom? Now, the idiots and sickos are on a level playing field with those of us who sought the knowledge and training to protect ourselves from exactly those people.

A provocative side of American government is readying for a coup at the risk to all who stand in the way of a radical authoritarian ideology.

We are a commodity of what they consider collateral damage; drive-bystanders.

Buy up all the ammo. Prep for the day. Just remember. You put your own family in the crossfire of your chaos.

When I walk into corporate retail establishments like ACE hardware and see plastic three packs of 30 round AR15 magazines, I have to wonder, what kind of America are these people wishing for?

The insanity in todays United States is thick with hate, anger and division and Tennessee is a poster state for it.

I pray that ignorance is not bliss or we are surely headed into a darkness this nation has never seen - including the Civil War.

We desperately need voices of reason to change the path we are on.

Cleveland Wheeler






Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Rules Committee, on Monday addressed his colleagues on the Senate floor regarding the For the People Act (S.1), which he said "would more accurately be called the 'For the Politicians Act'."

He said, This legislation represents a breathtaking, unprecedented power grab. In a 50-50 Senate, this is a blatant attempt by those who are in power - by the slimmest margin possible - to take over and rewrite the election and campaign rules for all 50 states in one fell swoop.

This would be done on an entirely partisan basis, to ensure candidates from that same party win elections. In fact, while the only supporters of the bill are Democrats, there is bipartisan opposition to this legislation.

The Senate is scheduled to hold a procedural vote on the legislation Tuesday.

This legislation is as unnecessary as it is misguided and dangerous, Senator Hagerty concluded. It is a politician-protection measure that would do irreparable damage to the fabric of this country, and it should be soundly rejected by this body.

Senator Marsha Blackburn also "spoke out against the Democrats efforts to federalize our elections and destroy the democratic process through their partisan election bill."

She said, "If the Constitution is the foundation of our Republic, then the concept of one person, one vote is the cornerstoneIt is of the people, by the people, for the people that this process is carried out in each and every one of our counties.

If this bill passes, say goodbye to meaningful voter ID lawsTo please their radical base, they added a loophole that would force every single jurisdiction to accept affidavits in lieu of identification.



The founders granted the states power over their own elections for a reason. The federal government is beyond incompetent to get this job done. If you like a service you get from the IRS or the EPA or OSHA, thats what you could expect the next time your community has an election. If we allow this bill to pass, one person, one vote will crumble. The promise of counting eligible ballots and not counting ineligible votes will go by the wayside.



Remarks from Senator Hagerty as prepared for delivery:

Thank you, Madam President.

I am here today to address Democrats deceptively labeled For the People Act, which is more accurately called the For the Politicians Act.

This legislation represents a breathtaking, unprecedented power grab. In a 50-50 Senate, this is a blatant attempt by those who are in powerby the slimmest margin possibleto take over and rewrite the election and campaign rules for all 50 states in one fell swoop. This would be done on an entirely partisan basis, to ensure candidates from that same party win elections. In fact, while the only supporters of the bill are Democrats, there is bipartisan opposition to this legislation.

This legislation would disenfranchise every American through the federal seizure of the authority of each states representatives to set election rules for their states in accordance with the wishes of their citizens.

And this partisan legislation would wash away election integrity measuresmaking it easier to cheat. Each invalid vote cast dilutes the strength of each valid vote cast. Our form of government for the people and by the people rests upon voters faith in the integrity of our elections. If we allow that faith in our elections to continue to be compromised, we are allowing the very foundation of our American system to be eroded.

Democrats dont want to talk about the details of this legislation. They dont want you to peek under the hood. They want to just slap a voting rights bumper sticker on it, jam it through, and then disparage and name-call anyone who might oppose it.

So lets take a look at what exactly is in this legislation.

Under this legislation, a federal politician running for reelection could take millions in taxpayer money for his or her campaign.

The legislation says that States must then allow that politician to pay political operatives to visit nursing homes, dormitories, emergency shelters, and other residences to collect thousands of ballots and, then, choose which ones to deliver to unmanned drop boxesin the middle of the night.

This bill would make it illegal for states to verify the identity of voters at the polls.

Under this bill, ballots arriving even a week after Election Day would still be counted.

It would require states to adopt universal mail-in voting practices.

States would be forced to allow murderers, rapists, and child molesters to vote, even if a states citizens have adopted laws to prevent it.

It would require states to allow unregistered voters to cast ballots by simply showing up on Election Day and signing a form, without an ID, and with no vetting allowed.

The bill would silence political speech by religious and non-profit organizations, while politicians use taxpayer dollars to air attack ads with which many taxpayers might disagree.

The bill provides that if anyone disputes any of this, thats okay. They can lodge their complaints with the Federal Election Commission (the FEC), a body that has been bipartisan since its creation. But waitin addition to changing the rules to benefit one teamthis legislation also buys off the umpire by transforming the FEC into a partisan, Democrat-controlled bodya body that could hound the opposing-party candidates to the ends of the earth. This bill transforms the judge into the prosecutor.

I wish that was all this legislation did.

But it also snatches the responsibility for drawing congressional districts from the elected representatives of the 50 stateswho have done the job for the last 230 yearsand sets up a Byzantine process that would ultimately hand it over to academic consultants hired by a liberal judge right here in Washington. Let me repeat that: A consultant hired by a judge in Washington, D.C. will be drawing every congressional district in the country.

Using government power to seize control of elections, limit speech, and pack tribunals to ensure the ruling party stays in power sounds like a headline you would read in Venezuela, Russia, Iran, or China, not in the United States of America.

Not too long ago, both parties would have considered this partisan power grab beyond the pale. But far-left operatives want permanent power, and Democratseager to keep power themselves are afraid to tell them no.

Democrats are now characterizing this legislation as an emergency response to recent legislation in a few states.

This legislation isnt just a solution in search of a problem, its a power grab that, for years, has been in search of any crisismanufactured or otherwisethat can be used to justify it.

Democrat operatives introduced a previous version of this bill on January 24, 2017, four days after President Trump took office. The purported crisis then was the American peoples election of President Trump, which Democrats found unacceptable.

They continued this effort by introducing another version of the For the Politicians Act in 2019, which that time passed the House, without a single Republican vote.

Like the bill the Senate will consider this week, this bill was a Democrat operatives electioneering fantasyfederalizing unlimited mail voting, prohibiting voter ID requirements, and allowing unregistered voters to show up and vote on Election Day. Wisely, the Senate never took it up.

Then as the pandemic took root in the spring of 2020, Democratsin search of a new crisis to justify this billincluded it in a pandemic relief bill that the House passedagain without a single Republican vote. Once again, the Senate dismissed it and wisely focused on providing bipartisan pandemic relief, rather than using the pandemic as a justification to federalize elections.

With the pandemic now in the rearview mirror, this legislation is being pitched as necessary to preserve voting rights, using cartoonish, overheated, and false characterizations of a few sensible, measured voting integrity laws recently enacted by states.

Why? Because Democrats have to invent a new crisis every 6 months or so to conceal this quest to install themselves permanently in power.

Dont let them fool youthis isnt about some state election law. The House passed virtually the same bill last year. Most of the components of this bill have been floating around Democrat National Committee backrooms for years.

This isnt about voting rights. This legislation protects voting rights like banning security guards at banks would protect a banks depositors.

Now, why are Democrats so desperate to pass this bill?

Well, a recent report from Politico explains: Whats at stake ispotentially the future Democratic majorities. Many in the party privately worry that frontline Democratscould lose their seats if Congress doesnt [pass this bill].

So, to keep power, Democrats have determined they have to take over state elections.

This is about holding onto powerand nothing else.

There doesnt seem to be a power grab that is too extreme for the modern Leftwhether its this bill, legislation to pack the Supreme Court, suddenly changing their position and pushing to scrap fundamental Senate rules in order to obtain short-term gains, or adding Washington, D.C. as a state. Its all about one thing: fulfilling a fantasy of permanent Democrat power.

Under this legislation, American elections would no longer be about earning the support of voters by communicating a powerful vision. Rather, American elections would be all about creating the largest machineidentifying favorable voters and mass-gathering their ballots door-to-door as efficiently as possible.

The winning campaign would be the one with the largest army of ballot harvesters to drive votersregistered or unregistered, with or without IDto fill out and hand over a ballot that will be dropped on their behalf in unmanned drop boxes.

Americans want commonsense laws that make it easier to vote and harder to cheat. Such laws currently exist throughout the country. Thats why we had record-breaking voter participation in 2020, including in my state of Tennessee.

This legislation is as unnecessary as it is misguided and dangerous. It is a politician-protection measure that would do irreparable damage to the fabric of this country, and it should be soundly rejected by this body.

Madam President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
A Hamilton County woman is charged with TennCare fraud and theft of services in connection with allegedly falsely reporting a Tennessee residence to obtain TennCare healthcare insurance benefits.

The Office of Inspector General, in a joint effort with the Hamilton County Sheriffs office, Monday announced the arrest of Mary Gould, 43. Shes charged with TennCare fraud, which is a class D felony and theft of services over $10,0000 but under $60,000, a class C felony.

Investigators allege that Gould was residing in Georgia when she reported a Tennessee address to the state, resulting in TennCare paying more than $19,000 in fees and claims on her behalf. Gould has since moved back to Tennessee.

The TennCare program is designed to help those who rightfully qualify for benefits, Inspector General Kim Harmon said. OIG strives to ensure that those taking undue advantage of Tennessees Medicaid program are asked to answer for their actions.

The case is being prosecuted by District Attorney General Neal Pinkston of Hamilton County.

The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated more than 5,760 criminal cases leading to more than $10.8 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. TennCares budget is comprised of both federal and state dollars, 65 percent and 35 percent respectfully. To date, 3,124 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.

To access the OIG most wanted list please visit https://www.tn.gov/finance/fa-oig/fa-oig-most-wanted.html. Anyone with information about a wanted subject is urged to use the contact information on the page.

Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions. Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982, toll-free or by logging on to www.tn.gov/oig/ and following the prompts that read Report TennCare Fraud.




Ashland City, TN (37015)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.
Aaron Paul has been a working actor for years but it was his role as Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad that put him on the map. From 2008-2013, Paul played opposite Bryan Cranston as the meth-cooking sidekick whom Walter Heisenberg White rescued in the series finale. In the same universe, Better Call Saul tells the story of how Slippin Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) became shifty attorney Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad. While cameos by any of the former could happen, Paul once admitted how he really felt at the premiere of Saul.

Aaron Paul had a rough time paying rent before Breaking Bad

Aaron Paul | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

RELATED: Breaking Bad Star Aaron Paul Said It Took 2 Days to Film This Iconic Scene: It Was Just so Messy

Paul may have grown up performing in church plays, but it was his work ethic that got him to Hollywood by the age of 17. As the child of a Southern Baptist minister, Paul saved his money from a young age to pursue his dream of acting. The roles, however, were nothing like his Breaking Bad gig.

I know I did Vanilla Coke; there might have been a Pepsi, Paul told The Guardian in 2019.

The star worked in over 50 ad spots, making enough money to pay the bills. Still, he wanted more. Eventually, he landed credits in shows like NYPD Blue, The X-Files, and ER. His first recurring role in HBOs Big Love was the most steady paycheck, but also a lot of condensed work.

Theyd squeeze all my scenes into a day, so I was making about $600 an episode, he said.

I was panicking. Before this show, I was at the lowest point in my career. Id been working pretty steadily and Id have dry spells, Id get a random commercial that would help me pay rent for a few months, he told Esquire. When Breaking Bad came to me, Id kind of run out of money. So to then see the strike coming, it was like, Oh god, what am I gonna do? It was a crazy time.

By the time Paul reached that breaking point, hed been in six pilots that never took off and struggled to pay his bills. Luckily, Breaking Bad came through. His character wasnt supposed to survive the first season but thanks to his chemistry with Cranston, writers kept him on.

When the first three series landed on Netflix, my life changed, he said.

By its end in 2013, Breaking Bad had a slew of awards and the Better Call Saul spin-off on the way.

Paul felt disconnected and sad at the Better Call Saul premiere

Is it an easter egg if it's right in front of you? pic.twitter.com/Kh5WSAOBxj  Better Call Saul (@BetterCallSaul) June 6, 2021

RELATED: Breaking Bad: Aaron Paul Put His Own Spin on Series Finale

Two years after the Breaking Bad finale, Better Call Saul debuted. Paul admitted he had mixed feelings at the start.

I went to the premiere of Better Call Saul, and I remember kind of sneaking around the red carpet, not wanting to be noticed because obviously, this was about the new show, he said. I remember being surrounded by my Breaking Bad family, but feeling a little bit disconnected and a little sad that I was not moving on with them, to be a part of this.

He continued: It was a little strange, to have this new cast of characters; they were all so sweet and kind, and I was so excited for them. That show has just taken on a form of its own, and thats what I think was so smart. I was always saying, Its just downhill for me from here, because Breaking Bad was such a phenomenon. Anything else being multiple steps lower doesnt mean its bad, its just not as good. I was totally OK with that.

Those feelings of nostalgia came from what Paul referred to as a next to perfect Breaking Bad ending.

Brian and I read it together at his place in New Mexico. When he read the screen direction end of series we just sat in silence for 30 seconds, he said adding that the show was a game-changer.

A lot of people will always see me as Jesse, and I take that as a compliment, he said.

Even Breaking Bad showrunner Vince Gilligan had reservations with Saul.

But most of the intimidation came from just the idea of taking a very beloved  and thank goodness for that  TV series and spinning it off, keeping that world alive, he said in the same Esquire interview. We thought, Are we going to wind up harming peoples memories of the original series, of the mothership so to speak? That was the really intimidating part. There were a great many sleepless nights for us all as the premiere of Season One approached.

What is Paul doing now?

We were just two guys on a quest to find a spirit that we felt everyone would love, and weve put a lot of energy into this. We couldnt be more excited for the next chapter with Constellation and continuing to build this brand.

@aaronpaul_8#WorthReachingFor pic.twitter.com/kK2zgO6vO4  Constellation Brands (@cbrands) June 19, 2021

RELATED: Breaking Bad Star Aaron Paul Once Asked His Grandma to Close Her Eyes During This Intense Scene

Despite the movie sequel to Breaking Bad  El Camino  Paul had recurring roles on The Path, Truth Be Told, and Westworld, Paul will likely always be known as Jesse Pinkman.

There are roles I jumped on to after Breaking Bad, just to try to move the needle in one direction or another, he told The Guardian. I get sent a lot of leading-man stuff and it doesnt excite me. My heart is in gritty, independent filmmaking.

Without the Hollywood scene, Paul teamed up with Cranston to develop Dos Hombres Mezcal which is a unique blend of the finest Espadin agave, hand-selected from the hillsides of a small village in Oaxaca, Mexico, according to the website.

That said, the married father of one finished filming Dual alongside Marvel star Karen Gillan. Its unclear what else he has up his sleeve. Fans will forever wish for more Jesse Pinkman but Paul understands.

I lived and breathed every moment of his life that we saw, and then some, he said. This is the role of a lifetime.
Showtime has released a new trailer for the Dexter revival that offers a look at Harrison. Created by James Manor Jr., the revival picks up 10 years after the events in the series finale, in which Dexter Morgan gave up his son before faking his death and going into hiding. The teaser doesnt get specific about the story, but it suggests that Harrison will be involved in some way or at least be mentioned.

Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan | Dan Littlejohn/CBS via Getty Images

Watch the trailer for Dexter Season 9

Shared to the Dexter Twitter page on Fathers Day 2021, the clip shows a photo of Dexter and Harrison falling into a crackling campfire. Wanna know a secret? Daddy kills people, reads the caption.

Wanna know a secret? Daddy kills people. #Dexter pic.twitter.com/zdT5aqvmNI  Dexter on Showtime (@SHO_Dexter) June 20, 2021

RELATED: Dexter: Everything the Original Cast Members Have Said About the Revival

Although it seemed that Dexter had stopped killing, showrunner Clyde Phillips has said that he ultimately lost the fight to his dark passenger. He is more grounded than hes ever been, but that dark passenger is a voice he cannot deny. This is Dexter. People are going to die, he told TV Insider.

Dexter has also switched locations again

At some point, Dexter left Oregon for a small town in New York called Iron Lake, where hes hiding out as Jim Lindsay. Hes in a different place leading a different life surrounded by different people, actor Michael C. Hall (Dexter Morgan) previously told the website Louder Than War.

Time has passed, and we acknowledge that, Phillips added to the Massachusetts newspaper The Greenfield Recorder. Its obviously not Miami anymore; were in a cold climate, and Dexters trying to assimilate into this town.

In Iron Lake, hell find an enemy in community man Kurt Caldwell. Powerful, generous, loved by everyone  hes a true man of the people. If hes got your back, consider yourself blessed. But should you cross Kurt, or hurt anyone that he cares for, God help you, his character description reads, according to TV Line.

RELATED: Dexter Showrunner Hints at Why He Moved From Oregon to New York

Its ultimately unclear if Dexter will ever reconnect with Harrison. But when it comes to Hannah McKay, it doesnt seem likely, as actor Yvonne Strahovski said she hasnt been asked back for the revival.

I have a theory that perhaps, um, perhaps uh Harrison has already murdered her and is following in the footsteps of his father, she added on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. [But] I dont know. I dont know anything.

When does the Dexter revival air?

Theres no set release date for the Dexter revival, at the time of this writing. But its coming in the fall of 2021.

The reboot has been described as a 10-episode limited series, but Hall has said that there could be more episodes beyond that.

Im reluctant to say definitely, you know? he told NME when asked if the revival is definitely the conclusion of Dexters story. Lets see. Whats plain now is that theres 10 new episodes.

RELATED: Dexter: Julie Benz Addresses Possible Appearance in Revival
Lets face it, when you run into a professional, and a celebrity one at that, you might want to pick their brains for advice.

For The Incredible Dr. Pol star Dr. Jan Pol, it happens a lot: fans see him in public and ask for advice about a pressing issue their pets are facing, or they ask on social media. Heres the situation Dr. Pol says is the one fans ask for advice about the most.

Dr. Jan Pol of The Incredible Dr. Pol | Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Dr. Pols fans love to get his take on their pets

If youre a fan of Dr. Pols reality show, you know that the veteran veterinarian whos well into his 70s seriously busts a move on the job. If hes not at his Michigan-based clinic treating smaller animals, hes visiting ailing larger animals such as horses, cows, and even emus on farms. So its only natural fans turn to Dr. Pol; they cant help but ask him for advice about their own beloved pets.

People ask me why their dog is gnawing at his leg or why their cat likes to be under the covers; and sometimes they talk about their pets condition and ask me if their vet is doing a good job, Dr. Pol wrote in his memoir Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow.

When his fans ask him about their pets veterinarians and if he thinks the vets are doing a good job, the Dutch-American animal doctor clearly doesnt feel comfortable running down one of his own professional peers.

When they ask me about their vets, I tell them how many wonderful, dedicated men and women there are in this profession, he said. Its important they find a vet they can trust, who is concerned for both [their] two-legged and four-legged patients.

The most requested advice fans ask for

On an episode of The Incredible Dr. Pols post-show YouTube show Recheck, the doc opened up about the one situation that he gets advice requests from fans the most.

Our most requested how-to subject is giving a cat a pill, his son Charles, who also serves as an executive producer on the show, said.

In a videotaped how-to, Dr. Pol explained the easiest way to get a pill into one of the animal kingdoms most difficult creatures: the house cat.

Tater the office cat helped Dr. Pol with a demonstration

Some days it looks like you have it all together, and some days you're walking around with a rubber band on your ear. Which kind of #TaterTuesday are you having? #DrPol pic.twitter.com/iUhjnvqEgm  Dr. Pol (@DrPol) June 1, 2021

Tater, Pol Veterinary Clinics sleek office cat with full run of the offices, assisted Dr. Pol in his demonstration.

Im Dr. Pol, and this is Tater, the vet said. And Tater is a hunter. He catches mice and now Tater needs another worm pill. I hope he will help me show you how to pill a cat. The best way is, hold them against you.

The doc noted that hes aware of his own extra-large hands, but assured viewers that no matter their hand size, theyve got this. Opening Taters mouth at its hinges with his fingers, Dr. Pol said, Drop the pill in there and then At this point, the vet bends over and, with the cats head in his hand, blew in his face.

Blow in his face, he said. It scares them and they swallow. And the pill goes all the way down.

RELATED: The Incredible Dr. Pol: The Most Overlooked Cast Member
The European Patent Office (EPO) honoured Austrian and Swiss researchers Robert N. Grass and Wendelin Stark with the European Inventor Award 2021 in the "Research" category. Their technology for encapsulating data in DNA inside tiny glass spheres provides a novel means of preserving information, as well as a robust DNA barcode for use in supply chains.

"Grass and Stark's remarkable cross-disciplinary research has led to an invention that has the potential to reshape our approach to long-term data storage," says EPO President Antonio Campinos. "With digitalisation transforming almost every aspect of society, this innovation represents a leap forward in terms of improving the durability of the information we produce and holds promise for applications in a vast range of products."

This year's European Inventor Award ceremony was held digitally, and for the first time was open to the public who tuned in from around the world. The Award, one of Europe's most prestigious innovation prizes, is presented annually by the EPO to distinguish outstanding inventors from Europe and beyond who have made an exceptional contribution to society, technological progress and economic growth. The finalists and winners in five categories (Industry, Research, SMEs, Non-EPO countries and Lifetime achievement) were selected by an independent international jury from a pool of hundreds of inventors and teams of inventors put forward for this year's award.

Inspired by nature: Long-lasting data storage with encapsulated DNA

Working together at the ETH Zurich's Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Robert Grass and Wendelin Stark shared one trait in particular: an engineering mindset and a desire to translate medical or biology-focused technologies into practical inventions. DNA writing (synthesis) and reading (sequencing) was one such area that captured their attention, specifically the idea that DNA - in addition to storing the genetic information of every living creature - could be used as a means of preserving other forms of data. A key challenge however was the fact that unprotected DNA strands soon chemically degrade after exposure to water, air or heat. To solve this problem, the pair looked for inspiration in fossils, where DNA is preserved for hundreds of thousands of years. Grass's team (under Stark's guidance and using a synthesis technique of fellow ETH Zurich scientist Reinhard Heckel) successfully sealed synthetic DNA inside tiny glass particles with diameters up to 10 000 times thinner than a sheet of paper. These non-porous "glass fossils" protect the DNA from corrosive agents and temperature damage. The DNA can later be easily recovered by treating the particles with a fluoride solution that dissolves the glass but does not harm the information.

ETH Zurich filed a European patent application for Grass and Stark's invention, which was granted in 2018. With the help of their patents, Grass and Stark have since gone on to commercialise the technology through the ETH spin-off company Haelixa, one of several ETH spin-offs co-founded by the researchers.

The company's glass fossils' have proven to be effective as a robust barcode for tracking purposes - the miniscule DNA-containing particles can be applied to a product or substance and later retrieved for verification. The technique has been used to trace underground water flow and to verify products in supply chains. The invention's potential for data storage is also gaining impetus. In 2018, the 15MB album Mezzanine' by Massive Attack was encoded into strands of synthetic DNA and re-released in DNA format (in a spray can containing around a million DNA spheres). With their eyes firmly on the future, Grass and Stark are currently working to make DNA storage available to all, turning their cutting-edge research into an everyday, affordable technology.

"We envision a world very close down the road where reading DNA is really accessible," says Grass. "If you take the world we work in, reading and writing DNA is like taking pen to paper - a much more commonplace medium for people to interact with." Stark highlights the inspiration for their technology: "Nature is wonderful; we continue to be fascinated by its genius."
Bacteria from an Indian landfill could help eliminate contaminated chemicals. The focus is on pesticides or brominated flame retardants, which accumulate in nature and in food chains. Researchers at Empa and Eawag used these bacteria to generate enzymes that can break down these dangerous chemicals.

The production of chemicals is a cumbersome business. Often, only a small part of what is actually wanted is produced in the factory. The large remainder is unusable  or even worse. Examples? The defoliant "Agent Orange" contained dioxin as an impurity. As a result, not only did trees in the combat zone lose their foliage, but US soldiers and Vietnamese civilians also fell ill with cancer years later.

There are also examples from agriculture: In the production of the insecticide lindane, a hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), only less than 15 percent of the desired substance is produced; 85 percent is hazardous waste. In the 1950s, this toxic mixture was still sprayed in its entirety on fields and orchards. Later on the effective lindane was separated and sold pure, the rest being dumped in landfills. There the chemicals often still lie today. Lindane has been banned in the EU since 2007, and it has not been used in Switzerland for some time.

The flame retardant hexabromocyclodecane (HBCD) is also a mixture of several substances. It was invented in the 1970s, produced on a scale of several 10,000 tons per year and used in polystyrene insulation boards for house facades, in textiles and in plastics for electrical appliances. It has been banned worldwide since 2014. In Switzerland, plastic containing HBCD is not recycled, but must be destroyed in waste incineration.

Internationally outlawed

Since 2004, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants has regulated the handling of such long-lived environmental toxins. Switzerland ratified the agreement in 2003, but all these substances are already in the environment  and finely distributed. HBCD is found in sewage sludge, in fish, in air, water and soil. In 2004, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) took blood samples from eleven European environment ministers and three health ministers and detected HBCD and lindane in the blood of every single one of them.

Bacteria, the rescuers from the soil

It begs the question: Can we recapture or detoxify the chemical waste of past generations? Fortunately, scientists aren't shying away from icky places in their search for solutions. In 1991, they discovered three strains of bacteria that could consume lindane and its useless chemical siblings in chemical waste sites in France, Japan and India almost simultaneously: Sphingobium francense, Sphingobium japonicum and Sphingobium indicum. Could these bio-cleaners perhaps also digest the flame retardant HBCD and other toxins?

Empa chemist Norbert Heeb and Eawag microbiologist Hans-Peter Kohler, together with researchers from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and two Indian institutes, put them to the test. They modified the genes of the Indian bacteria and produced HCH-degrading enzymes in pure form. An enzyme is a protein molecule, a bio-catalyst so to speak, with which bacteria, but also other living cells, can build up or break down chemical substances. The pollutant molecule HCH inserts itself into the enzyme like a key into a lock. Then part of the molecule is split off. The now harmless fragments are released again, and the enzyme is ready to take up the next pollutant molecule.

Mutations open up opportunities

Together with undergraduate student Jasmin Hubeli, Heeb investigated not only the enzyme variants found in landfills, but also an enzyme obtained from a genetically modified bacterial strain. Here, the researchers had deliberately enlarged the "keyhole" so that the larger HBCD molecules could be broken down more easily. The result: The genetic modification influenced the rate, at which the pollutant was broken down.

Empa researcher Heeb is hopeful about their results: "This means that we now actually have a chance to use biological methods to render harmless these long-lived toxins produced by mankind and distributed over large areas." There is still a long way to go, however. The lock-and-key principle of helpful enzymes still needs to be figured out in more detail before tailor-made enzymes for chemical toxins are available in the future.
A private family graveside service will be held for Wayne Robnett at the Marlow Cemetery in Marlow, OK. Wayne passed away on June 18, 2021 at the age of 83 in his home in Chickasha, Oklahoma with his family at his side after battling cancer. Wayne was born on June 4, 1938 in Oklahoma City, O
Jon Anderson found The Color of Compromise at just the right moment. As the executive director of Collaboration Project, a ministry that connects local churches for the well-being of their city, he was searching for something to help pastors in Madison, Wisconsin, in the summer of 2020.

We had just had one of the largest marches in state history for racial justice, Anderson said, and I was hearing from church leaders: What do we do now? 

Jemar Tisbys history of racism in the American church, published by Zondervan, came as the perfect answer. Anderson organized a group of 27 ministers from 19 congregations to read the book and discuss ways to channel the pent-up energy around racial justice into our congregations and our community in tangible ways.

Sales numbers show that the Madison church leaders werent the only ones turning to Tisby in 2020. The first-time authors year-old book landed on The New York Times Best Seller list that June and cracked the Evangelical Christian Publishers Associations 100,000-sales mark in October.

Thats an incredible feateven more remarkable considering that Tisby is only the fifth Black author to make it onto the evangelical bestseller list and his is the only book about racism to ever win the 100,000-sales award.

Publishers including Zondervan, Baker, Moody, Multnomah, Thomas Nelson, Whitaker, WaterBrook, B&H, The Good Book Company, and InterVarsity Press have a long list of authors of color that they have published over the past two decades. They have also produced a long list of books on racial justice. But none of them became bestsellers until Tisby in 2020.

According to industry insiders, ...

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Like millions of people in America and around the world, Jeremiah Johnson stayed up late on election night. From the TV screen in his living room, he watched as Donald Trumps winning margin waned and sat stunned in disbelief.

Many assumed the former president would win reelection; Johnson was among the charismatic leaders in the US who had put Gods word behind it.

On the morning of November 4, as the country woke up to the news that Joe Biden was in the lead, Johnson sent out a prophetic warning to his mailing list, saying he and a chorus of mature and tested prophets were in agreement: Trump had won.

Either a lying spirit has filled the mouths of numerous trusted prophetic voices in America or Donald J. Trump really has won the Presidency and we are witnessing a diabolical and evil plan unfold to steal the Election, Johnson wrote to his followers. I believe with all my heart that the latter is true.

Today, Johnson cringes when he thinks back to that message.

Unlike those who continued to insist Trump won, by early 2021, Johnson had reversed course. Now he barely recognizes the person who wrote that email last yearand neither does his wife, staff, or close friends. Instead, he says, God graciously used the messy fallout over the failed Trump prophecies to begin a catalytic, dramatic shift in his life.

I was as entrenched as anyone was, Johnson told CT in one of his first media interviews since he publicly repented in January and shut down his namesake ministry in March. I tell people I feel like Ive been rescuedI feel the kindness of God; I feel his discipline. Ive cried so many tears, just thanking ...

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When COVID-19 started to spread last year, none of us knew how dramatically or how long this virus would affect our lives.

As a restaurant owner, I was forced to make critical decisions during the early weeks of lockdown, when people were confused, scared, and trying to make sense of conflicting information about the threat of the virus.

I watched sales drop at each of our locations anywhere from 60 percent to 90 percent as we shifted from dine-in services to carry-out and delivery only. As a result, I had to lay off employees, something I had never been forced to do apart from closing a location.

As a Christian, Ive always been open about how my faith drives everything I do and shapes how I run my business. The decision to dismiss employees was agonizing, but I wanted to come up with the most ethical and moral way to care for those who worked for us. My commitment to leading and caring for people biblically didnt let up just because times got toughin fact, I had to lean on God for guidance and hope more than ever.

Whats the most gracious way to cut employees in the middle of an economic crisis and a pandemic? None of us had been through this before, and there were no easy answers. We made sure to keep on the payroll a few individuals who needed to maintain health insurance to care for serious medical issues. We created a three-tier list of employees, ranked by skill level and attitude. We ended up having to lay off those on the bottom tier; thankfully we never had to move to the second tier.

But I wanted to help those I had to let go. I looked for ways to offer support even after they were no longer on my payroll. I emailed them on a regular basis with information about ways to file for unemployment and other available benefits. But people were still angry even after we reached out to try to help. Some didnt believe the layoffs were necessary and disputed our motives, even going as far as calling us fake Christians.

We are grateful that as stay-at-home orders began to lift, we were able to hire people back, but that didnt mean our problems went away. We encountered new issues.

Among the employees who did return, several were battling drug and alcohol problems. Then, theft became an issue. Thousands of company dollars went missing; certain employees were so desperate that they would pocket cash and steal manager cards to void items and pocket the money they voided.

Other employees returned only to quit once stimulus checks were received. Much like nearly every restaurant in America, we became and continue to be short-staffed. We are now encountering a staffing crisis of such proportions that we have been forced to re-close some locations or reduce hours at others. While we have hundreds of individuals apply to each job posting, despite offering pay 50 percent higher than minimum wage and exclusive sign-on bonuses, they simply do not show up to interview.

The lack of willing workers has strained the entire industry and is now impacting our manufacturers and supply chains. Everything from aluminum lids for our to-go pans to chicken and ketchup packaging are running low. We have over 40 items currently on a watch list that may run out this week. We are talking daily and sometimes more with our distributors to stay on top of it and try to find substitutions, which is simply not always possible.

But the challenges didnt end with my employees. As a service provider, we found ourselves working to straddle the cultural polarization that accompanied COVID-19. Every decision made garnered scrutiny.

There were individuals on every side of the issue. Some felt it was morally wrong for us to remain open and expose our workers and customers to any danger, or wanted to support us but went to extreme measures to ensure there was no contact with our staff. Others called the virus fake and yelled at us for not remaining open as usual.

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Once our dining rooms reopened with restrictions, the issues continued. Our teenage servers had to handle more than their job described as they became de facto mediators. Some customers would argue with them about the constitutionality of masks and storm out if told they were required, while others would yell at those same servers if they touched their mask, or if it fell down below their nose.

Faith played a huge part in getting me through.

As leaders, we had the responsibility to communicate and listen well amid all the complications. I heard regular feedback from our employee council, a group that meets with me to discuss employee concerns and suggestions. Even employees were split over mask wearing, so Id recognize both sides of the debate and focus on our obligation to follow the laws regulating food service.

Thankfully, there were also plenty of customers who showed extreme kindness and understanding, following required mandates, tipping extra, and even buying large quantities of food to support nurses, doctors, police officers and, firefighters.

According to the National Restaurant Association, more than 110,000 places to eat and drink in the United States closed, either temporarily or permanently, last year. It is likely this number may climb as owners continue to struggle without the pre-pandemic crowds. Our team even made the tough decision to close a location in downtown Nashville. While there were a number of factors involved, the pandemic was a catalyst.

Throughout the past year, I worked hand in hand with several restaurant owners through C12, a group of Christian business owners across the country. From the beginning, we all worried. It was stressful to navigate the necessary decisions just to keep our restaurants in operation during this time.

I found that these owners tended to have more positive outlooks and recognized this was a season that God would see them through. This outlook was in complete contrast to the perspective of restaurant owners who didnt share my faith. Faced with the looming predictions of the demise of the industry and their own challenges, many either complained about how unfair the circumstances were or just kept their heads down to work harder through this season.

Faith played a huge part in getting me through. From the beginning, I was honest with my wife and kids that our business may not survive. Still, I can truthfully say that at no time during the past year did I question my faith.

In the midst of their own plagues, wars, famines, and conflicts, the Old Testament prophets are an example that there is a season for everything and that even in uncertain times God has a plan that is much bigger than any of us can imagine. When worry would rear its ugly head during the worst of the pandemic, I reminded myself that I trust a God who is in control, I would ask his forgiveness for my unbelief, and I would start being thankful for what he provided.

Things have settled into a weird normal knowing that the pandemics not over, but we are closer to the end than we were yesterday. The bumps in the road are like occasional potholes and creases on a long interstate highway rather than the constant bouncing and crashing of an old country road.

As we look ahead to the future, and a slow return to a new normal, I can see how my walk with God is more intimateI could not face the challenges of 2020 alone. I now invite him more readily into each situation and into the details of my professional and personal life.

And despite all the challenges, I also have a new appreciation for our restaurants. Though we missed all of our 2020 goals, surviving the year and staying open is enough of a milestone to celebrate; too many restaurants in this nation did not get that fortune.

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I can see how our staff developed closer relationships as we weathered the storms of 2020 together, adapting and even expanding our business to shipping food nationwide. And I can see signs of spiritual growth. A year like last year reminds us of our real bottom line: We believe it is our job to share the gospel through the business God gave us. It is his business, not ours.

As I write this, I thank God that my company has a positive outlook, but I also recognize that could change tomorrow. Whether open or closed, indoors or outdoors, at limited capacity or bustling with customers, we show up to make the best decisions we can, care for each other, and share his gospel. And that is success.

Peter Demos is the author of Afraid to Trust. Hes a restaurateur, president, and CEO of Demos Brands and Demos Family Kitchen, and a leadership source expert.
In 1900, 7 million Christians lived in countries that were majority Muslim; in 2020, 84 million Christians did.

Also in 1900, 9 million Muslims lived in countries that were majority Christian; in 2020, 154 million Muslims did.

Meanwhile, Christians and Muslims have grown from comprising a third of the worlds population in 1800 to more than half today and are projected to comprise two-thirds by 2100.

These statistics from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary underscore the need for Christian and Muslim minorities to better flourish in each others contexts.

CSGC codirector Todd Johnson interviewed Turkish journalist Mustafa Akyol about his new book, Reopening Muslim Minds, and about how an honest examination of the best and worst of Islamic history offers lessons for improving religious freedom and pluralism today:

What was your main motivation for writing this book? Did current events give an urgency to the project?

I have been thinking about the state of affairs in the Muslim world for about almost three decades now. I call myself a born-again Muslim, [having rediscovered my faith] in my college years. In my late twenties, I became a public writer in Turkey, and Ive traveled around the Muslim world. Im a Muslim, proud of my faith, and I see the deep problems in the contemporary Muslim world.

I rely on the Islamic modernism tradition that began in the 19th century, but I wanted to explore these issues in accessible language. Theres a world out there that our traditional scholars couldnt imagine, where Muslims are more free in their worship than they are in Muslim-majority countries. There is liberal democracy and a universal declaration of human rights. These didnt exist back then, so how should we respond?

Can Muslims be Muslims and participate in the modern world without abandoning who we are?

Image: Illustration by Mallory Rentsch / Portrait by Murat Sariaslan

You differentiate, however, between Islamic enlightenment and Western enlightenment. What is their relationship?

Enlightenment involves understanding that there is wisdom, ethics, and humanity beyond your religious tradition. Youre a Muslim, but a Christian, Jew, atheist, or pagan can be a good person as well, on an equal basis. This sort of recognition, historically, helps humanity to move forward.

This was true of the early Islamic civilization, where Arabs were the forerunners, but Turks, Persians, and Christians joined in. Muslims didnt shy away from learning and engaging with Christian theology and Greek philosophy, and for its time, their empires were a tolerant and open society with a cosmopolitan understanding of a human wisdom.

But today there are pockets of illiberal, coercive, authoritarian interpretations of Islam. I was arrested in Malaysia for preaching religious freedom, so Ive personally experienced that we have issues to figure out.

What happened over the centuries?

Early on there was no solidified Sunni orthodoxy but instead a diverse group of different traditions, including Shiite beliefs. A trend that cut across these engaged with Greek philosophy, known as the Mutazila. But over time this diversity narrowed, and the Asharite perspective came to dominate the Sunni world.

A key dispute was how to understand the origin of good and bad. We all accept that there are commandments that come from God, such as Thou shall not kill. But is God saying this because killing is bad in itself, objectively? Or does it become bad because God said so?

The Asharite school believed the latter. The sharia constitutes ethical values; it doesnt indicate them. But as a consequence, if all ethical values come from the divine commandments, people who dont have them are immoral by definition. Maybe you can learn physics or mathematics from Aristotle, but certainly not any ethical wisdom from a non-Muslim tradition.

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The Mutazilites would say that if a person is dying of thirst in the desert, you give him some water from your moral intuition, your conscience. And from a conscience, all humanity can figure out morality. And then religion is necessary because we have temptations and need motivation to keep us on the right track. But as this perspective was sidelined, minds narrowed and outside wisdom was rejected.

Today this is reflected in hardcore Islamic circles. When you consider the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, almost all humanity signs up for it. But these Muslims will say, What nonsense. Who cares what the infidels are saying? They reject the moral progress of humanity. And it becomes the infidels who abolish slavery.

You were detained in Malaysia over your use of the Quranic phrase la ikraha fiddin, which is often translated as there is no compulsion in religion. What is the brief history and use of this phrase? Is it a silver bullet that religious-freedom advocates should focus their rhetoric on? Or is there a reason it has not prevented widespread apostasy laws?

There are passages in the Quran like la ikraha fiddin, there is no compulsion in religion. Its a very short statement, but it became a motto of liberal and tolerant Muslims.

But there are other passages. One verse says, The truth is from your Lord. Let anyone who wants to believe it, believe it. Let anyone who wants to disbelieve it, disbelieve it. Another says, To me my religion, and to you your religion.

However, the mainstream Sunni orthodoxy that I am respectfully criticizing in this book minimized [these passages] influence, and sometimes even totally disregarded them.

How did that happen?

Through two things. First, the doctrine of abrogation. There are verses in the Quran about toleration, about noncoercion, about the prophet being just a preacher and not a compeller. But there are also verses about fighting the infidels until they are subdued.

There are two ways to understand this. My understanding is that Muslims first wanted the freedom to preach their faith in Mecca but were persecuted and had to flee. And after they fled, their properties were confiscated, so they had to fight. It was a war for survival. The scholars that I follow say the fighting was contextual. It was not the goal; it was an accident of history.

But our mainstream Sunni tradition didnt understand it this way. They said fighting was the zenith, the epitome of the prophets life. It was an example, and after him the idea that you should fight to spread and establish Islam became the norm. The verses about war abrogate the ones that are about toleration and plurality.

This abrogation of doctrine is not a natural outcome of the Quran itself, however. It is just how early Muslims put things. In my view, it was an age of empires. They thought, Now [that] we have the sword, lets spread Islam as the Byzantine Christians are doing, and the Sassanids with their Zoroastrian faith.

So I see the early Islamic caliphate, the empires of the Umayyads and the Abbasids, as Christians see the Byzantine Empire or the Holy Roman Empire todaya marriage of religion and power. It was historically understandable, but not an integral part of faith. And I would say that some of the interpretations at the time reflected imperial politics rather than the universal norms of Islam.

Many orthodox authorities, however, believe that those orthodox interpretations are still valid. When they write la ikraha fiddin, no compulsion in religion, they add parentheses to clarify this is only while entering Islambecause they believe in apostasy laws. Abrogation became one method to put down the peaceful and tolerant teachings in the Quran.

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The second way this happened was hadithsthe sayings attributed to the prophet Muhammadand they are an integral part of Islam, its second source. But Im skeptical of the authenticity of many hadiths considered authentic in the mainstream Sunni collections. Such skepticism is part of the 19th-century Islamic modernist tradition. But it has roots in the first centuries of Islam, because hadiths have always been a matter of dispute.

They were canonized two centuries after the prophets death, and everyone accepted that there were forgeries. Scholars like al-Bukhari and [his student] Muslim chose the right ones among hundreds of thousands, and I respect their effort. But we can question the authenticity again today, as I do especially with this particular hadith: Whomever leaves his religion, kill him. I dont think the prophet said that. I think its a myth created later and projected back to him.

The point youre making is that these types of laws have no place in the modern world?

Yes. You can have a modern secular state, say these laws are gone, and bring modern secular laws. Ataturk did that in Turkey. But if people still believe in the validity of those religious injunctions, they will want to implement them. This is the history of Islamismthe 20th-century reestablishing of sharia. The forms and shades are different, but they emerged in the Muslim worlds modern secular states such as Turkey, Iran, Egypt, and Pakistan.

In Iran, it came with full forcewith revengegiving us the Islamic Republic. In Pakistan, Islamists gradually made peace with the establishment and sought to establish their views through the Islamization of laws. In Turkey, the comeback is milder and more democratic but still troubling. Of course, these secular states were not very liberal, which is the other side of the problem in the Muslim world.

The important thing is to dissociate and disentangle Islam from the stateto separate church and state, as the Americans like to call it. But this works if its a state like the American government or Norway. But a separation under [Syrias] Bashar al-Assad is not ideal. We need liberal states to protect religious freedom and bring justice to all.

The Islamic world failed here as well. Our secularity has not been very inspiring.

In 1800, 33 percent of the world was either Christian or Muslim. Their share is 57 percent today and very likely to reach two-thirds by 2100. What do you see as hopeful signs in the relationship between Christians and Muslims?

We have had some terrible episodes, right? ISIS killed and tortured everyone who didnt agree with itChristians and fellow Muslims as well. But I believe that the past two decades of terrorism, violence, and attacks on churches and mosques of heretical sects has resulted in a growing yearning for freedom and toleration. Its like 17th-century Europe after the Thirty Years War, when people said there must be a better way. I wrote this book to support that sentiment and offer one way of looking to the future.

Muslim minorities in the West are becoming a visible and important part of the Islamic world. I welcome this, because if we succeed to have peaceful, integrated Muslim minorities in the Westwhich we broadly haveit will show Muslims in other parts of the world that they dont need an Islamic state to be good Muslims. They just need a decent statea liberal, democratic state. Bosnia is a good example, as a secular state for 130 years. But it is also important for American, British, and European Muslims to establish themselves and remain who they are but also become visible believers in the idea of human rights and equal justice for all.

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But there are two problems. One is the nativist far right in Western societies that can derail this process through Islamophobia, terrorist attacks, and hate crimes. The other is the double standard I see in some conservative Muslim thinkers in the West who say, We like liberal democracy because were a minority here, but were not going to preach it at home because we believe in Muslim supremacy. Im paraphrasing, but this is real, and Im criticizing that also and pushing those conversations.

In the Muslim mind, Christianity has long been associated with colonial Europe. But the Christian minorities suffering in Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, and Malaysia need to be better recognized. Christianity is not an extension of colonial Western powers, and missionaries are not a fifth column of a coming colonial army. Will South Koreans occupy Turkey? Christianity is a sister Abrahamic faith with legitimate, equal rightsthe rights we deserve in the West. Christians in the East should have them too.

One of our professors opened an eye hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, back in the 1960s. There was a church and Christian community there for a long time, but the government said were going to shut this down because it doesnt belong here. The Christians then submitted a document with a picture of the large mosque in London to compare it with this tiny little church in Kabul. They razed it [anyway].

Peoples rights dont depend on whats happening in other parts of the world, but Muslims need to understand the Golden Rule. What if Christians executed their apostates to Islam? Muslims would be enraged. Then we shouldnt do it to them. They argue that our religion is the true religion. But if I impose it, the other guy will say and do the exact same thing. That gives you crusades and jihads for centuries.

To live together, we need to accept a neutral, secular political order built upon liberalism, human rights, and the separation of church and state. In my book, I address the theological, jurisprudential, and epistemological dimensions of this within Islam.

Reason, freedom, and tolerance once flourished in Baghdad, Cordoba, and other parts of the Muslim world. Could it happen again?

There are many such episodes. Jews migrated from Spain to the Ottoman Empire because the Inquisition forced them to convert to Catholicism or be heavily persecuted. But Muslims should also realize that though the Islamic toleration of non-Muslims was quite enlightened for its age, it was hierarchical tolerance.

Muslims were the ruling class, while Christians and Jews were tolerated as quasi-legitimate, flawed religious traditions. They didnt have the same rights. And then consider the Armenians, who lived under hierarchical toleration for six centuries. Though it was more a representation of nationalism, they were wiped out in the Armenian genocide [191517].

The Islamic world fell behind its medieval standards, whereas the Western world went forward with an egalitarian system of coexistence as the legal norm. But I remind Muslims that in 1876, the liberal constitution of the Ottoman Empire tried to establish equal citizenship for Muslims and Jews. There have been efforts, and thats how we have to go forward.
Richard N. Longenecker was astonishingly productive. A world-class New Testament scholar, he not only taught and wrote prodigiously, but he helped create and care for a loving and wonderful family along with his beloved wife, Fran. In addition to his family and scholarly work, Dick served several times as a part-time Baptist pastor. If that werent enough, in order to make ends meet in expensive Toronto, for several years Dick worked in construction, doing home renovations.

I once asked Dick how he did it all. He told me that he would try to make two days out of one, starting work very early, having a rest midday and then starting all over again. Hard work and creativity were essential qualities of Dick Longenecker.

Dick was my dissertation director, mentor, and friend. He died on June 7, a few weeks before his 91st birthday.

There are many things to celebrate about his life and work, but the foundation of who he was might have actually been his humility. His humility was, in fact, profound. Dick was always aware that when he was studying the New Testament he was studying Holy Scripture, and that for all his effort at language study and research, he might have misheard Gods Word.

He came from a small city in the American Midwest, but Dicks abilities took him to Wheaton College and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, then Edinburgh and Cambridge and the heights of biblical scholarship. He taught at Wycliffe College in the University of Toronto for 22 years.

Dick was a distinguished evangelical New Testament scholar whose work was exceptional both for its range and its prescience. At a time when the vast majority of scholars and church people thought that Paul rejected and condemned Judaism as woefully legalistic, Dick offered an alternative.

He showed that Paul did not regard Christ as the solution to the dilemma of a petrified works religion, for he had not in fact felt dissatisfied in his ancestral faith. Fundamental to Judaism, as Paul understood it, was the idea that the Mosaic law was not to be treated legalistically. This reevaluation of the Judaism that shaped Paul was very much ahead of its time.

It was not until 13 years after his groundbreaking 1964 book, Paul, Apostle of Liberty, that full scale reevaluation of ancient Judaism took off with E. P. Sanders Paul and Palestinian Judaism.

Dick was at the vanguard of those who pondered whether Paul thought that believers faith in Christ was actually incorporation into Christs own faith. Dick also led the way in bringing back early 20th century ideas about the centrality of being in Christ for Paul. Before many other Biblical scholars, Dick was thinking about early Jewish Christianity (see The Christology of Early Jewish Christianity), and about how the Bible was interpreted in the early church (see Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period).

Dicks contribution to understanding the apostle Paul is massiveand, in my view, still underappreciated. His commentary on Galatians is a staple of every scholar and serious Bible reader.

I am one of Dicks former doctoral students, but there are many. During his 22 years at Wycliffe College, he attracted dozens and dozens of fine students, many of whom are now leaders in the field of New Testament studies and ancient Judaism. When Paul, Apostle of Liberty was republished in 2015, some 50 years after its initial appearance, one of New Testament scholarships current leading lights, Douglas Campbell, wrote the foreword. He was also a former doctoral student of Dicks.

Students came from far and wide to study with Dick, both because of the excellence and range of his scholarship, and because he was so highly regarded in the evangelical world. Dick was known to be a first-rate scholar who kept the church in view. He was an editor at Christianity Today, served on the translation committee of the New International Version of the Bible, and became president of the Evangelical Theological Society in both the United States and in Canada. Dick was invited to lecture and preach all over the world.

Dicks reputation exceeded his academic achievements and distinctions, however. He was known to be a man of exceptional character and grace. Dick was unfailingly gracious, which for someone who was honest and given to plain speaking, was almost an art form. He was also a terrific storyteller and very witty. Students adored him and still remember his classes. It may be old-fashioned, but it seems fitting to describe him as the quintessential Christian gentleman.

What stands out most to me now is Dicks unconditional kindness and graciousness. He was nonjudgmental and extremely generous. Dick was an outstanding friend to me, as I know he was to others. Dick made the name Christian come alive: it meant love and help and sharing of joy.

He once wrote that Life is for living, adding, Christians have a special interest in life.  because through Christ they have come into living relation with God, who is lifes creator, redeemer, sustainer, and eventual re-creator.

Another time, he wrote that the Good News is that God gives calls us to active participation new life, in being the new creatures God has made us. He explained that True faith in Christ, Paul says, is always actively expressing itself through love (Gal 5.6).

Perhaps the best way to describe the remarkable Richard N. Longenecker is that he was a man of new life and true faith. He will be remembered.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. (Psalm 23)

I am the Good ShepherdJesus. (John 10)

A Threat to the Soul

The pastoral crisis poses a threat.

Something has happened. Something unexpected has impacted the culture of the congregation. It is something that cant be ignored. The pastor and the leadership of the church are tasked with shepherdingWhat will they do? How will they respond? How will they ensure the congregation will get through this?

The initial challenge to the pastor is the threat of immediacy. If they dont respond then someone, or something, will. They will lose control. The narrative will change. The screaming sirens of chaos and turmoil will wreak havoc. The congregation will move off course. And so, all the signals call for an immediate response from the pastor.

Therein lies the challenge. For while the outer circumstances call for a quick response, the inner reality calls for something else. One might say the greater threat lies beneath the surface where the soul of the pastor is left alone and unattended.

So, whats a pastor to do? How does the pastor care for the soul in times of crisis? And maybe even more, how does the pastor ensure they dont lose their soul as they respond to the demanding issues in front of them?

There are at least two elements the pastor must be attentive to. The first, an understanding of how the inner life is nurtured; and the second, an attentiveness to three voices.

Time & Space

The nature of the soul is unchanging. It is made for life with God. The psalmist reminds us that our soul longs for God (Psalm 42:1). We are meant to find our source and life in God. The Apostle Paul tells us that when we believe, our life is hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3). We are united with God through Christ. This is secure. And because of that, we learn to live in Christ, abide in me, as I also abide in you (John 15:4). All this to say, the souls natural place is in Christ with God. This is the source of the pastors life and ministry. It impacts their identity, vocation, and day-to-day ministry. And it doesnt change with circumstances.

But this is not easy in a crisis. For if the pastor is to remain rooted in Christ during times of crisis, they will have to give ample attention to the inner working of the soul. The soul doesnt flourish on demand. Instead, it is attended to daily. It is nurtured, cultivated, and over time, with roots going deep, it draws on the life and words of Jesus, so that it bears fruit. This is the nature of the soul.

A crisis, on the other hand, operates differently. It demands immediate action. Leadership needs to respond. False narratives are beginning to take shape. Someone must speak. Someone must take charge. If the pastor doesnt act soon, then disaster will hit (or at least thats the initial feeling). So, what is the pastor to do?

First, if the pastor is going to remain rooted in Christ during times of crisis, then they must eliminate the secondary demands on their time, so that they can give full attention to critical matters before them. It will mean others will have to be called on for a season, objectives will have to be put on pause, and some regular tasks and responsibilities let go until a new normal can be determined.

What cannot be eliminated are the critical demands of the crisis, the decisions that need to be made, and the priority of the inner life of the pastor. I might also add, after nearly three decades of pastoral experience myself, the pastor would do well to give ample time and attention to the care of their family. There are just too many stories and too many shared experiences that indicate that it is often the pastors family that is left unattended to, and over time, bear the lingering effects of past ministry experiences. Keeping these things in mindthe demands of the crises, the decisions that need to be made, the priority of the inner life, and the pastors familymost everything else can be put on hold or delayed.

Second, with time and space at a premium, and the elimination of secondary issues, the pastor can attend to the inner life. But it is not simply a matter of prioritizing the use of time. It is understanding that the inner life cannot be forced or hurried. Attentiveness takes time and space. The kind of wisdom and leadership needed require discernment from the many voices clamouring for attention.

What will still be needed is ample time and space for at least three voices. Voices that not only speak to the crisis at hand, but even more, to the soul of the pastor.

Attentive to Three Voices

The first voice the pastor must attend to is the voice of Jesus. With the energy of the moment, and the demand for action, this voice is often the first one set aside. Yet it is Jesus, the Good Shepherd, that reminds us that it is his voice we must listen to (John 10). Guided by Word and Spirit, we listen to his voice so that we remain rooted in his love, never thinking more or less of ourselves than he does of us.

In the thick and the fray of the crisis there may be times when we feel like we are acting with knowledge and wisdom and things are in control, only to turn the corner and find that we are lacking both control of the situation and wisdom for what to do next. It is for this reason the pastor must attend to the voice of Jesus. For it is in those times and spaces that we hear again,

The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. (Psalm 23:1)

He is the Good and True Shepherd. The pastor is the under-shepherd. We rely on him no matter the circumstances.

The second voice the pastor attends to is the voice of wise counsel. Through the course of ones ministry it is good for a pastor to cultivate mentors and mature voices to offer words of counsel, prayerful wisdom, and support. Leading and pastoring can be uncertain and difficult as the pastor searches for direction, and so, support is needed.

But its not just for the ministry the pastor needs wise counsel, its for matters of the heart. For when crisis hits, its easy to find pride take control as the pastor responds with a flurry of action. Or when the crisis extends, and the heart grows weary, it is just as easy for the pastor to lose heart, and find themselves insecure, and questioning their worth and calling. And so, a circle of mature counsellors, hand-picked mentors, and pastors a step or two further down the road, can offer much insight and wisdom.

The voice of wise counsel offers caution and wisdom, encouragement and support. There may be times when the pastors counsellors see what the pastor cant see in their own heart. And with love and grace, they provide a needed voice and ongoing prayer.

Finally, the pastor must attend to the voice of the inner heart. Without ample time and space given to the first two voices, the voice of the inner heart may be easily misunderstood, and difficult to hear. The concern here is the nature of the pastors soul. Is it flourishing with a sense of faith, hope and love? Or is it losing its mooring and becoming battered on the high seas?

Often in times of prolonged crisis, the continuous call for action leaves the pastor weary and unable to attend to matters of the heart. Without adequate time and space, and the opportunity to hear these three voices, the pastor will fall to the voices of urgency and demand.

The hardest decision may be the first decisionprioritizing time and space for the three voices.

The Good Shepherd Cares for the Sheep

In the end it is important for the pastor to remember, while they bear great responsibility, they do so only through the Good and True Shepherd. They are limited in their time, knowledge, experience, and ability to control. The Good and True Shepherd is not. Ultimately, they neither lead the church, nor sustain it. They rely on the One who does.

Therefore, their calling, and their response in times of crisis, will only be effectual as they are able to remain in the life and love of the Good Shepherd. There they will find a way forward. More importantly, there they will a soul that flourishes.

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Dr. Ric Strangway has served as a pastor for nearly three decades in Canada. Currently, he is Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Chair of Continuing Education at Ambrose University in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
8 churches damaged in last month amid Myanmar conflict; priest abducted as army raids parish 40K displaced individuals taking shelter in 23 churches: report

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At least eight churches have been attacked and five civilians killed in less than 30 days in eastern Myanmar, where hostilities between the Buddhist-majority countrys army and local militias have increased since the military coup on Feb. 1.

The eight churches that have been damaged since May 20 are located in Myanmars Kayah and Shan states and five civilians who were sheltering inside the churches have also been killed, Radio Free Asia reports.

Myanmars ethnic minorities, including Christians, live in the various conflict zones across the countrys borders with Thailand, China and India.

Militias in those areas have been morally supporting pro-democracy protesters since the coup, which has led to the use of heavy weapons by the Burmese army. Thousands of civilians in the conflict zones have sought shelter in churches when their villages are under attack.

According to the United States government-funded non-profit news service, the military has used heavy weaponry against local militia forces in a series of attacks from May 23 to June 6.

Churches destroyed in the various attacks include the Golden Temple of Jesus and Jeroblo Marian Shrine and Our Lady of Lourdes Cave in Pekon, Mother Marys Church in Moebye, St. Josephs Church in Demoso, the Catholic Church in Daw Ngan Khar Village and St. Peters Church in Loikaw.

Its just a building, but it hurts people in their hearts, Radio Free Asia quoted a Catholic priest from Demoso in Kayah state as saying. Are they just targeting us? I would like to appeal to both sides not to carry out such attacks in future.

Fighting in Kayah state since May 20 has forced more than 100,000 residents to flee their homes. Over 40,000 of those displaced are taking shelter in 23 churches, according to the RFA's Myanmar Service.

The military also raided a Catholic parish house in Chin state, a majority Christian state in northern Myanmar, last Wednesday. According to The Union of Catholic Asian News, Fr. Michael Aung Ling and a boarding student were arrested for allegedly providing food to a civil resistance group.

Soldiers suspected the priest of supplying the food to the civil resistant group Chinaland Defense Force after finding bags of rice in the parish house. The priest was reportedly arrested around 8 a.m. and questioned for 11 hours before being released.

CDF had reportedly ambushed the military in the Chin state last month, causing many casualties.

Church officials in Chin state claim that the priest's arrest came after informants gave false information to the military.

Earlier this month, the Burmese military arrested and released six Catholic priests and a lay Catholic in Chan Thar village in the Archdiocese of Mandalay.

According to Fides News Agency, soldiers raided the Church of the Assumption and its adjoining clergy house, arrested the parish priest and other religious leaders visiting him during a midnight raid on June 12 and June 13. The church was built by French missionaries over 200 years ago.

The raid occurred after informants said National League for Democracy parliamentarians were hiding in the Catholic churches and Buddhist monasteries.

In May, four civilians were reportedly killed and around eight others were injured when military forces fired artillery shells at a Catholic Church in the Kayah state's Thar Yar village.

Earlier in June, the Church of Mary Queen of Peace in Daw Ngan Kha in Kayah, which was acting as a place of refuge for many displaced by conflict, was shelled. No one was reportedly killed in the attack.

Aung Myo Min, the human rights minister for the National Unity Government, the Burmese government in exile, told RFA that the attacks on religious buildings by the military are a "violation of international laws of war."

"The shooting of people who are hiding and taking refuge in there is another serious matter, the minister argued. We are now working to condemn these attacks and then we will continue to work to get the international community to get involved in stopping this kind of attacks. At the same time, we will systematically put on record these violations in order to bring the perpetrators to justice one day."

On Feb. 1, the military detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in response to her National League for Democracy partys landslide victory in last years election. The coup makes an army general the de-facto leader of the country. Protests against the coup have been met with force as the military has reportedly killed hundreds since Feb. 1.

In the three months between Feb. 15 and May 15, Asia News reported that 73 people under the age of 18-years-old had been killed.

Christians make up just over 7% of the majority-Buddhist nation. Formerly known as Burma, the country is home to the worlds longest civil war, which began in 1948. Myanmar is ranked No. 18 on Open Doors USAs 2021 World Watch List of 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution. The persecution level in Myanmar is very high due to Buddhist nationalism. Burma is recognized by the U.S. State Department as a "country of particular concern" for egregious violations of religious liberty.

The military is notorious for its relations with the ultranationalist ultra-Buddhist group the Ma Ba Tha, International Christian Concern Southeast Asia Regional Manager Gina Goh said in a statement earlier this year. The military together with Ma Ba Tha has targeted the Muslims in the country, but they also go after Christians. Once they get a hold of the power, they might resort to things they were doing before they passed the power to the civilian government. They kill. They rape minority Christians.

The U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom raised concern about violence toward religious minorities after the military coup.

Given the history of brutal atrocities by the Burmese military, our fear is that violence could quickly escalate, especially towards religious and ethnic communities, such as the Rohingya and other Muslims, USCIRF Chair Anurima Bhargava said in a statement at the time. We urge the Burmese military to honor the faith and will of the Burmese people and restore democratic civilian rule as soon as possible.
After COVID-19 kills 60 members, church re-examines role in community

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NEW YORK  In 2020, COVID-19 moved through the congregation at Saint Peters Lutheran Church in Midtown Manhattan like an invisible tsunami, leaving a trail of victims in its wake.

At the start of the pandemic last March, Saint Peters Lutheran Church was a thriving congregation of about 250. By May, at least 39 people connected to the progressive church had died from the virus, including about 5% of direct members.

Scores more would get sick.

In virtual masses, the congregations leader, Pastor Fabian Arias, would pray for the sick and the dead, calling their names while making supplications to God. Still, the church would lose some 24% of its members to the virus in the months that followed.

There was a total loss of 60 members in that congregation to the virus, Paul Egensteiner, Bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, told The Christian Post in an interview.

Now, as the nation re-emerges from the deadly pandemic that left hundreds of thousands dead and shuttered many churches across the country, Saint Peters Lutheran Church is trying to leave the burden of COVID-19 deaths behind and embrace the life left in its community again.

To do their jobs, many pastors in the New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have been flexible and have used online tools such as Zoom to connect with members remotely, Egensteiner said. At the same time, congregants at Saint Peters Lutheran Church and across the synod are eager to come together in person as a family again.

Theres still what were experiencing a tremendous desire for people to be back in person, [to be] able to sing hymns. You cant really sing hymns on Zoom because you have everybody on different timing, so people want to be back, Egensteiner said. They want to hear their voices joined together in praise for God. They want to be able to see one anothers faces and be in community together.

While they are eager to leave the challenges of the pandemic behind, many of the churches in the New York synod, like Saint Peters, plan to use the lessons they learned from the pandemic to inform their ministry more effectively.

One of the reasons that Saint Peters lost so many members in the pandemic is that many of the members are immigrants, people of color and come from low-income households.

Some parishioners are also undocumented. Many were unable to work or access government aid during the height of the pandemic.

Whereas especially here in New York, we get a report from our governor very often about the decreasing [COVID-19 infection] rates, the increasing vaccinations. Everybody is excited about the possibilities that open up for interaction. But that is also balanced, especially in our church, and St. Peters is an example of this, of not wanting to lose the lessons that weve learned over the past year, Egensteiner explained.

[Lessons] about reaching people through remote worship but also about how this pandemic has unevenly affected communities of color, our immigrant communities, our marginalized communities, and how we as a Church are called to address those needs and respond to the inequities and the injustice that has surfaced as a result of this pandemic. So theres that balance between wanting to be back and not wanting to get back to normal. What has God shown us through this experience that reminds us of how were called to be Church at this time and address those real human issues for Gods children?

Egensteiner pointed to issues emerging as major flashpoints during the pandemic, such as food insecurity and systemic racial inequities, which his synod hopes to address in more tangible ways in the wake of 2020.

Over the course of the past year-plus, many of our churches reached out with feeding ministries. And now, there is concern to address some of the systemic reasons that people go hungry," he explained. "So hand-in-hand with our direct aid, were looking to strengthen our advocacy work. In fact, as part of our vision plan, one of the focus areas of our vision plan is advocacy to change some of the systemic issues in our society. And the other thing that were really working on is to partner congregations that maybe dont have that direct access to some of these concerns with congregations that are in the middle of those communities and neighborhoods that experience that impact."

One of the first steps to address the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on communities of color is vaccination. Egensteiner said his denomination supports congregants getting vaccinated.

Our national bishop has been very clear on advocating for vaccinations because thats how we show love for others, and thats one of our central priorities is to love all people, he said.

Despite his denominations policy, however, Egensteiner says they also respect congregants who choose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

We dont out people who dont get the vaccine. This one congregation, in particular, has two sections in their Sunday morning in-person worship  vaccinated people and unvaccinated people, he said. Were still welcoming unvaccinated people for whatever reason they dont want to get the vaccine but definitely encouraging people to get vaccinated to allow for more of the togetherness and activities that are important to us.

Egensteiner also acknowledged that as congregants return to the pews, they will also be paying attention to the pandemic's mental health impact by making sure pastors are healthy enough to serve.

Recently, the president of the Atlantic District of the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church convened a gathering of all our institutional chaplains to talk to them about what their work is like and to provide support because theyre often on the frontlines [helping] people who are dealing with both physical and mental health issues," the bishop said.

He said that the denomination is "providing direct support to our chaplains who then provide support to people struggling with those issues."

Egensteiner said the plan is to convene meetings in the fall covering four areas of the synod. The meetings will bring pastors together to allow them to "share their stories and their struggles."

"[I]n the Lutheran system, congregations are the most important places where direct impact on peoples lives take place," he said. "And if our pastors arent healthy, they cant provide adequate pastoral care to the people in their congregations and their communities. So were really focusing on the health and well-being of our pastors.

The New York bishop says the most critical lesson he believes all churches can take away from the pandemic is the importance of providing people with community to provide for their spiritual needs.

What we realize that were learning is we need community. We need in-person community, not just online community. And Im not diminishing the importance of online community because it has helped a lot of people. But we need that in-person community, he assured.

We need that community in whatever form  online or in-person  to be as the Church, the community that provides us with identity and meaning. That centers us in a deeper identity than the realities or the partisanship thats so much part of our world."

And that identity, he said, acknowledges that every single person, that all of creation is beloved of God.

If we can appreciate that identity together, and congregations are really good at this, they have their differences, but theyll worship together. And we take that shared identity, and we use that as a launching point to bring that message up to the world to build bridges and relationships and larger community," Egensteiner said.

"That can help us to tackle some of these systemic problems in more creative and united ways than we have been able to so far. I think that weve really learned that the Church which has this, to quote Saint Paul, the treasure of the Gospel in clay vessels, in breakable jars, must give itself away for the sake of the world because Christ has entrusted us with this message that is exactly  what the world needs to hear. And we cant be shy about that because the message that we have is as critical as it always was.
Christians, religious minorities protest establishment of Islam as state religion in Bangladesh

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Christians and other religious minorities in Bangladesh recently took part in the annual Black Day protest against the 1988 constitutional amendments that established Islam as the state religion, leading to persecution and discrimination against non-Muslims in the Muslim-majority country.

With the amendment, the seed of sectarian politics has been planted, Asia News quoted Nirmol Rozario, a Christian leader who was part of the march on June 9, as saying. In a country where Hindus, Buddhists and Christians also live, a single religion cannot proclaim itself as the state religion. We do not agree.

The number of Christians in Bangladesh is estimated at 1.6 million, which comprises around 1% of the country's population.

Rozario added, In its Constitution, Bangladesh declares itself a secular country. But at the same time, it says that the state religion is Islam. This is a clear contradiction. And if this state of affairs continues, Islamic fundamentalism and religious hatred will end up creating serious problems.

Muslim radicals often have a level of impunity because police in Bangladesh tend to turn a blind eye to the persecution of religious minorities, Christian Freedom International said in an earlier report.

Despite reports that Christianity is growing in the country, CFI emphasized that Christians are forced to keep their worship activities secretive to prevent retaliation for their faith.

Churches, especially house churches where Muslim-background believers meet, prefer not to display any Christian symbols in order to avoid being recognized, a report from the Christian persecution watchdog ministry Open Doors U.K. stated earlier. Sometimes, even historic or mainline churches face opposition and restrictions in putting up a cross or other religious symbols.

Religious minorities are often persecuted by the majority group, Rana Dasgupta, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, was quoted by Asia News as saying. For our security, we strongly demand a minority ministry and a commission for religious communities.

Bangladeshs society is deeply divided along political lines. Bengali nationalists, who are proud of the country's language and culture, favor the countrys independence from Pakistan, which was established during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, as they believe that religion alone does not form a cohesive national identity. They also believe that West Pakistan, what's called Pakistan today, imposed religious hegemony on its Eastern territory, East Pakistan, as Bangladesh was called before its independence.

Muslim nationalists, on the other hand, oppose Bangladeshs separation from Pakistan and supported the countrys Islamization as their pride had been wounded by the independence.

Last year, at least 22 Rohingya Christian families who had fled to Bangladesh were attacked, a Christian pastor and his 14-year-old daughter were abducted, and a Christian church and school were vandalized in the Coxs Bazar area, which is home to thousands of refugees who fled ethnic and religious persecution in neighboring Myanmar.

The attack took place on Jan. 27, 2020, by machete-wielding Muslim Rohingya men on a Christian community, Radio Free Asia reported at the time.

In a report on his visit to Bangladesh as the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee said at the time that Rohingya Christians were in a most difficult position.
Democrat warns Catholic Church it may be stripped of tax-exempt status if politicians denied communion

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As U.S. Catholic bishops draft a controversial document on whether priests can deny communion to politicians who support abortion, one House Democrat has implied that the Catholic Church should lose its tax-exempt status if churches institute such a ban.

If theyre going to politically weaponize religion by rebuking Democrats who support womens reproductive choice, then a rebuke of their tax-exempt status may be in order, wrote Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., in a Twitter post lashing out at Catholic bishops.

Huffman's post came after nearly 60 House Democrats released a statement of principles to warn the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops against what they deem as weaponizing the Eucharist.

The statement was released after the USCCB voted Friday to approve the continued drafting of the document on the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church.

An overwhelming majority of the bishops (168) voted in favor of proceeding with the draft document, while 55 voted against proceeding. The bishops will continue working on the document, which will be presented to the public at a later date. While the document will provide guidelines for the reception of communion, it will leave decisions on withholding Communion up to individual bishops.

In their statement, the Democrats solemnly urge the Church to not move forward and deny this most holy of all sacraments, the source and the summit of the whole work of the gospel over one issue.

 We seek the Churchs guidance and assistance but believe also in the primacy of conscience, it reads. In recognizing the Churchs role in providing moral leadership, we acknowledge and accept the tension that comes with being in disagreement with the Church in some areas.

It continues: We recognize that no political party is perfectly in accord with all aspects of Church doctrine. This fact speaks to the secular nature of American democracy, not the devotion of our democratically elected leaders. Yet we believe we can speak to the fundamental issues that unite us as Catholics and lend our voices to changing the political debate  a debate that often fails to reflect and encompass the depth and complexity of these issues.

It adds: We believe the separation of church and state allows for our faith to inform our public duties and best serve our constituents. The Sacrament of Holy Communion is central to the life of practicing Catholics, and the weaponization of the Eucharist to Democratic lawmakers for their support of a womans safe and legal access to abortion is contradictory."

The debate over whether pro-abortion Catholic politicians should receive communion has intensified following the election of President Joe Biden, a pro-abortion Catholic who attends mass regularly. As he campaigned for president ahead of the 2020 presidential election, a priest in South Carolina refused to serve Biden communion due to his abortion advocacy.

Last month, more than 60 bishops also wrote a letter to Archbishop Jose Gomez calling for the delay of the debate over whether pro-abortion Catholic politicians should receive communion, citing concerns that implementing a national policy on the matter would pose a threat to the unity of the Church.

Supporters of withholding communion from pro-abortion Catholic politicians, both inside and outside the Church hierarchy, point to the Churchs Code of Canon Law as the justification for their position. The Code of Canon Law states that those who are obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.
Republican leader calls for China to be held accountable for causing COVID-19 pandemic

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U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has sent a letter to his fellow Republicans in Congress urging that China be held accountable for failing to prevent COVID-19 from becoming a pandemic.

The letter, titled Holding China Accountable: A Republican Call to Action & Roadmap for Covid-19 Accountability, was posted online Monday and claims that Democrats in Congress will not hold the communist Chinese government accountable for their failure to contain the virus.

The unfortunate reality is that countless friends and family members could have been saved had it not been for the deception of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), wrote McCarthy.

A March 2020 report by the University of Southampton found if interventions in China could have been conducted one, two, or three weeks earlier, cases could have been reduced by 66 percent, 86 percent and 95 percent, respectively.

McCarthy went on to list eight pillars aimed at delivering transparency and justice to the American people over Chinas failure to contain COVID-19 when it was first discovered.

Under the category of Transparency, McCarthy sought to introduce legislation to declassify intelligence reports about COVID-19s origins, have the U.S. discontinue funding of any gain of function research conducted in or with China, prohibit National Institutes of Health from funding foreign governments seeking to harm the U.S., and called on reforming the World Health Organization.

Under the category of Justice, McCarthy called on the continual investigation of the exact origins of COVID-19, Congress to pass new sanctions on China and other entities accused of participating in a COVID-19 cover-up, champion legislation allowing families who lost members to COVID-19 to sue the Chinese government, and to relocate the 24th Winter Olympic Games, which is scheduled to be held in Beijing in 2022.

Last month, The Washington Post wrote that while it and other media outlets reported for over a year that the accidental Wuhan lab leak hypothesis was a conspiracy theory, it was now plausible and had gained new credence.

How and why did this happen? For one, efforts to discover a natural source of the virus have failed. Second, early efforts to spotlight a lab leak often got mixed up with speculation that the virus was deliberately created as a bioweapon. That made it easier for many scientists to dismiss the lab scenario as tin-hat nonsense, the Post reported.

But a lack of transparency by China and renewed attention to the activities of the Wuhan lab have led some scientists to say they were too quick to discount a possible link at first.

The Christian Post reported earlier this month that multiple sources told Fox News in April 2020 that they believed the COVID-19 outbreak originated at the Wuhan Institute of Virology where patient zero was infected. These sources also said that the World Health Organization was complicit in covering for China.

Following the initial reports and speculation of a lab leak, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, repeatedly said that the virus was not man-made and 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.

Questions surrounding the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak resurfaced in recent months after State Department documents revealed that a month before the first confirmed case of COVID-19, three researchers working at the Wuhan lab were hospitalized after becoming sick in November 2019, The Wall Street Journal reported.

In late May, Democratic President Joe Biden announced that he was calling on U.S. intelligence agencies to redouble their efforts to collect and analyze information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion, and to report back to me in 90 days."

As part of that report, I have asked for areas of further inquiry that may be required, including specific questions for China, Biden said last month. I have also asked that this effort include work by our National Labs and other agencies of our government to augment the Intelligence Communitys efforts. And I have asked the Intelligence Community to keep Congress fully apprised of its work.

In response to Biden, Kash Patel, who worked at the U.S. National Security Council under the Trump administration and also worked under the Obama administration, said Biden doesn't need 90 days to find the origins of COVID-19 because he has 13, 14 months and more of intelligence that was gathered under his predecessor.

"There's been Presidential Daily Briefings produced by career intelligence officials every week since this outbreak occurred and before that. It doesn't take 90 days to look at it. It does take 90 days to look at it and allow people to possibly manipulate what they're finding to suit a narrative that Fauci and others have been espousing for over a year," Patel asserted in an interview with The Epoch Times last week.
'Left Behind' author Jerry Jenkins talks new book, fatherhood and why he believes we're in the End Times

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New York Times bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins believes the world is close to the end as described in his popular biblical End Times fictional series, Left Behind, and has penned a new novel titled after his sons hit series The Chosen to continue spreading the hope of Christ before it is too late.

Jenkins has written nearly 200 books, with 21 of them making The New York Times' bestsellers list, and he has no intention of slowing down.

"Well, I don't see any place in the Bible that talks about retirement, and at the risk of sounding falsely modest, I really think I'm mano gifted. I don't sing, or dance, or preach  writing is all I do, so I feel obligated to keep doing it, Jenkins said in an interview with The Christian Post that can be watched below.

His latest book series has released the first volume, The Chosen: I Have Called You By Name. The book was inspired by the record-breaking crowdfunding series The Chosen, which was created by his eldest son, Dallas Jenkins. The book explores the difference Jesus Christ made in the lives of those He called to follow Him and how that encounter forever transformed their lives.

Jenkins has sold 72 million copies of his Left Behind books and says he'll continue working because he believes the world is experiencing some of the scenes fleshed out in his Left Behind series that he co-wrote with Tim LaHaye.

"We're getting pretty close to the end. I think we have more reason to believe that now than we ever have, Jenkins said. It seems like something is coming. You just wonder how long God can carry us as sinful and restless as the world is.

"On the other hand, God has a different economy of time than we do. He wrote in the Bible 2,000 years ago that the end was soon or imminent, and that we should watch and wait. We've been doing that all these years, he continued. The Bible also says that to God, 1,000 years is as a day and a day is as 1,000 years. So if He waits one more day, in His mercy, that would be 1,000 of our years. Yet I don't think there's any more prophecy that needs to be fulfilled before the end, so it could be today as well.

The 71-year-old novelist stressed that all believers have a mission to share the Good News regardless of how bad the times become.

"I think it's obvious that we need to be at the task of being sure that the fewest people possible are left behind, Jenkins said. That means sharing our faith and being bold and not holding back. Sometimes we're so afraid to offend somebody, we could offend them right into Hell. I think we need to just be overt, and it's on them what they do.

The author maintained that Christians should not force anything on anyone nor ram the Bible down their throats, but it is the believers' responsibility to help share the truth.

I've heard even atheists say that if Christians really believe that I'm going to Hell without Jesus, I want them to tell me because it would be an insult if they didn't,' which I think is a very insightful comment, he noted.

Although extremely successful, Jenkins said he could not be prouder of his son, Dallas, for the success of his series. At the top of 2019, The Chosen became the No. 1 crowdfunded media project in history. It now has $20 million in crowdfunding and has been viewed by over 90 million people in over 180 countries, and has served as an overt message of the impact Christ has on His Creation.

"It's a phenomenon that has just astounded me, and obviously, I'm proud, Jenkins gushed. Of course, I always think that everything my son does is brilliant, but I'm not always right. In this case, I have been right, and everybody seems to agree.

"Dallas said that he used to be known as Jerry Jenkins' son. I am now known as Dallas Jenkins' father. I couldn't be prouder, he continued. I'm just thrilled to see what he's doing, and I know his hearts in the right place and that he's got the right motives. It's just been a thrill.

Jenkins' new novel accompanies season one of the series and adds more detail to the storyline.

The book synopsis invites readers to Experience the life and power of the perfect Son of God as never before  through the eyes of everyday people just like you. The Scriptures contain many abbreviated stories, and in the novel, Jerry strives to flesh this out while staying true to the biblical account. Readers will welcome the deeper storytelling that honors the truth of what Jesus would say and do.

The writer said he really enjoyed writing the novel because it "seemed like the right thing to do." He described his journey as a fun experience.

"One of the things that you can do with a novel that you can't do on screen is you can have people's inner monologue. What are they thinking and feeling, and how are they reacting when these events occur? That's what I bring to the table. It's been fun, Jenkins told CP.

The proud father of three said Dallas and the show's co-writers outlined the sequence of the stories in a way that made it easy for him to expand on.

"It's really fun to flesh out the stories, and I've just had a ball, he added.

Jenkins is now working on the second book.

His inspiration, he said, comes from God, adding that, for him, writing is a joy because he gets to explore every character.

"That's the fun of being a novelist is that you really get to be each character as you're writing them. Depending on who the character is, I could be a child, I could be an old woman, I could be somebody my age and my gender, but it's just a matter of imagining, he explained.

You try to put yourself in their place and say, 'How would I feel if I heard this? If I saw this? If Jesus said this to me, how would I respond?' We see on the screen a lot of the responses from these people, but to tell what's going on in their mind, that's the fun and the creativity part of being a novelist.

"A lot of novelists talk about trying to get in touch with their muse, and it's some sort of ethereal, mysterious visitor. But for the Christian writer, it's the Holy Spirit, Jenkins clarified. I don't know quite how that works. All I know is that I need to surrender, get out of the way and listen, and try to do what God leads me to do.

The Michigan native, who assisted the late Billy Graham with his memoirs, said he sees a deficit in this generation and the generations that follow because young people don't often take time to stop and be introspective, which can affect how they are led by God.

"I was inspired by the late evangelist Billy Graham, who once told me that God doesn't keep it a secret from us what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to search the Scriptures and pray without ceasing, Jenkins advised. He [Graham] did it, and that made a big difference in his ministry.

While serving on several boards of Christian colleges, Jenkins revealed that he sees how many young people are suffering from anxiety.

"One of the things I've been struck by is that this generation has more mental illness and more anxiety and more problems that need counseling than ever, he said. That says something to me, that maybe you're not reflective enough and maybe not spending enough devotional time.

"As millennials get to the point where they come to the end of themselves, and they feel that anxiety, they really need to slow down and search the Scriptures and pray and seek the face of God. What does He want them to do? What does He want them to think about? That will make them more introspective and more reflective.

Jenkins admitted that he finds his own personal reflective time humbling."

"Sometimes we get into the rat race, and we're working to increase our brand, or our visibility, our platform, our online presence, and that type of thing. You can really get tired of yourself after a while. That's really not where life is, he insisted.

After 50 years of marriage and having three sons who are now grown, Jenkins said he's learned what is really valuable.

"When we look back on what's important to us. It has nothing to do with fame, or popularity, or success, or money or anything. It's really our relationship with God and our relationship with people  our families and the people we love, Jenkins assured.

"Somebody said that 'Nobody's going to say on their deathbed they wish they'd spent more time at the office.' Everybody's regrets have to do with not spending enough time with the people that they love and care about, he shared. So I find, when I am reflective, I think about what's really important in this life, and it has nothing to do with things; it has all to do with people.

Jenkins said he wants his new novel, The Chosen, to direct people to pursue God.

"I really would love to have the same response that I know Dallas is looking for from the TV series. That is that people do not substitute this for their Bible  that they go back to their Bible, check it out, see what it says. Go back to church, return to their relationship with God or begin a relationship with God, He said.

"The whole point of this series and the books is to show how God makes people something other than what they've been. That how they encounter Jesus. He changes them, transforms them forever. That's available for anybody today. So that's what we want the takeaway value to be.

2020 was eye-opening to everyone, Jenkins added, noting that he hopes everyone learned the true value of life and family.

"2020, obviously, was a very sobering year, and in many ways, it pushed us back into the 1950s when people stayed home a lot and didn't have things that could record their television. If they wanted to see something, they had to watch it when it was on. They played a lot of games; they talked to each other, they interacted. So there were some upsides to that. Jenkins said of the pandemic lockdowns.

Having written close to 200 books and been a writer for much in life, Jenkins concluded the interview by saying that his greatest accomplishment is his relationships with those around him.

"I think I want on my tombstone to say that I was a good husband and father and grandfather, Jenkins added. It comes down to people. There may be some accolades about how many books I have written or sold or that type of thing. But again, that's not the important thing. The important thing is: What did you do with whatever gifts God gave you? And how did you treat the people that mean the most to you?

The Chosen: I Have Called You By Nameis now available to order wherever books are sold.
Nigerian pastor freed from 8-month abduction, surprised with newborn son on Father's Day weekend

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A Christian pastor in Nigeria regained freedom last week after eight months of being held captive by Islamic extremists and learned that his wife had just given birth to the couples third child, according to a Washington-based international human rights advocacy group.

Rev. Polycarp Zongo was reunited with his family, including his newborn son, in Jos, central Nigeria, over Fathers Day weekend after being in captivity since October 2020.

Zongo of the Church of Christ in Nations was kidnapped by insurgents from the Islamic State West Africa Province, a Boko Haram splinter group, along Maiduguri-Damaturu road while traveling to a church conference.

Zongo appeared in a video not long after the abduction, pleading with the state government to negotiate his release and the release of two Christian women held captive with him.

I was traveling to Gombe for a church conference when we encountered the caliphates armed men who captured me along the way, and right now Im with them, Zongo said in the video, pleading for help from the government, the Christian Association of Nigeria and COCIN.

They too captured two Christian women who are also here with me. Im appealing that you all do all that is possible to secure our release from captivity, he said.

The Kalthum for Peace Foundation and the John Pofi Foundation were reportedly instrumental in restoring his freedom, according to the U.S. Nigeria Law Group. The foundations confirmed no ransom was paid for the pastor's release. It is reported that illness factored into the pastor's release.

Upon his release, Zongo partook in a worship service in the capital city and sang, You are Yahweh Alpha and Omega by gospel artist Steve Crown. He also laid facedown on the floor in worship, according to a statement shared with The Christian Post.

Emmanuel Ogebe, an international human rights lawyer with the U.S. Nigeria Law Group, commended the terrorists for showing compassion in releasing the hostages. But many remain kidnapped.

Im not sure if ISWA released captives to celebrate their recent defeat of Boko Haram or because they realized these were genuinely poor people who couldnt raise a ransom, Ogebe said in a statement.

Whatever the case, I commend the terrorists for the compassion they showed in freeing the hostages, he continued. I hope that this dialogue can continue and that the new merged BH/ISWA will facilitate the release of the remaining 112 Chibok girls.

Ogebe also called for the release of Maida Yakubu Tikko, the youngest of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls who will be 23 years old this year.

Over 200 Chibok schoolgirls were kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents in an April 2014 raid on a public school, and more than 100 are yet to be released.

I commend the Kalthum and John Pofi Foundation for this amazing feat and extend congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Zongo and family for this double blessing and good news, Ogebe said. It is amazing that civil society members were able to achieve what the government of Nigeria couldnt do.

Nigeria recently became the first democratic nation to be added to the U.S. State Department's list of "countries of particular concern" for tolerating or engaging in egregious violations of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act.

Religious persecution watchdog Open Doors USA ranks Nigeria at No. 9 on the 2021 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution for extreme levels of Islamic oppression. According to the watchdog group, which monitors persecution in over 60 countries, "more Christians are murdered for their faith in Nigeria than in any other country."

Critics have accused the Nigerian government of being complicit in terrorist activity, as insurgent groups often experience no accountability for their actions or receive government ransoms for kidnappings even though the government denies paying ransom to terrorists.

Jihadi attacks in West Africa have increased in recent years, with Nigeria as the main target. Islamic terrorist groups like Boko Haram, Fulani militants and ISWAP have killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions of others in an attempt to impose Sharia law, the U.S.-based nonprofit International Christian Concern reports.

A former U.S. congressman recently warned that Nigerias situation will develop into a genocide similar to what occurred in Rwanda in 1994 if action is not taken by the international community.

When the world and the U.S. ignored  genocide in Rwanda, hundreds of thousands of people died, former Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., said in a panel discussion on Nigeria earlier this month hosted by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

History is repeating itself," Wolf added. "Because of the atrocities in Rwanda that we had ignored, President Bill Clinton flew to Rwanda and apologized to the Rwandan people near the end of his term.

If what is happening in Nigeria were happening to nearly any country in Europe, the world would be enraged and engaged. But in Nigeria, there is no action, Wolf continued.
SBC becomes first US denomination to condemn China's genocide of Uyghurs

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NASHVILLE  Messengers to the Southern Baptist Conventions 2021 Annual Meeting voted to adopt a resolution condemning the "genocide" committed against Uyghurs and other ethnic Muslims by the Chinese government, becoming the first major United States-based denomination to speak out against the abuses.

Resolution 8 called for the Chinese Communist Party to stop its genocide of the Uyghur people  a community that resides mainly in China's western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region  and restore to them their full God-given rights.

The motion also urged the U.S. government to prioritize the admission of Uyghurs to this country as refugees, and provide resources for their support and resettlement." Additionally, the document asks for prayers for the persecuted religious minority and the Christian workers who bring both physical aid and the Gospel of Christ.

The resolution, presented to over 15,000 messengers gathered in Nashville on Tuesday, cited credible reporting that uncovered the CCPs persecution of the Uyghur people. The persecution includes forced abortions, rape, sexual abuse, sterilization, organ harvesting, human trafficking and scientific experimentation, among other abuses.

Estimates suggest that as many as 1 million to 3 million Uyghur Muslims have been subject to internment camps in western China. They are allegedly subject to ideological brainwashing and taught to be secular citizens who never oppose the ruling Communist Party.

Griffin Gulledge, a pastor at Madison Baptist Church in Madison, Georgia, wrote and introduced the motion. He called the persecution of Uyghurs one of the worst things happening in the world.

Its ethnic cleansing. It's a genocide. It's a Holocaust. The Uyghurs are being treated horribly in a way that is unique to our lifetime, Gulledge told The Christian Post. All all of this is happening under the authority of the Chinese government, and nobody's saying anything. We have an obligation to speak.

Though they live in a remote region, China is employing its most aggressive technology to oppress Uyghurs, including sophisticated cameras, facial recognition technology and the collection of DNA samples.

A report from last year documents how hospitals in Xinjiang were ordered to abort and kill all babies born over Chinas mandated family planning limits  including newborns born after being carried to full term. The orders were part of strict family-planning policies intended to restrict Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities to three children.

Condemning the persecution of Uyghurs aligns with the SBCs theological mission to obey Jesus call in the Bible for His disciples to spread the Gospel throughout the world, Gulledge stressed.

The greatest Baptist contribution to theology is the freedom of religion, he said. This is an area for us to be consistent and to say, We're going to protect the freedom of religion, no matter what it is. The freedom of religion opens the door to global evangelization. As Baptists, our two greatest priorities are the freedom of religion and global evangelization.

Before presenting the resolution on Tuesday, Gulledge said he consulted with several Uyghur rights groups who were very, very excited to see Southern Baptists lend their support to the cause.

Currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Systematic Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Gulledge said his interest in the plight of Uyghurs began after reading a New York Times article highlighting their situation.

From there, Gulledge posted a series of tweets drawing attention to the abuses, which soon went viral.

"China is committing one of the grossest acts of human rights violations in modern history, and we arent saying a word because it financially benefits most of the rest of the world," he tweeted.

Shortly after that, SBCs Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission hosted a webinar last summer focused on China's persecution of the Uyghur Muslim community.

The event included then-U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback and garnered attention from major news outlets like CNN and BBC.

At the time, then-ERLC President Russell Moore said that the crimes being perpetrated against religious minorities in China and elsewhere rely on an invisibility where the rest of the world doesn't pay attention and tribalism.

Let's be the people who stand up for whoever is being made invisible, whoever is being intimidated and bullied in our own neighborhoods and in our own communities because we're the people of Jesus Christ, Moore said.

While he doesnt claim to be the precipitating force behind the series of events, Gulledge said it all kind of happened at once.

So when the SBC was approaching, I figured, what a better time to speak out than now? The SBC has spoken out against the Nazi Holocaust and the genocide in Sudan, and so I wanted us to speak out on this as well," he contended.

The SBC is now the first major U.S. denomination to condemn the actions of the Chinese government and call upon the U.S. government to fight for Uyghur freedom and uphold their dignity as human beings, according to Gulledge.

Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department labeled China's treatment of Uyghurs as a "genocide" following years of criticism during the Trump administration. During the early days of the Biden administration, Secretary of State Antony Blinken affirmed the new administration's position that what is happening to Uyghurs in western China is genocide.

Gulledge said he would love to see Christian groups of all sorts, whether nonprofits and NGOs, relief agencies or other denominations, follow the SBCs example in using their voice and influence to advocate for these people.

He cited Luke 4:18, which reads: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.

I hope they'll speak out because I think that this is consistent with our call as Christians, Gulledge said. I hope that anyone who is able to speak will speak.
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For weeks, the Biden loving media hyped the June 16 meeting between the United States President and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. It was supposed to be a chance for the United States to act tough with Russia since the media claimed that President Donald Trump was a Putin puppet.

Of course, this charge was absurd since the entire Russian collusion narrative, peddled by the Democrats and the media, was fiction. In reality, President Trump was much tougher on Russia than the Obama-Biden administration.

For example, in 2012, former President Obama infamously told then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he would have more flexibility after his election to make deals on issues such as missile defense. Medvedev responded that he would transmit this information to Vladimir.

If Trump had made such a statement, there would have been a media meltdown, but Obama was given a pass because he claimed that his promise reflected the nature of the relationship between the two countries that everybody understands.

While Biden was Vice President, Russia invaded Crimea and started interfering in Syria. The Obama-Biden administration did nothing. Putin knows that Biden is a weak leader who will not respond vigorously to any provocative Russian behavior.

One reason that Biden will be timid to move against Russia is that his son, Hunter, has mysterious financial ties to the country. A U.S. Senate investigation, led by Republicans, uncovered that Hunter Biden received $3.5 million in 2014 from Elena Baturina, the wife of the former Mayor of Moscow.

The report also determined that Hunter Biden received multiple payments of several hundred thousand dollars the following year. All of the payments were supposedly for Hunters consultancy work or a loan payment.

The extent of Hunters involvement in Russia has never been fully explained, but it is certainly plausible that he still has financial relationships with the country. It may explain why his father, President Joe Biden, has been so lenient with Russia. In May, the Biden administration removed sanctions on a company, along with its top executive, building the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany.

The decision to forgo sanctions on the $11.2 billion pipeline was a major victory for the Russians. According to U.S. Representative Mike McCaul (R-TX), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the pipeline will deepen Europe's energy dependence on Moscow, render Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian aggression and provide billions of dollars to Putin's coffers.

Bidens decision was especially questionable because immediately after taking office he canceled construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline between the United States and Canada, citing climate change concerns. Evidently, pipeline construction is only a climate change issue in this country, but not in Europe.

Regardless of the supposed impact on climate change, there is no question about the economic importance of pipelines. When the Colonial oil pipeline was shut down by a cyber-attack, reportedly launched by Russian hackers, the economic impact on the citizens of the United States was unmistakable. The price of oil skyrocketed, which led to higher fuel prices, shortages, and long lines at gas stations in many areas of the country.

The issue of Russian cyber-attacks was supposed to be one of the major areas that Biden was going to explore in his summit with Putin. He has been complaining about Russian cyber-attacks shutting down critical businesses in our country. Not surprisingly, Biden received no promises from Putin who actually claimed in his post summit news conference that most of the cyber-attacks come from the United States.

Overall, Biden did not achieve any major agreement with Putin. Using any objective measure, the summit was an abysmal failure. Nevertheless, Biden sycophants in the media praised his performance at the summit. MSNBC host Joe Scarborough gushed that the meeting was the most successful diplomatic mission in the twenty-first century. How ridiculous!

Most commentators from across the political spectrum offered a much different analysis of the summit. Liberal New York Times columnist David Brooks stated that it was dubious that the Biden-Putin meeting accomplished anything of substance.

A new poll indicates that the majority of Americans agree with that assessment. The poll, which was conducted by Rasmussen and National Pulse, asked Americans to rate the Presidents European trip, including his meeting with Vladimir Putin. The results showed that only 44% of respondents viewed the trip as successful.

These results are extraordinary since Americans have been hearing so much positive spin about Biden from the mainstream news media. Fortunately, Americans are learning to disregard the liberal media and derive their own opinions about political leaders and events.

Americans witnessed an American President so weak that he surrendered the world stage to Putin and allowed the Russian leader to hold a solo news conference. Putin used the opportunity to criticize the United States for the imprisonment of the January 6th protesters. He also made note of the Antifa and Black Lives Matter riots, while deflecting any criticism of his treatment of Alexei Navalny and his political organization.

When Biden conducted his news conference, he engaged in his usual forgetfulness and made comments littered with embarrassing mistakes. When pressed by a CNN reporter, Biden lost his composure and rudely lashed out at her. It was so inappropriate that he later apologized for his behavior.

Ironically, at the airport, as he was leaving, Biden complained about the negative nature of reporters. Apparently, he believes that even reporters who sympathize with his agenda are not positive enough about his policies. For comparison, Biden should remember how horribly the press engaged President Trump. If they gave him the same treatment, Biden would have exploded.

In his first five months as President, Biden has yet to face hostile questions or combative treatment from the media. However, hope springs eternal. Since White House reporters obviously need assistance, here are some potential topics to probe: his shakedown of Ukraine, his involvement in his sons business dealings, and his mental competency to serve as President.
Historical awareness, spirit of reconciliation: Churches across US observe Juneteenth

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Churches across the United States are hosting events to celebrate Juneteenth, which celebrates the official end of slavery in the country after the American Civil War.

The holiday centers on the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when Union troops entered Galveston, Texas, and implemented the Emancipation Proclamation, which was issued in 1863.

Also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day or Liberation Day, Juneteenth holds an especial significance this year as, with strong bipartisan support, it became the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. On Thursday, President Joe Biden signed the bill making Juneteenth a national holiday.

Garfield Memorial Church of South Euclid, Ohio, which has celebrated the holiday before, will be hosting a communitywide event, partnering with city officials and others.

Chip Freed, lead pastor at Garfield Memorial Church, told The Christian Post that they will highlight black-owned businesses and vendors, have a tent for building bridges conversations, as well as family activities, various performances and a kickball with the cops sporting event.

We are a national teaching church in the Mosaix Global Network seeking to build more healthy multiethnic churches in an increasingly polarized society, Freed said.

We have 1,200 active members with no one ethnic group comprising more than 52% of our congregation. We highlight all cultural celebrations as we are able.

When asked by CP what he hopes people take away from the event, Freed responded that he wants to see a sense of historical awareness as well as a spirit of reconciliation.

Gail Bouffard of Manchester Church of Christ, located in Manchester, Connecticut, told CP that her congregation would be holding their first-ever Juneteenth observance on Saturday.

Our congregation here in Manchester has historically been predominantly a white one, but more recently that isn't the case. Observing Juneteenth is one of the ways that we hope will demonstrate our sincere desire to be unified in Christ, she explained. Our sister congregation, the Northside Church of Christ, has been co-planning this event with us, and it has been a time of learning and listening for us.

Bouffard also told CP that the churches were praying that they will provide an event that helps give both the history of and context for Juneteenth, through the lens of faith, while also providing us with one more avenue for expressing faithful unity in Christ.

Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Montclair, Virginia, will be hosting a virtual event known as the Juneteenth Poetry Jam, which will feature Kim Miller, the first African American Poet Laureate for Prince William County.

Before the pandemic, it was common for Bethel AME to observe Juneteenth by traveling to Petersburg, Virginia, to tour the many historic African American landmarks.

The Rev. D. Melynda Clarke, pastor of Bethel AME, explained in an emailed statement to CP that these tours would also include visiting Pocahontas Island, which prides itself as the oldest existing free black community in the nation.

We hope that the Juneteenth Poetry Jam will inspire all people to be knowledgeable regarding Black Freedom Day and join in celebrating our heritage, diversity, creativity and culture through poetry, Clarke said.

Embracing black heritage is a fundamental element of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In this spirit, Bethel AME Church is proud to host an event to bring awareness to Juneteenth while demonstrating amazing black talents and creativity.

In Princeton, New Jersey, Mt. Pisgah African Methodist Episcopal Church and Princeton United Methodist Church will be holding their first-ever joint celebration of Juneteenth.

The two churches are planning to hold a cookout lunch at Community Park South Pavilions in Princeton, according to event co-chair Dana Dreibelbis.

Along with traditional goals of acknowledging and celebrating African American people and culture, we have a goal of specifically building interpersonal relationships via the fellowship, Dreibelbis said.

This includes the notion that race relations in the U.S. will improve, in part, to the extent to which we all get to know and respect others. Simply put, putting love your neighbor as yourself, into action. We want to build foundations for long-term, harmonious relationships."
80% of Americans support voter photo ID laws: Monmouth poll

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Four-fifths of Americans support laws that require voters to show photo identification in order to cast a ballot in elections, according to a new poll by Monmouth University.

In findings released Monday, Monmouth reported that 80% of respondents supported photo ID laws for voters, while only 18% of respondents opposed them.

Some 62% of Democrats, 91% of Republicans and 87% of independents said they were in favor of the laws that protect election integrity.

Nevertheless, the same poll found strong support for making the voting process easier, with 71% of respondents agreeing with making it easier, while only 16% said it should be harder.

The poll contains some seemingly conflicting information on voter access, said Patrick Murray, director of the West Long Branch, New Jersey-based Monmouth University Polling Institute, in a statement. The bottom line seems to be that most Democrats and Republicans want to take the potential for election results to be questioned off the table. The problem, though, is they arent likely to agree on how to get there.

The sample for the poll was 810 adults in the United States, who were interviewed by telephone from June 9-14, with a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.

Another finding of the poll was that 32% of Americans believe that the results of the 2020 presidential election came via widespread voter fraud, while 61% say that Joe Biden won fair and square.

According to Monmouth, this number has remained consistent over the course of four polls conducted since last November, while those who said Biden won fair and square was slightly smaller than the 65% reported in a January poll.

At first glance in the crosstabs, it looks like the number of Republicans who believe this has been trending down while the number of independents who agree has ticked up, stated Monmouth.

However, this appears to be a product of a shift in how Republicans identify themselves, with some moving their self-affiliation from being partisan to being an independent who leans partisan.

Monmouth noted that, when combining those who identify as Republican and those who lean Republican, the percent of respondents who say that Biden did not win fairly remains fairly steady, peaking in January with 69%, being 64% in March, and now standing at 63%.

According to the National Conference of State Legislators, 36 states request or require "voters to show some form of identification at the polls, while 14 states use other methods to verify the identity of voters, such as a signature.

Proponents see increasing requirements for identification as a way to prevent in-person voter impersonation and increase public confidence in the election process, explained the NCSL in a May article.

Opponents say there is little fraud of this kind, and the burden on voters unduly restricts the right to vote and imposes unnecessary costs and administrative burdens on elections administrators.
At least 39 dead, scores more infected as COVID-19 devastates Latino parishes in NY Lutheran Church

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NEW YORK  Since late March, Pastor Fabian Arias of Saint Peters Lutheran Church in Midtown Manhattan has been busy making announcements of the dead, the sick, and comforting the bereaved because of the new coronavirus.

At least 39 people connected to his diverse, predominantly Latino church community, including 5% of his 250-member congregation, have died in the last month. Another 74 members of the church are also currently battling or have battled coronavirus infections.

In this moment its a very, very difficult situation because the family [member] is sick or the family [member] has died, Arias told The Christian Post in an interview Wednesday.

In virtual masses broadcast on Facebook on Wednesdays and Sundays, Arias has been listing the names of the sick and the dead so his congregants can pray and draw strength from their community. Sometimes there would be pictures of the victims. The latest death was a week ago.

We mention all names every Wednesday and every Sunday. We mention that for prayers, Arias said.

While other Latino church communities in the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America havent had as many deaths as Saint Peters Lutheran Church, 25% to 30% of parishioners across its five Latino parishes have tested positive for the virus. Officials say the staggering infection rate is due to many members of the Latino community working in essential service areas such as delivery or maintenance. Many who have lost jobs are also being doubly devastated by the economic fallout from the pandemic due to their undocumented immigrant status.

The Metropolitan New York Synod

The Metropolitan New York Synod covers all five boroughs of New York City, all of Long Island, and seven upstate counties. Its New York City congregations, particularly those that serve Latinos, have been hardest hit, Synod Bishop Paul Egensteiner said.

The reaction and impact of the virus has been different in all those places. In New York City and the five boroughs, the impact has been heavy and in some cases very disturbing and devastating. In other places like in upper north counties, they really havent had much of an impact personally, the bishop said.

Christopher Vergara, president of St. Peters, told CP that those who attend St. Peters Church are largely immigrants, people of color, and from low-income households. "We know those communities are being hit hardest. We do a lot of work and we consider them part of our church family working with the homeless community, the feeding program."

When you start taking all the intersections of the demographics of the members of our church, I think thats how we get to why its been hit so hard. And its been primarily in our Hispanic communities and our immigrant communities that weve had the most deaths, he added.

At one Latino parish in Jamaica, Queens, Egensteiner said the pastor reported 22% of the congregation had been infected.

They are very grateful that in their congregation in Jamaica, Queens, they have not lost anyone to the virus, Egensteiner said.

The coronavirus is also not the only threat to the Latino church communities. Undocumented parishioners are also facing new ones triggered by the pandemic.

I was also talking to one of our pastors out in Long Island and she said that in addition to the specific health toll, the economic toll and the toll on anxiety on the congregation has been very, very heavy with landlords wanting to evict people who cant pay their rent, he said.

Many of the people, they are undocumented so they dont have recourse to healthcare, they dont have recourse to having their eviction prevented. In some cases, some of our members who are told they were going to be evicted were told that the way the landlord was going to make that happen was not by going through the courts but simply by calling ICE and letting them know. And so that scares our folks to death and what are they supposed to do? They are more victims to the virus than other people, he said.

An estimated 83% or 9.2 million of the 11.1 million people estimated to be living in the United States illegally are Christians from Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a study by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life.

As a declared sanctuary church, the ELCA attracts many undocumented Christians. Those who have not been able to work because of the coronavirus are now dependent on the church for support since they cannot access government aid.

Egensteiner said his office has been providing funding to parishes to help congregants stay in their homes by paying rent and to help run food pantries and food kitchens.

These very vulnerable populations. When they lose their jobs, they dont have financial resources, he said.

He praised Arias for the way he has responded to his church community despite the staggering number of coronavirus deaths and infections.

Father Arias is an incredible human being and an incredible pastor and has been doing his best to serve his church community. I talked to him on Saturday. He was on his way to conduct a burial over in New Jersey for one of the members. Hes been present to them, doing funerals and also making sure they have food. So hes been personally delivering food to members of the congregation, he said.

Action

Egensteiner said the day after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic on March 11, he sent a letter to all parishes in the synod, advising the suspension of all in-person services after March 15 and most of the churches complied.

While the Latino congregants suspended in-person church attendance, many did not have the option to work remotely and many worked without personal protective equipment.

This all comes about from the need to work and they are getting sick at work without having appropriate and sufficient personal protective equipment. So they get sick, they come home, they are living in family groups with a lot more people and family members get sick, Egensteiner said.

He said he would meet with Arias to help with food distribution and show moral support and has directed his staff to meet with Latino pastors and provide them with the support they need.

Arias, whose congregation continues to reel from the multiple deaths, said the pandemic was particularly difficult for congregants grieving family members because of ongoing restrictions on funerals.

All of the families they want to celebrate the funeral and it's impossible for them, he said.  Its also difficult in this moment with the funeral homes.

The first coronavirus death in the community came on March 20 when the secretary of Arias parish lost both her father and brother to the virus. Other family members soon contracted the virus too.

After more than a month, however, Arias is just focused on keeping his congregants inspired and fed.

All the time we are in contact with our people. We call, we ask 'how are you?' If they have corona [or] no corona. We really, thats important for us. The people, of course, they want to close their eyes (they dont want to watch the news). The people are really scared. They are really very scared, he said. Its a very confusing time. Its a very hard time for us.

When asked how he continues to serve despite the challenges he faces every day, he said he draws strength from Christ.

I pray because its my faith. Other times I pray with people. Christ is my strength, Christ is my support, Christ is my reason why I continue to work with the people, he said.

Life after the coronavirus

Looking ahead, Vergara said while many churches across the country have been clamoring to reopen, it will be a while before his congregation holds in-person services again.

I think its going to be a long time before our congregation is going to be able to gather in person together in our parish. We want to listen to what our government officials, our health officials are telling us. We have our guidelines that we get from our synod, our bishop and our national church that we want to follow as well and be extra careful, he said.

As Lutherans, one of the things that we love to do is sing and to come together. Singing in the same space may not be possible for a while because that promotes spread and puts people at risk. So these are the sort of things that we are, as a community, starting to put our minds to.

In the beginning, it was to transition quickly and say how do we do church now? And then I think now that weve been in this form for a while, its fighting the desire to just quickly get back to what was and figure out how we will safely and responsibly be able to come back together as a church.

And while many congregations are reeling in the devastation of the pandemic, Egensteiner believes that the full impact of the loss suffered by churches wont be fully appreciated until they come together again in-person.

My suspicion, not just for our Latino congregations but for all our congregations, is that even though you see names and you know people, and that certainly happened to me, the impact of it doesnt dawn on you until you come back together and you start looking around at empty spaces in the pews or you go to talk to a friend at coffee hour and youre devastated because, oh yeah, theyre not there, he said. Thats when its really going to have a very deep emotional and spiritual impact.

Both Arias and Vergara also urged fellow Christians to be careful about rushing to reopen their churches too early.

Care for life, protect the life, respect life because life is a gift from God, Arias said. This is a very important mission for us, especially in this month. I really sometimes [get] angry, but Im very disappointed that some [churches] are pushing to open everything early. We need to be careful.

Both ministers agreed that because their church is central and shares space with two art galleries in Midtown, they will have to be strategic with reopening.

Whats important for Christians and for most people of faith, and specifically for Lutherans, is the idea of caring for our neighbors. God loves me and I share Gods love with others. And I think that is what were being called to do at this time and we must make decisions in care of, in service of, and responsibility for not only just  our members but our communities in which we are doing ministry, Vergara said. We have to take that responsibility and that care as a mandate not only from the government and health officials but from our God and take that very seriously.
COGIC, churches hit hard by coronavirus say they wont reopen as disease not yet contained

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Despite a call from President Donald Trump that governors reopen houses of worship right now, churches whose predominantly black and Hispanic congregations have been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic say they will remain closed because the virus has not yet been contained.

The Church of God in Christ, Americas largest Pentecostal denomination with some 8.8 million members who are predominantly black, released a statement Friday in response to Trumps call, noting that their reopening will be guided by the advice of state and federal public health agencies.

The past few months have been a season of great difficulty for our nation and our world. The United States has endured several viral pandemics in the previous 100 years. Still, there has never been a time when a viral illness has wrought such a profoundly negative impact on our communities as COVID-19, the Coronavirus, COGIC, led by Bishop Charles Blake Sr., said.

The Church of God in Christ family has been no exception. Bishops, superintendents, pastors, and lay members have succumbed to this disease, leaving their families and churches devastated by their untimely passing, it continued, acknowledging the denominations significant loss to the coronavirus which has disproportionately impacted black and Hispanic communities.

The group noted that the CDC and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases admonish us to stay home and to wear appropriate face coverings and engage in social distancing if we absolutely must go out because containment of the coronavirus, which has killed close to 100,000 people in the United States as of Tuesday morning, has not yet been achieved.

The CDC and the NIAID have developed mathematical models to monitor the number of newly confirmed cases and deaths resulting from the virus. They have used these models to track the pattern of sickness and death. The data will help them determine when containment has been achieved and when it is safe to resume public gatherings, including church services and other religious activities, the denomination said.

The number of new cases and deaths continues to increase. Based on the data available to them, the CDC and NIAID recommend that the present precautionary measures remain in place. We agree and caution pastors to delay re-opening churches at least through the end of June, if not later. Even when regular activity is allowed to resume, it must be done cautiously and methodically in phases.

Several states have decided to relax restrictions and permit regular activities in defiance of these recommendations. These premature re-openings will once again put tens of thousands of our COGIC saints in harms way. We urge you, our pastors, to adhere to the recommendations of the CDC and NIAID and to refrain from prematurely opening your churches and congregating in your buildings before we have credible and substantiated evidence that it is safe to do so."

As the CDC urged religious officials to defer to the directive of state and local governments on Friday, President Trump said in a press briefing that houses of faith, including churches, synagogues, and mosques are essential services and called for their immediate reopening.

Today I am identifying houses of worship  churches, synagogue and mosques  as essential places that provide essential services, Trump said. Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential but have left out churches and other houses of worship. Its not right.

He further threatened to override governors if they did not follow his order to reopen churches.

I call upon governors to allow our churches and places of worship to open right now, he said. If theres any question, theyre going to have to call me, but theyre not going to be successful in that call.

Bishop Paul Egensteiner, who leads the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, told his leadership team in a letter shared with CP that while he agrees that the church is essential, churches in his synod would remain closed until more accurate information on the virus is available.

In a recent report by The Christian Post, Egensteiner highlighted how the coronavirus had devastated the synods parishes in New York City, particularly those serving Latino communities

Here at the Office of the Bishop, we received news that President Trump has deemed churches and other houses of worship essential and has called on governors across the country to allow these places of worship to reopen this weekend. Meanwhile, New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, has announced that beginning May 21st, religious gatherings of no more than 10 people will be allowed statewide, he said.

We know we are essential, but it is not essential to gather in person at this time. One of our congregations lost over 44 members to the coronavirus crisis. We would like to protect our ministers, lay leaders, members and communities from also experiencing such abundant devastation, loss, and grief. This virus is a silent assassin that cannot be seen; we must protect each other and proceed with caution. We are monitoring this situation so that we may continue to make educated decisions and provide you with accurate information.

Miles McPherson, senior pastor of the popular Rock Church in California, also agreed that churches are essential but felt reopening now is premature.

I am glad that churches are finally being acknowledged as essential. Churches have long been the cornerstone of our communities, from serving the community, to being a place for people to gather and worship God, to honoring lost loved ones. The community often turns to their local church in a time of need. No one can find hope in the aisle of a department store or by sitting in a restaurant. Churches specialize in offering hope and spiritual support through prayer and counseling. We look forward to churches across the US being able to open again and provide that much needed hope and service to their communities, he said in a statement to CP.

As for this Sunday, we need a bit more time to have things in place so that attendees can worship in a socially distant setting. We will continue to follow the County's guidelines implemented during this time. We look forward to worshiping together in person as time permits.

Other pastors, including Jentezen Franklin of Free Chapel, a multi-site church in Gainesville, Georgia, have praised the push by President Trump calling for the reopening of churches. They argue that it should be left up to the churches, and not government officials, to decide what to do with their First Amendment right.

Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, called the presidents push for the reopening of all churches in conflict with the advice of public health experts irresponsible and reckless.

President Trumps demand that governors allow all houses of worship to reopen this weekend is irresponsible and reckless  and tragically, will lead to more deaths. Trumps cynical pandering to his religious extremist base is putting the health and well-being of the American people in jeopardy, Laser said in a statement Friday.

Decisions about how, when and if houses of worship can offer in-person services must be left to state and local public health officials who are familiar with the unique situations they face. President Trump has no power to override the nations governors in this area. In addition, the Constitutions religious freedom protections prohibit the government from granting special privileges to religion that cause harm to others. Accordingly, we call on state officials to ignore Trumps dangerous demand."

The CDC acknowledged in a statement Friday that while gathering in person is important for religious communities, it may not always be feasible and churches should listen to the guidance of the public health leaders in their localities.

Gathering together for worship is at the heart of many faith traditions. Because there are several published reports of COVID-19 outbreaks sparked by large gatherings, both non-religious and religious in nature, the recommendations released today will help guide faith communities while respecting their fundamental right to gather for worship, the health agency said.

Implementation should be guided by what is feasible, practical, and consistent with the needs and religious beliefs of each community. Decisions and strategies on reopening are implemented at the state, tribal, local, and territorial levels based on their phased reopening plan. Each locale is different, and individual jurisdictions have the authority and local public health data and information needed to protect their communities without discrimination against religion.

A new report from the Skagit County Public Health Department in Washington state, recently published by the CDC, shows how quickly the coronavirus spread after a choir practice became a superspreader event for the disease that infected 86% of attending members and killed two of them.

Catoosa Baptist Tabernacle, an independent Baptist church led by Pastor Justin Gazaway in Ringgold, Georgia, that restarted in-person services on April 2 while following social distancing guidelines, was also forced to suspend those in-person worship services for the foreseeable future on May 11 after learning several families had contracted the virus.
Doubting John

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I think Thomas has gotten a bad rap over his initial questioning of Jesus resurrection.

Hes been forever saddled with the doubting Thomas label, but the fact is the rest of the disciples were no better in the beginning. Before Jesus died, all of them were clueless with respect to Christs teaching on His resurrection: For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again. But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said (Luke 18:32-34).

The eleven initially had trouble after the resurrection as well. When the women witnesses (e.g., Mary Magdalene) reported the events to the disciples, Scripture says: When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it. After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either (Mark 16:10-13).

Further, when Jesus gave instructions for them to meet Him in Galilee, were told: When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful (Matt. 28:17).

So, lets ease up on Thomas, shall we? Have you never descended into a Ill-believe-it-when-I-see-it position because something bad happened and you felt the light would never dawn again?

Moreover, lets not forget about another prominent personality in Scripture who also had a slight hiccup where Jesus was concerned: John the Baptist.

Nobody greater

When the Son of God says, Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! (Matt. 11:11), you get the point that John wasnt just an ordinary guy. And yet John reached a point, however brief, when he had some questions about Jesus.

Even after Johns miraculous birth, seeing and hearing divine confirmation of Jesus Messiahship during His baptism (John 1:31-34), and pronouncing Christ the Lamb of God (John 1:36), one day John sent word to Jesus asking, Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else? (Matt. 11:3). Although the Bible doesnt explicitly dive into this incident to provide an explanation for Johns questioning, Matt. 4:2 says that John sent word to Jesus while imprisoned.

John had been taken into custody by King Herod Antipas and had been locked up in the gloomy fortress of Machaerus, modern Khirbet Mukawer, which was located about five miles east of the Dead Sea. Hearing about Jesus activities and considering his own unpleasant circumstances, John was likely confused and disheartened over the current state of affairs.

While John had indeed pointed out Christ as the Lamb of God, he also preached Jesus as the One who had come to reprove and destroy (Matt. 3:7, 10; Luke 3:7, 9). It seems even he thought his prophecies of judgment would be fulfilled then vs. in the future.

John may have shared the same hopes as Thomas of Jesus immediately ushering in the kingdom of God and who can blame them? The circumstances of that day were not good, with Romes domineering oppression and pagan idolatry with their false gods at every turn.

The answer that restores and sustains

Jesus squelched Thomas doubts by appearing to him, but with John, Jesus gives him an answer that redirects his focus from the kingdom fulfillment prophecies of the Old Testament to other predictions of the coming Messiah:

Jesus answered and said to them, Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them (Matt. 11:4-5).

Then Jesus finishes his reply with: And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me (Matt. 11:6). I think the ESV study Bible commentators are spot on with their interpretation of this verse: The beatitude is a mild rebuke; John and his disciples must be open to Gods unfolding plan even though Jesus ministry did not exactly match their messianic expectations.

John will need to remember Jesus words because things were going to get worse for him. Not only did Christ not rescue him from prison, but John will soon be the victim of a spur-of-the-moment treacherous act committed against him by a vindictive, evil woman and her gutless king husband.

Except for the content contained in Scripture on the trials and crucifixion of Jesus, no chapter in the Bible makes me grit my teeth more than Mark 6 that details the murder of John the Baptist. The man God calls the greatest born of women seems to fall as a meaningless casualty to evil people.

Thats a hard pill to swallow.

Lets face it, its easy to read Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials (James 1:2), but its hard to do. And sometimes, like John the Baptist, there is no rescue in this life. Good health doesnt return, a loved one dies, the business doesnt make it, the marriage ends, the prodigal stays gone, or a terrible wrong is never made right.

Like Thomas and John who wanted Christs kingdom to materialize during their lifetime, we want what we want also. And if Gods plan doesnt dovetail with ours, we churn inside.

At that point, we are anything but blessed because we do indeed get offended at Him. Ive been there  have you?

But thankfully, God is patient with us just like Jesus was with Thomas and John. Commenting on this passage, Matthew Henry writes, The best saints have need of the best helps they can get for the strengthening of their faith, and the arming of themselves against temptations to infidelity.

Ive received those helps and so will you when the time comes. Just like he answered Johns questions, He provides the assistance we need at the right time, allowing us to experience the truth of Psalm 37:17: For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord sustains the righteous.
Juneteenth becomes 12th federal holiday

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Juneteenth, the celebration of the anniversary of when slavery was officially abolished in the United States, has become a federal holiday through strong bipartisan support.

President Joe Biden signed the law on Thursday, making Juneteenth, which honors the date when Union troops read aloud the Emancipation Proclamation to slaves in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, the newest federal holiday.

In remarks made Thursday at the signing of the "Juneteenth National Independence Day Act," Biden said the holiday marks both the long, hard night of slavery and subjugation and a promise of a brighter morning to come.

You know, today, we consecrate Juneteenth for what it ought to be, what it must be: a national holiday, the president added, noting that it was the first new national holiday since the creation of Martin Luther King Holiday nearly four decades ago.

Im especially pleased that we showed the nation that we can come together as Democrats and Republicans to commemorate this day with the overwhelming bipartisan support of the Congress. I hope this is the beginning of a change in the way we deal with one another.

Biden added that with Juneteenth being a federal holiday, all Americans can feel the power of this day, and learn from our history, and celebrate progress, and grapple with the distance weve come but the distance we have to travel.

The truth is, its not  simply not enough just to commemorate Juneteenth. After all, the emancipation of enslaved black Americans didnt mark the end of Americas work to deliver on the promise of equality; it only marked the beginning, he continued. To honor the true meaning of Juneteenth, we have to continue toward that promise because weve not gotten there yet.

Also known as Freedom Day or Jubilee Day, Juneteenth is considered the longest-running celebration for an African American-centered holiday, having been first observed in 1866.

Texas made the observance a state holiday in 1980, with calls for it to be made into a federal holiday gaining strength over the past year.

When the Act to make Juneteenth into a holiday was brought before Congress, only 14 members of the House of Representatives  all Republicans  voted against the bill.

Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, one of the 14 who voted against the bill, explained to USA Today that he felt there were enough federal holidays right now and thus did not see the reason in doing it.

Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., released a statement in which he said that the Juneteenth Act was an effort by the Left to create a day out of whole cloth to celebrate identity politics as part of its larger efforts to make critical race theory the reigning ideology of our country.

Since I believe in treating everyone equally, regardless of race, and that we should be focused on what unites us rather than our differences, I will vote no, stated Rosendale.
Pro-life Catholics rally nationwide urging Church leaders to deny communion to pro-abortion politicians

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WASHINGTON  As Catholic bishops gathered at a general assembly meeting, a pro-life group held rallies in major cities Wednesday calling on church leaders to support a draft document advising ordinaries to deny communion to pro-abortion Catholic politicians.

Students for Life of America held Fight for Life & Faith rallies outside Roman Catholic cathedrals in seven cities, urging bishops to address the scandal of radical, pro-abortion [Catholic] politicians receiving the sacrament of Communion at their virtual general assembly meeting, which began Wednesday and runs through Friday.

Bishops are expected to vote on whether to approve a draft document that would advise Catholic politicians who support abortion to refrain from communion while leaving decisions on withholding Communion up to individual bishops.

Across the street from the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., pro-life activists called on Cardinal Wilton Gregory of the Archdiocese of Washington to uphold this crucial tenet of the faith and to defend the lives of the most vulnerable in their dioceses.

Gregory has faced criticism from the pro-life community for announcing that he would not deny communion to President Joe Biden, a practicing Catholic who supports abortion.

Gregory was one of more than 60 bishops who signed a letter calling on the USCCB to delay implementing national guidance regarding communion for pro-abortion Catholic politicians. The letter was written on letterhead from the Archdiocese of Washington, indicating that the faith leader played an instrumental role in the crafting of the document.

Pro-life activists gathered in Washington spoke with The Christian Post about why they attended the Fight For Life & Faith rally and reacted to the claim from Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, who described the withholding of communion from Catholic politicians based on their public policy stance as an example of the weaponization of [the] Eucharist.

Ronnie Gonza of Fort Washington, Maryland, attended the rally because of his concern about U.S. bishops being silent and not addressing public officials who are Catholic and not  aligned totally with the teachings of [the] faith, whether thats abortion, same-sex marriage. Gonzaga pushed back on McElroys analysis, asserting that Catholic teaching requires those who receive communion to be in a state of grace and theres no exception to that rule.

Another attendee, Makayla Obasun, told CP that Im just out here to show that the ... politicians that call themselves Catholics have to abide by the Catholic Churchs rules.

If we want people to understand the Catholic Church, we need to make sure that the politicians who represent the Catholic Church hold the belief that life begins at conception and it needs to be protected, Obasun added.

Obasun also disputed McElroys reasoning, noting that you cant get the Eucharist if you arent Catholic or if you have mortal sin. Maintaining that specifically going against life is also a mortal sin, Obasun argued that pro-abortion Catholic politicians shouldnt be able to get the Eucharist, just ... like a normal person whos committed a mortal sin.

Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins was the first of five speakers who addressed the crowd as some vehicles honked their horn in support of the pro-life movements efforts and a pro-abortion protester chanted in the background. The speakers included representatives of various advocacy groups and academic institutions. While the speakers were primarily Catholic, a pro-life atheist also spoke at the rally.

After discussing how the Catholic Churchs firm adherence to Scripture and the standing for truth no matter the cultural tides helped motivate her to convert to Catholicism, Hawkins contended that allowing pro-abortion Catholic politicians suggests that our Church must not really mean it when we talk about abortion.

If its OK to increase the number of abortions, if its OK to force Americans of all religious backgrounds to pay for abortions, then logically, many come to believe its OK to have one, she said.

Citing statistics from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute finding that 54% of women who have abortions are self-identified Christians, Hawkins concluded that Christian women and mothers are receiving mixed messages about abortion that are being set and enabled by Church leadership.

Today, the pro-life generation is asking the leaders of the Catholic Church to practice what it preaches, and were asking that of every single denomination, she added. We arent here to debate Catholic Church teaching on the matter; the Church teaching is absolutely clear. Supporting the murder of innocent children is incompatible with the faithful practice of Catholicism. Now, we just need our Catholic leaders to act like it.

Jason Jones of the Human Rights Education and Relief Organization emphasized that pro-abortion politicians do not need to be told that they should not present themselves for communion and told bishops that they do not need to hold a vote for what you all already know.

Implying that the teaching forbidding pro-abortion Catholic politicians from presenting themselves for communion is innate to the faith, Jones asked: Are you going to be voting on the Trinity next year?

Terrisa Bukovinac, president of the Democrats for Life of America and a pro-life atheist, delivered a strong message to U.S. Catholic bishops. She emphasized that while her position on the issue of abortion puts her at odds with the majority of people in her party, there are still 12 million pro-life atheists nationwide. Expressing a desire to partner with the Catholic Church to combat abortion, Bukovinac exclaimed that I have put my reputation on the line for the unborn before asking the bishops, When will you?

Terry Schilling of the American Principles Project told the crowd that by giving communion to pro-abortion politicians, not only are our bishops putting the Churchs teachings on life in question, they are putting the teachings on the most Holy Eucharist in question. Acknowledging that this issue is primarily about saving the unborn, Schilling shared his belief that this issue should also be about saving the souls of pro-abortion politicians.

How much do you have to hate someone to put their souls in danger of the pains of Hell simply because it makes you feel uncomfortable or puts you in a difficult position? he asked. Its time that our Church leaders take a stand and reclaim its position of moral leadership.

Michael New, a research associate at the nearby Catholic University of America, explicitly outlined actions taken by the Biden administration that directly contradict the presidents Catholic faith teachings on abortion. Lamenting that President Biden has repealed the Mexico City Policy, New explained that, as a result, U.S. foreign aid dollars can go to NGOs that perform or promote abortions.

President Biden has removed restrictions on human fetal tissue research. President Bidens FDA has made it easier for women to obtain chemical abortion drugs, he added. New expressed particular concern about Bidens budget proposal, which requests a 72% increase in funding for the United Nations Population Fund, which, he said, supports abortion.

He added: President Bidens budget proposal is the first presidential budget proposal in 28 years that does not include the Hyde Amendment, which prevents taxpayer dollars from funding abortions. New told the crowd that despite his unabashed abortion advocacy, President Biden regularly presents himself for communion at mass. He proceeded to share his concern for the souls of Biden and other Catholics who support abortion.

In addition to the main event in Washington, rallies were also held in Kansas City, Kansas, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Tyler, Texas, to rally & thank bishops who have supported the effort to address public confusion about the reception of the Eucharist.

The rallies in Washington and Chicago were held to rally & encourage bishops who have been working to stall and stifle efforts by their fellows to address the scandal. Anna Lullis, the data strategist for Students for Life of America, told CP that nearly 200 people signed up to attend the rallies.

The Eucharist is such a focal point of our faith that we really pray the bishops make the right call on holding pro-abortion politicians accountable specifically when it comes to receiving Holy Communion and that they hear our message loud and clear, she said. In Catholic Church teaching, it is very clear where our stance is on abortion. That is taking away the life of an innocent human being, and any formal cooperation with that is also a grave matter and a grave offense.

The Catholic Churchs Code of Canon Law teaches that those who are obstinately preserving in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion. A 2004 letter written by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who served as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of the Catholic Church at the time and later became Pope Benedict XVI, advised U.S. bishops on how to address the issue of pro-abortion Catholic politicians presenting themselves for communion.

In the letter, Ratzinger explained that the Church teaches that abortion or euthanasia is a grave sin. He quoted from the Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitae, which states: In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it or to take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law or vote for it.

Bishops skeptical of embracing a national policy regarding communion for pro-abortion Catholic politicians warn that the lack of consensus among ourselves on the matter could have a negative impact on the unity of the Catholic Church. In a letter to U.S. Catholic bishops, Luis Ladaria, the current prefect of the CDF, stressed that any draft document featuring guidelines for the reception of communion for pro-abortion Catholic politicians would need to express a true consensus of the bishops on the matter.

Ladaria also argued that it would be misleading if such a statement were to give the impression that abortion and euthanasia alone constitute the only grave matters of Catholic moral and social teachings that demand the fullest accountability on the part of Catholics.

New elaborated on this point of view when speaking at the Fight for Life & Faith rally. He expanded upon the Churchs guidelines about the reception of Holy Communion: There are a number of people who probably should not be presenting themselves for communion. This isnt just limited to Catholic elected officials who support abortion.

This should include Catholics who are engaging in any kind of extramarital sexual activity, would include Catholics who view pornographic materials, it would include Catholics who are not attending mass on Sunday, it would include Catholics who are neglecting to care for aged parents, [and] it would include Catholics who are engaged in fraud or perjury or other mortal sins.

New also highlighted the need for the Catholic Church to embrace a clear expression of Church teachings about the reception of Communion.

While a poll from the Pew Research Center found that a majority of Catholics believe that Biden and other pro-abortion Catholic politicians should be able to receive Communion, New mentioned a poll conducted by CRC research that found 77% of weekly mass attendees believe Catholic public officials who disagree with Church teachings on grave matters should not present themselves for Holy Communion.

In addition to holding rallies outside the cathedrals of major Catholic dioceses, Students for Life of America formulated a petition asking Archbishop Jose Gomez, the president of the USCCB, to ensure that the critical conversation about the reception of Holy Communion takes place. The petition had accumulated nearly 800 signatures as of Thursday morning.

The agenda for the USCCB General Assembly includes a vote on whether to proceed with the drafting of a formal statement on the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church, but the issue of abortion is not mentioned.

According to the USCCB website, The body of bishops meets typically twice a year for a General Assembly to transact its business and address matters of concern within its civil and canonical mandates.

The Washington Post reported that watchers of the conference of bishops say they expect a yes vote on whether to approve a draft document on the issue. If approved, the bishops will continue working on the document before presenting it to the public at a later date.
HHS to investigate NIH grant program amid concerns over Wuhan lab funding

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A federal agency has opened an investigation into the U.S. National Institutes of Healths grant program for international research amid criticism over funding sent to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the Chinese lab from which some claim the virus may have originated.

The U.S. Health and Human Services announced it would look into how NIH monitors grantees and subgrantees' use of grant funds.

"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 program," Tesia Williams, spokeswoman for Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General [OIG], said in a statement to The Hill.

"Based on our preliminary research and analysis, HHS-OIG 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, she continued.

Fox News reports that the new investigation coincides with a period of time in which NIH gave New York-based EcoHealth Alliance $3.75 million in grant funding to carry out studies on coronavirus in bats.

Fauci admitted before Congress that EcoHealth Alliance used a nearly $600,000 subgrant from NIH to fund research at Wuhan Institute of Virology on bat coronaviruses over five years, from 2014 to 2019. However, HHS documents obtained by the conservative activist group Judicial Watch suggest that $826,277 was provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to the Chinese lab during that time.

Former President Trump terminated this contract in April 2020, arguing that he had seen evidence that the institute in Wuhan was responsible for the outbreak.

Many top Republicans and Trump blamed China for the start of the pandemic in 2020, claiming that it escaped from the premier lab for studying coronaviruses. Many dismissed the claim as a conspiracy theory. There are competing theories on how the virus originated.

Alina Chan, a Canadian scientist and postdoctoral associate at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, recently said she and her colleagues initially denied the possibility of the coronavirus originating from a lab leak because they did not want to be associated with Trump.

"At the time, it was scarier to be associated with Trump and to become a tool for racists, so people didn't want to publicly call for an investigation into lab origins," Chan told NBC News.

Chan is one of the 18 experts who signed a letter in May demanding an in-depth investigation into the virus' origins that looks into theories of natural origin and laboratory leak. However, she didn't want to call for this action at first to avoid being associated with Trump.

Harper Books announced on June 8 that Chan will co-author a book chronicling every twist and turn in uncovering COVID-19s origin.

Footage from the Wuhan Institute of Virology shows live bats were kept in cages, debunking a World Health Organization claim that such an allegation was a conspiracy, Sky News reported.

A WHO report released in March stated the coronavirus likely emerged from bats and is extremely unlikely to have emerged from a laboratory leak. The report argued the virus was more likely to have spread to another animal before being contracted by humans.

A popular theory has been that COVID-19 emerged from bats in a Wuhan, China wet market.

Fox News reported that experts and lawmakers have claimed that Wuhan Institute of Virology was participating in gain-of-function research, where animal viruses are manipulated to become transmissible and harmful for humans.

Funding gain-of-function research is prohibited by Senate Amendment 2003, which defines gain-of-function as any research project that may be reasonably anticipated to confer attributes to influenza, MERS, or SARS viruses such that the virus would have enhanced pathogenicity or transmissibility in mammals.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci and NIH Director Francis Collins have denied allegations that grant money awarded to EcoHealth Alliance was used to fund gain-of-function research in Wuhan.

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., recently cited a Hudson Institute event regarding the COVID-19 origins and said evidence of a lab leak has been building for months." He pointed to the lax safety conditions at Wuhan Institute of Virology, similarities between research at the lab and features of the virus and patents for bat cages and other live-animal research tools filed by WIV.

More questions surrounding the lab leak hypothesis for the COVID-19 outbreak arose when State Department documents released during the final days of the Trump administration revealed three researchers from the lab were hospitalized after becoming sick with COVID-19 symptoms in November 2019, a month before the first confirmed case.

The Senate unanimously approved a bill, introduced by Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Mike Braun, R-Ind., on May 24 to require the federal government to declassify all information on links between the Wuhan lab and COVID-19 following the Wall Street Journal article about the three sick researchers.

In a statement in late May, President Joe Biden said that the intelligence community has coalesced around two likely scenarios on the origin but has not reached a definitive conclusion on this question. He called on the intelligence community to redouble their efforts to collect and analyze information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion."
There are many ways to get to entrepreneurship and sometimes we find them in the most unexpected place, when we are not even looking. That happened to the entrepreneur Dirk Van Nievelt , co-founder of Denda , the most important online store of sustainable products in Chile and now with a presence in Mexico. His journey began at age 21, when he was backpacking looking for the meaning of life, but instead found his passion for business.

In 1998 I went to Asia, but not to do business, but to seek my spiritual path. He was studying the third or fourth year of Engineering at the Catholic University of Chile. So, I decided to pause my studies, grabbed my backpack and went to look for the great martial arts masters of Asia, says Dirk wistfully.

The now ecommerce entrepreneur says that he toured all of China, India, Tibet and practically the entire continent, exploring all possible religions, from Buddhism to Taoism.

I was living in monasteries and there I perfectly learned the Chinese language, speaking with the monks. I went walking through all the religions looking for the meaning of life only with a backpack, there was no internet or cell phones, he continues.

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The Chilean's search lasted 10 years, during which he had to find ways to earn a living and continue traveling .

To finance myself I learned to do manufacturing and exports. He bought things in India or China, and sent them to Chile in a container. I was earning $ 20,000 to $ 30,000 per load and that was enough to live for about two years. I spent from 1998 to 2008, not doing business, without thinking that I was going to be an entrepreneur , says Van Nievelt.

From the spiritual search to scientific truth and from there to entrepreneurship

In 2008 I was a bit disappointed because I did not find the truths I was looking for. Then I got to know the work of Carl Sagan and it changed my life, because I saw that the most certain way is science. And to get to science I have to be an entrepreneur, to be able to investigate these truths that I did not find on the spiritual side , explains the co-founder of Denda.

That same year, Dirk took advantage of what he had learned along the way and started a manufacturing business in China . To this day, his company manufactures products of all kinds, mainly medical supplies, and has "more than 200 clients in Chile and a turnover of 15 million dollars a year."

Read also: The entrepreneur who wants your house to be famous and appear in a movie

On the other side of the world, in his native Chile, businessman Felipe Parrague launched Denda in 2016 , an online store of sustainable products. Three years later, the businessman and current CEO of Denda invited Dirk to be a partner of the company, bringing his extensive experience in manufacturing and imports.

In 2019 I meet Felipe and he invites me to his project because I have a special ability which is to manufacture my own products. He told me, 'I need someone who is my co-founder, who is an expert in manufacturing to be on the right track, both in certifications and in products that do not exist.' And so I came to Denda, which we are seeking to change people's consumption habits , recalls the now businessman. "Felipe changed my head and nowadays I try to manufacture everything that I can sustainably."

Felipe Parregue and Dirk Van Nievelt, co-founders of Denda, the largest online store of sustainable products in Chile that is already in Mexico. Image: Courtesy Denda Mexico.

Dirk Van Nievelt's experience backpacking in Asia laid the foundation for the entrepreneur he became.

(Traveling) gave me languages, it gave me knowledge of cultures. I handle myself in Asia like no one else. I have bought the best cotton in the world in Bugarach, Uzbekistan. I traveled all over Asia knowing different ways of thinking and today I can manufacture anything anywhere in the world , affirms the Chilean enthusiast.

That was what that first search gave me, to leave with a backpack without fear of anywhere and open my mind to everything. I respect all the religions that I studied, all the cultures, I believe in a global human being and without differences of race or sex, 100% inclusive. These are the values that we apply in Denda and that is the magic that lies at the bottom , he concludes.

Denda, the ecommerce of sustainable home products that wants to conquer Latin America

Felipe Parrague and Dirk Van Nievelt's company was born in Chile in 2016, with the premise of selling only certified sustainable products . Denda arrived in Mexico in 2018, hand in hand with venture capital ENGIE Factory, Denda's first investor that injected more than 2 million dollars for its expansion.

In Chile we already have more than 3,000 sustainable products to replace your supermarket cart with a sustainable basket. Denda Mexico already has more than 1,000 sustainable products . In addition, we distribute them in reused boxes and bags, primarily through delivery ecofriendly. For example, in Mexico we work with '99 Minutes' , which uses electromobility. We try to make the whole process, as far as possible, sustainable , explains Dirk.

However, the company also collaborates with Rappi Mexico , not only for home deliveries, since you can also make purchases of Denda products from the app itself.

To appear in the Denda catalog , products must have at least one certification that makes them sustainable and friendly with the planet , for example: cruelty free (free of animal cruelty), biodegradable , compostable , ecofriendly , organic or FCC ( sustainable forest), among others.

In that sense, Denda is very scrupulous with the items it selects, since between 90 and 95% are locally produced . "Our suppliers are certified companies and so we are curating the products that enter Denda," said Dirk. The remaining 5 to 10% are products brought from abroad, but developed by the company.

We support local manufacturing a lot, we don't want to make products that replace local ones. In Chile we buy only Chilean products, in Mexico we buy only Mexican products , he highlights. "We also function as a meeting place for all sustainable suppliers."

What can you buy in Denda?

With categories such as the outdoors , food , home , children , pets , fashion , health and beauty , and smart living , Denda can replace much of the polluting products currently used in homes.

In their online store you can find everything to start an ecofriendly life: makeup that does not pollute, biodegradable personal and household cleaning products, ecological water filters, compostable bags, biodegradable sanitary napkins and diapers, bamboo fiber baby wipes, condoms free from parabens, vegan proteins, household compost bins and more.

Buying through their website (for now they do not have a mobile app) is as easy as in any online store. If you order the products from their portal, they will arrive in 2 to 3 days with a 99-minute service . If you buy through Rappi , whose Denda catalog is quite small, the order will be at your door in about 30 minutes.

The good news for growers, customers and investors is that Denda has very ambitious expansion plans.

We are on our way to make Denda global, we want to reach Silicon Valley. We are raising investment rounds with Engie, Sudamerik and with two of the largest venture capital in Chile to further expand in the market and make more sustainable products. We are looking for impact investors who believe in a different future, "said Van Nievelt.

The idea of the founding partners is to reach Peru and Colombia, to add them to the structure they already have in Mexico and Chile. Then, they would capture the sustainable production of those countries to offer it among them. "When we have a catalog with 4 or 5 Latin American countries, with all those sustainable products from each one, we want to go to the United States and Asia, to decontaminate China and India with Latin American products."

There is no doubt that Dirk Van Nievelt's travels were crucial in becoming a global vision entrepreneur. Now you know that, at least in commercial and business terms, the world is smaller and more accessible than we imagine.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
China has been home to 60% to 75% of the worlds Bitcoin mining in recent years, the energy-intensive process that makes new coins and keeps a running tally of all transactions on existing cryptocurrencies.

But in May, the government restricted mining and trading, prompting an exodus of miners to states like Texas and Florida, according to CNBC. The Lone Star States abundance of solar and wind power, deregulated power market and pro-crypto political stance make it a perfect destination, says Brandon Arvanaghi, a former security engineer at crypto exchange Gemini.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that Congress erred when it set up a board to oversee patent disputes by failing to make the judges properly accountable to the president.

Five conservative justices agreed that Congress had erred, but both conservative and liberal justices agreed on the fix. They concluded that a portion of federal law related to how the Patent Trial and Appeal Board functions can't be enforced. The result of the court's action is that the director of the Patent and Trademark Office can review and reverse any decisions made by the board's judges. The director is nominated by the president and confirmed by the senate.
As the general manager of a Pie Five Pizza restaurant, Joel Roberts sometimes found himself working alone in the restaurant. This usually wasnt a problem for the understaffed franchise location, but posed a big problem when Roberts he a medical emergency in 2017. He couldnt find anyone to cover his otherwise unmanned shift, so he resorted to his next best option  his dad.

Steve Roberts showed up to take over his sons shift, but wasn't happy when found that the restaurant lacked food product, operated on broken machinery and wasnt clean.

[Steve] got up there and he goes, Oh man, what a mess. Give me your boss's phone number right now, Joel says.

Steve was so furious with the disarray that he called the owner to air his grievances. Instead of rebutting the father's complaints, the owner responded by asking Steve if he wanted to buy the storefront. Despite his lack of business experience, he did. So in 2018, Steve officially signed the ownership papers with the intention of turning the establishment around.

What Steve lacked in business experience he made up for in enthusiasm. After he decided to own the Pie Five location, he dedicated a month of his time to figuring out the restaurant's problems.

I was talking to employees like, What do you guys see? What is the good, the bad about this place? he says. Of course they're telling me, cause they know I'm Joels dad and they had no idea I was buying it.

Related: This Restaurant Owner Went Viral for His Response to An Influencer Who Wanted to Eat for Free

Addressing bad before it gets worse

Steve found two glaring issues in the Pie Five store. The first dealt with restaurant's internal culture and its employees. It wasn't just understaffed  the store wasnt able to motivate employees to care about the company. Some employees gave away products for free, consumed company supply throughout the day and even stole from the pizzeria. The staffing issue was so bad that the former owner recommended that Steve fire all of the restaurants employees and hire new ones.

Beyond the internal issues, Steve says the stores external reputation posed the biggest problem. Steve was well aware of the stores nasty reputation, as he didnt even order from the restaurant before he became the owner. An online web search confirmed the stores bad standing: Reviewers rated it 2.3 stars on Google, with complaints ranging from bad service to a dirty storefront.

There are a number of factors that led to the restaurant's reputation, but Steve says one of the main reasons was its ownership. Despite having a restaurant based in Ankeny, Iowa, the previous owner ran the restaurant from Illinois. This time around, the father-turned-owner decided to employ a more hands-on solution.

Many of Steve's solutions came from life experience. For instance, his two decades spent as a railroad foreman ended up guiding him when it came to addressing the problems with motivating his employees. On the railroad, companies encouraged employees by bringing small prizes as rewards for working hard. As a result, Steve used the same strategy and offered gift cards to employees if they finished their training and familiarized themselves with Pie Five Pizzas resources.

More importantly, Steve was honest with his employees in an effort to get them to care.

I showed them the numbers. I showed them that this box of cheese costs $200, and when they continue to make products the way they're making it, it's going to cost me an extra $30,000 a year, he says.

Steve also used this level of type of involvement to fix the franchise's reputation. He leveraged his deep involvement in the community as a third-generation Ankeny resident and Little League board member, announcing to the community know he was the new owner of the Pie Five Pizza on social media. Though he didn't have capital to give community members sponsorships, Steve gave out free pizza coupons and fed churches, animal rescues and nursing homes among other community groups. He made amends for bad reviews by offering discounts to customers so they would give Pie Five another chance. As the owner, he even told customers how much money he made in an effort to be more transparent.

All these other restaurants are telling me, Hey man, you're pretty ballsy telling people how much you make in a day, Steve says. These people are what makes us, so why shouldn't they know what we're making?

When the store implemented these changes, Steve says the positive results were immediate. With Steve running the restaurant and Joel managing at the helm, the restaurant managed to go from making $5,000 a week to doubling that amount. The franchise location gained a new reputation as an example for others to follow, winning a handful of awards at the 2019 corporate Pie Five Pizza summit that included Rookie of the Year and Turnaround Store of the Year.

Despite all of the support the restaurant has gotten from the community, the father acknowledges the success he has now wouldnt have been possible without the support of a franchisor.

Having that franchise and all that legwork done for you already  all you have to do is call somebody or look it up in a book, Steve says. Pie Five has been amazing to me. They've let me go out of the box more than they probably should have.

Related: 6 Ways to Ensure that Your Restaurant Stays Relevant

A cinematic moment

Measuring the success of Steves out-of-the-box ideas in improving store culture and community engagement may be hard to quantify. But perhaps the biggest piece of anecdotal evidence of the franchisees success occurred when the store hit its lowest point during the pandemic. In a situation not unusual to the restaurant industry throughout 2020, Steve had to raise $8,000 in one weekend or face store closure. So he took to the internet and pleaded for help on social media. The result was a feat of survival one local blogger compared to the movie Its a Wonderful Life, as the store managed to earn $28,000 in three days.

People were walking up to me and handing me money, not even eating at the restaurant because our line was so long, Steve says. It just makes you cry.

Its hard to imagine that a store with the ability to garner that much support was the same restaurant barely bringing in customers just a few years prior. But some values have remained the same since the start  being there for his son is what led Steve to the franchise in the first place, and family has continued to remain a priority.

You really learn what family is and what family needs when it comes to owning something and running something and being successful. You all have to be in it together or else it won't be successful," Steve says. I'm blessed with my family and I'm blessed to have such a huge following and support.

Related: Restaurants and the Changing Dynamics of Their Menus

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Talent is global. We knew this prior to the pandemic , but today the facilities for hiring personnel in any destination in the world have expanded and companies have already realized that it does not matter how close the person lives, but how productive and related to the organization they are. At the same time, in Latin America, professionals tend to seek to be able to work abroad, as they try to protect their income in a currency that is harder than that of their country of origin. But, here comes a new challenge: how to pay this great mass of employees or hired so dispersed by the planet?

To get an idea of how the interest of Latin Americans to export their services is growing, a recent survey carried out by an employment portal (according to Bumeran) registered that 94% of users are interested in working for a company in another country. Only 6% of those surveyed in the region said they were not attracted to this type of job offer.

Even in the same survey, 36% of companies recognized that they would hire talents who live in other countries, and the same proportion assured that they would not be bothered if their current employees travel and settle in another destination.

The problem is that this diversifies the payment methods of the company, being a time of extreme occupation when it is the days of salary settlement or payment to suppliers. Not to mention that it increases the possibility of errors, which generates friction between employees and the company.

from here and there

At the same time, especially in the IT and business consulting industry, the number of freelance workers is growing. This is because their profession is among the most demanded and working for several clients is more profitable than having a single employee. In these cases the complexity is the reverse: how do they manage to unify so many sources of income? Which, in addition, surely come from different destinations.

To understand the magnitude of this trend, the Workana platform, specialized in uniting freelancers with contracting companies, assured that since the beginning of the pandemic, the registry of professionals offering services through it has increased by 42%, only in Latin America.

In this scenario, Mexico increased by 12% in the number of workers who choose to be independent and open up to a market without borders. On average, in our country, each year about five thousand new accounts are created within the platform. In addition, it is good to know that, although this modality is extremely natural for those under 30 years of age, there are already many professionals over 40 who are also beginning to embrace it.

For these freelancers, the more sources of income, the better. These are possibilities for improvement, an opportunity to obtain a higher remuneration and thus go up the monthly income floor. Managing these payments is essential for those who are independent.

Mexico increased 12% in the number of workers who choose to be independent / Image: Depositphotos.com

Solutions

This growing trend in global talent has fueled the growth of payment platforms. The above, because companies need solutions for complex payment scenarios. In contrast, traditional banking is at a disadvantage compared to fintech companies in the development of products that respond to this new need.

For companies, it is necessary to speed up the payment process, to also give each employee or supplier a solution that adapts without problems to the legislation or restrictions that may exist in their country. We know that in Latin America the rules for the transfer of shipments are usually very complex or diverse between one country and another. Therefore, having a partner such as the Colombian platform OnTop, the German Lano, among others at a global level, that helps the employer pay their collaborators no matter where they are, safely facilitates these practices.

So for B2B payments it is necessary to broaden the focus, because, ultimately, this is an added value that adds to the employer brand. In addition, of course, the Human Resources department will appreciate the incorporation of technology, because it simplifies not only payments, but also the burden of taxes, withholdings or social payments.

In these contexts, allies such as Fintech-as-a-Service are essential. Why? Because they unify in a single platform all the functions that the company needs, but also the collaborator or supplier. This agility becomes essential in these days, in which, at the slightest inconvenience, talent looks for new companies to sell their services to.

For all this, it is imperative that firms consider that looking for the best talent, with the best prices and regardless of their geographical location, implies having to admit the diversification of payments. And this is no longer a project for the future, but something that needs to be developed now. Addressing these complexities with a single vendor adds value and agility to talent and human resource management.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
(Bloomberg) -- Oil jumped by the most in a month amid a weaker dollar and as key timespreads surged with expectations for further supply declines at the biggest storage hub in the U.S.

Futures in New York climbed 2.8% on Monday to the highest since 2018 and its global counterpart Brent neared the key, psychological $75-a-barrel mark. U.S. equities rose and the dollar dipped, boosting the appeal of commodities priced in the currency. Investors are watching commentary from Federal Reserve officials this week after St. Louiss James Bullard said interest rates may need to rise in 2022.

U.S. oil timespreads strengthened, indicating a tighter market. West Texas Intermediate crudes prompt spread -- a gauge of market health -- moved into the deepest backwardation structure since 2018. Spreads further along the curve rallied to the strongest in about seven years. Data-provider Genscape Inc. reported a 2.6 million-barrel-drop in stockpiles at Cushing, Oklahoma, last week, according to people with knowledge of the report. Inventories at the hub are already at the lowest since March 2020.

The stars have aligned here in favor of the bulls in a big way, said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC.

U.S. crude futures are up more than 10% so far this month as major economies emerge from restrictions and lockdowns after the rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations. Consumption has rebounded, especially in the U.S., Europe and parts of Asia. By August, global oil demand may exceed the record 100.8 million barrels a day reached in August 2019 due to pent-up demand for leisure activities, according to Citigroup Inc. Meanwhile, Bank of America Corp. said futures may hit $100 a barrel next year.

With continued expectations of fairly significant rebound in demand in the second half and a very well-disciplined OPEC+, it looks like, at least for the time being, were probably going to get more tightness, said Bart Melek, head of commodity strategy at TD Securities.

Beyond WTIs prompt spread, other calendar spreads rallied, signaling longer-term strength. WTIs September contract traded more than $1 above its October contract, the deepest backwardation -- where near-dated prices are more expensive than later-dated ones -- since 2014.

Traders are also watching the status of discussions between Iran and other nations. So far, nuclear talks have been inconclusive between world powers and Iran -- which has elected a new hardline president -- allaying prospects for a swift revival of the Islamic Republics crude exports.

Diplomats adjourned a sixth round of meetings with significant gaps remaining to mend the Iranian nuclear accord, the third time since talks began in April that negotiators have missed self-imposed deadlines to rejuvenate the agreement. Ebrahim Raisi, the president-elect, also ruled out a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden.

The failure to clinch a deal puts additional pressure on other members of the OPEC+ coalition, which meets next week to consider restoring more oil output.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Morsa Images/Getty Images

The Harris County Public Health department is warning Houston residents that it's still too soon to write off COVID-19.

While residents across the Greater Houston area have access to the coronavirus vaccine, at this time, just 58 percent of Harris County residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and almost 48 percent of ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated, according to a news release from HCPH.
The LuAnn Platter will live on, it seems.

The cafeteria chain beloved by Texans announced that a company has agreed to buy 32 Lubys locations in Texas and the Lubys Cafeteria brand for $28.7 million, the Houston Chronicle's Amanda Drane reports.

GOODBYE, CHICKEN WINGS?: The chicken wing shortage has fueled the creation of ThighStop

Calvin Gin, part of the family that founded Chicago-based catering business Flying Food Group, is behind the acquisition and the potential survival of everyone's favorite square fish patties. Flying Food Group is one of the largest airline catering companies in North America and provides food preparation services to other companies, including Starbucks.

We are so pleased to be able to acquire the operation of these Lubys Cafeteria stores, one of the iconic brands in the Texas restaurant market, Gin said in a news release, according to Drane. This transaction will allow us to continue serving the many loyal Lubys customers at these locations and to provide long-term employment opportunities for the many associates currently at these locations.

Even better: Most of the 1,000-plus employees at the 32 Texas Lubys locations will keep their positions under the sale, according to Drane.

DINING OUT: Your guide to Houston's best soul food spots

According to Ron Rugless with Nation's Restaurant News, 10 Luby's locations in Houston are included in the sale:

Houston  East Freeway

Houston  730 West FM 1960

Houston  Fuqua

Houston  South Mason, Katy

Houston  Meyer Park

Houston  11250 Northwest Freeway

Houston  19668 Northwest Freeway

Houston  Spring Cypress

Houston  Veterans Memorial

Houston  Westminster Plaza

Cubed Jell-O fans everywhere, rejoice.
With the covid death rate collapsing and the number of vaccinations rising, New York and California, two states hit early and hard by the virus, ended nearly all of their pandemic-era restrictions on Tuesday.

The occasion, celebrated in New York with fireworks displays, means that states across the country are now fully reopened. Americans who have worked from home since restrictions were ordered are experiencing their first days back at work since March 2020.

Many have struggled over what to wear and whether work clothes would still fit; snagged prime parking spots in still-deserted lots; scanned cavernous office floors for signs of other returnees; and enjoyed reunions with co-workers.

Some acknowledge a tangle of emotions: feeling joyful, strange - and a little lonely since they may represent the first wave in their workplace, having volunteered to return to offices that are continuing to operate at extremely limited capacity.

Some say they deeply appreciated their work-from-home lifestyles during the pandemic. Others are relieved to be back to their pre-pandemic routines.

The Washington Post talked to workers in California, Illinois, Kentucky, New York and Washington, D.C., who described that first day back at the office. Their comments were edited for length and clarity.

- - -

Eugene Izotov

Performing arts

San Francisco, returned to work on June 16

Izotov is principal oboe of the San Francisco Symphony, which resumed live concerts with a full orchestra on June 17. Born in Russia,Izotov was trained at the Gnesin Russian Academyof Music in Moscow and later at Boston University. He has been based in San Francisco for 14 years.

"I woke up at 4:25 a.m. and tried to go back to bed because I had a big day. We had our first rehearsal since March 2020, before everything was canceled due to covid. I was wired and couldn't sleep. So I gave up, made some coffee and listened to a YouTube video of the first piece in our program, which we were scheduled to perform at our first concert back in front of our beloved San Francisco audiences.

"We start the concert with 'Wind Serenade' by Richard Strauss and finish with the 'Violin Concerto' by Johannes Brahms. Both pieces are very dear to me, and not just because they have prominent oboe solos.

"My two kids, sons Sammy, 7, and Rafa, 10, heard me moving around, got up, and refused to go to bed. They've gone back to in-person school and were talking about how excited they are, what classes they're taking. We haven't had conversations like this for a year and a half because every day was the same. You wake up, eat breakfast, open the computer and you're in Zoom world.

"Afterward, I chose my reeds for rehearsal and drove to work. As I drove, I kept coming back to this idea that, for a year and a half, we have not been able to breathe, to just be who we are as live musicians. It's like I had wings.

"My workplace is on the stage of the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, the home of our orchestra, which is midsize, maybe 70, 80 people. I noticed a lot of covid protocols, like a body temperature scan, extra forms and masks throughout the hall.

"On the stage, the string players were wearing masks, but the wind players and brass were not because our mouths can't be obstructed when we play. We all sat together the way we normally did before the pandemic.

"You can't have live music without other musicians and without audiences. Zoom has really improved tremendously and can capture pretty accurate sound, but it also has delay and sync issues. So like many musicians, I became a recording artist instead. That was the only way I could make music. At first, I did it alone. Then I connected with colleagues from all over the world, and we made recordings together. I'd lay the track from point A to B, someone else from point B to C, and someone would record them and mix it all together. So thank God for that. It gave us a purpose and kept me in shape, musically and physically.

"But to be able to finally play together on the same stage, that's really the most important part of our identity. It was exhilarating. We had each other. We could breathe together, move together, look at each other and just really share, experience and just create this atmosphere in which we make music.

"Before we rehearsed, I gave the A - the note the entire orchestra tunes to - for the first time since March, and my heart started beating faster because I realized this is happening. This is for real.

"The San Francisco Symphony and hall have been such a huge part of my life. It feels like home. I can close my eyes and visualize where everything is - the stage, the hallways. I can feel the touch of the elevator button that gets us to the stage. In some ways it's like I never left. It feels, on one hand, very normal.

"On the other hand, being back was incredible because we were finally able to do something that truly defines us, something we haven't been able to do with each other in over a year.

"Our reunion was very emotional, but we couldn't let it overcome us because then we couldn't play and do our jobs. But during our first break, everything really hit me. I realized when life can go on, music can go on. That's what this day meant to me." - as told to Patrice Peck

- - -

Amaiya Lockwood

Insurance

Schaumburg, Ill., returned to work on June 2

Lockwood is a senior coordinator in claims administration at Zurich North America's headquarters in Schaumburg, a northwest suburb of Chicago.

Zurich reopened its Schaumburg offices for staff on a voluntary basis June 1, limited to 20% capacity. Lockwood, 20, who started at Zurich in 2018 and is one of the company's youngest employees, returned the next day, after 15 months of working from home. Illinois fully reopened on June 11.

"I kind of always had in my mind that I want to go back the moment they allow us because there are a lot of distractions at home. I have two dogs, three cats, a bird and a turtle. I live in an apartment. It's just really noisy. It's hard for me to focus on certain things. I always have to get up because the dogs are being loud or a dog got sick or the dogs have to go out.

"And also, I was really over wearing just sweatpants and not getting dressed and ready for my day. I felt like if I can get up and get dressed and ready for my day, it helps my day get going a little better and faster. And it also helps wake me up.

"The first day back felt like the first day I started again. It felt so fresh. Everything was big to me again.

"I was actually really nervous for what I was going to wear the first day. I decided what I was going to wear the night before, which I never do. But I wanted to be prepared. I had black skinny jeans, a black blouse, and then I put on a pink blazer. And then tan flats. I just felt like the blazer looked very professional. I was really excited about that part. I had a pink mask to match my blazer.

"It was really important for me to look nice, especially because my co-workers haven't seen me in a long time. I don't want them to know I haven't been dressing as nice. At home, it was gray sweats, loose lounge shorts, a regular T-shirt that might have a bleach stain. So it's kind of like, "I'm back! I'm ready to work again here."

"Every day when we go into the office, we have this app called Virgin Pulse that we have to go on and do a health screening to make sure we don't have any symptoms of covid, that we haven't been exposed.

"Then we have this other application called AgilQuest where we can go on and reserve our workstation for the day. A mask can be worn in the office unless you are fully vaccinated. Right now, they're going more like on an honor system. I had the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the beginning of March. I did wear a mask that first day.

"Since everything's been opening up again, traffic has started to go back up, to almost how it was before covid. It was pretty much the normal seven minutes. When I first got there, I was able to park on the main level parking lot instead of going down a level because there were barely any cars; I was able to get a great parking spot.

"We have a tunnel that we go through to get to the main building from the parking garage, and I was nervous. My heart was racing a little bit. I was like, "Oh! I'm actually back here." I think it was mainly excitement, too.

"It was very interesting when I got to my floor on 4 West. Nobody was there. I was like, 'Where is everybody?' I expected more people to want to come in. It was just a little sad. There were only four people on my floor. It's a big floor. I do miss being able to turn around and talk to my co-worker. It was quiet. I had to stick to myself pretty much.

"I had heard little rumors and whispers [in March 2020] about everybody working from home. But I thought it was just going to be for a week, and then we'd go back. I didn't take any of my stuff out of my desk - I had notebooks, papers, copies of things, different assignments. I left what was on top of my desk. I had a succulent plant. The plant was no longer there. They probably threw it out. It was probably dried and got moldy or something.

"It was easier to let the dogs out more [while working from home]. And also to keep an eye on the cats to make sure they're not destroying anything. Because I'm so close to the office, I come home during my lunch to let the dogs out, play with them and make sure they have food, water. My dog, Reba, is very needy. She really likes to be next to me. She did seem a little lost when I came back for lunch.

"The first person I saw that I knew [in the office], I was going to get coffee. It was one of the apprentices. She was sitting there working, and I was just like, 'Oh, hey! I did not know you were here! I wasn't expecting to see you.' It was really nice. I haven't seen her in a really long time.

"The next thing I am really excited for, whenever they do choose to open, is the cafeteria. In the morning, they have the chef making breakfast sandwiches and fruit bars and bagels. In the afternoon, they have the salad bar and so many options you can add to your salad, which I really like. I'm just excited to go down there and get good food." - as told to Erin Chan Ding

- - -

Rory Trotter

Human resources

Louisville, returned to work on June 11

Trotter is director of total rewards and executive compensation for Brown-Forman, a wine and spirits company headquartered in Louisville, which owns well-known brands Jack Daniels and Finlandia.

Trotter joined the company in December 2019, shortly before the pandemic. His first day back was June 11, the same day Kentucky lifted all remaining covid restrictions in the state.

"Before the pandemic, I could have counted on one hand the number of times I worked remotely. Most of the time it was because I really needed to get something done but I was sick enough that going in would be a risk to others. Otherwise, I was always looking to come into the office.

"I've got mixed feelings on coming back. On the one hand, I'm really excited to get back to enjoying office culture - from seeing team members to being able to collaborate in person. On the other,I really like not having the hour of picking out clothes, getting ready and traveling in the morning.

"Because of the fact that I get an earlier start working from home and am pretty productive in the early morning, sometimes in the early afternoon I have time to just take a walk for 30 minutes.

"A couple people on my team said they were going to start to ease back into the office a couple days a week. I took a look at my schedule and saw that Friday was light enough that it was a really easy day to get back into the office and reacclimate.

"I did not expect there to be very many people there, but it was still interesting to come in and see just how quiet it was.

"The HQ overall has 800-plus people, but on my floor there are about 25 - of which I saw two others in addition to myself. I saw about 10 people altogether, but I didn't go to every floor. So I would guess that we were at about 10 percent capacity, based on my floor and the few other floors I was on.

"The last time that I'd been at the office and it was that quiet during a workday was probably in January 2020 when I was working late and everybody was gone.

"It may have been a little easier to concentrate because just being in the office creates more of a start and end time to the day. And there were fewer distractions than there might be at home.

"Though Brown-Forman strongly recommends that colleagues get vaccinated, they don't have a requirement that you get vaccinated. If you aren't vaccinated, there are masks and things like temperature checks to make sure you aren't exposed and you aren't exposing others.

"When you were coming up to somebody for the first time there was kind of this social decorum of wearing your mask until you talked to the person and found out both parties were vaccinated. Then it was okay to take it off. That was something I didn't expect. I don't think it's written down anywhere that that's what you do, but that's just kind of what everybody was going on.

"Some people I saw today I ordinarily would have just said, 'Hey, how are you doing?' and then we may have just kept going. Today, instead, it was a stop and a pause, and we had a conversation on it.

"There were some khakis that I was going to wear into the office this morning. But when I was picking out my clothes I realized they were a little tight so I went with something else instead. I don't know if anyone else had that. I'm going to try to hit the gym over the next few weeks and avoid having to buy anything new.

"Certain things that were working right before weren't working anymore. My keyboard and my mouse are both battery-powered devices, and I hadn't remembered to turn them off before I left. I'd been looking forward to using my large monitor setup, but I wasn't able to do that because those devices didn't work. I ended up working from my laptop the same way I had been working at home.

"I had not been driving much during the pandemic. I spent three months last winter where I didn't drive at all. In February I went to get in my car and realized the battery had died. So the car is just parked there in place. I took an Uber to work.

"If I go in two or three days next week and the number of people is similar to what it is today, I might wait until more people are back. If it's a really bustling office and more people start trickling back in, I can see myself coming in more days." - as told to Josh Wood

- - -

Colleen Caunitz

Sales

New York, returned to work on June 4

Caunitz is a key account specialist at the Beverage Works, which is the distributor for Red Bull energy drinks in New York and New Jersey. New York officially reopened on June 15, after achieving 70 percent vaccination rate. But Caunitz's first day back in the office was June 4 for a meeting.

"When I first received a message from work that we would be holding a meeting in the office, I checked to make sure I was reading it correctly.

"' Is this really going to be in person?'

"My colleague replied: '100%.' I sent back the clapping hands emoji.

"I wasn't nervous to go back into an office. I've lived in Manhattan for years now.

"The city was officially reopening. I'm fully vaccinated. I couldn't wait.

"I just wanted to see everybody. To me, interaction was normalcy.

"On June 4, I woke up at 4:30 a.m. I dressed business casual - and took a cab over the East River to Brooklyn. I got to work early. The meeting was at 6:30 a.m. because sales reps need to get out on their routes. I could tell everyone was still wondering what it would all be like. A lot of my co-workers showed up early, too.

"The morning started with our branch meeting at a conference room in our Brooklyn warehouse. There were about 30 of us in seats. Some people I had never met before, but I had spoken with them on the phone or exchanged emails. We hadn't been back in the same room since March 13, 2020.

"Everyone wore a mask. I didn't ask whether anyone was vaccinated; no one asked me. I was curious to see how we adjusted. Our general manager, branch manager and vice president spoke during an hour-long meeting. During the pandemic, they were all on our screens in a Webinar format. It was a consistent comfort.

"Now I could see people raising their hands, getting more interactive as we reviewed promotions and planned summer events. There was a familiar office feel.

"It was a special occasion. There were breakfast sandwiches for us afterward. As the day got going, there was a DJ in the parking lot for even more energy.

"I've been selling Red Bull for 20 years - from bodegas to corporate cafeterias - and my business is about maintaining relationships out in the field. So much of what we do is face to face, but I remember when everything shut down.

"One day we were planning additional displays for businesses along the St. Patrick's Day parade route, and the next we were hearing from college cafeteria managers that they were canceling samplings we scheduled with them.

"The corporate office closed; meetings and check-ins went virtual. It wasn't like we could just take the time off, though. Sales reps and drivers continued servicing accounts. We were always checking: Who is doing sales online? Is Red Bull being represented on the sites?

"We had to let the business owners know we're adapting with them.

"Even as we went back in to our workspace, we were talking about how others were approaching the reopening and watching the trends.

"Who is going back to work? What stores are they going to? Are they buying online? Who's hopping on planes? We wanted answers for all of that as we got together again for that collaborative office energy.

"We had our eye on where people were returning to work and when. I'm fully in the field, whether checking in with managers at JFK Airport or meeting with local store owners.

"Business is coming back. I see it in the streets. I heard it in the warehouse.

"When you work in sales, you're not always in the office day-to-day, but when I went back, I felt a good comfort level again, knowing there was a place to go, meet up with co-workers.

"I missed that. I sat there and thought, "How great is this?" Everybody needs to go back.

Sometimes you just need that place to get together." - as told to Kevin Armstrong

- - -

Matthew Slade

Security

Washington, D.C., returned to work on June 11

Slade is director of security at Echostage, a nightclub and concert venue with a 3,000-person capacity,where he has worked since 2012. Slade returned to work for the first time on June 11, the day D.C. lifted its final covid-19 restrictions. DJ Zedd was the headliner, and the club opened to a capacity crowd, with a masks-optional policy. Slade did not wear a mask, and neither did most of the customers.

"I'm so excited to be back just because with our industry being off for a year and a half, especially with us being the last phase to open. Some bars were able to open with limited capacity and stuff like that - but us, we had to wait to reopen, and I'm just excited to get back to work.

"The first two or three weeks it was cool because it was like, 'Oh, we have a vacation.' Then it was like, "Oh, it's months." Then it was like, "Oh, it's a year." Then you start seeing some of the people in this profession that are losing their jobs because clubs aren't reopening. A lot of bars and restaurants are closing, stuff like that. The hospitality industry took a huge hit. I feel bad for all of the people who don't have a job to go back to. I feel blessed that I am able to have a job and can come back to it and be surrounded by the people that I used to work with."

(Slade worked occasional private security shifts while the club was closed).

"After hearing the club would reopen at the same time as D.C., I immediately started getting my staffing together, seeing who was coming back, who wasn't coming back. Getting my sleep schedule back together and stuff like that. But I've been waiting for this. I've had a plan for the day that we were going to open back. I started going to sleep later at night, basically the hours that I'd be working here, adjusting that and waking up. I've done that for the past two and a half weeks, just getting ready - getting my mind and body ready, readjusting to the schedule.

"Just being back with my co-workers, being back in the environment with all of the customers and live music, live shows, the total package. It's a family. Our entire company is a family. Most of us have worked together a minimum of two years. It really is a family.

"It is work but it feels like having fun while you're at work which is always a great thing to have in your profession. It's almost like having a soundtrack to your working experience. You always have this nice music around. The crowd is always having such a great time and that makes you happy, feeding off their positive vibes.

"People basically came back, and it really didn't seem like anything had changed. It literally picked up where we left off. For the first couple of minutes, it was, I don't want to say shocking, but it was kind of interesting to see it picking right back up where it had left off.

"It was a great day, a great feeling to be back in that environment and see how happy everyone was - to see how excited they were to be back. We were lucky enough and blessed enough that our entire team [96 percent] pretty much came back, which also helped facilitate us not having any hiccups that other places faced. It was perfect.

"Seeing how comfortable everyone else was, it kind of just made it feel more comfortable. If everyone else was tense and kind of nervous then that would have me a little more tense and nervous about the situation.

"But everyone was just relaxed and calm and excited, and it literally felt like it did before a year and a half ago. It just helped us not be too stressed about anything and just ensure that they were having a good time just like we always try to make sure they're having a good time. It's good to be back. It felt really good." - as told to Sherri Williams
Sixteen years have passed since Andrea Yates drowned her five children in a bathtub in the Clear Lake home she shared with her husband Rusty Yates.

The tragic events of June 20, 2001 captivated and saddened the world, making headlines everywhere, with many mourning children that they never even knew.

FLASHBACK: 15 years ago the first Andrea Yates trial ends with a capital murder conviction

Yates called 911 that day, asking that Houston police come to her house. She didn't tell the dispatcher why.

In the years since, her name has reemerged, usually connected to similar cases of women stricken with postpartum depression killing or injuring their children, or when it's learned that she could be given certain privileges.

Story continues below...

Yates was sentenced to life in prison in 2002 after being convicted of capital murder for the drowning deaths of Noah, 7; John, 5; Paul, 3; Luke 2; and Mary, 6 months.

An appeals court granted Yates a new trial and a jury found her innocent by reason of insanity in 2006, sentencing her to a mental hospital.

The Yates children are all interred at Forest Park East Cemetery in Webster. Their final resting place is marked by an ornate monument featuring etchings of their faces.

RELATED: Years after Andrea Yates case, attitudes towards postpartum are changing

Yates, who turns 53 on July 2, currently resides in the Kerrville State Hospital, where she will likely stay for the rest of her life.

The tragic case propelled conversations about women's mental health, specifically postpartum depression and the more severe postpartum psychosis. Yates suffered from both.

She and her husband Rusty divorced in 2004 and he has since remarried and started a new family. According to her longtime attorney George Parnham, she spends her free time doing arts and crafts. Parnham, his wife and another friend of Yates' are the only visitors she currently receives.

In 2002, Parnham and his wife created the Yates Children Memorial Fund, to help bring awareness about postpartum depression to the Houston community. Since the fund's creation, over 600,000 brochures on postpartum illnesses have been handed out around the community.
LEXINGTON, Miss. (AP)  Two more young men have been charged with capital murder in the shooting death of a Gulf Coast man found dead on June 2 in central Mississippi.

Holmes County Sheriff Willie March tells local news outlets that 15-year-old Akarion Johnson of Attala County and 18-year-old Brock Banks Jr. of Durant have been arrested and both charged as adults.

They're the latest suspects arrested in the death of 26-year-old Kyle Craig of Ocean Springs. Morgan Craig, his sister, has said Craig drove to Holmes County to buy a four-wheeler he had seen listed for sale. Kyle Craig bought, repaired and sold all-terrain vehicles and may have been carrying a large amount of cash.

Arrested and charged with capital murder earlier were 17-year-old Parveion Harris, 20-year-old Montavious Landfair and 17-year-old Darius Erving.

It's unclear if any of the men have attorneys.

Craig stopped answering phone calls and his relatives drove north looking for him after reporting him missing. The relatives used Craig's cell phone to trace his location and found him dead on the side of a road, with multiple gunshot wounds, near the town of West.

March said the latest two suspects were turned in by their families.

On June 12, Erving escaped from a Lexington hospital after he complained that he was having trouble breathing while in custody. March said Ervings parents turned him in the following day.
ALBANY  Police Chief Eric Hawkins said he's withdrawn his name as a candidate for police chief in Akron, Ohio.

"While I appreciate the opportunity, my heart and commitment remains with the city of Albany," Hawkins wrote in a statement he released on Twitter.

"I look forward to continuing to work with this great community as we collaboratively enhance public safety and quality of life."

The mayor of Akron named Hawkins, Albanys police chief since September 2018, as one of four finalists to run the department in the city of nearly 200,000 located about 40 miles south of Cleveland.

In a news release sent earlier this month, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said the finalists included Hawkins as well as recently retired Philadelphia Deputy Commissioner Joseph P. Sullivan; Bellevue, Wash., police Chief Stephen L. Mylett; and Christopher A. Davis, deputy chief in Portland, Ore.

Horrigan put out a statement on Monday, saying the city had not made a final hiring decision and thanked Hawkins for participating in the search.

Asked in early June about his pursuit of the Akron job, Hawkins said through a police spokesman: I do not have an offer of employment from another law enforcement agency. I will continue to devote all of my time and energy to the City of Albany.

Mayor Kathy Sheehan said she was pleased with Hawkins' decision.

"I look forward to continuing to work alongside him, his command staff, and the members of the department to build upon the successes we have achieved together to enhance public safety, find and arrest violent individuals, and implement comprehensive policing reform," she said in a statement.

Hawkins' decision to end his candidacy for the Akron job comes as the Albany department loses its second deputy chief in two months. Deputy Chief Brian Hogan informed the chief Monday he would be retiring. Former Deputy Chief Edward Donohue filed for retirement on April 23, the day before police cleared protesters from an encampment outside South Station. Donohue's last day with the department was June 12.

In 2018, Sheehan appointed Hawkins, then 50, to lead the Albany force. Hawkins became the city's ninth police chief in 20 years. A few weeks into his tenure, when asked how long he planned to be around, Hawkins replied, "I'm here for the long haul. I'm committed to coming in here and doing a healthy term in Albany."

The next year, in a Times Union profile, Hawkins said: "I'm loving the experience. I'm loving the city of Albany. I'm looking forward to spending many, many years here."

Last week, Hawkins appeared in a virtual forum alongside the three other finalists to lead the Akron police

"I'm intrigued with the city of Akron because Akron is very similar to the cities (where) I've had the opportunity to serve as chief of police  progressive, diverse, multicultural, multi-ethnic  with elected officials who value and promote and indeed embrace these concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion," he said.

Hawkins said those imperatives were driving change in police departments amid a "devastating convergence of stressors that we're seeing in our urban areas," including an increase in violent crime, "degraded" relations between police and communities of color, and challenges in recruitment and retention of officers.

"I'm eager to see if my skill set is what the city of Akron is looking for," he said.

Less than four days later, Hawkins released his statement announcing his intention to remain in Albany.
In early 2020, when the coronavirus began making it difficult for many people around the world to breathe, hospitals became a central front against a disease that, more than a year later, has killed nearly 4 million human beings and counting.

At one hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif., a team of nurses and doctors were recruited for what became the Isolation Intensive Care Unit. Many volunteers at Providence Mission Hospital had come from cardiac and surgical intensive care units, where they deal with death and trauma each day.

Launched in March 2020, the isolation unit would come to be known as Tip of the Spear, a military term used to describe a group doing dangerous work. Many nurses who would spend countless hours with patients, helping them return to health or helping them say goodbye to family, got tattooed with spears, hash marks and a heart.

Today, those nurses speak of forming deep bonds and of the joy in helping some deathly sick patients survive. But they also cant forget horrific and heart-breaking experiences that are very much still with them, even months after the hospitals special unit shut down as cases in California dropped sharply.

With little knowledge of how to treat patients, and amid enormous personal risks, these nurses had leaped into the abyss. They will never be the same.

To capture the reality that the horrors of COVID-19 will be with us for years to come, even as many countries move beyond the pandemic, Associated Press photojournalist Jae C. Hong turned to an unusual form of photography not typically used in the context of reporting the news. He employed a special exposure technique in photographing 10 nurses in areas of the isolation unit, now empty.

First, Hong made pictures of each nurse. Then he asked them to step aside and shot images of the same background. By using a multiple exposure function, he made the images overlap. The result: pictures that create the feeling that the nurses are both there, in the photo, in the present  and also somewhere else.

Here are their pictures, and the experiences they are wrestling with to this day:

___

Anthony Wilkinson still thinks about those 30 hours  the ones when three patients died.

The first was a woman who had been on a ventilator for weeks. One day, her oxygen levels dropped sharply and an emergency team began CPR. One lung ruptured, so a doctor inserted a tube in it to begin removing the blood. Then the other lung collapsed. There was no saving her.

That day, the family of a second patient being cared for by Wilkinson decided to withdraw care. The person had been hanging on with the help of a ventilator and medicines.

You try to keep somebody alive, but their body is decomposing, says Wilkinson, 34.

Just when Wilkinsons team was bagging up the body of the second person who died, another patients bowel burst. The patient was in a Rotoprone bed, a cage-like, cylindrical structure that rotates patients to improve circulation. We had to open the cage and bang on his chest. His lungs were already so filled with pressure from the ventilator, Wilkinson says.

Hours later, the patient died.

Wilkinson says the ICU team and his wife, also a nurse, helped him get through days like that. It also helped that he became a father during the tough year, which allowed him to leave the ICU ward and go home and do dad stuff.

The memories, however, linger: I dont know if Ive unpacked a lot of the blood and all the stuff we did to save peoples lives.

___

During brutal days at the hospital, Christina Anderson and other nurses would scream or cry together, knowing that at home it would be hard for their families to understand what they were going through.

Still, there was no such thing as leaving their work at the hospital. The stress carried over to loved ones at home who were curious, worried, struggling to understand. Andersons 12-year-old would ask: Mommy, how many lives did you save today? Or: Mommy, how many people died today?

People died and people recovered. But most days, patients were somewhere between the living and the dead.

One of Andersons most vivid memories was when five patients were in RotoProne beds. They were in the bay, an open post-operative room that could be seen through the window of the anteroom, where nurses would put on personal protective equipment before going in.

Periodically the hospitals CEO would visit the wing. One day, Anderson asked him if he had seen the bay lately. He had not, so she took him to the anteroom to have a look.

Oh my God, she recalled him saying.

It hit me, she says, that what we were seeing and experiencing and how we were treating these incredibly sick patients was anything but normal.

___

Debbie Wooters, an ICU nurse for 15 years, vividly remembers a man who had just retired and made big plans with his wife. They had placed an offer on a house out of state. Theyd planned to travel.

Each day in the hospital, he got worse. Eventually, he was placed on a ventilator. He died a few days later.

Instead of looking forward to a new beginning, we were FaceTiming his wife so he could say goodbye and thank her for the lifetime of memories, Wooters says.

Learning they would be put on ventilators frightened many patients. And naturally so: There were numerous stories of people who had been intubated and never survived. Wooters remembers a patient who looked at me and said, through his gasping breath, I dont want to die.

I explained to him that he was in the best hands and we will fight like he was our own family, she says.

The ICU unit was isolating, not just for patients but for nurses as well. While keeping people alive was the main job, the nurses also needed to keep patients motivated or, when the chance of survival looked less likely, provide comfort.

There were countless patients that we sat with, talked to, and touched so they knew they werent alone while dying, Wooters says. And then there were the times they connected patients to families via their phones. The cries and devastation heard, she says, was unbearable.

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There were days Lisa Lampkin didnt eat, drink water or go to the bathroom during her shift. The reason: Going in and out of the isolation unit took time.

It wasnt just putting on and taking off gowns, gloves and masks, as with regular ICUs. It also required intense hand scrubbing and cleaning her air-purifying respirator, which resembled an astronaut helmet and had its own air system. Then she had to put it back on, scrub her hands again and climb back into the gown and the rest of her gear.

What was once a 30-second ordeal was now a two-minute ordeal, says Lampkin, a nurse for 20 years. And in nursing, minutes are valuable. We remained in the room for hours to allow our patients to have those precious minutes.

The extra time was needed to overcome communication barriers. Masks and shields muffled words, making it hard for nurses and patients to understand each other. It didnt help that the patients struggled to breathe, which made talking that much harder.

At the end of each day, Lampkin would weep with joy for making it through her shift without a wave of new patients, or weep with sorrow for all that her patients were enduring.

I would go home, try to sleep, she says. Then she would wake up to the reality of this pandemic again.

___

While Elisa Castorena remembers many patients who died, she prefers to focus on happy memories such as working with other nurses to bathe bed-ridden patients while listening to music and joking with them.

Sponge baths gave nurses a chance to assess patients skin, give their arms and legs some motion exercises and help relieve pressure points.

I think what I loved the most about bathing the patients was seeing them all fresh and clean and knowing they got much needed tender loving care, says Castorena, 40, who has two young children and is married to a police officer.

She also cherishes a memory of caring for a man in his 60s who came to the brink of death and survivedbecause he stayed positive. As his condition went from bad to worse over the course of several weeks, the man needed to be intubated, sedated and put in a RotoProne bed.

Slowly, he began to show improvement. He was given a feeding tube and a tracheostomy, eventually managing to speak a few words through a talking valve.

He told me he had faith in us and he knew if he stayed positive, he was going to make it out of the hospital alive, Castorena says.

Castorena gradually learned other things about him. For example, he owned a mechanic shop in San Clemente that her family had frequented for years. When she learned the mans son was a firefighter, she remembered that the mechanic shop had patches from many fire departments on the wall.

Months after he was released, Castorena visited the shop and her old patient. He still had some minor symptoms but had recovered enough to work. Castorena gave him a patch from her husbands police department to add to his wall.

___

As an ICU nurse the last five years, Jamie Corcoran got used to seeing death. She dealt with it by remaining detached.

With COVID-19, detachment wasnt possible.

Months after the special unit closed, Corcoran can still visualize a board in the COVID ward with the initials of each patient that the team lost.

I can remember every single name and face with their initials on that board, says Corcoran, 31. Every single one.

The death of a man in his 20s still haunts her. Sick at home for over a week before going to the hospital, once there the man began showing signs of organ failure.

One night, when Corcoran was helping the man get repositioned in bed, he told her he felt afraid. The man was clearly declining, but there was still hope he could improve. If anything, his youth was an advantage.

The next night, at the beginning of Corcorans shift, the man stopped breathing. He was put on a ventilator and given various drips to try to revive him. Nothing worked. Within a few hours, his pulse was gone and a code blue was called. A half hour of CPR and defibrillation were unsuccessful.

A co-worker said a brief prayer and the team began cleaning up. Shortly thereafter, the room was clean. It was, Corcoran says, as if nobody had been there.

But, she says, for many months after that, those of us that were in that room were left still trying to find the pieces of our hearts that were lost in that room.

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A few months ago, Nikki Grecco and other nurses commemorated the anniversary of the first death in the COVID ward.

Grecco vividly remembers the man and how he died. He was in his mid-60s, married with two daughters in their 20s. One day, Grecco sensed that something was wrong and called in a doctor. The man was showing signs of distress and a team frantically tried to stabilize him. It was too late; he was bleeding out internally and had lost his right lung and part of his left.

The mans wife was at his bedside when he died.

I have never felt so defeated as I did in that moment, Grecco says.

Grecco, 34 and the mother of two young children, says being married to a pulmonary nurse practitioner helps because he knows the stresses and rigors of ICU work.

Still, the memories rush back and can overwhelm. Sometimes the trigger can even be a moment on a TV medical drama like Greys Anatomy or The Good Doctor.

Their portrayal of what it was like in a COVID ICU is pretty close, says Grecco, adding that often she has to fast forward through a few episodes because some hit too close to home.

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Driving to work, Cathy Cullen sometimes tears up when thinking about what she and the other nurses endured.

Outside the hospital, Thank you statues put up early in the pandemic still stand. Seeing the display can unleash a flood of emotions, as can memories that fellow nurses share over text messages.

An ICU nurse for 31 years, Cullen has experienced a lot of death and heartache. Still, she doesnt know how to relate the experience of taking care of extremely ill patients to anything else.

The birth of my children and marriage aside, being a part of this team, this endeavor, and this pandemic is by far the greatest, worst, most rewarding, most painful thing I have ever done in my life, she says.

Many of her memories are of awful things, like the time her team lost three patients in a single day or walking by a refrigerated truck every morning and knowing that it full of bodies because the hospital morgue was full. But there were also the wins, and its those she tries to focus on.

One of Cullens earliest patients was a young woman in her 20s, the age of one of her own daughters. The young woman was terrified, particularly when her breathing became so labored that the only option was a ventilator.

Please dont let me die, Cullen remembers her saying.

The patients mom and her sisters would provide thumb drives with all kinds of music  hip hop, classical, classic rock, 80s dance beats. Even though the patient was sedated, the nurses would play the tunes and hold up a phone so family could look and her and speak over Facetime.

After several months and many close calls, the young woman made it.

She was one of the victories that we celebrated, Cullen says  literally jumping up and down in happiness.

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There is a scene that replays in Jill Shwams head each day: an 11-year-old boy screaming while his mother, in her early 40s, doesnt respond as doctors try to save her.

The woman had Type II diabetes but otherwise was healthy. After being very sick and on a ventilator, she recovered enough to start breathing on her own.

One day, while speaking on the phone with her son, the womans breathing became more labored than usual.

You need to say goodbye, Shwam remembers saying as the womans oxygen levels dropped sharply. The woman told her son: I hope this isnt the last time I talk to you. I have to go.

Within 20 minutes, the woman was back on a ventilator and began experiencing what nurses and doctors call a second storm of the disease. Her heart rate spiked, her blood pressure tanked, and assorted intravenous drips made no difference.

Within 24 hours it was clear that most likely the woman wouldnt survive, so her son was allowed to be by her bedside. As the woman coded and doctors and nurses worked frantically on her to no avail, her son wailed.

Shwam, 40, had seen a lot of trauma and death as a cardiac nurse, but this shook her to the core.

I think about her a lot, says Shwam, crying softly. I think about them a lot.

___

Verlin Frazier still remembers watching a woman walk between RotoProne beds to reach  and say goodbye to  her husband.

It was Spring 2020, just as COVID-19 started hitting California hard. The unit was full, and there were six people in the bay. Three of them were in RotoProne beds, including this man, a recently retired firefighter.

His body was shutting down. It was clear he would die before the night ended. Nurses had held his hand and rubbed his forehead. Now it was time for his wife to say goodbye. Watching her do that, after having walked between five of the sickest patients in the hospital, hit Frazier hard.

I remember biting my tongue and cheek, holding my breath, anything to prevent myself from bursting into tears, says Verlin, 34.

To make it worse, Verlin wasnt able to console the wife because just as she was saying her goodbyes, another patient in the bay began deteriorating and needed attention.

Within a few months, Verlin saw a pattern in many of the sickest patients, which still sticks with him. A patient would struggle to speak simple sentences to family members on the phone. In the background, nurses and respiratory therapist would frantically prepare for intubation.

Then, says Verlin, the familiar words: Stay strong, or They are going to take great care of you, or You are going to be home soon.

There was always an `I love you, which was where I usually had to pull the trigger in ending the phone call, he says, because they were deteriorating so fast that even talking was making it worse.

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Peter Prengaman is The Associated Press news director for the western United States. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/peterprengaman. Follow Los Angeles-based AP photographer Jae C. Hong on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jaethephotog
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A convicted murderer facing lethal injection in late July in Nevada wants a federal judge to at least delay his execution long enough to review the constitutionality of the never-before-used procedure and sequence of drugs that state prison officials plan to use.

In a plea for a stay of execution that could be issued Friday, a team of deputy federal public defenders representing Zane Michael Floyd asked U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware II to slow the case to allow adequate time to litigate for the first time in any court nationwide Nevadas novel execution protocol.

The public has an interest in assuring executions proceed humanely and constitutionally, they said.

One of Floyds defense attorneys, Brad Levenson, declined comment Monday about the 24-page court filing submitted on June 18. A spokeswoman for Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, representing prison officials, and the Clark County prosecutor handling the Floyd case also declined to comment.

Boulware indicated during previous hearings that he was willing to delay the execution sought by Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson to allow time to review the state Department of Corrections plan.

Floyd, 45, does not want to die. He was convicted in 2000 of killing four people and wounding a fifth in a shotgun attack at a Las Vegas grocery store in 1999. He also was convicted of raping a woman before the shooting.

His execution would be the first in Nevada since Daryl Macks lethal injection in 2006 for a 1988 rape and murder in Reno. Mack asked for his sentence to be carried out.

in 2017 and 2018, the lethal injection of twice-convicted murderer Scott Dozier, who also volunteered to die, was called off amid battles over the effects of three drugs and the procedure the state proposed to use. Dozier killed himself in prison in January 2019, after expressing frustration with delays.

Executions in Nevada must be by lethal injection. The state is one of several in the U.S. that have had trouble obtaining drugs and overcoming legal challenges to carry out sentences.

Prison officials made Floyd's execution manual public on June 10, three days after a state court judge said prosecutors in Las Vegas could aim for a date during the week beginning July 26.

An exact date would be set once a death warrant is issued July 9. The execution would be the first in Nevada in 15 years and would be carried out at the state prison in Ely.

The manual revealed the state would use three or four lethal drugs in what Floyds attorneys call a novel combination.

A three-drug procedure would start with the powerful opioid fentanyl, followed by the sedative ketamine and a heart-stopping salt, potassium chloride. A similar-acting drug, alfentanil, might be substituted for fentanyl and potassium acetate might substitute for potassium chloride depending on availability, the manual said.

In an alternate four-drug process, the muscle paralytic cisatracurium would be injected to stop the condemned mans ability to breathe before he is given the potassium chloride.

Randall Gilmer, the state attorney representing the Corrections Department, has told Boulware that Nevada does not plan to make public the source of drugs that would be used.

Only one of the six proposed drugs and alternates has an established (though contentious) history of use in executions, Floyds attorneys wrote in their plea for a stay, including the parenthetical note. The others have been used rarely, accidentally, or not at all.

The critical anesthetic, ketamine, has never been used before in an execution, they said, while potassium chloride and potassium acetate cause excruciating pain.

There is good reason to question the protocols constitutionality, the attorneys said. The public interest does not support an unconstitutional execution.

Floyd lost state and federal appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear claims including that his mothers use of alcohol while she was pregnant left him with a diminished mental capacity.

Levenson has said he intends to appeal again to the state Supreme Court to block Floyds execution date.

Floyd also is seeking clemency Sept. 21 from the state Board of Pardons, made up of the governor, seven state Supreme Court justices and state attorney general.
Spec. Austin Hawk's family knew he was counting the days until his military contract was up. So when an Army chaplain in a crisp dress uniform arrived at his grandmother's door in Southern California last June, she thought he was bringing some kind of farewell commendation.

The chaplain carried a different message. Hawk, 21, a soldier stationed in Georgia, had been killed, she was told - not in combat or in an accident, but stabbed to death in his own barracks room on Fort Stewart.

The alleged assailant, the family would later learn, was a former soldier from Hawk's platoon who had walked uncontested through an unmanned installation gate to carry out what prosecutors have said was a conspiracy to "silence" Hawk for reporting misconduct.

"I was devastated," Sandra Hodge, Hawk's grandmother, said in an interview. "It left a huge, huge hole in our lives. And I'll never get that filled."

That episode, a year ago this week, has heaped confusion on top of the family's grief: How could a soldier who was a witness to alleged crimes be killed on a military base by a man who walked in off the street?

The killing at Fort Stewart prompted a review of base security and the installation of an eight-foot fence and razor wire at the gate that the suspect allegedly entered, the Army said. The review uncovered two other perimeter security concerns that have been addressed, an official said. But the Army has not yet initiated an investigation of command decisions that may have disclosed Hawk's role as a witness to drug use in his unit or the security issues at the facility.

"I believe the Army is culpable in his murder," said his mother, Julie Hawk.

In a statement, the Army said it relies on numerous measures to protect its sprawling installations, including security personnel, electronic surveillance and natural terrain. Maj. Gen. Antonio Aguto, the commander of the Third Infantry Division, based at Fort Stewart, oversees "continuous" security evaluations.

"At the time the suspect allegedly trespassed onto Fort Stewart, the installation was in compliance with regulations and policies concerning the installation's physical security measures," Lt. Col. Lindsey Elder, a division spokeswoman, said in the statement.

Hawk, who grew up in California and Arizona, joined the Army in July 2017, and a welcome change came over him, his family said.

"The Army made him a man. It made him more focused, more determined," Julie Hawk said.

Austin Hawk was a model soldier and well-liked in the 92nd Chemical Company, where his unit was trained to handle hazardous-material threats on the battlefield, Army officials have said.

In a Facebook post two days after Hawk's death, a soldier who served with him recounted a field exercise punctuated by the early-morning news of his own son's birth. Hawk calmed his comrade, carried his heavy rucksack and searched for a way to get him home quickly.

"That's the type of guy Hawk was," the soldier wrote. "He would put the needs of others before his own."

Hawk was taking online college courses in his off-duty time and planned to move back to Arizona after his Army contract finished at the end of 2020. He and two friends, who bonded in high school over complicated family issues, planned to finish electrical engineering degrees and dreamed of co-founding a tech company, said Bryce Armstrong, part of the trio they called "the bois." He eagerly awaited Hawk's arrival out West.

"We decided to make our own family," Armstrong said. "Three brothers against the world."

The alleged conspiracy to "silence" Hawk, prosecutors wrote, began after he reported alleged misconduct by two other soldiers in his platoon. Byron Booker, 28, a noncommissioned officer, was accused of unprofessional behavior and mistreating subordinates. Hawk also accused Jordan Brown, a 21-year-old private, of drug use.

Hawk saw things in black and white, said his father, Andrew Hawk. "Unfortunately, that is what got him killed."

This description of events leading to Hawk's death on June 17, 2020, is drawn from court and autopsy documents; interviews with Hawk's friends; and details from two people with knowledge of an April phone call among Army officials, a federal prosecutor and Julie Hawk. Attorneys for Booker and Brown and a federal prosecutor declined to comment, citing ongoing legal proceedings.

Booker was kicked out of the Army weeks before the killing. Brown remained in the Army, and prosecutors allege that he had discussed plans to get a key card to Hawk's barracks room.

On the evening before his death, Hawk played the online video game "Call of Duty" with Brent Grijalva, the third member of "the bois," Grijalva said. Nothing was out of the ordinary. They exchanged goodbyes after some digital matches.

A few hours later, around midnight, Booker parked his car on the western edge of Fort Stewart near Gate 7, one of numerous access points at the installation that was unmanned during the night, according to the indictment and Army officials.

The gate, which allows authorized soldiers and civilians to drive onto the base, was designed to restrict the flow of vehicles with a movable barrier that a pedestrian could easily sidestep - a possibility apparently overlooked by those responsible for security at the base but allegedly exploited by Booker.

"We did not assess that folks would walk through there," Col. Alric Francis, who previously commanded Hawk's brigade, said on the April call. "I think if you walk around it, you're in."

Booker continued on for about a mile to the barracks, climbed a stairwell and entered Room 208, according to the indictment.

It is unclear if Hawk answered the door or if his assailant used a key card to enter, according to court records. Hawk was stabbed 40 times, including strikes through his lungs and brain, an autopsy later concluded.

Booker left Fort Stewart on foot, presumably through the same gate, and discarded the clothes he had worn, according to the indictment. He was arrested the next day. Brown, who was kicked out of the Army in October, was arrested after a grand jury indictment in April.

Both men face numerous capital felony charges in federal court, including premeditated murder, murder of a service member and retaliation against a witness, prosecutors said.

The Army has not launched formal investigations to assess whether commanders should be held accountable for Hawk's death. Civilian law enforcement officials asked the Army to hold off investigating how Hawk's identity as a witness was disclosed until prosecutors get further along in their case, an Army official at Fort Stewart said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing case.

The Army is "committed to . . . taking action against what we learn from law enforcement," the official said.

The military may also look at potential command failures that made Gate 7 exploitable, but there were no issues at the gate identified in a 2018 installation vulnerability assessment, according to the official.

"It's puzzling they would point to a review done prior to the incident that shows it was fine," said Rachel VanLandingham, president of the National Institute of Military Justice. "Obviously, it's not fine."

Hawk's family has commended the Army for providing assistance through a military liaison and praised some leaders for their outreach. But answers to basic questions have been elusive. "As far as information, it's been zero," Andrew Hawk said.

Julie Hawk has taken a more critical approach. Her other son requires extensive medical care, and she envisioned Austin helping with family duties when he returned. Now she has turned to online donations to help defray costs.

Her home has been beset by form letters from lawmakers and Army officials describing Hawk as a hero, she said, a word that angers her.

"My son wasn't a hero," she said. "My son went to bed with every intention of waking up."
KANAZAWA, Japan - Kazuya Ohata had problems sleeping and had voluntarily checked into a psychiatric ward on several occasions after being diagnosed with schizophrenia. But a 2016 visit, at the age of 40, proved to be his last.

Eight days after being admitted, he was tied to his bed. Six days later, after being released from the restraint, he died.

His parents, father Masahiro, 70, and mother Sumiko, 68, said they tried to visit their son at the hospital at least seven times, but were turned away. They were never informed, they say, that he had been restrained. Then, two weeks after their son had been admitted, they received a phone call to say he had died.

"Our greatest regret is that we couldn't see him," said Masahiro, speaking at the family home in the city of Kanazawa, about 180 miles northwest of Tokyo."If we had seen him, we would have realized what had happened and taken him home before anything happened."

Japan has a huge psychiatric industry that has long operated outside public scrutiny. But tales of prolonged confinement, overreliance on physical restraint and cruel treatment are coming to light as former patients and relatives come forward to sue for damages.

"The psychiatric industry has a lot of power in Japan," said Toshio Hasegawa, a professor of psychiatry at Kyorin University and the author of a new study on the prevalence of physical restraint in psychiatric wards in Japan and three othercountries. "But we are finally at a stage where people can speak openly about this."

- - -

Hasegawa's study, the first of its kind, was published in the Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences journal. It found that Japanese psychiatric patients are nearly 270 times as likely to be physically restrained as American patients, 600 times as likely as Australians and 3,200 times as likely as New Zealanders.

As many countries moved toward community-based mental health care and use of new therapies in recent decades, Japan went the opposite direction, Hasekawa said. Japan engaged in a massive expansion of hospital beds for psychiatric patients, which then need to be filled to keep hospitals profitable.

A shortage of trained medical staff also leaves hospitals depending more on tying patients down in their beds, bound at their waist, wrists and ankles, even if they pose no risk to themselves or other people, Hasegawa said.

Immobile for days on end, they risk deep-vein thromboses, a condition sometimes known as "economy-class syndrome" because it can affect passengers on long-haul flights.

In a country that has long struggled with high rates of suicide, as well as widespread taboos about mental health, the findings paint a bleak picture for psychiatric patients in Japan. It is no surprise that many feel they have nowhere to turn.

Japan's mental health system came to international attention in 2017 when an English teacher from New Zealand suffering from bipolar disorder died after being tied to a bed in Japan for 10 days. The Yomiuri newspaper has recorded 47 deaths caused by physical restraint in Japan in the past four years alone.

Hasegawa said his research into 11 hospitals in Japan showed that patients who were tied to their beds were left there for an average of 96 days; a Health Ministry study found that one man had been in restraints for more than 15 years.

- - -

In the case of Ohata, the patient with schizophrenia, the hospital initially said he died of heart failure. His parents commissioned a separate autopsy that showed he had suffered a deep-vein thrombosis after being tightly bound.

In a landmark ruling in 2020, Nagoya's High Court awarded the family 35.2 million yen ($320,000) in damages, concluding that the restraint was "illegal." It is the first time a Japanese court has issued such a ruling, and the hospital, with the support of the Japan Psychiatric Hospitals Association (JPHA), is contesting the decision.

The JPHA's chairman, Manabu Yamazaki, said he believes physical restraint is being appropriately applied in most cases, arguing that most problems occurred in about 300 of the hospitals that don't belong to the association. He said he worries that a victory for the Ohata family could lead hospitals to reject certain patients for fear of court action.

"We think that in the long run, that's more dangerous," he said.

In 2016, Japan had more than 334,000 psychiatric beds, according to statistics from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. That's one-fifth of the world total, and five times as many as the United States in a country with considerably less than half the population. The JPHA's Yamazaki says Japan's definition of a psychiatric bed is broader than in other countries.

Powerful doctors make decisions about patients that families find hard to counter, and once a person is hospitalized, it is often hard to get them out.

- - -

Tokio Ito knows just how hard it can be to escape once inside a psychiatric hospital. He spent about 45 years locked away, despite feeling healthy, and was released only by a lucky twist of fate. Now he is suing the government for robbing him of his life.

Ito said that his mother died when he was young, and that his stepmother never accepted him. As a teenager, he started to experience delusions that he was related to Japan's imperial family.

At 16, he was locked away in a psychiatric hospital in Tokyo. He was given frequent injections that would knock him out, he said, and staff gave patients electric shocks as a form of punishment on the slightest excuse.

Twice, he tried running away, but was recaptured.

After five years, he was transferred to a hospital in Japan's northeastern Fukushima prefecture. There was no counseling, but his medications were gradually reduced and, in his early 20s, he felt ready to rejoin the outside world.

"At first, I asked about being discharged, but soon realized it was impossible and gave up trying," he said. Ito was to spend the next four decades behind the hospital's walls.

Ito's situation changed only because of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the Japanese coast in 2011 and destroyed his hospital.

He was transferred to another hospital, and the doctors finally let him go free. At the age of 61, he encountered a different world.

"When I got out, I was completely lost," he said. "I had never seen or used an ATM, I didn't know how to buy a train ticket, and had never even used a cellphone."

Ito had been almost completely isolated during his confinement, visited only by his father once a year. He found out his father had died only two years after the funeral, when his stepmother and stepbrother visited him for the first time.

"After I was institutionalized, she was always opposed to me getting me discharged," he said. "But there is no point in getting angry with my family."

Ito said life inside was "beyond loneliness." The only thing that kept him going was drawing and painting every day, he said. His biggest regret was never having the chance to get married and have a family of his own.

"The hospital was all about money," he said. "For every patient that was there, the hospital received 5 million yen [$45,000] a year from the government. I know the case of a homeless man who was brought there and ended up being kept for 46 years. "

Ito has demanded 33 million yen ($300,000) in damages from the government for alleged policy failures, but the main aim of his lawsuit is to free many other people he says are unjustly stuck inside institutions.

"I want them to return to society just like I have."

- - -

In the United States, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 800-273-8255 or over chat. In Japan, the Health Ministry website has contacts for people to find support by phone or online.

- - -

The Washington Post's Julia Mio Inuma contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The White House said Monday it views the Senate's work on an elections bill overhaul and changes being offered by Sen. Joe Manchin as a step forward," even though the Democrats' priority legislation is expected to be blocked by a Republican filibuster.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the revisions proposed by Manchin are a compromise, another step as Democrats work to shore up voting access and what President Joe Biden sees as a fight of his presidency.

The presidents effort to continue that fight doesnt stop tomorrow at all, Psaki said.

The Senate is preparing for a showdown Tuesday, a test vote of the For the People Act, a sweeping elections bill that would be the largest overhaul of U.S. voting procedures in a generation. A top priority for Democrats seeking to ensure access to the polls and mail in ballots made popular during the pandemic, it is a opposed by Republicans as a federal overreach into state systems.

Manchin had been the sole holdout among Democrats in the Senate, declining to back his party's bill. But late last week the West Virginian aired a list of proposed changes that are being well received by his party, and a nod from the White House will give them currency. He has suggested adding a national voter ID requirement, which has been popular among Republicans, and dropping other measures from the bill like its proposed public financing of campaigns.

Among voting rights advocates, one key voice, Democrat Stacey Abrams, has said she could support Manchins proposal.

Ahead of Tuesday's vote, it is clear Democrats in the split 50-50 Senate will be unable to open debate, blocked by a filibuster by Republicans. In the Senate, it takes 60 votes to overcome the filibuster, and without any Republican support, the Democrats cannot move forward.

Will the Republicans let us debate it? said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as he opened the chamber Monday. We're about to find out."

The Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, has said no Republican will support the bill, calling the legislation a partisan power grab that would erode local control of elections.

While some Democrats want to change the filibuster rules to push the elections bill through, Manchin and other senators are opposed to taking that next move. Psaki said the administrations hope is that the chambers 50 Democrats are aligned and that an unsuccessful vote will prompt the search for a new path.

The White House didn't give its full support to the Manchin alternative. But Biden met with Manchin on Monday at the White House and offered his sincere appreciation for the senator's efforts, a White House official said. The president also emphasized how important it is for the Senate to find a path forward on voting rights reforms.

The sweeping voting reform bill is taking on fresh urgency as former President Donald Trump continues to challenge the outcome of the 2020 election, and is urging on Republican-led states that are imposing new voting rules in the states.

State officials who certified the results of the 2020 election have dismissed Trump's false claims of voter fraud, and judges across the country who have dismissed multiple lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies. Trumps own attorney general said at the time there was no evidence of widespread fraud that would change the outcome.

The changes being put in place in many of the Republican states are being decried by voting rights advocates who argue the restrictions will make it more difficult for people to cast ballots, particularly minority residents in cities who tend to support Democrats.

As the Senate action churns, more changes could be coming to the bill.

Democrats want to add protections against intimidation at the polls and during the vote-counting process in the aftermath of the 2020 election. They propose enhancing penalties for those who would threaten or intimidate election workers and creating a buffer zone between election workers and poll watchers, among other possible changes.

Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., a lead sponsor of the bill, said the effort underway is to "respond to the growing threat of election subversion in GOP-led states across the country."

Democrats also want to limit the ability of state officials to remove a local election official without cause. Georgia Republicans passed a state law earlier this year that gives the GOP-dominated legislature greater influence over a state board that regulates elections and empowers it to remove local election officials deemed to be underperforming.

"The dangers of the voter suppression efforts were seeing in Georgia and across the nation are not theoretical, and we cant allow power-hungry state actors to squeeze the people out of their own democracy by overruling the decisions of local election officials, said Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who is working to advance the proposal in the Senate.

___

Cassidy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writer Alexandra Jaffe in Washington contributed to this report.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Irans president-elect staked out a hard-line position Monday in his first remarks since his landslide election victory, rejecting the possibility of meeting with President Joe Biden or negotiating Tehrans ballistic missile program and support of regional militias.

The comments by Ebrahim Raisi offered a blunt preview of how Iran might deal with the wider world in the next four years as it enters a new stage in negotiations to resurrect its now-tattered 2015 nuclear deal with global powers.

The news conference in Tehran also marked the first time the judiciary chief found himself confronted on live television about his role in the 1988 mass execution of political prisoners at the end of the Iran-Iraq war. Raisi offered no specific response to that dark chapter in Iranian history, but appeared confident and defiant as he described himself as a defender of human rights.

Behind a sea of microphones, mostly from media in Iran and countries home to Tehran-backed militias, Raisi took questions ranging from his views on the nuclear talks to relations with regional rival Saudi Arabia. He appeared nervous at the start of the hourlong session but grew increasingly at ease as he returned to vague campaign themes of promoting Iran's economic self-sufficiency and combating corruption.

The 60-year-old cleric, a protege of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, swept nearly 62% of the 28.9 million votes in Friday's presidential election, which saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic's history. Millions of Iranians stayed home in defiance of a vote they saw as tipped in Raisis favor after a panel under Khamenei disqualified prominent reformist candidates and allies of relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani. Tehran province had a staggeringly low 34% turnout, roughly half of previous years, with many polling stations noticeably deserted.

Concerning the talks over Iran's nuclear deal, Raisi promised to salvage the accord to secure relief from U.S. sanctions that have devastated the Iranian economy. But he ruled out any limits to Iran's missile capabilities and support for regional militias  among other issues viewed by Washington as shortcomings of the landmark deal that the Biden administration wants addressed.

It's nonnegotiable, Raisi said of Iran's ballistic missile program, adding that the U.S. is obliged to lift all oppressive sanctions against Iran."

Tehrans fleet of attack aircraft largely dates back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, forcing Iran to instead invest in missiles as a hedge against its regional Arab neighbors, which have bought billions of dollars in American military hardware over the years. Those missiles, with a self-imposed range limit of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles), can reach across the Mideast and U.S. military bases in the region.

Iran also supports militant groups like Yemen's Houthi rebels and Lebanon's Hezbollah to bolster its influence and counter its regional foes.

When asked about a possible meeting with Biden, Raisi curtly answered: No. He frowned and stared ahead, without elaborating. His moderate competitor in the election, Abdolnasser Hemmati, had suggested during campaigning that he might be willing to meet Biden.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday the U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with Iran or any plans to meet at the leader level, so its unclear that anything has actually changed on that front.

She added that Biden views Iran's decision leader is the supreme leader. That was the case before the election; its the case today; it will be the case probably moving forward.

Raisi will become the first serving Iranian president sanctioned by the U.S. government even before entering office, in part over his time as the head of Irans internationally criticized judiciary  a situation that could complicate state visits and speeches at international forums such as the United Nations.

Raisis election vaults hard-liners to top posts across the government as negotiations grind on in Vienna to try to rescue Tehran's nuclear deal, which lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its atomic program.

In 2018, then-U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the agreement, setting off months of spiraling tensions across the Middle East.

Trump's decision has, over time, seen Iran abandon every limitation on enrichment. Tehran is now enriching uranium to 60%, its highest level ever, though still short of weapons-grade 90%. Diplomats from parties to the deal returned to their capitals for consultations following the latest round of negotiations Sunday.

With the collapse of the deal, Rouhani and his fellow moderates watched their popularity plummet. Now, the ascendancy of a hard-liner hostile to the West has stoked concerns about the future of the accord and regional stability.

But in his remarks Monday, Raisi emphasized the deal's importance, describing sanctions relief as central to our foreign policy and exhorting the U.S. to return and implement your commitments."

On Sunday, months after Iranian officials warned that U.S. sanctions were hampering their ability to procure parts for Irans sole nuclear plant at Bushehr, the facility underwent an unexplained emergency shutdown.

Whether Iran and the U.S. will be able to move beyond the deal to discuss further thorny issues remains in question, however.

No matter the timing, a U.S.-Iran agreement in Vienna leaves unanswered whether the United States can achieve a broader rapprochement with an Iran led by an avowed proponent of the core tenets of Irans Islamic Revolution, the New York-based Soufan Center said in an analysis.

On Saudi Arabia, which has recently started secret talks with Iran in Baghdad over several points of contention, Raisi said that Iran would have no problem with a possible reopening of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and that the restoration of relations faces no barrier. The embassy shut down in 2016 as relations deteriorated.

Raisi displayed defiance when asked about the 1988 executions, which saw sham retrials of political prisoners, militants and others that would become known as death commissions.

After Irans then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini accepted a U.N.-brokered cease-fire, members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, heavily armed by Saddam Hussein, stormed across the Iranian border from Iraq in a surprise attack. Iran blunted their assault.

The trials began around that time, with defendants asked to identify themselves. Those who responded mujahedeen were sent to their deaths, while others were questioned about their willingness to clear minefields for the army of the Islamic Republic, according to a 1990 Amnesty International report. International rights groups estimate that as many as 5,000 people were executed. Raisi served on the commissions.

On Monday, there was no somber tone.

I am proud of being a defender of human rights and of people's security and comfort as a prosecutor wherever I was, Raisi said.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israels new foreign minister will head to the United Arab Emirates next week for the first known visit by a top Israeli diplomat to the Gulf Arab country, the ministry said Monday.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapids trip comes after the two countries normalized relations last year in an agreement brokered by the Trump administration, the first of four similar deals with Arab states that had long shunned Israel over its conflict with the Palestinians.

Both Israel's new government and the Biden administration have said they hope to reach similar accords with other Arab states. Israel and the UAE have meanwhile continued working to deepen ties despite last month's Gaza war.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Lapid will visit the UAE June 29-30, and will inaugurate an Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate in Dubai.

Ties between Israel and the UAE are an important relationship, the fruits of which will be enjoyed not only by the citizens of the two countries, but by the entire Middle East, it said in a statement.

Lapid was the driving force behind a new Israeli government sworn in just over a week ago that ended Benjamin Netanyahu's record 12-year run as prime minister. Netanyahu and Trump had held up the agreements with the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco as among their biggest achievements.

Israelis have flocked to the UAE since the agreement was reached to enjoy futuristic Dubai. The UAE is a major global travel hub, and normalization has made it much easier for Israelis to travel further afield. The two countries have also signed a raft of agreements to cooperate in commerce, technology and other fields.

Israel's i24NEWS announced Monday that it has secured a broadcast license to operate in the UAE and will open its own bureau in Dubai Media City. The 24-hour channel, which aims to cover international news from an Israeli perspective, is already carried by the UAE's Etisalat and du cable providers.

Shortly after the Israel-UAE accord was reached, the Trump administration authorized the sale of 50 advanced F-35 fighter jets to the UAE, which would make it only the second country in the Middle East, after Israel, to acquire them.

The Biden administration put that agreement on hold in January after it drew fierce criticism from Democrats in Congress, who argued that the sale had unfolded too quickly and without sufficient transparency. But in April, the administration decided to proceed with the $23 billion arms sale, saying it would work with the UAE to ensure adherence to human rights standards and the laws of war.

The Palestinians strongly criticized the normalization agreements because they broke down a longstanding Arab consensus that recognition of Israel should only be granted in return for concessions in the peace process, which has been moribund for more than a decade.

Even before the normalization agreements, Gulf Arab countries had been quietly cultivating closer ties with Israel over their shared concerns about Iran. Senior Israeli officials reportedly paid secret visits to the UAE and other Arab countries in the years before ties were normalized.
SPARTA, Wis. (AP)  A man accused of attacking three people with an ax in western Wisconsin earlier this month was charged Monday with five counts, including first-degree intentional homicide in the death of his grandmother's husband.

Thomas Aspseter, 36, of Sparta, is charged in the death of 87-year-old Bernard Waite. Michael Waite, 76, and Margaret Waite, 73, both of Exeland, were injured in the June 6 attack. Michael Waite remains hospitalized from his injuries, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

A.R. Siders, University of Delaware and Katharine Mach, University of Miami

(THE CONVERSATION) Junes record-breaking heat wave left more than 40 million Americans sweltering in temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Some places reached 120 F, and energy grids were struggling to keep people cool. More than half the Western U.S. is now in extreme or exceptional drought, wildfires are already menacing homes, and hurricane season is off to another busy start.

This is what climate change looks like, and communities need to be prepared.

Sometimes small adaptations can help reduce the heat or minimize the damage. But when the risks get too high, one strategy that has to be considered is managed retreat  the purposeful movement of people, buildings and other infrastructure away from highly hazardous places.

Managed retreat is controversial, particularly in the United States, but it isnt just about moving  its about adapting to change and building communities that are safer, addressing long-overlooked needs and incorporating new technologies and thoughtful design for living and working in todays world.

We argue in a new special issue of the journal Science that managed retreat is an opportunity to preserve the essential while redesigning high-risk areas in ways that are better for everyone.

What managed retreat can look like

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Oliver P. Smith famously said of a retreat he led during the Korean War: Retreat! Hell! Were just advancing in a different direction. Like Gen. Smiths maneuver, retreat from climate change-related hazards, at its core, is about choosing a new direction.

Managed retreat could involve turning streets into canals in coastal cities. It could mean purchasing and demolishing flood-prone properties to create open spaces for stormwater parks that absorb heavy rains or retention ponds and pumping stations.

In some cases, managed retreat may involve building denser, more affordable housing thats designed to stay cool, while leaving open spaces for recreation or agriculture that can also reduce heat and absorb stormwater when needed.

Managing retreat well is challenging. It affects numerous people  the residents who relocate, their neighbors who remain, and the communities where they move  and each may be affected differently. Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin, relocated its flood-prone business district in the late 1970s and used the opportunity to heat the new buildings with solar energy, earning the nickname Solar Village. The move reinvigorated the local economy, yet while the project is hailed as a success, some residents still miss the old town. For managed retreat to be a viable strategy, relocation plans must not only help people move to safer ground but also meet their needs. This may involve a wide range of social issues, including cultural practices, affordable housing, building codes, land use, jobs, transportation and utilities.

Since high-risk areas are often home to low-income communities and Black, Indigenous and other communities of color, addressing climate risk in these areas may also require addressing a national legacy of racism, segregation and disinvestment that has put these communities at risk and left many with few choices to address floods, fires and other hazards.

At its simplest, managed retreat can be a lifeline for families who are tired of the emotional and financial stress of rebuilding after floods or fires, but who cannot afford to sell their home at a loss or dont want to sell and put another family at risk.

Talking about managed retreat

Even if an individual or community decides not to retreat, thinking critically and talking openly about managed retreat can help people understand why remaining in place is important, and what risks they are willing to face in order to stay.

The losses involved in moving can be obvious, including cost, but there are losses to staying in place, too: physical risk of future hazards, increased emotional and financial stress, potential loss of community if some residents or businesses leave to find safer ground, pain from watching the environment change and lost opportunities to improve.

If people can articulate why it is important to remain in place, they can make better plans.

Maybe it is important to stay because a building is historic and people want to protect that history. That opens up creative conversations about the ways people have preserved risk-prone historic buildings and sites. And it invites others to help document that heritage and educate the community, perhaps though oral histories, video records or 3D models.

Maybe it is important for owners to stay because the land has been in the family for generations. That could kick-start conversations with the next generation about their goals for the land, which may include preservation but may also include changes.

Maybe a deep, emotional attachment to a community or home could make a person want to stay. Conversations could focus on moving nearby  to a new house thats safer but still part of the community  or physically relocating the house to a safer place. It could also mean finding strategies, like life estates, that allow people to stay in their home as long as they want, but that would prevent a new family from moving in and putting their kids at risk.

If staying seems important because the local economy depends on the beach, that could start a conversation about why moving back from the beach can be the best way to save the beach and its ecosystem, to prevent walls from narrowing it and to maintain public access without homes on stilts hovering over the tide.

Thinking carefully about what parts of our lives and communities should stay the same opens space to think creatively about what parts should or could change.

[Understand new developments in science, health and technology, each week. Subscribe to The Conversations science newsletter.]

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/managed-retreat-done-right-can-reinvent-cities-so-theyre-better-for-everyone-and-avoid-harm-from-flooding-heat-and-fires-163052.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  After a session marked early on by talk of possible tax increases, the Minnesota Legislature was on track Monday to hand out serious tax relief to unemployed workers and businesses.

The final tax bill agreed to by lawmakers last week features nearly $1 billion in tax cuts over the next four years, including about $650 million in tax relief on federal Paycheck Protection Program loans received by businesses and up to $10,200 in unemployment insurance benefits received by people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

Many have suffered as they have come through the pandemic," said Republican taxes committee chair Sen. Carla Nelson, of Rochester. "It's important that we empower Minnesotans and spark economic growth, and that's what this tax bill does, and that's why I think it came together.

Its a vastly different outcome than might have been expected early this year, when a push for nearly $1 billion in tax hikes on wealthy Minnesotans and corporations sought by House Democrats and Gov. Tim Walz was mostly wiped away by an unexpected budget surplus plus billions in aid from the federal government. Senate Republicans pledged not to agree to any tax increases at the start of the legislative session in January.

Beth Kadoun, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce's vice president of tax and fiscal policy, said the federal loans were a lifeline to businesses that used the loans to pay employee salaries while being closed due to the pandemic. The provision to make the loans tax-free, as Congress did last year, prevents further strife to struggling businesses, she said.

When they took those loans it was with the understanding that there wasn't going to be taxes on it, so that really caught a lot of businesses off-guard when they found out it might not be taxable at the federal level but in the state of Minnesota you might have to pay a tax on it, she said.

While about 85% of the package deals with pandemic relief, other provisions include $20 million that would go to local governments for youth homelessness prevention, an extension of the working family tax credit to include 19- and 20-year-olds, and an affordable housing tax credit for workforce housing, single-family homes and communities under 5,000 residents.

Nelson said the legislation was good to go after she and House taxes committee chair Rep. Paul Marquart met with Walz and finalized the details of the bill. Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman, of Brooklyn Park, said last week that the tax bill would likely be the last bill to pass off the House floor as a means of leverage in budget negotiations with the Republican Senate.

Lawmakers convened for a special legislative session last week to finalize the budget after Walz, Hortman and GOP Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, of East Gull Lake, agreed on broad targets for the two-year, $52 billion budget at the end of the regular session last month. Failure by the governor and legislators to agree on a budget by July 1 will result in at least a partial state government shutdown.

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Mohamed Ibrahim is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
ELKINS, W.Va. (AP)  A West Virginia postal carrier who pleaded guilty to altering mail-in requests for absentee voter ballots was sentenced to five years probation Monday.

Thomas Cooper was charged in May 2020 after eight mail-in requests for absentee voter ballots had their party affiliations altered. He pleaded guilty last July.

Cooper, 48, of Dry Fork, held a postal contract to pick up mail in the three towns in which the voters live and delivered the forms in April 2020 to the Pendleton County clerk, according to a federal affidavit.

An investigation by the secretary of states office found five of the ballot requests were changed from Democrat to Republican with a black ink pen, the affidavit said.

Bennie Cogar, a state attorney generals office investigator who conducted the probe on behalf of the secretary of states office, said in the affidavit that the Pendleton County clerk called some of the voters after receiving the requests because she knew they were not Republicans. The clerk then contacted the secretary of states office to report the alterations.

On the other three requests, the voters party was not changed. However, in addition to the Republican box originally checked in blue ink, the word Republican was later circled in black ink, the affidavit said.

Cooper admitted in an interview with Cogar and a postal inspector that he changed some of the requests he picked up from the Onega post office from Democrat to Republican.

According to the affidavit, when he was then asked about the other requests, Cooper said, Im not saying no, but if the requests were picked up along his postal route, I would take the blame. Cooper was then asked if he was just being silly and he replied he did it as a joke and that he didnt know those voters.

Cooper was sentenced in federal court in Elkins for attempted election fraud and injury to the mail.

State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Cooper's conviction and sentencing "should serve as a strong warning to anyone else who feels tempted to commit election fraud.

Absentee ballot rules were relaxed last year to make voting easier and safer during the coronavirus pandemic. Absentee ballot applications were mailed to all registered voters in West Virginia to encourage mail-in voting for the June 2020 primary election. For the November general election, all state voters were allowed to fill out an absentee ballot application online.
BERLIN (AP)  Thunderstorms brought a much-needed cooldown to parts of Western Europe over the weekend as the continent sweltered under its first summer heat wave. Dozens of people were reported drowned as they sought relief from the heat.

Forecasters predicted further downpours Monday moving east toward Poland, which has seen five days of unusually hot weather.

Germany's national weather service DWD said temperatures in the west and north of the country dropped from over 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) over the weekend to about 20 C (68 F) after a night of heavy rain.

After days of soaring temperatures, France was lashed by violent thunderstorms that sent a belltower crashing into the nave of a village church in central France. The storm also tore through vineyards and flooded homes and public buildings.

Winds reached 137 kilometers per hour (85 mph) in Champagne country, felling trees and ripping off roofs. Huge hail stones damaged cars and homes in the east, and the French national weather service registered 44,000 lightning flashes on Saturday alone.

No deaths linked to the storms have been reported but several countries reported drownings as people sought relief in pools, lakes and rivers.

At least 15 people drowned in Poland over the weekend, which was also the hottest so far this year with temperatures reaching 35 C (96 F). Rescuers say the most frequent causes of drownings are recklessness, overestimating ones swimming abilities and going into the water after drinking alcohol.

Police in the Netherlands said two bodies were found in recent days at different locations in the Waal River, a branch of the Rhine. There was no immediate confirmation of their identities, but police in neighboring Germany said their descriptions matched those of two girls, aged 13 and 14, who went missing while swimming in the Rhine near Duisburg last week. A third teen was pulled out of the river Wednesday but couldn't be resuscitated.

In total, more than a dozen people have drowned in Germany over the past week.

Police in Austria said a 26-year-old man died Sunday after jumping from a 40-meter (131-foot) cliff at Wolfgangsee lake.

Moscow has also been hit with a heat wave this week, with temperatures spiking above 30 C (86 F) on Sunday. Russias weather agency Rosgidromet warned that the unusually hot weather, with temperatures 7 C to 10 C higher than normal, is likely to persist in the Russian capital and the surrounding region through Friday.

Russias public health watchdog recommended that employers cut working hours by one hour if the temperature indoors reaches 28.5 C, (83 F); by two hours if it reaches 29.5 C (85 F) and four hours if it reaches 30.5 C (87 F).

Greeces National Meteorological Service has forecast temperatures between 38 and 41 C (100 to 106 F) from Wednesday until Sunday, when temperatures in the north of the country are due to recede slightly. Although it is common for temperatures to hit the 40 C range in the summer in Greece, it is unseasonal to have such hot weather this early in the year.

The European Commission said Monday it's readying a fleet of 11 water-dropping planes and 6 helicopters around the bloc to help member nations cope with forest fires in the coming months.

The seasons risk for forest fires is forecast to be above average, with temperatures expected to be higher-than-average from June to September in the Mediterranean region, the EU's executive arm said. The season might also see less rainfall, especially in central Europe and many areas of the Mediterranean. This can increase the risk of wildfires."

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Angela Charlton in Paris, Mike Corder in The Hague, Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Daria Litvinova in Moscow and Elena Becatoros in Athens contributed to this report
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)  Serbia and Montenegro clashed Monday over Belgrades denial that genocide was committed in the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica during the Balkan wars, further straining relations between the two former close allies.

Montenegros parliament last week adopted a resolution on the 1995 massacre of about 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in Srebrenica by Bosnian Serb troops that has been branded genocide by a U.N. war crimes court.

Montenegros resolution banned public denial of the atrocity and said Serbs in general should not be blamed for genocide, but only those individuals who committed the war crime.

Both the wartime Bosnian Serb army commander, Ratko Mladic, and former political leader Radovan Karadzic have been sentenced to life in prison by the U.N. war crimes court in the Netherlands for genocide in Srebrenica.

However, Serbia's leadership reacted to the Montenegrin resolution with anger.

Montenegros foreign ministry said Monday that the resolution is not aimed against Serbs, but the individuals who committed the worst crime in Europe since World War II.

It is highly incomprehensible that such accusations come from (Serb) leaders who (allegedly) are striving for good neighborly relations in the region and the European future, the ministry said in a statement.

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said the Montenegrin statement is hypocritical and cynical.

He said that undoubtedly, the resolution is trying to stigmatize the whole Serbian nation.

The genocide resolution is in line with Montenegros pledge to protect human and minority rights as part of its push to join the European Union. Although Serbia formally has the same goal, its populist leadership has been denying genocide in Srebrenica and forging close ties with Russia and China.

The resolution is threatening the stability of Montenegros bickering ruling coalition which is made up of mostly pro-Serb parties, but also pro-Western groups.

Montenegro, the tiny Adriatic state of 620,000 people, split from much larger Serbia in a 2006 referendum.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  South Carolina's nearly $11 billion budget was sent to the governor's desk on Monday as lawmakers cut close the deadline to get the spending plan in place before it begins July 1.

There is something for almost everyone in the budget, including raises for most state employees, teachers and law enforcement officers. It also includes money to expand the port in Charleston, repair college buildings and place a police officer and nurse in every public school in the state. Lawmakers also have earmarked funds for dozens of local projects such as downtown renovations, lighthouse repairs or art programs.

What passed Monday doesn't include the $2.5 billion that lawmakers will control of the nearly $9 billion South Carolina is getting from federal COVID-19 relief. How to spend that money will be debated later this year.

Gov. Henry McMaster has until the end of Saturday to decide if he wants to veto any individual items in the spending plan. The General Assembly plans to return June 29 to decide whether to override any of them.

The Republican governor has made it a point to work with the Republican-dominated General Assembly throughout the budget process since taking office in 2017. McMaster issued only 28 budget vetoes the last time lawmakers wrote a full budget, in 2019.

The General Assembly saved almost all the extra money left over after the 2019 budget by keeping spending levels the same, fearing a massive COVID-19 economic downturn.

But things weren't as bad as feared, and South Carolina lawmakers had nearly $2 billion more to spend in the 2021 budget, most of it one-time money from lawsuit settlements or saved from the previous spending plan instead of extra tax revenue from growth that could be counted on each year.

The House approved the budget 107-4 and the Senate passed it 39-5.

The spending plan also sets aside $600 million in a rainy day fund in case there is a sudden economic downturn and revenue collected in the 2021-22 fiscal year falls below what was predicted. That money could prevent midyear cuts, Rep. Bruce Bannister said.

On July 1 wed have twice as much in reserve as we normally would carry and I think there is at least some sense we would adjust those reserves to make them higher so we would always have enough money, Bannister, a Republican from Greenville, said at last week's conference committee meeting where the House and Senate worked out their differences.

The budget that is heading to the governor's desk includes:

 $60 million for a 2.5% raise for all state employees.

 $72 million to give every teacher in the state a $1,000 raise.

 Raises and bonuses of differing amounts for a number of state law enforcement agencies.

 $100 million to build schools in rural areas that lack a large property tax base.

 $200 million to start expanding the Port of Charleston with more railroads and a barge that could carry cargo from one terminal to another. The Senate passed a $550 million borrowing bill to do the same thing earlier this year, but agreed with the House to spend the money out of pocket.

 $500 million to repair buildings and for general maintenance at colleges and universities and $40 million to help them not raise tuition.

 About $6 million to ensure every school in the state has a nurse on campus.

 $29 million to make sure every public school in the state has a police officer.

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Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.
O'FALLON, Mo. (AP)  St. Louis and adjoining St. Louis County filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to block Missouri's new law barring state and local authorities from enforcing federal gun laws, saying the law would increase the risk of gun violence in a state already drowning in it.

The suit filed in Cole County Circuit Court seeks an injunction to halt enforcement of the law and to overturn it on the grounds that it violates the Constitution's Supremacy Clause, which established that federal law trumps state law.

The law, which Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed this month, would subject law enforcement agencies with officers who knowingly enforce any federal gun laws to a fine of about $50,000 per violating officer.

Republican lawmakers who championed the legislation said they were motivated by the possibility that gun restrictions could be tightened by President Joe Biden's administration. Democrats said the law is unconstitutional and predicted it wouldn't survive a court challenge.

Democratic St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said the law is not only unconstitutional, but dangerous. She noted that 2020 was among the deadliest years ever for gun violence in Missouri. St. Louis had its deadliest year in a half-century. Kansas City, meanwhile, saw a record number of killings last year.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, also a Democrat, said the region can't prosper if people don't feel safe.

This new law is like the state holding out a sign that says Come Commit Gun Violence Here, Page said in a statement.

Jackson County Executive Frank White says he supports the lawsuit filed by the city and county of St. Louis.

"Given the unconstitutionality, but more importantly, the public safety risks this law presents, I believe our community and state would best be served by Jackson County joining this action and for HB 85 to ultimately be deemed unenforceable by the court, White said in a letter to Jackson County legislators.

White said he will be asking the county legislature to pass a resolution at its next meeting for the county to join the litigation.

The U.S. Department of Justice, in a letter last week, warned Missouri officials that the state cant ignore federal law. Parson and Attorney General Eric Schmitt responded that they still plan to enforce the new law.

Schmitts spokesman, Chris Nuelle, called the lawsuit a partisan maneuver by progressive politicians.

We will continue our efforts to prosecute violent crime, and we will not shy away from defending the Second Amendment rights of law abiding citizens, Nuelle said.

The state law also prompted the resignation of the police chief of OFallon, a St. Louis suburb that is home to about 89,000 people and is the state's seventh-largest city. The outgoing chief, Philip Dupuis, said in a statement this month that the law would decrease public safety and increase frivolous lawsuits designed to harass and penalize good, hard-working law enforcement agencies.

Several states passed similar laws this year, including Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. Missouris law went further than most in its possible punishments for officers who do enforce federal gun laws.

Several states also passed similar laws during Barack Obama's time in the White House, but judges ruled against them.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  A 17-year-old Nebraska man has been charged with felony child abuse in the death of his 6-month-old daughter.

Chief Deputy Douglas County Attorney Brenda Beadle said the girl suffered significant injuries, including retinal hemorrhaging, while her father was caring for her on June 3, and the injuries don't appear to be accidental.
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP)  The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a new $6.4 billion contract to clean up nuclear waste at its sprawling site in Idaho, which includes a national laboratory that does nuclear research.

The Energy Department announced Friday that the 10-year Idaho Cleanup Project contract went to the Tullahoma, Tennessee-based Idaho Environmental Coalition, replacing Fluor Idaho.

A 1995 settlement agreement between the Energy Department and the state requires nuclear waste to be cleaned up at the site that sits above a giant aquifer supplying water to farms and cities in the region.

The ICP contract exemplifies DOEs commitment to continue supporting a highly-skilled, diverse workforce that provides approximately 1,900 jobs that pay prevailing wages in safe and healthy workplaces, the Energy Department said in a statement.

The Energy Department said it received five proposals and that the best value was the Idaho Environmental Coalition, which includes Jacobs Technology Inc. and North Wind Portage. The agency didn't name the others that sought the contract.

The 890-square-mile (2,300-square-kilometer) site is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Idaho Falls and includes the Idaho National Laboratory. The lab area sits atop the Lake Erie-sized Snake River Plain Aquifer, which started becoming contaminated from the nuclear site in 1952, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report released last year.

The report said contamination levels at all but a handful of nearly 180 wells are below acceptable standards for drinking water set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The report cited cleanup efforts at the site as helping improve the aquifer.

Contamination at the site reached the aquifer through injection wells, unlined percolation ponds, pits where radioactive material from other states was dumped, and accidental spills. All those happened mainly during the Cold War era before environmental regulations were in place.

In 1989, the area was added to the National Priorities List for Uncontrolled Hazardous Waste Sites, becoming a Superfund site. The 1995 settlement leading to cleanup of the site followed a series of court battles between Idaho and the Energy Department amid concerns the state was becoming a nuclear waste dump.

One of the top cleanup goals is converting 900,000 gallons of liquid nuclear waste stored in tanks into more manageable solid waste. The Energy Department initially had a 2012 deadline to do that. It built the Integrated Waste Treatment Unit at a cost of some $600 million to convert the liquid waste, but it has so far has run into problems and not been able to convert the waste.

The missed deadline, which has been extended multiple times, means the Energy Department is violating the 1995 agreement. Penalties include fines and preventing research quantities of spent nuclear fuel from entering the state.

Scientists at the Idaho National Laboratory say they need that research spent fuel to help create the next generation of safer commercial nuclear reactors that could help fight global warming.
This Week In Space brings you whats new and exciting in space exploration and astronomy once a week, every week. From supernovae to SpaceX or Mars missions to black holes, if its out of this world, its covered here.

gremlin/Getty Images

It sounds like something out of John F. Kennedys nightmares: in a little over ten years, China and Russia will have a fully-functioning base on the moon.

The International Lunar Research Station, or ILRS for short, was announced at a conference on space exploration in St. Petersburg last week. Officials laid out a multi-stage plan for its development.

The first phase, which has already begun, involves reconnoitering the site (or sites) of the base. In the second phase from 2026-2035, the collaboration will ship cargo to the moon and begin the bases physical construction, culminating in five missions that will establish communication and energy infrastructure, research facilities, and mining technology. Only in 2036 will the first astronauts arrive at the base.

The announcement does not just raise the stakes of the dawning new space raceit also marks a major shift in the future of space exploration. Although there is no legal mechanism to prevent a country from signing on to both the ILRS and NASAs Artemis Accords, there is little reason for a country to invest in both moon programs when each bloc is hoping to achieve similar goals. And most governments cant afford to lend support to a single space program, let alone two.

This sets a troubling precedent, one in which the future of humankinds development in space will be built on a foundation of competition, nationalism and duplicated efforts. Space, it appears, has once again become a geopolitical arena.

It may stay that way for a long time.

Planets could have oceans that dwarf our own, astronomers find

MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRA/Getty Images/Science Photo Libra

In 2012, 17 years after the Kevin Costner movie, the first likely, real-life waterworld was discovered about 50 lightyears away from Earth. The planet, Gliese 1214 b, is said to be 75 percent water, but no one was sure what that might look like.

Now, new findings may finally give us a sense of what forms waterworlds can take. According to a recently released paper out of the University of Cambridge, the possibilities are as wide-ranging as they are exotic. Some planets could have huge oceans sandwiched between layers of different kinds of ice, others could host boiling oceans below thick steam atmospheres, and still others could evaporate their water away into space entirely.

And though Earths oceans may seem big, they could be puddles compared to those on other planets. The study finds that planets could host oceans over 1000 miles deepover 800 times the typical depth of the Pacific, the deepest ocean on Earth.

Its unclear whether such oceans could host life. Some say yes, some say nobut all look toward the forthcoming completion of the James Webb Space Telescope, which will study the atmospheres of some potential waterworlds, to help answer the question.

First crew arrives at new Chinese space station

China has officially established its first space station. Last Thursday, three astronauts entered the core module of Tiangong, effectively christening it. Although the space station is far from being fully assembled, it may one day be the only one in orbit above the Earth.

Tiangongs construction is expected to take place over the next couple years, with two additional modules scheduled to launch in 2022. For now, its new crew will spend three months in the 55-foot core module testing life support systems and a robotic arm.

Once complete, the station will perform science similar to what is currently being done on the ISS, including low-gravity biology and engineering experiments. Tiangong will also feature a co-orbiting telescope akin to Hubble.

The new Chinese space station may outlast the ISS. With a nominal 10-year lifetime, it could still be in orbit when the ISS is scheduled to finally crash back down to Earth some time in 2028 or 2030. NASA has no plans to establish another, having indicated that funds would be better spent on Moon and Mars missions, leaving private companies to pick up the slack with their own stations.

The first such private effort, dubbed Voyager, is scheduled to open in 2027. But if it is delayed by just a year or two, there may come a time where Tiangong has the sky to itself.
A. Lower speeds need to be approved for human and manatee safety.

B. The current boating speeds are fine. They don't need to be changed.

C. Boaters should be able to go faster, above 25 mph, between Marker 2 and Marker 7.

Vote

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All valid Confirmation of Permanent Residence holders can now enter Canada. Some 23,000 COPR holders overseas will now be eligible to complete their landing in Canada, according to the federal government.

Approved immigrants can travel to Canada as of June 21 All valid Confirmation of Permanent Residence holders can now enter Canada. Some 23,000 COPR holders overseas will now be eligible to complete their landing in Canada, according to the federal government.

Approved immigrants can travel to Canada as of June 21 All valid Confirmation of Permanent Residence holders can now enter Canada. Some 23,000 COPR holders overseas will now be eligible to complete their landing in Canada, according to the federal government.

Approved immigrants can travel to Canada as of June 21 All valid Confirmation of Permanent Residence holders can now enter Canada. Some 23,000 COPR holders overseas will now be eligible to complete their landing in Canada, according to the federal government. Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Valid Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) holders can complete their landing in Canada as of today, June 21, 2021.

The Government of Canada made the announcement this morning at 10 AM Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

In its announcement, the Canadian government said that the COPR must be valid for an individual to travel to Canada to complete their landing.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is working with expired COPR holders to reissue new COPRs.

A COPR is issued to those who have been approved by IRCC to immigrate to Canada. This means the individual has met IRCCs program criteria, paid their fees, and passed health, security, and criminality screenings. With a COPR, they can travel to Canada to begin their new life.

However, a total of 23,000 COPR holders, according to Canadian government data, have not been able to travel to Canada since March 2020, when the Canadian government imposed coronavirus travel restrictions.

Up until today, only those who held a valid COPR issued on or before March 18, 2020 were exempt from Canadas COVID-19 travel restrictions. Those who got their COPR after March 18, 2020 could only come to Canada if they met one of Canadas other travel exemptions or were a resident of the United States and were moving to Canada to settle permanently.

Canadian government: Do not travel to Canada if your COPR is expired

The Canadian government noted that more information on when and how to obtain a new COPR will be posted shortly on IRCCs website.

It stressed that anyone with an expired COPR should not book their flight or attempt to travel to Canada until IRCC issues a new COPR to them.

COPRs are valid for up to one year. They are tied to the applicants passport and their immigration medical examination. Many individuals have been unable to travel to Canada due to coronavirus disruptions or because they do not fall under one of Canadas travel exemptions. This has caused their COPR to expire. They will not need to go through the immigration process again, however they will need IRCC to reissue a new valid COPR to enable them to travel to Canada.

COPR holders will need to follow Canadas travel rules upon arrival, such as possibly quarantining for 14 days. However the federal government also announced today that those fully vaccinated will be exempt from the quarantine requirement.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
Fully vaccinated travellers to Canada can be released early from quarantine Canada is easing quarantine requirements for fully-vaccinated exempt travellers, opening border to COPR holders.

Fully vaccinated travellers to Canada can be released early from quarantine Canada is easing quarantine requirements for fully-vaccinated exempt travellers, opening border to COPR holders.

Fully vaccinated travellers to Canada can be released early from quarantine Canada is easing quarantine requirements for fully-vaccinated exempt travellers, opening border to COPR holders. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Canadas phased approach to easing border measures will begin on July 5, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EDT, for fully vaccinated travellers who are exempt from travel restrictions, which now includes approved permanent residents.



Fully vaccinated travellers who are permitted to enter Canada will not be subject to the federal requirement to quarantine or take a COVID-19 test on day-8. In addition, fully vaccinated travellers arriving by air will not be required to stay at a government-authorized hotel.

Canada lifting most travel rules on July 5 for fully vaccinated travellers  June 21, 2021 At a virtual press conference, federal ministers Patty Hajdu (health), Bill Blair (public safety), Omar Alghabra (transport), Dominic LeBlanc (intergovernmen

Travellers still have to be exempt from travel restrictions in order to cross the border. Canada has now broadened exemptions to include the 23,000 people who have a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) issued after March 18, 2020.

The pre- and on-arrival testing requirements for all travellers are still in place. Being fully vaccinated does not automatically exempt a traveller from quarantine, the mandatory hotel stay, or day-8 testing. Travellers must also electronically submit COVID-19-related information on the ArriveCAN app, or by signing in online at Canada.ca/ArriveCAN before arriving in Canada. More details about the information required and how to enter it into ArriveCAN will be available online by July 5, 2021. Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Canadians this was just the first step, while the government works with the provinces on a national vaccination certification.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

These exempt travellers can skip the mandatory quarantine, provided their COVID-19 test on arrival comes back negative. Travellers will also have to be asymptomatic and have a suitable quarantine plan.

The traveller must have received the full series of a vaccine  or a combination of vaccines  accepted by the Government of Canada at least 14 days prior to entry. The proof of vaccination must be in English or French, otherwise, travellers will need a certified translation.

Vaccines from any country are acceptable, as long as they are one of the four vaccines approved by Health Canada: Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Astra Zeneca. The government may expand the list of vaccines in the future as more evidence comes available.

All travellers, including non-vaccinated travellers, will now be required to disclose COVID-19 vaccination information, including whether they received a COVID-19 vaccine, the brand name or any other information that identifies the vaccine they received. Travellers will need to provide dates of vaccination, and the vaccine must have been administered at least 14 days prior in order for the traveller to be considered vaccinated.

Only travellers whose vaccination status meets the criteria of fully vaccinated will be exempt from quarantine, mandatory hotel stay and day-8 testing if certain conditions are met. These measures are still in place for people who are not fully vaccinated, including those who have recovered from COVID and have received one dose of the vaccine.

Children who are not eligible to be vaccinated will still be required to complete the mandatory 14-day quarantine and day-8 testing, officials said in a technical briefing. Fully vaccinated parents travelling with their children will be able to get out of quarantine early.

Canada introduced the hotel quarantine measure in February 2021. Trudeau said at a press conference that it was intended to stop travellers from spreading COVID into their home communities. Since it was implemented, however, outside variants have made their way into Canada despite the hotel quarantine measure, which only affects air travellers.

Canadas border was originally closed in March, 2020. At first, it was just Canadians, permanent residents, temporary workers, and some international students and COPR holders who were allowed to enter. The government opened up more exemptions in the fall of 2020, welcoming extended family members and students going to a Designated Learning Institution with a COVID-19 readiness plan. Foreign nationals were also able to come for compassionate reasons, such as attending a funeral. Also, the federal government has adjusted the rules to require COVID-19 testing before and after arrival, as well as a period of mandatory quarantine.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
Canada has extended the suspension of flights from India, but not from Pakistan.

Canadas travel ban from India extended Canada has extended the suspension of flights from India, but not from Pakistan.

Canadas travel ban from India extended Canada has extended the suspension of flights from India, but not from Pakistan.

Canadas travel ban from India extended Canada has extended the suspension of flights from India, but not from Pakistan. Mohanad Moetaz Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Canada has extended the travel ban for all direct passenger and business flights from India until July 21, 2021, but not from Pakistan.



The travel ban from both countries first went into place on April 22 for 30 days, until May 22, and was extended another 30 days until June 21.

Cargo flights carrying vaccines and protective equipment are exempt from this decision, and will continue to be allowed into Canada.

Travellers from India may still be able to come to Canada. However, they will have to travel via an indirect route, and will need to get a COVID-19 test from their last point of departure. This means that they will need to have a long layover in a third country.

Travellers from Pakistan, however, are allowed to come to Canada, and are not subject to a flight ban.

Given the number of COVID-19 cases continue to be very high in India, we have extended our flight restrictions for this country, Canadas Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra said, We will continue to assess the evolving situation and determine appropriate action going forward.

Last week, Canadas border restrictions with all countries including the U.S. have been extended until July 21, 2021. Public safety minister, Bill Blair, confirmed the news via a tweet.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

As we have said, the government is planning measures for fully vaccinated Canadians, Permanent Residents, and others who are currently permitted to enter Canada and will provide further details on Monday, June 21.  Bill Blair (@BillBlair) June 18, 2021

What do travellers to Canada need to know?

All travellers to Canada are required to show a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours before travelling, or a positive COVID-19 test administered between 14 and 90 days before travel. Air travellers are required to take another test when they arrive in Canada.

For travellers coming from India, the first COVID-19 test must have been administered in a third country.

Air travellers are then required to quarantine at a government-approved hotel for three days while they wait for their results for their COVID-19 test taken on arrival. This measure does not apply for fully vaccinated travellers.

Once they are cleared, travellers still need to continue their 14-day quarantine. The three day hotel stay counts towards the mandatory 14 days.

On the eighth day of their quarantine period, they will need to take a third and final COVID-19 test, except if they are fully vaccinated.

It is worth noting that compassionate travellers may apply to be released early from quarantine to attend a funeral, or to care for a loved one.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
Duane Barnes, General Manager and Vice President, RapidScale

Duane Barnes joined RapidScale (now a Cox Business company) in 2016 as Director of Solutions Engineering and was charged with building out this team nationwide. By early 2017 Mr. Barnes was promoted to SVP of Technology, during which he was responsible for service delivery, support, solutions engineering, software engineering, project management, compliance, and architecture. In March 2021, he became RapidScales Vice President and General Manager managing the companys leadership team that oversees operations, product, technology, and sales.



Mr. Barnes has over 20 years of experience working in IT focusing on enterprise data center and security services. Prior to his employment with RapidScale, Intelisys, Open-Xchange, and Windstream Hosted Solutions he held various leadership positions at MPInet, PowerOne Communications, and The Walt Disney Company. His expertise is in complex data center solutions and managed hosting projects; cloud computing, virtualization, storage, SaaS, networking, disaster recovery, security, and VoIP. He currently holds numerous industry certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, CompTIA, HP, and EMC. Mr. Barnes also holds a B.S. in Communications from the University of Phoenix.

The security landscape has changed dramatically as a result of accelerated digital transformation initiatives, a hybrid workforce, and multicloud environments. How can you best protect your business today? Duane Barnes, vice president and general manager at RapidScale, offers strategic advice.

What has changed in the past year to make IT security an even greater concern?

It has been a perfect storm. Even before COVID-19 hit, cybercrime was on track to cost the world a staggering $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. Now a distributed workforce and increased migration to the cloud in the wake of the pandemic have increased the number of vulnerable endpoints. Every employees laptop, every mobile device, is a potential vector. A severe security talent shortage compounds these already complex challenges. Truly, were not in Kansas anymore.

Some organizations are adopting a zero trust approach. Why?

Zero trust is the answer to todays mind-boggling security headaches. It works on the premise that you cant trust any device, user, or network, no matter where it is. Gone are the days of perimeter security applied to all assets within a moat. Organizations realize they can no longer count on passwords as a robust shield. They need identity and access management to verify every employee and every device that is making its way into networks. And thats what zero trust provides.

Where should organizations start with zero trust?

Enterprises need to ensure that individuals can work from anywhere, using a secure connection through a secure device. Thats where identity access management (IAM) and multifactor authentication (MFA) play pivotal roles. They need to be part of every enterprises security vocabulary. IAM and MFA not only execute endpoint device management but they also do so while keeping employee needs front and centerand are instrumental in ensuring seamless experiences for the hybrid workforce.

In what ways can a managed cloud services provider help?

Businesses have many moving parts driven by SaaS programs and/or cloud infrastructure environments. Enterprises need skilled talent that understands how these components mesh together and that can implement the right strategy and solutions. Managed cloud services providers fill that crucial gap, not just with expertise but also with innovation to find the right approach that fits your business and existing resources.

Equally important, enterprises need not tie up precious capital maintaining critical infrastructure. Todays post-COVID work landscape demands a security-first approach. The right partner understands how those security needs are changing and will help protect your business, no matter what comes down the pike.

Discover how to streamline your zero trust journey with RapidScale.
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Mark Hutcherson, Director, Low-Carbon Projects and Technology at ConocoPhillips

Mark Hutcherson, Director, Low-Carbon Projects and Technology at ConocoPhillips

The oil and gas industry has begun to adopt drone applications on an unprecedented scale to maximize their operations while minimizing human error and lowering costs. From 2020 to 2025, the global oil and gas drone service market will grow at a CAGR of approximately 60.96 percent. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones provide more advantages than crewed operations. Drones provide more accurate data, process bulk information in real-time, conduct inspections, and detect emissions or leaks. In 2013, ConocoPhillips [NYSE: COP] business unit collaborated with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to complete the first commercial flight by an unmanned aerial system (UAS) in the U.S. The commercial flight path was pre-determined and lasted approximately 36 minutes, intending to incorporate drones into the oil and gas industry. Drones can help with offshore and beyond-visual-range inspections, as well as effectively monitoring methane emissions. They have the potential to save money, time and improve operator safety.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MAJOR CHALLENGES YOUVE BEEN WITNESSING IN THE DRONE TECH INDUSTRY?

Drone technology is an undeniable asset to companies in the crude oil industry due to the rate at which highly accurate and invisible data captured. The immediate ROI generated from each drone assists with the challenge of cutting costs, while the unprecedented amount of human safety gained from this technology is exponential compared to any other safety measures that can be in place. Furthermore, the collected data allows identifying actionable improvements to overall production, resulting in higher output from preventive maintenance. Finally, the drones ability to detect leaks and spills, map environmental and safety-related incidents, and improve the environmental responsibility aspect, as it uses lightweight drone technology rather than heavier, less effective, and higher power consuming traditional technology. Previously, we performed manual inspections on our large long-haul oil tankers, which required a lot of time and money. We can now use a drone to survey the entire top and bottom interiors with minimal scaffolding.

The oil and gas industry has begun to adopt drone applications on an unprecedented scale to maximize their operations while minimizing

The oil and gas industry has begun to adopt drone applications on an unprecedented scale to maximize their operations while minimizing

The value proposition would be to reduce the workload on surveillance and inspection for our field operators. One of the most difficult challenges we encountered was not conducting operations beyond the visual line of sight. Now, things are changing, and space is evolving. The FAA has now started to offer some regulatory relief for operations beyond visible line of sight. However, we are still a long way from that becoming commonplace in the industry. The second major source of pain revolves solely around data management. So to avoid using drones, you receive a large amount of information or data. It can be challenging to figure out how to store that data, organize it, and sort through all of that data. And this can be a time-consuming process. So finding ways to organize and structure the data, finding ways to utilize machine learning, or advanced algorithms to look for exceptions in the data.

ACCORDING TO YOU, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE LATEST TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE DRONE TECH SPACE TO TACKLE INDUSTRY PAIN POINTS?

The advancement of technology and integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with the drone has been the significant factor leading to the adoption of drone services in the petroleum industry. Previously, businesses conducted drone operations within the visual range of sight. Today, AI integration has enabled drones to fly Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVOLS) and gather much more data without any human intervention. Modern drones are faster and wiser at processing massive amounts of data generated by assets. Drone data is more accurate and provides trends that are not visible to the naked eye. They can save the petroleum industry millions of dollars by improving on-site and offshore facilities and lowering maintenance costs. Furthermore, the AI integrated sensor can move quickly inside the closed building, is not prone to colliding with any surface, and can navigate without human assistance. As these technologies advance, the number of drone applications in the industry will grow, and the market will thrive.

COULD YOU ELABORATE ON SOME EXCITING AND IMPACTFUL PROJECTS THAT YOURE CURRENTLY OVERSEEING?

We are very interested in utilizing drones in the emission space, both for emissions detection and for detecting broader greenhouse gas emissions. ConocoPhillips is committed to a global climate policy that reduces methane and CO2 emissions. We have set a short-term goal of reducing methane emissions intensity by 10 percent by 2025. We are currently investigating how drone applications can be used in our workflow to aid in comprehensive emissions detection, allowing us to respond proactively to reduce our emissions over time. In our efforts to comply with climate policy regulators, we have had some success. We are currently focusing on reducing GHG emissions through our projects running in the U.S., Canada, and Norway.

HOW DO YOU ENVISION THE FUTURE OF DRONE APPLICATIONS IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS?

Drones can now be used in a variety of operations thanks to the advancements in remote sensing and imaging technologies. They are now widely used in the oil and gas sector for offshore operations. They assist in remote monitoring and surveillance of the companys critical assets. Amazon, the e-commerce behemoth, recently used drones to deliver supplies. As the director of technology projects for an energy company, I would like to see more of these applications deployed in the oil and gas industry. Field trials show that drones can provide a quick, reliable, and cost-effective solution for the inspection and maintenance of offshore facilities. The challenge for drone applications would be determining the value proposition and what the regulatory investment would be?

WHAT WOULD BE THE SINGLE PIECE OF ADVICE THAT YOU COULD IMPART TO YOUR COLLEAGUES TO EXCEL IN THIS SPACE?

The first step for any individuals or organizations looking to increase the use of drones in their operations is to consider the value proposition. Organizations should be aware of the challenges or pain points they face in their operations and then attempt to link those to either known or use cases from different industries to apply on their own. However, you can also be innovative or creative by considering how organizations can utilize drones in the future. In addition, collaborate with vendors to advance and develop these types of technologies. That is the sole recommendation I would make. Always begin with the pain points that youre most familiar with. Organizations should assess how drone applications will benefit them? Drone applications are a lot of fun to use in the industry, but its easy to get distracted and overlook the value. So you have to constantly refocus on what youre trying to accomplish, and does it add value to your goal?
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In the first real example of the kind of shift in campaigning that New York Citys new ranked-choice voting system can produce, former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia and Andrew Yang hit the campaign trail together on the weekend before the Democratic mayoral primary in which they are competing.

The move drew immediate condemnation from Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, the front-runner according to recent polls, and some of his supporters went so far as to call the co-campaigning an attempt at voter suppression by increasing the chances that Adams might lose the election despite winning a plurality of first-place votes.

But while strategic alliances between candidates is new to New York City, its not new to areas with ranked-choice voting. For example, two leading candidates for mayor of San Francisco created a similar alliance in 2018, as did two gubernatorial candidates in Maine the same year, and some City Council candidates have already cross-endorsed in New York this year.

Passed as a ballot referendum in 2019 in New York City, proponents of ranked-choice voting say one of the advantages of the system is friendlier campaigning, as candidates attempt to get not just first choice votes, but second and third choices as well. That means appealing to  or at least not alienating  voters who will rank one of your opponents first.

Of course, any such change would not take place immediately, especially in a famously competitive town like New York. At a 2020 press conference promoting ranked-choice voting, Adams disagreed with other prospective mayoral hopefuls who spoke about the possibility of more positive campaigns, when he said, Trust me! Its going to be a dirty campaign.

When Garcia and Yang announced on Friday evening they would get out the vote together, Adams  a one-time proponent of the new system who has since said he is concerned about rollout  was not pleased. For them to come together like they are doing in the last three days, theyre saying we cant trust a person of color to be the mayor of the city of New York, when this city is overwhelmingly people of color, Adams said. Later that day, he clarified that he was referring to Black and Latino people, since Yang is Asian American. Adams is Black; Garcia is non-Hispanic white.

On Monday, Adams criticized his competitors for making the announcement on Juneteenth, the holiday celebrating the day the last slaves in Texas learned they were free after the Civil War, and invoked the violations of Black Americans voting rights in Jim Crow-era South. African Americans are very clear on voter suppression, Adams said. We know about the poll tax. We know about the fight weve had historically, how you had to go through hurdles to vote.

Adams campaign gathered statements from supporters who reiterated his complaints. Rep. Gregory Meeks from Queens said the move reeked of desperation, while civil rights activist Ashley Sharpton said the pair were engaged in a cynical attempt to disenfranchise Black votersand trying to steal the election.

In a news conference on Monday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is believed by many observers to be tacitly supporting Adams, said the co-campaining seemed a little more opportunistic.

But even fellow candidates didnt share Adams view. Maya Wiley, a civil rights attorney who is also Black, released a statement condemning the rhetoric from Adams and his supporters. She said that while its not a decision she would have made, it was not racist. Ranked Choice Voting  or alliances formed from it  is not voter suppression, its not a poll tax and to compare it to that denigrates the work of so many who have come before us, Wiley said.

Garcia and Yang arent the first New York City candidates to campaign together since the advent of ranked-choice voting, nor are they the only candidates to factor the new system into how they campaign. Mayoral candidates Art Chang and Joycelyn Talor endorsed each other back in May, although neither are among the top-tier, or even second-tier, candidates. Several competing City Council candidates, such as Rebecca Lamorte and Billy Freeland in Manhattan, have chosen to cross-endorse in their races in order to utilize the new ranked-choice voting system. Organizations and individuals have released ranked endorsements, which candidates have included on campaign materials. And candidates on the trail have asked voters and endorsers to consider them for their second choice  including Adams himself.

Proponents of ranked-choice voting denounced the claim that Garcia and Yangs co-campaigning is an attempt at voter suppression. There is nothing insidious or cynical about two candidates transparently using a legitimate strategy in a democratically approved system of election, said Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, and Sean Dugar, education campaign director for Rank the Vote NYC said in a joint statement. Ranked choice voting incentivizes consensus building and collaboration to the ultimate benefit of the voters.

This is also hardly the first time that a pair of prominent candidates decided to campaign together in a ranked-choice election for a major citywide position. Although Garcia and Yang did not actually cross-endorse each other, former San Francisco mayoral candidates Jane Kim and Mark Leno did just that in 2018. The pair of progressives, along with now-Mayor London Breed, were front-runners in a wide-open race for mayor of San Francisco. But Breed was more moderate on local issues than the pair, leading Kim and Leno to back each other based on ideological grounds.

As with Garcia and Yang, the decision by Kim and Leno drew scrutiny as well. The San Francisco Chronicle, which had endorsed Breed, said the pair were gaming the citys 15-year-old ranked-choice voting system and projecting an element of desperation.

Breed, who got the most first-choice votes, still won at the end of the ranked-choice tabulation process and continues to serve today.

In the vast majority of cases, the person who raked in the most first-choice votes winds up winning in the end, generally because they are popular enough to have gained enough support in lower rankings on the ballot. If the original second-place finisher comes out on top at the end of vote tabulating, ranked-choice supporters would see that as a feature, not a bug, in the system, because the winning candidate demonstrated broader appeal.

Its also worth noting that under the previous system in New York City, the first-place finisher in first-place votes wouldnt necessarily win either. If no candidate received more than 40% of the votes  which seems probable given the field of eight major candidates and polls that have yet to show any one candidate with more than 40% support as a first choice  the election have been followed by a run-off, in which the top two vote-getters would compete. Given that those runoffs tend to be very low-turnout affairs, ranked-choice proponents argue that the instant runoff conducted in the new system is more democratic.

Still, the criticism voiced by Adams and his backers is hardly a new one. Opponents of ranked-choice voting have said the system would disenfranchise Black voters by diluting their voting power, with the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus of the New York City Council coming out in opposition in 2019. A handful of the caucus members and several community organizations attempted to delay the implementation with an unsuccessful lawsuit in 2020 with the argument that there wasnt enough time to learn about the new system, to the detriment of communities of color. NAACP New York State Conference President Hazel Dukes recently suggested in an oped that poor implementation would lead to voter Black and Latino voter suppression. Dukes noted a poll result showing that white voters were more likely to have heard about ranked-choice than Black or Latino voters, and that studies of ranked-choice systems show Black Democrats are more likely than their white counterparts only to rank one candidate. Black, Latino and Asian Caucus Chair Council Member I. Daneek Miller has introduced legislation to put ranked-choice voting back on the ballot in November. If Adams loses during the course of ranked-choice tabulation after winning the most first-place votes, it could give the movement against the new system more momentum.
There are a few understandable reasons for state lawmakers to run in the New York City primaries that wrap up tomorrow. They get a chance to build their public profile by winning more prominent positions like city comptroller. A successful run for City Council also means a $38,500 boost to their annual income compared to the $110,000 they currently earn and no more commuting to Albany in the dead of winter. And if they lose, they still have their current jobs until the end of 2022.

Ten state lawmakers are running for either city comptroller, borough president or the City Council. At least a few of them appear to have a good shot at winning the primary and the November general election and getting inaugurated next January. Special elections next year could fill the remaining time on their legislative terms that run through the end of 2022. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has the discretion to decide if and when special elections happen, according to Jerry Goldfeder, an election lawyer at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP.

State law would not allow special elections before mid-March (assuming none of the current legislators resigned before they assumed their new offices) for any seats that open up by the beginning of the year. Each party has its own ways of nominating candidates for special elections while any challengers would have to petition to get on the ballot as independents.

Any wannabe legislators out there, however, will have to wait until all the ballots get counted and Democratic primary winners are declared. Here are the state legislators running for office and what is known about their electoral chances.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman of Manhattan

The Manhattan Democrat is running in a crowded field to replace the term-limited Gale Brewer as Manhattan borough president. Local power brokers like Manhattan Democratic Party Chair Keith Wright and the United Federation of Teachers have endorsed Hoylman, but other key endorsements have gone to rivals like City Council Member Mark Levine, who has an edge on Hoylman in fundraising.

State Sen. Brian Benjamin of Manhattan

Benjamin is running for New York City comptroller. Getting endorsed by former Rep. Charles Rangel of Harlem could go a long way toward rallying Black voters in particular behind Benjamin, but a poll released June 21 shows him with just 7% support among likely voters. That suggests he has fallen far behind leading candidates like City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who had 26% support in the poll.

State Sen. Kevin Parker of Brooklyn

The Central Brooklyn legislator has struggled to win endorsements in the crowded race to replace the term-limited mayoral candidate Scott Stringer as New York City comptroller. Like Benjamin, recent polling shows Parker stuck in the single digits, but if he wins big in voter-rich Central Brooklyn (which he has represented for nearly two decades in the state Senate), he could exceed expectations.

State Sen. Luis Sepulveda of the Bronx

He has made a name for himself as a champion of criminal justice reforms in the Legislature, but an outstanding domestic violence charge  which Sepulveda has denied  cost him his committee assignments this year. His struggles with fundraising have hardly helped what now appears to be a longshot bid for Bronx borough president.

Assembly Member Charles Barron of Brooklyn

Some powerful Democrats might not like the former Black Panther, but he and his wife, Inez Barron, have a track record of winning in East New York. Now that she is term limited, he could win back his old City Council seat. She could later run for his Assembly seat, which she vacated at the end of 2013.

Assembly Member David Weprin of Queens

Running toward the center by seeking endorsements from the likes of the Police Benevolent Association has helped Weprin distinguish himself in the race for city comptroller against more progressive candidates. Polling shows him near the bottom of the back, however, and a closed primary means he cannot court political independents or Republicans who might prefer him to his opponents.

Assembly Carmen De La Rosa of Manhattan

There are a half-dozen candidates running to replace the term-limited incumbent Ydanis Rodriguez in the City Council, but this millennial hopeful has a few unique advantages. She already has some name recognition in Upper Manhattan from representing much of the area in the Assembly. She also has endorsements from a litany of city and state lawmakers as well as powerful unions like 1199SEIU.

Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon of Brooklyn

Simon has led the field in fundraising in the race for Brooklyn borough president and secured endorsements from Rep. Jerry Nadler and the UFT. However, it remains to be seen how much the Brownstone Brooklyn legislator will appeal to voters in areas of the borough that appear to favor Black candidates like City Council Member Robert Cornegy, Jr. or a Latino like City Council Member Antonio Reynoso.

Assembly Member Nathalia Fernandez of the Bronx

Council Member Vanessa Gibson has won big endorsements from Rep. Ritchie Torres and the UFT while City Council Member Fernando Cabrera has a big fundraising advantage in the race for Bronx borough president. However, Fernandez has nonetheless raised the money to be competitive while securing the support of progressive notables like state Sens. Gustavo Rivera of the Bronx and Julia Salazar of Brooklyn as well as mayoral candidate Maya Wiley.

Assembly Member Dan Quart of Manhattan

The Upper East Side progressive is running on his record championing criminal justice reforms in Albany, but has struggled to break out in the ultra-competitive race for Manhattan district attorney, which is technically a state race that will not include ranked choice voting. A poll from early May found him in seventh place more than 20-points behind former Assistant U.S. Attorney Tali Farhadian Weinstein, who has pumped millions of dollars of her own money into the race.
Joy is important to Kiara St. James.

She is the co-founder and executive director of New York Transgender Advocacy Group, a trans-led organization that advocates for inclusive gender-based policies. During a video interview from Prospect Park in Brooklyn, she told City & State that much of her work has been focused on ensuring that happiness is accessible to people, particularly those who have been marginalized. This is really about making sure that all human beings are able to bask in the sunshine that we fall into, St. James said, regarding her advocacy work.

As a Black woman of trans experience, St. James knows what its like to have her contentment interfered with based solely on how she is perceived. As she walks through the park, occasionally sharing views of its ponds and foliage on a hot June day, she recounts the multiple times that police were called on her and her friends when they attempted to have fun in Manhattan, like friends do.

It was very common for me and my girlfriends, who were all Black women, to be asked to leave establishments, St. James recalled. The folks that just didn't like us and wanted to get us removed, all they had to do was say, those men over there  no matter how female presenting we were, we were still misgendered and called men, and management would side with the other patrons who were not trans. And so oftentimes cops will be called in to remove us all because were convening and ordered food just like everyone else.

Like many other trans women, St. James was subject to discriminatory policing due to what was known as the walking while trans law. The statute, Section 240.37 of the state penal law, which outlawed loitering for the purpose of engaging in prostitution was introduced in 1976. The loitering law led to the disproportionate harassment and arrests of trans women and women of color.

Since 1999, at least some version of a bill to overturn the law has been introduced in the state Legislature. And for years activists have been pushing to get the law repealed by suing New York City, organizing protests and marches. But nothing seemed to get them closer to eradicating the law. It wasnt until a few months ago that it was finally overturned. On Feb. 2, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill, sponsored by state Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assembly Member Amy Paulin to repeal the statute.

It was very common for me and my girlfriends, who were all Black women, to be asked to leave establishments.  Kiara St. James, co-founder and executive director of the New York Transgender Advocacy Group

That specter of arrest hung over their every move, like on a weekend night when they would go out to have fun, Hoylman said of what St. James had related to him. And she said that feeling of constant prosecution for crimes you didn't commit, or nobody believing you, led to this malaise of hopelessness.

Those closely involved with the bills passage say a confluence of many factors helped to repeal the statute. There was the recent change in the state Legislatures composition, giving Democrats a supermajority in both the Assembly and the state Senate. Activists like St. James formed a coalition with advocacy groups, lawmakers and lawyers over the past several years. Many district attorneys refused to prosecute loitering cases, and the social justice movements that occurred last summer brought more visibility to the issue.

The morning that the legislation passed, I spoke to Kiara, and she reminded me that, up until that day, her community had felt like second-class citizens, Hoylman told City & State.

Kiara St James-David Urbanke.jpg Alt Text: Kiara St. James Title Text: Kiara St. James Caption: Kiara St. James Description: Kiara St. James Image Credit: David Urbanke

Up until two years ago, we were unable to pass any bills with (the) letters LGBTQ in the title, Hoylman said, adding that he believed the Republicans were being obstinate in response to the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which made same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states, following a Supreme Court ruling in 2015.

They wouldnt consider the Gender Expression Non Discrimination Act, (which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and passed in 2019) they wouldnt ban so-called gay conversion therapy.  Those were some lonely years between marriage equality, he continued.

Jared Trujillo, policy counsel at the New York Civil Liberties Union who worked with Paulin on the bill to repeal walking while trans, told City & State that the state has repealed more anti-trans laws in the past few months than we've passed in the past decade.

When St. James came to New York in the mid-1990s with her partner, trans women had no rights.

Despite being known for its Democratic politics, she, like many trans women, found the city to be an unsafe place that lacked any protections for its trans or gender-nonconforming residents. She was routinely harassed, stigmatized and misgendered. New York City had a Democratic mayor, and it had a predominantly Democratic City Council. So it speaks to the fact that even when the city is blue, a lot of those elected officials still hold on to very archaic mindsets in regard to LGBTQ issues, but especially when it comes to transgender, gender-nonconforming and gender nonbinary issues, St. James said.

Kate Mogulescu led the effort in 2016 to sue the New York City Police Department for using the loitering statute to illegally profile trans women. Mogulescu had created The Exploitation Intervention Project at The Legal Aid Society, which aims to end systemic criminalization of victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation. Leigh Latimer, a supervising attorney for the project who worked alongside Mogulescu, credits her work with being the catalyst in reviving the mission to eradicate the walking while trans law. She challenged the constitutionality of the statute, Latimer told City & State. And my understanding is that, as a result of that lawsuit, Amy Paulin became interested in introducing the bill to repeal the statute.

Mogulescu did not respond to an interview request for this story.

In 2019, the NYPD settled the lawsuit and agreed to revise its patrol guide to no longer allow officers to make arrests based solely on gender and appearances.

The changes reflected in this settlement are changes that have been well underway in the NYPD, Sgt. Jessica McRorie, a spokesperson for the department, told the Daily News at the time. The NYPD is committed to providing clarity to our officers on loitering enforcement, and did so through a combination of amplifications to the patrol guide and enhanced training to ensure compliance.

Up until two years ago, we were unable to pass any bills with letters LGBTQ in the title.  state Sen. Brad Hoylman

Paulin, who has been involved in efforts to combat sex trafficking and wrote and sponsored the Trafficking Victims Protection and Justice Act, told City & State that she learned about walking while trans through her ties to womens groups that she has worked with previously.

The Assembly member then took on the bill to repeal the law, along with Hoylman, and began working with The Legal Aid Society and the New York Civil Liberties Union on the legislation. And as time went on, an even broader coalition of activists, attorneys and lawmakers formed, and the campaign to pass the bill began.

Activists, in particular, were central to getting Albany on board with overturning the law by meeting directly with elected officials and taking on the responsibility of educating them about the ways in which trans women and nonbinary people have been discriminated against, as many lawmakers remained uneasy about supporting the campaign.

I would say one of the biggest tools we had in the campaign was having people to go and meet directly with our elected officials, and to put a human face behind the violence that people were subjected to under this law, Richard Saenz, a criminal justice and police misconduct strategist at Lambda Legal, told City & State. It made it that much more difficult for someone to not be in support of repealing the law. It also helped elected officials see that this was an issue that was important to their constituents. LGBTQ people, trans people, we vote.

In 2019, those involved in the coalition were certain that the bill to overturn walking while trans would pass, considering Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act  which St. James played a pivotal role in helping get passed  had been passed in the Legislature and signed into law.

However, the campaign to decriminalize sex work was also in full force around the same time, and Paulin and Latimer said that confused things for some lawmakers who mixed up the decriminalization movement with the walking while trans ban. The advocates that were the most visible were the advocates that wanted to legalize prostitution, Paulin said. They were the most visible, and I had to talk to them about stepping back from that position for the time being for the sake of this bill because that position was harmful to the bill.Advocates for decriminalizing sex work say doing so will benefit both people who are coerced into sex work and people who choose to do sex work.

Paulin said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalezs and Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas decisions to no longer process loitering charges was far more pivotal to the passing of the bill, though she credits activists and advocates with making strides through their lobbying efforts.

When Gonzalez took office in 2018, he put together a commission to assess and produce a report on the justice system. The commission was made up of about 75 people, including academics, clergy members, defense attorneys and formerly incarcerated people. The commission would result in the offices Justice 2020 report.

It was through compiling this report that Gonzalez was able to meet with members of the citys trans community who had been affected by the states walking while trans statute. I had my eyes opened to some of the issues that trans women who were sex workers faced, such as the constant harassment from police, even when they were not engaged in sex work, Gonzalez told City & State. I really had my eyes opened to new approaches by the advocates, of how to better serve and protect this vulnerable community. And also, quite frankly, after sitting down with some trans individuals, learned about the trauma of arrest and incarceration in their lives and how that impacted them quite differently than other communities. 

LGBTQ people, trans people, we vote.  Richard Saenz, a criminal justice and police misconduct strategist at Lambda Legal

In 2019, Gonzalez announced that the Brooklyn district attorneys office would no longer prosecute charges under the loitering law, as he viewed it as discriminatory and out of date. Soon after, other district attorneys, such as Singas, began to follow suit. In 2020, Gonzalez also announced that prostitution charges would no longer be prosecuted against sex workers and in 2021 dropped 250 open prostitution-related warrants.

Gonzalez said that refusing to prosecute such charges is actually beneficial to individuals involved in sex trafficking.

It's so important for sex workers to have protections, St. James said. They dont need rescuing. They need protection.

Many trans women, particularly trans women of color or trans immigrants, tend to turn to sex work as a means of supporting themselves, as they are often discriminated against when looking for other types of work. And many trans women are accused of engaging in sex work, when they are not, based solely on their appearance. LGBTQ, Black and brown, immigrant and disabled communities engage in sex work at higher rates because they are locked out of jobs in the formal economy, state Sens. Jessica Ramos and Julia Salazar wrote in an op-ed for the Daily News last year.

Its been an uphill battle for decades to get the (repeal of the) walking while trans ban legislated into law, and it really has to do with galvanizing community, St. James said about recognizing the need to create greater levels of involvement to advocate for the legislation.

After the repeal of the walking while trans ban failed in 2019, the movement adjusted strategy.

One beautiful thing about this, the recent campaign and the successful campaign, was that it really centered and was led by people most impacted (by the statute): trans people and trans women of color specifically, Saenz said. I think that is a model that other places, including other campaigns in New York, should really adopt.

Trujillo also expressed that the greater inclusion of activists in the latest campaign made a significant difference. It became a much richer campaign than it was two years ago, when it was mostly public defenders, he said. This time on the campaign, you had, of course, the public defenders but you also have (immigrant and worker advocacy organization) Make the Road  they were super active in this  you had every LGBTQ group in the city that was super active and so many people that recognize this is a trans rights issue.

Those involved in the effort to overturn walking while trans'' also credit the wave of social justice movements and demonstrations that occurred in the wake of George Floyds death during the summer of 2020 for finally putting the pressure needed on Albany to get the law overturned.

I think that Black Lives Matter created space for people to reevaluate. Do we want to repeat criminalizing people for crime that is literally defined as loitering? said David Brown, the legal director at the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund.

And in June, 2020, trans activists mobilized and organized a march to speak out against the continued violence against trans women. An estimated 15,000 people showed up.

Midway through Pride Month, a loosely knit group of advocates organized a march of New Yorkers outside the Brooklyn Museum, which grew to 15,000 people, all dressed in white, Hoylman said. It took place adjacent to the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and I think it was a realization on the part of the public and legislators that this issue is really multifaceted and involves more people. And that I think really kind of created headwinds as we went into the session.

When Bianey Garcia, a member of Make the Road New York who had been key in lobbying efforts to repeal walking while trans, heard that the law had finally been overturned, she wept.

It was an amazing day for me, to realize that a law that criminalized my community for 44 years was repealed in New York state, Garcia told City & State. I cried so much because it was a long fight, not only for me but also my community.

However, not all activists were overcome with joy. Tahtianna Fermin is founder and CEO of Bridges4Life, which seeks to help trans and gender-nonconforming young people become confident, independent and educated. She told City & State that the news of the legislation being signed into law made her feel happy initially, but she wondered what the laws repeal would really mean for trans women. I teared up because it was exciting and were happy to hear that (the law was overturned) but at the same time, the real reality is that policing has always been against us, Fermin said. They have always found ways to manipulate the laws and the bills that are being passed to still find ways to get us arrested.

St. James agrees that theres still much more to be done to protect trans women and nonbinary people, as discrimination against trans women has continued. What we have learned, even with GENDA, is that we have legislative law that says that was illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender identity, but during COVID-19 we got a lot of folks reaching out to NYTAG, and to me individually, talking about how they were discriminated in a shelter, St. James said. You know, trans women who are legally allowed to be in womens shelters, were being told by the staff, not so much the other women, but by the staff, that they couldnt be there in the space, that they had to show proof that they had gender affirming surgery.

Advocates, attorneys and lawmakers are divided on what needs to be prioritized next, now that walking while trans has been repealed. While some feel that decriminalizing sex work should be prioritized, others feel that the NYPD needs to be disbanded or completely reformed  but nearly all agree that trans women need greater protections.

For St. James, theres a long list of things that need to occur to give trans women of color, and all marginalized people, the ability to live their lives to the fullest, including the creation of universal basic income, decriminalizing sex work and ending qualified immunity for police officers. But for right now, St. James is hopeful that more people continue to use their voices to speak up.

When a call (to action) goes out, we need for people to hear it and to come out and support, St. James said. Thats how we start to amplify our voices. You dont have to be trans, you dont have to be Black, but you have to be someone who believes that every human being should have the right to have a multifaceted existence.
11. Daniel Dromm, Carlos Menchaca, & Jimmy Van Bramer

New York City Council Members

Because of term limits, this will be the final year in office for all four members of the New York City Councils Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Caucus. While Council Speaker Corey Johnson is the frontrunner in the city comptroller race, the other three caucus members are heading in different directions.

New York City Council Member Daniel Dromm of Queens is set to leave the limelight after using his post to press the New York City Police Department on overspending, and its aggressive handling of protesters during the 2020 George Floyd protests. He sponsored and helped pass the citys intersex education bill, which includes money for public outreach to discourage unnecessary medical treatments for intersex individuals. Dromm has also sponsored legislation to ban the use of solitary confinement in New York City jails.

Having withdrawn a previous bid for Queens borough president on account of his mothers failing health, New York City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer is once again a contender for the post. Facing now-incumbent Borough President Donovan Richards and former Council Member Elizabeth Crowley in the June Democratic primary, Van Bramer has focused his progressive bid on housing and transportation  areas of focus he says were made especially salient by COVID-19.

Meanwhile, New York City Council Member Carlos Menchaca of Brooklyn mounted a short-lived campaign for mayor, dropping out in March. Menchaca, a Mexican American who last year helped block a proposed Industry City rezoning, was one of the councils more progressive members. However, after exiting the mayoral race, Menchaca endorsed the relatively moderate Andrew Yang, one of the frontrunners in the contest.

12. Jabari Brisport

State Senator

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Over a decade ago, Jabari Brisport joined the push to legalize same-sex marriage in the state. He later embraced the Black Lives Matter movement and, as a schoolteacher, became active in New York Citys teachers union. After a New York City Council campaign fell short in 2017, he was elected to the state Senate last year, becoming the first openly gay Black man to serve in the state Legislature. Hes also one of a handful of socialist members pulling the Democratic Party to the left in Albany.

13. Darren Walker

President, Ford Foundation

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Since becoming the Ford Foundations first openly gay leader in 2013, Darren Walker has administered the organizations $14 billion endowment  with yearly grants around $500 million  keeping an eye toward racial justice and inequality. Since taking the helm, each Ford Foundation grant must have fighting inequality in all its forms as its mission. In an interview with Time, Walker said it is the responsibility of philanthropists to fund frontline protests such as those that occurred in the wake of George Floyds murder.

14. Valerie Berlin

Principal and Co-Founder, BerlinRosen

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Known for advising Democrats, political consultant Valerie Berlins influence has grown considerably in the past year, when her firm saw a 20% increase in its client base. Besides expanding into other areas of practice like labor, real estate and technology, her company advised 170 political campaigns in 22 states this last election cycle. BerlinRosen also supported racial-justice organizations like Color of Change during last summers protests over the death of George Floyd.

15. Sally Susman

Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Pfizer

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Sally Susman has been a leading public voice on the coronavirus, handling communications and public affairs for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, whose mRNA vaccine has been taken by millions globally. Susman was at the forefront of the companys rebranding this past year, in which Pfizer signaled an emphasis on science. An advocate for LGBTQ rights and political fundraising, she has helped raise money for Democratic candidates including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney.

16. Cecilia Gentili

Principal Consultant and Founder, Transgender Equity Consulting

Cecilia Gentili has made decriminalizing sex work in New York a signature goal. She won a major battle this year when the state repealed its walking while trans ban, an anti-loitering statute LGBTQ advocates said was used to harass transgender individuals. Gentili is also the project managing consultant for The New Pride Agenda, and the founder of Decrim NY, which aims to decriminalize and destigmatize sex workers.

17. Marti Allen-Cummings, Amit Bagga, Erik Bottcher, Tiffany Caban, Crystal Hudson, Chi Osse, Josue Pierre, Alfonso Quiroz, Lynn Schulman

New York City Council candidates

See story here.

18. Glennda Testone & Rahul Tripathi

Executive Director; Board Member, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

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Glennda Testone has helped New Yorks Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center weather a difficult year; without in-person fundraising, the organization suffered a $5 million loss in funding. The Center has nonetheless continued its social services and advocacy work, recently helping to raise awareness about employment discrimination against LGBTQ people, which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act last year. Rahul Tripathi, the chief financial officer and chief operating officer at The Brearley School, was elected president of The Center's board of directors in January.

19. Christine Quinn

President and CEO, Win

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Former New York City Council Speaker and once mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn has pivoted to an impactful career in the nonprofit sector as head of homeless advocacy group Win. Over the COVID-19 pandemic, her organization has focused its efforts on womens and family homelessness. While refraining from running for mayor this cycle, she told amNew York that she would use her political clout to ensure that unlike Bill de Blasio, the next mayor actually makes good on their promises to homeless families.

20. Roberta Kaplan

Founding Partner, Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP

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Known for helping to usher in same-sex marriage nationwide with her successful lawsuit against the Defense of Marriage Act, Roberta Kaplans practice has garnered headlines of late with several high-profile lawsuits against former President Donald Trump. Thisincludes one alleging defamation against E. Jean Carroll, who has accused the former president of rape. She also helped sue the organizers of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

21. Carmelyn Malalis & Chanel Lopez

Commissioner; Transgender Communities Liaison, New York City Commission on Human Rights

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Carmelyn Malalis has served as chair and commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights (which enforces the Citys civil rights laws) since 2014 after a decade of advocacy for employee rights in the workplace. Chanel Lopez serves as a liaison to the trans community for the commission, and works to address employment discrimination and harassment against transgender New Yorkers.

22. Melissa Sklarz

District Leader, Assembly District 30, Part B

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Melissa Sklarz made history last year, becoming one of the first two openly trans Democratic district leaders in New York City when she was elected to represent northern Woodside in Queens. A longtime activist for transgender rights, she was among the community leaders who called for the successful repeal of New Yorks walking while trans ban. Shes also a government relations strategist at SAGE, which caters to LGBTQ elders., Formerly, she co-chaired the Empire State Pride Agenda and led the Stonewall Democrats of New York City.

23. Emilia Decaudin

District Leader, Assembly District 37, Part A

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Along with Melissa Sklarz, Emilia Decaudin made history last year by being elected one of New York Citys first two openly transgender Democratic district leaders, representing a portion of Sunnyside. She has been an open critic of Gov. Andrew Cuomo: She was among a cadre of Democratic leaders calling on the state party to censure him after he was accused of sexual assault  a measure that ultimately failed. The state party is controlled by the governor, she lamented to Politico after the vote.

24. Stuart Appelbaum

President, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union

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Representing 100,000 workers from among the coronavirus pandemics most devastated economic sectors, Stuart Appelbaum was behind this years high-profile unionization attempt by Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama. Appelbaum described the effort (which failed after fierce opposition from the company) as a win. In a region generally seen as unfriendly to unions, workers have left an indelible mark, and their campaign may be cited as the moment labor unions in America changed the future of work, he wrote in Newsweek.

25. William Floyd

Director, U.S. State and Local Government Affairs and Public Policy, Google

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As Googles New York City Office expands  before the pandemic, the tech giant added 1.7 million square feet of office space to its West Side location  William Floyds team of 12 helps maintain warm relationships with politicos at City Hall and in Albany. After a nine-year stint working for various New York City government agencies, Floyd turned to the private sector, working for Verizon and the law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.

26. Emily Giske

Partner, Bolton-St. Johns

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Not only is Emily Giske a partner at one of the state's top lobbying firms, Bolton-St. Johns, she is also vice chair of the state Democratic Party and a member of the Democratic National Committee. She has worked extensively on LGBTQ rights in New York, helping to overturn the states ban on paid surrogacy, which LGBTQ advocates say discriminated against same-sex couples. She also lobbied to bring same-sex marriage to the state in 2011.

27. Bruce Richman

Founding Executive Director, Prevention Access Campaign

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With the Undetectable = Untransmittable slogan, Bruce Richman has helped fight the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS by educating the public about the efficacy of treatment that makes HIV-positive people with undetectable virus levels unable to transmit the virus. Even amid the economic turmoil brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Richman has hired new staffers in the last year, helping to propel his organizations message across the globe.

28. Ana Oliveira

President and CEO, The New York Womens Foundation

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Since taking helm of the New York Women's Foundation in 2006, Ana Oliveira has increased its grantmaking from $1.7 million to $9 million. Oliveira, who is also the former CEO of the Gay Men's Health Crisis, pledged $1 million to help women, transgender, gender non-conforming and non-binary New Yorkers affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Her foundation also partnered with other organizations to survey New York City mayoral candidates on how they would address challenges facing women.

29. David Rich

Executive Vice President, Government Affairs, Communications and Public Policy, Greater New York Hospital Association

Representing more than 160 hospitals and health care systems in New York, the Greater New York Hospital Association is one of the most powerful interest groups in the state, with close ties to the administration of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. A veteran of the Mario Cuomo administration who came on at GNYHA in 1993, David Rich is responsible for all of the groups legislative advocacy and has been busy representing hospitals interests in Albany during the coronavirus pandemic.

30. James Krellenstein

Executive Director and Co-Founder, PrEP4All

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An HIV and coronavirus activist, James Krellenstein is co-founder of PrEP4All and its COVID-19 Working Group, a collaboration with experts and other activists that has issued reports on vaccine access and the broader response to the virus. Krellenstein has criticized the CDC for failing to adequately track uptake of PrEP and advocated for COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to waive their patents. He has also been active in the radical HIV/AIDS advocacy group ACT UP.

31. Alphonso David

President, Human Rights Campaign

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Since leaving his post as counsel to Gov. Andrew Cuomo to run the LGBTQ advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign, Alphonso David has built on the backing of its 3 million-plus members to fight the anti-trans bills popping up in Republican state legislatures across the country. But with seven in 10 voters supporting equality and one in six youth and young adults identifying as L.G.B.T.Q., David wrote recently in The New York Times, they will also learn this is a losing approach.

32. Ethan Geto

Principal, Geto & de Milly

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Inspired by his parents commitment to public service, Ethan Geto has been working on political campaigns since his teens. Founded in 1980, his firm Geto & de Milly advises social services and real estate entities, and recently helped push post-pandemic projects in New York City. This includes the Brooklyn Gowanus rezoning, and a South Street Seaport redevelopment plan. Geto, who previously held a number of city, state and federal government roles and worked on numerous campaigns, has long provided pro bono services to a long list of LGBTQ organizations.

33. Chris Coffey

Head of New York Practice, Tusk Strategies

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As a leader of one of New Yorks most powerful consulting firms, Chris Coffey signed on as co-campaign manager of Andrew Yangs New York City mayoral run, for which his firm actively recruited Yang after his loss in the presidential primary. Coffey has previously advised other major New York politicos  like Gov. Andrew Cuomo, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson  and has represented clients including Uber and New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets.

34. Kevin Jennings

CEO, Lambda Legal

As head of the nations oldest and largest LGBTQ legal advocacy group, Kevin Jennings has pushed for passage of the Equality Act, which would cement nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people in housing, employment and public accommodations. Jennings, who helped create the first school-based Gay-Straight Alliance club in 1988, is also the founder of GLSEN, which works to combat anti-LGBTQ bullying. "We are not in a state in which LGBTQ people can rest on our laurels, he told USA Today last year.

35. Thomas Chernick

Director, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, New York

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As director of the New York chapter of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Thomas TJ Chernick helps empower LGBTQ-owned businesses locally while coordinating with the organizations national office in Washington, D.C. As an advocate of LGBTQ rights abroad, Chernick has helped coordinate international gender projects in Iraq with the International Human Rights Law Institute. His organization scored a recent victory when New York City agreed to recognize LGBT businesses in an effort to boost their share of government contracting.

36. Rashad Robinson

President, Color of Change

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With more than 7 million members behind him, Rashad Robinson uses his clout as president of progressive racial justice organization Color of Change to change government and corporate policies. Budgets are moral documents, he told Yahoo News in May. They say more about what we care about than anything we may say in a speech about racial justice. The groups political action committee funds progressive district attorney candidates  like Alvin Bragg in Manhattan  who pledge to reform racist sentencing guidelines.

37. Jon Del Giorno

Founding Member, Pitta Bishop & Del Giorno LLC

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A top lobbyist with deep ties to Staten Island, Jon Del Giorno is well-known for representing labor organizations, including the Teamsters Local 831, the New York City Coalition of Operating Engineers, and the Office and Professional Employees International Union. His firm was behind Christine Quinn and Melissa Mark-Viverito's successful bids for New York City Council speaker. He has served on the boards of the Stonewall Community Development Corporation, the Jim Owles Democrat Club and on the CUNY LGBTQI Student Leadership Program Advisory Council.

38. Alan van Capelle

President and CEO, Educational Alliance

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Since 2014, Alan van Capelle has helmed the Educational Alliance, whose Lower Manhattan services include preschool, summer camps and after-school programs. Under his leadership, the Educational Alliance has helped provide relief for those affected by the pandemic. This includes distributing take-home meals and cash assistance, conducting outreach to older adults and reopening early childhood programs. As a longtime LGBTQ rights activist, he previously led the Empire State Pride Agenda.

39. Charles John OByrne

Executive Vice President for Policy, Related Companies

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A former Jesuit priest and human rights lawyer, Charles O'Byrnes career advising politicians includes working on the 2004 presidential campaign of Howard Dean, for whom OByrne worked as a speechwriter. He also became a longtime adviser to David Paterson, serving as his chief of staff in the state Senate and ultimately as the influential secretary to the governor. In his current role for the powerhouse real estate development firm Related, OByrne advises clients on government affairs at the federal, state and local levels.

40. Brian Ellner

Executive Vice President, Growth & Marketing, New York, BCW

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Brian Ellner is responsible for growth and marketing for the New York market of the global public relations giant BCW. He led BCWs pro bono efforts advising Gov. Andrew Cuomos communications team on its response to the coronavirus. Ellners LGBTQ advocacy includes helping legalize same-sex marriage in New York in 2011, and advising similar campaigns in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington. Hes now advocating for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and the federal Equality Act.

41. Teddy Goff

Co-Founder, Precision

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After Teddy Goff helped Barack Obama win a second term in the White House in 2012 as the campaigns digital director, he and two fellow veterans of that effort launched Precision, a consulting firm catering to political, nonprofit and private-sector clients. The Manhattanite has worked with the American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations on LGBTQ advocacy. He also sits on the board of Run for Something, which assists young progressives seeking elected office.

42. Jawanza Williams

Director of Organizing, VOCAL-NY

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Jawanza Williams, the director of organizing for the progressive grassroots advocacy group Voices of Community Activists and Leaders New York, fought for a decade to legalize recreational marijuana in New York state. Thanks to the advocacy of activists like Williams, the bill, which finally passed this spring, sets aside 40% of the tax revenue from marijuana sales for communities affected by the war on drugs, which has disproportionately targeted people of color. His group was also among those that camped out at City Hall to demand a $1 billion cut to New York City Police Department funding.

43. Jon Stryker

Board President and Founder, Arcus Foundation

Billionaire heir Jon Stryker is known for his philanthropic and advocacy work in support of LGBTQ social justice and ape conservation. He has donated more than $500 million of his $4.3 billion net worth to his Arcus Foundation. Earlier this year, he made a $15 million contribution to fund the American Civil Liberties Unions LGBTQ & HIV Project, and helped endow a chair for queer studies at Spelman College.

44. Matthew McMorrow

Statewide Director of LGBTQ Affairs, Office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo

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A former top adviser to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on LGBTQ investments and event planning, Matthew McMorrow left the mayors office last year to join the administration of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. A longtime activist, McMorrow was director of government affairs at the Empire State Pride Agenda, which helped bring same-sex marriage to New York, a role in which he pushed for transgender protections.

45. Cynthia Nixon

Actor and Activist

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Since losing her bid to unseat Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2018, the award-winning actor Cynthia Nixon has seen Albany embrace many of her progressive policies. Shes also remained politically active, speaking out on LGBTQ issues and endorsing candidates for elected office. She has been harshly critical of the governor as multiple women have accused him of sexual misconduct. If you look at the way hes treated women, if you look at the way hes treated members of the legislature, he is a terrifying, abusive presence," Nixon told NY1.

46. Michael Adams

CEO, SAGE

As head of Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders, the largest organization advocating for the growing population of LGBTQ seniors, Michael Adams has been active during the coronavirus pandemic, which he said has made economic insecurity among LGBTQ seniors much worse. Amid the pandemic, the organization has focused on the housing crisis among this demographic, partnering with AARP New York to bring attention to the long-term effects of discrimination on LGBTQ seniors.

47. Sasha Neha Ahuja

Co-Campaign Manager, Andrew Yang for Mayor

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A progressive firebrand and activist, Sasha Neha Ahuja signed on to the New York City mayoral campaign of Andrew Yang earlier this year. She has been an advocate for a decade and half, working with the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, Planned Parenthood, the Street Vendor Project and Girls for Gender Equity  and designing the Young Womens Initiative while serving as the deputy director for policy under then-New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.

48. Andrew Kirtzman

President, Kirtzman Strategies

After a long career in journalism and a short stint in New York City government, Andrew Kirtzman founded his own boutique communications firm Kirtzman Strategies, which advises politicians and health care institutions, among other clients. The former Inside City Hall host on NY1 has stayed in the public eye as a political commentator on CNN and MSNBC, frequently criticizing the Trump administrations efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

49. Sarah Kate Ellis

President and CEO, GLAAD

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Sarah Kate Ellis, who became CEO of media watchdog GLAAD in 2014, has spoken out forcefully in recent months against the more than 100 anti-trans bills cropping up in Republican legislatures. GLAAD deemed this summer the Summer of Equality to advocate for passage of the federal Equality Act, which would expand nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people. Before her life as an LGBTQ-rights advocate, she helped make Real Simple one of Time Inc.'s top magazine brands.

50. Ashe McGovern

Executive Director of the NYC Unity Project and Senior LGBTQ Policy Adviser, Office of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio

Launched by New York Citys first lady, Chirlane McCray, in 2017, the NYC Unity Project provides health care and job training for at-risk LGBTQ youth as well as an outreach and awareness campaign. Under Ashe McGovern's leadership, the organization launched a $2.6 million work development project for LGBTQ youth this summer. This program is historic in its distinction as the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the nation, McGovern said at the projects kickoff in April.

Correction: An earlier version of this post included outdated details of Brian Ellner's work at BCW.
New Yorks LGBTQ community has plenty to be proud of. A decade ago, the state legalized same-sex marriage. More recently, state lawmakers passed measures protecting transgender, gender nonconforming and non-binary New Yorkers, barring conversion therapy and repealing the walking while trans ban. Meanwhile, LGBTQ elected officials hold influential posts. In the past year, voters elected the first two openly gay Black men  Reps. Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones  to serve in Congress and New York Citys first two transgender district leaders. And while the four openly gay men in the New York City Council are term-limited, a larger and more diverse cohort of LGBTQ candidates are well positioned to win their races this year.

Of course, plenty of political and policy battles remain. New York leaders are battling back against anti-trans bills passed in state legislatures around the country while pushing for further protections here at home. While gay and lesbian individuals enjoy growing acceptance, transgender New Yorkers, including those of color, still confront prejudice and discrimination in their everyday lives.

To mark Pride Month, City & States 2021 Pride Power 100  which was researched and written in partnership with freelance journalist Gabriel Arana  recognizes the LGBTQ leaders who are still striving for full equality.

1. Corey Johnson

New York City Council Speaker

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Corey Johnson continues to be one of New Yorks most prominent LGBTQ politicians, and a counterweight to Mayor Bill de Blasio. Johnsons mayoral hopes were dashed by battles over police funding  and his struggles with depression  but he has since thrown his hat into the ring in the race for city comptroller, promising stricter oversight of agencies like the Department of Homeless Services, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Department of Education.

2. Sean Patrick Maloney

Member of Congress

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Openly gay Rep. Sean Patrick Maloneys profile in Congress rose when House Democrats elected him to head the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee after their losses at the ballot box last year. He is the first openly LGBTQ person to hold the post. Having easily won reelection in a district that went for Donald Trump in 2016, Maloney has vowed to listen to the partys progressive left wing while courting voters who dont already agree with us.

3. Brad Hoylman

State Senator

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In his bid for Manhattan borough president, state Sen. Brad Hoylman has collected major endorsements from unions including the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, the United Federation of Teachers and the Uniformed Firefighters Association. All the while, he has remained an active and outspoken progressive in the state Senate, where in the past year he proposed legislation curbing the use of handguns and requiring students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

4. Ritchie Torres

Member of Congress

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After building up his profile in the New York City Council, Rep. Ritchie Torres won a historic election in 2020 to become one of the first two openly gay, Black members of Congress (the other, Mondaire Jones, represents a Hudson Valley district). The South Bronx representative has led efforts in Washington to strengthen oversight of police, and reform Immigration & Customs Enforcement  and recently took a strong stance in support of Israel.

5. Mondaire Jones

Member of Congress

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Recently ranked by news site Axios as the most active first-term member of Congress in office  he has sponsored more than 300 bills in his first six months  Rep. Mondaire Jones is also one of the first two openly gay, Black legislators elected to the House of Representatives. Among the high-profile bills he has introduced is the Judiciary Act of 2021, which would expand the number of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court.

6. Emma Wolfe

Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor for Administration, New York City Mayors Office

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Among New York City Mayor Bill de Blasios longest-serving and most trusted aides, Emma Wolfe was promoted to a deputy mayor role at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. This promotion makes her second in the line of succession behind the first deputy mayor, while also continuing her duties as chief of staff. She has remained close to the mayor amid staff departures and criticisms of his response to social-justice protests last summer and efforts at police reform.

7. Harry Bronson, Deborah Glick & Daniel ODonnell

Assembly Members

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Assembly Member Harry Bronson, the first openly gay upstate lawmaker, fended off an intraparty challenge from a top aide to Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren last year, and this year hes backing a primary contender seeking to depose her. In Albany, Bronson has been focusing on mental health, including sponsoring Daniels Law  a measure named after Daniel Prude, who died in police custody, the legislature would have mental health professionals respond to certain emergencies instead of police officers.

Assembly Member Deborah Glick, who was first elected in 1990, is the first openly lesbian or gay member of the state Legislature. The Greenwich Village lawmaker and chair of the Higher Education Committee has been part of high-profile legislative debates in recent years, including over paid surrogacy, the classification of gig workers and the proposed pied-a-terre tax.

Glick and Assembly Member Daniel ODonnell were pivotal players in the successful push to legalize same-sex marriage a decade ago. ODonnell is now pushing for the Gender Recognition Act, which would allow New Yorkers to select X instead of male or female on their drivers licenses. The Manhattan lawmaker was the first openly gay man elected to the state Assembly.

8. Mitchell Katz

President and CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals

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As leader of New York Citys public hospital system, Mitchell Katz oversees 11 hospitals, five nursing facilities, dozens of community health centers and a home-care agency. He has been at the forefront of the citys coronavirus response, leading contact tracing efforts and helping to weather the systems shortages of protective equipment, the influx of patients and the ongoing vaccination effort. Hes also deputy editor of the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

9. Randi Weingarten

President, American Federation of Teachers

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With the backing of the AFTs 1.7 million members, Randi Weingarten has used her pulpit to advocate for economic and racial justice as well as the safe reopening of schools post-pandemic. She went head-to-head with the Trump administration, threatening safety strikes if schools opened against the advice of public-health officials. She has advocated for teachers to get priority among the COVID-19 vaccination drive, but stopped short of endorsing the vaccines to be mandatory for teachers and students to return to school.

10. Kiara St. James

Co-Founder and Executive Director, New York Transgender Advocacy Group

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A decades-long activist, Kiara St. James began her advocacy in New York with Housing Works in the 1990s. Today, as head of the New York Transgender Advocacy Group, she has pushed successfully for the passage of major LGBTQ legislation. This includes New York state's Gender Expression Non-Distrimination Act, or GENDA, which passed in 2019, and a recent measure to eliminate the states walking while trans law  an anti-loitering statute that has been used to target transgender people.
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The mayoral campaign of Scott Stringer, the New York City comptroller and longest-serving elected official in the citys mayoral race, came close to derailing in early May, as prominent supporters abandoned him in the wake of a claim of sexual misconduct decades ago. By the time another accuser came forward earlier this month, key news organizations already had begun to scale back their coverage of the Stringer campaign.

The unraveling began on April 28, when Gothamist reported that Jean Kim, a longtime volunteer on Stringer campaigns, was planning to disclose sexual-misconduct accusations against him at a press conference later that day. At the press conference, Kim accused Stringer of making unwanted sexual advances, including groping and trying to kiss her, 20 years ago, when she was 30 years old. Stringer denied the allegations, saying that he and Kim had had a consensual relationship.

Stringers campaign, which had recently scored two important endorsements from the United Federation of Teachers and the Working Families Party, began listing almost immediately. The day after the accusation, Stringers mayoral challengers called for him to quit. Progressive organizations, including the Working Families Party, and key political backers, including State Senator Jessica Ramos, withdrew their support. The UFT and several city-based labor unions, by contrast, stuck with Stringer.

Two weeks after Kim came forward, The New York Times, which had endorsed Stringers successful campaigns for Manhattan borough president and comptroller, backed Kathryn Garcia, the citys former sanitation commissioner and, at the time, a relatively obscure rival in the mayoral race.

After the initial flurry of news stories about Kims allegation, there was a change in temperature across the coverage, Alyssa Katz, deputy editor of The City, a nonprofit digital news platform, and former member of the NY Daily News editorial board, says. You definitely saw a retreat from Stringer being covered, as if the obituary had already been written.

With a post-pandemic New York City facing some of its gravest challenges since the financial crisis of the 1970s, this mayoral race would seem tailored for a candidate who was long on experience, but short on charisma. In a Times column, Ginia Bellafante described the initial aura of inevitability that once surrounded Stringers campaign: A lifelong public servant, a son of Washington Heights, a wonk, an advocatefighting for housing justice and climate justice and all the justiceshe seemed like a pot roast on a damp night in midwinter: satisfying, if not abundant in memorable flavor.

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Yet there was also much uncertainty surrounding the race beyond the challenge of standing out among a field of eight leading Democrats. Stringers campaign has been overshadowed for months by that of Andrew Yang, the erstwhile-underdog presidential candidate who seized the number-one spot in the early days of the campaign, and Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, whose front-runner status has endured despite allegations of corruption. With little polling from the New York areas three major pollsters, what polls there are have had several candidatesincluding Stringer and the two candidates who most benefited from the scandal plaguing his campaign, Garcia and Maya Wiley, a civil-rights lawyer who served as counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasioriding a roller coaster of rankings. Indeed, weeks after Kims accusations, Stringers support actually grew, and he finished second to Adams in at least one poll. And the use of ranked-choice voting, for the first time, in New York municipal elections means that a candidate whom voters pick as their second or even third choiceand that could be Stringer, say a number of expertscould come out on top. New York City voters go to the polls on Tuesday.

Beyond the substance of Kims accusation, a number of factors lent momentum to Kims allegations and helped lead key news organizations to pull back on their coverage of Stringers campaign. First, Kims press conference short-circuited what has become the gold standard for covering sexual-assault accusationsin particular, contemporaneous corroboration of alleged misconduct,which was key to Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Harvey Weinstein sexual-assault allegations, and which Kim did not provide.

Corroboration was totally lacking in the Jean Kim case, Ben Smith, the Timess media columnist, says, referencing the news medias coverage overall.

Dean Chang, deputy Metro editor for politics for the Times, says the paper knew about Kims allegations earlier and had tried, and failed, to get contemporaneous corroboration. We only went public after she went public with her allegations, Chang says, referring to Kims press conference. (Kims account also contained inconsistencies that were investigated by The Intercept. For example, while Kim, a lobbyist today, said she worked for Stringer as an intern, she was actually a volunteer and part of Stringers social circle, The Intercept reported.)

Stringers second accuser, however, did provide contemporaneous corroboration. Teresa Logan, who worked at a tavern co-founded by Stringer, said he had groped her and made unwanted sexual advances. At the time, Logan told her sister, Yohanna Logan, and at least one other friend, both of whom spoke with the Times, about some of the incidents. As is often the case with sexual-misconduct cases, there were no known witnesses, the Times reported.

Several veteran journalists said they were not surprised by Kim and Logans accusations. As Errol Louis, the host of Inside City Hall, a Spectrum News NY1 nightly primetime show about New York City politics, put it in an interview, describing Stringers circle in the 1990s, Everybody was getting drunk, hooking up, running around.

Once the accusations broke, there were likely several reasons some news organizations scaled back their coverage of Stringer, including a lack of resources among some local outlets. But a key factor was the editorial judgments that were formed when Stringers supporters headed for the exits.

The New York Times had published meaty, get-to-know-the-candidates articles on all the contenders, including one on Stringer in mid-April. But, since Kim came forward, Stringer has taken a back seat to other candidates in much of the Timess coverage. Among close to three-dozen print stories about the mayoral race reviewed since late April, the Times published eight stories directly related to the sexual-misconduct allegations. In addition, it published one stand-alone feature in early May, on Stringers fight to keep his campaign alive following Kims accusation. A week later, the Times also published a shorter article on the teacher unions efforts to bolster Stringers campaign with a multimillion-dollar ad blitz.

By contrast, the Times published four stand-alone stories, over 1,000 words in length, on Wiley, Stringers leading progressive opponent, since May, including a soft feature in the Style section on Wileys favorite wardrobe color: purple.

In the Timess longer round-up stories about the race, Stringer is rarely mentioned near the toponly four times since the end of April. He was mentioned near the bottom ten times, and in the middle eleven times. For example, during one of the more memorable moments of the last mayoral debate, Stringer attacked Andrew Yangs promise to provide psychiatric beds for anyone who is mentally ill and homeless, demanding to know how much that would cost: You cant just say psych beds for all, you need specifics. The Times mentioned the incident near the bottom of its 1,700-word story on the debate, and referenced Stringer by name only three timesless than any candidate but Shaun Donovan, a former Obama official, whose polling numbers have languished near the bottom of the pack for months.

By contrast, Politico highlighted Stringers takedown of Yang, in a story that also featured a video clip of his exchange with Yang, as well as a lead photo of Stringer arriving at the debate.

Chang says the Times tries to cover all eight major candidates, but concedes that some coverage decisions are linked to each candidates standing in the race. In Stringers case, Chang says, the allegations made by Jean Kim influenced his standing in the race. He lost key endorsers. He lost standing in whatever scant polling was being done in the race. It was an issue he had to answer in mayoral debates. It was inevitable that our coverage would be shaded by that.

Similar judgments were at work at NY1.

No. We didnt cover Stringer as much after Kims initial allegations, says Louis. After we chewed it over, he says, the consensus was that unless he can pull a rabbit out of the hat or change the narrative, Stringers campaign is on life support.

On June 9, after Teresa Logan had come forward with her allegations against Stringer, Gloria Pazmino, a political reporter at NY1, encapsulated the news judgment that was being made in her newsroom when she declared that Maya Wiley was the last one standing among progressive candidates, even though, at the time, Stringer was still ahead of Wiley in the polls. (By then, the campaign of Dianne Morales, another progressive, was beset by accusations of a toxic culture, including sexual harassment.) NY1 had recently published a poll, conducted with Ipsos, which found that, while Stringers support had slipped, he was still leading Wiley by one percentage point.

Louis says that he and his colleagues were watching the long-term trajectory of Stringers polling numbers, which had seen the candidate slip from third place, in April, to fifth place in June, as Wiley was gaining ground. While Stringers campaign contributions initially went up 20 percent after Kims allegations, Stringers fundraising eventually dried up, notes Louis, who adds, We have a veteran candidate who was seeing a first-time candidate nipping at their heels.

Several outlets have continued to cover Stringers campaign. Since the sexual harassment allegations, Politico has published dozens of items on each of the candidates, including a notice of Stringers late-May endorsement by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and a feature headlined Stringer stays strong in NYC mayors race after sexual harassment allegations. The Daily News, which has a handful of reporters covering the mayoral race, has written stories on Stringers ethics plan, in the wake of questions about the source of donations to Adamss campaign, and his promise to crack down on noise pollution.

One glaring omission from coverage of the candidate has been the lack of any examination, during the past year, of how New York Citys $247 billion pension holdings, which are managed by the comptroller, have fared under Stringers watch. A database search found one short article, from Bloomberg, on the citys pension system teaming up with a developer to invest in affordable apartments. Another short article, earlier this year, by the Associated Press, covered the citys plans to more than double investments in companies focused on climate-change mitigation, including wind and solar power, to over $6 billion, even as it divests from fossil-fuel companies. An opinion piece in the Times, late last year, by climate activist Bill McKibben briefly mentioned Stringers plans to divest fossil fuel investments.

Voters will have to grapple with what role the sexual-misconduct allegations should play in their decision-making when casting their ballots, and ranked-choice voting makes the races outcome far from predictable. As journalists cover sexual-harassment allegations against politiciansincluding those that go unpublished for a variety of reasonsthey may need to recalibrate the judgments they make on how to cover candidates such as Stringer in their wake.

NEW AT CJR: What is the mainstream media, anyway?

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Andrea Gabor is the Bloomberg Professor of Business Journalism at Baruch College/CUNY and the author, most recently, of After the Education Wars (The New Press, 2018). Before this story was reported or written, she made a $100 donation to the Stringer campaign.
Those who have been following Chris Hayess coverage on MSNBC understood the above tweet to mean that by these people, Hayes was referring to the Trumpist faction of the GOP, hell-bent as it appears on keeping the government in thrall to itself. Hayes is convinced they will not stop until they either succeed in overthrowing democracy in the US or are sent to prison.

MSNBC has not settled on a consistent position regarding this questionwhich is a historic question, and not a news question open to conventional analysis. To put this another way: Hayess tweet is either true, or not. If the Republican party has in fact been hijacked by authoritarians, we are facing one reality, and if its not, another and very different one; the two views are so fundamentally irreconcilable as to foreclose on the idea that reasonable people can disagree.

Despite the failure of Republican leadership to permit even an investigation into the January 6 insurrection, MSNBCs habitual politenessits bias toward balanceis as prominent as its ever been. So how to square that fact with the views of one of the networks prime-time anchors on the threat of encroaching authoritarianism?

I spoke with Hayes last week to clarify his views on these questions. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.

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Maria Bustillos: Theres an apparent disinclination to state the facts plainly in media, with respect to the current situation in the GOP.

Chris Hayes: Part of it, I think, is that reckoning comes with definitive defeat and concession. The most obvious example being Nixon, resigning and getting on the helicopter.

Yes, Nixon was pardoned by Ford, but a lot of the people around him went to prison. And it also occasioned an intense national reckoning: how could it have happened that this man became president and did what he did? And out of that reckoning we got the Church Committee, we got FISA, we got basically the structure of modern campaign finance regulations and the birth of the FEC; there was a multifaceted look at the weaknesses of American governance, at [the reasons why] Nixon was able to abuse state authority in the way he did. And we need that again.

In the end, everything held just enough. But you know, theyre gonna keep pressing until it doesnt hold. Michelle Goldberg had an opening line in her New York Times column the other day that I thought was so good, about being in the eye of the storm of American democratic decline.

[Goldbergs actual phrase was American democratic collapse.]

And its funny, because the first time I was actually in a real Gulf hurricaneHurricane IrmaI knew, intellectually, when it was the eye of the storm. But when I went outside, during the eye, I literally had to keep telling myself that this was the eye. Because it did feel like a gorgeous day, like the storm was over; I knew it was the eye but perceptually, viscerally, emotionally, I was like: its gone. Maybe we got it wrong. Maybe the storm actually passed.

Because that would be nicer.

It would be nicer, and also thats what it feels like, day to day. When you had [Trump] in the White House, particularly during the worst of COVID, the urgency of the crisis, the mounting death toll and the omnipresence of this horror was so suffocating.

And now its like the threat hasnt gone anywhere, but its harder to will yourself into feeling it that way.

In your tweet you referred to theyits they who are not going to stop. Its not one person.

I agree; [Trump] is uniquely sociopathic, but his sociopathic qualities fit perfectly with what the movement wants, which is why he has been raised up by that movement. The crisis in America right now, to me, is the controlling faction of one of the two major political coalitions that is radicalizing against democracy.

And its not the full coalition, right? Its a faction, but its a controlling faction, like the Bolsheviks were just a faction. And they took the Winter Palace with so few men, so thats the worry.

If we really are in the eye of the storm, then clearly an immediate and total re-envisioning of news coverage seems essential. But institutional journalism is disinclined to perform what it thinks of as an activist role, or really anything challenging the notion of objectivity. So what do we do?

I dont know. I can only do what I do; I focus on what I feel like is the urgency of the moment. I do think there was a recognition broadly across the press, the media, of the urgency of the crisis, particularly in the last year, between COVID and January 6th.

I think fundamentally I dont see it as a press problem so much as like, a malformation of one of the two coalitions. Within the boundaries of how the press largely views itself, its been fairly forward-leaning about this sense of crisis and urgency.

The problem is, theres two parties, and theres two coalitions, and one of them is just okay with this. And then it just sits there, in the middle of American life. In the middle of American governance. And its very hard to figure out how to talk about that.

But I mean, it shouldnt be.

I dont have the power to throw anyone in prison, all I have the power to do is sort of bear moral witness to what the stakes are as I see them Im not democratically elected, Im not a member of the state, I havent been constituted by the demos to mete out that role.

Youre a citizen and you can demand justice.

Right, I mean its hard, though, and this is where we get into these thorny institutional questions. [For example], I saw an interview with one of the Manhattan DA candidates, and she was being pressed to make a commitment to prosecute Trump. And I found myself tied into knots about whether you should say yes or not. One side was like yes, clearly. But the rule of law, and the traditions we have around prosecution, are in tension with that. So its a very strange moment.

What would be the signal that were going back into the storm, to you?

I dont know. I have to say, Ive been so knocked around by the last few years, maybe its because I came of agemy last college years were in the late nineties, the global victory of neoliberalism, The End of History, Fukuyama, the dot-com bubbleand then 9/11 happened, and I just had no expectation of normalcy, or the boat getting back onto an even keel.

So I have no idea whats coming. Theres an enormous array of possibilities. But the fundamental threat to the American small-d democratic project is before us every day, and naming that and being vigilant about that is what I think my role is.

The sheer relentlessness of this junta, or whatever it is, I have no idea what to even call it, has been very easy to underestimate. So youre like seeing this thing unfolding in front of you, and I feel like I watch television and its just not named.

I think its a hard thing to name. The other thing I will say about this is that different people have different theories about how bad it is, and where were at. And theres lots of people, like I saw Dianne Feinstein saying this the other day, and even [Justice Stephen] Breyerlook, I mean I dont bear folks that take the other view of this any ill will or malice, and at some level I hope theyre right I kind of want to be wrong, and, and I do question myself. I mean, I wonderam I being melodramatic here, like is this?

But three hundred thousand people died unnecessarily, and that culminated in a violent assault to install the loser of an election over the winner, at the cost of American democracy. Thats what happened. Those are the facts.

If anything, we werent paranoid enough.

Yes, I think that was the lesson on January 6th.

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Maria Bustillos is the founding editor of Popula, an alternative news and culture magazine. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, Harpers, and The Guardian.
Last year, as June turned to July, China imposed a draconian new security law on Hong Kong, sparking widespread doubtand no little alarmas to what it might mean for freedoms of speech and the press in a territory that had once been a redoubt of both. Immediately, police made mass arrests at protests marking the twenty-third anniversary of Hong Kongs return to Chinese rule; then, a few weeks later, they arrested Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy businessman whose media company publishes the newspaper Apple Daily, alongside several company executivesending what the Committee to Protect Journalists described as an unnerving wait for the security laws first impact on journalism. The same day, more than a hundred police officers raided Apple Dailys newsroom, and searched it for several hours. Lai was denied bail; in December, he was charged with colluding with foreign forces. In early 2021, officials invoked the law again as they arrested dozens of people involved with elections last year. Three news organizations, including Apple Daily, were ordered to hand over information about candidates.

Then, last Thursdaytwo weeks short of a year since the security law was implementedthe Hong Kong authorities wielded it in perhaps the most brazen way yet, as far as the press is concerned, and Apple Daily was once again the target. Its offices were again raided, but by some five hundred officers this time; they seized electronic devices, including more than forty computers and servers, as well as other reporting materials, including information about sources, and kicked staffers out, declaring the newsroom a crime scene. Officials froze accounts linked to Apple Daily containing more than two million US dollars, and arrested five members of the companys leadership, again under the pretext of foreign collusion. Speaking at a press conference, Li Kwai-wah, a senior official with the Hong Kong police, cited Apple Daily articles that urged foreign countries to sanction China and Hong Kong; he said that the articles in question date back as far as 2019, even though the security law was not supposed to be retroactively enforceable. Li also warned members of the public against sharing content from Apple Daily. As a law enforcer, he said, I would advise you not to invite suspicion.

New from CJR: What is the mainstream media, anyway?

Officials attempted to draw a distinction between their view that Apple Daily is a security threat and their general respect for press freedom; John Lee, Hong Kongs security secretary, said that normal journalists are different from them. But this is nonsense. The authorities legal crackdown on the media is broader than Apple Daily; it predates the security law, and even now does not depend on it. In November, officials charged a student journalist called Nelson Tang and an unidentified local-news reporter with obstruction offenses in relation to their past coverage of protests; in February, they dusted off a sedition law dating to the British colonial period to charge Wan Yiu-sing, who hosted an online radio show under the alias Giggs. In April, a court convicted Bao Choy of making false statements in the course of her work, for the public broadcaster RTHK, investigating a violent 2019 attack on protesters; she had given other traffic and transport related issues as her reason for accessing public license-plate data since journalism wasnt an option on the form. The authorities didnt even need the security law to keep Lai in prison: also in April, he was handed a fourteen-month sentence on unlawful-assembly grounds linked to protests in 2019. (The collusion charges are pending.)

These legal threats have occurred, meanwhile, within a broader framework of repression that has also made room for state violence, cumbersome regulation, and subtler manifestations of official pressureas Elaine Yu reported for CJR in March, any reflection on the months since the imposition of the security law shows a systematic push from Beijing-backed authorities to tame Hong Kongs press. Yu noted officials moves to effectively deny press accreditation to student and citizen journalists, as well as troubling developments at RTHK, where Nabela Qoser, a reporter who has asked tough questions of powerful people, was placed on a short-term contracta move interpreted as an effective terminationand the government then installed a bureaucrat with no journalistic background as director, while also recommending greater oversight of sensitive editorial content. This climate has affected international media, as well as domestic outlets; shortly after the security law came into effect, the New York Times began relocating part of its Hong Kong operation to Seoul, in South Korea, citing uncertainty around the law and visas. Speaking with dozens of journalists on the ground, Yu found mounting impulses toward self-censorship on the part of some reporters and their sources, though many, she noted, had remained defiant. You cant chop off your toes to avoid the sand bugs, Apple Dailys Leung Ka-lai told Yu, referencing a Cantonese proverb. You cant say, Ill retreat a little and not write this word or not pursue this subject. Its all or nothing.

There continues to be plenty of defiance. Last August, following Lais arrest and the raid on Apple Dailys newsroom, residents stood in line from the early hours to buy copiesWe would have even bought a blank Apple Daily paper today, one saidand many readers also bought shares or took out ads in the paper containing supportive messages; on Friday, after Apple Daily was raided again, lines formed early at newsstands again, and the paper printed half a million copies, more than five times its usual run, to meet the demand. Apple Daily reporters covered the raid aggressively, filming inside the newsroom, and then, after they were expelled, from the roof. Still, defiance is often met with stronger and stronger blows, not all of which can be withstood. Yesterday, Apple Dailys leadership announced that, given the freezing of the papers accounts, it may only have enough cash to continue operating for a few weeks. Today, it said that, pending a board meeting on Friday, the paper could shutter as soon as Saturday.

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Earlier today, Apple Daily ran an editorial headlined, Uphold freedom of press with no regrets. Its writer, Lo Fung, noted that the paper marked its twenty-sixth birthday yesterday by publishing news, commentaries, and features on its paper and website just like it has been doing since Jun 20, 1995a miracle attributable to the resilience of its staff. However, the editorial continued, the road ahead is full of thorns, not least the ambiguous and untraceable red line of the national security law. For Apple Daily to survive through all of these is not a promise to be made, and perhaps we could only go one step at a time, to persist one day at a time.

Below, more on press freedom in Hong Kong and around the world:



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: Our creaky social media policies are no match for todays trolls

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Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
Insurance carriers rules about dog breeds have pulled the industry into a new twist in the national debate over racial equity.

Animal rights advocates say the assumption that particular dog breeds are inherently more dangerous is often driven by racial or class animus that associates certain kinds of dogs with certain kinds of people. They have dragged insurers into a political dog fight that forces them to defend exclusionary policies in statehouses across the United States.

The Nevada state legislature this month passed a law that will stop insurers from excluding or charging higher premiums for homeowners who own specific dog breeds, such as pit bulls, Dobermann pinschers and Rottweilers. Both chambers of the New York legislature have approved a similar measure, while a bill passed in Illinois was watered down to require only that insurers collect and report data about dog-related injury claims to the state Insurance Department.

The American Property and Casualty Insurance Association opposed the Nevada legislation, pointing out that dog bites cost the industry $853.7 million in 2020, an average of $50,245 per claim.

Each insurer must retain the ability to provide homeowners insurance based upon its own reasoned judgment of risk factors and the related anticipated loss, including the companys own assessment of the potential propensities of a particular animal or breed of dog to cause injury, APCIA lobbyist Mark Sektnan said in a letter to Nevada state lawmakers.

The legislature responded by passing Senate Bill 103 by Sen. Melanie Scheible, D-Las Vegas, with a 42-32 vote in the Assembly and a 21-18 vote in the Senate. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak signed the measure into law on June 2. It takes effect on Jan.1.

Both chambers of the New York State legislature passed a similar measure, S 4254 by Michael Gianaris, D-Queens, with a final vote on June 10. The bill had not been sent over to Gov. Mario Cuomos desk as of Friday.

In Illinois, SB 1672 by Senator Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, was amended four times and now only requires insurers to track dog bite claim data for two years, including the dogs breed, gender and whether it was spayed or neutered. The bill passed both chambers of the legislature and is awaiting action by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Redlining?

Ledy VanKavage, an attorney for the Best Friends Animal Society in Utah, said in a letter of support for the Nevada dog breed bill, that a history of discriminatory underwriting practices requires state lawmakers to consider whether exclusionary policies toward specific dog breeds are another form of discrimination.

Jill Vacchina Dobbs, testifying for the Northern Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Toward Animals, wrote that breed discrimination also reeks of housing discrimination based on race and socio-economic status because of societal generalizations about the types of humans who own blocky-headed dogs

The Animal Farm Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit organization that trains pit bulls rescued from animal shelters to be service dogs, supported the Nevada legislation. Executive Director Stacey Coleman said the dog-breed legislation is part of a larger effort to change peoples minds about breed-specific legislation that has the impact of discriminating against people based on the type of dog they own, regardless of whether they are responsible owners. The Animal Farm Foundation has filed lawsuits around the country challenging city ordinances that exclude specific breeds.

Were more about challenging stereotypes, she said. We want to challenge the stereotype that service work can only be done by pure-bred, purpose-bred dogs.

Coleman said her group has no interest in regulating insurance companies. The foundation entered the debate over the Nevada legislation after a rescue group asked for its help to educate lawmakers that aggressive tendencies cannot be traced to specific breeds, she said.

The insurance industry continues to use debunked studies to support policies that exclude or charge higher rates to owners of specific breeds, Coleman said. She said those exclusions act as barriers to obtaining housing, much like insurance industry policies in the past redlined certain neighborhoods as especially risky without any real data to back up those assumptions.

Coleman said much of the data that was used to support those policies was gathered through dogsbite.org, an organization that collects media reports about dog attacks and advocates for protection against dangerous breeds. She said the groups data has no scientific validity. Initial reports are almost always wrong. Often people misidentify the breed of dog that bit them. Traumatized patients often cant communicate what happened. Assumptions are made.

The Animal Farm Foundation commissioned an academic study that examined medical literature that used the terms dog bite or dangerous dogs. The authors found that many of the studies used generalized terms such as pit bull to describe the breed of dogs, when actually the term is an imprecise descriptor that can apply to multiple breeds. The medical reports also overstated the scope of the dog bite problem by using hyperbolic language describing dog bite injuries as attacks and stating they are extremely frequent.

Many of the medical reports cite a 1998 telephone survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that asked respondents whether anyone in the household had been bitten by a dog in the past year. Based on those responses, the agency reported that 4.5 million people had been bitten.

Coleman said the CDC continues to collect data about dog bite injuries in its annual household injuries survey, but no longer asks the breed of the dog because it has learned the data is unreliable. Whats more, fewer than 20% of the people who reported dog bites to the CDC said they sought medical treatment.

But Coleman said other decades-old CDC data continues to reappear like an apparition in insurance industry testimony to state lawmakers. An April 21 letter written by insurance industry lobbyist Sektnan includes data from a CDC study on dog-attack fatalities done in the mid-1990s.

The study found that majority of fatalities were caused by a small number of breeds, Sektnan said.

That depends on how you look at it.

The data included in the letter shows that out of 413 dog-bite fatalities from 1980 to 1996, in 199 cases (48%) the breed was unknown. In 60 of those fatalities, (15%), the dog was identified as a pit bull.

Rottweilers were blamed for 29 deaths and German shepherds 19. The CDC report lists 14 other specific breeds and cross-breeds. Altogether the 17 breeds and cross-breeds were responsible for 52% of the fatalities.

Coleman said the data is not only old but sketchy because it is based on self-reported perceptions. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other animal rights groups also wrote to Nevada lawmakers asking them to be skeptical about any data about the aggressiveness of certain dog breeds.

A dogs physical appearance has very little if anything to do with a dogs behavior, Coleman said.

Sektnan refused to comment, referring questions to the APCIAs public affairs office.

Tenacious

Some dogs dont let go. That is the catch phrase for dogsbite.org, the name of a website and nonprofit organization run by web-page developer Colleen Lynn of Austin, Texas.

Lynns webpage bears photos of dog bite victims faces, some of them bearing the scars of the attacks. She says she is Stacy Colemans arch rival, and bristles at the suggestion that advocating for protection from vicious dog breeds has any connection to racial discrimination.

You got to lose the discrimination language, she said. If we didnt discriminate against breeds, we wouldnt have dog breeds. Racism is about people.

Lynn said she founded her small nonprofit a few months after she was attacked by a dog while jogging near her former home in Seattle. She said a pit bull broke free from its owner and lunged at her head, pushing her backward to the ground. She raised her arms in defense and the dog clamped down, crushing her forearm.

Fortunately, the dogs owner had a homeowners insurance policy with $100,000 in general liability coverage. Lynn said she was treated at a nearby emergency room and took several months to heal. Later, the insurer paid its full policy limit, she said.

While recovering, Lynn started searching for information about dog attacks on the internet and learned that the city of San Francisco was considering a mandatory sterilization law because of concerns about vicious dogs. That piqued her interest in politics. She started gathering statistics and created a website to share the information.

The website claims that there were 46 dog bite fatalities in 2020, with 72% caused by pit bulls. The information was gleaned from media reports and other criteria, including police reports and legislative materials, the website says.

Lynn said numerous studies have shown that pit bulls and other breeds are more violent, ticking off a list academic citations. The Claims Journal did not verify their validity.

However, a search on Google/scholar shows that doctors continue to single out pit bulls as a reason for concern. A 2018 study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that dogs identified as pit bulls were responsible for 27.2% of 14,946 dog bites reported to the Allegheny County Health Department from 2007 to 2015.

A 2019 study by Ohio State University found pit bulls, mixed breed dogs and dogs with wide, short heads weighing between 66 and 100 pounds have the highest risk of biting and cause the most damage per bite.

The fact of the matter is simply that certain breeds of dog and certain mixed breeds are considered by the experts, in various areas of science, including law enforcement, medicine, and veterinary sciences, to pose a greater risk of biting than other breeds of dog, said Christian John Rataj, a senior regional vice president for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, in a letter opposing passage of the Nevada dog-breed bill.

Lynn says she is trying to protect people from animal rights activists who want to adopt a no-kill policy for all animal shelters and put dangerous animals ahead of people.

Dog bite victims dont have many advocates, she said.

Known risks

State Farm is one of a handful of insurance carriers that does not have any policies concerning specific dog breeds. Interestingly, when the Claims Journal asked for an expert who could talk about dog bites and dog breeds, the Insurance Information Institute recommended State Farm Brand Promotion Specialist Heather Paul.

Paul has been national coordinator for State Farms arson dog program for the past decade and also leads the carriers efforts to educate the public about dog-bite prevention. She also owns an American Staffordshire terrier and a pit bull terrier.

State Farms policy toward dog breeds is part of its marketing message: Its not the breed, its the dog bite. Paul said State Farm believes the best method of preventing dog injuries is to educate the owners.

Paul said veterinarians, dog trainers and others in the animal space know that for too long pit bulls and other boxy-headed dogs have been unfairly labeled as vicious. She said for good reason, most state laws that restricted certain breeds have been repealed, as have many breed-specific city ordinances. The rest are under fire. Last year, the city of Denver repealed a pit bull ban that has been on the books for 30 years.

If you ask veterinarians, the dogs they are most afraid of is not pit bulls, its Chihauhaus, she said. They fondly refer to them as land sharks.

But Paul said insurers have good reason to pay close attention to known risks. Last year, State Farm paid $157 million for 3,184 dog-related injury claims.

She said 65% of homeowners have a dog in their household and it would be problematic for insurers if lawmakers start legislating how they manage risks.

We dont want laws that dictate pricing and eligibility, she said. It could be anything. We know that trampolines and pools have risks.

Photo courtesy of State Farm.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Authorities in Alabama say a suspected tornado spurred by Tropical Storm Claudette demolished or badly damaged at least 50 homes in a small town just north of the Florida border.

Sheriff Heath Jackson in Escambia County said a suspected tornado pretty much leveled a mobile home park, toppled trees onto houses and ripped the roof off of a high school gym. Most of the damage was done in or near the towns of Brewton and East Brewton, about 48 miles (77 kilometers) north of Pensacola, Florida.

It kind of affected everybody, Jackson said. But with those mobile homes being built so close together it can take a toll on them a lot more than it can on houses that are spread apart.

There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or deaths. Photos of the Brewton area shared on Facebook show toppled trees, including one that landed on a house, as well a long stretch of debris that a local news outlet said was from a badly damaged trailer park.

Damage from the storm was also felt in north Florida, where winds  in some cases reaching 85 mph (137 kph)  caused an 18-wheeler to flip on its side.

The National Hurricane Center declared Claudette organized enough to qualify as a named storm at 4 a.m. Saturday, well after the storms center of circulation had come ashore southwest of New Orleans.

By Saturday night, Claudette was a tropical depression located 45 miles (75 kilometers) west-northwest of Montgomery, Alabama, with sustained winds of 30 mph (45 kph). It was moving northeast at 14 mph (22 kph). Most of the heavy weather was happening far to the north and east of the center.

Early Saturday, the storm dumped flooding rains north of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana and along the Mississippi coast, inundating streets and, in some areas, pushing water into homes. Later, the storm was drenching the Florida Panhandle and, well inland, a broad expanse of Alabama. The National Weather Service warned of possible tornadoes in north Florida and south Alabama.

Parts of inland Mississippi and Georgia were getting heavy rain from Claudette as well. And even though the storm was weakening, the National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm watch for parts of the North Carolina coast, which could feel the effects by Sunday night. The storm was forecast to cross into the Atlantic Ocean on Monday, and regain tropical storm strength over open water Tuesday.

Residents of Pace, Florida, called 911 to report a possible twister that tore the roofs off two homes and damaged at least three others.

Nobodys hurt, said Sarah Whitfield, spokesperson for Santa Rosa County, where the Florida homes were damaged. Were just thankful it happened after sunrise, not overnight as people slept.

An 18-wheeler hit several utility poles and flipped on its side during the storm early Saturday. Debris from the accident, including a collapsed utility pole, turned into projectiles and struck a passing SUV, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Highway Patrol officials were to close both lanes of the Interstate 10 bridge between Escambia and Santa Rosa counties due to high winds.

The county received two calls about trees falling onto homes, but no one was home at the time.

The storm left tens of thousands without power and some flights were being canceled or delayed at Pensacola International Airport.

We have a lot of visitors that are here vacationing, Escambia County spokesperson Laura Coale said. Red flags flying out at the beaches so theres absolutely no swimming.

Forecasters said Claudette could dump 5 to 10 inches (12 to 25 centimeters) of rain in the region, with isolated accumulations of 15 inches (38 centimeters) possible.

Residents of Slidell, Louisiana, north of Lake Pontchartrain, reported flooded streets and water in some neighborhoods as the storm pushed onshore overnight. Slidell police said the flooding had largely receded by daybreak, after swamping as many as 50 cars and trucks with water.

Most people riding out the storm still had electricity when they woke up Saturday morning. The website poweroutage.us reported roughly 22,000 outages total across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

The storm struck on a weekend when many on the Gulf Coast planned to celebrate Juneteenth and Fathers Day.

Business owners across the Gulf Coast, from restaurateurs to swamp boat operators, had anticipated an influx of tourist cash after a year of lost revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic.

My biggest concern is that it drives away a busy weekend, and may just end up being a lot of rain, Austin Sumrall, the owner and chef at the White Pillars Restaurant and Lounge in Biloxi, Mississippi, said Friday.

He had 170 reservations on his books for Sunday, but was concerned some patrons would cancel.

We saw, especially last year, the rug can get jerked out from under you pretty quickly, he said.

In Louisiana, the threat came a month after spring storms and flooding that were blamed for five deaths, and as parts of the state continued a slow recovery from a brutal 2020 hurricane season.

Separately, Tropical Storm Dolores made landfall on Mexicos west coast with near-hurricane force. As of Saturday night, it was a depression located about 140 miles (225 kilometers) north-northwest of Guadalajara, Mexico. Its maximum sustained winds were clocked at 30 mph (45 kph), and it was moving north at 21 mph (33 kph).

Heavy rainfall of 6 to 10 inches (about 15 to 25 centimeters) was expected across the southwest and western coastal areas of Mexico throughout the weekend. Forecasters were warning of the potential for flash flooding and mudslides.

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press reporter Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, contributed to this report.

About the photo: Waves pound the breakers at Holly Beach, La., as Tropical Storm Claudette approaches the southern Louisiana and Texas coasts Monday, July 14, 2003. (AP Photo/The American Press, Brad Puckett)

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Mainly clear skies after midnight. Low 59F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Mainly clear skies after midnight. Low 59F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
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Joseph Brown | The ItemWalker County Commissioner Bill Daugette announced Monday that the county in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation will replace an old wooden bridge on Highland Drive in northeast Walker County.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21)  Insurance technology firm Kwik.insure hopes to secure more share of the domestic insurance market, betting on the 12 million population of overseas Filipinos.

To strengthen this target, the company inked a deal with Starr Insurance Philippines.

"We saw that there is significant traffic coming from Filipinos abroad," Kwik.insure founder and chief executive officer Hamilton Angluben said in a statement Monday.

Angluben did not provide details on the company's volume of transactions with Filipinos abroad.

However, he noted that overseas Filipino workers usually have to return to the Philippines before they can avail of insurance policies. The agreement with Starr Insurance Philippines, he said, could allow them to have access to insurance products online  from health, accident, vehicle, and COVID-19 insurance policies.

Kwik.insure launched an online insurance marketplace in the Philippines in March last year, at a time when the government started limiting the movement of people, and Filipinos were forced to go digital, embracing the new normal amid the raging coronavirus pandemic.
(CNN) -- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said she hopes "any family" will see themselves represented in the pages of her children's book, "The Bench," in her first interview since speaking to Oprah Winfrey in March.

The Duchess said that "growing up, I remember so much how it felt to not see yourself represented," in an interview with National Public Radio's (NPR) Samantha Balaban.

"So any child or any family hopefully can open this book and see themselves in it, whether that means glasses or freckled or a different body shape or a different ethnicity or religion," Meghan said.

While the book opens and ends with depictions of Meghan's family, there is a diverse range of fathers and sons depicted throughout the story.

"This story that I wrote for my husband and son could really be your story also," she told the US radio network's children's book series, "Picture This."

Earlier this year Meghan and her husband Prince Harry sparked a heated conversation about racism, the British tabloid press and the royal family following their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Quiet moments

Meghan's book was published last month. It is inspired by Prince Harry and their son Archie Harrison, and is about relationships between fathers and sons, depicted in quiet moments spent on benches.

Meghan said that "especially in this past year," against the backdrop of a global pandemic, that "so many of us realized how much happens in the quiet."

"So, in this story, I'm observing this love between my husband and our son and imagining what it will be as they have more shared moments as our son gets older," she said.

"From scraping a knee to having a heart broken, whatever it is that they always reset at this bench and have this moment to bond," Meghan added.

The book emerged from a poem and bench that Meghan gave Harry for his first Father's Day. The interview, to be aired Sunday, marks the couple's second Father's Day.

It was recorded before the birth of their second child, Lilibet Diana, who was born earlier this month.

Their daughter was named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her late grandmother.

Meghan said award-winning illustrator Christian Robinson included small details in the book that her son Archie would pick up on, and subtle nods to the late Princess Diana.

"I think you can find sweet little moments that we've tucked in there -- from my favorite flower, even my husband's mom's favorite flower, forget-me-nots," said Meghan.

"We wanted to make sure those were included in there. There's a lot of, a lot of special detail and love that went into this book," she added.

Harry and Meghan were married in a lavish wedding at St. George's Chapel in Windsor, England, three years ago.

They stepped back from their roles as senior working royals last year, relinquishing their HRH titles, and now live in Santa Barbara, California.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, didn't see diverse characters in books as she grew up. She hopes 'The Bench' will change that"
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21)  The Department of Health on Monday reported four additional cases of the Delta (B.1.167.2) coronavirus variant, bringing the total to 17 cases.

The variant, first identified in India in February, is believed to be 60% more contagious than the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant first detected in the United Kingdom. Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said a person carrying the Delta variant can infect eight other individuals and they may stay longer in the hospital.

Three of the four additional Delta variant cases are Filipino seafarers from MV Eastern Hope, the DOH said. Upon detection of the virus, they were repatriated from South Korea to the Philippines on June 3. Two of them have recovered and have been discharged, while one is still admitted in a Metro Manila hospital.

The fourth case is a returning overseas Filipino who arrived from Saudi Arabia on May 24. The person has been tagged recovered on June 10, DOH added.

The ban on travelers coming from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates is in place until June 30 to prevent the entry of the Delta variant.

"Ang ating Pangulo mismo ang talagang very cautious siya, ayaw niyang makapasok ang Delta variant dito sa ating bansa dahil gusto niyang ma-preserve pa rin ang ating healthcare system at ayaw niyang maapektuhan ang ating bansa with this variant," Vergeire said in a media briefing.

[Translation: Our President is very cautious. He doesn't want the Delta variant to enter our country. He doesn't want our country to be affected and he wants us to preserve our healthcare system.]

The health official added there is no need to revise current border controls and minimum public health standards, but their enforcement should be strengthened to prevent the spread of the more infectious variant. Vergeire added that studies show the Delta variant lessens the protection given by COVID-19 vaccines, but they can still prevent hospitalization and death.

Additional cases of other variants of concerns were also recorded during the latest genome sequencing conducted by the Philippine Genome Center. There were 14 more cases of the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant cases, now with a total of 1,085, while 21 additional Beta (B.1.351) variant cases, bringing the total to 1,267.

Meanwhile, one more case of the P.3 variant, which was first detected in the Philippines in March. This variant is not yet labelled by the World Health Organization as a variant of concern.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21)  President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order 139 which granted death and burial benefits to indigenous peoples mandatory representatives in barangays who died during their term of office, his spokesperson said on Monday.

A 1997 law gave indigenous peoples or cultural community representatives in barangays the same benefits extended to officials in legislative or policy making offices, and the EO reflects the mandate.

"There is a need to recognize the invaluable contribution of the Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representatives in the barangays through, among others, the grant of benefits enjoyed by similarly situated officials, the order signed on June 18 read.

The President directed the Interior department, in coordination with the Budget department as well as the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, to determine the amount to implement the EO.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21)  Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo Trenas on Monday decried the strategy of the national government to focus its vaccination efforts on the so-called NCR+8 area, leaving other regions with spiking cases.

In a virtual briefing, Trenas said the national government must listen to local leaders as several cities outside the NCR+8 are now at a "critical" level.

"We are as affected as the people in NCR+8. The only way we can flatten the surge is we also flood LGUs (local government units) outside NCR+8 with vaccines. You did it in NCR+8, perhaps you should do it here," he said in a virtual briefing.

The NCR+8 is composed of Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao.

READ: Vaccination of A4, A5 focused on NCR, 8 other areas for now  DOH

Trenas noted that, so far, they have only inoculated 40,000not even 10% of the city's population.

"You can't stop people from getting out now, people are out of jobs, they need money to buy food for their family. The only way we can stop the surge is for the national government to add more vaccines," he added.

In a separate briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario stressed that the government has been supporting overwhelmed LGUs in their COVID-19 bout.

She assured that more vaccines will be provided to LGUs once the next deliveries arrive.

However, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque downplayed the statement of the Iloilo City mayor, stressing COVID-19 vaccine is not the sole solution to address surging cases.

The public, he said, has to comply with the minimum health standards to dampen the virus' blow.

"Ang solusyon po talaga ay mask, hugas, iwas," Roque said during a Palace briefing.

"Kabahagi ng solusyon siyempre po ang bakuna, pero kumakalat pa rin po ang COVID, dahil hindi po sumusunod ang ating ilang mga kababayan doon sa pakiusap ng ating Presidente na mag-mask, hugas at iwas," he also said.

[Translation: The solution is to wear a face mask, wash your hands, and do physical distancing. While the vaccine is part of the solution, COVID continues to spread because many Filipinos fail to follow the President's directive to comply with the minimum health protocols.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21)  Israeli medical team members who recently arrived in Manila will share the best practices of their country to boost the Philippines' vaccination efforts, the National Task Force Against COVID-19 said on Monday.

Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source, NTF spokesperson Ret. Gen. Resituto Padilla said this collaboration will largely benefit the Philippines, especially after signing a supply agreement for 40 million doses from Pfizer-BioNTech, which Israeli data earlier reported to be 95% effective against the virus based on its own study.

READ: Pfizer vaccine is about 95% effective against COVID-19, Israeli data shows

"Weve made provisions on being able to roll out properly with minimum wastage on the Pfizer vaccine. But there might be room for improvement in whatever we are doing because of the extensive experience of Israel for the rollout of Pfizer and at the same time, the unique experience they have," Padilla said.

Over 2.2 million doses of the US-made COVID-19 vaccine arrived in the Philippines two weeks ago through the COVAX global vaccine sharing initiative.

Padilla added that Israel has shown a "very robust and very quick" national inoculation program, having been a world leader in its vaccine drive. Most of its residents also received Pfizer doses.

Padilla said aside from the cold chain logistics in storing vaccines, they also intend to learn from Israel's infrastructure, monitoring and reporting system.

"Their health system is very much a digital platform already. Thats why Pfizer opted to provide them this bulk of vaccines so they can follow through and inoculate the population," he said. "These all are part of the things we want to learn from our Israeli friends who have come to the country."

The Israeli medical team will also meet with United Nations and World Health Organization representatives in the country, he added.

RELATED: Lessons from Israel's COVID-19 pandemic response

On Sunday, Philippine officials, led by vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, welcomed Dr. Avraham Ben-Zaken, Dr. Adam Segal, and Dr. Dafna Segol at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

READ: Israeli medical team arrives in PH to support COVID-19 fight

As of Sunday, over 2 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated out of the government's target to inoculate at least 70 million people to achieve herd immunity by yearend.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21) -- Malacanang on Monday said overseas Filipino workers in the United Arab Emirates wishing to go home may seek assistance from their employers, who are required to pay for their return flights through manning agencies.

Lahat po ng OFW, obligado ang employer magbayad ng papunta at pabalik na plane ticket [Employers are obligated to shoulder expenses for all OFWs' plane tickets to and from the host country], Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a briefing.

He added that the Philippine embassy in the UAE is also arranging flights to bring home the stranded Filipinos.

The national government has extended the ban on travelers from the UAE, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Oman until June 30 to prevent the entry of more cases of the Delta coronavirus variant.

RELATED: PH records more cases of Delta coronavirus variant

However, those covered by the repatriation programs of either the embassy or recruitment agencies are allowed to return to the Philippines.

Makipag-ugnayan po tayo sa manning agencies, sa ating embahada, because Im sure they are organizing these repatriation programs, Roque said.

[Translation: Lets coordinate with our manning agencies or with our embassy, because Im sure they are organizing these repatriation programs.]

Many stranded OFWs have been appealing for the lifting of the travel ban, with some already paying overstaying fees after their visas expired.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Sunday told CNN Philippines that in Dubai alone, around 1,300 Filipinos remain stranded due to the travel restrictions.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21)  An infectious diseases expert is not in favor of banning travelers from all countries grappling with the highly transmissible Delta variant (B.1.617.2) that was first detected in India.

The Philippines has recorded 17 cases of the Delta variant as of Monday.

READ: PH records more cases of Delta coronavirus variant

"I am not totally for banning countries where this Delta variant is prevalent, as long as we implement properly the quarantine procedures that we are currently implementing," said Dr. Rontgene Solante, head of the adult infectious diseases unit at San Lazaro hospital.

Solante told CNN Philippines' The Source on Monday that the government must continue to monitor the so-called "double-mutant" variant which is believed to be 60% more contagious than other COVID-19 variants, like the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant first identified in the United Kingdom.

"There are also characteristics of the virus that make it more stable in the upper respiratory tract, that's why it can make a lot of virus inside our body," he said. "And thats why it is more highly transmissible because you expel a lot of this virus when you are carrying this."

"It is really alarming," Solante added.

The Health Department said there are now 1,085 cases of the Alpha variant in the country and 2,167 cases of the Beta (B.1.351) variant from South Africa.

Meanwhile, one more case of the P.3 or Theta variant first identified in the Philippines was also detected. This variant is not yet labelled by the World Health Organization as a variant of concern.

The Philippines has banned travelers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates until June 30 to prevent the entry of the Delta variant.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 21)  Public elementary and high schools will receive additional funds to ensure compliance with government's minimum health standards.

In an online press conference on Monday, the Department of Education said it would allocate some 3.7 billion for the additional Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) budget.

The bulk, or over 3.5 billion, will go to almost 45,000 public schools while the DepEd central, regional, and division offices will get the remaining amount.

Like in other establishments, public schools are also required to conduct temperature checks by the gates and place alcohol dispensers in rooms, among other health standards.

"Binibili po natin ng mga supplies ang ating mga eskwelahan para ang mga teachers at non-teaching positions na pumapasok ay meron din pong protection. Kahit wala yung mga bata sa eskwelahan, nag-ooperate ang mga eskwelahan because the teachers are doing their alternative work arrangement in the school," DepEd Undersecretary Anna Sevilla said.

[Translation: We buy supplies for the schools so that teachers and those with non-teaching positions who go to work are protected. Even if there are no students, schools are operating because the teachers are doing their alternative work arrangement in the school.]

Early release of 5,000 cash allowance

All public school teachers will receive in advance their annual 5,000 cash allowance for the next school year. The current school year will end next month.

Over 4.4 billion has been allocated to provide a 5,000 cash allowance to 886,829 public school teachers.

"Lahat ng mga guro natin ngayon kahit hindi pa nagsisimula yung school year ay eligible at kung sa pagbukas ng school year may dadating na bagong teacher ay magkakaroon ng pro-rated na mga cash allowance na pwedeng ibigay sa kanila," Sevilla explained.

[Translation: All teachers, even if the school year has not started, are eligible and if the school year has started and new teachers arrive, there will be a pro-rated cash allowance for them.]

The DepEd also said it has completed the release of performance-based allowances to teachers and personnel for SY 2019.

Teachers have been demanding for the issuance of their performance-based bonus for the past two years.

Meantime, the DepEd said the number of public schools approved for pilot testing of limited face-to-face classes has been narrowed down to 300.

The DepEd initially submitted almost 2,000 schools to be assessed for the pilot test.

But it will be up to President Rodrigo Duterte if it will be allowed in the next school year.

"It depends on the assessment of the IATF and Department of Health because as you know, a few months back, the President already agreed to the pilot studies, but then the UK (Alpha) variant came. Now, we have to deal with the Delta variant and so this development has to be seriously considered as well," DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 22)  President Rodrigo Duterte warned that he will not follow any court order that will interfere with the national governments efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

I will not obey the courts in the matter now of management [of] the pandemic. I do not want anybody from any government agency or department messing up with a situation which is being managed because it is very dangerous to the country, he said during his weekly address.

This reaction comes after two lawyers in Cebu filed a case for declaratory relief against the governments pandemic task force on the provinces protocols for returning Filipinos, seeking to make a resolution by the body "inapplicable and ineffective" within the province.

READ: Cebu lawyers file case against IATF over protocols for returning Filipinos

Under Resolution No. 114 of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, returning Filipinos are required to stay in a quarantine facility for 10 days and undergo swab testing seven days after their return.

However, a local ordinance in Cebu allows testing upon arrival. If the test yields negative, they will be allowed to go home to complete the mandatory quarantine and another test on the seventh day.

Duterte said that the matter is of national interest and that all actions of the national government are based on the recommendations of medical experts. He also emphasized that he would do what is necessary to protect the people.

This is not a question of justice and equity. This is a question of survival of the nation, the president said.

Duterte also said that they do not agree with the protocols being imposed by Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, and that he leaves the fate of the governor to the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

An ordinance of a government unit cannot be higher than a national policy. The policies that we are dishing out are not mere policies. They are guided by the proclamation, and they are the laws, he added.
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.
On its June 13 visit to Law Island, the Colchester Conservation Commission found a number of disrespectful and dangerous land use practices, including fire sites in unallocated locations, trash strewn around a campsite and numerous trees cut down for firewood.
When is change going to actually happen? Celeste Good asked. But this wasnt the first time shed asked that.

Good (senior-womens studies), who identifies as Asian American, grew up in a household with white parents in a predominantly white community before attending Penn State  a predominantly white school.

She said she thought attending Penn State would introduce her to more diversity, to other members of her race, culture and community. Good said she thought Penn State would give her the sense of belonging she had been craving.

That isnt what she found.

In recent years, the university has pushed to increase its inclusivity through a series of initiatives. The end goal? A university free of discrimination, one that embraces differences and one that respects all individuals, according to its website.

To advance this mission, Penn State established a strategic plan for diversity, through which it hopes to recruit, support and advance a diverse student body, faculty and staff, its website said. This would include the hiring of diverse, multicultural faculty members who would advance the universitys workplace environment.

Yet Good said she believes diversity in the universitys student body, faculty and staff is still lacking.

I have not once  in my four years of being here  had an Asian professor, Good said. That says a lot about the university. Does it actually have an agenda for pushing diversity?

Hiring more Asian faculty members, Good said, would be a good first step by Penn State toward showcasing its commitment to inclusivity.

A second step, she said, would be educating white faculty members by providing them with extra training to handle instances of micro and macroaggressions between students, faculty members and combinations of both.

[We need] accountability for students [and faculty] who are racist or homophobic, Good said. [Those behaviors] need to stop.

Good is a member of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center-based Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Caucus, and said she believes the organization  and the PRCC as a whole  is underfunded and unable to tailor to the needs of the various minority populations it serves and represents.

Good said she believes APIDA isnt generally acknowledged by people in the Penn State community as its own organization outside of the PRCC, one with its own culture and agenda. And she said this is a problem several other PRCC organizations face as well.

Penn State treats us as a whole group of people rather than individual communities, Good said.

She said it was this, among other factors, that motivated her to speak at State Colleges Community Diversity Group event titled Powerful Voices: Asian Americans in Centre County Speak Out in May.

Ive never really been in an Asian space like that before, Good said. I had never really felt like a community in the APIDA community, and I did think it was important for students specifically to have a voice at that panel.

Good isnt alone in these experiences.

Steven Zhang, an at-large representative in Penn States University Park Undergraduate Association and member of APIDA, echoed Goods frustrations with the PRCCs lack of funding and APIDAs lack of community representation  specifically, community inclusion.

We deserve to be here, Zhang (senior-economics and political science) said. If anyones feeling like they dont deserve to be at Penn State or they dont feel like theyre included at Penn State, theres something wrong with that.

A major void in Penn States resources for marginalized students, specifically the APIDA community, is a safe space and platform for conversations about hate instances, Zhang said.

Both he and Good said they believe the Asian community receives less recognition and support than other communities at Penn State.

When George Floyds murder happened, a lot of people were talking about it, whereas with the Atlanta shooting, no one talked about it, Zhang said. They felt like they didnt have the space to talk, they didnt have anyone to talk to, anyone to rant about the issue.

George Floyd was a Black man who was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis on Memorial Day in 2020 and whose death sparked nationwide protests.

On March 16, eight people were killed in an Atlanta shooting including six people of Asian descent, according to The New York Times.

Zhang said the APIDA community has been silent for a long time about its experience.

Silence doesnt mean things are OK, Zhang said. Weve been silent for so long because we dont have the resources, and we dont have the leadership that we need at the university to really address these issues.

However, Zhang said he believes Penn State has the ability to create such resources and appoint such leadership.

The biggest thing that Penn State can do is really stop making the APIDA community feel like an outside community to Penn State, Zhang said. If were not actively fighting for recognition in the APIDA community it does feel like we are invisible to the campus.

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Good added that it isnt hard for Penn State to promote and advertise APIDA Caucus and its resources to both current and prospective students through touring organizations, such as the Lion Ambassadors or the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, which could incorporate APIDA  and the PRCC as a whole  into tours, she said.

However, the most frustrating aspect of the Penn State Asian experience to Good and Zhang has been the universitys official responses to incidents of hate.

Following several national occurrences, Penn State President Eric Barron released statements on behalf of the university condemning the actions of perpetrators and expressing support for the marginalized population impacted by the events  including his response to the death of George Floyd and his response to the Atlanta shootings.

To Zhang, the messages are simply damage control and serve no purpose to students or the greater Penn State community. He said he believes they simply reiterate what marginalized students have already been pushing through campus organizations like APIDA  and Good agreed.

Its the same message every time, and not once have I seen action, Good said.

Good went a step further and said she believes for instances of hate on campus or in Penn State communities, the university should not only have its president release a statement but also compensate any students or faculty members victimized in the incident.

But both said efforts to achieve such a possibility would be futile  they said they believe the university is more focused on its money and its operations as a business than on its students.

When Penn State talks about students being first, they have to recognize and accept that it means every student is unique and that every student has needs, and they really need to try their best to meet them, Zhang said. Theyre not looking at it from the perspective of social justice and human rights and looking at people as people as opposed to the money they can provide the university.

The root of this problem, Good and Zhang said, is Penn States current administration.

The administration that we have right now is not going to change anything, Good said. We are going to stay where we are until we get young voices who actually care about these issues and not the money at the end of the day.

Good and Zhang agreed there is a lack of listening and understanding by the current administration. Both said they spoke with various administrators on several occasions to discuss diversity and inclusion at the university and said they were ignored or dismissed each time.

If you dont recognize that the APIDA community has issues that theyre facing and that theyre suffering silently about, as an administrator  as Penn State  youre not doing your job, Zhang said. Youre not doing your job to understand the community. Youre not doing your job to understand your students.

Administrators should operate with the wants and needs of the students, faculty and staff they preside over rather than personal aspirations, Zhang said. Some members of administration arent elected  with the exception of certain positions on Penn States Board of Trustees  but Zhang said he believes each administrator should operate as if they were.

When youre running a university and you talk about the importance of students feeling like theyre included, these issues should be right at the front and center of your radar, Zhang said. If [theyre] not, thats something that needs to be fundamentally reevaluated [by] administration, the Board of Trustees, [by] so many of these different units.

And Zhang said he believes such a fundamental reevaluation is in order.

Its just very tiring for advocates, Zhang said. Why is it that us students have to be [leaders] in advocating for change? Why does it have to be professors or allies in the administration advocating for change instead of it being a top-down affair?

According to On-cho Ng, head of Penn States Department of Asian Studies and professor of history, Asian studies and philosophy, education is everything when it comes to combating racism, xenophobia and general instances of hate  and when it comes to mobilizing actions.

Ng said he believes the first step toward progress is understanding, generically, what Asian hate is.

He defined the term as a manifestation of a form of xenophobic or racist thinking targeting people supposedly of Asian descent  but he said utilizing this definition and classifying Asian Americans into a singular term is a problem in and of itself.

Asian American is used as an umbrella term, and Asia is far from a monolith, Ng said. There are different peoples and cultures.

MORE CAMPUS COVERAGE

Ng said this is especially true of Asian Americans, whose population totaled roughly 18.9 million in the U.S. as of 2019  nearly 5.7% of the countrys current population of almost 332.5 million. Because each of the millions of Asians in America have different life experiences, Ng said its important to understand members as individuals with particular backgrounds and particular histories.

Every member of a community brings to the community  which is Penn State, in this particular case  certain elements, certain pre-understandings, certain culture, Ng said.

The opposite of this and a typical facet of racist and xenophobic thinking, according to Ng, is stereotyping, a thought process in which types trump individualities and particularities. He said the practice is a way of representing a certain distorted understanding and a representation of emotions that are not rationally deviated.

Yet Ng said he believes stereotyping to be the last step in the formation of racist and xenophobic mindsets  the first, he said, is generally a crisis, which then leads to scapegoating. The latter, he said, is utilized as an attempt to solve a crisis, and stereotyping is born somewhere along the way.

The easy answer is always to blame certain elements you regard as external to a particular community defined by those people who feel like they are in ascendance or they are in a position of dominance, Ng said. Its just a lazy way of arriving at certain answers  so its more essentially an emotional, a psychological salve, a kind of device to placate oneself rather than any concerted efforts to arrive at real answers.

And Ng said this is exactly what he believes occurs at Penn State.

The anxiety and fear from crises  like the coronavirus pandemic  result in scapegoating practices, which then result in hate incidents, according to Ng. And although Ng said the university is already doing what needs to be done to combat such thought processes, he said a potential solution would be to strengthen the community and Penn States existing system for reporting hate and instances of bias.

It is a matter of Penn State continuing to offer classes, courses and also to continue to create and sustain a culture of tolerance, Ng said. At Penn State, what we do is precisely to create a culture that counteracts this sort of immediated, irrational thinking.

Currently, Penn States Department of Asian Studies offers several courses that feature cultures ranging from the far east to the south of the continent in addition to courses in political science, economics and languages. The courses touch upon religion, history, philosophy and traditions, some of the most important factors in understanding people, Ng said.

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+3 State College celebrates Juneteenth with community events The State College community celebrated the now national holiday Juneteenth on Saturday with 

Understanding of these things will also help us understand other human ways of addressing problems  not only one particular way but multiple ways, Ng said.

The most integral courses the department offers, he said, are its language ones.

From classes in Mandarin Chinese to Japanese, Korean and even Hindi, the department covers a number of major languages found on the Asian continent. Ng said learning any language, however, is one of the surest ways of learning a culture, allowing individuals to develop a more tolerating, capacious view of problems that doesnt encompass a short-circuited manner of thinking.

Ng said he believes education is the greatest form of defense against any form of bias.

Good, however, said she believes there is still lots of work to be done before Penn State becomes as inclusive as it says it is. By the end of her senior year, Good said she hopes to convince Penn States administration to increase advertising of the PRCC and its resources.

More narrowly, Good said she hopes to also incorporate the LGBTQ agenda into that of APIDA Caucus. She said she believes the organizations within the PRCC must work together to accomplish their goals moving forward.

Ng said he and his department work with Penn States administration, and his office is one place individuals can report incidents of Asian hate. He said his office hasnt received any reports recently.

And Penn State administrators themselves also said they are working to improve Asian experiences at the university.

Last month, the university released a statement detailing its stance on Asian discrimination  and on discrimination against any individuals  in the Penn State community.

University spokesperson Wyatt DuBois reiterated this message via email to The Daily Collegian.

The university stands firmly against racially motivated hate, bias and violence and strongly encourages anyone who is the victim of or witnesses an act of racial bias or violence to report it via the Report Bias website or by calling University Police and Public Safety, he said.

Although Good said she and her organizations have aspirations to improve the Asian experience at Penn State, Ng said he and his department are already doing so. He said the university now has measures in place for reporting bias and took a stance against hate. Zhang said he wishes the university had taken measures to combat Asian discrimination long ago.

I shouldnt have to come into Penn State as a freshman and say, Wow, theres so many issues that I need to help fix, Zhang said. These issues should be on Penn States radar in the first place.

Good echoed this and expressed her disappointment with what she perceives to be Penn States lack of action.

We are Penn State, she said. But the PRCC has its own saying, and its We are all we got, because sometimes We are Penn State! doesnt encompass us.

MORE NEWS COVERAGE
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
Microsoft will expand the use of its Fluid components to a wider range of productivity and collaboration tools, including Outlook, OneNote, and Whiteboard  part of the companys ongoing effort to change how people interact with documents.

Fluid components  heralded by Microsoft as atomic units of productivity when they were launched two years ago  are small apps such as tables, charts, and lists that can be inserted into different Microsoft 365 tools and updated by multiple users in real-time.

Although it has been slow to roll out the features, Microsoft in May unveiled plans to introduce the components to the chat function in Teams. As a continuation of those plans, unveiled last week, Fluid components will be expanded to Teams meetings, as well as the Outlook, OneNote, and Whiteboard apps. The overall goal: improve meetings for users.

The focus is on the creation of components relevant to meetings, such as a shared agenda, with discussion points automatically added to a dedicated OneNote page and simultaneously made accessible from Outlook email and calendars. Notes and tasks assigned in Teams during a meeting can also be synced back to OneNote for all attendees to view.

"These Fluid components ensure meeting attendees have a clear view of what was covered and how to proceed forward," Marissa Salazar, senior product marketing manager at Microsoft, said during a briefing.

Microsoft will begin a private preview for Fluid components in Outlook, OneNote and Whiteboard this fall, with wider availability expected early next year, a spokesperson said. The feature will be available to Microsoft 365 commercial customers only. Meanwhile, Fluid components in Teams chat is currently in private preview and with a full release in August.

The introduction of Fluid components to Microsofts collaboration and productivity apps amounts to a shift in focus from individual files to a more flexible and collaborative approach to documents within Microsoft 365.

One of the big criticisms leveled against Microsoft with Office 365 is that it simply took the desktop apps of Word, Excel, etc .and recreated them in the cloud; it didn't really do much to change or modernize the way people worked, except that you now accessed the apps in the cloud, said Angela Ashenden, a principal analyst at CCS Insight.

The Fluid components are more of a step forward in changing how we think about content, recognizing that while documents have their place, not everything has to be a document in and of itself, she said.

Microsoft is not the alone in seeking to better connect collaboration and productivity apps. Rival Google introduced its smart canvas building blocks last month; its a similar concept that links information between Workspace apps such Docs and Sheets with simple polls and checklists updated simultaneously across applications. Startups such as Coda, Airtable, and Quip are also making similar moves.

As the market leader, Microsoft has an advantage, so if it gets this right, it has the user base to build upon, said Ashenden.

Among the other changes announced last week were numerous updates to Microsofts Whiteboard app due out this summer, including a new UI, improved inking using a mouse input, and the addition of features such collaboration cursors to show what coworkers are doing when collaborating and a laser pointer for highlighting information to colleagues.
At USD 64 bn, FDI inflow to India is fifth-highest in the world: UN report

According to a UN report, India received USD 64 billion in Foreign Direct Investment in 2020, the fifth largest recipient of inflows in the world.

The report said in India, FDI increased 27 per cent to USD 64 billion in 2020 from USD 51 billion in 2019. Photo courtesy: Pixabay

It added that the COVID-19 second wave in the country weighs heavily on the country's overall economic activities but its strong fundamentals provide optimism for the medium term.

The World Investment Report 2021 by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), released today said global FDI flows have been severely hit by the pandemic and they plunged by 35 per cent in 2020 to USD 1 trillion from USD 1.5 trillion the previous year.

Lockdowns caused by COVID-19 around the world slowed down existing investment projects, and prospects of a recession led multinational enterprises (MNEs) to reassess new projects.

The report said in India, FDI increased 27 per cent to USD 64 billion in 2020 from USD 51 billion in 2019, pushed up by acquisitions in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, making the country the fifth largest FDI recipient in the world.

FDI outflows from South Asia fell 12 per cent, driven by a drop in investment from India. India ranked 18 out of the worlds top 20 economies for FDI outflows, with USD 12 billion of outflows recorded from the country in 2020 as compared to USD 13 billion in 2019.

Investments from India are expected to stabilise in 2021, supported by the countrys resumption of free trade agreement (FTA) talks with the European Union (EU) and its strong investment in Africa, the report said.

The report cautioned that while the Asian region has managed the health crisis relatively well, the recent second wave of COVID-19 in India shows that significant uncertainties remain.

The pandemic boosted demand for digital infrastructure and services globally. This led to higher values of greenfield FDI project announcements targeting the ICT industry, rising by more than 22 per cent to USD 81 billion.

Major project announcements in the ICT industry included a USD 2.8 billion investment by online retail giant Amazon in ICT infrastructure in India.

The report noted that the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in India weighs heavily on the countrys overall economic activities.

Announced greenfield projects in India contracted by 19 per cent to USD 24 billion, and the second wave in April 2021 is affecting economic activities, which could lead to a larger contraction in 2021, it said, adding that the outbreak in India severely hit main investment destinations such as Maharashtra, which is home to one of the biggest automotive manufacturing clusters (MumbaiPuneNasikAurangabad) and Karnataka (home to the Bengaluru tech hub), which face another lockdown as of April 2021, exposing the country to production disruption and investment delays.

Yet Indias strong fundamentals provide optimism for the medium term. FDI to India has been on a long-term growth trend and its market size will continue to attract market-seeking investments. In addition, investment into the ICT industry is expected to keep growing, the report said.

The countrys export-related manufacturing, a priority investment sector, will take longer to recover, but government facilitation can help. Indias Production Linkage Incentive scheme, designed to attract manufacturing and export-oriented investments in priority industries including automotive and electronics can drive a rebound of investment in manufacturing.

The report said FDI in South Asia rose by 20 per cent to USD 71 billion, driven mainly by strong M&As in India.

Amid Indias struggle to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, robust investment through acquisitions in ICT (software and hardware) and construction bolstered FDI, it said adding that cross-border M&As surged 83 per cent to USD 27 billion, with major deals involving ICT, health, infrastructure and energy.

Large transactions included the acquisition of Jio Platforms by Jaadhu, a subsidiary of Facebook for USD 5.7 billion, the acquisition of Tower Infrastructure Trust by Canadas Brookfield Infrastructure and GIC (Singapore) for USD 3.7 billion and the sale of the electrical and automation division of Larsen & Toubro India for USD 2.1 billion.

Another megadeal  Unilever Indias merger with GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare India, a subsidiary of GSK United Kingdom) for USD 4.6 billion  also contributed, it said.
Singapore extends COVID testing to seven more Redhill housing blocks

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) has made COVID-19 test mandatory for those residing in seven additional Housing Board blocks in Redhill Lane and Redhill Close following the detection of viral fragments in wastewater samples collected from them.

Investigations are on to ascertain the source of the transmission, the ministry added. Photo courtesy: Wikimedia

The ministry today said that after the finding, it has launched a probe into the apparent virus transmission among the Redhill residents.

Investigations are on to ascertain the source of the transmission, the ministry added. The affected blocks of Redhill Lane and Redhill Close were shut. However, testing has been made optional for those who had returned COVID negative results last Friday.

The ministry further said, "In case a COVID positive case is found, we will isolate the case, identify all close contacts, test and quarantine them to curb further transmission."

Visitors and those who have come in contact with the residents from these blocks may also volunteer for COVID-19 testing. This will help to detect asymptomatic cases in the community, added the ministry.

COVID testing will be held at the pavilion at 84A Redhill Lane and at the void deck of 89 Redhill Close from today to Wednesday. Residents were asked to carry their NRIC for identification purposes.

"Those who are still awaiting their test results are advised to minimise social interactions as much as possible," the ministry said.

They should continue to monitor their health and seek immediate medical attention if they feel unwell, it added.
06/21/2021

Photo (c) RobertsGalleries - Getty Images A trial cruise filled with about 600 vaccinated passengers departed from Miami on Sunday evening. The cruise will span two nights, and the ship will dock at CocoCay in the Bahamas.

Cruises with volunteer passengers are intended to help pave the way for cruise operations to return to normal in the U.S., as theyll help cruise lines test the efficacy of COVID-19 health and safety measures. Royal Caribbeans Freedom of the Seas set sail from PortMiami at 7 p.m. on Sunday with a representative from the CDC on board.

Under the CDCs Framework for Conditional Sailing Order, a trial cruise is one of two options for a cruise ship to resume sailing. The agency said last month that a ship can either perform a trial cruise or agree to set sail with almost all fully vaccinated passengers and crew -- 95% for both groups.

Vaccines strongly recommended

The entire cruise industry was forced to halt operations for about 15 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Royal Caribbean officials said the two-day voyage will serve as a way to observe quote multi-layered health and safety measures put in place by the CDC.

Earlier this month, Royal Caribbean announced that two passengers aboard another trial cruise tested positive for COVID-19. The passengers were asymptomatic. The company said it isolated the individuals and had them monitored by medical professionals. All close contacts of the individuals were also tested.

This situation demonstrates that our rigorous health and safety protocols work to protect our crew, guests and the communities we visit, the cruise company said at the time.

Royal Caribbean recently updated its website to state that vaccinations are strongly recommended for Florida sailings and "unvaccinated guests must undergo additional COVID-19 testing at their own expense.

"We do strongly recommend all the guests be vaccinated for sure for those who are eligible, but we have measures in place to keep the cruises safe," said Patrik Dahlgren, senior vice president of global marine operations for Royal Caribbean Group.
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This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-01-18, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.
Travelnet.lv scored 41 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

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Corsicana, TX (75110)

Today

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 74F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
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
Authorities say a man sought in the killings of his father and two other people in a small Oregon city forced a woman to drive him more than 2,000 miles in her car to Wisconsin, where he turned himself in
Stability for the Weak and Weary

BETH KNIGHT, COMPEL Training Member

Lee en espanol

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 (ESV)

You would think a 300-pound boulder would provide the stability you need when you find yourself slipping. Unfortunately, a fellow hiker at Camelback Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona, found out otherwise when his trust betrayed him.

Instead of supplying support, the boulder rolled on top of him, crushing his legs underneath. As I watched the rescue helicopter fly the injured hiker to a nearby hospital, I shuddered to think of how easily it could have been me.

Later, I realized the same thing does happen to me in my walk with Christ. Just like the 300-pound boulder appeared to be secure, I often think the things of this world will provide the stability I desire. How many times have I lost my sure footing on the path set before me and found myself tempted to grab onto sin to steady me? In the end, I always find myself trapped underneath the weight of my sin.

Over the years, I have noticed where the breakdown happens for me: when I am called out of my comfort zone. As I walk with Christ, I am called to new and challenging endeavors to bring glory to His name. I tilt my head back to consider the incline ahead of me, recognizing I will face unknown obstacles along the way. Clinging to my faith, I utter an enthusiastic and slightly terrified, Yes, Lord!

But then  I am faced with adversity. What at first seemed difficult, but doable, now seems impossible. The climb becomes more treacherous and taxing as unforeseen hardships are thrown underfoot. When I am caught off guard, I find myself slipping into insecurity, doubt and fear. I begin to wonder, as the Israelites did, God, did You bring me out here to die? I am left with a choice: hold fast to my faith or waver toward sin.

An anxious and insecure heart demands relief and demands it now! However, works will not save us; approval from the world will not secure us, and finding comfort in addiction or endless distraction will not stabilize us. In fact, dependence on anything other than Christ will crush us under a weight we were never meant to carry.

The good news, though, is tucked into our key verse: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23). When God calls us out of our comfort zone, He is faithful to do what He promises. Will we hold fast to the confession of our hope, trusting that He who promised is faithful? Or will we waver in our faith, tempted away by sin?

I have learned the hard way that sin overpromises and underprovides. For a moment, we may find respite, but sin never permanently provides the stability we need. So, instead of grabbing onto sin, let us hold fast to our Savior. He will fulfill every promise made!

Sweet friends, as we long for relief, the ache within our soul is difficult to endure. I pray our weary souls would rest in Christ, knowing His right hand is upholding us. (Psalm 63:8) May we endure treacherous paths with hope as we look up from bent and battered knees and say, I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope (Psalm 130:5, ESV).

Oh Lord, I am weak. I am weary. Help me remember from where my hope truly comes. By Your grace, keep me from misplacing my faith in worldly things for support. Strengthen me to endure hardship with confidence, knowing every promise You made will come true. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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FOR DEEPER STUDY

Psalm 94:18-19, When I thought, My foot slips, your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. (ESV)

Lamentations 3:24, The LORD is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him. (ESV)

What sin are you tempted to grab onto for support when life gets tough? How have you personally experienced Gods faithfulness in the past, and how might it help you hold fast to the Savior today? Share with us in the comments!

 2021 by Beth Knight. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 31 Ministries

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Matthews, NC 28106

www.Proverbs31.org
The book of Revelation begins with a letter address to each of seven churches in Asia Minor. These churches were not only a representation of all those that existed in the first century A.D., but they have also proven to be an accurate sampling of the Church throughout history. All the letters contain an instructive glimpse into the trials and challenges early believers faced, but the letter written to the church of Laodicea has particular relevance to todays westernized church.

What Was the Church of Laodicea?

The Apostle John, under the influence of the Holy Spirits revelatory power, wrote detailed and intimate letters from Jesus to the seven churches of Asia Minor. These letters outlined the churches failings and strengths and exhorted each body of believers to actively continue in the faith. The church of Laodicea was the last church addressed in the series of Johns letters.

Though the Bible doesnt tell us who founded the church of Laodicea, biblical scholars presume that one of Pauls disciples by the name of Epaphras likely planted it. Because the church of Laodicea consisted of mainly Jewish converts, they were initially exempt from the mandatory cult-like worship of the Roman emperor Domitian. But as more Gentiles converted to Christianity, their special exempt status was removed. The Laodicean churchs response to the persecution that followed offers a clue as to why the author of Revelation calls them lukewarm.

Located on an important commercial trade route and situated on a plateau, the city of Laodicea was set up for prosperity and security. The inhabitants of the city were wealthy, industrious, and educated. Laodiceas medical school was thought to have formulated some of the most innovative medicines of the dayincluding a treatment for eye ailments known as Phrygian powder. Known far and wide for its prosperity, the city was a hub for finance and the only source for the highly sought-after glossy, black wool used to make clothing for the elite.

Laodicea means rule of the people. The leadership and townspeople of Laodicea exemplified the kind of self-reliance suggested by the citys name. When hit by a devastating earthquake in A.D. 61, Laodicea refused Romes help to rebuild because they preferred to handle the reconstruction themselvesmaking them the only city in the province of Asia that did not embrace the Emperor's financial support.

Only out of necessity did Laodicea depend upon the nearby city of Hierapolis for its water source. The hot springs of Hierapolis, located six miles north of Laodicea, were piped through an aqueduct to the city. However, because of the distance and time required to transport the water to their town, the water arrived neither hot nor coldbut tepid.

When Roman emperor Domitian began to persecute the Christian church for their refusal to worship him, the church of Laodicea faced a quandary. They could either forsake Christ and succumb to the imperial cult, or they would lose their ability to buy or sell, due to the tyrannical trade restrictions imposed upon all who did not worship the Emperor.

Because of their great wealth, this dilemma became particularly challenging for the church of Laodicea. This is why Jesus letter to this church wastes no time denouncing the congregation for its lukewarm faith, threatening to spit the congregation out of His mouth (Revelation 3:16), explains Dolores Smyth in What Do the 7 Churches in Revelation Represent? Summaries and Explanations

Why Did This Church Receive Only Rebukes from John?

Jesus offered affirmations to all the churches addressed in Johns lettersexcept for the church of Laodicea. While the churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia suffered the same oppression from Domitian and struggled with their own faith weaknesses, none possessed the affluence of the Laodicean church. The Laodiceans blessing of wealth quickly became a potential stumbling block when faced with persecution.

Its shocking and sobering to see that the scriptures contain a revealing account of a church that made God sick, says Mel Walker in What is a Lukewarm Christian? Still, Jesus demonstrated his love to the Laodicean church by exposing their weaknesses and encouraging them to repent. Jesus further showed His mercy by exhorting the church with language and examples pertinent to their everyday lives.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarmneither hot nor coldI am about to spit you out of my mouth (Revelation 3:15,16). This warning would have harkened back to the Laodiceans own tepid drinking water, piped in from Hierapolis.

You say, I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked(Revelation 3:17). These words would have painted a stark contrast between how the Laodiceans saw themselves and how the Lord saw them. The members of this community prided themselves on appearance and wore that pride as a badge of honor to their self-confidence and self-sufficiency. They didnt realize that by arraying themselves in their own honor they were forfeiting Christs garment of righteousness.

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see (Revelation 3:18). The wealth the Laodiceans had accumulated for themselves was worthless to buy eternal things. The lustrous black wool that had brought their city fame did nothing to cover the shame of their sinsnor did their own renowned eye-salve have the power to cure their spiritual blindness.

The Laodicean church only received rebukes in Johns letter because their self-reliance had robbed them of any eternal merit through Christ. Wanting the very best for His beloved church, Jesus exposed the Laodiceans sin, called them back to Himself, and reminded them of the eternal reward waiting for those who are victorious over worldly temptations.

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne (Revelation 19:21).

How Is the Church of Laodicea Creeping into Our Own Churches Today?

Churches today struggle with challenges and temptations just as much as the early church did. This shouldnt come as a surprise to anyone who knows scripture. Jesus assures us that in this world we will have trouble (John 16:33).

Because the American church today shares many of the same blessings the church of Laodicea possessed, we also face some of the same temptations. Our country is considered by the rest of the world as prosperous, industrious, and educated. Depending on who you ask, we are considered either a representative republic or democracy. Either way, the undisputed fact is that one of the things that sets us apart as a nation is our ability to self-rule, and we take great patriotic pride in that accomplishment.

Its been said that As the church goes, so goes the nation, and so it should be. But more often than not its the other way around. Self-reliance may be great governing practice for our nation, but it should not be the Way of the church. When any form of self seeps into the fabric of the church, it leaves an opening for the enemy to usher in the temptation of pride. A real danger exists when we dont diligently defend a complete surrender to and reliance on Christ as Lord and Head of the Church.

Why is self-reliance in the Church so dangerous? In Let the Lukewarm Come to Me, John Piper sums it up this way: The self-reliant have no idea how much they sacrifice to preserve their pride. As they cling to their false sense of control, they forfeit the sovereign help of heaven. They surrender the merciful and miraculous opportunity to finally and fully see. They lose Jesus because they wont be served by Jesus.

3 Ways to Avoid Becoming a Lukewarm Church

Cling to the Vine"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing John 15:5

The best way to keep our churches from becoming lukewarm is to cling to the Head of the church. Christ is the head of the church. That position is not up for vote or debate. Christ is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together (Colossians 1:18-19). The church is completely and forever His, bought by His very blood. The quickest way to render a church lukewarm is to put a human in chargeany human. Every pastor, preacher, minister, leader, and volunteer is a servant of Christ and under His headship. When that God-ordained role is challenged by a power-hungry minister or over-zealous worshippers who want to please their leaderthe Holy Spirit is grieved, and that church slides down the slope of lukewarmness on its way to apostasy.

Cling to the Truth"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" John 8:31-32.

This world is full of half-truths, fake news, and reidentified realities. Lukewarm churches adapt their teachings and doctrines to accommodate the ever-changing values and ideals of the world. But when a church clings unwaveringly to the truth of Scripture and teaches that truthin loveto the perishing world, it becomes a church on fire for Christ. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, that church ministers Christs love and truth freely and leads the lost and perishing world to a freedom they never knew existed.

Cling to Redemptionholding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith 1 Timothy 1:19.

Every believer knows that sin separates. Lukewarm churches dont start out tepid. Little by little they allow sin to creep into the Bodyunchecked, excused or overlooked. Whether theyre wanting to avoid confrontation, or just more concerned with building a brand than building the Kingdom, lukewarm churches allow little sprinkles of yeast to grow until the whole church becomes infected (Galatians 5:9).

Jesus paid the price so that if we find ourselves estranged from the Father because of sin, we have a waythrough Jesus shed bloodto return to fellowship. A church that wants to remain active and useful for the Kingdom of God will regularly take stock of sin and commit to holding each other accountable. This can only happen through complete surrender to God and full transparency with each other. Guilt and shame should never be used as a tool or a deterrent for accountability. Christs love will guide wayward souls back to Himself as we humbly and meekly hold to the standards He put in place for His church. When we lay down our pride and confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

We also don't have to fear that we messed up, drifted away from God, or turned our back for a moment. Why? Because God's love is greater than our deep worry we won't be loved again, says Kelly Balarie in 25 Ways Not to be Lukewarm in Faith

Photo credit: GettyImages/rclassenlayouts

Annette Marie Griffin is an award-winning author and speaker who has managed and directed childrens and youth programs for more than 20 years. Her debut childrens book, What Is A Family? released through Familius Publishing in 2020. Annette has also written curriculum for character growth and development of elementary-age children and has developed parent training seminars to benefit the community. Her passion is to help wanderers find home. She and her husband have five childrenthree who have already flown the coop and two adopted teens still roosting at homeplus two adorable grands who add immeasurable joy and laughter to the whole flock.
Who Was Jesse in the Bible?

Jesse was the father of King David. See Ruth 4:17. He was the grandson of Ruth and Boaz. You remember Ruth whose husband and son died. She told her mother-in-law Naomi that she would continue to follow her. Naomis people would be her people and Naomis God would be her God (Ruth 1:16). We know from further study in the Bible that Jesse is a part of the lineage of Jesus.

Jesse takes center stage in the Bible as God prepares to anoint a new king of Israel to replace Saul. We look to 1 Samuel 16 for the details. God told Samuel that He was sending him to the house of Jesse, the Bethlehemite. There among the sons of Jesse, he would find the new king of Israel. God had instructed Samuel to fill his horn with oil.

Samuel had questions as to how he would anoint a new king without facing the wrath of Saul. God told him to take a heifer to sacrifice to the Lord. God then instructed him to invite Jesse to the sacrifice. God told Samuel that He would show him what to do and who to anoint as the next king.

When Samuel went to Bethlehem, people were concerned because he was a prophet. Plus, he came to town without warning. Samuel assured them that he came in peace and planned to make a sacrifice (1 Samuel 16:5). As God had instructed, Samuel invited Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice. Samuel had no idea of who God might anoint. He figured it might be the oldest son Eliab. But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance,but the LORD looketh on the heart.

All of Jesses sons who were present passed by Saul. The Lord had chosen none of the seven. Samuel asked Jesse if all his children were present. Jesse told him he had another son who was the youngest. He was out tending to the sheep. Samuel asked Jesse to send for him because they would not sit down until he did this (1 Samuel 16:11). David was ruddy, handsome, and good to look at. And the Lord said, Arise anoint him: for this is he (1 Samuel 16:12). And Saul anointed David and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him.

What Do We Know about Jesse?

We know that Jesse is the father of David who was king of Israel. Jesse lives in Bethlehem. He is the grandson of Boaz and Ruth. His father was Obed (Ruth 4:17). Since he lived in Bethlehem, we can assume that Jesse was of the tribe of Judah. Bethlehem was one of the main cities in the territory of this tribe. Bethlehem is in Palestine today just south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. There are a few different versions of what the name Bethlehem was in biblical days.

We know that Jesse was one of the elders of the town (1 Samuel 16:4). Apparently, he was wealthy. As Israel faced battle against the Philistines, Jesse sent his son David to take food to his brothers who were fighting (1 Samuel 17:17-18). We know that David was tending his fathers sheep when Samuel came to anoint him. If someone had to tend the sheep, there was probably a herd and that signified wealth.

We know that David thought highly of his parents. While fleeing from Saul in the Bible, David planned for his father and mother to stay in Moab (1 Samuel 22:3). He wanted to make sure they were safe.

Why Does Jesus Come from the Root of Jesse?

The Bible says in Isaiah 11:1 that a rod would spring forth out of the stem of Jesse. A Branch shall grow out of its roots. We know that the Branch is significant because it is capitalized. Usually, in the Bible as in the English language, proper nouns are capitalized. References to God are capitalized. Mentions of Jesus or Son of God are usually capitalized. A branch typically means a limb from a tree. This Branch is significant because it is a precursor to the Son of God.

Turn to Mathew 1 and read the generations of Jesus Christ. Notice verses 5-6. Here, you will see the parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents of David. Move down to verse 16, you will see the names Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. In this same chapter, you also see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judas mentioned.

5 Unexpected Lessons from Jesse in the Bible

1. Jesse followed spiritual leadership and respected the man of God. We find this out in 1 Samuel 16. God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint the next king of Israel. Apparently, Jesse was an elder of Bethlehem. They knew that prophets often showed up to make declarations from God and to issue warnings. He did as Samuel instructed and sanctified himself along with his sons. Jesse did not know that his youngest son was about to be anointed king. He was able to follow instructions and allowed the prophet to test all his sons.

This also speaks to his character as a father. He was able to make his grown sons pass by Samuel. There is no mention of whether the sons wanted to follow through with this, but Samuel was a prophet, so everyone just fell in line. I am sure this had much to do with Samuels reputation as a prophet as well. He was probably not known for just taking people through the motions. They knew he was there for a reason.

2. Jesse was wealthy. Jesse appeared to be a man of wealth and had all his sons busy and working. We know that God can often bless his people, sometimes with material wealth. We know that he wants us to work if we can and are not retired. The youngest son was somewhere tending sheep. I am sure that the elder sons all had jobs with their father as well, but this task fell on the youngest son. Usually, those who tend sheep must fend off all types of animals just to keep the sheep safe. David also had to take food to his brothers while they were fighting in Sauls army. The youngest probably had to do work that many of the older brothers had outgrown, but apparently, David had a heart of service and found favor with God.

3. Jesse followed the law of the land. I am sure that Jesse had no idea at the time that his son was to become king. He might have known that something special was going on with the youngest. His son David had slain Goliath. Many of his other sons had fought in battle with Saul. Saul sent messengers to Jesse to send for his son David when he needed someone to play music. God had taken His Spirit from Saul and he was troubled by an evil spirit that God had sent. Look to1I Samuel 16 for more details. Even though this is his youngest son, Jesse sends David with an ass loaded with bread, wine, and a goat. David apparently had his harp as well because that was the main reason Saul had sent for him.

4. Jesse was able to trust his son David in his golden years. As Saul was seeking after Davids life. David had planned for his aging parents to stay in Moab. At this point, David did not know for certain what his end would be, and he wanted his parents to be safe. We see in 1 Samuel 22 that David honored his parents because he was concerned about their welfare.

5. Jesse supported his children in their pursuits. When his sons were fighting in the war, Jesse had David take them food. When David had an invitation to play before King Saul, Jesse made sure he was ready and that he would have his own food for the stay.

Photo credit: GettyImages/Winnie Vinzence

Dr. Sandra Hamer Smith is a Christian and wife to Sylvester Smith. She has one stepson, Greg. Smith lives and resides in Memphis, Tennessee. The University of Memphis alumnae has been in education for about 20 years after receiving the call to teach. Dr. Smith primarily teaches language arts. Prior to education, she worked in local and national television news for 13 years including positions as an overnight news anchor, reporter, and assignments editor at two local network affiliate stations. Smith was also a freelance correspondent for BET news. Dr. Smith has freelanced for the Tri-State Defender newspaper and Contempora magazine. She is the author of the self-published novel GLORYTHE HAIR. Smith is also a playwright and poet. The Tennessee native is a member of Temple of Deliverance COGIC, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc, Omicron Delta Kappa, The Golden Key International Honour Society, and Kappa Delta Pi.

This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul.

4 Things You May Not Know About Abraham in the Bible

20 Facts You May Not Know About Moses from the Bible

Who Was Mary Magdalene in the Bible?

Who Were the 12 Disciples of Jesus?

Who Was Isaiah & Why Was He Important?
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Asset disposal normally isnt one of those burning topics that is top-of-mind for CISOs, yet every CISO must be able to address it when asked to describe their information technology asset disposal (ITAD) program. Lack of a program signals data may be at risk when equipment is recycled; presence of a program signals attention to data protection. No CISO wants to encounter the former; every CISO wishes to be associated with the latter, though it may be a false-positive if the program does not include an auditable chain of custody/data destruction.

Can you, the CISO, or your team in charge of the ITAD, describe how each device provisioned and issued within the company is tracked, the data on the device is accounted for, and when and how that device is removed from the company ecosystem in a way the company and its customers data is protected?

ITAD an identified threat vector

The recent guidance provided by the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) included ITAD as an identified threat vector in its guidance on defending against software supply chain attacks. Every entity needs an ITAD program, and the program must ensure that the devices are data-free when they exit the control of the company. The harsh reality is many dont, and among those that do, many rely on certificates of destruction and not an auditable and visual chain of custody involving data and devices. The former requires trust; the latter includes verification.

Recently the business model of WV Technologies was described in Australias online edition of National Cybersecurity News. They would purchase government lots of old equipment at auction, and even though the devices were supposed to be cleaned of data, operational data, VOIP configs, SD-cards, SSD drives full of data were often found. The company engages in data destruction and noted in late-May 2021 that its sales of these refurbished devices had dried up completely. Previously, the firm was selling at least a container of equipment every month to overseas buyers. They attributed the reduction in market interest to their adjustment in data destruction methodologies.

The House and Human Services Office of Civil Rights slapped Filefax, a company that had shuttered its doors with a monetary fine for mishandling protected health information (PHI). They had arranged to have medical records destroyed by a contractor, drove the records to the facility, and left it unattended overnight in an unlocked truckgood intentions with lousy execution.

Then there is the case of ShopRite, which found itself on the receiving end of a monetary fine for failing to properly dispose of electronic devices used to collect the signatures and purchase information of pharmacy customers. The New Jersey attorney general noted how the company had tossed the devices into a dumpster without wiping them of the sensitive data.

Miranda Yan, founder of VinPit, comments how internal controls are intended to ensure regulatory or legal compliance to a company. While Ted Barassi, a data privacy and information governance expert at FTI technology, notes how the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency fined a major money center bank due to a breach arising out of a vendor's failure to dispose of disk drives containing customer data as part of a data center decommissioning project. (Morgan Stanley was fined $60 million by the OCC in October 2020 for the 2016 incident.) He adds that it is important that assets being disposed of be uniquely identified and tracked in a documented process and that the disposal be certified by the vendor performing the work.

While certification is important, Kyle Marks, ITAD chain of custody expert and CEO of Retire-IT, highlights how a single unsecured asset can expose an organization to ransomware or other data security threats. He counsels that obtaining a certificate of destruction is inadequate, It is nothing more than a participation trophy. Certificates are easily printed; verification and chain of custody needs to be integral.

ITAD in-house or third-party?

The question for CISOs is not, Do I need an ITAD program? You do. Not only do you need a program, but your program must ensure it includes 100% of devices that are company owned, as well as those that are employee/contractor owned (BYOD) and have company/customer data resident.

The decision to build an ITAD program in-house or hire outside expertise is unique to each organization, but whichever path is taken, it must be replete with checks and balances to ensure verifiable integrity of the ITAD process and prevent any device from departing the ecosystem with data on board.
A Pennsylvania chicken restaurant is looking to spread its wings with the opening of its first Connecticut location in Fairfield.

Lovebird, described as a "high quality chicken restaurant," will be opening its doors to its 2385 Black Rock Turnpike location in late August, according to managing partner Stephanie Wilson.

This will be Lovebird's first location outside of Pennsylvania. The chain currently boats three locations in Pennsylvania: Bryn Mawr, Doylestown and Newtown, Penn. The new location will be called Lovebird Fairfield.

As for why Fairfield was chosen, Wilson explained that plans had been discussed for some time.

"We decided [in] early spring [of 2021] to execute our plan to launch in Fairfield," Wilson said. "As long time friends, John Ordway [founder and owner] and Stephanie Wilson Paulson [business operator and 22-year resident of Fairfield County] had long discussed and researched bringing Lovebird to Fairfield."

Menu-wise, the restaurant's primary focus is chicken, with options ranging from Gerber's Amish Farm cage-free chicken thighs to a Baja Bird chicken sandwich. For those who do not eat meat, Lovebird also offers vegeterian and vegan options including tofu bowls and salads.

The restaurant also offers a number of sides including fried pickles with a chipotle dipping sauce and crispy brussels sprout with mint and chilies.

The news of Lovebird Fairfield follows on the heels of the announcement of a Chick-Fil-A being proposed on the former property of Joes American Bar & Grill.
STRATFORD  Bullet trains wont be whizzing through Connecticut at 100 mph anytime soon, but Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday the states rail users will see some improvements by next year  like getting from New Haven to New York 10 minutes quicker.

The governor announced an ambitious plan at the Stratford Metro-North station Monday to improve the states rail service that he said would slash travel times, create thousands of jobs, and help the environment by getting cars off roads.

The plan  called Time For CT  assumes most of the $8 billion to $10 billion in required funding will come from the federal government.

Lamont and other officials conceded its not the first wishful proposal to improve rail funding in the state  and that they cant yet provide clear, decisive answers about where the money will ultimately come from. But they pointed to a recently completed study that identifies where many of the improvements can be made, and also said the political possibilities to get the federal dollars needed are better than they have been in decades.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, who chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee, attended Mondays announcement and promised to fight for the funding needed.

If the Europeans can do it and have high speed rail, we certainly can do it in this country, DeLauro said. This is a once-in-a-generation investment.

Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti said signal improvements and repairs on the New Haven Line will result in faster travel times within a year.

Youre going to see at least 10 minutes next year, he said. Were going to be able to start running some express trains that are going to take out 10 minutes of travel time, and that will be real and it will start next year.

Giulietti said details regarding when the new express routes will run are being negotiated, but that the improvements to make them a reality are already in the works.

Weve gone inch by inch over this railroad so the plan you see in front of you is extremely practical and well laid out, he said.

The plan calls for that 10-minute improvement to become a 25-minute one by 2035  if funding can be secured.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal conceded thats still a pretty big if, calling for residents and officials to press federal officials for action.

The federal government should pay for rail in the northeast corridor, more than it has, and more than it is planning right now, Blumenthal said. We need a massive, bold, infrastructure program, bigger and better than what were seeing right now emerging as a likely bipartisan plan. We need two Joes  Joe Biden and Joe Manchin  to get behind it.

The senator said ridership is only a third of what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic  and noted it takes longer to get from New Haven to New York via Metro-North than it did 10 years ago.

Riders are not coming back unless we make trains faster, he said.

Connecticut Commuter Rail Council Chairman Jim Gildea is a daily rider on both the Metro-North Waterbury Line and the New Haven Line. He said that aside from safety, the most important things to commuters who use trains every day is minimizing they time they spend on them as much as possible.

We want to leave our houses later. We want to get home to our families quicker, he said. We want to improve our quality of life, and this plan does that.

Lamont said a lot of the detailed improvements in the plan  replacing and improving bridge decks, worn rails and ties  are not flashy. But he said it would lead to 45,000 good paying, union jobs, environmental benefits with fewer cars on the states roads and highways, and more economic growth.

Lamont said that the states economy has recovered to 98 percent of its pre-pandemic levels. He sees rail improvements as key to the states continued economic growth.

Were making extraordinary progress, but were not going to continue to make that progress unless we put people to work speeding up our rail system, Lamont said.
Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home. Photo: Audrey C. Tiernan/Newsday RM via Getty Images

The reopening of New York is getting a soundtrack. Mayor Bill de Blasio has asked Clive Davis, the nearly nonagenarian record-business legend, to pull together a Central Park concert for the ages. Its tentatively scheduled for August 21. No word yet on wholl be onstage, but its hard to imagine a New York artist whod reject the call if it came.

Its a great idea, as has been borne out by experience. Especially when New York has been going through a tough moment, a Central Park concert has been a largely unifying, joyous experience. The most thoroughly remembered, of course, is Simon & Garfunkel in 1981. Half a million people showed up. (The two men live on Central Park West and Fifth Avenue, respectively, which meant that they were playing their own shared front yard.) It was a reunion, because the duo had split up extremely rancorously in 1970, and to a lot of baby boomers whod come of age with them, it felt like a dissonance had finally resolved itself. That was perhaps true for Simon and Garfunkel themselves: You can hear Arties voice open up with emotion on the later verses of Bridge Over Troubled Water. (Ten years after that, in August 1991, Paul Simon performed again in the park, this time solo. I had moved to Manhattan two weeks earlier, and that night was the first step in my becoming a proper New Yorker: I had put on the live broadcast of the concert in my tiny apartment, and then said to myself, Wait a minute, dummy, you live here now  you can just walk up there and hear it. So I did.)

The Philharmonic, too, has regularly brought people together on the Great Lawn, as does Shakespeare in the Park over at the Delacorte. SummerStage turned the one-offs into a series, on a smaller and wonderful scale. On a more solemn night a year after 9/11, a park concert featured an array of artists from the Orchestra of St. Lukes to Billy Joel. Even a pair of Diana Ross shows that went awry in 1983 were, lets say, learning experiences: Mostly what everyone learned was dont try to power through and ignore a colossal thunderstorm. Good for drama, though, and the video is a keeper.

Clive Davis, for his part, has a big question before him: Who could possibly be the epic closing act on such a program? Is it an enormous star of recent years, like Lady Gaga or Cardi B? (Or will Taylor Swift kick off the night with Welcome to New York?) Is it instead a classic-rock oldster hugely identified with the city? Billy Joel doing New York State of Mind, Deborah Harry doing any damn thing she wants to? Or  and this would be the choice of at least one of us here at Curbed dot com  how about Jay Z and Alicia Keys doing Empire State of Mind? Theres nothin you cant do / these streets will make you feel brand new.
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Pound (GBP) Exchange Rate Rises as the UK Economy is on a Sounder Footing

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The Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate rose today, with the Loonie subdued despite rising WIT crude prices. The pairing is currently fluctuating around CA$1.72.The commodity-linked Canadian Dollar failed to rise against the Pound today despite an uptick in crude oil prices, thanks to growing optimism in key economies like the Europes Eurozone and the United States.Margaret Yang, a strategist at Daily FX, commented on oil prices, which are expected to continue to rise in coming weeks:The outlook for energy demand remains robust as the economic recovery gains momentum in the US and Europe, although parts of Asia are still suffering from Covid-19 outbreaks. US daily air travellers surpassed 2 million for the last two weeks, underscoring strong demand for fuel. The recent fall in US commercial crude inventories also strengthened this prospect.However, this has failed to buoy the CAD/GBP exchange rate, with Loonie investors becoming more cautious about the outlook for the global economy.Today also saw a lack of any notable Canadian economic data, which has left Canadian markets in wait-and-see mode.Rising oil prices could, however, see the CAD/GBP exchange rate begin to creep higher later in todays session.The Pound (GBP) rose today after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was looking good that England would lift restrictions on 19 July.Boris Johnson said that England is on course to lifting all the remaining Covid-19 restrictions later next month. He said:You can never exclude that there will be some new disease, some new horror that we simply havent budgeted for, or accounted for.But looking at where we are, looking at the efficacy of the vaccines against all variants that we can currently see  so Alpha, Delta, the lot of them, Kappa  I think its looking good for July 19 to be that terminus point.As a result, GBP investors have become more confident about the outlook for the UK economy, despite concerns of a challenging autumn and winter, when Covid-19 infections are predicted to rise.Today saw reports that Mays economic recovery in tourism and hospitality had accelerated thanks to the easing of lockdown restrictions last month.Jeavon Lolay, the head of economics at Lloyds Bank, commented:Whether the four-week delay to further easing of restrictions will impact this trend is unclear. But while the delay is understandably disappointing for many businesses, theres no denying that the economy is now on a much sounder footing.GBP/CAD Exchange Rate Forecast: Could Rising Oil Prices Boost the Canadian Dollar?Canadian Dollar (CAD) investors will be looking ahead to Wednesdays publication of the Canadian retail sales data for April.Any signs of an improvement in Canadas retail sector would boost the CAD/GBP exchange rate.However, the Canadian Dollar will remain sensitive oil prices this week, with any signs of rising prices being CAD-positive.Pound traders will continue to monitor the UKs Covid-19 situation this week.If Covid-19 infection rates continue to climb, then we would see Sterling suffer due to rising concerns over a possible third-wave of the virus later this year.

International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements.

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A Quick Guide To Business Cyber Security

Every organisation wants to avoid the loss of millions of dollars that can result from a major security breach, not to mention the potential loss in reputation and market share and we have seen a significant growth in cyber criminality in the form of high-profile ransomware campaigns over the last year.

Yet, many companies still place their primary security focus on analysing an incident long after it has been detected and after it has caused damage.

Breaches have the effect of exposing personal data on a massive scale, leaving victims vulnerable to fraud, while lives were put at risk and services damaged by the WannaCry ransomware campaign that affected the NHS and many other organisations worldwide.

Whether you are in charge of a large organisation or you own a small startup, cyber crime has reached record heights and the threat of an attack is real.

Cyber criminals are clever and if there is weakness within your digital security, an attacker will seek it out. They will use clever methods to steal your data, you need to make sure your cyber security leaves little room for attack.

Here is a brief guide about cyber security and protecting your organisation.

Cyber crime: According to the National Crime Agency cyber crime threatens national security and it costs the United Kingdom billions of pounds each year. Cyber-attacks often target companies who hold a lot of personal data and they will try to steal the data using various means. Cyber criminals use devious ways to find weak spots in your digital security and an attack can appear in many different forms.

Common Attacks: The most common types of attack include hacking, phishing, malicious software and distributed denial of service attacks against websites. As a business, you and your colleagues need to be cautious of all types of attacks. The most common way in which criminals may try to breach your security is through your staff. Reports show that 72 percent of employees receive fraudulent emails, 33 percent of businesses experience viruses and malware and 17 percent experience ransomware.

Different Types of Cyber Security: To prevent criminals from gaining personal information you can employ different types of cyber security. These include perimeter security, intranet security and human security:

Perimeter Security: Perimeter security includes spam protection and firewalls, and it is the most basic way you can protect your network. Using these protective means, you can build a barrier, or perimeter, around your network to protect it against external threats.

Internet Security: When the threat tries to infiltrate your network from the inside, intranet security needs to be in place for protection. The threats could appear due to a virus, or malware, uploaded from someones USB onto their work computer.

Without realising it, employees can unwittingly pick up harmful viruses at home and transfer them to the business network. These types of attacks can be shielded by downloading anti-malware software onto the computers at work. This type of software can prevent known malware from being uploaded, however, if the malware is brand new and unknown, your anti-malware software will not be able to protect your network.

Human Security: Businesses often succumb to cyber attacks due to human error. Breaches occur when employees are duped by scams, when they choose weak passwords and when they use networks that are not secure. Basic IT training can help your employees understand how cyber crime happens and give them the knowledge of how to protect themselves against an attack.

Cyber Essentials Certification: Cyber Essentials is a scheme that is backed by the government. Essentially, it helps you protect your business against common cyber attacks. You may be asking yourself: what is cyber essentials certification? Achieving a certification in Cyber Essentials gives your customers peace of mind that youre taking a proactive approach against cyber crime. The certification shows that your company is educated in cyber security and that your staff are trained to keep personal data secure.

Cyber Essentials Badges: You can achieve two types of Cyber Essentials badges: Basic and Plus. The Basic involves individuals taking test questionnaires. Their answers are then checked by certification bodies. The Plus is the highest level of certification, and it includes a third party performing a physical audit of your office to check for certification requirements.

Benefits of Applying for Certification: Besides the status of being certified by a government-backed programme, applying for certification can reassure your customers that their personal data is in safe hands. Customers may also make an active choice to do business with you due to your certified status. With Cyber Essentials certification, you will always know where your company stands in terms of the level of cyber security within your business. Furthermore, certification is a requirement by some government contracts.

How Do I Protect My Business?: To begin with, you can approach the IASME consortium to begin the process. You will need evidence that your current IT infrastructure complies with the standards set by the programme; then your knowledge of your software and systems will be assessed.

Professional Advice: Cyber crime is ever-evolving and there are many factors to consider. If you feel unsure about where to begin, speak to a professional IT service support provider, who can offer expert advice and can answer your queries about cyber security.

National Crime Agency: IBM Security: Money Supermarket: Security Intelligence: News from Wales:

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Weather Alert

...The Flood Advisory continues for the following rivers 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 imminent or may already be occurring. Water may overtop low stream banks in some areas. Persons in the advisory area should use caution and avoid flood waters. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov/Chicago and water.weather.gov The next statement is expected around 1145 PM CDT this evening. && ...The Flood Advisory is now in effect until early tomorrow afternoon... The Flood Advisory continues for the Kankakee River near Wilmington. * Until Saturday afternoon. * At 7:45 AM CDT Friday the stage was 5.1 feet. * Action stage is 5.0 feet. * Flood stage is 6.5 feet. * Forecast...The river is expected to fall to 3.3 feet Friday morning. * Impact...At 5.0 feet, Minor lowland flooding begins in areas immediately adjacent to the river. &&
Elizabeth City, NC (27909)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 66F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 66F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Mrs. Martha Lyndell Wilbanks, age 84, of Chatsworth passed away Thursday, July 1, 2021, at Chatsworth Health Care. She is survived by her husband, Damon Wilbanks of Chatsworth. No public memorial services have been planned at this time. Cremation services were provided by Peeples Funeral Hom
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Since our inception as Korean Ducks Magazine in 2005, weve worked hard to share a multicultural spirit with our readership. We embrace diversity in our stories, in our student staff and in our readers. We want every part of the magazine to reflect the diversity of our world.
TOWN OF ULSTER

Father faults trooper in Thruway crash that killed daughter, 11

A father whose 11-year-old daughter was killed last December when a New York state police car crashed into his sport utility vehicle says the state trooper involved in the fatal crash rammed into the SUV twice at high speed
A photo provided by Maggie Redfern in 2017 shows the yard of Redfern in New London, Conn. Redfern was issued an abatement order from the city of New Londons blight officer. She is appealing the citation and argues that her lawn is more ecologically friendly than traditional manicured, green lawns.
Sunbury, PA (17801)

Today

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 57F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 57F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
You are the owner of this article.
@ChescoCourtNews on Twitter

Michael P. Rellahan has been a staff reporter and editor at the Daily Local News since 1982. He has covered all kinds of news over the years but is now assigned to report on court and legal news, as well as Chester County government news and politics.
Last weeks Chesham and Amersham by-election was a shocker for the Tories, who surrendered the seat for the first time since its creation in 1974, as the Lib Dem candidate swept to victory.

But lost in much of the commentary was the fact that it was also Labours worst by-election result in a century.

Is that any wonder, given that Sir Keir Starmers office appeared not even to know the name of their doomed candidate?

Lost in much of the commentary was Labours worst by-election result in a century

When journalists asked Starmers PR people two weeks ago about Labours prospects at the poll, the reply came: We have a fantastic candidate, but its obviously a very difficult contest.

The spokesman later repeated: Weve got a fantastic candidate whos throwing everything at it.

Asked the candidates name, the spokesman gave an awkward pause, before muttering: I will get you that name and send you details. Natasa Pantelic  there you are!  secured a dismal 1.6 per cent of the vote.

PS: If, as most pundits insist, the voters of Chesham and Amersham really did want to protest against HS2, did they back the right party? I doubt it.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has voted five times in favour of the controversial high-speed rail link, and the party has been solidly behind it since day one.

In the 2015 general election, campaign party spokesman Lord Scriven crowed: Liberal Democrats led calls for high-speed rail lines to the North from the very start... and will continue to do so in the future. Good to know!

Day the Milibot malfunctioned

Miliband, who was likened to Wallace (of Wallace And Gromit fame) and the gormless Ross in the sitcom Friends, stood down as leader after losing the 2015 general election to the Tories

With his strangulated voice and geeky demeanour, Ed Milibands ignominious leadership of the Labour Party from 2010 to 2015 was beset by gaffes.

Miliband, who was likened to Wallace (of Wallace And Gromit fame) and the gormless Ross in the sitcom Friends, stood down as leader after losing the 2015 general election to the Tories.

In a recent podcast, Miliband, now the Shadow Business Secretary, reflected on one of his most cringe-making moments as leader.

In an agonised 2011 interview with ITV News, he was grilled over whether or not he backed a wave of strikes in the public sector. With his face fixed in a strangely intense rictus glare, he bizarrely repeated the same mantra five times over, saying that he thought the strikes were wrong and that the government had acted in a reckless manner.

It was as if the Milibot had malfunctioned  and Miliband admitted on the podcast: I looked like I was a robot.

Readers will remember, too, when the Milipede grappled with a bacon sandwich. But which was more toe-curling? Time for a readers poll!

Speaker who talks sense

Sir Lindsay Hoyle will underline his all-party appeal with a special service to mark the outstanding service of the Armed Forces in the pandemic

There was a sense of relief even among some Labour MPs when Sir Lindsay Hoyle, a veteran Labour MP, replaced John Bercow as Speaker just before the 2019 general election.

He has been a breath of fresh air. Today, Sir Lindsay will underline his all-party appeal with a special service to mark the outstanding service of the Armed Forces in the pandemic. He will say: We have the bravest, most loyal military personnel in the world in our Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy services. They are there at times of war, but especially when we need them on the home front  and none more so than during the pandemic.

The Speaker  Honorary Colonel of 3 Medical Regiment  will sign the Armed Forces covenant, which commits the Commons to being a better employer to former military personnel. Decent, dignified and devoted to service, not self-serving  what a contrast he is to his predecessor.

Not a single Labour, SNP or Lib Dem MP turned up for the Commons debate last week on extending Covid lockdown for four weeks. The only members who called the executive to account over the endless restrictions were liberty-loving backbench Tories. So much for Her Majestys Official Opposition.
The case of a woman wrongly convicted of murdering her ex-lover's teenage daughter on the Costa Del Sol is re-examined in a new Netflix documentary.

Murder on the Coast, which will be released on June 23, recounts how a media circus and widespread homophobia led to the arrest, trial, and eventual conviction of Maria Dolores Vazquez after Dutch-Spanish teen Rocio Wanninkhof, 19, was stabbed to death in 1999.

Vazquez, now 69, was Rocio's mother's estranged lover at the time of the crime, and was arrested and convicted of murder with no evidence. She was portrayed as a 'predatory lesbian' by the Spanish media, which is thought to have influenced the jury.

In 2003, while investigating the murder of 17-year-old Sonia Carabantes, police found that DNA at the crime scene matched DNA found on Rocio's body, which belonged to British sex offender Tony Alexander King.

In 2005, King was convicted of murder in Sonia's case and sentenced to 36 years in prison with an additional seven years for an unrelated sexual attack. The following year he was sentenced to a further 19 years for Rocio's murder and all charges against Vazquez were dropped.

By the time she was released, Dolores had spent 17 months in prison, in what is now seen as one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in the judiciary history of Spain since 1910.

The upcoming Netflix true crime documentary Murder by the Coast looks into the murder case of Rocio Wanninkhof, who was murdered in Mijas, near Malaga in 1999. Her mother's ex-lover Dolores Vazquez was wrongfully accused of the crime and15 years in jail. Pictured: Dolores' arrest

Rocio had bene walking home from her boyfriend's house and intended to go out later that night when she was approached by British expat Tony King, who put a razor to her neck and stabbed her nine times in Mijas

Rocio's mother, Alicia Hornos, began her relationship with Dolores Vazquez when she was still married to her daughter's father Willem 'Guillermo' Wanninkhof.

She left him a year after beginning the affair. Wanninkhof moved back to his native Netherlands, and Alicia moved in with Dolores before buying a house together.

After their parents' divorce in 1983, Rocio and her sister Rosa looked to Dolores as a mother and signed their names Vazquez Hornos.

Dolores and Alicia separated in 1988, 11 years before the murder, but remained friends before falling out in 1994. Alicia started a new relationship, this time with a man, Juan Cerrillo, and was still with him when Rocio was murdered.

In 2003, the lifeless body of 17-year-old Sonia Carabantes, pictured, was found in Coin, near Malaga. The traces of DNA found under her nails matched a cigarette stub found near Rocio's body

Tony King, pictured on the first day of his trial for Sonia's murder in 2005, was sentenced to 36 years in jail for killing Sonia, and to an additional seven years for another sexual assault. In 2006, he was sentenced to a further 19 years for Rocio's murder

Soon into the murder investigation, police, under pressure to find a suspect, pointed the finger at Dolores Vazquez.

Euroweekly reported in 2019 that Vazquez was suspected because an eye-witness had placed a red Toyota Celica driven by two men in the area near where Rocio had been seen for the last time, and Vasquez owned the same model.

Almost a year after the murder, Vazquez was arrested on October 7, 2000. Dozens of TV cameras had been waiting at her property.

Pictured: Dolores during a press conference before her trial in 2001. She was convicted by a jury

A search poster for Rocio before her body was found three weeks later. The teen was taken on her way home on October 9 1999

Pictured: Dolores hearing the verdict at her trial in the case of Rocio's murder. She spent 17 months in jail before charges against her were dropped in 2003

'From the time Dolores Vazquez was arrested she became the focus of the media,' Professor Francesc Barata, who teaches journalism at the Ramon Llull University wrote in an essay on the case.

'Her private life was divulged, her cold personality was interpreted as calculating and unscrupulous, and her relationship with the victim's mother became the "un-confessable" motive of her crime.'

Personal information about Dolores was leaked to the press, and as the public interest in Rocio's killing grew, the national and local newspapers and TV stations competed with one another to get the best exclusive, divulging as much about Dolores's sexuality as possible.

Rocio's mother appeared on TV, pointing the figure at Dolores for her daughter's murder.

Alicia Hornos, Rocio's mother cried after hearing the verdict of King's trial in the case of Rocio in Malaga on December 13 2006

It was said that Dolores had never taken to Rocio and blamed her for the fallout with her mother Alicia, and had plotted her revenge against her.

Homosexually was not normalised in Spain at the time of Rocio's murder, and Dolores sexual preference was used to paint her as a dominant and violent person.

In September 2003, Luis Gomez, a journalist for El Pais, Spain's national newspaper, revealed that after Dolores' arrest, the victim's family 'went from one television programme to another, dragging up old stories that confirmed her cold, unfriendly, demanding and violent character'.

It was the DNA on a cigarette stub, pictured, found near Rocio's body that linked her case to the murder of Sonia Carabantes

Sonia's body was found in August 2003, and Tony King's girlfriend went to police in September, saying she had seen him come home with a blood stained T-shirt around the time Sonia went missing

It is believed that the blanket negative coverage of Dolores, and the fact she was seen as already guilty in the public opinion, influenced the jury at her trial.

It was reported by her lawyer in 2014 that there were almost no deliberations before her conviction, in spite of a total lack of evidence that she had killed Rocio.

In 2014, Vazquez said she remembered how the other prisoners at Alhaurin de la Torre jail in Malagawould shouted 'murderer' whenever she had a visit.

Speaking to El Pais, Her lawyer Pedro Apalategui said he gave up all his Saturdays to visit her for 17 months.

'I soon realised that my visits were the only thing keeping Dolores sane,' he said.

Vazquez was so anxious that she began to believe her cellmate, who had been assigned to stop her from committing suicide, was actually spying on her in case she confessed in her sleep.

The public pressure and accusation was so strong that Vazquez asked Apalategui if she had 'killed Rocio without realising' and didn't remember, Tellerreport wrote in 2019.

Pictured: King being led to prison after testifying in Torremolinos in January 2005. King had a history of sexual attacks in the UK and he fled to Spain after he attempted to rape a woman in Surrey

Vazquez, whose parents moved to Spain from Epsom, moved back to the UK after she was released from prison.

She worked for a transport company in East London in 2014, underwent a psychological evaluation following her ordeal, which ruled she was only 35 per cent of her former self.

In 2014, she said she was still awaiting an apology, after years of anxiety where she would struggle to talk to people and find a job, and would memorise the licence plates of the cars following her.

Rocio went missing on October 9, 1999 after leaving her boyfriend's home at 9:30pm.

Her boyfriend told police she had left with the intention of going home to take a shower before meeting him and friends at a fair.

The last time Rocio was seen alive was walking to Mijas, where she lived wirh her mother.

The next day, her mother was alarmed when Rocio wasn't home, and contacted her friends to find if they had seen her. She didn't report her daughter's disappearance right away, and instead when for a walk with Cerrillo to calm herself down.

King in 2005 at his trial. The sex offender went to prison in 1986 for several sexual assaults in Holloway, and again in 1995 for trying to rob a woman. Scotland Yard alerted the Spanish Ministry of Interior that he was located in Malaga, but he was labelled as 'low risk'

On their walk, the couple came across shoes they recognised as Rocio's, napkins and several bloodstains close to the road.

They alerted the Civil Guard, who secured the area and began a search with the help of the family and thousands of neighbours.

During their search, police found a trail of blood which led from the road to a larger pool. They also found bloody marks indicating a body had been dragged, and tire marks, suggesting someone had loaded a body in a small car and driven off.

A few days after Rocio's disappearance, a cab driver testified he had seen a vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road, and on the side of the road where the teen's shoes had been found.

He added that he heard a 'high-pitched scream' when he passed the vehicle. Seven days after Rocio's disappearance, it was confirmed that the blood at the scene was hers.

Nearly a month later, on November 2, Rocio's body was found between Marbella and San Pedro de Alcantara, near the sporting club Los Altos del Rodeo.

Alicia Hornos pictured crying with her sister Josefa, left, after King was found guilty of murdering her daugther in 2006. Before her former lover's trial in 2001, Hornos gave several interviews where she blamed Dolores for Rocio's killing

The teen had been disfigured and stabbed nine times. Her sister Rosa identified that rings, two T-shirts and other objects found in rubbish bags near the body belonged to Rocio.

The body was covered by leaves and bushes when it was found, and several causes for its late stage of decomposition such a short time after the murder were suggested, including carbonisation and flesh-eating wasps.

It was ruled the wounds were caused by a thin single-edge razor, and it was noted the first wound was the most damaging, ensuring Rocio experienced a quick death. It was believed the eight additional stab wounds were inflicted to make sure she was dead.

Due to the advanced stage of decomposition of the body, it was impossible to know whether she had been sexually assaulted or not.

King being led to prison by police after testifying in Fuengirola on August 2004. The sex offender admitted to killing both Sonia Carabantes and Rocio Wanninkhof

In 2001, Dolores was convicted by a people's jury for the murder of Rocio, but a Court overturned her conviction three months later, and she was due to stand another trial.

In 2003, another murder case would shed new light on Rocio's killing, and would lead to the right suspect.

The body of Carabantes was found in the nearby village of Coin.

On September 18, the girlfriend of a British man who had relocated to Spain, Tony Alexander King, also known as Tony Bromwich, contacted the police.

She said she was suspicious after finding some blood stains on his T-shirt days after Sonia's body was discovered. Through DNA evidence, police were able to link King to Sonia's murder.

King's DNA matched a cigarette stub that had been found in 1999 near Rocio's body.

Dolores was released and charges against her were all dropped after this discovery.

King had moved his family to Spain and lived there under a fake name because he was wanted in the UK for the assault and attempted rape of a woman at Leatherhead railway station in Surrey.

In 1986, he was jailed after a series of sexual assaults in Holloway, London, where he was called 'the Holloway Strangler'.

He was released in 1991, but was sent back to prison in 1992 after robbing a woman at knifepoint.

British police located King in Malaga and requested him to come back to the UK, but he refused.

British forces contacted the Spanish Ministry of Interior and informed of King's presence in Malaga, but he was labelled low risk, and no petition for arrest or extradition was ever filed.

After he was arrested for Carabantes' murder, King confessed he followed Rocio as she entered a busy street on her way home from her boyfriend's and put a razor to her neck.

When she tried to free herself from her assailant, the razor cut into Rocio's neck, and King panicked and stabbed her nine times.

In 2005, King was sentenced to 36 years in prison for Sonia's murder, with an additional sentence of seven years for the sexual assault of another women.

In 2006, he was sentenced to a further 19 years in prison for the murder of Rocio.

Murder by the Coast airs from June 23 on Netflix UK.
An American expat has listed some of the biggest recent culture shocks she has experienced since moving to Australia.

Kaymie Wuerfel has been adjusting to a new life Down Under after moving from Florida to Sydney in November 2019 to be with her Australian husband.

In her latest TikTok video, Mrs Wuerfel questioned the mullet hairstyle and noticed a difference in women's tampons.

Scroll down for video

Kaymie Wuerfel (pictured) has listed some of the biggest culture shocks she has experienced since moving to Australia

Mrs Wuerfel has been adjusting to a new life Down Under after moving from Florida to Sydney in November 2019 to be with her Australian husband

In the short clip, Mrs Wuerfel re-enacts the first time she saw a mullet while walking around Sydney.

A mullet is a hairstyle where the hair is short at the front and longer at the back  a look which was popular in the 80s.

After asking someone what they think of the haircut, Mrs Wuerfel was surprised and confused to discover the mullet is often socially accepted in Australia.

Mrs Wuerfel said the person commented on the mullet and said: 'Oiiiii!! Sick mullet, mate!!'

In the short clip, Mrs Wuerfel re-enacts the first time she saw a mullet while walking around Sydney

After asking someone what they think of the haircut, Mrs Wuerfel was surprised and confused to discover the mullet is often socially accepted in Australia

While at work Mrs Wuerfel asked a co-worker if she had a tampon, but was surprised by the design.

'I asked: "Hey, do you have a tampon?" and she said: "Yeah totally". Then I asked: "What is this? Where's the thingy?"

American tampons have an applicator attached but most Australian brands don't include this.

American tampons have an applicator attached but most Australian brands don't include this

In the comments other expats said they too have experienced this confusion regarding mullets and tampons.

'Yes! I'm from Canada living in Australia and I can't get over how many mullets there are here!'

'The mullet should go back to the 80s,' one Australian said.

'In Australia you can get [tampons] with an applicator and without, but a lot of women carry around ones without because they are smaller,' a third confirmed.

The video is part of a series of TikTok clips Mrs Wuerfel has shared online.

Revealed: The culture shocks in Australia - Free healthcare - Using the C-word to greet people - Chicken salt - No tips for waiters/waitresses - Paying 15 cents for a grocery bag - Retail prices include tax - Mullets - Tampons Advertisement

Earlier this year she revealed other culture shocks she has also experienced since moving Down Under.

During a grocery shop with her husband, the young brunette said she realised all the prices labelled on shelves were already 'marked to include tax'.

She said the conversation came up when she asked him to give her $5 plus tax so she could pay for a tub of peanut butter.

'But he told me that all prices in Australia are marked to include tax... I realised how much simpler life is buying things for the price as marked,' she explained.

After dining at a 'nice' restaurant, Mrs Wuerfel said she asked her husband if he had any cash on him so they could leave a tip.

'He told me that you don't leave tips in Australia. I asked how the waiters survive? He said minimum wage is about $20,' she recalled.

'I acted like that's not the most amazing thing I've ever heard.'

When her husband injured himself, he told her he needed to go to the hospital, in which she dreaded: 'We're going to spend our life savings on hospital bills.'

One of the things that 'shocked' her about the country was being confronted with 'random Aussies' using the C-word in their conversations. When ordering fries, she was left scratching her head when the waitress asked whether she wanted chicken salt

But she said he then reassured her that Medicare covers 'the whole thing', to which a Mrs Wuerfel explained she was 'disbelief' to hear about this 'incredible information'.

One of the things that 'shocked' her about the country was being confronted with 'random Aussies' using the C-word in their conversations.

Mrs Wuerfel said while walking down she witnessed people casually saying 'yeah sick c***', 'oi c***', 'hey c***' or 'what's up c***?'.

When ordering fries, she was left scratching her head when the waitress asked whether she wanted chicken salt, one of Australia's classic condiments that's commonly used for seasoning hot chips.

But she confirmed she'll say 'yes' to chicken salt every time it's offered to her.

During her first visit to a supermarket, Mrs Wuerfel said she was surprised when a checkout employee wanted to charge her 15 cents for a grocery bag

During her first visit to a supermarket, Mrs Wuerfel said she was surprised when a checkout employee wanted to charge her 15 cents for a grocery bag.

'She asked: 'Would you like a bag?' and I was like: 'Of course I'd like a bag.' Then she goes: 'Okay, that's 15 cents per bag' 15 cents per bag?' she recalled.

Major supermarkets in Australia have been charging customers money for reusable bags in an attempt to crack down on single-use plastic bags.

Her two videos have since been viewed nearly one million times, with many agreeing with most of her points.

'As an Australian waitress, I can confirm the money is fairly good but some people do still tip and it's so nice because it means they loved your service,' one wrote.

'The answer is always yes to chicken salt,' another said, while one added: 'When I found out America doesn't include tax in the marked prices, I nearly cried thinking about how much math I'd have to do.'
Lucy Wright, 32, co-founded Nice Drinks, a range of canned wine, with Jeremy May in 2019. She lives in Hampshire with her fiance Benji.

My father Martin was a wine merchant and I remember accompanying him to wine tastings and seeing the grown-ups spitting into boxes. It was fascinating.

I always wanted to set up my own business, but never imagined Id follow him into the industry.

After graduating with a degree in fine art from Newcastle University in 2012, a friend told me about her idea for an overnight oats start-up, and together we launched Cuckoo.

Lucy Wright, 32, (pictured) who lives in Hampshire, co-founded Nice Drinks, a range of canned wine, with Jeremy May in 2019

After four years, we sold it. Then I set up a consultancy for other start-ups.

But soon I felt ready for my next venture. Another foodie consultant Id met, Jeremy May, was keen to be involved.

A week later, in October 2017, I was scrolling through Instagram when I saw a can of wine.

Suddenly, I could imagine drinking canned wine with friends, at festivals, on trains, at the beach. When I traced the trend back to the U.S., I found many brands modernising wine by making it more accessible to new audiences. In the UK, not much had changed in the wine industry.

This was my lightbulb moment. I had to start this business, and Jeremy agreed. We each put in 15,000 and spent a year researching the market and setting up our supply chain.

Initially, we got some funny reactions from people who didnt think canned wine would take off. Luckily, others recognised the industry needed modernisation, and to attract more women.

Modernised: Get six cans for 20 at nice-drinks.co.uk

In 2019, we launched our new wine brand, Nice, into Sainsburys with canned Pale Rose and Sauvignon Blanc. Weve since added an Argentinian Malbec.

Weve sold more than one million cans, with customers including WHSmith, Wagamama, Ocado, Amazon and festivals. This year our turnover is set to hit almost 2 million.

When lockdown was announced, I did have a moment of panic, as we lost sales to big events. However, online sales rocketed, from 4 pc to 50 per cent of our total sales.

The pandemic has increased the popularity of canned wine, too  outdoor socialising has meant many more venues are looking for fuss-free wine options.

For too long, the wine industry has stuck to one way of thinking, not catering to consumers needs. Thats exactly what were trying to change: one can at a time!
A $39 facial serum that sells five bottles every 60 seconds around the world has been praised by thousands of beauty fans for leaving skin soft, smooth and glowing.

South Korean skincare brand innisfree has sold more than 27 million bottles of its Green Tea Seed Serum in 17 countries, including Australia, since December 2020.

The global best-selling formula is packed with amino acids and antioxidants to deeply hydrate and strengthen the skin's moisture barrier from the inside, offering a healthy-looking complexion.

A $39 facial serum that sells five bottles every 60 seconds around the world has been praised by thousands of beauty fans for leaving skin soft, smooth and glowing

South Korean skincare brand innisfree has sold more than 27 million bottles of its Green Tea Seed Serum in 17 countries, including Australia, since December 2020

The lightweight serum stands out from every other brand on the market, with its green tea and green tea seed oil grown on an organic farm on Korea's Jeju Island.

Unlike the green tea beverage, the serum is made with organic leaves, which were plucked from the stem, steamed for 30 seconds to retain nutrients and pressed.

The product has received more than 750 near-perfect reviews online, with many saying they now use the serum religiously in their daily skincare regime.

'I had no idea what my skin was missing! I love how my skin feels after using this serum - no irritation, just soft, moist skin,' one shopper wrote.

The product has received more than 750 near-perfect reviews online, with many saying they now use the serum religiously in their daily skincare regime

The best-selling formula is packed with amino acids and antioxidants to deeply hydrate and strengthen the skin's moisture barrier from the inside, offering a healthy-looking complexion

While one said: 'Whenever my skin feels dull or needs a burst of moisture, I always go back this serum. Whether it is used in my daytime routine to start the day or the nighttime to sooth my skin, I feel like this is my most reliable skincare product.'

And another added: 'This serum got me hooked on the green tea line. It smells incredible and feels smooth and great. It's my twice a day relaxation ritual.'

Many claimed they saw instant results after using the serum, while others say they can't live without the product.

'I've been using this serum for about a year, and it does give me some improvement on my skin. I could feel that my skin is hydrated after applying it right after cleansed my skin, and less oil presented after a few hours,' one wrote.

innisfree Australia is turning three, and they are celebrating their 'inniversary' with a 10 per cent off sale across all products in stores and online from June 24 to June 27.

'It has been an incredibly busy three years for the brand. We are proud of our teams and growth in Australia. It is now time to celebrate our customers and to say thank you for their support,' Brian Jeong, general manager for innisfree Australia, said.
A baby boy has won comparisons to Boris Johnson thanks to his shocking mop of white blond hair.

David Barabash, from Surrey is just three months old but already has more hair than many toddlers.

His resemblance to the Prime Minister was spotted by nurses shortly after his birth on March 1, according to his mother Tatiana Doronina, 35.

Now wherever David goes, his parents are stopped in the street by strangers who comment on his looks.

Little David Barabash, from Surrey, three months old, pictured, was born with a full head of striking blonde hair that has earned him comparison to the Prime Minister's mane

New mum, Tatiana, said: 'David is like celebrity. Everyone is literally getting crazy about his look. People make the comparison to Boris the minute they see him.'

David was born overdue and weighing 9lbs 10oz but Tatiana's first thought was about his hair.

The 35-year-old said: 'I thought he was so big but then I saw his hair and said "what?", "how can his hair be so light?"

David's father Uslan, 43, was tempted to name his son Boris when nurses immediately pointed out his mane resembled the Prime Minister's when he was born on March 1 (pictured now) - but Tatiana refused

'It was only after he was washed I realised just how much hair he had. I was so shocked, but every nurse who met him said the same, they couldn't believe he was so hairy. He is a mini Boris, he looks just like him.'

After the comments in the hospital, dad Ruslan, 43, suggested they called their first son after the Prime Minister, but Tatiana refused.

She said: 'We didn't need to call him Boris for people to say he looks just like him, the resemblance is so obvious, it's scary.'

The couple named their son after St David.

Tatiana said: 'When he arrived overdue, on March 1, we read about the meaning of the day and really liked the name and also how it sounds in Russian too.'

Proud mother Tatiana, 35, said strangers stopped the couple wherever they went with their son, pictured

The couple met in the UK and had a whirlwind romance, with Ruslan proposing three months after they met and they were married just six months after their first date.

David's parents both have dark hair and they were very shocked when their son was born with very blond hair.

Tatiana, a former model and tv presenter added: 'I think some people must think he is not my baby, I'm not looking after him, he is mine.

'Every time leave the house I have strangers come over to me to comment on his hair.

David soon after his birth. Even as a newborn, David's mop was a hot topic, and Tatiana had to joked he was 'not' Boris Johnson's son Wilfred

'David is so charming, he is such a happy baby and has such a calm personality so people love to look at him.'

Husband Ruslan, who works in construction added: 'We could not believe it.

'We both have asked family to find out where the blond gene may have come from. We are both dark haired with an olive complexion but David has such fair skin and blue eyes.

'Nobody on either side of our family has blond hair but my mother was born with blonde hair so maybe he gets it from my side of the family.

Tatiana added: 'I did have a dream that my baby would be blond but I thought that was crazy because we are so dark haired.

David, pictured, is growing into a real show-stealer thanks to his generous mane of hair, and even has his own Instagram

'My husband joked it was a good job he was conceived in lockdown, because he doesn't look like us.

'His hair is such a beautiful colour though and he has such long eyelashes. I wish I had his hair, it is an amazing colour and so thick. I was 100 per cent sure he would be dark haired, I just can't believe my son is blond.

'I know his thick, long hair comes from me because my hair was long and thick as a baby too.'

Despite its length, Tatiana has no plans to cut it yet.

She said: 'I am curious to see just how big it grows but it is already hard to manage.

Dark-haired Tatiana was shocked when her baby, pictured, was born with a strikingly blonde and generous mop

'When I wash his hair I try to style it but once it is dry it just sticks up everywhere.

'For now I have kept his hair completely natural but I think it will need styling and I will blow dry it. I think he will need an extensive hair care regime. It is difficult to manage and I think it has a mind of his own - just like Boris' hair. Maybe David will be a future PM, you never know.'

Tatiana has set up on Instagram for baby David but jokingly wrote 'not Boris Johnson's son' on his profile.

She said: 'I don't mind the Boris comparison, I know people would think it even if we didn't realise ourselves. I just hope Boris doesn't mind.

'I hope his hair makes him stand out, I would like him to join a baby modelling agency and see where this adventure takes us.'
Good Morning Britain viewers have branded the decision to stop using the term head girl 'woke madness' after one of Britain's leading private schools scrapped the title.

St Paul's Girls' School in west London announced last week they will no longer use the term because it's too 'binary', and instead the 26,000-a-year school will refer to the position as 'head of school' from the next academic year.

Former Apprentice contestant Joanna Jarjue, 27, from Leeds, appeared on the show this morning alongside London-based journalist Rebecca Reid, to debate whether the title should remain.

Joanna argued that 'this is the way society is going' and feels the change could help 'eliminate the change of misgendering students', while Rebecca said 'the concept of being a girl is a really important one'.

Viewers were quick to take to Twitter with their opinion, with some expressing their 'very strong' concern about 'getting rid' of female pronouns.

Former Apprentice contestant Joanna Jarjue, 27, from Leeds, supports the decision to scrap the term 'head girl' because the change could help 'eliminate the change of misgendering students'

London-based journalist Rebecca Reid said 'the concept of being a girl is a really important one'

'I think the difference with this specifically is the fact there are some non-binary students in this school and if they were to take up this role I think this creates a level playing field where you eliminate the chance of these students potentially being misgendered', said Joanna.

Host Susanna Reid pointed out that seven of the 778 pupils at the school identify as non-binary, and asked whether the title could be changed according to who is elected to the position.

'If we have that approach to everything and say it's only a minority, a small number of people I think a lot of rules and a lot of things we have changed to become more inclusive wouldn't happen', replied Joanna.

'I think it's more important to have that level playing field. We know this is the direction society is going in and its important to point out it's the student that chose this.

Viewers were quick to take to Twitter with their opinion, with some expressing their 'very strong' concern about 'getting rid' of female pronouns

'It's not some rule that has been pushed upon them, this is something they want for a healthier environment and are thinking of the non-binary students around them and how to make them feel more comfortable.'

Viewers disagreed with Joanna, with one writing:'I am a woman and feel very strongly about our titles being 'got rid of'.'

'Omg have some people not got more important things to worry and moan about. Big up and leave things alone', said another.

A third agreed: 'We are being so woke, you can't remove head girl without removing 'Girls School', while another branded the change 'woke madness'.

Meanwhile, journalist Rebecca argued that we should be making non-binary people feel comfortable without having to get rid of female pronouns, and that 'it's really important that girls still exist'.

St Paul's Girls' School, which costs 26,000-a-year, will no longer use the term head girl as it says it is too 'binary'

'I went to an all girls school and I feel really strongly that the concept of being a girl is a really important one', she said. 'Just as being non-binary is really important.'

'But my frustration comes when the word girl being removed and not non-binary added and us having both because it's really important that girls still exist.'

She went on: 'If we broaden this out to talk about schools in general, that's where I think it's really important, I do think there is this move of getting rid of all gendered language and going straight to non-binary everything.

'For trans people being able to use their correct pronouns is really important so non-binary takes that away from them, I'm a woman and my pronouns are important too.

'Everyone's pronouns are important and we need to make sure we have everything people need, but don't get rid of any.'
Prince Harry should have told the Queen he was 'aggrieved about losing his military titles' rather than agreeing to his bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, a royal editor has claimed.

The Duke of Sussex is said to have become 'angry' at losing military appointments in the wake of 'Megxit', and reportedly agreed to the tell-all interview less than 24 hours after hearing of the decision.

Appearing on Lorraine today, royal editor Russell Myers said that instead of pointing out 'discrepancies' about the royal titles of their son Archie, the duke, 36, would have benefitted more from addressing the issue of his military role directly.

He also said that there has been 'limited contact' between Harry and Prince William amid their ongoing rift, despite their upcoming reunion on July 1 to attend the unveiling of their mother's statue.

Prince Harry should have told the Queen he was 'aggrieved about losing his military titles' rather than agreeing to his bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, a royal editor has claimed

Her Majesty, pictured at Royal Ascot last week, stripped Harry of his military appointments in the wake of 'Megxit'

'I think sometimes decisions made in haste don't end up being the best for everybody involved and we're still seeing the fallout of this,' said Myers.

'My point is that if he felt aggrieved for having his military titles taken away from him, one might wonder if he he had a right to feel like that. He served his country with distinction, it was his favourite time of his whole life.

'Rather than going on the interview and Meghan saying there was discrepancies about whether Archie and other children would be princes or princess - why didn't he just say "I felt aggrieved for having my military titles removed"?'

Myers also claimed there has been just a 'few text messages here and there' between Prince William and Prince Harry, whose relationship is said to have been rocked by the Sussexes' bombshell interviews.

Appearing on Lorraine today, Russell Myers said that instead of pointing out 'discrepancies' about the royal titles of their son Archie, the duke, 36, would have benefitted more from addressing the issue of his military role directly

'This rift we've been talking about for so long, unfortunately it's still there', he said. 'There is very limited contact between the two of them, I understand it's been a few text messages here and there.

'However this statue we've been talking about for so long, next Thursday, July 1st at Kensington Palace, the boys have been working on this since 2017, I understand they will be making separate speeches.

'Hopefully it will be without an issue, because I think they're very passionate about this and hope to stand on the same platform, they're going to walk in together. '

He also questioned Harry's decision to have his own journalist at the event after it was reported he wanted an approved reporter to work alongside him, rather than official royal rota of journalists.

What patronages did Harry lose and which does he have left? Former soldier Harry, who served on the frontline in Afghanistan, is no longer the Captain General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Force Commandant of the Royal Air Force Base Honington, or Honorary Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Naval Commands' Small Ships and Diving following the announcement by Buckingham Palace in February. He also had to relinquish his role as president of The Queen's Commonwealth Trust. The duke is also no longer be patron of the Rugby Football Union and the Rugby Football League - roles which he took over from the Queen. Harry is also no longer patron of the London Marathon Charitable Trust. The role was on a three-year term, which was renewed twice, covering nine years. It came to an end in January, and it was decided it would not be renewed. However, he retained the following private patronages or presidencies: African Parks, Dolen Cymru, the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund, Invictus Games, MapAction, Rhino Conservation Botswana charity, Sentebale, and WellChild. Advertisement

'Another fly in the ointment, it was reported over the weekend Harry wants his own favourite journalist to cover the event, said Myers.

'I don't know why they are considering doing this. It just seems like another issue coming up, if everyone could just get along it would be much bette for everybody.'

The appearance comes after reports a 'very cross' Harry, 36, agreed to his Oprah interview after being stripped of his military titles.

Harry was stripped of his role as Captain-General of the Royal Marines - handed down to him by his grandfather Prince Philip, as part of the final deal for him to step back as a front line royal.

It was reported prior to the announcement of the final 'Megxit' deal in February that Prince Harry, who twice toured Afghanistan with the Army, had hoped to keep the titles.

A source told the Sun: 'Harry and Meghan were very cross before Oprah because the final Megxit separation had just been signed off which included Harry not keeping military roles. That was what made him so angry. He's very emotional and his military roles were very important to him given that he served.'

It has previously been suggested that the decision to do the interview came after the Duke and Duchess were reportedly told that their son Archie would not be made a prince when Prince Charles becomes king.

The fresh reports come as The Mail on Sunday yesterday revealed how Prince Charles is to ensure that his two-year-old grandson Archie will never be a Prince.

Charles has made it clear that Harry and Meghan's son will have no place among frontline Royals as he plans a slimmed-down Monarchy after he becomes King.

The move has incensed the Sussexes and is thought to have prompted the series of accusations the couple have levelled at Charles and the Royal Family from across the Atlantic.

A grandchild of the sovereign has long had the right to be a Prince, but Charles is determined to limit the number of key Royals, believing the public does not wish to pay for an ever-expanding Monarchy.
A couple on holiday in the Isles of Scilly have told how they had frequent visits from Wally the famous wandering walrus who returned to the UK coastline last week.

The adventurous animal is thought to have drifted from the Arctic on an iceberg and first hit headlines when he was spotted around islands north of Scotland in May 2018.

He arrived in the Isles of Scilly last Thursday after trips to Ireland, Spain, France and Greenland - and holidaymakers Sherry and Rodney Thomas say they were delighted to spend a few days in Wally's company.

After docking their boat at the Cornish archipelago, the couple were 'shocked' to discover the walrus lurking around and said on This Morning that while he did some damage to inflatable vessels, they felt 'very lucky' he climbed aboard their diving platform.

Wally the famous Arctic walrus has been visiting boat owners of the Isles of Scilly after returning to the UK coast this weekend

Holidaymakers Sherry and Rodney Thomas appeared on This Morning today where they said they were delighted to spend a few days in Wally's company

'As we came into anchor another chap on a boat said to us, "Pull your rib in, there's a walrus here". We looked at each other and thought, maybe he's had one too many drinks, they don't belong this far.

'We anchored up, heard a bang on the back of the boat, and the boat went sort of down to the back and when we looked out we had a walrus on our diving platform.'

Sherry admitted they 'didn't take much notice' after being told the animal - who was spotted in Wales in March and Cornwall last month - was nearby.

'Shocked more than anything,' said Sherry of the experience. 'We weren't really expecting it, when someone says there's a walrus around you don't really take much notice.

The adventurous animal is thought to have drifted from the Arctic on an iceberg and arrived in the Isles of Scilly last Thursday after trips to Ireland, Spain, France and Greenland

After docking their boat in the Isles of Scilly, the couple were 'shocked' to discover the walrus lurking around. He spent a couple of days 'swimming around' and clamouring aboard their boat

'He spent a couple days with us really, just kept visiting and getting on the boat and swimming around.'

When asked whether she thought the animal may have mistaken their diving platform for an iceberg, she said: 'It's natural instinct for them to use their tusks and find a place to rest, he was just doing what walrus' do I suppose!'

While many tourists and locals have been delighted to spot the walrus, some boat owners have been left deflated after the large arctic mammal punctured dinghies he mistook for resting spots.

'He did manage to pop someone's rib and do a bit of damage while he was here,' said Sherry. 'We did leave our rib out trying to protect the diving platform, but he preferred the diving platform much more.'

But the couple admitted they weren't at all concerned with the animal damaging their boat, and just felt fortunate to experience the Arctic animal up close.

Wally was last spotted soaking up the rays off the coast of Spain less than a fortnight ago - as he continued his long-distance swim across Europe. Pictured, a map of Wally's movements

'How often do you in a lifetime have an experience like that?' Sherry pointed out. 'You're very lucky to see them on the TV, but to have them actually here - the experience was just amazing, we were happy!'

Wally was last spotted soaking up the rays off the coast of Spain less than a fortnight ago as he continued his long-distance swim across Europe. The Arctic walrus traveled 230 miles through the Bay of Biscay to the River Nervion earlier this month.

He was first spotted in County Kerry, Ireland in March, before heading over to the UK after he is believed to have fallen asleep on a drifting iceberg in his Arctic homeland.

Six days after first appearing in Ireland in March, the RSPCA were called out to check on the creature at the bottom of a cliff near Broad Haven South beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
Style guru Susannah Constantine has triggered an online debate in her latest podcast on fashion - about whether you should wear knickers under pyjamas in bed.

The 59-year-old stylist was talking to Woman's Hour presenter Emma Barnett about sartorial slip-ups on her My Wardrobe Malfunction podcast when the pair began discussing whether it was acceptable to wear pants and PJs together in bed.

While Constantine appeared cautious in admitting that she 'sometimes' did choose to wear knickers under her pyjamas, Barnett was 100 per cent committed to the idea that you should don underwear with PJs.

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Susannah Constantine, 59, discussed whether it was acceptable to wear pants under pyjamas in bed on her podcast My Wardrobe Malfunction, sparking a flurry of debate

Guest Emma Barnett, host of BBC's Woman's Hour, was 100 per cent in the pants on camp, writing on Instagram later: 'Pjs without knickers? Unthinkable'

The pair discussed sartorial slip-ups on Constantine's fashion podcast, which has seen a host of celebrities including Tan France, Michelle Visage, Nile Rodgers and Elizabeth Hurley

The pair's discussion, for the hour-long podcast, divided listeners, with one saying not wearing pants was 'weird', while others maintained that 'fresh air' in the nether regions was a good thing when sleeping.

The conversation began with Constantine saying that 'sometimes' she dons underwear under her pyjamas because she feels 'vulnerable' and likes to feel cozy.

Radio 4 presenter Barnett quickly fired back: 'Of course you wear knickers under your pyjamas.'

Taken aback, the podcast's host then responded: 'Do you wear knickers under your pyjamas when you go to bed? No that's not true, shut up!'

Barnett wrote: 'Yes. You always need a gusset.'

Constantine added that she 'was a bit embarrassed' about admitting to wearing pants with PJs and assumed no-one else did.

Barnett replied: 'I don't have the text message console to give me some feedback here from people listening live but I'm happy to be out on this limb.'

After the Woman's Hour presenter posted a snippet of the podcast referencing the conversation on her Instagram, comments came in thick and fast.

She wrote: 'Apparently there is a debate. She is rarely wrong in the sartorial stakes. But I strongly beg to differ in the PJ pant department. Pjs without knickers? Unthinkable.'

While some were a resolute 'pants on' in the responses, many others said they preferred going knicker-less if they were wearing the bedwear.

Theothersambaker penned: 'On this you are wrong Emma!'

Mothershub wrote: 'Why would you punish yourself by wearing pants in bed?? Pants off.'

Tinkerbellionx_ added: 'Never knickers under PJs nor a nightdress! Fresh air!'

Lizevanswrites 'NEVER knickers with PJs, thats the whole point! Comfort and good air circulation at night.... but I know people who would never EVER go without...'

Constantine's fashion podcast has seen a host of celebrities interviewed about their views on fashion including Tan France, Michelle Visage, Nile Rodgers and Elizabeth Hurley.
A couple who moved from Bristol to live the 'Good Life' on a remote island in Scotland they'd never visited have told how it's 'pretty close to an idyll' - but isn't without its quirks.

Alex Mumford and Buffy Cracknell upped sticks to the Isle of Rum, one of the Small Isles in the Inner Hebrides which is 30 miles off the Scottish mainland, six months ago.

They were among four families chosen from 440 hopefuls who applied to live in a small hamlet of eco-houses after the island's community trust put out a call for new residents.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the couple ended up moving there in December having never actually been before, but are now settling in well and feel they are contributing to its mini society, volunteering with Scotland's nature agency Nature Scot.

Alex Mumford and Buffy Cracknell moved from Bristol to live the 'Good Life' on a remote island in Scotland they'd never visited

The couple upped sticks to the remote Isle of Rum, one of the Small Isles in the Inner Hebrides which is 30 miles off the Scottish mainland, six months ago (pictured: one of its picturesque beaches)

Alex works within the island's tourism sector while Buffy works for the Isle of Rum Community Trust. They also regularly take part in beach cleans, ridding the shores of plastic waste.

'We both now work on the island and feel like we can give back to the community in some way - that was a driving force in moving somewhere remote like Rum,' Alex told the BBC.

'We recently went out on a bird count, circumnavigating the island seeing sea eagles soaring above the boat, a wide range of sea birds, dolphins and a Minke Whale. That was something Bristol would find hard to match.'

It's not all been plain-sailing though, as the unpredictable weather can cause havoc and cancelled ferries have left the couple stranded for days.

Alex (pictured) and Buffy were among four families chosen from 440 hopefuls who applied to live in a small hamlet of new eco-houses after the island's community trust put out a call for new residents

The couple, who have been sharing their experience on a blog and their Instagram page @house.by.the.stream, often post pictures of the island's wildlife, including these Highland 'coos'

It's not all been plain-sailing though, as the unpredictable weather can cause havoc and cancelled ferries (pictured) have left the couple stranded for days

Alex works within the island's tourism sector while Buffy works for the Isle of Rum Community Trust. They also regularly take part in beach cleans, ridding the shores of plastic waste (pictured: a beach the couple recently discovered which 'rivals the Caribbean')

Earlier this year they got stuck at Mallaig, a port in Lochaber on the west coast of the Highlands due to a technical issue with the ferry and were forced to hitch a ride home with a local boat tour company.

The pandemic has also hit the tiny island, which has 'geographically challenging health care provision', meaning they're yet to receive visitors.

The couple, who have been sharing their experience on a blog and their Instagram page @house.by.the.stream, spend their spare time exploring the rugged landscape.

'We are learning that life doesn't need to be full of "things to do" if you are content with your surroundings and your company, so some days are very slow and we love those days, just popping down to the ferry to collect my newspapers,' Alex told the publication.

The couple - who were paid a visit by an inquisitive stag over Christmas (pictured) - have enjoyed getting closer to nature

They couple don't always receive the correct food orders from the mainland, but there is a local shop which generally caters to their needs

The Isle of Rum shares another characteristic with the paradise islands - that of a relaxed, slow pace of life, which Alex admitted can be a little testing at times

The pair are also enjoying getting closer to nature, with Buffy contributing to the Manx Shearwater bird survey and the Nature Scot goat count, and Alex counting seabirds and going kayaking where he's hung out with seals and 'a friendly cormorant'.

Alex also told how he spotted two sea eagles one night while brushing his teeth, and saw otters and dolphins from his boat.

The couple also regularly share adorable snaps of Highland cattle - called 'coos' - ponies and a video of an inquisitive stag which paid them a visit over Christmas.

They also make regular trips to the island's unspoilt beaches, recently finding a new spot with pristine sand and water to 'rival the Caribbean'.

Alex and Buffy enjoy baking their own bread on Saturdays which they share with the locals

The Isle of Rum shares another characteristic with the paradise islands - that of a relaxed, slow pace of life, which Alex admitted can be a little testing at times.

'One challenge has been getting things done with speed as "Rum time" seems to be a real thing,' he told the BBC.

They also don't always receive the correct food orders from the mainland, but there is a local shop which generally caters to their needs, and they enjoy baking their own bread on Saturdays which they share with the locals.
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Thanks to the impressive quality and incredibly flattering fit, the ShinyStar Women's Seamless High Waisted Yoga Leggings have even been compared to more expensive brands.

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Presenter Naga Munchetty has revealed she was left 'screaming in pain' while having the coil fitted as she called it the most 'traumatic physical experience' of her life.

The BBC Radio 5 Live presenter, 46, from London, told listeners told she had fainted twice and went through excruciating pain in order to have the IUD fitted during a segment earlier today.

The IUD, a small, T-shaped copper device that is inserted in the uterus, creates a hostile environment for sperm, preventing pregnancy. It also provides long-term contraception which can last for up to 10 years.

Speaking on the programme today, Naga questioned why women aren't offered anesthetic or sedated before the fitting, recalling: 'My screams were so loud that my husband tried to find out what room I was in to make it stop. He said that those in the waiting room hearing my screams looked horrified.'

Naga Munchetty, 46, from London, has revealed she was left 'screaming in pain' while having the coil fitted as she called it the most 'traumatic physical experience' of her life

She explained: 'We all know that coils are safe and effective and lots and lots of women have no problem at all with them. But like all medical experiences, there's a vast range of experiences.

'I have a very high pain threshold. I know this from experience of pain and I've been told this by medical experts. I'm not afraid of being in pain if I knew it would be temporary. I'm not squeamish.'

'I had a coil fitted a few years ago and it was one of the most traumatic physical experiences I've had.'

She said: 'I'd gone through what the procedure would be with my GP and she was clear and informative. I thought I was prepared for a routine procedure. A nurse accompanied a doctor, I was told to take a couple of paracetamol before the appointment.

The presenter said her husband James Haggar accompanied her to the appointment and 'tried to find out what room she was in' to 'make the screaming stop'

'I've never been pregnant, therefore my cervix until then had never been opened. My husband was in the GP area as I'd been told it might be helpful if someone could drive me home.

'I was told that the smallest sized speculum, which was used for cervical smear tests, wasn't big enough for this procedure so I had to have the next size up. That's when the pain began.

'I won't go into all the details but my screams were so loud that my husband tried to find out what room I was in to make it stop. He said that those in the waiting room hearing my screams looked horrified.

'The nurse accompanying the doctor had tears in her eyes.

Naga said she fainted twice while having the coil fitted and medical staff were in tears over how much pain she was in

The IUD, a small, T-shaped copper device that is inserted in the uterus, creates a hostile environment for sperm, preventing pregnancy

'I was asked by my doctor half way through if I wanted to stop, but I was so determined that the pain I'd suffered so far wouldn't be repeated, so I said, "we've got this far, let's finish it." I fainted twice.'

The contraception which is so painful to be implanted it caused Naga to faint TWICE The IUD, a small, T-shaped copper device that is inserted in the uterus, creates a hostile environment for sperm, preventing pregnancy. It can be used as emergency contraception up to five days after intercourse - a move which is particularly recommended when a woman is ovulating (14 days between her periods) since the morning after pill ('Plan B' in America) is less effective at that time. It also provides long-term contraception which can last for up to 10 years. There are two kinds: the hormonal (Mirena) coil, and the non-hormonal (copper) coil. The hormonal coil can stay in the uterus for 10-15 years, and is associated with lighter periods. Though the non-hormonal coil is sometimes associated with heavier periods, it has gained popularity as one of the few forms of contraception that sidestep the side effects of hormonal contraception in women, such as mood swings and skin problems. Advertisement

'At the follow-up appointment a week later, my GP, who is really great, said she couldn't believe that I stuck with it.

'She said, "Most women just give up when it hurts that much".

'She also said she had felt terrible after my fitting.'

Naga continued: 'Though they did ask if we should stop, at no point was it suggested that I could have any anaesthetic or sedation.'

'It was removed a year later because it didn't suit me. The pain was again excruciating. I fainted again. Then I burst into tears of relief when I left the GPs office. I felt violated, weak and angry.'

'I have friends who have had similar experience and friends who've had no problems at all.'

'What this is about is not the coil itself. We know it's safe and effective. What this is about is how we look at all women's health and pain.'

Naga encouraged listeners to get in touch with their comments about the coil.

The IUD can be used as long-term contraception, or as emergency contraception up to five days after intercourse.

It is particularly recommended when a woman is ovulating (14 days between her periods) since the morning after pill ('Plan B' in America) is less effective at that time.

There are two kinds: the hormonal (Mirena) coil, and the non-hormonal (copper) coil.

The hormonal coil can stay in the uterus for 10-15 years, and is associated with lighter periods.

Though the non-hormonal coil is sometimes associated with heavier periods, it has gained popularity as one of the few forms of contraception that sidestep the side effects of hormonal contraception in women, such as mood swings and skin problems.
Transgender oil heir Nats Getty has proudly showed off his abs and top surgery scars in a striking new photoshoot, five months after he publicly came out as trans and non-binary, and underwent a procedure to remove his breasts.

In the images, the 28-year-old - who is the great-grandchild of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty and the child of philanthropist Ariadne Getty - is seen posing in a patterned short-sleeved shirt and black jeans, holding the top open to reveal his trim and toned chest and stomach, as well as his tattoos and top surgery scars.

Getty, who underwent an operation to have his breast tissue removed back in January, captioned the images: 'New chest who dis.'

The celebratory post comes months after the billionaire oil heir, who is married to transgender influencer Gigi Gorgeous, publicly announced that he is trans, while documenting his top surgery experience in a candid video posted to his wife's YouTube page.

At the time, Getty opened up about his struggle to come to terms with his gender identity, writing on Instagram: 'I have spent my entire life not in sync with the body I was born with and confined by an outwardly appearance that did not match my mind or soul.

'New chest who dis': Transgender oil heir Nats Getty has proudly showed off his abs and top surgery scars in a striking new photoshoot

Bold: The 28-year-old shared a series of images of himself on Instagram over the weekend in which he is seen posing with his tattoos on full show

Update: Getty's post comes five months after he publicly came out as transgender and revealed that he had undergone top surgery to remove his breast tissue

Work it: The post was met with high praise from Getty's Instagram followers, with dozens of commenters praising his 'incredible' body

'It wasn't until recently that I was even comfortable admitting this to myself, once I was able to look inwards and truly reflect on my authentic self.'

Now, he is sharing further insight into his personal journey, opening up in a new interview with Paper magazine about how he learned to accept and embrace his gender identity with the help of his wife and his best friend.

Getty paid tribute to Gorgeous and his close friend Gottmik, who was the first trans man to ever take part in RuPaul's Drag Race, explaining how spending so much time with them both over the years helped him to feel more comfortable in his own skin.

But his wife and friend were not his only sources of support; the oil heir also credited HBO's coming of age series We Are Who We Are with helping him to understand more about himself and his identity, admitting that he 'watched it three times' during the pandemic.

The show, which debuted in 2020, documents the lives of two teenagers who are exploring their gender and sexuality while living on a US Army base in Italy.

'I finally saw TV representation of what I was going through in that exact moment of time, and it totally blew my mind,' Getty said of the series.

'All my time with Gottmik during COVID, because we were in the same house together, my five-plus years with Gigi, and then finally seeing a character on TV that was going through the same struggles that I was going through that all kind of came together.

'I was like okay, I get it now.'

Opening up: Earlier this month, Getty spoke about his transition during a candid interview with Paper magazine, revealing how he embraced his gender identity during quarantine

Emotional: Getty revealed that his mother, philanthropist Ariadne Getty, wept tears of happiness when he came out to her

Step: After coming to terms with his own gender identity, Getty says he immediately wanted to undergo top surgery because it was important for him to feel 'comfortable' in his own skin

Getty also discussed how his relationship with gender changed during his childhood, explaining that he first felt pressure to 'conform and act a certain way' while attending boarding school in the UK, where he did everything he could to blend in so as to avoid the attention that came as a result of his famous last name.

'It was a mix of me wanting to not step out of line and also not want to attract bullies and harassment from what I thought were my peers,' he explained.

What is top surgery and what does it entail? Top surgery, also referred to as masculinizing chest surgery, is a subcutaneous mastectomy during which the breast tissue is removed. Depending on the size of a person's breasts, the surgery can sometimes be carried out without removing the skin, nipple, and areola, however in some cases, the nipple and areola has to be removed, resized, and grafted back onto the body. The procedure is usually performed on transgender men who have already started undergoing hormone therapy, which is used to create more masculine characteristics, such as a deeper voice, facial hair growth, muscle growth, and the redistribution of fat away from the hips and breasts. Hormone therapy is also used to stop a transgender man from menstruating. Advertisement

At home however, Getty never felt as though he had to fit a certain stereotype, noting that he only has one memory of being 'forced into a dress' when he was just two years old.

After leaving high school, Getty turned his hand to modeling, a career that he says helped him to 'find a whole new side to himself' - particularly when he didn't feel forced to act or look traditionally feminine.

After coming to terms with his own gender identity during quarantine, Getty decided to come out to those closest to him, starting with his best friend, who was the first person to learn that the model was transgender.

Gottmik then helped Getty to tell his wife, who immediately booked an appointment for her partner's top surgery - with the 28-year-old explaining that undergoing the operation was even more important to him than confirming his new pronouns.

'I actually started by saying, "I'm really considering top surgery, I need this for myself, I feel so uncomfortable in my body. I hate the way that I look, I can't even take a shower and look at myself,"' Getty recalled.

'That was my first step. To me, that was more important than pronouns because I wanted to feel comfortable in my skin.'

After his top surgery was scheduled, Getty then came out to his mother, Ariadne, who was, he says, incredibly supportive and began 'sobbing with tears of happiness'.

'She has a mother's intuition, and she basically told me, "I've almost been expecting this, this makes the most sense," and she was just so happy for me,' he recalled.

Getty made the decision to document his top surgery in a video that was posted to his wife's YouTube account, explaining that he felt a 'duty' to share his experience with others in the hopes that they can 'relate' to him and take comfort in his journey.

Support: Getty revealed to Paper that his wife, transgender YouTube star Gigi Gorgeous, was the second person he came out to - after his best friend, RuPaul's Drag Race star Gottmik

Proud: The model and oil heir first came out as transgender in January, revealing at the time that he had undergone top surgery in San Francisco

In the YouTube clip, the model explained his decision to undergo the procedure, during which all of the breast tissue is removed, describing the procedure as the start of his physical transition.

'This surgery is something I have wanted for years and I can't believe I will finally have the chest I have always dreamed of,' Getty said.

The socialite acknowledged that it was a 'privilege that I'm even able to move forward with this when for many it's an impossible option due to their circumstance'.

'It's not lost on me the many people who are having to navigate this alone and in silence.'

At the time, Getty explained that he was still 'taking his time to discover his most authentic self' - and with that, which pronouns he feels most comfortable with.

'But for now, I know one thing is for certain I am Nats. To my trans brothers and sisters and non-binary family: I am here for you, I am here with you, and I love you.'

In his wife's video, Getty - who traveled to San Francisco for his top surgery - expanded on feelings about pronouns, saying: 'I am allowing myself time with my new body to decide what pronouns best suit me.

'During this time, some people refer to me as she/her and I don't find it insulting because I am still on my journey of figuring out what pronouns work for me.'

Nats and brother August were raised in LA by their parents, Ariadne and actor Justin Williams, who divorced 16 years ago. It's not clear when the siblings started using the Getty name

Emotional: Getty says that his mother Ariadne (pictured center right in 2018 with her children and Getty's wife Gorgeous) was incredibly supportive of his decision to come out

The couple were joined on their road trip to San Francisco by a few close friends, including Gottmik.

Getty, whose godfather is California Governor Gavin Newsom, married his wife back in July 2020 in a lavish Santa Barbara ceremony.

Getty's great-grandfather, oil magnate J. Paul Getty, was the richest man in the world before he died in 1976 with an estimated wealth of between $700 million and $1 billion at the time.

Nats and brother August Getty were raised by their parents Ariadne Getty and Justin Williams in Los Angeles. Their parents divorced 16 years ago.

The siblings were raised with their actor father's surname. Their mother told Town & Country magazine that she wanted 'them to grow up without the weight of the name'.

They didn't even know they were Gettys until about 2000 after their parents split and they briefly moved with their mother to the UK.

It is not clear when Nats and August, who is a fashion designer, started using the Getty name.

The wealthy Getty family have managed to maintain a significant share of the family fortune but the money has not shielded subsequent generations from drug addiction, premature death, tabloid scandal and violent attacks.

The long line of tragedies that have plagued the family have led some to speak of a 'Getty curse'.

Getty's uncle, John Paul Getty III (pictured with Ariadne in 2003), was kidnapped for ransom as a teenager in 1973 and later suffered a debilitating stroke. He died aged 54 in 2011

Getty's great-grandfather, oil magnate J. Paul Getty, was the richest man in the world before he died in 1976 with an estimated wealth of between $700 million and $1 billion at the time

Getty's uncle John Paul Getty III, was sensationally kidnapped for ransom as a teenager in 1973. The terrifying tale was brought to the big screen by Ridley Scott in the film All the Money in the World.

He was just 16 years old and living in Italy when members of the Italian mafia grabbed him off the street on July 10, 1973 as he returned home from a night out with friends.

He was thrown in the back of the van and taken 300 miles south to the mountains of Calabria, with his captors soon informing the teenager's family that the boy would be safely returned after they paid a $17 million ransom.

His oil tycoon grandfather refused to pay the ransom, telling reporters at the time: 'If I pay one penny now, I'll have 14 kidnapped grandchildren.'

The family patriarch only agreed to pay a negotiated amount after the kidnappers cut off John Paul Getty III's ear and mailed it to his family.

John Paul Getty III was finally released after four months in captivity.

He later suffered a debilitating stroke that paralyzed him. He died in 2011 at the age of 54.

Most recently, Getty's uncle John Gilbert Getty was found unresponsive in a hotel room in San Antonio, Texas in November last year.

The cause of death is yet to be determined but foul play is not suspected.
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Coronavirus cases and deaths in the U.S. are continuing to fall to record-low levels even as the Indian 'Delta' variant spreads throughout the country.

On Sunday, the U.S. reported 3,892 infections of COVID-19, the lowest number since March 19, 2020, according to a DailyMail.com analysis of Johns Hopkins data.

What's more, the seven-day rolling average currently sits at 11,020, a 45 percent drop from the seven-day average reported three weeks ago.

COVID-19 deaths are also declining with 85 recorded on Sunday, the first time since the start of the pandemic that fewer than 100 fatalities have been reported in a single day.

The seven-day rolling average currently stands at 216, the lowest since since March 28 of last year and a 66 percent drop the from the average three weeks prior.

Health experts say the improving numbers are because of COVID-19 vaccinations, with 65.4 percent of American adults receiving at least one dose and 55.8 percent fully vaccinated.

However, several states are bucking the trend as the Delta variant is spreads though Midwestern states, which experts say could threaten to undo the progress the U.S. has made at reigning in the pandemic.

In Missouri cases haver risen more than 9 percent from 2,000 per week to 4,000 over the last seven days while weekly cases in Kansas w

including Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, which experts say could threaten to undo the progress the U.S. has made at reigning in the pandemic.

On Sunday, the U.S. reported 3,892 infections of COVID-19, the lowest number since March 19, 2020 and 45% drop in the seven-day rolling average

COVID-19 deaths are also declining with 85 recorded on Sunday, marking more than a year since fewer than 100 were recorded, a 66% drop from three weeks prior

Experts are seeing an uptick in infections linked to the Indian 'Delta' coronavirus variant, B.1.617.2, and particularly in Midwestern states

As of Monday, the Delta variant makes up 10 percent of all cases in America - but it only made up six percent last week, meaning the prevalence almost doubled in just seven days.

Known as B.1.617.2, it has been labeled as a 'double mutant' by India's Health Ministry because it carries two mutations: L452R and E484Q.

L452R is the same mutation seen with the California homegrown variant and E484Q is similar to the mutation seen in the Brazilian and South African variants.

Both of the mutations occur on key parts of the virus that allows it to enter and infect human cells.

On Wednesday, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services released an advisory that the state 'is experiencing a rise in individuals contracting the Delta variant' and that it 'has become prevalent' throughout Missouri.

Missouri has the highest prevalence of the variant which makes up 6.8 percent of cases in the state as of May 22, CDC data show.

Current estimates suggest the prevalence could be as high as 23 percent.

In Greene County - 150 miles south of Kansas City- 90 percent of cases are linked to the Delta variant, an increase from 70 percent in mid-May.

'It shows us that what we've got in the community is a much more infectious variant that we are having to deal with, which shows why we have such an explosion of cases..in southwest Missouri,' Kendra Findley, administrator of community health and epidemiology with Greene County, told the St Louis Post-Dispatch.

Meanwhile, in Kansas, cases of the Delta variant appear to be tracking with the national average.

Southwestern Missouri is experiencing a surge in cases with one country saying that the variant accounts for 90% of cases. Cases have surged 93% in just one week

In Kansas, cases of the Delta variant appear to be tracking with the national average, making up about 10% of all coronavirus cases. Cases have risen 13.6% in the last six days

About 19% of variant cases have been hospitalized in Minnesota, which doctors say is higher than the general hospitalization rate. Case have risen from 223 per day to 669 per day

Cases are also rising in Arkansas by at least 20%, which doctors believe is because of the Delta variant

'The CDC estimates Delta accounts for about 10 percent of new cases [in Kansas],' Amanda Cackler, director of quality and safety at the University of Kansas Health System told KMBC.

'We have had and continue to have deaths of patients who have had COVID-19. Our most recent one was on the 12th of June.'

In nearby Minnesota, only 47 cases of the variant have been confirmed, but hospitalization rates are rapidly rising, suggesting the strain in far more widespread.

The Delta cases that we have seen in Minnesota, about 19 percent have been hospitalized, which is higher than the hospitalization rate that we see in general associated with COVID,' Kris Ehresmann, director of Infectious Disease Epidemiology for the Minnesota Department of Health, told KAAL-TV.

'What's concerning about the variants is their increased transmissibility. They are more readily spread from person to person.'

Dr Scott Gottlieb, the former FDA commissioner, told CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday that unvaccinated Americans are at the greater risk of this more dangerous variant.

'When you do look at those estimates, you see it varies widely between states. So Connecticut, for example, where I am, shows no upsurge of infection, but Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri show very substantial upsurges of infections,' he said.

'That's based entirely on how much population-wide immunity you have based on vaccination.'

Dr Scott Gottlieb, the former FDA commissioner, said on Sunday (above) that the Biden administration should focus on a 2.0 vaccination campaign to target vaccine hesitant people

Daily vaccination rates fall from more than three million per day to about one million per day now

In the U.S., 53.3% of the total population has had at least one dose of the vaccine and 45.1% are fully vaccinated

A recent study from Public Health England that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 96 percent effective against hospitalization from the Delta variant after two doses and that the AstraZeneca-University of Oxford vaccine in 92 percent effective.

In the U.S., 53.3 percent of the total population has had at least one dose of the vaccine and 45.1 percent are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.

Biden has set a goal of vaccinating at least 70 percent of adults with one dose by July 4, which it looks like will not be hit.

Gottlieb said that the U.S. government needs to develop new vaccine strategies as daily rates fall from more than three million per day to about one million per day now.

'We need to think about a different vaccine delivery strategy to get the people who are still reluctant or who still face challenges getting into those access sites,' he said Sunday on 'Face the Nation.'

He elaborated on this by saying that the administration should focus on a 2.0 vaccination campaign, with doses being sent to community sites such as doctors' offices and schools, where vaccine hesitant people could get immunized through a 'trusted intermediary.'
The world's most premature baby ever to survive is turning one-year-old after doctors gave him little hope of living a few hours - let alone a year.

Baby Richard Scott William Hutchinson weighed less than one pound when he was born at 21 weeks in June 2020.

Doctors at Children's Minnesota hospital in Minneapolis told his parents, Rick and Elizabeth, that their infant son had no chance of survival.

Despite the odds stacked against him, Richard's health slowly improved over the six months he spent in the hospital and he is now a thriving toddler.

He is also officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's most premature baby to survive after birth.

Richard Scott William Hutchinson, from Somerset, Wisconsin the world's most premature baby to survive, celebrated his first birthday on June 5 (above)

Richard Scott William Hutchinson, from Somerset, Wisconsin, was born in June 2020 at 21 weeks and two days weighing just 11.9 ounces

'Miracle baby' Richard celebrated his first birthday at his parents' home in Wisconsin surrounded by balloons and a birthday banner.

And he was given first dibs at enjoying a piece of his white and blue birthday cake with sprinkles on top.

'I knew the first few weeks of Richards life would be very difficult, but I felt that if he could make it through that, he would be a survivor,' Beth told Guinness.

Beth and Rick had always dreamed of having children.

They found out they were expecting a baby in late 2018, but ended up suffering a miscarriage at just seven weeks, according to a GoFundMe page.

After months of grieving and trying to conceive again, Beth learned she was pregnant in February 2020.

In early June, Beth wasn't feeling well and decided to get checked out by her OBGYN, according to the GoFundMe page.

The examination revealed Beth's cervix was three centimeters dilated, something that doesn't occur until the ninth month of pregnancy.

She was immediately admitted to Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, where, after discussion with doctors, it was determined that Richard would be delivered and they would do all they could to keep him alive.

Richard was born on June 5 at 21 weeks and two days, making him 131 days premature.

Richard was so small that he could fit into the palm of a hand and had translucent skin so that doctors could see his bones and organs

Doctors at Children's Minnesota hospital in Minneapolis told Richard's parents that he had zero odds of surviving

Almost one out of every 10 infants in the US is born prematurely. A birth is premature if the baby arrives at least three weeks early - or prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Premature babies - or 'preemies' - suffer a greater risk of breathing problems, feeding problems and are more susceptible to contracting infections.

There are multiple things that can raise the risk of a woman having a preemie including: a previous premature birth, pregnancy with twins or triplets, an interval of less than six months between pregnancies, obesity and hypertension.

Preemies are often underweight and small and can continue to have delayed physical growth and development as they age.

Richard was born weighing just 11.9 ounces, about the size of a can of soup, and was so small he could fit into the palm of a hand.

He was soon transferred to the NICU at Children's Minnesota hospital, where doctors prepared his parents for the worst.

'When Rick and Beth received prenatal counselling on what to expect with a baby born so early, they were given a [zero percent] chance of survival by our neonatology team,' Dr Stacy Kern, Richard's neonatologist, told Guinness.

Richard's parents visited him at the hospital every day, which doctors say played a role in his success. Pictured: Richard with his father, Rick

In December 2020, after spending six months in the NICU, Richard was allowed to go home. Pictured: Richard on the day he was discharged from the hospital

But the parents kept faith.

It was a tough year, with the couple unable to stay overnight or to llow other family member to visit because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rick and Beth traveled one hour every day from their home in Somerset, Wisconsin, to Minneapolis to visit their son.

'The first month they weren't even sure he was going to make it,' Beth told Guinness.

On June 5, Richard celebrated his first birthday and doctors say he is doing well despite still being on oxygen and occasionally needing a feeding tube

'It was really hard. You know in the back of your mind that his odds weren't great.'

However, Kern told Guinness that she believes Richard's parents dedication to visiting their son every day played a role in his success.

'I credit his miraculous survival to his wonderful parents who were there for him every step of the way and to the entire neonatology team at Children's Minnesota,' she said.

'It takes a village to care for and support these babies until the time they are ready to go home.'

Richard slowly gained strength every day and, in December 2020, his parents were told he could go home after six months spent in the NICU.

He is still on oxygen, is monitored with a pulse oximeter machine 24/7 and still requires some meals through a feeding tube, but he is making progress.

'We are working on getting him off all of them, but it takes time. He has come a long way and is doing amazing,' Beth said.

'He is a very happy baby. Always has a smile on the adorable little face of his. His bright blue eyes and smile get me every time.
Almost a quarter of Americans under the age of 40 do not intend to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a new report finds.

At least 24.9% of adults aged 18 to 39 said they 'probably' or 'definitely' will not get a shot, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed on Monday.

Among the reasons why they won't get immunized include the mistrust of vaccines and fear of potential side effects.

It comes as President Joe Biden's target date of July 4 to get 70 percent of American adults with at least one dose approaches.

As of now, it seems unlikely the country will reach the mark, with only 65 percent at least partially immunized with only two weeks to go.

The most common reasons people under the age of 40 do not plan on getting vaccinated is a lack of trust in the vaccines and fear of the vaccines potential side effects

The CDC surveyed 2,726 Americans aged 18 to 39 on their COVID-19 vaccine status, and why or why not they chose to get vaccinated.

More than half of the group, 51 percent, were either vaccinated or planned to get vaccinated.

Of the remaining group, 23.3 percent said they are unsure if they will get vaccinated, while 24.9 percent report that they either probably not or will not get the shots.

Black Americans are most likely to not want the vaccine, per the survey, with nearly a third - 32.3 percent - reporting they had no intention of getting the vaccine.

There is also a direct correlation between higher levels of education attainment and income and being more likely to have received, or want, the vaccine.

The most common reason for vaccine hesitancy among the younger generations is a lack of trust and fears of adverse reactions.

More than half, 56.5 percent, of vaccine hesitant adults reported a lack of trust, with 56.3 percent reporting that they are concerned about potential side effects.

Side effects of the COVID vaccine often include a headache, fatigue, chills and other common symptoms of respiratory illness.

More serious side effects have been discovered, though.

The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine had its authorization paused earlier this year after reports of it causing blood clots in 17 people.

There was also a recent report by the CDC that some young males were experiencing heart inflammation after receiving the second dose of a two-shot vaccine.

Despite the side effects, the agency still recommends the vaccine to all Americans 12 years of age or older.

More than a third of people, 36.4 percent, who do not intend to get the vaccine reported that they believe they do not need it, while 27.4 percent said they do not think COVID is a big threat to them.

Younger Americans not getting vaccinated due to a lack of fear of the virus has become a common concern among health officials.

Many millennials and members of Gen Z have skipped on the vaccine due to the extremely low chance of death for them if they do get the virus.

Younger Americans can still die from the virus, though, and even those that survive may contract long term conditions like myocarditis.

Some experts also believe the long-haul COVID, where someone exhibits symptoms of the virus long after recovering from it, is more common among younger people.

Younger people will also need to get vaccinated in order for the nation to reach herd immunity, which is believe to be when around 80 percent of the population is vaccinated.

Those among the group who say they will not get vaccinated are also least likely to wear a mask in public (66.5 percent) and least likely to be concerned about COVID (26.1 percent).

While potential barriers such as time constraints or lack of available travel have been cited as reasons for some not getting vaccinated in the past, 62.6 percent of respondents who say they do not plan to get vaccinated also reported they have no barriers to vaccine access.

Currently, 65 percent of U.S. adults and 53 percent of the total American population have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The CDC reports that just under 150 million Americans are fully vaccinated, having received either both shots of an mRNA vaccine or the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

While America has still not reached total herd immunity, case rates across the nation have plummeted as the vaccine has become more common.

The nation is averaging around 80,000 cases a week, a sharp decline from over winter, where over 1.5 million cases were being recorded a week at some points over the holiday season.
We all do our best to avoid pain. But Dr Monty Lyman, a clinical fellow at Oxford University who is studying brain inflammation, is enthralled by it.

In a new book investigating the mysterious world of pain, he also meets the people who are blessed  or lethally cursed  by the fact that they never actually feel it.

And reveals how their unusual condition might help scientists identify new treatments that could help the rest of us.

Ask anyone who has given birth what the experience feels like, and prepare to be entertained and/or terrified by descriptions such as: 'A bowling ball landing on my spine,' and 'My pelvis felt as if it was being ripped apart like tectonic plates'.

That is, unless you are Candice. 'For my first birth I was really nervous and thought it was going to hurt like hell,' the teaching assistant from Northamptonshire told me, recalling when her first labour started.

'I was Christmas shopping at Tesco one day, when I felt a sharp sensation across my abdomen. It was strange, but not really painful.'

She thought that this was a false labour, or Braxton Hicks contraction, a tightening sensation across the womb that can happen during the final weeks of pregnancy, as it was a week before her due date and she'd previously experienced a few of these false contractions.

Candice finished her shopping and went home. A friend from antenatal classes then popped over for a coffee.

We all do our best to avoid pain. But Dr Monty Lyman, a clinical fellow at Oxford University who is studying brain inflammation, is enthralled by it

Because this woman was extremely anxious about giving birth, she had brought a community midwife with her.

During coffee and cake, Candice felt another odd tightening of her abdomen.

'I think I'm having contractions,' she told them. The midwife doubted that the relaxed and chatty Candice was going into labour, but suggested she go to the nearby hospital anyway.

ONE IN 100 WOMEN HAVE 'NATURAL EPIDURAL' GENE

When Candice arrived at the hospital her cervix was 3cm dilated, but after only about ten minutes she had dilated to 10cm  in other words fully dilated, and at the stage where midwives normally encourage women to start pushing.

What happened next was so unremarkable it is utterly remarkable: 'I had about two contractions and then I just pushed my son out. He popped out like a rugby ball.'

Candice knows what it's like to feel pain, but her suspicions that she had a higher pain threshold than her friends were confirmed after she had required no pain relief whatsoever for any of her three labours.

Professor Geoff Woods is a Cambridge geneticist who studies how genes influence pain.

In 2020 his team reported in the journal Cell Reports that Candice's condition is likely caused by a 'natural epidural' gene.

The study identified around 1,000 women across the UK who had not needed any pain relief during their first labour.

The women experienced a number of types of experimental pain: their forearms were subjected to both burning and freezing sensations, and mechanical pressure was applied with a blood-pressure cuff.

They then rated their pain using a pain- scale questionnaire.

These women had higher pain thresholds than a control group of women, and, importantly, the researchers found no differing cognitive or emotional abilities between the groups that could explain the difference in pain thresholds.

Miracle: Jo Cameron's gene anomaly means she never feels pain

The team then sequenced the genomes of both groups, and found that in the painless-labour group there was a much higher prevalence of a mutation in the KCNG4 gene.

This gene effectively regulates the gateway to danger-detecting receptors in nerves, either allowing danger signals to be sent to the brain or blocking them.

The mutation does not render the gateway completely useless  so these people can still feel pain  but it means they require a much greater stimulus (such as very strong contractions during labour) to send a nerve impulse from the site of the body that's being hurt to the brain, and for the patient to feel pain.

Surprisingly, these mutations are relatively common. Roughly one in 100 women carries this variant.

The discovery isn't just a medical curiosity: if a new painkiller that specifically targets this gateway mechanism is developed, it could present a revolutionary way to provide labour-pain relief with no side-effects on the mother or baby  something we do not yet have.

Candice also shows how genetic variations influence how each of us feels pain. There are likely many genetic variations that influence pain thresholds and pain experience that we do not yet know about.

At my school, during the inescapable playground fights, the boy to avoid was Duncan, a large, red-haired Scot.

As well as being at least a foot taller than the rest of us, he claimed that his terrifying strength lay in the fact that 'Scottish people don't feel pain!'

Fascinatingly, research published in the Scandinavian Journal of Pain in 2011 by Aalborg University, in Denmark, suggests that red-haired people may indeed be more resistant to a number of types of pain, including electrical shocks, but are more sensitive to thermal pain.

The study suggested that this could be due to little-explored effects of a mutation in the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene, which produces their red hair pigment.

Other people can be pain-proofed in other ways. Jo Cameron, a Scottish septuagenarian and retired teacher told me: 'I honestly don't know what pain is.'

Jo has a genetic mutation that means she never feels pain.

'I have such a happy disposition that I'm positively irritating sometimes,' she chirped.

Jo's energy is infectious. Not only does she not feel pain, but she also doesn't feel anxiety or fear. None whatsoever.

She felt no rush of adrenaline when her car veered off the road and overturned a few years ago, nor when she was left dangling over a ravine on a zip wire in Montenegro a week before our interview.

'I guess the only downside to the mutation is that it affects my short-term memory' she told me.

'I'm always forgetting where I leave my keys. But, then again, that doesn't bother me very much, either.'

Jo has a mutation in a pseudogene (a largely inactive copy of another gene) called FAAH-OUT.

This was long assumed to be a piece of 'junk' DNA, genes that don't seem actually to do anything.

But it turns out that it plays a crucial role in regulating the FAAH (fatty acid amide hydrolase) gene.

The enzyme this gene produces normally breaks down anandamide  this is an endocannabinoid, a molecule that carries nerve signals that binds to cannabinoid receptors in the brain and body.

These receptors play roles in regulating mood, memory and pain. The most famous cannabinoid is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the most potent psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

Jo's energy is infectious. Not only does she not feel pain, but she also doesn't feel anxiety or fear. None whatsoever

In Jo's case, the mutation means that her anandamide is not broken down. And as a result, to some extent, Jo is permanently high.

'I think the scientists who named the FAAH-OUT gene were having a bit of a laugh, as the high levels of cannabinoids in my blood make me relaxed, carefree and a bit forgetful,' she says.

'Essentially I'm lifelong stoner. Far out, dude.'

What is just as remarkable as her condition is the way in which it was discovered. Jo didn't realise she was any different until the age of 65.

Over a four-year period, her hip would occasionally give way when she walked, although doctors thought little of it as she felt no pain and it hardly bothered her.

DIDN'T NEED PAIN RELIEF AFTER SURGERY

Eventually an X-ray revealed that the joint was severely damaged by osteoarthritis, a disease normally accompanied by agonising discomfort.

When she had her hip replaced, the surgeons noted that  unbeknown to her  both of her thumbs were also grossly damaged by osteoarthritis.

Her anaesthetist was already flummoxed by Jo's incredible pain threshold in relation to post-surgical pain  she didn't need any painkillers.

But when, some months after the hip replacement, Jo felt nothing following notoriously painful thumb surgery (a trapeziectomy, which involves removing a small bone in the wrist) he contacted James Cox, a geneticist at University College London.

Cox had long been studying remarkable painless individuals; he was Professor Woods's postdoctoral student in Cambridge, and he went to analyse Jo's genes to discover the cause of her condition.

Jo says: 'After I was told about the genetic mutation, in hindsight things started to make sense.

'As a child, I didn't know that I'd broken my arm until the bone started healing at a strange angle, and I only realise that my hand has been on the cooker too long when I smell burning flesh.'

(And, like Candice, she didn't need any pain relief for the birth of her  two  children.) Jo nonchalantly continued: 'Actually, right now there's a square-shaped bruise on the top of my foot. I have no idea how it got there.

'I must have dropped something on it.'

What I couldn't understand was how she had lived into her 70s, especially without losing any limbs, if she doesn't feel any pain at all.

The secret to Jo's survival, compared with others who are insensitive to pain, and are frequently maimed or killed as a consequence, may be due to another mysterious quirk of the FAAH-OUT mutation.

The many wounds she sustained throughout her life healed remarkably quickly, often without scarring.

Studies of mice with mutations in the FAAH gene support the accelerated skin-wound healing theory including a 2016 study by Italian and American researchers published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

This could be because one of the fatty acids usually broken down by FAAH stimulates the proliferation of skin cells.

Jo is not just an oddity. She is a miracle. Pain and fear are our teachers and guide through this dangerous life, and they have long been assumed to be necessary for survival. Jo has neither of these.

It also seems to make sense that a life without pain would be a bit dull, with no pain to motivate us or make pleasure rewarding. But Jo's long life appears to be a perennially satisfied one. Throughout 2021 she is undergoing experiments intended to make her feel pain for the first time, and she's looking forward even to that.

AND FEELS NO FEAR OR ANXIETY EITHER

This lack of concern is one reason why Jo is so different from other individuals who don't feel pain, none of whom has demonstrated significantly low anxiety levels.

This could well be due to the fact that Jo's body also shows unusually active CB1 receptors.

These cannabinoid receptors are activated both by the anandamide found naturally in the body, and the THC in cannabis.

Increased activation of these receptors reduces anxiety and helps the mind and body cope with stressful situations, researchers at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, reported in the journal Nature Communications in 2017.

Jo is a living, talking demonstration of how pain and mood are intertwined.

Jo's single mutation reveals that pain is controlled and modulated in very different ways.

Her FAAH-OUT mutation increases the amount of painkillers found naturally in the body.

Jo's confirmation of the analgesic power of anandamide provides hope for new painkillers that might work with the body's endocannabinoid system.

It is also tempting to wonder whether these could also recreate Jo's happy-go-lucky disposition, and might treat anxiety and depression as well.

Sadly, we have known about FAAH for some time, and not one of the many FAAH inhibitors developed have progressed to become medications.

Tragically, in this race to find the miracle painkiller, some have paid the ultimate price.

In a clinical trial in France in 2016, a new 'FAAH-inhibitor' drug that targeted the endocannabinoid system (as a potential painkiller and mood enhancer, among other functions) had numerous unintended effects on the human nervous system, leading to the death of one study participant and permanent brain damage in four others.

Blocking an enzyme that breaks down different substances in different tissues of the body is fiendishly difficult.

But hopefully the discovery of incredible people like Jo will be a catalyst for new research into treatments for persistent pain.

It is very much a field in its early days, no doubt, in part, because very often, sadly, people who are insensitive to pain live only short lives with bad endings.

When Professor Woods was researching neurological diseases in Pakistan, a local doctor asked him to assess Naveed.

Thirteen-year-old Naveed was something of a celebrity in his village in the north of Pakistan.

Crowds of curious shoppers would throng around the trail of hot coals laid out at the side of the street as he nonchalantly walked barefoot over them.

Once sufficiently remunerated by the awestruck onlookers, the boy would then theatrically brandish a knife. Without so much as a wince, he would slowly drive the blade into his arms.

This boy had seemingly gained complete mastery over what should be indescribable pain.

Naveed's condition, known as congenital analgesia, was first medically documented in 1932, by the American neuropsychiatrist George Van Ness Dearborn.

He had assessed a mystifying middle-aged man who was, to all intents and purposes, a distinctly average individual, apart from the fact that he had managed to sustain a number of injuries (including accidentally shooting off his left index finger with a pistol) without experiencing pain.

Dearborn admitted that, 'in short, we know as yet far too little about the nervous system to warrant a single guess as to the neuropathology of such a case as this'.

It was 70 years between Dearborn's case report and Woods receiving news of the painless boy in Pakistan, but little had changed: knowledge was still scant.

Meeting Naveed would be an incredible opportunity for Woods, not to see a medical curiosity but to look through a living window into the mechanisms of pain and  potentially  its treatment.

Around the time of Naveed's 14th birthday in 2006  just as Professor Woods was preparing to set out to meet him  the boy was showing off to his friends by jumping off the high roof of his family home.

After hitting the ground, Naveed stood up, dusted himself off and walked away, seemingly unscathed.

Soon afterwards, and with little warning, he rapidly lost consciousness and died. It later turned out that he'd hit his head so hard in the fall that it had caused a catastrophic bleed in his brain, but he hadn't felt even a bump.

Members of Geoff Woods's team at Cambridge and a group of doctors in Pakistan contacted Naveed's family.

It transpired that numerous family members  as well as two other families within the same clan in northern Pakistan  also had congenital analgesia.

DISCOMFORT IS BODY'S WARNING SYSTEM

Many had scars and broken bones, and had bitten off the front portions of their tongues.

Fascinatingly, although they felt no pain, their senses of touch, pressure and temperature were preserved.

Such people are increasingly the subject of intense pharmaceutical interest. They are rapidly expanding our understanding of pain, and reveal tantalising mechanisms for future pain-relieving drugs.

But they also do something simple yet astounding: they demonstrate pain's key role as a protector.

Without pain, we would live lives of unprotected injury and early death.

The first step to understanding and living with pain  even persistent, chronic pain  is knowing that pain is a protector, and it wants to look after us.

Adapted from The Painful Truth: The New Science Of Why We Hurt And How We Can Heal, by Monty Lyman is published by Bantam, 20.  Monty Lyman 2021.

To order a copy for 17, go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3308 9193. Free UK delivery on orders over 20. Offer price valid until July 6, 2021.
Gynecologists say it is possible that there is a link between having abnormal periods and the COVID-19 vaccine.

A recent report from the Sunday Times found that 4,000 women in the UK had temporary changes in their menstrual cycles after getting vaccinated.

It mainly included females between ages 30 and 49 who had gotten shots from Pfizer-BioNTech, Modena or AstraZeneca-University of Oxford.

Meanwhile, in the the U.S., there have been accounts of women who have gotten vaccinated against the virus and later had periods that came earlier usual, felt heavier or just appeared irregular.

Two researchers in Chicago have even launched a study looking into whether or not there is an association.

The reports have led some to question why the federal government hasn't listed irregular menstrual cycles as a potential side effect.

But doctors tell DailyMail.com that cycle changes post-vaccination are rare, typically resolve on their own without medication and do not affect fertility.

Doctors tell DailyMail.com that menstrual cycle changes after getting the COVID-19 vaccine are rare, typically resolve on their own without medication and do not affect fertility. Pictured: A woman receives a dose of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, June 2021

The UK report found that almost 4,000 women reported 'heavier than usual' bleeding or a delayed period after getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

According Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), there were 2,734 reports of irregular periods linked to the AstraZeneca jab up until May 17.

Another 1,158 women had menstrual changes after receiving Pfizer's shot and the remaining 66 reported changes after getting the Moderna immunization.

''The current evidence does not suggest an increased risk, following vaccination, with the UK's three Covid vaccines,' said MHRA chief executive Dr June Raine in a statement.

'The number of reports is low in relation to the number of women who have had the vaccine to date and the background rate of menstrual disorders generally.

'We continue to closely monitor these reports for potential signals.'

Scientists launch study to find out if COVID-19 vaccines are causing period changes Two researchers are running a study to determine if there is any link between abnormal periods and the COVID-19 vaccine. Dr Kathryn Clancy, an associate professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Dr Katherine Lee, a post-doctoral scholar in the public health sciences division at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, each received their shots earlier this year. Both women noticed that aside from the usual side effects - such as a pain at the injection site - they also had temporary changes in their menstrual cycles. Clancy first discussed her abnormal period in a tweet in late February after receiving the Moderna coronavirus vaccine. The tweet was liked more than 1,200 times and she received hundreds of replies from other women and people who menstruate documenting their unusual changes. The responses inspired Clancy and Lee to conduct a formal study. Lee told the Chicago Tribune in April that more than 25,000 people have completed the survey. Advertisement

Dr Khady Diouf, director of Ambulatory Obstetrics and Gynecology at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Massachusetts, said that she and her colleagues have heard anecdotal reports of patients with abnormal periods.

'A handful of patients have mentioned this, having heavier periods or irregular periods after receiving the vaccine,' she told DailyMail.com.

'First time I heard about it, I rolled my eyes thinking: "Oh everything is related to vaccine." Now I've heard it a handful times and I take it more seriously.'

Diouf said that she believes the rare side effect is likely caused by stress.

'Periods can be irregular die to stress or hormonal fluctuations that have something to do with stress,' she said.

'I consider the COVID-19 vaccine somewhat of a physiologic stress. It's trying to tell your body to do something it hasn't done in a while, to mount an immune response.

In turn, this places stress on the body, which can cause irregular periods, Diouf explained.

Dr Mark Werner, an OBGYN at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, said the stress can also be caused by worry about the vaccine.

'You might walk in there, you might be nervous and get the second [shot]' which causes a person to release stress hormones, he told DailyMail.com.

'It sounds like it could be from the vaccine or it could be from the stress that [women] experience.'

Both doctors said they want to emphasize the changes to the menstrual cycle after getting a COVID-19 vaccine should not be conflated with an impact on fertility.

'Yes, it's possible that vaccines are causing irregular periods, but it's likely not permanent and it's not causing fertility issues,' Werner said.

'There's no scientific data to back that claim up. If someone is having irregular cycles, bleeding in between.. it might be three months or four months and then can go away on its own.'

Diouf added: 'It's too early to say there is an association with fertility issues. I would not make the association of irregular menstrual cycles and infertility.'

The physicians also said that, based on the evidence they have seen, getting a COVID-19 vaccine outweighs any potential risk

'Thinking about slight menstrual irregularity, like five days of bleeding instead of three, when you look at it in the big scheme of things, it's certainly not a risk,' Diouf said.
Reno Degisi felt so ill he thought he was dying. Last Christmas the 53-year-old building worker was among the UK's four million Covid cases.

'I really felt this was the end,' he says. 'I could barely speak, I was struggling to breathe and the pain was like someone was stabbing me in the back and sides.'

Reno, who lives in Rochdale, Lancashire, was being treated by his GP with high doses of steroids when a chance conversation with a friend, also ill with Covid, led to a remarkable  if controversial  discovery.

On his friend's recommendation, Reno began using a drug called ivermectin  commonly used to treat nits.

'My friend said it was used to treat Covid in other countries  and was entirely safe, although GPs in the UK aren't allowed to prescribe it,' he says.

Nonetheless, Reno was able to obtain it online from an overseas pharmacy  he took it for five days.

'At first I couldn't walk out of the house without getting out of breath,' he recalls. 'It took me about five or six weeks to recover completely.'

First marketed in 1981 and routinely used worldwide to combat head lice and (in tablet form) the skin parasite scabies and other worm infections, ivermectin works by blocking proteins used by worms to disable the host's immune system

Reno is convinced that ivermectin, a basic drug used in shampoo form by millions of British parents to treat nits, saved him from the worst ravages of Covid.

First marketed in 1981 and routinely used worldwide to combat head lice and (in tablet form) the skin parasite scabies and other worm infections, ivermectin works by blocking proteins used by worms to disable the host's immune system.

But it's also been found to have other properties.

Last March researchers from Monash University, Australia, reported that ivermectin, which is also used (as a cream) to treat the skin condition rosacea, could produce a 5,000-fold reduction in Covid virus replication.

Other trials from around the world have suggested it also has a potent anti-viral and anti-inflammatory effect on Covid and could be useful for the vast majority of Covid cases that are not severe enough for hospital treatment.

Last August, a leading Australian doctor hailed it as 'amazingly successful' in killing coronavirus in trials: 'It looks like coronavirus is very simple to kill,' said Professor Thomas Borody, medical director of the Centre for Digestive Diseases in Sydney.

In a study published in December in the journal Reviews in Cardiovascular Medicine, which was co-signed by 56 other specialists across the world, he suggested ivermectin combined with zinc and the antibiotic doxycycline was remarkably effective.

'There are a number of studies that are amazingly successful  we're talking close to 100 per cent,' he said.

Ivermectin seems to work by stopping the Covid virus attaching to the cell receptors and entering cells  it prevents the virus disrupting the production of interferon, a protein that is part of the cell defence mechanism.

In April this year Satoshi Omura, the 85-year-old Japanese biochemist who won the 2015 Nobel prize for medicine for discovering ivermectin, went further, suggesting it could even represent a medical breakthrough comparable to the benefits achieved with the discovery of antibiotics.

'When the effectiveness of ivermectin for the Covid pandemic is confirmed and its clinical use is achieved on a global scale, it could prove to be of great benefit to humanity,' he wrote in the Japanese Journal of Antibiotics.

His enthusiasm for his own discovery notwithstanding, other evidence suggests the drug merits further investigation.

Dr Andrew Hill, a senior research fellow in pharmacology and therapeutics at Liverpool University, led a team commissioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO) which analysed results from 18 of these trials involving almost 2,300 people with varying severity of Covid infection  and concluded, in a study published last October, that ivermectin could cut Covid deaths by 75 per cent.

However, a 'living guideline' the WHO published in April aimed at improving Covid treatment worldwide, describes ivermectin's effectiveness in reducing death rates and avoiding hospitalisation as 'very uncertain'.

This was due to 'important concerns' about the risk of bias in the trials studied and the low numbers of patients in the studies.

The 60-page document concluded ivermectin was worth investigating but should only be prescribed to carefully monitored patients in clinical trials because of uncertainty about dose and the unknown risk of toxicity.

Dr Hill, who has led many such initiatives, is not surprised by the WHO's cautious response.

'I hope ivermectin works but we need to prove it to a regulatory standard so it can be approved,' he says.

Nonetheless, 20 countries (none in Western Europe) include ivermectin in their Covid treatment programmes, according to Pharmacy Magazine.

Meanwhile, The BMJ has been reporting on a growing angry debate over access to ivermectin for patients in Covid-blighted regions such as South Africa.

Some UK doctors are willing to use the treatment and speak about it.

Lancashire GP John McCarthy, 54, says he's been researching it 'for some time and I've been taking it since December to reduce the risk of getting Covid'.

'I'm also giving it to members of my family,' he says, emphasising he does not prescribe it for patients in the UK.

'It's a very strange situation  it's incredibly hard to get hold of it here but I have advised people abroad about using it and had good responses.'

Thomas Madejski, a GP in Albion, New York, in the U.S., says he has prescribed it to more than 100 patients.

The original manufacturer of ivermectin, Merck, has issued a statement insisting there is 'no scientific basis for a potential therapeutic effect' for ivermectin against Covid, and highlighted 'a concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies'.

Yet cynics in the medical community point out ivermectin is an old drug no longer protected by patent, meaning it can be manufactured very cheaply by anyone.

Merck is now developing a new Covid drug, molnupiravir, which in animal studies has been found to suppress Covid transmission within 24 hours.

Good Health has spoken to a number of other Covid patients, who have taken ivermectin, and GPs who are keen to use it.

'Ivermectin looks very interesting and it probably has a role in the prevention and early treatment of acute Covid; we're hoping to do some studies with it in the treatment of long Covid,' said Dr Tina Peers, a private doctor in Surrey, who specialises in Covid treatment.

'We know Covid vaccines will not offer fail-safe protection and we know some people will refuse them or not be offered them at all,' adds Dr Arabella Onslow, a GP in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, who also believes the evidence ivermectin works.

'There is an urgent need for an effective, readily available treatment people can take at home before symptoms become severe.'

However, this is far from being the first time a drug used to treat another ailment has been hailed as a weapon against Covid-19.

Former U.S. president Donald Trump famously gave public backing to the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, only for it to be found ineffective in trials.

Other rejected Covid treatments include the antibiotic azithromycin and HIV drugs lopinavir and ritonavir.

There are 65 ongoing trials of ivermectin for Covid-19 worldwide, but what concerns those who support its use is that most involve tiny numbers or are being run in countries with less stringent regulation.

Ivermectin is also expected to be added to the ongoing PRINCIPLE trial, involving thousands of people with Covid who do not need hospital treatment and who volunteered via their GP practice.

'The aim is to find something that shortens disease and reduces hospital admission,' says Professor Richard Hobbs, a specialist in primary care at the University of Oxford, and one of the trial's leaders.

(The PRINCIPLE trial is currently assessing an asthma drug called budesonide and colchicine, normally used for gout. Ivermectin is one of the next therapies on the list.)

Dr Siu Ping Lam, director of licensing for the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said although ivermectin is not currently approved for Covid, the agency is aware of the interest in it and ready to process any application to market it  although it would need to prove its safety and effectiveness 'based on robust data'.

So far, no medicine has been proved to be effective against Covid for patients who don't require hospital treatment.

'Naturally we are all hoping to find drugs that are of benefit, but sometimes it's quite important to show that things don't work,' says Professor Hobbs.

Dr Hill concurs, emphasising the need to see results from the larger ongoing clinical trials before making decisions on wide-scale ivermectin use: 'The results are so far so good but let's get more data. There have been false dawns with other similar drugs.'
The Highway Code will have a much-needed update to include information about smart motorways as drivers raised concerns that it failed to mention these types of roads, which in turn have been heavily criticised following a number of fatal crashes.

Highways England says a republish of the motoring bible will 'make roads even safer' following input from thousands of motorists, motoring groups and transport organisations who had pointed out the lack of references to motorways without hard shoulders.

That's despite the first smart motorway in Britain being introduced back in 2006.

The Government agency says it has drafted updated guidance for The Highway Code with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to help road users better understand how motorways and high-speed roads operate.

Highway Code to highlight smart motorways: The bible for motorists will be updated with information about how fast-moving roads without hard shoulders operate and how to navigate them

More than 3,200 people and organisations responded to a consultation on the guidance, with their comments directly leading to it being amended and improved.

The amendments are expected to become part of The Highway Code later this year.

It comes after a recent poll of 14,044 drivers found that almost three quarters said the guide for motorists is in need of an urgent update to include more information on smart motorways.

It will come some 15 years after the first smart motorway became operational, with a section of the M42 in the West Midlands allowing motorists to use the hard shoulder during busy periods since 2006.

Smart motorways are designed to ease congestion on the most commonly used transport routes.

They have sensors, signs and cameras to monitor and manage traffic with instructions about lane closures being given to motorists via overhead gantries.

Some have a hard shoulder but most don't, which is the biggest cause of concern.

A number of deaths on these road types in recent years has seen the Government and law makers face mounting criticism about the safety of having no hard shoulders and inadequate spacing on Emergency Refuge Areas for motorists to use when they cars breakdown on the nation's fastest-moving roads.

Almost three quarters of motorists polled by the AA said they want the Highway Code to provide more information about Smart motorways and how to use them

There has also been calls for improvements to the technology used to detect vehicles that become stranded in a live lane, with a recent Highway England report finding it takes on average 17 minutes for a stationary motor to be reached by a highways vehicle.

A massive 72 per cent of drivers polled by the AA in May said they want the Highway Code to include far more detail about smart motorways, which now cover 500 miles in the UK, with the majority in England and managed by Highway England.

They now account for around 7 per cent of the Strategic Road Network but carry 16 per cent of its annual traffic.

These motorways, many of which do away with hard shoulders, have faced increasing scrutiny in recent years as motorists and organisations fear they are putting people in unnecessary and avoidable danger.

AA president, Edmund King, has been campaigning for years for widespread improvements to make smart motorways safer.

Giving evidence at a transport select committee meeting in May, he said he would recommend motorists continue driving their cars with a punctured tyre rather than stopping in a live lane of a smart motorway and hope that operators will close that lane before another motorists collides into your vehicle.

Mr King said: 'The official advice is: if you do stop in the live lane, keep your seatbelt on, put your hazards and other lights on, and dial 999. It's an emergency.

'It is horrific the fear that comes through on the calls we get from breakdowns.

'It's just atrocious and we should not be putting people in a system that isn't a safe system with that result. We've got to give people a way out of it and the advice I would give is: drive on [if you can].

'Damage to your car may be expensive but it's less than damage to yourself or your loved ones.'

He added: 'If someone is breaking down and they're on an all-lane running section [which have no hard shoulder]  so smoke coming out of the engine and a blown out tyre  I've got to say my advice would be don't stop.

A emergency refuge area on the M3 smart motorway near Camberley in Surrey. The motorways have yellow 'Emergency Refuge Areas' for drivers to use, though motoring groups warn they are too spaced out to be a safe alternative to permanent hard shoulders

The AA's president, Edmund King (pictured), has been campaigning for years for widespread improvements to make smart motorways safer

'There is too much of a risk to stop. So even if it ruins your wheel, I would drive on to the next refuge area or emergency exit.'

Mr King added it was a 'scandal' that some smart motorways had been rolled out without any of the potentially life-saving radar technology designed to detect vehicles that had broken down.

Highways England has promised to have this fitted across the whole network no later than September next year, having brought the deadline forward from 2023.

And as part of increased efforts the agency confirmed in the last few days that the soon-to-be-republished edition of the Highway Code will include 'clearer advice' on how and where to stop on a smart motorway in a case of emergency, including the importance of not driving in a lane that has been closed with a red 'X' sign displayed and, for the first time, emergency area signage.

It includes the 'Go left' messaging used in Highways England's recent 5million advertising campaign to help people know what to do in the event of a breakdown.

A stricken motorists' car is pictured being rescued from an ERA by a recovery vehicle

The Highway Code will also give guidance on the use of variable speed limits to manage congestion and information on how safety cameras are used to ensure compliance with speed limits and closed lanes, including the hard shoulder.

The update will also address key factors that contribute to safety-related incidents, including driving while tired, unroadworthy vehicles, safe towing, tailgating and driving through roadworks.

Jeremy Phillips, Highways England's head of road safety, said: 'The updates to The Highway Code will help everyone who uses our busiest roads.

'Thanks to the input from road users, we have been able to produce clearer guidance on how to use our motorways and major A-roads which will make journeys even safer.

'The new edition of The Highway Code can give everyone on our roads the confidence that they have the knowledge and skills to safely get from A to B.'

The much-needed update to the motoring bible comes as The Highway Code turns 90 years old, having been first published in 1931, costing road users one penny and contained just 18 pages.

Today, it can be picked up for 2 to 2.50 at a number of major bookshops and is nearly nine times' the size, with 152 pages in the 2021 edition.

In total, 33 existing rules will be amended for 2021 and two new rules will be introduced.

'There will also be a number of amendments made to the additional information within The Highway Code and its annexes,' says Highways England.
Boris Johnson's end-of-lockdown betrayal has exacerbated the chronic staff shortage faced by restaurants, bars and hotels, industry leaders have warned.

The High Street has burst back to life as restrictions have eased but bosses face a hiring crisis. Some eateries are shutting at lunchtime to give workers a break, while others are offering 1,000 sign-on bonuses to new recruits.

But bosses said the PM's decision to delay the end of lockdown to July 19 had sucked confidence and driven potential recruits away.

Hiring crisis: As many as 600,000 hospitality positions disappeared during the pandemic

Michael Bonsor, managing director of the Rosewood Hotel London, which has 40 vacancies, said: 'We're the first sector to close, it's the last to reopen  the industry is not that attractive to join now.

'The last thing I want to do is turn away business and clients because we can't service them. When you have an industry that's been closed for 15 months that's the worst state to be in at this point.'

Kevin Georgel, chief executive of St Austell Brewery, which has 179 pubs, said the Government must provide certainty 'to show that pubs are back open for good and a stable career choice'. He added: 'It is critical stability is returned.'

Trade body UK Hospitality said: 'Until hospitality venues are able to trade profitably, the sector is unable to move forward.'

As many as 600,000 hospitality positions disappeared during the pandemic, and the rapid recovery has led to a hiring spree.

Industry groups said there was a shortfall of about 188,000 workers, with the shortage of front-of-house staff and chefs being 'particularly acute'.
GlaxoSmithKline boss Emma Walmsley will seek to defy critics this week as she sets out a vision for the British drugs giant's future.

Speaking to investors this Wednesday, she will spell out plans to separate the firm's consumer division and talk up the strength of medicines being developed by the remaining pharmaceutical and vaccines business.

The event  a capital markets day  could be a critical moment for the chief executive after a difficult two months.

Looking for inspiration: GlaxoSmithKline boss Emma Walmsley has endured a difficult two months

Following revelations that Elliott Management  one of Wall Street's most feared activists  had built a stake in GSK, Walmsley has faced questions over whether she is the right leader for the company after its consumer division is spun off.

Elliott's intentions remain unknown. But analysts have speculated that the raider could push for the chief executive's removal, more ruthless cost cuts, a speedier break-up of the business or even a sale.

Aviva, a top investor, has also warned that the 'jury is out' on Walmsley's leadership since she took over in 2017, although others including Blackrock, Dodge & Cox and Royal London are said to back her.

Questions about Walmsley's decision to lead the pharma and vaccines-focused 'New GSK' stem from her lack of scientific background, although allies dismiss this criticism as 'lazy' and she has rejected suggestions that this holds her back.

'I am not a scientist, I am a business leader,' Walmsley told journalists last month.

'The chief executive should be held accountable for results.'

On top of this, the company is seeking to allay concerns that its pharmaceutical and vaccine divisions do not have strong enough drug pipelines to stand alone without the help of the consumer business.

This is because the patents for a host of GSK's 'blockbuster' medicines  those that bring in annual revenues of more than $1billion  are due to expire in the coming years.

And GSK has been left red-faced after failing to develop a coronavirus vaccine  despite being the world's biggest vaccines producer before the crisis.

The company insists it has as many as ten potential blockbusters in the works, including possible breakthrough drugs to treat cancers, HIV and blood conditions.

But Elliott's arrival has focused attention on the concerns and piled extra pressure on Walmsley.

Analysts have speculated that one rabbit she could pull out of the hat would be plans to float the consumer business  which has been formed through the creation of a joint venture with rival Pfizer  after separating it. This, or a partial listing, could help raise more cash for Walmsley that could be spent on research, acquisitions of new medicines or used to pay down debts, Liberum said.

'It's also worth noting the arrival of an activist shareholder on the GSK register who may be pressing for a faster balance sheet fix for the business,' the broker told clients in a note.

'Thus, an element of IPO feels increasingly likely.'

Liberum estimates that the consumer business is worth around 30billion, meaning the firm's 68 per cent stake is worth about 20billion.

A spokesman for GlaxoSmithKline declined to comment.
A security camera image of Oen Evan Nicholson, 30, who is accused of killing his father, and two others in North Bend, Oregon. After killing his father, Johnson is believed to have run over a couple at a casino RV campground, killing one, and then allegedly shot a woman at a nearby marijuana dispensary

A suspected triple murderer linked to the killings of his dad, an RV driver and a weed dispensary worker has been arrested after fleeing 2,000 miles from Oregon to Wisconsin.

Authorities said Oen Evan Nicholson, 30, is believed to have killed his father, Charles Simms Nicholson, whose body was found in a trailer in the RV campground of The Mill Casino in North Bend, as well as Anthony Oyster and Jennifer Davidson.

Nicholson allegedly ran over Oyster, 74, and his wife Linda, 73, using his father's pickup truck in the same RV campground where his father was found. Oyster died of his injuries, while Linda was critically-injured. He then allegedly shot Davidson at a nearby marijuana dispensary.

Police have not released details on how Nicholson's father was killed.

Nicholson then reportedly drove over 2,000 miles from the coastal city in Oregon to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to turn himself in, Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier said Sunday morning.

Nicholson is believed to have abandoned his father's truck after crashing it in Oregon on Friday.

Authorities say Nicholson killed his father, Charles Simms Nicholson, as well as Anthony Oyster at an RV campground outside the Mills Casino in North Bend (pictured above). Nicholson allegedly ran over Oyster and his wife Linda with his father's pickup truck. Linda remains in critical condition

Surveillance footage captured Nicholson outside a marijuana dispensary brandishing a gund nearby in North Bend where he allegedly shot and killed another woman, Jennifer Davidson

Police said Nicholson crashed the pickup truck and then contacted Laura Johnson (pictured above, and allegedly forced her to drive him the rest of the way to Wisconsin

He then allegedly contacted a woman in Springfield, about 100 miles northeast of North Bend, and forced her to drive the remainder of the way to Milwaukee, the Springfield Police Department reported on Sunday.

The woman, Laura Johnson, was reported missing on Friday, but was safe as of Sunday, the department reported, and charges regarding her alleged abduction were pending against him.

Police did not say whether Johnson knew Nicholson, or why he had chosen to flee to Oregon.

Nicholson was charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of his father, Oyster and Davidson as well as second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and failing to help a person injured in a traffic accident, Frasier said.

A Gofundme was set up to pay for Davidson's (left) funeral expenses. Davidson was allegedly shot inside Herbal Choices Cannabis (right), where she worked

A Gofundme was set up to help pay for Davidson's funeral expenses.

No motive for the killings has been given.

Nicholson will appear in court in Milwaukee in the coming days before he can be extradited to Oregon to face the charges. It was not clear if Nicholson has a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.

Frasier said Nicholson's extradition could take weeks if he contests it.

North Bend Mayor Jessica Engelke, Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier and North Bend Police Chief Robert Kappelman provided further detail on Sunday about Nicholson's arrest

'Words fall short of describing the tragedy that took place on Friday and the ensuing events in Lane County, and we are all left incredibly shaken,' North Bend Mayor Jessica Engelke told reporters at a news conference on Sunday. 'This is something you hope never happens in your community, in the town you call home.'
A frantic rescue mission ended in tragedy after a lone boatie was found dead near his sunken boat.

The 54-year-old man activated his emergency position indicating radio beacon just after 6.30am on Sunday, near Bernier Island in Shark Bay, Western Australia.

Search and rescue teams rushed to the man's last known location, where they found him dead in the water near his vessel.

The 55-year-old man activated his distress beacon just after 6.30am on Sunday, off the coast of Shark Bay

He is believed to have been the only person on the boat. Police are treating his death as non-suspicious.

Strong westerly winds, reaching up 20km/h were recorded off the coast of Shark Bay by the Bureau of Meteorology on Sunday.

The search mission involved police, local marine rescue, and the Australian National Sportsfishing Association.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.
A Chinese refugee raised in a run-down Sydney neighbourhood built an eight-property portfolio worth $5 million by age 39.

Bruce Guan, who fled to Australia with his family aged three, grew up in a rough government housing area in Cabramatta in the 1980s where heroin needles were scattered throughout sandpits in local parks.

He lived in crowded small unit with 12 other family members, as his parents worked odd jobs to make ends meet and build a life for their kids.

'My parents came here with nothing, not a word of English and they all started off as labourers and it was a struggle for them just to put food on the table,' Mr Guan told Daily Mail Australia.

Bruce Guan, 39, have built a eight-property portfolio over the past 11 years, which is worth $5million

'I grew up in the most dangerous part of town, where drug use was very common, and I witnessed a lot of my peers go down the wrong path and make the wrong life choices.'

But his parents' efforts paid off, with his father now running a chain of five restaurants around the city, and his mother and stepfather pursuing multiple business ventures.

Admittedly unacademic, Mr Guan learned the merit of hard work from his parents - and realised after leaving school with low grades he needed to do more than climb the career ladder if he wanted to accumulate wealth.

Over the past 11 years, Mr Guan worked and saved to accrue properties across Australia - from Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane to Adelaide - which have generated about $2 million total in equity.

He now owns eight properties, including three apartments in Stanmore, Adelaide, and Melbourne's CBD, three units in Brisbane, a three-unit townhouse in Marsden Park, and a home in Western Sydney - with an annual net equity of $1.8 million.

But it was not a smooth road to success.

In 2004, the then 22-year-old graphic designer, bought his first property in Western Sydney for $280,000 - which is worth almost $1 million today.

Mr Guan pictured as a child in his family's unit in Cabramatta, in Sydney's western suburbs

Mr Guan pictured with his mother in their community in rural China, before they fled to Australia

But he did not do his research and sold the Yennora property in 2007 - at a loss of $50,000 - after horror tenants drove up his maintenance costs and rent losses, making the investment seem unlucrative.

Three years later, when the area's growth boomed, he realised he had made a massive mistake.

'I was like so many naive investors. I didn't know how to use the tools that were available to me to make the right decisions,' Mr Guan said.

'It wasn't the property that was the issue. I made the wrong decision as I didn't research properly and it wasn't the right property for me.

'I sold it on emotional and personal reasons, rather than selling it based on research. I would have found a way to get rid of the tenants and recoup my losses and the research would have told me to hold on.'

Mr Guan spent the next few years researching, reading books, watching movies, and working alongside a family friend with a ten-property strong portfolio, before jumping back into the market in 2010.

Mr Guan bought his first property in Yennora (pictured) in 2004, but sold it three years later. Today, it is worth almost $1million.

After losing money from his first purchase, he had to start from scratch - saving between $30,000 and $40,000 for a new deposit on his $75,000-a-year salary.

This time, he was determined to buy something he could hold onto for the next 10 years to see growth - snapping up a one-bedroom apartment in Stanmore, in Sydney's inner west, for $365,000. It is now worth about $800,000.

In 2012, he renegotiated his loans and took out extra equity after the Stanmore property's value grew, using those funds to lay down deposits on two apartments - a one bedroom ($370,000) and a two bedroom ($515,000) - in Parramatta.

After being promoted to an account director, Mr Guan used his new $100,000-a-year income to splash out on more properties, snatching up an apartment in Melbourne's CBD for $240,000 in 2014, which is now valued at around $500,000.

From 2015 to 2018, he bought three Brisbane units, a one-bedroom for $400,000, and two-bedder for $610,000 an another two-bedroom for $500,000. Respectively, their value has grown by $100,000, $110,000, and $180,000.

He also scored a luxury apartment in Adelaide in 2017 for $570,000, which brings in around $610-a-week in rent.

During the same year, he bagged a townhouse in Marsden Park for $660,000, which has grown to $770,000 in four years.

Mr Guan said the market remained stagnant from 2017 to 2020, before skyrocketing over the past six months.

Mr Guan (pictured in year 12) did not receive good grades in school and credits his unprivileged upbringing with giving him the drive to succeed in the property market

A photo of the Cabramatta unit Mr Guan grew up in as a child with 12 other family members as it stands today

Mr Guan said the Melbourne and Brisbane properties were strategically bought for cash flow reasons, as their rent prices draws a profit while also paying off the mortgage.

Although he dropped rental fees for tenants amid the pandemic, he said the payments still completely pay off the properties.

In 2018, he sold the one-bedroom Parramatta apartment for $630,000 - a profit of $260,000, before selling the two-bedroom last year for $810,000, pocketing $295,000.

But five years ago, Mr Guan stepped away from his strategy to buy something sentimental.

After his mother and stepfather never managed to pay off their loan, he bought their property in Western Sydney - rounding out his property collection to eight.

Mr Guan decided to make a career move into property when he was 30, after realising his potential earnings would plateau once he hit $150,000.

Last year, he founded his own company, Investmentor, which helps others build a property portfolio, offering advice on topics such as the best areas to buy.

Pictured: The Stanmore one-bedroom apartment Mr Guan bought for $365,000. It is now worth around $800,000

The core philosophy behind Investmentor is to make wealth accessible to everyone, with Mr Guan claiming anyone could match his property success - even in the current soaring property market.

Although Sydney and Melbourne's rising property prices may not be accessible, Mr Guan said there were other available opportunities in Perth, Adelaide, and Brisbane markets.

'It's absolutely possible to do that, because when we look at someone's investment strategy it's not about what is happening today, it's about what's going to happen over the next 10 to 15 years,' he said.

'If you look at my example, if someone is only investing in the short term based on what happens in the last 12 months and they become disheartened and sell, like I did when property was down and then in the next five years it doubled in value, then that isn't successful.

'There's much more lenient markets for first time people to enter but there is never a point in time that there isn't an opportunity, you just have to be willing to put the right time and resources into it to find it.'

Bruce (right) with registered nurse Villi Villapando (left) who used Investmentor and has since acquired six properties over the past seven months

Mr Guan pictured with his team at Investmentor, which aims to makes 'wealth accessible to everyone'

He said there were always going to be ups and downs in the market, and future investors just needed to learn to ride the peaks, and prepare the capital during the troughs.

Mr Guan hopes to extend his portfolio to 13, but says his current collection is enough to set him up for the rest of his life.

Although he is confident anyone could become a property investor, Mr Guan credits his upbringing for giving him the courage to make decisions that others would deem 'too risky'.

'I've already lived through the worst case scenario, so anything more than that is a bonus,' he said.

'I didn't do very well in school and never made it into university, by all measurable accounts, you could have called me a failure, and back then, you probably would have been right.

'[But]I was motivated because I saw that [property investing] could be one of the ways for me to get ahead in life.

'If I couldn't compete with other people with my academics, or privileges, I could certainly complete with determination and grit.'
Barnaby Joyce has dramatically returned as Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader more than three years after he was forced from the job following a scandalous affair with his former staffer Vikki Campion.

In a press conference after his extraordinary return to the frontbench, which doubles his salary to $433,575, Mr Joyce said: 'I acknowledge my faults' and 'I hope I come back a better person'.

The father of six, 54, claimed he did not expect to win a leadership ballot on Monday morning, adding: 'If I thought it was going to happen I would have brought my hat.'

Asked whether he would try to overturn former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull's 'bonk ban' which prevents politicians having sex with their staff, he said: 'I can't and I won't start telling other people how they should start thinking of other people.

'I will try, always, to be the better person. I acknowledge my faults. I resigned, I've spent three years on the backbench. I don't walk away from making sure that I can be a better person to do a better job.

'And I'm reminded by that by the people that I love dearly - my four daughters and my two sons and Vikki.'

Mr Joyce (centre with Nationals MP David Littleproud and Senator Bridget McKenzie) announced his leadership of the National Party in a press conference

Mr Joyce stepped down as Nationals leader and deputy prime minister in February 2018 when details of his relationship with Vikki Campion made national headlines

Mr Joyce was propelled back into leadership on Monday morning when Nationals leader Michael McCormack was overthrown in a party-room meeting after Joyce supporter Senator Matt Canavan moved a spill motion.

The spill - the third attempt to roll Mr McCormack in as many years - was prompted by growing disquiet over his lacklustre performance as Acting Prime Minister last week, when Mr Morrison was overseas.

But it came after long-running concerns that Mr McCormack was not cutting through in the Nationals' regional heartlands amid fears that conservative voters would turn to One Nation or the Shooters, Farmers and Fishers Party.

Mr Morrison welcomed Mr Joyce's election and thanked Mr McCormack for being a 'tremendous bloke'.

Mr McCormack told reporters in Canberra on Monday that he respects the decision made by the National Party, and wishes Mr Joyce 'all the best'.

'I have been honoured to serve the National Party as its leader the past three years. I have been privileged and humbled to do that,' he said, adding that he will now 'take some time' to think about his future.

'I want to acknowledge the fact that this has been a democratic decision, and I accept that. This is the way politics is.'

Mr McCormack (pictueed) told reporters in Canberra on Monday that he respects the decision made by the National Party, and wishes Mr Joyce 'all the best'

Barnaby Joyce dramatically reclaimed the leadership after a spill motion in the Nationals' party room. Pictured with former staffer Vikki Campion and their baby

When asked why there was a spill in the middle of a pandemic, Mr McCormack said he 'doesn't know'.

'You will have to ask the people who called on the spill today that question. [Australians] have been my focus this weekend as of course the rumblings and the murmurs of a spill were taking place here and elsewhere,' he said.

'I have always put those things aside and just got on with business as usual. Just got on with my job.'

Mr McCormack said he was proud to have worked alongside Mr Morrison through the Covid pandemic.

'I regard him as a true leader of our nation... Malcolm Turnbull, Scott Morrison and I didn't always agree on everything, but we got things done.'

Mr Joyce was effectively forced out as Nationals leader and deputy prime minister in February 2018 when details of his relationship with his former press secretary, Vikki Campion, made national headlines.

The affair prompted the introduction of the so-called 'bonk ban' in Federal Parliament to stop relationships between ministers and their staffers.

When news of the extra-marital affair broke, Mr Joyce was branded a hypocrite after he had said that same-sex marriage undermined 'traditional marriage'.

Natalie Joyce (centre) and her daughters Bridgette, 22, Julia 20, Caroline, 19, and Odette 16

Mr Joyce, who has four daughters from his marriage of 24 years, has two sons with Ms Campion, Sebastian, three, and Thomas, two.

His ex-wife Natalie has said she was left heartbroken when she heard about the affair, and later said she had always been a single mum because Mr Joyce was frequently away.

In an interview with the Weekend Australian, she said their youngest daughter Odette would 'not go near' her own father when she was young.

'Odette's never known anything but politics. Every time he'd come home she actually wouldn't go near him... She's stand-offish because he wasn't home. That's really hard,' she said.

Mr Joyce's affair relationship was laid bare in a book by political insider Niki Savva, who wrote that Mr Joyce was spotted with Ms Campion at a doctor's surgery for 'scans' in early 2017.

Meanwhile Ms Campion, who was hired by Mr Joyce in mid-2016, spoke frankly to her colleagues about her 'closeness' with the deputy prime minister, telling fellow government staff about the bushwalks they went on together.

Ms Savva, a former press secretary to ex-Treasurer Peter Costello, said: 'She made no secret of her closeness to Joyce.

'She would describe him as the loneliest man in Parliament.'

Mr Joyce's return has raised fears that women voters will be turned away from the Coalition, which commentators say already has a 'women problem' after former staffer Brittany Higgins alleged she was raped in Parliament House by a colleague and former attorney-general was accused of an historic rape which he denies.

Moderate Liberals also worry it will hamper climate action. Mr Morrison has been steadily moving towards a target of net zero emissions by 2050, a target that Mr Joyce has previously spoken out against in the belief it would harm regional jobs.

Ms Joyce (in green) competed at her first bodybuilding event in New South Wales in March 2020, to show off what commentators called her 'revenge body'

On Monday, Mr Joyce said he would be guided by his party on whether to support a net zero target.

'It is not Barnaby policy - it's Nationals policy.

'If the National Party room believes that the best deal for regional Australia is to make sure that we secure their jobs, is to make sure that we secure their industries, is to clearly understand, clearly understand the dynamics of an Australian economy as to opposed to a Danish one or a German one - if that's the view of the National Party room, that's the view that I'll support,' he said.

Mr Morrison is currently quarantining in The Lodge, in Canberra, after arriving back from the G7 summit in the UK.

Before the spill, the Prime Minister threw his support behind the incumbent.

'I've got a wonderful partnership with Michael. We've worked very closely together and provided great stable leadership for Australia,' he told 2GB radio.

Mr Joyce is considered not only a better communicator than Mr McCormack but a stronger parliamentary performer who will give the minor Coalition partner a higher profile leading up to the next election.

He is likely to push back against the Government embracing ambitious climate change targets, which Mr Morrison is under international pressure to adopt.

His appointment will also likely to lead to a reshuffle of Cabinet as Barnaby's loyalists are rewarded with ministerial posts.

Mr Joyce was married and already the father of four daughters when he embarked on an affair with former staffer Vikki Campion (pictured)

Nationals whip Damian Drum confirmed the outcome of the leadership but did not reveal the vote tally, in line with National Party custom.

'He has to go through a process now to be sworn in, to have all the conversations, to talk to the prime minister, and effectively get on with the job of representing our people,' he told reporters at Parliament House.

Mr McCormack was asked during a brief press conference after the meeting what he told Nationals colleagues.

'I said thank you for the great privilege of serving you,' he told reporters.

Senator Canavan earlier the Nationals had been suffering an 'identity crisis' because Mr McCormack hasd failed to map out a clear vision for regional Australia.

A Liberal MP earlier said it would be 'disastrous' for the Prime Minister's climate change plans if Mr Joyce were to become the Nationals leader again.

'Barnaby doesn't care about getting us to a position on the environment which is sensible. He will turn the issue into a vote loser for us,' the MP said.

Before the spill, Mr Joyce downplayed the prospects of challenging for the Nationals leadership, but did not rule out running for the leadership.

'I've read articles this weekend which are so far ahead of the show they're entertaining but they're just not correct,' he told Network Seven.

Mr Joyce needed to secure at least 11 votes from the 21-strong team of Nationals sitting in the federal parliament.

Mr McCormack said rebels in the ranks would need to 'blow me out' because he would not be standing aside.

'I will absolutely run,' he told The Australian Financial Review.

'I'm not a quitter, they'll have to blow me out.'

Asked if Mr McCormack was doing a good job Mr Joyce said: 'He is doing the best job he can'.

'He is a good bloke and has been working as hard as he can.'

Mr Joyce's last attempt to roll Mr McCormack in February 2020 ended in failure.

But it did result in Agriculture Minster David Littleproud - seen as a future leader - becoming the Nationals deputy leader.

On the policy front, some colleagues consider Mr McCormack as weak in pushing back against stronger climate action and a failure in claiming credit for infrastructure spending.

But the leadership rumblings appear far more personality-based.

Nationals frontbencher Darren Chester, a staunch supporter of Mr McCormack, said country voters were sick of the 'bulldust' around leadership tensions.

'I've read the speculation and I've heard the speculation. I don't think there's even going to be a spill motion today and nor should there be,' he told the ABC.

'Michael McCormack is doing a very good job for our country, for regional Australia, in difficult circumstances.'

Mr Chester accused rebellious Nationals colleagues of 'mischief-making' by fuelling the speculation.

With AAP
Dr Anthony Fauci has again claimed that people who criticize him for his COVID-19 'flip-flopping' are actually condemning science itself.

The White House coronavirus tsar struck a cranky tone in an upcoming New York Times podcast interview, where he claimed any changes in his recommendations were solely based on evolving data as the COVID crisis continued.

Fauci said: '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.

'[T]he people who are giving the ad hominems are saying, "Ah, Fauci misled us. First he said no masks, then he said masks."

'Well, let me give you a flash. That's the way science works. You work with the data you have at the time.'

Fauci, 80, initially told Americans not to worry about wearing face masks early in the COVID crisis in spring 2020. He later became a huge supporter of public masking, and claimed his early dismissal of face coverings had been to try and conserve then-tight supplies for medical staff.

Dr Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke to podcast host Kara Swisher of The New York Times for her show Sway, which airs on Monday

The veteran immunologist - who has served as director of the National Institutes of Health since 1984 - has also faced criticism for initially steering conversation away from claims that COVID may have leaked from a Wuhan virus lab.

He now says he is open to that theory.

Fauci said that he was unbothered by both the praise and condemnation that has come as a result of him being the de-facto 'face' of the US COVID crisis, but said he was shocked to have received criticism likening him to Adolf Hitler.

In the preview of his podcast interview, shared with Axios, he said he puts 'very little weight in the adulation, and very little weight in the craziness of condemning me.'

'It gets preposterous, and the thing that bothers you most of all is the impact it has on your family,' Fauci continued.

'I mean, getting death threats and getting your daughters and your wife threatened with obscene notes and threatening notes is not fun. So I can't say that doesn't bother me.

'The more extreme they get, the more obvious how political it is ... "Fauci has blood in his hands.' Are you kidding me? ... Here's a guy whose entire life has been devoted to saving lives, and now you're telling me he's like Hitler? You know, come on, folks. Get real.'

Swisher asked the 80-year-old how he felt about the criticism of him 'flip flopping' on mask mandates

Republican critics are calling for Fauci, who is now Joe Biden's chief medical advisor, to be fired.

Retailers were doing a roaring trade during the pandemic in deities with Fauci's face on them, and candles fit for a Fauci shrine.

And Brad Pitt took heed of Fauci's joking remark that he'd like the Hollywood star to play him in a movie of his life, appearing as the doctor on a Saturday Night Live sketch.

The feeling was equally strong on the other side, however, and in April 2020 he was given bodyguards.

Fauci, seen at a May 26 hearing in Congress to discuss the budget for his NIAID, has spent four decades as the nation's top public health expert

How Fauci flip-flopped on the origins of COVID April 2020: Fauci repeatedly made public statements suggesting that that 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 the coronavirus was man-made. '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,' he told National Geographic in an exclusive interview published May 4, 2020. '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,' Fauci said. 'Certainly, the people who investigated it say it likely was the emergence from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out.' He added: '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

Fauci has previously attempted to explain that his recommendations evolved as the scientific thinking changed - leading to furious attacks from conservative pundits.

Earlier this month they laid into him, sarcastically branding him King Tony Fauci, after the immunologist suggested that attacks on him were 'attacks on science.'

'The man does think he's some kind of deity,' said Laura Ingraham on Fox News' The Ingraham Angle.

'His argument is essentially... 'I am the science! I am the truth!' she scoffed.

Fellow Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson called him 'King Tony Fauci' for the doctor's self-aggrandizing comments.

'Normal people don't talk that way,' he said.

'It's not Fauci who just believes he is immune. You are not allowed to say anything negative about him or the culture revolution.'

Sean Hannity, likewise seized on Fauci's remarks, saying that he 'got really p*ssed off, very defensive, even indignant, trying to claim any criticism of him is a criticism of science.'

Fauci's remarks seemingly equating himself with science also unleashed a wave of scorn on Twitter, with critics on the right calling the veteran doctor a 'petty tyrant' with a God complex.

The doctor's comments and the ensuing firestorm came after Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn, Marco Rubio and Tom Cotton called on Fauci to resign, or face termination, arguing that he misled the American people on the origins of COVID-19 and the use of face masks at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

'It's very dangerous, because a lot of what you're seeing as attacks on me, quite frankly, are attacks on science because all of the things that I have spoken about consistently from the very beginning have been fundamentally based on science,' Fauci told NBC's Chuck Todd.

'Sometimes those things were inconvenient truths for people, and there was pushback against me.

'So if you are trying to get at me as a public health official, you're really attacking not only Dr. Anthony Fauci, you are attacking science.

'And anybody that looks at what is going on clearly sees that,' Fauci concluded.

'You have to be asleep not to see that.

'Science and the truth are being attacked.'

The comments come as Republican legislators ramp up their attacks against the director of the NIAID after Buzzfeed News published thousands of his emails since the coronavirus pandemic began last year, which critics claim shows him flip-flopping on the issues.

In one email, he told a woman who was traveling in late February 2020 that she does not need to wear a mask.

'Masks are really for infected people to prevent them from spreading infection to people who are not infected, rather than protecting uninfected people from acquiring infection,' he wrote in the leaked email.

'The typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out the virus, which is small enough to pass through the material. It might, however, provide some slight benefit in keep out gross droplets if someone coughs or sneezes on you.'

'I do not recommend that you wear a mask, particularly since you are going to a very low-risk location.'

The comments come amid claims that Fauci flip-flopped on his stance on masks, claiming in an email to a woman in February 2020 that they are 'not really effective in keeping out the virus'

In his June 9 NBC interview, Fauci said he was acting on the information he had at the time, when officials believed there was a mask shortage, people were not sure masks would work outside of a hospital setting and were unaware COVID-19 could be spread through asymptomatic carriers.

Fauci said the 'entire CDC was saying the same thing' at the time, but eventually data came back and showed that mask-wearing helped reduce the spread and more than half of the coronavirus cases in the United States were being spread though asymptomatic contact.

'That's when we said we've got to get people to wear masks,' he said.

'You've got to be guided by the science and the current data,' Fauci said, noting: 'People want to fire me or put me in jail for what I've done - namely follow the science. It's preposterous.'

Fauci has also come under scrutiny for a $830,000 grant the NIAID gave the Wuhan Institute of Virology, to study the risk that bat coronaviruses could infect humans.

Fauci defended the grant in a congressional hearing last month, saying the money was meant to be used to 'study the animal-human interface, to do surveillance and to determine if these bat viruses were even capable of' infecting humans.

He cited comments made by Francis Collins, director of the National Institute of Health, who said that the American tax dollars that went to the Wuhan lab - where many officials now believe COVID-19 originated - was not approved for gain-of-function research, which is research that involves modifying a virus to make it more infectious among humans.

But, Collins said, the National Institute of Health would not be aware of other experiments being done at the lab.

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. Recently, Fauci admitted granting the lab money to study the risk that bat coronaviruses could infect humans

In one of the leaked emails, it appeared Fauci was warned as early as January 31 by another infectious disease expert, Kristian G. Andersen, that the virus could have leaked from the lab and been altered.

In the email, Andersen referenced a Science magazine article about how researchers around the world were racing to share 'full sequences of the virus from patients' to understand how it related to viruses found in animals.

'The unusual features of the virus make up a really small part of the genome (<0.1%) so one has to look really closely at all the sequences to see that some of the features (potentially) look engineered,' he wrote.

At the time, the lab leak hypothesis was largely dismissed by many experts.

It has recently gained traction.
A naked homeless man broke into a Bel Air mansion and came face-to-face with the owner but refused to leave and instead stayed to try on his clothes, swim in his pool and kill the family's pet parakeets.

Paul Kiyan, 34, was able to break into the home of Mat Sabz by using a remote control which he took from an unlocked car that was sitting in the driveway.

Kiyan was caught on home surveillance cameras as he entered the house and began to make his way up the stairs.

Sabz was only alerted to the uninvited visitor after his wife received an alert on her phone that someone was inside the home who shouldn't be.

Mat Sabz, left, was alerted to an intruder in his home thanks to a security system

Sabz, left, came out of his room and saw Paul Kiyan, 34, coming up the stairs

Kiyan claimed that he lived in the house and made himself at home putting on Sabz's clothes

Sabz came out to confront the intruder but the man remained calm and went for a swim in the owner's pool.

'I see a man downstairs, eye to eye. Immediately I raised my voice and pointed at him saying "Hey what are you doing?"', Sabz told Fox 11.

But being confronted didn't stop the burglar.

'He didn't leave. He looked at me and said "This is my house, what are you doing here?" and before I could say a word he said "I'm going to call the police". And right away I realized that this is not a person that you want to engage with any further,' Sabz explained.

Sabz wife was also heard screaming at Kiyan to leave, although it is unclear if she had returned to their home, or was speaking to him over the speaker attached to their security cameras.

Kiyan took time to explore the downstairs of the mansion even looking at the camera for a close-up

Kiyan also spent some time making himself at home as sat down on the couch

Kiyan even took some time to swim in Sabz's swimming pool

Kiyan managed to get into the home using a garage remote from an unlocked car parked in the drive

After waltzing around the Bel Air mansion in a pair of Sabz's short, the unwelcome guest seemed to make himself at home and sat in a chair before he began looking at possessions that were dotted around the first floor of the home.

It was when he spotted two pet parakeets in a cage that things took a gruesome and cruel turn.

'First he smiled at them like a serial killer. He put his hands near them, dropped them, and stomped on them. The other bird knew what was going on. You can hear the bird screaming and he did the same thing with the second bird. And that kind of changed everything when we saw that he killed these two defenseless animals,' Sabz said.

Things took a sinister turn as Kiyan was caught on camera killing two parakeets

Sabz decided he had to escape and jumped off the balcony and onto his car as he dialed 911.

Sabz, left, said he grateful that only he was at home at the time of the invasion and that neither his wife, Monica, right, or children were present

Beverly Hills Police eventually showed up Kiyan who was faces burglary and animal cruelty charges

Sabz decided he had to escape and jumped off the balcony and onto his car as he dialed 911.

Neighborhood security soon arrived followed by Beverly Hills Police who arrested the intruder.

'You could say we dodged a bullet because who knew what this man could have done to my family if they were home?' Sabz said.

Kiyan is facing burglary and animal cruelty charges.

Sabz appeared relaxed as he wandered around the downstairs floor of the home

Kiyan was finally arrested by Beverly Hills Police who were called to the scene
A man killed in a freak tornado in Auckland on Saturday was thrown into the air before colliding with an 'object'.



The devastating twister hit the south Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe shortly after 8am, turning suburbs into a 'war zone'.

The man was working at the Ports of Auckland freight hub when the killer storm ripped through the area and injured two others on site.

Auckland mayor Phil Goff said the man was hoisted into the air and thrown against an object.

The man is believed to have been a contractor who at the time of his death was fixing machinery for Conlinxx, which operates the site.

Debris is scattered across a street in Papatoetoe, Auckland, New Zealand after a tornado swept through the suburb at 8am Saturday

The storm ripped off roofs and brought down power lines in more than 1,200 homes

Scaffolding on local construction sites created dangerous debris during the wild winds

Auckland on Monday was still cleaning up from the wild weather which included gusts of wind so powerful it toppled shipping containers at the Ports of Auckland freight hub .

'We are shocked by this freak event and our thoughts are with the people affected,' a spokesman from the Ports of Auckland said.

Mr Goff described the entire suburb as a 'war-zone'.

'The tornado caused significant damage to the site and dislodged multiple containers,' he said.

'It's an absolute tragedy that we've lost a person, but it could have been so much worse.'

Pictures of the aftermath showed vehicles overturned, roofs torn off buildings, power lines toppled, trees uprooted, and debris strewn across streets.

The force of the winds were so strong they easily upturned vehicles

According to Auckland mayor Phil Goff, the cost of clean-up could run intot tens of millions of dollars

Locals helped with recovery efforts prompting praise from Mayor Goff

Mr Goff said the damage bill could run into the tens of millions of dollars.

'There'll be people that have faced costs that aren't covered in any other way and that are causing hardship, we just want to have something there as a back-up to give people the assistance so that they are not suffering real hardship.' he said.

More than 1,200 homes were left without power after the freak storm.

The damage was centred around the southern suburb of Papatotoe with residential streets in South Auckland slammed.

The twister has left the local area with millions of dollars worth of damages including torn roofs, uprooted trees and torn power lines

Papatotoe resident Heather Haylock said the storm destroyed brand new houses before their owners could move in.

'Trees were snapped off at the roots, there's a new house being built over the road and it's all over on one side. Cars have been crushed by power poles. It's kinda crazy really,' she told The New Zealand Herald.

New Zealand's acting Emergency Management Minister Kris Faafoi said the cleanup and repairs were expected to take weeks.

Clean up efforts and repairs rolled out on Monday are expected to take months to complete

'My heart goes out to the family and friends who have lost a loved one, and to those who have been injured,' he said.

'I know this has been a distressing weekend for people in Auckland, with many lives disrupted, and many homes and businesses damaged.'

Mr Faafoi praised residents for rallying together during the clean-up effort, with many helping secure tarpaulins and handing out meals.

Council team are going from house to house to estimate the storm damage

'I'd like to recognise the extraordinary efforts of emergency management staff, first responders, volunteers, businesses, community leaders and residents who have also provided support,' he said.

'There is still a recovery effort ahead for this impacted community. They should know the government will be standing alongside them.'
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The organiser of Download Festival said it is '100 per cent evidence' that big music events can take place safely amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Melvin Benn, managing director of the Festival Republic group, said the level of compliance he saw during the Covid test event was 'extraordinary', adding that the festival was proof music events could be Covid secure.

Around 10,000 eager fans flocked to Donington Park, East Midlands, to enjoy the three-day version of Download Festival, called Download Pilot, which kicked off on Friday before coming to a close on Sunday night.

Speaking as the festival drew to a close, Mr Benn said: 'It's extraordinary really. It's really fantastic. I am very heart-warmed by it all.

Melvin Benn, managing director of the Festival Republic group, said the level of compliance he saw during the Covid test event was 'extraordinary'. Pictured: Crowds as Skindred performed during the Download Pilot festival on Sunday

Mr Benn, the organiser of Download Festival, said this year's three-day music event (pictured) was '100 per cent evidence' that big music events can take place safely amid the Covid-19 pandemic

Around 10,000 fans flocked to Donington Park, East Midlands, to enjoy the three-day version of Download Festival, called Download Pilot, which kicked off on Friday before coming to a close on Sunday night. Pictured: Festival goers on Sunday

'What is extraordinary about it is the level of compliance around the testing and requirements we have is absolutely extraordinary.

'In a way that you would expect when you are in the middle or towards the tail end of a pandemic, that level of compliance is extraordinary.

'It is coupled with a level of normality that is equally extraordinary when you have been out of it for so long.'

Despite heavy rain and showers, fans danced to the likes of Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes, Enter Shikari, who played on Friday and Saturday, while Bullet For My Valentine and Frank Turner graced the stage on Sunday.

Asked about if it remains impossible for large-scale music events to be Covid-secure, Mr Benn said: 'It is evidence that this is not true. It is 100% evidence that it is not true. This is a very clear demonstration that you can do it.'

The festival took part as a Government test event to see how Covid transmission takes place in crowds, which gave people a taste of normality as fans did not have to wear masks or socially distance.

Crowds, who had to provide a negative PCR test before arrival, were allowed to mosh and hug at the camping-only festival as they were freed from strict Covid regulations while onsite.

But the rock and metal event's capacity was reduced by 90 per cent from 111,000 to around 10,000 as it was allowed to run as a smaller pilot event rather than being cancelled for the second year running.

Despite heavy rain and showers, fans danced to the likes of Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes, Enter Shikari, who played on Friday and Saturday, while Jimmy Wizard of Higher Power (pictured) and Frank Turner graced the stage on Sunday

The festival took part as a Government test event to see how Covid transmission takes place in crowds, which meant fans did not have to wear masks or socially distance. Pictured: Fan dressed as Jesus crowd surfed during the festival

Crowds, who had to provide a negative PCR test before arrival, were allowed to mosh at the camping-only festival as they were freed from Covid rules while onsite. Pictured: Jamie Lenman performs on day three of the Download Pilot festival

Mr Benn predicted that the data being gathered by the Government at the festival would prove that similar events can take place amid the pandemic.

He continued: 'In fairness, the DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) are on board with the message which is that these things can happen and they can happen safely.

'What we want from Download is data that scientists can analyse that will effectively reinforce that position, and that data is being gathered and I am certain it will do just that.'

Festival organisers announced in March that they were cancelling the event due to the pandemic, but the event was given the green light in May as a Government test event.

The event comes after a series of smaller pilots events run as part of the Events Research Programme, which aims to examine the risk of transmission of Covid-19 from attendance at events and explore ways to enable people to attend a range of venues safely.

The Download Pilot Festival was quickly arranged in around a month and featured 40 bands across two stages after kicking off on June 18.

Fans were only able to buy weekend tickets and leaving the festival site in between music acts was strongly discouraged by organisers.

Away from the festival, people were still required to follow the Government's current guidelines on social distancing and mask-wearing.

Latitude, which is also run by Festival Republic, announced on Friday it would be going ahead between July 22 and July 25 in Suffolk.

The rock event's capacity was reduced by 90 per cent from 111,000 to around 10,000 as it was allowed to run as a smaller pilot event rather than being cancelled for the second year running. Pictured: Kadeem France of Loathe performs on Sunday

Festival organisers announced in March that they were cancelling the event due to the pandemic, but the event was given the green light in May as a Government test event. Pictured: Festival goers enjoy the third and final day of the music event

Mr Benn predicted that the data being gathered by the Government at the festival would prove that similar events can take place amid the pandemic. Pictured: Festival goers on day three of the Download Pilot Festival

The Download Pilot Festival was quickly arranged in around a month and featured 40 bands across two stages after kicking off on June 18. Pictured: Kadeem France of Loathe performs during the rock and metal event on Sunday

Mr Benn said that after talks with the DCMS over the last week, he felt 'sufficiently encouraged' to push ahead with the music, comedy and arts festival.

He also suggested that the Government has plans to launch a limited coronavirus insurance scheme.

He explained: 'I believe, and again there is no guarantee, but I believe the Government will come forward with a limited Government-backed insurance scheme.

'It wouldn't be everything that we want by any means but it would certainly be enough to encourage us to all get going again.'

A DCMS spokesman said: 'We are continuing to work flat out to support festivals and live events including through our ongoing events research programme.

'Festival organisers have received more than 34 million from our unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund, with more financial support on the way after a 300 million boost at budget.

'We are aware of the wider concerns about securing indemnity cover and are exploring what further support may be required when the sector is able to reopen.'
Angelina Jolie yesterday visited refugees in Burkina Faso to highlight the problems faced by people who have to flee their homes.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Special Envoy, 46, donned a headscarf as she spoke in the West African nation to mark World Refugee Day.

Highlighting how the number of displaced people in the world has doubled in the past year, she said: 'There is nowhere I would rather be today than here, with refugees, the people I admire most in the world.'

Angelina Jolie yesterday visited refugees in Burkina Faso to highlight the problems faced by people who have to flee their homes

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Special Envoy, 46, donned a headscarf as she spoke in the West African nation to mark World Refugee Day

More than 1.2million people in the Sahel region of West and Central Africa have been forced to flee their homes since 2019, according to the United Nations.

The UN says funding for its response to the refugee crisis in the country is critically low and needs to be boosted by around 80 per cent.

Speaking in Burkina Faso's Goudoubo refugee camp, in the central city of Kaya, Ms Jolie added that she had 'never been as worried' about displaced people as she is now.

'We have to wake up to the track we are on globally, with so many conflicts raging and the very real possibility that climate change will force tens if not hundreds of millions of people to have to leave their homes in the future, with no possibility of return,' she warned.

Highlighting how the number of displaced people in the world has doubled in the past year, she said: 'There is nowhere I would rather be today than here, with refugees, the people I admire most in the world'

'The way the international community tries to address conflict and insecurity is broken.

'It is erratic, it is unequal, it is built on inherited privilege, it is subject to the whim of political leaders, and it is geared towards the interests of powerful countries,' she added.

She then called for the international community to focus on finding solutions to reduce refugee numbers globally, saying: 'The truth is we are not doing half of what we could and should do to find solutions to enable refugees to return home - or to support host countries, like Burkina Faso.'

Ms Jolie's speech comes after she collaborated with Amnesty International last year on a new book to help young people know their rights when protesting against injustice.

The Tomb Raider star said she is keen to help 'empower' those who are trying to make a change in the world, whether that be by protesting on the streets or within their community, with the book Know Your Rights (And Claim Them).

It was revealed on Wednesday that the book helps children up to the age of 18 to counter misinformation and let them know how to stop their rights from being violated.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son Archie could be allowed to choose whether or not he becomes a prince when he turns 18, a royal author has claimed.

Leading royal biographer Robert Lacey says the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could follow in the footsteps of Earl and Countess of Wessex - who have not styled their children 'prince' or 'princess'.

The couple's children, James and Louise, are instead known as Viscount Severn and Lady Louise Windsor.

The siblings, who are 13th and 14th in line to the throne, will get a choice on whether to take royal titles or style themselves as HRH when they turn 18.

It comes amid claims, first reported in Mail on Sunday, that Prince Charles will ensure that Archie will never be a prince as part of his plan for a slimmed-down Monarchy.

However, Lacey, who is set to release an updated edition of his book Battle of Brothers, told the Times that such a move does 'not seem likely'.

He said: 'It is possible that Prince Charles may try to remove royal status from the Sussex children when he comes to the throne but that does not seem likely.

It comes amid claims, first reported in Mail on Sunday, that Prince Charles (pictured) will ensure that Archie will never be a Prince as part of his plan for a slimmed-down Monarchy

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son Archie could be allowed to choose whether or not he becomes a prince when he turns 18, a royal author has claimed

Leading royal biographer Robert Lacey says the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could follow in the footsteps of Earl and Countess of Wessex - who have not styled their children prince or princess. Pictured: The Earl and Countess of Wessex to take part in a Great British Beach Clean with their children, Lady Louise Windsor and James Viscount Severn

Prince Harry 'agreed to do Oprah Winfrey interview along with Meghan 24 hours after Queen stripped him of his military titles over Megxit' Prince Harry agreed to do his bombshell Oprah interview with Meghan Markle less than 24 hours after being told he would be stripped of his military titles, according to reports. The Duke of Sussex, 36, is said to have become 'angry' at losing a number of his military appointments in the wake of 'Megxit'. The final deal for him to step back from front line royal duties - which included him being stripped of his titles - was announced in February. A 'very cross' Prince Harry agreed to an interview with US chat show host Oprah Winfrey that weekend, a source told the Sun. The source reportedly told the paper: 'Harry and Meghan were very cross before Oprah because the final Megxit separation had just been signed off which included Harry not keeping military roles. 'That was what made him so angry. Hes very emotional and his military roles were very important to him given that he served.' It has previously been suggested that the decision to do the bombshell CBS interview came after the Duke and Duchess were reportedly told that their son Archie would not be made a prince under when Prince Charles becomes king. The topic was brought up in the couple's jaw-dropping 90-minute talk with Oprah. Prince Harry was stripped of his role as Captain-General of the Royal Marines - handed down to him by his grandfather Prince Philip, as part of the final deal for him to step back as a front line royal. It was reported prior to the announcement of the final 'Megxit' deal in February that Prince Harry, who twice toured Afghanistan with the Army, had hoped to keep the titles. And he is said to have asked the Queen about the possibility, in what was described as a half-in-half-out role. But such a plan was vetoed and the title was taken back, along with his role as Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington in Suffolk and Commodore-in-Chief Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command. The titles were initially returned to the Queen. The move to strip him of the titles 'devastated' Prince Harry, according to reports at the time. Prince Harry later took part in his interview with Oprah, in which he and Meghan Markle made accusations of racism within the Royal Family. MailOnline has contacted representatives for the Sussexes and Buckingham Palace for comment. Advertisement

'His priority then will be to gain popular support for upgrading the status of Camilla from princess consort to queen consort, and he is not likely to court unpopularity by removing HRH status from Archie and Lili.'

Meanwhile, palace insiders have reportedly told the Times that the Prince of Wales does not have the power to stop Archie from becoming a prince.

According to the paper, under the current system, Archie will automatically become a prince when the Queen dies and Prince Charles ascends to the throne.

Therefore, the only way that Archie could be prevented from becoming a prince is if the Queen decides to change the rules.

However, Lacey told the Times: 'It is clear to me that the Queen and her advisers have discussed this issue at the highest level, and that the future royal status of Archie and Lili is not in jeopardy in her lifetime.'

It comes as the Mail on Sunday revealed that Prince Charles is to ensure that his two-year-old grandson Archie will never be a Prince.

The heir to the throne has made it clear that Harry and Meghan's son will have no place among frontline Royals as he plans a slimmed-down Monarchy after he becomes King.

The move has incensed the Sussexes and is thought to have prompted the series of bitter accusations the couple have levelled at Charles and the Royal Family from across the Atlantic.

A grandchild of the sovereign has long had the right to be a Prince, but Charles is determined to limit the number of key Royals, believing the public does not wish to pay for an ever-expanding Monarchy.

Charles has told the Sussexes that he will change key legal documents to ensure that Archie cannot get the title he would once have inherited by right, according to a source close to the couple.

The decision, which follows months of fraught discussion behind the scenes, has plunged relations between Harry and his relatives to a dangerous new low.

'Harry and Meghan were told Archie would never be a Prince, even when Charles became King,' confirmed the source.

Meanwhile, The Mail on Sunday has learned that Harry demanded the right to approve at least one writer or journalist to work alongside the usual 'press pack' of Royal reporters at the unveiling of the statue to Princess Diana next month, so deep is his distrust of the British media.

The full details of Charles's plan for a slimmed-down Monarchy have never been revealed, but it has been speculated that only heirs to the throne and their immediate families will receive full titles, financial support from the public purse through the Sovereign Grant and police protection funded by the taxpayer.

Charles and his younger brother, the Duke of York, have already been at loggerheads about what security Andrew's daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie should receive in future. Now Harry and Meghan have found themselves caught up, too.

Insiders suggest they hadn't seen the move coming, and were shocked to find that Charles will take the active step of changing legal instruments known as the Letters Patent in order to exclude Archie and others.

The loss will be all the more galling as the Sussexes havemade a point of refusing to use another, lesser title for their son, who is technically the Earl of Dumbarton. They took that decision safe in the knowledge that Archie would become a Prince in due course. Or so they thought.

Earlier this year, a source close to the Sussexes confirmed they did indeed expect Archie to be named a Prince when Charles, Archie's grandfather, acceded to the throne. Their spokesman at the time was even instructed to remind journalists of that 'fact'.

The Sussexes finally learned that would not be the case just before sitting down with Oprah Winfrey for their first bombshell interview in March.

Insiders suggest the issue was still raw at the time of the recording  which might help account for the devastating criticisms they unleashed on the show, including the damaging implication that an unnamed senior member of the Royal Family had referred to Archie in a racist way.

The move has incensed the Sussexes and is thought to have prompted the series of bitter accusations the couple have levelled at Charles and the Royal Family

Charles is determined to limit the number of key Royals, believing the public does not wish to pay for an ever-expanding Monarchy

Charles and his younger brother, the Duke of York, have already been at loggerheads about what security Andrew's daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie should receive in future

Royal author reveals true depth of fallout between warring brothers and says it was William who split the households amid 'bullying' allegations against Meghan Markle Prince William was so hurt after a blistering row with his brother Prince Harry that he threw the Duke of Sussex out of their joint household at Kensington Palace, it has been revealed. The dispute between the brothers came as Harry's wife Meghan Markle was being accused of bullying her staff at the palace. When William was informed about the 'dossier of distress' that had been compiled in relation to her behaviour, he was concerned and had to speak with Harry face to face. What resulted was a bitter row which left both princes unhappy with each other and led William to take the decision to split their household, it has been claimed. The clash has been detailed by historian and biographer Robert Lacey, in his book Battle of Brothers which is being serialised in The Times. The newspaper revealed in March how Jason Knauf, communications secretary to the Cambridges and Sussexes, claimed in October 2018 that Meghan had been bullying members of staff. Lawyers for the Sussexes have denied the allegations. After William heard the bullying allegations, he rang Harry, according to Lacey. The conversation was heated and Harry 'shut off his phone angrily' so William went to speak to him personally. Lacey writes: 'The Prince was horrified by what he had just been told about Meghan's alleged behaviour, and he wanted to hear what Harry had to say. The showdown between the brothers was fierce and bitter.' The brothers had established a joint household at Kensington Palace in 2009 but this all came to an end in October 2018 - ahead of the Sussexes' Australian tour in contrast to what Harry has said. In his explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Duke of Sussex claims that jealously was behind the rift after family members observed how well Meghan had carried out her duties while touring Australia. But, according to Lacey, the brothers were already not on speaking terms when the couple set off for their trip. William was disturbed by the reports he received from PR man Jason Knauf who had emailed the Duke his concerns. Knauf had compiled a dossier of complaints from Kensington Palace staff members who alleged bullying behaviour by Meghan. After reading the email, the Duke of Cambridge tried to speak with Harry on the phone and, when Harry hung up in anger, William went to speak to him face to face. Lacey says the ensuing confrontation between the brothers was 'fierce and bitter' and left William feeling 'hurt and betrayed' while Harry was 'furious'. According to Lacey, some sources have claimed that Harry accused someone in the family of 'concepts that were racist' but Lacey stresses neither brother has ever confirmed the word racist was used. As reported in the Times, the argument left William certain that Meghan had to be removed from the household as Lacey states he 'simply did not want Harry or Meghan around anymore'. Citing a friend of the Duke of Cambridge, Lacey says he was told: 'William threw Harry out.' Advertisement

It also throws a spotlight on one section of the interview which had raised eyebrows at the time. Speaking to Oprah, Meghan recalled how, when she had been pregnant, 'They [the Royal Family] were saying they didn't want him to be a Prince or a Princess'.

She continued: 'You know, the other piece of that convention is, there's a convention  I forget if it was George V or George VI convention  that when you're the grandchild of the monarch, so when Harry's dad becomes King, automatically Archie and our next baby would become Prince or Princess, or whatever they were going to be But also it's not their right to take it away.'

This puzzled Royal watchers, who reminded the Sussexes they had very publicly declared that they didn't want a title for their son, who would be known as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

Some pointed out that a son of Prince Harry's  a great-grandchild of the Queen  had no automatic right to be titled a Prince, or receive a security allowance. But that was to ignore the real drama taking place behind the scenes. Because Meghan was actually referring to the secret news that Archie would never become a Prince, not even when Charles was King.

A source said: 'This is what nobody realised from the interview. The real thing was that Charles was going to take active steps to strip Archie of his ultimate birthright.'

The existing rules for Royal titles were established in Letters Patent dated November 20, 1917.

In these, King George V, the Queen's grandfather, allowed the title of Prince and Princess to be given to the children of the sovereign, the children of the sovereign's sons and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales  in this case, Prince George.

Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, William's daughter and younger son, received their titles not by right but as gifts of the Queen, who issued new Letters Patent to that effect in 2013. Similarly, when King, Charles will have the power to change George V's Letters Patent how he sees fit  and so streamline The Firm.

An insider said: 'Charles has never made any secret of the fact that he wants a slimmed-down Monarchy when he becomes King.

'He realises that the public don't want to pay for a huge Monarchy and, as he said, the balcony at Buckingham Palace would probably collapse.'

Even now, not all grandchildren of the Queen are titled Prince or Princess. As she is a daughter, not a son, of the sovereign, Princess Anne's children had no automatic right to the title but out of choice she also declined lesser titles for her children Peter and Zara.

The Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, thought it prudent not to name his daughter and son as Princess and Prince. Instead, they are titled Lady and Viscount respectively.

A Royal source said last night: 'We are not going to speculate about the succession or comment on rumours coming out of America.'

It comes as biography Lacey said Prince William was so hurt after a blistering row with his brother Prince Harry that he threw the Duke of Sussex out of their joint household at Kensington Palace.

The dispute between the brothers came as Harry's wife Meghan Markle was being accused of bullying her staff at the palace.

When William was informed about the 'dossier of distress' that had been compiled in relation to her behaviour, he was concerned and had to speak with Harry face to face.

What resulted was a bitter row which left both princes unhappy with each other and led William to take the decision to split their household, it has been claimed.

The clash has been detailed Lacey, in his book Battle of Brothers which is being serialised in The Times.

The newspaper revealed in March how Jason Knauf, communications secretary to the Cambridges and Sussexes, claimed in October 2018 that Meghan had been bullying members of staff. Lawyers for the Sussexes have denied the allegations.

After William heard the bullying allegations, he rang Harry, according to Lacey. The conversation was heated and Harry 'shut off his phone angrily' so William went to speak to him personally.

Lacey writes: 'The Prince was horrified by what he had just been told about Meghan's alleged behaviour, and he wanted to hear what Harry had to say. The showdown between the brothers was fierce and bitter.'

The Times revealed in March how Jason Knauf, communications secretary to the Cambridges and Sussexes, claimed in October 2018 that Meghan had been bullying members of staff

The brothers had established a joint household at Kensington Palace in 2009 but this all came to an end in October 2018 - ahead of the Sussexes' Australian tour in contrast to what Harry has said.

In his explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Duke of Sussex claims that jealously was behind the rift after family members observed how well Meghan had carried out her duties while touring Australia.

But, according to Lacey, the brothers were already not on speaking terms when the couple set off for their trip.

William was disturbed by the reports he received from PR man Jason Knauf who had emailed the Duke his concerns.

Knauf had compiled a dossier of complaints from Kensington Palace staff members who alleged bullying behaviour by Meghan.

After reading the email, the Duke of Cambridge tried to speak with Harry on the phone and, when Harry hung up in anger, William went to speak to him face to face.

Lacey says the ensuing confrontation between the brothers was 'fierce and bitter' and left William feeling 'hurt and betrayed' while Harry was 'furious'.

According to Lacey, some sources have claimed that Harry accused someone in the family of 'concepts that were racist' but Lacey stresses neither brother has ever confirmed the word racist was used.

As reported in the Times, the argument left William certain that Meghan had to be removed from the household as Lacey states he 'simply did not want Harry or Meghan around anymore'.

Citing a friend of the Duke of Cambridge, Lacey says he was told: 'William threw Harry out.'
Angry passengers hit out at American Airlines after pilot shortages, staff sickness and maintenance issues saw it cancel 303 flights over the weekend.

Social media users took to Twitter to vent their frustration after the airline reported 180 cancelations on Sunday. That was on top of 123 cut on Saturday. Meanwhile, another 98 flights were pre-emptively canceled for Monday, amid warnings a surprise surge in demand for post-COVID travel could see 3,000 AA flights canceled by the end of July.

Bosses explained that the ongoing issues could force them to cancel 50 to 60 flights a day for the remainder of June - equivalent to 600 planes, and up to 80 flights a day in July - a further 2,480 jets.

Americans have returned to the skies far more quickly than large airlines were expecting as COVID-19 numbers drop and quarantine rules are lifted amid widespread access to vaccines. That sudden surge in demand has caught carriers by surprise, ABC News reported.

US airlines suffered their worst year in history in 2020 - losing a combined $35 billion. American, which is the world's biggest airline by fleet size and passenger numbers, accounted for more than a quarter of that loss, falling $9.5 billion into the red.

One passenger left stranded on Sunday tweeted, 'American Airlines cancelled my flight because not enough people boarded and Ive been stuck at the airport since 8 am and finally they just confirmed me for a flight at 6pm. Never again.'

Another wrote: 'Youve canceled two flights. I was on hold for hours. The flight change is NOT acceptable. Need to speak with an agent. Also need a refund on the extra fee I was charged for a flight change I made to my original booking that AA has now canceled. You owe me money.'

Another, Scott Kubie tweeted that his partner's, American Airlines flight was, 'canceled last minute for no given reason. We're thinking pilot shortage. Fine, there's a pilot shortage. Don't sell tickets you can't honor. They were incredibly s***y and unhelpful at the service counter.'

Another wrote,: 'Hey #AAteam have a wife that just had surgery and has to fly home and you canceled the flight without out notice. Didnt schedule another one and not nearly enough credits to pay for a last minute flight home. Good work on getting us home for #FathersDay'

Irate passenger Matt Jones took to Twitter to share a photo of a line he claimed was a mile long for customer service desks at Miami International Airport.

Jones and his fellow passengers were forced to line up after their American Airlines flight from the Florida city to New York was hit by lengthy delays, before finally being canceled.

Irate AA passengers are pictured in a 'mile-long' line for customer service after their flight from Miami to New York was canceled on Sunday - one of 303 axed over the weekend

American Airlines travelers shared their horror stories on social media from the weekend

Travel is bouncing back fast in America after a year of unprecedented lows. Airlines who struggled during the pandemic are now scrambling to meet the sudden resurgence in demand

Last year's large-scale dismissal of experienced airline pilots to save cash has now led to a severe shortage of AA staff who can fly its Boeing 737 jets, which form the backbone of the airline's domestic fleet. It shed 1,200 of its 15,000 pilots, but is now urgently trying to rehire more of those highly-skilled airmen and women.

Many experienced airline pilots were fired last year as airlines struggled to stay afloat during COVID, which saw travel bans imposed - and many others left too frightened to take to the skies.

As the industry comes roaring back, United Airlines Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby warned that the United States could be facing a pilot shortage in the future, as more pilots who earned their wings in the military during the Cold War retire.

'The military produces far fewer pilots today than in the Vietnam and Cold War era,' he told Axios, 'and it's hard to become a pilot, a commercial airline pilot if you're not going through the military.'

Overall, American says it plans to cancel around 1% or 950 flights for the first half of July as it struggles to adjust to a new uptick in demand as the coronavirus pandemic recedes, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The majority of cancellations were for the A320 and 737 aircraft, and American said it anticipates cancelling 50 to 60 flights per day for the remainder of June and 50 to 80 flights per day in July, with total of up to 3,000 the airline told ABC.

'We made targeted changes with the goal of impacting the fewest number of customers by adjusting flights in markets where we have multiple options for re-accommodation,' American said in a statement.

Many of those pilots put on leave after demand for air travel collapsed at the start of the COVID outbreak are now in huge demand among airlines.

The number of jets themselves have also increased, with the Boeing 737 MAX once again approved for service after two deadly crashes saw it taken out of service, according to One Mile at a Time.

As air travel saw a sharp drop-off during the pandemic, many airline employees were offered early retirement and a buyout, leaving vacancies that have yet to be filled, ABC reported.

An American Airlines 737 MAX. A pilot shortage for the aircraft may be the possible reason behind the airline's decision to cancel flights

Companies that provide catering, fueling and wheelchair services have also been short staffed, causing disruptions across American's operations, according to the Journal.

The cuts, an American spokesperson said, are intended to give the airline more flexibility and are intended to be focused in areas where there are other flights that can accommodate customers, the Journal also reported.

Despite the cuts, American is still scheduling far more flights than its competitors, with a July schedule roughly 20% larger than either Delta or United Airlines.

The logistical challenges come as air travel demand is approaching pre-pandemic levels, with the TSA reporting more than 2 million passengers on June 11.

It was the first time since March, 2020 that the agency had screened that many passengers.

On the same day in 2019, for example, the TSA screened around 2.7 million passengers.

After a rough weekend for the airline, American customers shared their horror stories on social media, offering a human perspective on just how disruptive the cancelations had been.
An insight into NSW's 'diamond standard' contract tracing system has been provided by two Sydneysiders whose dining and shopping habits coincided with those of the infected limousine driver behind the state's latest outbreak.

The latest outbreak was sparked on Wednesday when an unvaccinated male limousine driver in his 60s - who transported overseas aircrew to and from the airport - tested positive to the highly transmissible Indian Delta variant.

NSW Health was particularly concerned there would be more cases after revelations he'd visited multiple venues - including the ever busy Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Such a revelation would prompt Victoria, South Australia and Queensland to move immediately to a state-wide lockdown.

Instead, despite infections growing, NSW has done everything possible to keep the state open.

Indeed, on Sunday, as infections grew to 11, and exposure sites to a staggering 86, officials expanded the mask edict from those using public transport to all residents living in Randwick, Bayside, Botany Bay, Inner West, City of Sydney, Waverley and Woollahra councils to wear masks when inside in public areas.

The list of exposure sites as of Monday afternoon is long and spread throughout Sydney and down to Wollongong and Shell Harbour.

There were sites at the Birkenhead Point Factory Outlet in Drummoyne, and more in Sydney's CBD, Parramatta, Tempe and Baulkham Hills.

NSW Health officials reviewed CCTV footage from David Jones in Bondi Junction and figured out a Bondi woman wasn't there at the same time as patient zero, allowing her to cut her quarantine short

Sydney hotspot Belle Cafe printed off a list of all eftpos sales for the relevant days and gave it to NSW Health, who was able to determine that the woman had left before the infected driver arrived

A Sydneysider said she was contacted by health authorities on Sunday after visiting Belle Cafe in Vaucluse, where the infected limousine driver had dined several times, however, she left three hours before he arrived

Contact tracers monitor CCTV in stores and venues, examine the use of eftpos payments and even track Opal card data on public transport to identify NSW residents who have potentially exposed to Covid.

And they do it fast.

NSW Health officials have been able to track down potential close contacts is through the monitoring of Sydneysiders who have paid with bank cards when getting takeaway from cafes, where they aren't required to check in using a QR code.

One Sydneysider told Daily Mail Australia she was contacted by health authorities on Sunday after visiting Belle Cafe in Vaucluse, where the infected limousine driver had dined several times.

She had only picked up takeaway coffee from the cafe at 8am, three hours before the man dropped in, and was there so briefly, when she received a call from NSW Health officials asking what time she had visited the cafe, she admitted she couldn't remember the exact time.

Contact tracers regularly monitor CCTV in stores and venues, examine the use of eftpos payments and even track Opal card data on public transport to identify NSW residents who have been exposed to Covid

Earlier this year, Deputy Secretary for Greater Sydney Howard Collins urged Sydney commuters who use trains and buses to register their Opal card with their contact details

Belle Cafe had printed off a list of all EFTPOS point of sales for the relevant days and given it to NSW Health, who determined within minutes she had left before the driver arrived.

Despite the rigour of NSW Health, the public must come forward for the system to work.

Julia Watt told Triple M's 'Moonman in the Morning' on Monday that she visited David Jones in Bondi Junction Westfield on the same day as the Covid-positive man.

But because Ms Watt didn't check in when arriving the store, contact tracers didn't know if she was there at the same time or after the limousine driver had visited.

'I literally just wandered through on my way to a pilates class to look at some shoes. But I saw it on the news. I debated a lot with my partner on whether to come forward,' the mother of one-year-old twins told the breakfast show on Monday.

However, she came forward, and was told by NSW Health she would have to isolate at home until tracers could identify if she had come into close proximity with the Covid-positive limo driver.

But when NSW Health officials reviewed CCTV footage from the department store, they determined she was on a different floor to him and allowed her to cut her quarantine short as she tested negative and was displaying no symptoms.

'They literally tracked every minute that [shoppers] spend in the store,' Ms Watt said.

'I was on level four and he was on level one.'



Epidemiologist Meru Sheel told Daily Mail that tracking the whereabouts of just one positive case and getting in touch with their close contacts takes about five hours.

Earlier this year, Deputy Secretary for Greater Sydney Howard Collins urged Sydney commuters who use trains and buses to register their Opal card with their contact details.

'Like the QR code, it's a very good way of us working with Health on tracing and tracking,' he said in January.

The data taken from Opal cards has been used to trace people who may have caught buses, light rail services or trains with a potentially Covid-infected person.

State health authorities have used genomic testing as their main weapon to maximise resources.

Amid Sydney's northern beaches cluster in December, Health Minister Brad Hazzard dubbed the state's contact tracing system as 'diamond standard'

'If genomic testing shows that patient zero contracted Covid in quarantine two weeks ago, then you can focus all of your contact tracers on that person,' epidemiologist and public health medicine specialist Tony Blakely said.

'Prioritising where you put your contact tracing resources is probably just as important as the number of contact tracers we've got.'

Two new local cases were reported in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday, one of which had been revealed by health authorities on Saturday. The other case is a close contact of the previously recorded case, bringing active cases to 11.

Another two additional cases in the southern Sydney shire of Sutherland were recorded after the 8pm deadline. They are both close contacts of previously reported cases.

Authorities are urging people to get tested with even slight symptoms and the premier warned the state was entering a critical period.

'The next few days are critical. We ask people not to be complacent. If cases continue to emerge we will need to go further. We are nowhere near having vaccinated the majority of our population yet,' she said on Sunday.

Four more Sydney LGAs have become 'orange zones' under Victoria's border permit system, while South Australia has joined Queensland by imposing an immediate ban on travellers from the Waverley Council area.
Johnny Mercer is taking on the Government in a dramatic court intervention on behalf of Northern Ireland veterans.

The axed veterans minister has lodged a witness statement in support of an elderly ex-soldier facing trial over a historical shooting.

He accuses Boris Johnson of repeatedly lying over a pledge to protect Troubles soldiers and suggests he was misled on the issue during his time in government.

The Tory MP and former Army captain said the broken promises were a 'complete betrayal' of ex-servicemen and he felt 'embarrassed' to have stood by his colleagues for so long.

Mr Mercer, the MP for Plymouth Moor View, cites seven separate occasions when Mr Johnson and his government committed to a law which would protect Northern Ireland veterans from prosecution.

He said the promise, included in the 2019 Conservative manifesto, was 'clear, unequivocal and devoid of any qualification.'

Johnny Mercer (right) is taking on the Government in a dramatic court intervention on behalf of Northern Ireland veterans. The axed veterans minister has lodged a witness statement in support of elderly ex-soldier Dennis Hutchings, who is facing trial over a historical shooting [File photo]

He added: '[It] should be understood (as it was intended to be) as nothing other than a firm promise and not just another general political statement by the government to Northern Ireland veterans.'

The testimony also alleges that Troubles troops are facing discriminatory treatment because they are not included in the Overseas Operations Bill, which offers protection to those who served in the likes of Iraq and Afghanistan, but not to those who served in Northern Ireland.

Mr Mercer's statement will be used in a Court of Appeal action brought by lawyers acting for former Life Guards soldier Dennis Hutchings.

The 80-year-old is accused of attempted murder in relation to the death of a man in County Tyrone in 1974.

Mr Hutchings' claim against Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis alleges that veterans are being discriminated against because the Government has failed to maintain its promise to prevent 'vexatious' prosecutions.

The case failed at the High Court earlier this month but Mr Hutchings and his team have appealed with the fresh testimony from Mr Mercer.
Former Afghani president Hamid Karzai has blasted the US, Britain, Australia and their allies for tearing up his country over 20 years for nothing.

He said the coalition came to his country to fight extremism and bring stability to his war-tortured nation and is leaving having failed at both.

Just weeks before the last US and NATO troops leave Afghanistan, ending their 'forever war,' Mr Karzai said extremism was at its 'highest point' and the departing troops were leaving behind a disaster.

'The international community came here 20 years ago with this clear objective of fighting extremism and bringing stability... but extremism is at the highest point today. So they have failed,' he said.

Former Afghani president Hamid Karzai has blasted the US, Britain, Australia and their allies for tearing up his country over 20 years for nothing

Mr Karzai said departing Western forces leave a legacy of a war-ravaged nation in 'total disgrace and disaster'.

'We recognize as Afghans all our failures, but what about the bigger forces and powers who came here for exactly that purpose?' he said.

'Where are they leaving us now?' he asked and answered: 'In total disgrace and disaster.'

Still, Mr Karzai, who had a conflicted relationship with the US during his 13-year rule, wanted the troops to leave, saying Afghans were united behind an overwhelming desire for peace and now needed to take responsibility for their future.

'We will be better off without their military presence. I think we should defend our own country and look after our own lives,' he said.

'Their presence [has given us] what we have now... We don't want to continue with this misery and indignity that we are facing. It is better for Afghanistan that they leave.'

Mr Karzai's rule followed the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001 by a US-led coalition that invaded to hunt down and destroy the al-Qaida network and its leader, Osama bin Laden, blamed for the 9/11 attack.

SPC Richard Reilly (centre) of Chicago, Illinois and other soldiers with the US Army's 4th squadron 2d Cavalry Regiment patrol with police they and their comrades will leave for good in a few weeks

President Joe Biden announced the final withdrawal of the remaining 2,500-3,500 troops, he said America was leaving having achieved its goals

During his presidency, women re-emerged, girls again attended school, a vibrant, young civil society emerged, new high-rise towers went up in the capital Kabul, and roads and infrastructure were built.

But it was also characterised by allegations of widespread corruption, a flourishing drug trade, and in its final years, relentless quarrels with Washington that continue even until today.

'The [US and NATO military] campaign was not against extremism or terrorism, the campaign was more against Afghan villages and hopes; putting Afghan people in prisons, creating prisons in our own country... and bombing all villages. That was very wrong,' he said.

In April, when President Joe Biden announced the final withdrawal of the remaining 2,500-3,500 troops, he said America was leaving having achieved its goals.

He claimed al-Qaida had been greatly diminished and bin Laden was dead, so America no longer needed boots on the ground to fight the terrorist threats that might emanate from Afghanistan.

Still, the US's attempts to bring about a political end to the decades of war have been elusive.

Afghan passengers walk in front of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, named after the former president - which they are using to leave the country in droves

Afghans said they were frustrated by relentless corruption, marauding criminal gangs  some linked to the powerful warlords in Kabul  and worsening insecurity. Few see a future that is not violent

It signed a deal with the Taliban in February 2020 to withdraw its troops in exchange for a Taliban promise to denounce terrorist groups and keep Afghanistan from again being a staging arena for attacks on the US.

But there is little evidence the Taliban are fulfilling their part of the bargain and the UN claims the Taliban and al-Qaida are still linked.

The architect of the US deal and current American peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said some progress had been made, but without offering any details.

Mr Karzai had harsh words and uncompromising criticism of US war tactics over the past two decades in Afghanistan.

Yet he became a linchpin of sorts in a joint effort being launched by the US and Britain to get a quarrelsome Afghan leadership in Kabul united enough to talk peace with the Taliban.

The insurgent group has shown little interest in negotiating and instead has stepped up its assaults on government positions.

Mr Karzai had a message for both sides in the conflict: 'The two Afghan sides, none of them should be fighting.'

The Taliban have made considerable strides since the May 1 start of the US and NATO withdrawal.

They have overrun dozens of districts, often negotiating their surrender from Afghan national security forces.

But in many instances the fighting has been intense. Just last week a brutal assault by the Taliban in northern Faryab province killed 22 of Afghanistan's elite commandos, led by a local hero Colonel Sohrab Azimi, who was also killed and widely mourned.

'The desire of the Afghan people, overwhelmingly, all over the country is for peace,' Karzai said.

Despite being out of power since 2014, he has lost little of his political influence and is most often at the center of the country's political machinations.

Diplomats, Western officials, generals, tribal elders and politicians on all parts of Afghanistan's political spectrum regularly beat a path to Mr Karzai's door in the heart of the Afghan capital.

As the final military withdrawal is already more than 50 per cent complete, the need for a political settlement or even a visible path to an eventual settlement would seem to be taking on greater urgency, even as Afghans by the thousands are seeking an exit.

Afghans said they were frustrated by relentless corruption, marauding criminal gangs  some linked to the powerful warlords in Kabul  and worsening insecurity. Few see a future that is not violent.

During his presidency, women re-emerged, girls again attended school, a vibrant, young civil society emerged, new high-rise towers went up in the capital Kabul, and roads and infrastructure were built

Mr Karzai had a message for both sides in the conflict: 'The two Afghan sides, none of them should be fighting.'

While accusing both Pakistan, where the Taliban leadership is headquartered, and the US of stoking the fighting, Mr Karzai said it was up to Afghans to end decades of war.

To Pakistan's military and civilian leadership, Mr Karzai said Afghanistan wants 'a civilized relationship'

'If Pakistan adopts an attitude away from the use of extremism against Afghanistan, this relationship can grow into a beautiful relationship, into a very fruitful relationship for both sides,' he said.

To the warring sides in Afghanistan, Mr Karzai said: 'I'm very emphatic and clear about this, both sides should think of the lives of the Afghan people and the property... fighting is destruction.'

'The only answer is Afghans getting together... We must recognize that this is our country and we must stop killing each other.'
A backpacker who was seen running erratically through a pumpkin field before collapsing and dying after a grueling seven-hour shift in 40C heat suffered organ failure, a coroner has ruled.

Belgian Olivier Max Caramin, 27, was working on a farm in northern Australia when he became overwhelmed with exhaustion on October 31, 2017.

Workers on the property at Home Hill, south of Townsville in Queensland, tried to cool him down as his body temperature peaked at 48C.

He was rushed to Townsville Hospital but died the at 4.52am the following day.

Family members demanded an inquest into the tragedy but a coroner's report said that was before the farm owner and contractor were charged over the death.

Olivier Max Caramin, 27, died while picking fruit at a North Queensland farm in 2017

Coroner Nerida Wilson ruled that Mr Caramin suffered severe heat stroke which caused his organs to fail in tough working conditions that included a lack of shade.

'Mr Caramin was not properly acclimatised or adapted to the heat at the time of his death, which was considered to be a significant contributing factor to his death,' her coronial findings read.

'Mr Caramin was observed to be tired but also ill-prepared for the work, having brought limited food and drink with him,

'(He) was wearing a singlet and shorts but no hat.'

Mr Caramin arrived in Australia in September 2017 before going to work for contractors Bradford Clark Rosten.

After picking watermelons in Ayr, he went to harvest a crop of pumpkins at a family-run sugar cane farm near Home Hill.

Mr Caramin was three days into the shift he hoped would help him secure a second-year extension on his Working Holiday Visa when tragedy struck.

The Office of Industrial Relations found staff were pressured to pick fruit in extreme heat with minimal shade to shelter.

Their investigation determined the contractor and farm's failure to assess the conditions significantly contributed to Mr Caramin's death.

The Office of Industrial Relations have since proposed an acclimatisation plan to help foreign workers adjust to the harsh Australian climate.

Mr Caramin died at Townsville Hospital on November 1, 2017 at about 4.52am

'I am satisfied, based on the (Office of Industrial Relations investigation) that steps have been taken to change workplace practices to minimise the likelihood of a death occurring in similar circumstances,' Ms Wilson said.

Bradford Clark Rosten and the farm owner, M & L Zabala Investment PTY LTD were fined $65,000 and $100,000 respectively for breaches to Queensland's Work Health and Safety Act.

Mr Caramin's death is another example of the horror backpackers have experienced while picking fruit Down Under.

Mr Caramin was attempting to secure his second year of his Working Holiday Visa by completely the farm work

Piece-rate workers on grape and zucchini farms are earning as little as $9 per day while blueberry farm workers are earning just $10 per day, according to a survey of 1,300 pickers by Unions NSW and the Migrant Workers' Centre.

The survey, conducted between September and February, appeared to show that conditions are still bleak for many horticulture workers, who are mostly immigrants, despite a huge labor shortage due to the Covid-19 border closure.

The results of the survey are in a report titled 'Working for $9 a day; Wage Theft and Human Rights Abuses on Australian Farms' which also recorded several reports of sexual harassment and abuse.
This is the horrifying moment a volunteer for New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams was repeatedly stabbed on the street and left with a punctured lung in the Bronx amid the city's worsening crime crisis.

Footage shows the moment the unnamed 42-year-old victim was attacked near 150th Street and Morris Avenue just before 3pm on Sunday.

He ended up with a punctured lung as a result of the attack, having been stabbed four times. A knife and an ice pick were recovered near the scene, authorities said.

The volunteer in a red shirt could be seen shaking hands with a voter at 2.41pm when the suspect in a white T-shirt suddenly lunges at him and begins to stab the man from behind. The victim backs away but the suspect continues the frenzied attack.

Sources said the victim, who was canvassing through the neighborhood, had campaign flyers on him at the time of the attack. He was taken to nearby NYC Health & Hospitals/Lincoln Hospital in stable condition to be treated for wounds to his chest, back and arm.

The 42-year-old victim, who has an extensive criminal record, was said to be uncooperative at the scene and at the hospital, sources told DailyMail.com.

Officers have since released images of two male suspects they are looking to track down.

Police say the man seen in the white tank top, camo pants and a red kerchief tied around his head, stabbed the victim repeatedly. His alleged accomplice is pictured in the video wearing a sweatshirt with the word 'privileged' printed across the front.

This is the horrifying moment a volunteer (in red on the right) for NYC mayoral candidate Eric Adams was repeatedly stabbed on the street and left with a punctured lung in the Bronx

Footage shows the moment the victim (right) was stabbed repeatedly. A knife and ice pick were recovered near the scene, authorities said

The attack appears to stab the victim in the back in broad daylight as another man looks on

The two suspects are seen walking away, leaving the victim bleeding on the sidewalk

A 42-year-old volunteer for Eric Adams, pictured, was stabbed multiple times in the Bronx on Sunday afternoon

Officers have now released images of the suspects that police are looking to track down

Police say the man in the white tank top stabbed the victim repeatedly with an ice pick, while the accomplice is seen wearing a sweatshirt that says 'privileged'

Yesterday, Adams described the worker as 'one of our most committed volunteers'.

'We had a campaign volunteer, he was stabbed multiple times by an ice pick. That is one of the most dangerous weapons you can use with a stabbing. He went into surgery. We believe he has stabilized,' Adams, who is the current mayoral front runner said.

'This violence must stop,' Adam's said in a tweet.

'We don't know what it's connected to,' he said. 'We have been dealing with some issues that we're going to see if it's connected with that, but at this time we're not sure. I'm going to stop to see if it's possible to visit him.

'He was a volunteer that came out every day. The video shows that he was out giving out literature for the campaign, but he was stabbed multiple times.'

The victim was canvassing through the neighborhood when two men approached and one of them stabbed the volunteer. Adam's tweeted a picture of the scene

Several of the New York City Democratic mayoral candidates tweeted their shock and support for the victim who had been stabbed

Video as featured by the New York Post shows the victim being approached by two people before being stabbed by one of them.

The weapons used, an ice pick and a knife, were found at the scene.

When detectives questioned the victim, who has himself been arrested almost 50 times, he refused to answer questions.

Mayoral rival Maya Wiley also expressed her condolences Sunday as did several other Democratic mayoral primary candidates  including Kathryn Garica and Andrew Yang.

'Horrible news. My thoughts are with your volunteer, their family, and your entire team, Eric,' Yang tweeted.

'This is horrifying news. My heart goes out to this volunteer and his loved ones. Elyse and I wish a speedy recovery,' wrote Scott Stringer.

'Pained to hear this. Sending love to his family and thinking of the team and volunteers,' said Kathryn Garcia in a Twitter message.

'My thoughts are with him and his family and my heart hurts for Team Adams today. New Yorkers shouldn't have to fear walking down the street,' Wiley tweeted.

'So awful. Hoping he comes out of this okay. Thinking of his family and your team,' added Brad Lander.

'This is abhorrent. My thoughts are with this volunteer, his family, and all of Team Adams. Everyone over at Team Donovan is wishing for his speedy recovery,' said Shaun Donovan.

Statistics show shooting crimes have been up this year city-wide compared to last year

Crimes have been rising throughout New York City, according to the NYPD

The latest brazen daylight attack came days after a violent shooting on a sidewalk in the Bronx on Thursday that narrowly missed killing two young children.

Adams had been in the borough on Saturday to speak out against Thursday's attack and the city's spike in shootings.

The incident was the latest in nearly 150 shootings across the city this month and - where shootings have skyrocketed since the pandemic gripped the country.

According to the NYPD, the city reported 202 homicides this year through Friday  a 14% increase from 2020. The number of shootings jumped 57% so far in 2021, with 661 reported compared to 421 over the same period last year.

Adams is the current frontrunner in the Democrat field ahead of Tuesday's mayoral primary, which is likely to decide the next mayor of New York City.

Anyone with information regarding the suspects whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.

Shocking surveillance footage captured the moment two young children were trampled by a man as he tried to escape from a shooter who fired nearly a dozen bullets in the middle of a Bronx street and pointed his gun at the terrified kids

Then the gunman comes back for a closer shot and fires at the man with the two kids inches away from the victim
A $1 million reward is on offer to solve one of Australia's most notorious unsolved crimes - the suspected murder of heiress Juanita Nielsen.

Ms Nielson, 38, a newspaper publisher disappeared from the centre of Sydney's seedy underbelly 46 years ago.

She owned alternative paper NOW which she used to campaign against developers to protect heritage buildings in Potts Point and promote the Builders Labourers Federation's controversial green bans during the 1970s.

Juanita Nielsen (pictured) walked into a Kings Cross club in 1975. She was never seen again

Ms Nielson was the great-granddaughter of businessman Mark Foy and an heiress to his retail empire, whose department store building now encases the Downing Centre court complex.

But on the morning of July 4, 1975, she walked into the Carousel Cabaret - a Kings Cross nightclub run by an associate of notorious underworld crime boss Abe Saffron - and was never seen again.

Her handbag was found on the side of a highway leading to the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney's CBD, eight days later.

During initial investigations, police uncovered a plot to kidnap Ms Nielsen four days before her last known sighting.

Three men - including a Carousel Club employee - were charged with conspiracy to kidnap in 1977 and two were subsequently convicted of conspiracy to kidnap her, but no charges have ever been laid over her later disappearance.

It is widely believed she was kidnapped and murdered because of her anti-development and anti-corruption campaigns, with a coronial inquiry in 1983 finding Ms Nielson was likely dead.

But despite the case generating extraordinary publicity, her remains have never been found.

Ms Nielsen was the great-granddaughter of businessman Mark Foy, whose department store building is now the site of the Downing Centre Court complex. Pictured (left to right): Francis Foy, Mark Foy and Victory Foy

A Carousel (pictured) employee was later convicted for conspiring to kidnap Ms Nielsen - four days before she disappeared

After more than four decades of heartbreak, her family just wants to give her a proper burial.

Her cousin Francis Foy has appealed for information into her suspected murder, as police announced the reward had been doubled to $1 million.

'Juanita was very much loved by her family and very much missed,' Mr Foy said on Monday.

'Her disappearance and the unknown of what happened to her caused incredible pain for her family.'

Homicide squad commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said the opportunity for police to gather further forensic evidence and witness statements had diminished.

'In turn, it has also become difficult for police to target known persons of interest or associates due to their passing,' he said in a statement.

'However, it is our hope that someone in the community may have information about Juanita's disappearance, or the location of her remains.'

In the 1970s, construction projects were dominated by powerful unions like the Builders Labourers Federation, which shut down dozens of projects to protect heritage and locals from greedy developers.

Construction projects at the time were dominated by powerful unions which acted to protect heritage sites from developers. Pictured: An XY Ford Falcon Sydney RSL Taxi travels westbound on William Street, near the Victoria Street western portal bridge, during construction work on the Kings Cross Tunnel in 1971, which now part of the Cross City Tunnel

One of the most famous 'green bans' was to protect 19th Century terrace houses on Victoria Road in Potts Point from demolition by developer Frank Theeman to build apartments.

His henchmen, led by disgraced former NSW police detective Frank Krahe, regularly harassed residents to intimidate them to sell up and leave.

The bitter campaign waged for years and saw resident's association president Arthur King kidnapped and held hostage for three days and the union's NSW branch broken up - but was ultimately successful.

Ms Nielsen was one of the last advocates for residents left, and frustrated developers who had bought $6 million worth of property (almost $40 million today) and were burning $3,000 a week on interest payments.

Weeks before her disappearance, Ms Nielsen was invited to the Carousel Club, the manager of which, James Anderson, owed $260,000 to Mr Theeman, for a press event.

She did not attend, nor did she show up to a meeting to discuss advertising in NOW because she was suspicious - the club had never expressed any interest before.

On June 30, 1975, Carousel employees Edward Trigg and Shayne Martin-Simmonds visited Ms Nielsen's home on the pretense of asking about advertising - but their plan was to snatch her if she was alone.

'Just grab her arms and stop her calling out, no real rough stuff, no gangster stuff. We thought that just two guys telling her to come would be enough to make her think if she didn't come she might get hurt,' Martin-Simmonds admitted in 1977.

'We talked about when she came into the room, one of us would be standing there and the other one would come up behind her and just quietly grab her by the arms and maybe put a hand over her mouth or a pillowslip over the head.'

A view of William Street in Darlinghurst, looking east towards the Kingsgate Hotel during construction work on the Kings Cross Tunnel in 1971

Ms Nielsen's friend David Farrell instead answered the door, with their intended target listening from the next room.

Finally on July 3 she agreed to a meeting at the club the next day, calling the next morning to advise she was running late because she was hungover. She was never seen again.

Carousel receptionist Loretta Crawford changed her version of what happened that day several times, eventually claiming after Mr Anderson's death that she was shot.

She told the ABC that Ms Nielsen was shot dead in the club's basement and she saw her body lying on the ground with a single bullet hole in her head with Trigg and Martin-Simmonds standing over her, with a third man holding a pistol.

In 1983, the coroner investigating the circumstances around Ms Nielsen's death found 'evidence to show that the police inquiries were inhibited by an atmosphere of corruption, real or imagined, that existed at the time'.

Eleven years later, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Crime Authority blasted the initial police investigation, and emphasised links between her suspected murder, property developers, and crime operating in Kings Cross.

In the 1980s, the Sydney City Council turned her former residence in Woolloomooloo into a recreation hub, called the Juanita Nielsen Community Centre.
MSNBC host Joy Reid has lashed out against opponent of critical race theory Christopher Rufo, for making what she called 'White Man Demands' after he challenged her to invite him on her show.

Rufo has been working to expose 'critical race theory indoctrination' in American companies and institutions including government agencies for at least a year.

He has used whistleblower documents and spoken to people who have undergone substantial amounts of antiracism training in an attempt to prove there is systemic racism and white oppression both within education and corporate America.

Rufo claims CRT is itself racist, and that it damages the United States by conditioning people to either see themselves an oppressor, or the oppressed.

MSNBC host Joy Reid has lashed out against critical race theory opponent Christopher Rufo

Reid criticized Rufo for making what she called 'White Man Demands' after he challenged her to invite him on her show

.@JoyAnnReid has denounced me by name multiple times on her show. But she doesn't have the courage to invite me on as a guest.



She knows that I will crush her critical race theory apologetics any day of the week. pic.twitter.com/k8boch6qHE  Christopher F. Rufo  (@realchrisrufo) June 18, 2021

Reid takes a different view of the situation, preferring to see antiracism training as an essential tool used to wipe out systemic racism and unconscious bias which she and other CRT supporters claim pervades every echelon of American society.

The TV star has also branded people who oppose CRT as racist, to the fury of Rufo and his supporters.

Reid has taken on Rufo many times before on her show over his opposition to critical race theory but now he is challenging her to a face-to-face debate.

'Joy Reid has denounced me by name multiple times on her show. But she doesn't have the courage to invite me on as a guest. She knows I will crush her critical race theory apologetics any day of the week,' Rufo wrote in a tweet.

On Saturday, Reid took aim at Rufo once again and called out his challenge to a debate as a 'weirdly aggressive way to get yourself on TV.'

Rufo has been working to expose 'critical race theory indoctrination' in American companies and institutions including government agencies for at least a year

Rufo has now had enough, and has now challenged Reid to a debate

CRITICAL RACE THEORY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN? The fight over critical race theory in schools has escalated in the United States over the last year. The theory has sparked a fierce nationwide debate in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests around the country over the last year and the introduction of the 1619 Project. The 1619 Project, which was published by the New York Times in 2019 to mark 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived on American shores, reframes American history by 'placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the center of the US narrative'. The debate surrounding critical race theory regards concerns that some children are being indoctrinated into thinking that white people are inherently racist or sexist. Those against critical race theory have argued it reduces people to the categories of 'privileged' or 'oppressed' based on their skin color. Supporters, however, say the theory is vital to eliminating racism because it examines the ways in which race influence American politics, culture and the law. Advertisement

'This is a weirdly aggressive way to get yourself on TV, Christopher..,' Reid wrote on Twitter. 'Why not just contact my booking producers like a normal person, rather than going with the White Man Demands option? I had never even heard of you until @oneunderscore__piece exposing your plot to rebrand CRT.'

Reid took the opportunity to slam Rufo and his work on her show.

'There is this obsession right now with taking everything that talks about race... and labelling it critical race theory,' she said, speaking to author Annette Gordon-Reed about a new book on Juneteenth.

Reid then brought up Rufo, saying 'This is a guy named Christopher Rufo, who is at a conservative think tank [the Manhattan Institute], and he said 'the goal is to have the public read something crazy in the newspaper and immediately think 'critical race theory... We have decodified the term and will recodify it it to annex the entire range of cultural constructions that are unpopular with Americans.''

Reid's guest agreed with her in downplaying the impact of the theory.

'It's a distraction. No one is teaching critical race theory K-12.'

'Just to be clear,' Reid asked, 'What is critical race theory?'

'Critical race theory talks about the influence of race in American laws, even things that don't have to do specifically with the, they're not talking about race, very often they have a racial component to that,' Gordon-Reed said.

'And it permeates law, and that's what people are thinking about. This is not K-12 material, but they're saying that any time you talk about race is you're talking critical race theory. Critical race theorists talk about race but not everyone who talks about race are a critical race theorists.'

Last week, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act to make June 19 a federal holiday to reflect on the 'original sin' and 'moral stain' of slavery on America.

The debate over critical race theory has become a cultural hot topic in the US over the last year, after former President Donald Trump banned its teaching across federal government departments last year.

His successor Joe Biden rescinded that order, but the debate has raged on, with multiple conservative US states now banning the teaching of critical race theory in their public schools.

Multiple private schools - including Dalton, Spence, Grace Church and Brearley in New York have all been embroiled in scandals which have seen parents or teachers speak out about those establishments' alleged obsession with CRT above all else.

Footage of parents hitting out at school boards during public meetings has also gone viral in recent months, with Loudoun County in Virginia making weekly headlines over many of its parents' aversion to CRT.
The number of hidden speed cameras in New South Wales is set to triple, while fines have skyrocketed for drivers travelling less than 10km over the speed limit.

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns said his party intends to fight the Berejiklian Government's plans to triple its controversial speed camera operation.

Mobile speed cameras in NSW scan 7,000 hours of footage a month, but this will jump to 21,000 hours under the government's proposal.

'You could have in excess of 50,000 people a month being fined for breaching the speed limit by less than 10 kilometres per hour,' he told Nine News.

Fines dished out from the secret cameras has surged from about $500,000 a month to $6million.

'So if it triples, you could be you could be up around $18 million a month in fines,' Mr Minns said.

The number of Sydney motorists being stung with speeding fines has soared more than 1,500 per cent after the NSW government removed warning signs for mobile speeding cameras (pictured)

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns said his party intends to fight the Berejiklian Government's plans to triple its controversial speed camera operation

'[This] is a huge amount all coming from mobile speed cameras or without signage or decals or hidden from motorists in NSW'.

Meanwhile, the number of motorists being stung with speeding fines has soared more than 1,500 per cent after the NSW government took away warning signs.

Fines handed out to drivers travelling less than 10km over the speed limit has sky-rocketed, with 27,760 given out in March alone.

Less than 2,000 drivers a month were hit with the $123 fine before the controversial removal of warning signs that previously alerted motorists to mobile speeding cameras.

Fines handed out to drivers travelling less than 10km over the speed limit has sky-rocketed to 27,760 in March alone

Prior to their removal, the 'your speed has been checked' warning signs had been placed 250m before and 50m after each mobile speed camera.

Just 1,637 fines for the low-range offence was given out in March 2020 and in 2019 there were 1,616.

In April 2021, 17,171 drivers were slapped with fines for driving less than 10km over the speed limit, a similarly huge increase on April 2020's 1,253 fines and April 2019's 1,479 fines.

Mr Minns has slammed the removal of warning signs and argued for a return to high visibility policing on roads.

Prior to their removal, the 'your speed has been checked' warning signs had been placed 250m before and 50m after each mobile speed camera

Despite speed camera revenue climbing from $478,580 in March 2020 to $6.3million in March 2021, it has made little impact on road fatalities

'The NSW government has worked out a way to slug families with hundreds of dollars for low range speeding offences by hiding the cameras,' he said in a statement,

'This policy has made families and tradies poorer, but it hasn't made our roads safer.'

Mr Minns said the return of warning signs and an increase in police highway patrols will stop drivers forking out for fines and have a positive effect on road safety.

Despite speed camera revenue climbing from $478,580 in March 2020 to $6.3million in March 2021, it has made little impact on road fatalities.

Statistics reveal 138 people have died on NSW roads so far this year, compared to 130 for the same period in 2020.

However the government has double-downed on the changes, pointing to figures that reveal fatalities were down by 15 deaths in the past five months, when compared to the last three year average.

Labor roads spokesman John Graham has previously slammed the installation of secret cameras as revenue raising, and warns the government isn't slowing down.

Mr Graham said the exuberant amount of fines would continue to climb after an intention was confirmed to triple the number of cameras.

Transport for NSW Deputy Secretary for Safety Tara McCarthy said there was no such thing as safe speeding and that every kilometre over the limit made a difference.

'There's a lot of focus on how many people are being fined when the real issue here is how many people are driving above the limit and putting their own life and the lives of others at risk', she said.

In April 2021, 17,171 drivers were slapped with fines for driving less than 10km over the speed limit, well above April 2020's 1253 fines and April 2019's 1479 fines

Ms McCarthy has previously said the revenue collected from speeding fines is put back into road safety measures, such as safety barriers.

Nationals MP Wes Fang, who has been vocal about his disapproval of Transport Minister Andrew Constance's move, said drivers in regional areas of the state are most impacted.

'I fear that we are having a detrimental effect on rural and regional families because people are losing their licences and then their livelihoods all to raise more money to prop up the state's balance sheet,' Mr Fang told The Daily Telegraph in April.

NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury is in favour of mobile speed cameras coming with warning signs.

'We believe the warning signs act as an important educational tool and help slow drivers down', he said.
Gladys Berejiklian dodged questions about her new 'boo' just days after it emerged she has moved on from disgraced MP Daryl Maguire with a high-profile lawyer.

The New South Wales premier gave an awkward grin and blushed when asked about her relationship with elite barrister Arthur Moses during Monday's Covid-19 press conference in Sydney.

Ms Berejiklian's romance with the lawyer was made public by her sister on Friday night, with her office saying the two had 'begun spending private time together'.

The barrister represented her during a corruption inquiry last year into Mr Maguire.

The state leader was answering questions about the state's latest coronavirus outbreak when she was asked by Daily Mail Australia what attracted her to Mr Moses.

Tight-lipped: Gladys Berejiklian gave nothing away when asked about her new relationship with lawyer Arthur Moses on Monday during a Covid-19 press conference

The New South Wales premier's relationship with the high-profile barrister was confirmed on Friday night through an Instagram post shared by her sister

'No comment,' she responded before smiling awkwardly and quickly moving onto the next question about mandatory mask rules.

Moments earlier she gave the same two-worded reply to a journalist who asked her whether she expected more scrutiny about her new romance than she did over her relationship with Mr Maguire.

Ms Berejiklian's younger sister Mary had shared a loved-up snap of the new couple to her Instagram account on Friday evening.

'After work Friday feels with these two. Glad and her boo,' the premier's sister captioned the shot that shows Ms Berejiklian and Mr Moses gazing into each other's eyes while sitting beside one another on a lounge.

The pair are seen looking into each other's eyes as they sit beside each other on a lounge.

'After work Friday feels with these two. Glad and her boo,' Ms Berejiklian's sister Mary captioned the shot.

The state leader replied 'no comment' to a question asked on Monday by Daily Mail Australia about her romance with the top barrister

Just who is Gladys Berejiklian's new 'boo'? Arthur Moses is a fitness fanatic legal powerhouse who freely admits he's 'annoying' A well-placed source in Australia's legal fraternity told Daily Mail Australia Mr Moses was 'held in high esteem' by his colleagues and is very well respected. 'Lawyers who work with him regard him as meticulous and methodical,' the source said. 'He is very structured and disciplined and conducts his practice in a quasi-military style.' Mr Moses is an esteemed Sydney lawyer who also has a passion for fitness and the Parramatta Eels As well as his dedication to his legal work - which has seen him serve as the president of both the NSW Bar Association and Law Council of Australia - Mr Moses is a fitness junkie. 'He is very keen on personal fitness, he's extremely fit and runs up to 10km most days,' the source said. 'That makes you a little sharper, able to focus and cope with long hours by having that sort of fitness balance. 'He really is one of the most methodical and meticulous in the law - very rigorous and focused in his work.' In an article dating back to 2017, the barrister described himself as 'persistent, loyal and annoying'. Mr Moses has been practising law for more than 25 years and is currently representing Ben Roberts-Smith (pictured together) in his defamation trial against Nine newspapers He also revealed his deep love for the Parramatta Eels NRL club, saying his happiest moments were when the team was winning grand finals in the 1980s. When asked what his favourite song was he responded 'Midnight Oil's 'Beds are Burning'' and said that in the event his life was to be turned into a movie he'd want 'Mr Bean' star Rowan Atkinson to play himself. But Mr Moses almost lived a completely different life and revealed his father wanted him to be a mechanic and leave school at the age of 15. 'My mother persuaded him that I should be allowed to finish school,' he said in the article with legal magazine Justinian. He credited his late mother as the most influential person in his life. 'She could not read or write but was the wisest and strongest person I have known,' he said. Advertisement

A spokesperson for the premier declined to comment further than saying the couple had 'begun spending private time together'.

Mr Moses represented Ms Berejiklian when she faced the Independent Commission Against Corruption last year.

During the inquiry the premier revealed she had been dating Mr Maguire, an MP for Wagga Wagga, for five years.

The bombshell confession not only shocked the public but also floored her own parliamentary colleagues.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian pictured with Daryl Maguire. Arthur Moses represented her during a corruption inquiry last year into her ex-boyfriend

Mr Moses is a fitness junkie as well as a dedicated lawyer and footy supporter. He is pictured outside the Federal Court in Sydney last week, where he is representing Mr Roberts-Smith

Not even the premier's family or closest friends had any idea about the five-year relationship, which was carried out behind closed doors until shortly before the inquiry began.

Mr Moses is now no longer representing Ms Berejiklian.

He is currently representing Ben Roberts-Smith in his defamation trial against Nine newspapers.

It's unclear when the pair began their romance but rumours had swirled in legal and political circles after the couple were spotted sharing a meal at a cafe.

At the height of Ms Berejiklian's relationship with Mr Maguire, the premier said she'd hoped to one day go public with him, and even dreamed of marrying him.

Throughout the ICAC inquiry and several media appearances afterwards, Ms Berejiklian appeared stoic, but confessed she had shed tears in the privacy of her own home.

In the wake of the relationship admission, Ms Berejiklian said it had been 'one of the most difficult days of my life' - but she never considered standing down as premier as she did not believe she had done anything wrong.

The duo had been friends for more than 20 years before becoming intimate around 2015.

Mr Moses was married to lawyer Sylvia Moses, with whom he shares a son, Nicholas.
Family members of a woman who died during an ill-fated fishing trip last weekend said they were prevented from a final goodbye due to Covid-19.

Meen Meen Chiu, 48, slipped away from the upturned tinnie she and her husband Philip had ventured onto Moreton Bay in for a fishing trip on Saturday afternoon.

Ms Chiu's niece Khongkwan Pongpanich told The Courier-Mail that Ms Chiu had been prevented from visiting her family in Thailand in recent months because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

'I want this bad news to be just a nightmare,' she said.

'I want my good aunt back.'

'She takes care of everybody in my family.'

On Sunday Ms Pongpanich had asked locals to send information about the Brisbane resident via Facebook.

Meen Meen Chiu (left) slipped away from the upturned tinnie on Saturday night. Her husband Philip (right) survived the ordeal, clinging to the boat for 12 hours

Ms Chiu's niece in Thailand said she'd wanted to visit her family in Thailand but was prevented from doing so by the Covid-19 pandemic

Ms Chiu lived in Brisbane with Mr Chiu and his son. Her niece in Thailand had asked for news of her on Facebook last weekend

It is believed Ms Chiu's father died in Thailand earlier this year, her niece responding to a message of condolence by one Ms Chiu's friends on social media with: 'We've lost two people in this year. It will be [the] hardest.'

High winds and choppy waves caused the Quintrex 440 Renegade tinny to capsize on the couple's return journey not far from the boat ramp at Morningside, near Brisbane.

Mr Chiu, 54, clung to the upturned tinnie for more than 12 hours during Saturday night until he was found by a police helicopter on Sunday morning. Ms Chiu's body was recovered several hours later.

She reportedly lived at Kangaroo Point in Brisbane with Ms Chiu and his son.

Mr Chiu remains in hospital recovering from hypothermia and had spoke to police about the tragedy.

Earlier it was revealed that a frantic three-second call to a family member likely saved Mr Chiu's life after the tinnie capsized in the rough conditions.

Police launched a search for the couple on Saturday night after their family raised the alarm.

The Quintrex 440 Renegade tinny is recovered by the Coast Guard on Sunday

Mr Chiu managed to make a three-second call to a family member to alert them that he and his wife were in trouble before it was cut off.

'The weather blew up as they were making their way home and took a number of waves over the stern of the boat which started taking them into the water,' Acting Senior Sergeant Mitch Gray told reporters on Sunday

'They became close to the Port of Brisbane, they could actually see the rock wall and a large wave has broken over the back and capsized the vessel and they have both gone into the water.'

He believes the brief frantic phone call likely saved the man's life.

'The husband has managed to hold onto the hull throughout the night but at some stage during the night the wife has become tired and fatigued and has become separated from her husband,' he added.

Mr Chiu clung to the capsized tinny (pictured) for 12 hours but unfortunately his wife, Meen Meen, drifted away on Saturday night. Her body was found the following day

Water police and a police helicopters, along with the Volunteer Marine Rescue and Coast Guard, spent much of Saturday night searching for the tinny in and around the Port of Brisbane, Mud Island, and Redcliffe areas in treacherous conditions.

Mr Chiu was spotted clinging to the overturned tinnie in waters between between Moreton and Mud islands by a QGAir crew assisting with the aerial search when it resumed early Sunday morning.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

It's understood the couple weren't wearing life jackets at the time they capsized.

Mr Chiu was winched to safety and airlifted to Princess Alexandra Hospital suffering hypothermia

The incident followed two other recent disappearances in the same area.

Trent Riley, 26, went missing on April 14 after his empty boat was found near Mud Island on Moreton Bay.

Surf ski paddler Jordan Kelly, 26, disappeared off North Stradbroke Island on May 29 while paddling with a friend. His body had not been recovered.
A huge outbreak of gypsy moth caterpillars are eating their way across upstate New York leaving an inundation of poop and bare trees and bushes in their wake.

Population explosions of the invasive caterpillar occur every 10 to 15 years, and last for about three years, according to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. The agency has warned that the current gypsy moth surge has the potential to damage thousands of acres of trees with the critters' voracious appetites.

Residents have complained of the devastation, as well as the droppings, left behind.

Dwight Relation of West Chazy said the caterpillars weren't much of an issue last year, but after he noticed the leaves on the trees around his property began to disappear, he realized they had turned into a serious problem.

The invasive gypsy moth caterpillar has seen a population explosion in upstate New York this year

The chief problem of the caterpillars is their voracious appetite and ability to strip thousands of acres of trees of their leaves. The trees above on the left in Pennsylvania were hit with the critters while the trees on the right avoided the scourge

'They just kept eating and eating and eating,' he told the Press-Republican. 'They defolaged the oaks mostly first. Then, they went to the pine trees and the white birches. Theres just no needles left on the pines at all, no green needles.'

Eventually, Relation said his property began resembling a post-apocalyptic waste land.

'You look at it in the woods, and you can see for hundreds of yards. In the woods, its solid brown. Theres no green vegetation at all. Everythings gone. It almost looks like it got hit with a nuke, you know what I mean, like a chemical, and it just killed everything in sight for hundreds of yards.'

The New York State Department of Environmental conservation says outbreaks of the caterpillars occur every 10 to 15 years and can last around three

Schuyler County resident Shannon Warwick said the bugs have gotten so dense in her backyard that she had to move her firepit and backyard furniture so as to avoid the constant stream of caterpillar poop.

'It sounds like its raining in the back yard,' she told Syracuse.com. 'Its really disgusting.'

Some officials upstate say they feel helpless against the sheer number of the caterpillars

'We dont know why this has occurred like this and we dont know this its going to happen again next year' Glenville Town Supervisor Chris Koetzle told ABC News 10. 'Unfortunately, in this stage of the life cycle, the DEC has indicated theres really not a lot you can do thats practical. Theyre talking about individually drowning the caterpillar which there are millions of them so thats not really practical.

'So were kind of stuck in a situation right now where we dont have a lot of answers to address this problem.'

An oak leaf damaged from a gypsy moth caterpillar outbreak in Massachusetts in 2017. The species lives across the northeast United States and is spreading south

The second consecutive summer of severe gypsy moth caterpillar defoliation around the Frontenac Park area in ON. Oaks getting hit hardest and had only a weak second flush of leaves last year - hopefully healthy enough to do it again pic.twitter.com/PIYgqJsLfK  Robert H Fraser (@EOArctic) June 21, 2021

An invasive species, gypsy moth caterpillars were introduced in the United States in the mid-1800s by a businessman looking to increase silk production in the country, DEC forester Rob Cole explained in a Facebook webinar this week.

Unfortunately the gypsy moth escaped his cages and got out and started to spread across New England and the northeast, and now have currently spread to the upper mid west, the mid west, and is now heading south,' he said.

He said the agency's chief concern was the caterpillars' potential to cause permanent damage to the region's trees, although most are able to regrow their foliage later in the summer.

The bugs' fur can also irritate human skin, meaning people have been advised to avoid picking them up.

They can eat up to 500 different types of leaf-producing plants, but are partial to the oaks, crabapples, willow, birch, pine, maple and spruce trees that are abundant upstate, according to the DEC.

The caterpillars can temporarily devastate entire forests, but most trees will be bale to

The agency said the caterpillars will stop being a problem in July, when most of them encase themselves in their cocoons and become moths.

Until then, however, residents may need to get used to a forest landscape that's looking a little out of season.

'My evergreens are devastated even the cedars. They are now into the grass because they have wiped out about 30 acres here,' upstate resident Diane Plummer posted on the DEC Facebook page, adding. 'Looks like January.'
Former President Donald Trump sent a short Father's Day message aimed at his political adversaries on Sunday, blasting them as 'losers'.

Trump is banned from Twitter and Facebook had to release the 22 word statement through his political action committee. The message was then retweeted by his supporters.

It said: 'Happy Father's Day to all, including the Radical Left, RINOs, and other Losers of the world.

'Hopefully, eventually, everyone will come together!'

Former President Donald Trump sent Father's Day wishes to 'Losers' and the 'Radical Left'

The Trump Organization tweeted a photo of the former president together with Eric and Don

Despite retaining popularity in the GOP six months after leaving the White House, Trump continues to gun members he refers to RINOs - short for 'Republicans In Name Only'

The message followed a series of Father's Day-themed statements, including a suggestion that tickets to his speaking tour with former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly would make a 'great Father's Day gift.'

A separate Father's Day greeting was tweeted by the The Trump Organization on Sunday.

'Today we celebrate the many incredible fathers throughout our Trump Organization family. Happy Father's Day to you!,' the tweet read.

The message was accompanied by a snap of Trump and his sons Don Jr, 45, and Eric, 37, walking along a colonnade.

Trump's other children Ivanka, 39, Tiffany, 27, and Barron, 15, were absent from the shot.

President Biden wished a happy Father's Day to 'father figures who enrich our character, love us unconditionally, and give so much of themselves every day'

Meanwhile, President Biden also took time to wish happy Father's Day to people who 'enrich our character' and 'love us unconditionally,' on Sunday afternoon.

'Happy Father's Day to the fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, and father figures who enrich our character, love us unconditionally, and give so much of themselves every day so we can live lives worthy of their dreams and sacrifices,' the statement from Biden read.

The president is father to Hunter, 51, who he had with first wife Neilia, and Ashley, 40, whose mom is Biden's second wife Jill.

Neilia was killed in a 1972 car crash that also took the life of the Bidens' one year-old daughter Naomi.

President Biden was hit by further tragedy in 2015 when his son Beau Biden died of brain cancer in aged just 46.
One state government is spending $3billion on trains and ferries from China.

Instead of having public transport built locally, New South Wales is spending billions importing them from the Asian Communist power.

Less than a decade ago, the trains on Sydney's rail network were still being made in Newcastle.

The Labor-aligned McKell Institute think tank calculated that Premier Gladys Berejiklian's government had spent $2.6billion on 17 suburban trains from China, when the initial $900million cost covering construction and maintenance was added to operating expenses and railway rolling stock.

Downer EDI had outsourced the manufacturing to China, tasking CRRC Changchun with making the cars.

One state government is spending $3billion on trains and ferries from China. The Labor-aligned McKell Institute think tank calculated that Premier Gladys Berejiklian's government had spent $2.6billion on 17 suburban trains from China, when the initial $900million cost was added to operating expenses and railway rolling stock

In February 2019, the NSW Government announced it would fast-track the delivery of another 17 new air-conditioned Waratah series two trains, taking the total to 41.

The McKell Institute also calculated that another $1.3billion was spent on 13 ferries from China and Indonesia only for asbestos to be found in the gaskets of brand-new vessels, costing $28million in lost time.

'The New Sydney ferries were expected to be delivered and in use in 2020, and instead underwent asbestos and maintenance for over a whole year,' it said.

Felix Zerbib, an economic policy analyst at the McKell Institute, said there was little financial benefit in having trains and ferries built overseas.

'The overall cost savings to the NSW government is marginal and may be eroded when factoring in other costs such as delays and design flaws,' he said.

Last year, Australian ship builder Birdon outsourced manufacturing operations of Sydney ferries to China and Indonesia.

It also calculated that another $1.3billion was spent on 13 ferries from China and Indonesia only for asbestos to be found in the gaskets of brand-new vessels

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has previously argued building trains locally would cost taxpayers 25 per cent more.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Constance and Transport for NSW.

Previous NSW Coalition governments commissioned trains to be built locally.

Liberal premier Robert Askin tasked A. Goninan & Co at Broadmeadow in Newcastle to make the S set trains from 1972, with 509 carriages built over the next eight years.

These silver double-decker carriages were still transporting Sydney commuters up until 2019.

In August last year, Gladys Berejiklian said: 'Australia and New South Wales are not good at building trains, that's why we have to purchase them'

Felix Zerbib, an economic policy analyst at the McKell Institute, said there was little financial benefit in having trains and ferries built overseas

Under Liberal premiers Nick Greiner and John Fahey, Goninan kept building the Tangara between 1988 and 1995.

UGL Rail  the renamed Goninan company  also made the modern H set trains in Broadmeadow between 2006 and 2012, mainly when Labor was in power.

In August last year, Ms Berejiklian said: 'Australia and New South Wales are not good at building trains, that's why we have to purchase them.'

Nonetheless, Mr Constance earlier this month announced Custom Denning at St Marys in western Sydney would later this year start manufacturing electric buses for the public transport fleet as part of a plan to fully electrify the bus fleet by 2030.
Paedophiles have been intercepted exchanging sick messages on the Dark Web boasting about using the Covid-19 lockdown to prey on children.

The creepy conversations, recorded by cyber-cops, include offenders discussing disgusting methods and fantasies.

One offender wrote: 'Unfortunately I can't go out and see kiddos anymore'.

Another said: 'I hope you parents with kids at home are using this opportunity to get the kids nude and take lots of pics,' another wrote in a dark web chat room'.

A third message boasted: 'Being stuck inside could be good for those who have young ones with them'.

The trove of messages comes as police reveal paedophiles have been grooming children to take explicit images of their siblings.

Child sex offenders have been caught exchanging sick messages on the Dark Web boasting about using the COVID-19 lockdown to prey on children

Detective Superintendent Paula Hudson from the Australian Federal Police's Centre to Counter Child Exploitation and its Child Protection Operations, said predators were preying on impressionable children in internet forums.

'Offenders saw Covid-19 as an opportunity to target vulnerable children spending more time online unsupervised,' she told The Mercury.

'We're seeing forums dedicated to the Covid-19 pandemic  users of like mind are discussing opportunities to groom children and upload and share images.

'It's been shocking and brazen.'

The Child Protection Triage Unit received more than 21,000 reports of child exploitation in 2020 involving 'images and videos of children being sexually assaulted or exploited for the sexual gratification of online child sex offenders.'

These reports included a frightening 250,000 child abuse material files, with a total of 191 people with 1847 alleged child abuse-related offences in the year 2020, according to the AFP.

Some of the most shocking situations included parents pimping their kids out to paedophile's by filming acts of child abuse online to share, as well as children being blackmailed to capture images of siblings nude.

Det Sup Hudson said the lure of likes or free products were being used to make friends with children through direct messages or online games.

She said once predators have a relationship with children and have already received child abuse material, they blackmail the child into continuing to send explicit content.
COVID-19 restrictions in Sydney will likely be extended as an outbreak in the city reaches a 'critical phase' and people are urged to curtail their movements.

Two new locally transmitted cases have been recorded in NSW, taking Sydney's eastern suburbs COVID cluster to 11.

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant says it's an 'optimistic sign' the pair are both close contacts of previously reported cases and tested positive while in isolation.

The woman in her 50s from Sydney's north and the man in his 30s from the eastern suburbs were both diagnosed after the 8pm cut off and will be included in Tuesday's numbers.

Another two cases, announced on Sunday morning, were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday and have been included in Monday's figures.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says authorities are very concerned by the extremely contagious nature of this Delta strain.

Two new locally transmitted cases have been recorded in NSW, taking Sydney's eastern suburbs COVID cluster to 11

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says authorities are very concerned by the extremely contagious nature of this Delta strain

'In some instances, the exchanges have been scaringly fleeting,' she told reporters on Monday.

'People not even physically touching each other but literally fleetingly coming into the same airspace has seen the virus transferred from one person to another.'

Dr Chant says the new infections are a positive sign contact tracing and isolation is working, but says NSW isn't out of the woods.

'From one person alone we've had four or five cases ... even if they infect one or two each, you can see how it grows exponentially.'

'That's why this is such a critical phase.

'We need to find all the cases, and make sure we identify the close contacts and casual contacts.'

NSW Health said in a statement that people who don't have symptoms and have not been at exposure venues at the listed times don't need to isolate.

'However, everyone is strongly urged to avoid gatherings and minimise their movements, such as attending cinemas or trips to ski fields,' it said in a statement.

'If you can work from home please do so.'

The growing cluster has prompted the government to mandate mask-wearing in seven local council areas.

Anyone shopping, working in hospitality or indoors must wear a mask unless eating or drinking if they live in the local government areas of Randwick, Bayside, Botany Bay, Inner West, City of Sydney, Waverley and Woollahra.

Masks are also compulsory on public transport in Greater Sydney, Wollongong and Shellharbour local government areas until Thursday.

Greater Sydney and Blue Mountains residents have been told to avoid non-essential visits to aged care and disability facilities and if visiting must wear a mask with a limit of two visitors a day.

Ms Berejiklian said restrictions would likely be extended and called for more people to get tested.

She also appealed for more Pfizer vaccine doses at a national cabinet meeting on Monday.

NSW Health said in a statement that people who don't have symptoms and have not been at exposure venues at the listed times don't need to isolate

Masks are also compulsory on public transport in Greater Sydney, Wollongong and Shellharbour local government areas until Thursday

'The current outbreak we're experiencing demonstrates the risk is always there, the threats are always there, no matter how good your systems are,' Ms Berejiklian told Sydney radio 2GB on Monday morning.

'Other states have received a top-up, and I just want to make sure we get our fair share, especially given the vast majority of Aussies coming back home are coming through Sydney Airport.'

She later told reporters she had been assured the doses would be distributed to states according to their population.

The latest outbreak was sparked last week when an unvaccinated limousine driver, who transported overseas aircrew to and from the airport, tested positive after visiting multiple venues, including the popular Bondi Junction shopping centre.

Hundreds of people are isolating after scores of close contact exposure sites were identified across more than a dozen suburbs.
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Police dispersed a gathering of druids and sun-worshippers at Stonehenge early this morning as crowds defied coronavirus restrictions to celebrate the Summer Solstice at the ancient Wiltshire monument.

Around 200 revellers waving banners reading 'Standing for Stonehenge' ignored advice not to travel to the neolithic site at around 4.30am to watch the sun rise on what would have been so-called 'Freedom Day'.

English Heritage then deliberately pulled a live feed of the solstice at Stonehenge, disappointing thousands who had tuned into its Facebook and YouTube pages only to find pre-recorded footage instead.

Wiltshire Police officers dispersed the gathering and arrested one woman in her 50s on suspicion of drunk and disorderly behaviour and has since been released with no further action.

The English Heritage live feed at Stonehenge returned at around 5am, showing mostly cloudy skies.

People are removed by police officers after a crowd entered the closed site at Stonehenge on June 21, 2021

A large number of people enter the closed site at Stonehenge on June 21, 2021, in Amesbury

People inside the stone-circle during Summer Solstice at Stonehenge in Amesbury

Security looks on as people run to Stonehenge ancient stone circle during the Summer Solstice celebrations

Revellers hold a banner at Stonehenge ancient stone circle during the Summer Solstice celebrations

Hundreds of revellers see in the dawn on the longest day of the year at Avebury Stone Circle

A person looks up as she attends the celebration of the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

A large number of people enter the closed site at Stonehenge on June 21, 2021, in Amesbury

A security guard looks on after a large number of people enter the closed site at Stonehenge on June 21, 2021

People are removed by police officers after a crowd entered the closed site at Stonehenge on June 21, 2021, in Amesbury

People are removed by police officers after a crowd entered the closed site at Stonehenge on June 21, 2021, in Amesbury

Police dispersed a gathering of druids and sun-worshippers at Stonehenge early this morning as crowds defied coronavirus restrictions to celebrate the Summer Solstice at the ancient Wiltshire monument

A woman plays with a hula hoop as security personnel stand guard at Stonehenge

Revellers gather to celebrate the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge despite official events being cancelled

A woman sits on the ground as security stand guard during the celebrations of the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

Hundreds of revellers see in the dawn on the longest day of the year at Avebury Stone Circle

Hundreds of revellers see in the dawn on the longest day of the year at Avebury Stone Circle

People look at the sunrise during the celebrations of the Summer Solstice

A group of friends sit and watch the sunrise on the morning of the summer solstice at Saltburn

The sun rises over the North Sea on the morning of the summer solstice at Saltburn beach

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, as the tilt of Earth's axis aligns with the Sun. It began today at 04.31am UK time. But it can occur between June 20 and June 22, depending on when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 12pm

When is the Summer Solstice 2021? Two friends stand and watch the sunrise on the morning of the summer solstice at Saltburn beach The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, as the tilt of Earth's axis aligns with the Sun. It began today at 04.31am UK time. But it can occur between June 20 and June 22, depending on when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer at midday. After June 21, the nights will begin to close in as the planet rotates, with the Northern Hemisphere tilting further from the Sun. Advertisement

Apologising for the outage, host Ed Shires said: 'I must say we have been disappointed that a number of people have chosen to disregard our request to not travel to the stones this morning and that is the reason why we haven't been able to bring you the pictures that we would have liked to have done.

'It is disappointing to see that happen but unfortunately in those kind of situations we have to put the safety of our staff members first and that's why we have had some interruption this morning.

'We have been told by police that people have now been dispersed and the situation is under control.'

Normally, up to 30,000 people would gather to watch the solstice, but it was a virtual event for the second consecutive year due to coronavirus restrictions introduced during the pandemic.

The monument was preparing to welcome visitors in person from today before the Government delayed the easing of lockdown to July 19, with English Heritage making live-streams available instead.

Meanwhile, Wiltshire Police closed off access to part of the Ridgeway near Avebury stone circle following the arrival of a large number of vehicles, over fears the restrictions at Stonehenge would lead people to gather there.

On the summer solstice at Stonehenge when skies are clear, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone, the ancient entrance to the stone circle, and rays of sunlight are channelled into the centre of the monument.

It is believed solstices have been celebrated at Stonehenge for thousands of years.

Nichola Tasker, English Heritage's Director for Stonehenge, told MailOnline: 'With last week's news that the Government was delaying the lifting of the remaining Covid-19 restrictions and following discussions with Wiltshire Council's Public Health team and Wiltshire Police, English Heritage took the difficult decision to cancel the planned celebrations.

'Unfortunately, a small number of people disregarded our request to not travel to Stonehenge for the summer solstice and entered the site. They were there for a short time before dispersing and this did interrupt - for a short period - the live-stream.

'The Covid-19 restrictions were extended for a reason and it was disappointing to see - during a pandemic - people act in a way that put themselves, our staff and the police at risk.'

Mr Shires added: 'I would like to apologise on behalf of myself and the English Heritage team for the difficulties that we have had this morning. It hasn't gone according to plan as you might have guessed by now. We've been doing our very best to bring you the kind of content we know that you wanted and we wanted to as well.'

A Wiltshire Police spokesman said: 'While we also had to take the difficult decision to close part of the Ridgeway near Avebury for public safety, the Solstice weekend was peaceful with only a minor incursion into the stone circle at Stonehenge in the early hours of this morning (21/06), which was handled in a positive manner.

'Just one arrest was made close to Avebury of a woman in her 50s on suspicion of drunk and disorderly behaviour and has since been released with no further action.'

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, as the tilt of Earth's axis aligns with the Sun.

It began today at 04.31am UK time, but can occur between June 20 and June 22, depending on when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer at midday. After June 21, the nights will begin to close in as the planet rotates, with the Northern Hemisphere tilting further from the Sun

Covid cases have risen by a quarter in the last week and another six people have died from the virus

New figures released by the Department of Health showed a further 9,284 coronavirus cases have been diagnosed

People inside the stone-circle during Summer Solstice at Stonehenge where some people jumped over the fence to enter

A person performs with fire during the celebration of the Summer Solstice, despite events being cancelled

Revellers gather to celebrate the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge ancient stone circle

People celebrate the Summer Solstice, despite official events being cancelled

A woman attends the celebrations of the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

Why do druids gather at Stonehenge on the Summer Solstice? Security patrol the area around Stonehenge For hundreds of years, people have held festivals, bonfires, picnics, Maypole dancing and other celebrations on the Summer Solstice. Many people visit Stonehenge, the monument in Avebury Wiltshire that dates back to between 3,000 and 1,600 BC, on the longest day of the year. Although people do not know why Stonehenge was built, it is a significant meeting spot for pagans. Pagans have traditionally believed Midsummer's eve to be the time when the veil between this world and the next is thinnest, and when fairies and mythical creatures were most powerful. Advertisement

The weather is forecast to be cold today, with rain coming down from Scotland to much of northern England and highs of just 60F (16C) in Manchester and Cardiff.

London will have highs of 59F (15C) with heavy rain throughout the day, while tomorrow will see heavy rain affect the South in the morning, with the rest of the country otherwise dry with some sunshine. Patchy showers are expected on Wednesday, with temperatures low again.

The Met Office issued a flood warning in River Loddon and River Blackwater at Swallowfield in Berkshire.

There are flood alerts in eight other areas of the South East and Midlands: Cut, lower River Loddon, River Blackwater and The Cove Brook, River Kennet and its tributaries from Berwick Bassett down to Newbury, River Thame and Chalgrove Brook, River Whitewater and River Hart, upper River Loddon and upper River Wey.

The druids gathered on what would have been so-called 'Freedom Day', the final easing of lockdown which was last week delayed by ministers by at least four weeks to July 19.

It emerged over the weekend that Matt Hancock reportedly failed to tell Boris Johnson about a major report with promising conclusions about vaccine effectiveness against the so-called Indian variant at a crucial Cabinet meeting before ministers decide to postpone the unlocking.

The claims, first reported in the Sunday Telegraph, suggest that the Health Secretary withheld key information from the Prime Minister to prolong the use of restrictions beyond today.

Questions about the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing hospitalisations caused by the strain were at the centre of the ministers' decision last week to delay 'Freedom Day' until next month.

That decision was taken after a meeting of 'the quad' of Mr Johnson, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and Mr Hancock on June 13.

But critics now claim that the data shows the decision to delay was not necessary and argue that 'Freedom Day' should be brought forward to July 5 because, they suggest, surging coronavirus cases will not result in a wave of hospitalisations that would overwhelm the NHS.

The Health Secretary is believed to have known about study produced by Public Health England into the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines on June 10.

The data in the report shows that the two vaccines were more effective at stopping hospitalisations from the now-dominant Indian variant than with previous strains.

PHE also provided written analysis on the data which they sent to Mr Hancock on June 12. But the information was not shared with the Prime Minister, Mr Sunak, or Mr Gove during their meeting on Sunday that led to the postponement of June 21.

Hundreds of revellers see in the dawn on the longest day of the year at Avebury Stone Circle

Revellers climb over a fence to get into Stonehenge ancient stone circle during the Summer Solstice celebrations

Revellers celebrate the Summer Solstice, despite official events being cancelled

Arch-Druid Arthur Pendragon speaks in front of Stonehenge ancient stone circle, during the celebrations of the Solstice

People are removed by police officers after a crowd entered the closed site at Stonehenge on June 21, 2021, in Amesbury

A person hugs a stone at Avebury during the celebrations of the Summer Solstice

Sources told the Sunday Telegraph that the study was not even included in briefing papers at the meeting.

Cabinet minister Robert Buckland swatted away allegations that Mr Hancock withheld the crucial information, telling Trevor Phillips on Sky News: 'Sadly I'm afraid that report is wrong.'

He also criticised calling Mr Hancock 'hopeless' after Mr Johnson's damning messages about the Health Secretary were revealed by Dominic Cummings, adding: 'To bandy around words like that I think does nobody any service at all.

'He's been a most useful and dynamic Health Secretary who enjoys our full support.'

Reminded that they were the Prime Minister's words, Mr Buckland said: 'I'm not going to get into text messages or WhatsApp messages sent between people and then disclosed in a rather unfortunate way.

'I don't believe that's actually a reflection of the reality.

'I've been working within Cabinet, within Government, throughout this crisis and I don't detect any suggestion that somewhere there is anything but the fullest confidence of what Matt has been doing and what he continues to do energetically.'

He went on: 'The data was provided to the Prime Minister and other members of that Cabinet committee in the most up to date way before the decision was made on Monday, and those taking part in the meeting had all the relevant data in the most up to date way before the decision was made.

'There's no question of the Prime Minister not being cited on important data, it was provided to him and other members of the committee in the normal way as people would expect.'

Wedding guest list limit of 30 is lifted from TODAY while care home trips and big wakes are also allowed - but rule of six remains and nightclubs stay shut

New lockdown easing measures will be introduced in England today - though not as many as first hoped.

The Government has pushed back its June 21 'Freedom Day' by four weeks - to July 19 - amid concerns over the Delta variant.

But people in England will be given back some freedoms from today - most of which centre around large scale events and celebrations.

Here MailOnline looks at what people in England can do from June 21, and what rules will be delayed:

Weddings

July and August are widely regarded as the peak months for weddings in the UK. And for those hoping to get hitched this summer, there is good news.

From June 21, the Government is to lift capacity restrictions on weddings, meaning more than 30 people can attend.

The current rules allow up to 30 people to attend weddings and civil partnership ceremonies.

From June 21, the Government is to lift capacity restrictions on weddings, meaning more than 30 people can attend

But venues will now be able to choose a safe number of guests themselves, after carrying out risk assessments.

Weddings organised on private land, such as gardens, will also see capacity limits lifted.

However, like private venues, organisers will have to carry out risk assessments prior to the wedding.

And you won't be able to take to the dance floor at the wedding. Though the couple's first dance is allowed, dancing is 'advised against due to the increased risk of transmission'

Congregational and communal singing is also 'strongly advised against'.

Wakes

Like weddings, wakes have been limited to 30 people. But this has been contentious because funeral limits were lifted in May.

as of June 21 the limits on wakes will now be lifted, bringing them in line with funerals and weddings.

It meant that families could invite an unlimited number of guests to a funeral, but had to limit the number who could attend the wake.

But as of June 21 the limits on wakes will now be lifted, bringing them in line with funerals and weddings.

Care Homes

Indoor visits to care homes, for up to five named guests, were re-introduced in May.

But restrictions have remained for those wanting to leave the care home to visit other people.

Restrictions have remained for those wanting to leave the care home to visit other people. That is changing from June 21. In England, rules on visits outside care homes will be relaxed

That is changing from June 21. In England, rules on visits outside care homes will be relaxed.

Residents will not have to isolate after spending time away from the care home with family and friends - including overnight stays.

Boris Johnson said: 'The requirement for residents to isolate for 14 days after visits out of care homes will also be removed in most cases.'

Residents who leave to visit hospital will still have to isolate for 14 days on their return, however.

Nightclubs

Unfortunately, those hoping for a return to the nightclub dancefloor will have to wait at least another month before they can start busting a move again.

Nightclubs have been closed since March last year, when lockdown was first announced in the UK.

Nightclubs have been closed since March last year, when lockdown was first announced in the UK

And they will not be allowed to reopen until at least July 19 now, after the Government pushed back Freedom Day another four weeks.

Time to put those dancing shoes back on the shelf.

Cinemas and Theatres

Theatre-goers and film-lovers have been able to return to venues since May.

But venues have been restricted in terms of capacity. And those restrictions are set to remain beyond June 21.

Cinemas and theatres will continue to be limited to 50 per cent capacity, until at least July 19

Cinemas and theatres will continue to be limited to 50 per cent capacity, until at least July 19.

Masks

Facemasks still have to be worn in indoor public areas such as shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes, as well as public transport.

Facemasks still have to be worn in indoor public areas such as shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes, as well as public transport

Those who fail to wear a mask without a medical or similar exemption can be fined 200.

Social Distancing

The rule of six remains in place indoors in England beyond June 21, while up to 30 people are able to meet outdoors.

That will not change until at least July 19.

The rule of six remains in place indoors in England beyond June 21, while up to 30 people are able to meet outdoors

Working from home

Many office workers have been preparing to head back to their desk on June 21.

But the Government is not lifting its work from home guidance today.

Instead, the Government will continue to advise people to work from home where possible.

The rule will remain in place until at least July 19.
Tucker Carlson declined to speak to Donald Trump after his disastrous debate against Joe Biden, according to a new book exploring Trump's election defeat.

The Fox News host, when he finally did speak to the then-president, told him his debate performance on September 29 - when he constantly interrupted Joe Biden - had been poor.

'Everyone says I did a good job,' Trump told Carlson, according to a forthcoming book by Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Bender.

Carlson reportedly replied: 'I don't know who told you that was good. It was not good.'

The anecdote in the book was recounted in The New York Times, by media reporter Ben Smith, who profiled Carlson.

Donald Trump is known to be in frequent contact with Tucker Carlson, whose Fox News show attracts three million viewers a night

Carlson, 52, is described in a new New York Times profile as a Washington insider and gossip

Smith portrayed the 52-year-old as a consummate Washington insider, despite his passionate criticism of elites, and an infamous journalistic source of reliable gossip.

Smith pointed out that there were only two people in the conversation - Trump and Carlson - and yet somehow the conversation leaked, verbatim, in a manner that portrayed Carlson in a good light.

'In Trump's Washington, Tucker Carlson is a primary supersecret source,' writes author Michael Wolff in his collection of essays, 'Too Famous.'

'I know this because I know what he has told me, and I can track his exquisite, too-good-not-to-be-true gossip through unsourced reports and as it often emerges into accepted wisdom.'

Trump is seen in Cleveland, Ohio, on September 29 for his first presidential debate against Joe Biden. Carlson told him afterwards that the debate was 'not good'

He also said that Carlson refused to reveal to him whether he has had his COVID vaccine, after repeatedly taking aim at the safety of the shots on his show.

Brian Stelter, CNN's media correspondent, told Smith that 'you can see Tucker's fingerprints all over the hardcover' edition of his 2020 book Hoax.

Daily Beast reporter Maxwell Tani told Smith: 'Whenever there's a positive story about Tucker, some Fox executives assume he's had a hand in it.'

Smith asked Carlson about the idea of him being a top source of insider information.

Carlson, who spends three months of the summer in rural Maine, replied: 'I don't know any gossip. I live in a town of 100 people.'

But multiple unnamed journalists - including writers at liberal outlets - say Carlson is a good contact, amid claims it also helps soften the coverage he receives.

One DC-based journalist explained: 'If you open yourself up as a resource to mainstream media reporters, you dont even have to ask them to go soft on you.'

The Fox News host is his network's biggest star, with his nightly show regularly attracting audiences of three million.

Trump was known to be a keen viewer of Carlson during his time in office, with the TV host often directly appealing to the president on air.

He is said to have been drafted in to help Trump take COVID seriously when it first hit US shores, while the former president was publicly playing the virus down as no more serious than a bad bout of flu.
A number of major Sydney bus routes and an entire office building have been added to a growing list of Covid exposure sites in New South Wales.

State health authorities issued an alert on Monday for passengers who travelled on eight bus routes around the city's CBD, northwest, and western suburbs.

A positive case travelled on the 6I4X bus route from Baulkham Hills to Sydney, from Gooden Drive to Stand J, Wynyard Station, at York Street, on June 15, between 8.40am - to 9.23am.

The person then returned to Baulkham Hills on the same bus route later that day, boarding from Clarence Street at 5.44pm and arriving at Gooden Drive at 6.29pm.

Anyone who travelled on the two 614X bus routes are considered close contacts and must immediately contact NSW Health, get tested, and isolate for 14 days regardless of their result.

NSW health authorities issued an alert on Monday for passengers who travelled on eight bus routes which travelled around the city's CBD, northwest, and western suburbs.

Casual contacts of the person were also listed as travelling on the Northmead to Parramatta 600 bus route on the mornings of Wednesday June 9 and Thursday, June 10; the Parramatta to Winston Hills 600 bus on Thursday June 10; Haymarket to Newtown 428 buses on Tuesday June 15.

Anyone who travelled on the above bus routes must immediately get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received.

Those who were at the Ashfield office block, 2-4 Holden Street, on Friday June 18 between 6pm7.30pm, should monitor for symptoms and, if they appear, self-isolate until a negative result is received.

Those who were at the Ashfield office block, 2-4 Holden Street, on Friday June 18 between 6pm7.30pm, should monitor for symptoms

New exposure sites in New South Wales Bus routes: Close contacts: Baulkham Hills to Sydney, 614X Bus From Gooden Drive (opposite Malvern Avenue) to Stand J, Wynyard Station, at York Street, Tuesday 15 June, departed 8.40am  arrived 9.23am Sydney to Baulkham Hills 614X Bus From Clarence Street (near King Street) to Gooden Drive (near Malvern Avenue) Tuesday 15 June, departed 5.44pm  arrived 6.29pm Anyone who travelled on the above bus routes at the times listed must immediately call NSW Health, get tested, and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result Casual contacts: Northmead to Parramatta 600 Bus From Windsor Road (after Mary Street) to Smith Street (after Phillip Street) Wednesday 9 June, departed 8.49am  arrived 9.05am Northmead to Parramatta 600 Bus From Windsor Road (after Mary Street) to Smith Street (after Phillip Street) Thursday 10 June, departed 8.46am  arrived 9.02am Parramatta to Winston Hills 600 Bus From Smith Street (before Phillip Street) to Windsor Road (after Churchill Drive) Thursday 10 June, departed 2.14pm  arrived 2.28pm Northmead to Parramatta 600 Bus From Windsor Road (after Mary Street) to Smith Street (after Phillip Street) Friday 11 June, departed 8.44am  arrived 9am Haymarket to Newtown 428 Bus From Pitt Street (opposite Barlow Street) to King Street (opposite Missenden Road) Tuesday 15 June, departed 1.20pm  arrived 1.34pm Newtown to Haymarket 426 Bus From King Street (near Missenden Road) to Pitt Street (before Hay Street) Tuesday 15 June, departed 2.27pm  arrived 2.38pm Anyone who travelled on the above bus routes at the times listed is a casual contact and must immediately get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received. Please continue to monitor for symptoms and immediately get tested and isolate if they develop. Venue: Ashfield, Office building, all floors 2-4 Holden Street Friday 18 June, 6pm  7.30pm Anyone who attended any level of the above building at the listed times should monitor for symptoms and if they appear, isolate and get tested until a negative result is received Advertisement

New South Wales has recorded two new local cases of Covid-19 overnight as the number of sites exposed to the virus across the state ballooned to 35.

Health officials in NSW confirmed the community infections following the 8pm cut-off on Sunday evening, along with five cases in hotel quarantine.

On Monday Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned masks were likely to stay mandatory in affected parts of Sydney until Thursday.

The premier said that the transmission in Sydney's Bondi cluster had been 'fleeting' and that people leaving their homes should assume anyone in close proximity to them has the virus.

There are now 11 cases associated with the Bondi cluster. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned masks were likely to stay mandatory in affected parts of Sydney until Thursday

There are now 11 cases associated with the cluster.

One of the local cases is a woman in her 50s from Sydney's northern suburbs who is a close contact of a previously reported case and in isolation.

The other is a man in his 30s - who is also self-isolating - from the eastern suburbs.

The two infections will be included in Tuesday's figures and bring the size of the state's latest Covid-19 cluster to 15 cases.

Ms Berejiklian tightened restrictions in NSW last weekend when she enforced mask use on public transport and inside public spaces in Randwick, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West, City of Sydney, Waverley and Woollahra.

She said the 'next few days are critical' and urged residents 'not to be complacent'.

'If cases continue to emerge, we will need to go further,' the Premier said.
The kidnapped daughter of the ruler of Dubai has appeared in another social media post - this time purporting to show her in Spain during a holiday.

Princess Latifa al Maktoum, whose whereabouts have been largely a mystery since she was caught fleeing Dubai in 2018 and dragged back home by armed commandos, appeared alongside British friend Sioned Taylor in the image.

Taylor - a teacher, former Royal Navy sailor and employee of the Dubai royal family - uploaded the image to her Instagram with a caption that read: 'Great European holiday with Latifa. Were having fun exploring.'

She later claimed the image had been taken at MadridBarajas airport.

It marks just the latest public appearance for Latifa after months locked inside a 'villa jail' in Dubai, after images apparently showing her in the Arab Kingdom were posted to social media last month.

However, concerns for Latifa's safety remain as she has not spoken directly since the images began appearing online.

The kidnapped daughter of the ruler of Dubai has appeared in another social media post claiming she is in Spain on a European holiday

The first image, posted online on May 21, appears to show Latifa in the Mall of the Emirates with two women - one of whom has since been identified as Ms Taylor, who is sitting to the royal's left in the image.

The other woman has been identified as Lynda Bouchikhi, a French-Algerian events manager.

A second snap then showed Latifa sitting next to Ms Taylor on the balcony of an Italian restaurant called Bice Mara, with the Dubai skyline in the background.

A third image then appeared to show Latifa sitting next to a third woman, identified as self-described psychic medium Fiona Day, in a different location.

Taylor, who is understood to have met Latifa through a shared love of skydiving, posted the latest image to her Instagram page on Sunday.

Ms Taylor's caption, punctuated by a smiley face emoji, read: 'Great European holiday with Latifa. We're having fun exploring!'

Comments by Taylor acknowledged the location of the image, which match other images of the airport.

Asked how Latifa is doing by one commentor, Ms Taylor wrote that 'she is great' with a thumbs-up emoji.

Concerns were first raised for Latifa's safety back in 2018, when it emerged that she had tried to flee Dubai and what she described as the controlling clutches of her father - Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Having enlisted the help of skydiving instructor Tiina Jauhiainen and a former French spy Herve Jaubert, she left the UAE for Oman, where she boarded a boat and sailed towards what she hoped would be safe haven in India.

But, as the trio approached the coast they were ambushed by gun-wielding Indian commandos and hauled back to the Emirates, where Latifa all-but vanished from public view.

Former Royal Navy member Sioned Taylor shared a snap last month of her with the princess at a Dubai mall

One photo released later that same year showed her sitting alongside UN high commissioner for human rights Mary Robinson, who claimed after the meeting that the princess was 'troubled' - comments that saw her heavily criticised.

She has since apologised, claiming to have been 'mis-led' by Latifa's stepmother - a friend of hers - and said it is the 'biggest mistake' she made in her UN role.

Latifa's only appearances since the Robson photo have been in videos smuggled out of the UAE, in which the 35-year old claimed she was being kept in a 'villa prison' under 24-hour armed guard with no contact with the outside world.

Those extreme measures now appear to be relaxing somewhat, thought campaigners say they are still concerned for her.

David Haigh, co-founder of the Free Latifa campaign said: 'We are no doubt joined by tens of thousands around the world that supported Latifa these last three years when we say we are pleased to see Latifa seemingly having a passport, travelling and enjoying an increasing degree of freedom, these are very positive steps forward.

'I can also confirm that several of the campaign team have been contacted directly by Latifa.

We cannot comment further at this stage, save to say that our only goal is to secure the present day and future safety and well-being of Latifa and that we are currently, and have been since May, seeking guarantees in that regard.

'At present the campaign has put on hold all campaigning activities and we would like to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all those around the world that supported the FreeLatifa campaign and Latifa.'

A close friend in Dubai told MailOnline last month: 'Princess Latifa is out of what she called the "villa prison".

Last month, an image was posted showing Latifa, 34 with two friends at the Emirates Mall in Dubai. She was seen (centre) with women identified as Lynda Bouchikhi (right) and Sioned Taylor (left)

Acomplaint was filed in April after UN experts demanded the UAE's ruler provide information about his daughter and release her, two months after the BBC aired a video it said was of Princess Latifa (pictured) describing herself as a hostage in a villa

Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on Derby day in 2017 with his estranged wife Princess Haya

Timeline: Princess Latifa's escape and capture December 1985: Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is born. August 2000: Her father, the ruler of Dubai, orders Latifa's sister Shamsa abducted from the UK. Latifa says she has not been allowed to leave Dubai since this date. June 2002: The teenage Latifa makes her first escape attempt, but is captured on the UAE's border with Oman and returned to Dubai on her father's orders. She says she was subsequently held in prison until 2005. 2010: Latifa meets Tiina Jauhiainen, a Finnish martial arts instructor. They become close friends, and the princess later confides in her about her earlier escape attempt and what had happened to Shamsa. 2017: The pair begin plotting their escape with clandestine discussions at the glitzy Dubai Mall. Tiina travels to the Philippines to meet a French former spy and naval officer, Herve Jaubert, who had written a book called Escape from Dubai. February 24, 2018: Latifa and Tiina drive for six hours to reach Oman, where they boarded a dinghy to reach international waters before using jet skis to board the US-flagged boat Nostromo, captained by Jaubert. March 4, 2018: The Nostromo is intercepted by commando units, allegedly including Indian special forces, who kidnap Latifa and take her back to the UAE. December 2019: A UK judge finds that the allegations of abduction are proved to be true. He also rules that the sheikh subjected his estranged wife Princess Haya to a campaign of fear and intimidation. March 2020: The judge's rulings are made public after the Supreme Court denies the sheikh's final appeal. February 2021: New videos come to light in which Latifa, speaking from a 'villa jail', describes how her father's henchmen foiled her escape attempt and says she is being held 'hostage'. Advertisement

'She is no longer under armed guard and has been allowed to see friends. She is able to make contact with friends and have something of a normal life.

'We are very hopeful that things are moving the right direction and she will be able to decide what she wants to do. The fact that she is no longer being held in a villa against her will is a major step forward.'

Earlier this year, Latifa described her hostage ordeal in a series of haunting videos obtained by MailOnline.

They were secretly made after being kidnapped by her father in 2018 as she tried to flee the country to start a new life in the United States.

In one video she said she was a 'hostage' and described where she was staying as a 'villa prison' with her every move monitored by security forces working for her father.

She said: 'This villa has been converted into a jail. All the windows are barred shut.

'There's five policemen outside and two policewomen inside. I can't even go out to get fresh air. So basically, I'm a hostage.'

Latifa had escaped Dubai in February 2018 after recording a disturbing video in which she revealed her troubled relationship with her father.

She was captured on a yacht off the coast of India and forcibly returned to Dubai where she was 'imprisoned' and guarded round the clock

After the release of the February 2021 videos, the United Nations demanded to see proof of life and called for Latifa to be freed.

The Free Latifa campaign has demanded sanctions be placed on the Dubai ruler over his failure to release his daughter and comply with the UN demands.

Latifa is one of the Sheikh's 30 children and has previously claimed she was tortured an imprisoned after a failed attempt to flee Dubai in 2002.

The Dubai ruler, one of the world's richest men and largest property owners in the UK, had claimed his daughter was suffering from a mental illness and was being looked after by his family.

With the UN demand for proof of life and threat of sanctions Latifa's supporters believe he has finally agreed to allow his daughter more freedom.

David Haigh, co-founder of the Free Latifa campaign, said they are monitoring events very closely.

He said last month: 'This is all very good news and there are certain matters going on behind the scenes that we are hopeful will result in further positive news.'

The Queen with Sheikh Mohammed on Derby day in 2011. The Sheikh has a passion for horses.

A diagram showing Latifa's daring escape plan from the seas around the United Arab Emirates in 2018

Stage-managed photos taken in 2018 showed Latifa posing with the former Irish president and then-UN high commissioner for human rights Mary Robinson

The princess said she was drugged and tortured on the orders of her father. She said was not allowed to drive, had no passport and was followed by a team of guards.

Latifa also claimed her older sister Shamsa is being kept against her will in Dubai after she tried to escape the kingdom and was abducted from the UK in 2000.

Latifa, who is one of the Sheikh's 30 children by his six wives, fled Dubai by jet ski to rendezvous with a yacht waiting to sail to India.

After eight days at sea, the yacht she was travelling on was boarded by Indian commandos off the coast of Goa and she was returned to the custody of her father in Dubai.

Latifa hoped to travel to India and then the United States to seek asylum.

The sheikh says Latifa was tricked into escaping by criminals who wanted money and that returning her to Dubai was a rescue mission.

He has been the subject of allegations from a number of members of his family.As well as Latifa and one of her sisters, two former wives claim he abused them. The sheikh denies the claims.
Oxford Student Union is planning to hire 'sensitivity readers' to stop student newspapers including historic campus sheet Cherwell publishing 'problematic' articles that are 'implicitly racist or sexist'.

Officials at the student body are planning to set up a 'Student Consultancy of Sensitivity Readers' who would be elected and paid to check articles across various newspapers for signs of supposed insensitivity.

Students claim there is a 'need for better editing' to review journalism from Cherwell because of 'high incidences of insensitive material being published'.

The student council says 'problematic articles' are currently being published that are 'implicitly racist or sexist' or 'just generally inaccurate and insensitive'.

But the proposed crackdown has sparked a backlash from Cherwell alumni, who branded the move a 'bonkers' and 'horrific' attempt to strangle press freedom and suppress non-woke or anti-woke views.

It is the latest free speech row at Oxford, after 150 rebel academics threatened to boycott teaching and outreach work because Oriel College refused to take down a statue of Victorian imperialist Cecil Rhodes.

Oxford students recently escalated the cultural wars after removing a portrait of the Queen from Magdalen's Middle Common Room due to the monarchy's links to colonialism - a move called 'absurd' by ministers.

Material published by other student newspaper including the Oxford Student, and student societies could also fall under the scrutiny of the 'sensitivity readers'.

Oxford Student Union is planning to hire 'sensitivity readers' to stop student newspapers including historic campus sheet Cherwell publishing 'problematic' articles

Students claim there is a 'need for better editing' to review journalism from Cherwell because of 'high incidences of insensitive material being published'

The student council passed a motion to set up the project last month by 26 votes to five, with an attached trigger warning for bigotry.

They agreed: 'Using elected reviewers who can take pieces to people more qualified than them can help ameliorate the potential damage from content.'

Responding to the proposal, former BBC broadcaster Michael Crick, who edited the Cherwell while at Oxford University's New College, called the move 'horrific'.

He likened it to a government demanding to inspect newspaper before they are published, telling the Telegraph: 'If you're going to have a boring, dull, vetted newspaper then nobody's going to read it.'

Rachel Johnson, the Prime Minister's sister who edited the student magazine Isis while at Oxford, added: 'I picked up a copy of Cherwell on the train [on a recent visit] and it was mainly students talking about themselves and identity issues.

Former BBC broadcaster Michael Crick and Rachel Johnson are Oxford alumni. They branded the move 'horrific' and 'bonkers' and warned of the threat it posed to press freedom

Woke academics at Cambridge's Churchill College are forced to SCRAP group that held event where WW2 PM was called a 'white supremacist' and British Empire was branded 'worse than the Nazis' after furious backlash A controversial group which was set up at a Cambridge college to examine the links between Winston Churchill, race and the empire, has been scrapped. The team of academics and students at Churchill College decided to disband the group after heavy pressure to cancel a series of its events, it is understood. The Working Group, which had been organised in the wake of George Floyd's murder in May last year, was to examine the former Prime Minister's views on race - but was accused by critics of being stacked with left-wing academics intent on smearing the World War Two Prime Minister. It held an event called 'The Racial Consequences of Churchill', during which a panellist said wartime leader Sir Winston was the 'perfect embodiment' of 'white supremacist philosophy'. The event also included claims that the British Empire was 'far worse than the Nazis'. Sir Nicholas Soames, Churchill's grandson accused the group of 'trashing' the wartime leader's reputation and suggested that the college should not be allowed to use his grandfather's name if it continues to 'smear' it. Advertisement

'Each article had a 'trigger warning' rating at the top for if it contains triggering words or contains triggering content. The whole thing already - before even the student sensitivity scan of each piece - felt really sad.'

Toby Young, director-general of the Free Speech Union, told MailOnline: 'The Oxford Student Union has no business vetting the work of student journalists and any attempt at censorship might well fall foul of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which extends the legal duty to uphold free speech on campus to students' unions.

'Student leaders should be standing up for the speech rights of student journalists, not trying to muzzle them.'

Cherwell, founded in 1920, is one of the UK's oldest student publications. It counts authors Evelyn Waugh and Graham Greene as former editors.

The campus newspaper was forced to apologise and remove an article 'reappraising' composer Richard Wagner in January over complaints it was anti-Semitic. Officials are now in talks over how the sensitivity readers will work in practice.

Both Cherwell and the Oxford Blue, a new campus newspaper, told the Telegraph that they are yet to be notified by Oxford SU.

Oxford SU declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.

It comes after ministers slapped down 150 rebel academics protesting over the Cecil Rhodes statue after the Government warned that Oxford students could win compensation if they are affected by a planned teaching boycott.

Left-wing dons say they will still give lectures to Oriel College's 300 undergraduates, but deny them the chance for in-depth discussion in small groups or one-to-one sessions until the monument to the colonialist is toppled.

Proponents of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign claim the small statue high up on Oriel's main building 'glorifies colonialism', but the college last month decided it would stay following a backlash from donors.

A Downing Street spokesman said universities had a duty to provide good-quality teaching and that the Government would expect 'appropriate action' to be taken if that was disrupted.

Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg also weighed into the row, describing the academics concerned as a 'useless bunch', adding: 'We must not allow this wokeness to happen.'

The rebel academics, led by Professor Kate Tunstall - the head of another college - have threatened not to assist Oriel College with its outreach work and admissions interviews, and they will refuse to attend or speak at talks, seminars and conferences sponsored by the college.

Asked about the row, a No10 spokesman said: 'Students rightly expect to get a good deal for their investment in higher education and we would expect universities to take appropriate action should any student be seriously affected by these actions which could include compensation.

'We fully believe in protecting academic freedom but universities have a duty to maintain access to good-quality tuition as a priority especially given the disruption the pandemic has caused students already.'

Proponents of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign claim the small statue high up on Oriel's main building 'glorifies colonialism', but the college last month decided it would stay following a backlash from donors

Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg weighed into the row, describing the academics concerned as a 'useless bunch', adding: 'We must not allow this wokeness to happen'

Mr Rees-Mogg discussed the issue in the Commons after Tory MP Tom Hunt complained about the 'wokification' of Oxford following the Rhodes row and a vote by Magdalen students to take down a portrait of the Queen in their Common room.

Mr Rees-Mogg responded: 'As for Magdalen College, it's not exactly 1687/88, it's a few pimply adolescents getting excited and taking down a picture of Her Majesty. It makes Magdalen look pretty wet, but it's not the end of the world.'

'As regards the academics refusing to teach, I'm half tempted to say you should be lucky not to be taught by such a useless bunch, but if they are that feeble, what are you missing and what are they doing there? Why don't they have any pride in their country, our marvellous history and our success?

'Rhodes is not a black and white figure, perhaps they're not learned enough to have bothered to look up the history of Rhodes in any detail, which has been written about quite extensively now and as I say, he is a figure of importance and of interest and of enormous generosity to Oxford. Do they want to give the money back to the descendants of Cecil Rhodes, or are they intending to keep it to themselves?

The rebel academics, led by Professor Kate Tunstall - the head of another college - have threatened not to assist Oriel College with its outreach work and admissions interviews

'So we must not allow this wokeness to happen, the idea of changing Churchill College, well perhaps we should introduce a Bill to rename Cambridge, Churchill and call it Churchill University and that would be one in the eye for the Lefties.'

Trade minister Greg Hands gave his view on the issue, telling LBC's Nick Ferrari: 'Well look, I just hope that universities get on with their actual job which is teaching students and making sure students get the best possible degrees.

'I'm not following all the ins and outs of everything that's going on at every university, but I do wish that our focus was on learning.

'A lot of students are paying a lot of money on tuition fees and on living so I'd hope universities would focus on their core mission.'

One of those supporting the anti-Rhodes campaign is Robert Gildea, Professor of Modern History at Worcester College, who today suggested Oriel College should place a sign saying 'Sorry' around Rhodes' neck.

Professor Gildea was one of the signatories of the petition, and said the boycott is a way of 'putting pressure' on the college after many alternatives had failed.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'One of the options offered by the commission was to retain and contextualise, so if the college put up a notice explaining who Cecil Rhodes was that would be fine.

'If the college put a placard around his neck at lunchtime today saying 'Sorry' that would also be fine.'

Prof Gildea added that sculptor Antony Gormley's suggestion that the statue be turned round to face the wall is also a 'very interesting idea'.

A statement from the boycott organisers said: 'Faced with Oriel's stubborn attachment to a statue that glorifies colonialism and the wealth it produced for the college, we feel we have no choice but to withdraw all discretionary work and goodwill collaborations.'

It added: 'The collegiate university can only effectively and credibly work to eradicate racism and address the ongoing effects of colonialism today if all the colleges do so.

'Oriel College's decision not to remove the statue of Cecil Rhodes undermines us all.'

A senior don slammed the boycott threat, telling the Mail: 'This is despicable and mean-minded. It is unprecedented for the head of one college to attack and detract from the teaching of students at another college.

'This is politics based on ignorance and bias, and should have nothing to do with Oxford or any other university, where the principal aim should be to educate students and not damage their learning through left-biased agitation.'

It comes after students at Magdalen College voted to remove a portrait of the Queen from their common room because she 'represents recent colonial history'.

Last month saw Oriel reject calls to tear down the statue of Rhodes, after an independent commission produced a 144-page report on the isssue following a long-running Rhodes Must Fall campaign.

An Oxford student in the 1870s, Rhodes left money to Oriel on his death in 1902 and his statue stands on the college's building on Oxford High Street. An imperialist, businessman and politician, he played a dominant role in southern Africa in the late 19th century, driving the annexation of vast swathes of land.

More than 1,400 people wrote to the independent commission with their views, including alumni who said removing Rhodes's statue would amount to 'censoring the past' and 'erasing history'.

The commission ultimately recommended that the statue be removed  but also highlighted how challenging it would be to conduct such work on a Grade II listed building. In addition to the cost, such changes would also require permission from Robert Jenrick, the Communities Secretary.

Previous vows from ministers to protect statues from 'baying mobs' suggest any moves to remove Rhodes would be blocked by the Government.

Demonstrators hold placards during a protest arranged by the 'Rhodes Must Fall' campaign in June 2020

Following Oriel's decision to keep the statue, college provost Lord Mendoza insisted any money needed to pay for its removal  and associated legal challenges  would be better spent on students.

But Professor Tunstall, interim provost of Worcester College, is among Oxford academics who invited colleagues to sign a 'statement of a boycott of Oriel College'.

Their joint declaration states: 'Faced with Oriel's stubborn attachment to a statue that glorifies colonialism and the wealth it produced for the College, we feel we have no choice but to withdraw all discretionary work and goodwill collaborations.'

The incendiary petition The Collegiate University can only effectively and credibly work to eradicate racism and address the ongoing effects of colonialism today if all the Colleges do so. Oriel College's decision not to remove the statue of Cecil Rhodes undermines us all. Faced with Oriel's stubborn attachment to a statue that glorifies colonialism and the wealth it produced for the College, we feel we have no choice but to withdraw all discretionary work and goodwill collaborations. With regret, then, we, the undersigned, agree that until Oriel makes a credible public commitment to remove the statue, we shall: Refuse requests from Oriel to give tutorials to Oriel undergraduates; Refuse to assist Oriel in its outreach and access work, including undergraduate admissions interviewing;

Refuse to participate in recruitment and assessment processes for Fellowships at Oriel and other Oriel College appointments;

Refuse to attend or speak at talks, seminars, and conferences sponsored by Oriel. Advertisement

Signatories agree to 'refuse requests from Oriel to give tutorials to Oriel undergraduates'. They will also refuse to interview prospective students, nor will they speak at Oriel talks and conferences.

The petition has been spearheaded by Professor Tunstall, who has previously attempted to scrap the saying of grace before meals. Other apparent authors of the boycott statement include Sneha Krishnan, an associate professor in human geography at Brasenose, and two academics from St Antony's College: Miles Larmer, professor of African history, and Simukai Chigudu, associate professor of African politics.

The college is establishing a 'task force' to look at how to 'retain and explain' the statue, by making the public aware of the context and history behind it.

A likely option is to add a plaque, but dons are also considering creating a 'digital museum' about the statue, which could be accessed around the world.

But the Rhodes Must Fall campaign called it a 'slap in the face' and vowed to carry on fighting.

Responding to the campaign, a senior Oxford don said: 'This is despicable and mean-minded. It is unprecedented for the head of one college to attack and detract from the teaching of students at another college.

'This is politics based on ignorance and bias, and should have nothing to do with Oxford or any other university, where the principle aim should be to educate students and not damage their learning through left-biased agitation.'

Lord Wharton, the chairman of the Office for Students, told the Telegraph the boycott was 'utterly unacceptable' if it led to students being 'disadvantaged in any way'.

Tory MP Tim Loughton added: 'This is academic blackmail by a group of academics who think their own political views should trump everyone else's, and if they don't get their own way then any innocent students who happen to fall within their boycott will become the victims.'

Oriel expressed 'sadness' at the boycott threat.

A statement said: 'Oriel College undertook an extensive, academic and rigorous process advised by a ten-month long, independent commission of inquiry, established to consider the issues raised by the memorials and legacy of Cecil Rhodes.

'The commission did not make a recommendation on the removal of memorials.

'We note with sadness that some fellow academics from other colleges at Oxford University have chosen not to respect the decisions of our governing body, not least because of the commensurate impact on our students and the wider academic community at Oriel, to whom we all have a duty of care. '
Australia's most feared inmate Bassam Hamzy was upset and distressed at his cousin's brazen assassination on the streets of Sydney, according to his lawyer.

One of the few people permitted to speak with the Brothers 4 Life founder in jail, solicitor Mohammad Khan, has revealed Hamzy's distraught reaction to last week's slaying of relative Bilal Hamze.

Bilal, 34, was gunned down outside Japanese eatery Kid Kyoto, on Bridge St, about 10.25pm on Thursday evening after dining on kingfish with a date described as a Kim Kardashian lookalike.

Police sources believe Bilal, himself a crime boss, had a price on his head amid an underworld conflict between associates of the Hamzy and Alameddine clans.

The day after the shooting, Bilal's notorious relative Bassam held a conference from Supermax, New South Wales's most secure prison, with his solicitor Mr Khan.

The notorious gangster somehow already knew what had happened.

Bassam Hamzy (pictured) is one of NSW's most notorious prisoners having been convicted of murder, drug and gang offences. He was 'upset and distressed' at the news of Bilal's death

'He was naturally upset and distressed that his cousin was killed earlier and the circumstances of the killing being in the CBD,' Mr Khan told Daily Mail Australia.

Hamzy, 41, learned of the death on Friday morning prior to his meeting, but did not say how.

Hamzy is serving a 40 year jail term over murder and gang-related offences, after first being locked up in 1998 over the killing of a Sydney teenager.

He founded the Brothers 4 Life street gang in his cell after converting to radical Islam. At one point he infamously made up to 450 calls a day from a secret mobile phone until he was sprung by prison authorities.

Bilal Hamze is his third close relative to die in the past 12 months. His younger brother Mejid was gunned down at his Condell Park home last October and his father Khaled died of illness in August.

He is due to be laid to rest on Thursday following prayers at the Lakemba Mosque, with police expecting to keep a close eye on proceedings.

But Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Bilal's death has led to unexpected complications for the Hamze family.

About 20 associates of Bilal Hamze descended upon his mother Maha's home in Auburn (pictured), in the city's west, on Friday, to mourn their friend

The Hamze clan's public housing estate was described as 'Fortress Hamze' on Friday - with a huge CCTV pole catching the NSW government's attention

'Fortress Hamze' under threat

Hi-tech fortifications at the Hamze matriarch Maha's housing commission townhouse in Auburn caught the attention of NSW authorities this week.

A private telegraph pole with three CCTV cameras has been installed out the front of the matriach's home.

That feature led the property to be dubbed 'Fortress Hamze' on Friday, when Bilal's associates descended on the property to join together in mourning.

In a statement, the NSW Housing and Land Corporation told Daily Mail Australia the prominent CCTV pole was unauthorised and hadn't been installed by the agency. The devices likewise weren't installed by NSW Police.

A state government spokesman said housing authorities will probe whether the pole and cameras should be ripped out of the ground.

Hamzy (pictured) is serving a 40 year jail term over murder and gang-related offences, after first being locked up in 1998 over the killing of a Sydney teenager.

A NSW government spokesman said the pole was unauthorised by the state's Land and Housing Coproration and warned it will investigate whether the pole and cameras should be removed

'Land and Housing Corporation will work with the Department of Communities and Justice and the tenants to determine whether the pole and cameras need to be removed,' the government spokesman said.

The townhouse has twice been the target of drive-by shootings.

Shots were fired at the home in February, shattering a window at the adjacent Auburn hospital and injuring a nurse.

Mrs Hamze was shot eight times in her right leg in another drive-by shooting at the premises in 2013.

That shooting was related to a debt recovery feud between her son and another man, and Mrs Hamze was collateral damage. She survived.

Groups of men descended on the Hamze matriarch's home last Friday (above) after his death

Bilal Hamze's last meal: How crime boss ignored cops warning and entertained his 'Kim Kardashian-lookalike date' with wagyu beef and kingfish sashimi at a trendy Japanese restaurant - before being executed in the street in brazen gangland hit

Bilal Hamze and his glamorous 'Kim Kardashian-type' date splurged over $200 on kingfish sashimi and wagyu beef at a trendy Japanese restaurant just moments before he was assassinated on the street in a gangland hit.

Hamze, the cousin of notorious Brothers 4 Life gang leader Bassam Hamzy, was gunned down in a brazen drive-by shooting on Bridge Street, near Circular Quay, at about 10.25pm last Thursday.

Bilal enjoyed a lavish Japanese meal with a mystery date (mock-up receipt, above)moments before being shot dead

Sources at the popular Kid Kyoto restaurant told Daily Mail Australia Hamze stood out because of the tight white pants he was wearing and the attractive woman by his side for the lavish dinner.

The pair, who were the last customers to leave the restaurant, enjoyed tuna, trout and kingfish sashimi for their entree and then gorged on wagyu beef, barramundi, shitake noodles and sake chicken for their main.

Hamze, who had a bounty on his head and a distinctive tear-shaped tattoo under his right eye, was strolling down a busy lane when a black stolen Audi with two armed hitmen inside drove past and fired up to ten bullets at him.

An emergency services source told Daily Mail Australia that Hamze was shot twice in the stomach and once in the shoulder.

Paramedics desperately tried to keep Hamze's organs from falling out in the aftermath of the shooting but he went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance and was unable to be revived at St Vincent's Hospital.

Police later found the burnt-out wreckage of an Audi RS3, believed to be the getaway car, on a quiet street 17 minutes away in Northwood on the Lower North Shore.

Bilal was hiding out in the city amid underworld conflict with members of the rival Alameddine clan. But his ostentatious display at dinner suggests he thought he was safe away from his nearby hideout in Pyrmont.

Crime boss Bilal Hamze enjoyed a fine dining experience at Kid Kyoto (pictured) on Thursday night with a glamorous mystery woman. He was executed just moments away after leaving the trendy Japanese restaurant

Associates of the slain crime boss formed a guard of honour at his grieving mother's high security housing commission townhouse on Friday morning.

Two dozen male friends, most of them dressed in hoodies and tracksuit pants, gathered to pay their respects and stand protectively out the front of matriarch Maha Hamze's home in Auburn, Sydney.

His mother's humble home was itself a scene of recent bloodshed - and is fitted with security technology more befitting a prime minister's residence.

The publicly-owned property is protected by at least six CCTV cameras including a private telegraph pole where three devices capture a 360 degree view of the street.

Groups of men lurked near the entrance to the matriarch's home and in a nearby park, occasionally comforting one another.

Police sources have claimed Bilal was hiding out in the city amid underworld conflict with members of the rival Alameddine clan. Pictured: Friends and family descended on the Auburn home of the mother of Bilal Hamze

Police cars drove by at least once an hour and as the day went on a queue of Toyota Hiluxes and Audis formed in the driveway.

At one point, a young man arrived, desperately hiding his face from the TV cameras under a fluoro hoodie - and left moments later by jumping the fence and scurrying off into a park.

Most retreated inside a converted garage with blacked out windows when television cameras swooped.

There is reason for the high security: Maha was shot eight times in the leg when the home was shot up in 2013.

The property was likewise the target of a drive by shooting one evening in February. No one inside was injured but a nurse at a nearby hospital was hurt when a stray bullet destroyed a window she was standing near.

Mourners are seen arriving at Bilal Hamze's mother's home in Auburn, in Sydney's west, on Friday following the news of his assassination

Associates of slain crime boss Bilal Hamze formed a guard of honour at his grieving mother's Auburn home on Friday morning

Hamze was shot twice in the stomach times after leaving Kid Kyoto restaurant. He then went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance and was unable to be revived when arriving at St Vincent's Hospital. Police later discovered a burnt out Audi

Detectives from the NSW Police State Crime Command's Homicide Squad have established Strike Force Englorie to investigate the 'brutal execution-style murder'.

Homicide Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said a 'major line of inquiry' would be whether the murder was linked to rising tensions between warring Middle Eastern crime families or the recent Operation Ironside busts last week.

'Police were told a number of shots were fired by a per or persons  more than one person anyway, who was passing in a black vehicle,' Superintendent Doherty said.

'This was a brutal execution-style murder that was carried out in a busy street in the middle of Sydney CBD.'

'It was extremely fortunate that no members of the public were injured.

'We believe he left an establishment nearby and as he walked onto Bridge Street he was shot down in a hail of bullets.'

Police found the burnt-out wreckage of an Audi, believed to be the getaway car, on a quiet street in Northwood on the Lower North Shore on Friday morning

An emergency services source told Daily Mail Australia the gangster was shot in the stomach twice after leaving the popular Japanese restaurant Kid Kyoto. Pictured: Police at the scene on Bridge Street in the CBD on Friday

Criminal Groups Squad Detective Superintendent Robert Critchlow said Hamze had been warned he was a target of a rival.

'He has been warned that he is at risk, he has been given advice as to his safety,' Mr Critchlow said on Friday.

'That advice was not received in the sense it was given. He sought to live his life the way he wanted to and made some choices.

Mr Critchlow said police were 'certainly concerned' and had been monitoring the situation.

'There are regular things that arise in the criminal space that that we act upon quietly and in a way that doesn't attract attention and we avert a lot of these crimes,' he said.

'But ultimately if a violent criminal group wishes to use violence towards another person to achieve their own goals, they will do it.

'What we do now is gather the evidence and lock them up.'
Barnaby Joyce has reclaimed leadership of the National Party in the latest twist of a turbulent career in which he has threatened to kill Johnny Depp's dogs and had an affair with a staffer 18 years his junior.

Mr Joyce, 54, was made Deputy Prime Minister for the second time on Monday after the Nationals voted to axe Michael McCormack in a party room meeting.

The father of six - who has four daughters from his collapsed marriage and two sons with his former staffer Vikki Campion - was humble in victory, saying: 'I acknowledge my faults' and 'I hope I come back a better person'.

Mr Joyce, 54 (pictured with Vikki Campion, 36, and their son Sebastian), returned as Deputy Prime Minister on Monday after the Nationals voted to axe Michael McCormack

Mr Joyce made international headlines in 2015 when as Minister for Agriculture he threatened to kill Johnny Depp's dogs. Pictured: Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard

The move doubles Mr Joyce's salary to $433,575 and begins the next chapter of his political career which began in 2004 when he was elected as a Queensland senator in the Howard government.

The former accountant - who was born in Tamworth, rural New South Wales and studied at the University of New England - became the MP representing his hometown when he switched to the House of Representatives at the 2013 election.

He became deputy leader of the Nationals later that year and made international headlines in 2015 when as Minister for Agriculture he threatened to kill Johnny Depp's dogs.

Depp had used his private jet to sneak Yorkshire Terriers Pistol and Boo into Australia where he was filming Pirates of the Caribbean, violating bio-security laws by failing to declare and quarantine them.

Mr Joyce said the dogs would be put down if they were not sent home to the US.

'If we start letting movie stars - even though they've been the sexiest man alive twice - to come into our nation [and break the laws], then why don't we just break the laws for everybody,' he said during an infamous press conference.

'It's time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States.'

Depp promptly sent his dogs home and a year later insulted Mr Joyce - who he called 'Barnaby Jones' by telling US talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live: 'He looks somehow, like, inbred with a tomato.

Natalie Joyce (centre) with daughters Bridgette, Julia, Caroline, and Odette

Barnaby Joyce dramatically reclaimed the leadership after a spill motion in the Nationals' party room. Pictured with former staffer Vikki Campion and their fist baby, Sebastian

'It's not a criticism. I was a little worried. He might explode,' said the Hollywood star.

Mr Joyce hit back, saying: 'I think I'm turning into Johnny Depp's Hannibal Lecter.

'I'm inside his head, I'm pulling little strings and pulling little levers. Long after I've forgotten about Mr Depp, he's remembering me.'

In February 2016, Mr Joyce became Nationals Leader, a role that made him Tony Abbott's deputy prime minister.

After less than two years in the job, he was forced to resign because he was found to have New Zealand citizenship through his Kiwi father. In Australia, dual citizens are not eligible to become parliamentarians.

Mr Joyce, who said had never applied for the citizenship and did not realise he had it, relinquished his Kiwi citizenship and won a by-election to reclaim his seat of New England in October 2017.

Mr Joyce (centre with Nationals MP David Littleproud and Senator Bridget McKenzie) announced his leadership of the National Party in a press conference on Monday

He re-entered Parliament just in time for a crunch vote on same-sex marriage in December that year, a vote in which he abstained after strongly opposing the change by saying it undermined traditional marriage.

Those words would come back to haunt him in February 2018 when it was revealed he was expecting a child with then 33-year-old staffer Ms Campion after an affair which ended his 24-year marriage to Natalie.

The news was revealed in a Daily Telegraph front page which featured a picture of a pregnant Ms Campion under the headline 'Bundle of Joyce'.

The Nationals leader initially claimed the child may not be his, insisting the identity of the father was a 'grey area' - but said he would not take a paternity test and would raise the boy named Sebastian as his.

At the same time, Mr Joyce was accused of a sexually harassing WA Rural Woman of the Year Catherine Marriot after function in Canberra.

Ms Joyce (in green) competed at her first bodybuilding event in New South Wales in March 2020, to show off what commentators called her 'revenge body'

Her complaint to the National Party was leaked to the media, forcing Mr Joyce to deny the allegations, calling them 'spurious and defamatory'.

Mr Joyce resigned from the frontbench because he did not want the allegation to damage the Coalition. An internal investigation was inconclusive due to lack of evidence and no police action was taken.

After he moved to the backbench, Mr Joyce's ex-wife Natalie said she was left 'devastated' by the affair, and said she had always been a single mum because he was frequently away.

In an interview with the Weekend Australian, she said their youngest daughter Odette would 'not go near' her own father.

'Odette's never known anything but politics. Every time he'd come home she actually wouldn't go near him... She's stand-offish because he wasn't home. That's really hard,' she said.

Further details of Mr Joyce's affair emerged in a book by political insider Niki Savva, who wrote that he was spotted with Ms Campion at a doctor's surgery for 'scans' while she was pregnant.

Ms Campion, a former journalist and state National Party advisor who was hired by Mr Joyce in mid-2016, apparently spoke to her colleagues about her 'closeness' with the deputy prime minister, telling fellow government staff about the bushwalks they went on together.

Mr Joyce stepped down as Nationals leader and deputy prime minister in February 2018 when details of his relationship with Vikki Campion made national headlines. The pair are pictured with their two sons, Sebastian and Thomas

Vikki Campion (pictured) was a journalist before becoming a staffer for the National Party

Ms Savva, a former press secretary to ex-Treasurer Peter Costello, wrote: 'She made no secret of her closeness to Joyce.

'She would describe him as the loneliest man in Parliament.'

The affair prompted the introduction of the so-called 'bonk ban' in Federal Parliament to stop relationships between ministers and their staffers.

During his time on the backbench, coal-supporter Mr Joyce spoke out about standing up for resources sector workers by opposing carbon emissions targets as Scott Morrison appeared to move closer to 2050 net zero target.

On Monday, Mr Joyce said he would be guided by his party on whether to support such a policy.

'If the National Party room believes that the best deal for regional Australia is to make sure that we secure their jobs, is to make sure that we secure their industries, is to clearly understand, clearly understand the dynamics of an Australian economy as to opposed to a Danish one or a German one - if that's the view of the National Party room, that's the view that I'll support,' he said.

The comments came after he was propelled into leadership when Nationals leader Michael McCormack was overthrown in a party-room meeting after Joyce supporter Senator Matt Canavan moved a spill motion.

The spill - the third attempt to roll Mr McCormack in as many years - was prompted by growing disquiet over his lacklustre performance as Acting Prime Minister last week, when Mr Morrison was overseas.

But it came after long-running concerns that Mr McCormack was not cutting through in the Nationals' regional heartlands amid fears that conservative voters would turn to One Nation or the Shooters, Farmers and Fishers Party.

Mr Joyce claimed he did not expect to win a leadership ballot on Monday morning, adding: 'If I thought it was going to happen I would have brought my hat.'

Asked whether he would try to overturn former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull's 'bonk ban', he said: 'I can't and I won't start telling other people how they should start thinking of other people.

'I will try, always, to be the better person. I acknowledge my faults. I resigned, I've spent three years on the backbench. I don't walk away from making sure that I can be a better person to do a better job.

'And I'm reminded by that by the people that I love dearly - my four daughters and my two sons and Vikki.'

Mr Morrison welcomed Mr Joyce's election and thanked Mr McCormack for being a 'tremendous bloke'.

Mr McCormack told reporters in Canberra on Monday that he respects the decision made by the National Party, and wishes Mr Joyce 'all the best'.

Mr Joyce's return has raised fears that women voters will be turned away from the Coalition, which commentators say already has a 'women problem' after former staffer Brittany Higgins alleged she was raped in Parliament House by a colleague and former attorney-general was accused of an historic rape which he denies.

Moderate Liberals also worry it will hamper climate action.
A 23-year-old court clerk was allegedly bullied by senior staff after it was revealed she was in a relationship with a magistrate who was 45 years older.

Ashleigh Petrie died after being hit by a car in October 2019, shortly after her relationship with Victorian magistrate Rodney Higgins, 68, went public.

A whistleblower told the Herald Sun that Ms Petrie was at the centre of a 'vile culture', with sexual harassment and bullying continuing to plague the court.

On one occasion she was allegedly openly ridiculed in a busy courtroom by other staff after they were made aware she was in a relationship with Mr Higgins.

A whistleblower said Ashleigh Petrie (pictured with Rodney Higgins, 68) was at the centre of a 'vile culture' where sexual harassment and bullying continues to plague the courts

Ashleigh Petrie, 23, was in a relationship with a magistrate who was 45 years older before she died in a car crash

'I couldn't believe it, she was 23 and I thought, what are you talking about, you have a duty of care to her... she was destroyed, they bullied her,' the source said.

Senior victim advocates within the court's family violence branch had voiced their concerns about how Ms Petrie was treated, but the source said nothing was done.

The source said a 'vile culture of sexual' and bullying is deeply embedded within the Victorian Magistrates Court system.

'They hire dozens of young girls every year, and she was one of them. She was 19 when she started,' they said.

Daily Mail Australia have put questions about the alleged 'toxic culture' to the Victorian Magistrates Court, but the they have declined to comment.

There is no suggestion Mr Higgins was among those who allegedly bullied Ms Petrie.

The couple's relationship has been thrust into the spotlight again recently after it emerged the magistrate was to receive her entire $180,000 superannuation payout.

The source said that on one occasion Ms Petrie was openly ridiculed in a busy courtroom by top officials after they were made aware she was in a relationship with magistrate Rodney Higgins, 68 (pictured together)

Senior victim advocates within the court's family violence branch had voiced their concerns about how Ms Petrie (pictured with Mr Higgins) was treated, but the source said nothing was done

Victorian magistrate Rod Higgins has claimed the $180,000 super fund of his former fiancee Ashleigh Petrie (together, above). The 23-year-old died eight days after the pair became engaged (right) after weeks of scrutiny about their controversial relationship

She had bequeathed the entire balance and death benefit of her super and life insurance to her struggling mother.

But after her death, Mr Higgins argued that because they'd been living together for about 12 weeks, he was her 'dependent' and therefore entitled to her super pay out upon her death.

Rest Super agreed and awarded him the money despite what Ms Petrie requested, but the funds have been tied up as her mother begs the court to reconsider.

Some 1,500 Australians have since signed a petition demanding the fund to give the cash to Ms Petrie's mother, as per her wishes.

Ashleigh Petrie (pictured, left) died in October 2019 while in a relationship with Mr Higgins, who has since reunited with his former partner Lurlin Le Neuf (right)

'What is the point of nominating a beneficiary if an old white dude can just swan in and claim it out from under them?' Shannon McDonald, who created the petition, said.

'It's been a win-win-win for him... We're asking Rest Super to overturn this abhorrent decision.'

After Ms Petrie's death, Mr Higgins moved back to the riverside home in Shepparton he shared with his former partner, Lurline Le Neuf, to resume their 18-year relationship.

He is still employed as a magistrate and earns $324,000 a year.

For confidential support in Australia call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14.
A child who was declared missing after being last seen on his bike in a popular park yesterday afternoon has been found safe and well.

Charlie O'Brien, 12, was reported missing after he was last spotted in John Lee Park in Altrincham at 4.20pm yesterday afternoon.

The boy was riding his black Carerra mountain bike when he was seen, police have confirmed.

Charlie O'Brien, 12, was last seen riding his black Carerra mountain bike in John Lee Park in Altrincham yesterday afternoon

Charlie has now been found safe and well following a police search.

Thank you for sharing this appeal.
New Zealand's first bloke Clarke Gayford has shown off his baking skills, producing an astonishing television cake with projected cartoons for his daughter's birthday.

Jacinda Ardern, 40, and her partner Clarke Gayford, 44, celebrated their daughter Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford's third birthday on Sunday.

The Labour leader made cakes for Neve's first and second birthdays; a coconut-coated rabbit in 2019, and a chocolate piano last year.

But this year, Mr Gayford took it upon himself to make a cake shaped like a vintage television, complete with a fondant screen inside to play his daughter's favourites.

He ingeniously projected cartoons and films, including kids' favourite Moana, onto the screen so it looked like a real television.

To celebrate his daughter's third birthday Clarke Gayford took it upon himself to make a homemade cake shaped like a vintage television (pictured) which he projected her favourite films into

The prime minister's fiance shared the results with his 50,000 Instagram followers, explaining how he came up with the idea for the quirky dessert.

'So the birthday cake brief for my almost three-year-old client changed daily from Frozen to Moana then Mickey Mouse and repeat', he wrote.

'This has been going on for nearly a month, so I came up with a plan to make three cakes into one, #HappyBirthdayNeve #neverusingfondantagain.'

The television host covered the rectangular chocolate cake with a layer of white icing, adding two feet, an TV antenna and buttons.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern allowed her partner Clarke Gayford to make the cake for their daughter's third birthday this year. (The family pictured in February 2020)

The Labour leader made cakes for Neve's first and second birthdays; a coconut-coated rabbit in 2019, and a chocolate piano last year

He uploaded a video pretending to turn on the cake screen with a remote, switching effortlessly from Moana, to Frozen and finally Mickey Mouse with the use of a projector.

Ms Ardern said Neve was delighted - but not necessarily by Mr Gayford's attention to detail.

'She's three. Everything's exciting,' she said.

'She's still a kid that loves dolls. She's easy to please.'

Speaking to TVNZ, Ms Ardern said Mr Gayford had won himself the chance to make Neve's cake next year.

'If it makes anyone feel better it literally took hours and he spent more time on a third birthday cake than he has on our wedding,' she said.

After meeting in 2012, Ms Ardern and Mr Gayford were engaged in 2019, and plan to wed this summer near the pair's summer holiday town of Gisborne, in New Zealand's remote north-east

The proud dad explained he had combined three cakes into one, after his young daughter couldn't decide between a Moana, Frozen or Mickey Mouse theme for her big day

'That is actually true and zero exaggeration.'

After meeting in 2012, Ms Ardern and Mr Gayford were engaged in 2019, and plan to wed this summer near the pair's summer holiday town of Gisborne, in New Zealand's remote north-east.

Hundreds of people took to the comments to praise the proud dad for his efforts.

'Are you kidding me with this cake? WOW', one woman wrote.

'Best Cake ever! Gotta step up next year though dad. Ra Whanau Neve Happy born day', another user joked.

'Holy heck! Way to outshine your partner! I mean good effort from Jacinda the last couple of years, but she can definitely step down from cake maker now', a third user commented.

To celebrate her daughter's second birthday last year, Jacinda Ardern made a piano cake (pictured) from the Australian Women's Weekly Birthday Cake Book

Last year the New Zealand prime minister stunned the internet by taking the time to make her daughter a homemade piano cake for her second birthday.

She took to Instagram to explain the recipe she had used from the Australian Women's Weekly Birthday Cake Book had not run exactly to plan.

'Cake making lesson number two- don't focus on making the cake look in proportion with little to no attention on structural integrity,' Ms Ardern wrote.

'There is a jar of lentils propping this thing up.'

'Happy Birthday Neve! Thanks for ignoring all of the imperfections in life and just being a joy.'
Downing Street today tried to kill off rumours that the state pension 'triple lock' could be axed amid Treasury fears costs could soar due to furlough warping wage figures.

With the public finances under huge pressure, there has been mounting speculation that Rishi Sunak wants to save 4billion by suspending the manifesto pledge for a year.

However, Boris Johnson wants to keep the lock in place, even though it is likely to grant pensioners a 6 per cent or higher rise because wages have spiked as people go back to work after the pandemic.

Asked about the possibility of a one-year suspension of the manifesto pledge, the Prime Minister's spokesman said: 'We are fully committed to the pensions triple lock.'

Mr Johnson was challenged about the triple-lock reports during a visit to a laboratory in Hertfordshire today.

He told broadcasters: 'I'm reading all sorts of stuff at the moment which I don't recognise at all about the Government's plans.'

Meanwhile, Kwasi Kwarteng insisted driving growth is the 'best way' of balancing the books amid claims Mr Sunak is looking at a separate pensions raid to raise revenue.

The Business Secretary suggested tax rises and reducing reliefs such as the 1million lifetime allowance was 'not necessarily the way forward'.

Tensions emerged as Boris Johnson faces Cabinet disquiet over big spending decisions being railroaded through without consultation.

Kwasi Kwarteng (left) insisted driving growth is the 'best way' of balancing the books amid claims Rishi Sunak (right) is looking at a pensions raid to raise revenue

The tensions emerged as Boris Johnson faces Cabinet disquiet over big spending decisions being railroaded through without consultation

Mr Johnson, Mr Sunak and Health Secretary Matt Hancock had been expected to meet tomorrow to discuss proposals on social care - expected to cost another 5billion a year. However, No10 said the meeting will not be happened as billed.

In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Kwarteng was asked about tax rises to cover the huge cost of coronavirus - with the national debt mountain now 2.17trillion.

'I am hopeful as business secretary as you can imagine that we can grow the economy,' he told Sky News.

'That in the past has always been the best way to raise tax revenue the tax revenue from a thriving economy can pay down some of the debt.'

Asked about the option of a raid on pensions reliefs, he said: 'I don't think that is necessarily the way forward.'

On the state pension, he said: 'Obviously it is a decision of the Chancellor, but I am pretty sure the triple lock will stay.'

Treasury sources said changing pensions tax relief is 'certainly not something the Chancellor is actively looking at'.

Officials say Mr Sunak is also refusing to fund the 200million cost of Johnson's pet project to build a Royal Yacht, with the Ministry of Defence, the Cabinet Office and the Department of International Trade also reluctant to foot the bill.

In a sign of rising tensions, one official branded the funding for the yacht 'a complete and utter s***show' and another even suggested the PM should 'set up a trust to pay for it'  a reference to his failed attempt to get Tory donors to fund the cost of renovations to his Downing Street flat.

Mr Johnson urged G7 nations to sign up for a 'Marshall Plan' to help drive global green growth at the summit in Cornwall, but there was no UK money announced and the Treasury was apparently not consulted.

Mr Sunak has already laid out plans for tax rises in the coming years to fill the massive black hole in the government finances.

The Chancellor has told colleagues that he does not think families should face any further rise to personal taxation to pay for the extra spending.

The national debt mountain now stands at 2.17trillion, and is higher as a proportion of GDP than after the credit crunch

The CPI index hit 2.1 per cent in May, up from 1.5 per cent the previous month and above the official 2 per cent goal

There are fears that without greater restraint from No 10, the manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT during this parliament will become strained.

Mr Sunak is, however, said to be open to cutting the money for state pensions.

Treasury officials are also believed to be working up plans to cut the 1million pensions lifetime allowance, bring in a single tax relief rate, or tax employer contributions

An online sales tax is likely to be unveiled this autumn.

Taxes on gambling giants are also in development, with a Whitehall tussle under way over whether the levy targets profits or turnover.

There are claims today that the Cabinet is demanding more of a say in spending plans to rein in Mr Johnson.

'The cabinet has to be involved in all the big decisions that reflect what the party stands for, the cabinet needs to be more involved in those decisions,' one Whitehall official told the Guardian.

'All cabinet ministers have to be part of making decisions that are part of a bigger picture. If you aren't taking decisions as a collective it is very hard to go out and sell a coherent argument.'

A No 10 spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister and Chancellor work closely together, and have been in lockstep throughout the most challenging period any government has faced since the Second World War.'
Dozens of dogs being taken for slaughter at a dog meat festival in southern China have been rescued by animal activists.

A truck carrying 68 canines crammed into tiny wire cages was stopped heading for the city of Yulin, China, on Friday last week.

Activists said several of the animals had infections, while others appeared to be pets that had been stolen with the intention they would be killed an eaten.

One was even pregnant and gave birth to two puppies shortly after the truck was stopped and the dogs rescued.

Activists rescued 68 dogs bound for slaughter at a festival in southern China, including one that was so heavily pregnant she gave birth to two puppies shortly after (pictured)

The dogs were crammed into wire cages on one of the hottest days of the year, and activists say they were panting and clearly traumatised

Several of the dogs were trained to respond to commands, rescuers say, meaning they are likely pets that had been stolen with the intention they would be killed

The truck that was stopped by animal activists, who convinced the driver tom give up the cargo because he did not have paperwork for any of the dogs

Humane Society International said rescuers were able to persuade the truck driver to give up his cargo, and that all 70 animals are now being cared for in shelters.

Liang Jia, a Guangxi activist, said: 'It was so frustrating to watch trucks of dogs arrive in Yulin when the authorities were supposed to be stopping them and confiscating the dogs.

'So we decided to save some dogs ourselves and waited on the highway for the next truck to arrive.

'When it did, we flagged it down and convinced the truck driver to hand over the dogs because they were clearly stolen pets for whom he didnt have the legally required paperwork.

'The dogs offered us their paw just like a pet at home, and they had healthy teeth which means someone was looking after them before they were stolen.

'The Yulin authorities have a responsibility to protect public health, even if they dont also care about the animals like we do.

'These poor dogs look sick, and thankfully now they will receive veterinary care, but who knows what diseases they could carry that would end up in the food market.'

The Yulin Dog Meat Festival has been running since 2009, with thousands of animals slaughtered over the hottest days of the year and eaten for a rage of spurious health benefits

Activists say several of the dogs showed signs of infection, meaning they could have passed diseases over to whoever ate the meat

While eating dog meat is a centuries-old tradition in various parts of Asia, the Yulin Dog Meat Festival is far more recent - tracing its origins back only as far as 2009.

Thousands of people flock to markets in the southern Chinese city between May and June - traditionally the hottest months of the year - to buy and eat the animals.

Various superstitions surround the eating of dog meat during hot weather, including beliefs that it can bring luck, good health, cure disease and improve male libido.

But activists say the practice is cruel with dogs often slaughtered inhumanely - beaten to death with clubs while their cage-mates watch.

Many animals brought to market are also believed to be stolen pets, while activists also say vendors do not follow proper health procedures.

The WHO has warned that eating dog meat increases the risk of catching diseases such as rabies and cholera, if proper health codes are not adhered to.

Activists have been trying for years to get the festival - which also sells cat meat, lychees and hard spirits - shut down, but to no avail.

Local officials have stonewalled, saying that - officially speaking - the festival does not exist, meaning they are powerless to take action.

On paper, they have agreed to stop trucks transporting dogs to the city on festival days - but in practice, activists say little is done, forcing them to step in.

One of the rescued dogs is seen inside a larger cage on its way to a shelter

Activists who rescued the dogs load them on to the back of a truck so they can be taken to a shelter, before being rehomed

One of the charity workers plays with dogs rescued from the truck in Yulin, southern China

While the practice of eating dog meat is popular among some communities, the majority of people in both China and Yulin say they have never eaten it and do not support the festival going ahead.

Dr Peter Li, China policy specialist for Humane Society International which supports the care of dogs rescued from Chinas meat trade, said: These activists are typical of a new generation in China who strongly oppose the dog and cat meat trades and are prepared to take action to see it ended in places like Yulin.

'The truth is that most Chinese people, including those in Yulin, dont eat dogs.

'The suffering of these animals in Yulin is of course a tragedy, but we need to be calling for an end to this brutal trade every day across China, not just a few days in June in one city.

'HSI addresses the dog meat issue throughout the year and the country to advocate for an end to the dog and cat meat trade.

'Thankfully these 68 dogs are now safe after what must have been a terrifying ordeal, but for thousands more dogs in Yulin and millions across the country, the cruelty continues.

'Through dog theft, illegal trans-provincial transport and inhumane slaughter, the trade not only subjects animals to suffering but also risks public health with the potential for the spread of rabies and other diseases.

'These are compelling reasons for the Chinese authorities to end this trade once and for all.'
Fears were raised today that ministers could overrule guidance from scientists on vaccinating children against Covid.

No10's top advisers last week said they were against expanding Britain's roll-out to under-18s until they got more data on the safety of vaccinating under-18s.

But the final decision is now 'stuck' with ministers, and experts have been left 'in the dark' over what will actually happen, Whitehall insiders have claimed.

Experts told MailOnline it is not clear why the government would want to go against any advice, given the lack of clear safety data currently.

And one member of SAGE today said safety data for vaccinating children needed to be 'incredibly robust' owing to their low risks from Covid  but stressed that it wasn't quite there yet.

A 13-year-old received his first Pfizer Covid jab last month in New York, after the US expanded its vaccine rollout to over 12s

Meanwhile, it also emerged today that ministers want to dish out coronavirus jabs to 16 and 17 year olds before they return to school or college in September.

The topic of vaccinating children against Covid has divided opinion, with critics of any roll-out expansion questioning whether it is even necessary because youngsters face such a tiny risk of falling seriously ill if they get infected.

Some have also highlighted the ethical issues with vaccinating kids in the UK, when poorer countries do not have enough jabs to vaccinate older adults.

But others have said it would help thwart the spread of the Indian variant and boost protection in the population ahead of a potential third wave this winter.

Last week The Telegraph said the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation (JCVI) wanted to wait for more data on how safe vaccines are for children before making a formal recommendation on offering the jabs to children.

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But a source told the newspaper today that the panel, which advises No10 on the roll-out, has been left 'in the dark' over the next move.

The insider said the JCVI had 'reached its conclusion' and that they were 'perplexed' by the delay in the formal announcement.

They said: 'It is about reconciling the view of the committee, which, of course, is evolving over time anyway and what the politicians are minded to do.

'I guess that process is taking longer than usual. We've deliberated and we've reached some conclusions.

'But the position we're in is that we're waiting for a joint communique from the DHSC [Department of Health and Social Care], from Matt Hancock and the whole team.'

The paper also reported that a senior Whitehall source denied that the decision was being delayed.

Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, said he is not sure why the government would want to go against the advice of the JCVI, especially because it has 'given consistently high quality advice in its area of interest throughout the pandemic'.

'The case for vaccinating children is less clear than vaccinating those older,' he told MailOnline.

'I suspect we will ultimately offer vaccination to teenagers but the pros and cons need to be properly assessed by a competent body before any roll out and there are none more competent in this area than JCVI.'

Today it was also revealed that ministers are keen to give those aged 16 and 17 Covid vaccines before the end of the summer holidays.

Ministers want to open up appointments in August for late teens to get the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, before they go back to school in September, the Sun reported.

A source told the newspaper that subject to JCVI approval, there was 'capacity and willingness' to offer jabs to the younger age group.

Children aged 16 and 17 'are some of the most socially active members of society so if we can cut that transmission, it can only be a good thing', they said.

Dr Simon Kolstoe, a senior lecturer in evidence based healthcare at the University of Portsmouth, told MailOnline that 16 and 17-year-olds are 'considered adults' for most health issues.

He added: 'So it is not a huge surprise to include them if the government wants to provide vaccines for all adults.

'But more broadly we do need to consider whether giving coronavirus vaccines to under 40s is the best use of funds. There are many other health conditions that are far more serious for under 40s.'

Over-12s in the US, Israel and France are already able to get coronavirus vaccines.

But officials in the US have raised concerns that Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines could be linked with heart inflammation.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, which polices the safety of drunks in the UK, has already approved the Pfizer jab for 12- to 15-year-olds.

If the vaccination programme is formally opened up to children, they are expected to get Pfizer's jab, or the one made by Moderna.

The JCVI recommended in May that under-40s should not get the AstraZeneca jab because of its rare links to deadly blood clots.

US health chiefs earlier this month identified 226 plausible cases of myocarditis and pericarditis in under-30s in the US that had received Pfizer or Moderna jabs.

They said most of the cases were identified in boys and young men, but has urged everyone to get the vaccine as it is not clear whether the conditions are caused by the jabs.

The MHRA, which regulates medicines in the UK, is 'closely monitoring' reports of the link.

But it said the rates of the condition in vaccinated adults are 'similar or below' levels expected. Younger adults  who appear to be most at risk  were only invited to book their jab last week.

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle. There are no specific causes of the condition but it is usually triggered by a virus.

Pericarditis is when the pericardium  a protective layer around the heart  gets inflamed.

WHAT IS 'HERD IMMUNITY'? Herd immunity is the indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection. Effectively, it means that once people have some form of immunity, it reduces the ability of a disease to spread among the population. Therefore, someone who has antibodies either through previous infection or vaccines, acts as a 'barrier' to the virus. If you have enough 'barriers' then the disease cannot effectively spread through a population. But in the case of a new virus, such as with Covid, the virus can spread essentially without any barriers  which can lead to a pandemic. The World Health Organisation says it supports achieving herd immunity through vaccination, not by allowing a disease to spread through any segment of the population. But one expert told MailOnline that Covid is here to stay and that the key is reaching a 'herd immunity threshold'. This keeps the virus at what is known as an endemic level  where a disease is regularly found among the population but is not harmful enough to impact on society. Keeping Covid within the herd immunity threshold, which can vary particularly in winter when diseases such as flu and coronavirus spread quickly, will mean it is kept at a 'manageable level', the expert added. Research shows the current crop of Covid vaccines help by increasing the antibody response to the virus  therefore heavily reducing the risk that someone can be made seriously ill. But data is not yet available about how effective the vaccinations are at preventing transmission. Advertisement

Meanwhile, one of the government's Sage advisers said it was a 'really close call' on whether children should be vaccinated.

Professor Calum Semple told Sky News that children are 'much less at risk' of severe disease and long Covid.

So a push to vaccinate kids would be to reduce community transmission, 'rather than primarily to protect them', Professor Semple said.

'And we've still got a much greater impetus to vaccinate the adult population, particularly those sectors of the adult community which are harder to reach, are hesitant about being vaccinated.

'An ethical and moral question could then be raised that, if we then have vaccine left over, it would still be better to probably send it to other countries where they are in greater need of the vaccine and where more lives are likely to be saved by it. So it's a really close call as well.'

Asked whether vaccinating children would be to protect vulnerable adults or perhaps to stop spread in the classroom, Professor Semple said: 'That's a really good argument that can be made for vaccinating children.

'If there was a situation where the Government was to say that after two doses there would no longer be a need to isolate with symptoms, then double vaccination or evidence of double vaccination could open education up and prevent whole classes being sent home.

'Remember, this winter we're going to have all the other usual respiratory viruses out there causing misery and they will be the cause of it, not necessarily Covid.

'So, if you go purely on a crude symptom-based approach, you're going to have lots more people isolating unnecessarily. So, the presence of double vaccination could mitigate against that.

'On the other side of the coin, though, the safety data for younger children is currently incomplete and we are waiting for more information to come out of countries which have vaccinated children, such as America.'

He said the safety data for vaccinating children needed to be 'incredibly robust' owing to their low risks from Covid.

'The knowledge around safety in children is growing, but I would say it's not as robust as it needs to be if there was to be blanket vaccination of children who themselves are not at risk of very severe disease.

'That's the crux of the matter. If you are going to vaccinate children to protect society, that is a fair decision that can be made, but you want to do that with full knowledge of the safety data.'

Israel's health chief last week said that children may have to get a Covid vaccine for herd immunity to be achieved.

Herd immunity is the point at which a virus can no longer spread effectively through a population because enough people are protected against it, either through jabs or getting infected.

Dr Asher Salmon, deputy director general of Israel's health ministry, said 'nobody knows' the exact threshold for herd immunity, but it seems to be about 70 per cent.

To reach this 'elusive line' kids need to be vaccinated, he said.

Nearly 43million people in the UK have now had their first dose, while 31.3million have had their second.

The government plans to offer all over-18s the vaccine by the end of July.
A prominent Muslim cleric who led anti-blasphemy rallies in Pakistan has appeared in court after being charged with sexually abusing a male student at a religious school.

Charges were filed against Aziz-ur-Rehman after footage purporting to show him forcing himself on the student went viral on social media.

The case has caused a stir in Pakistan, a mainly Muslim country, and outrage on social media, with many calling for a strict punishment for the cleric.

Aziz-ur-Rehman, who led anti-blasphemy rallies in Pakistan has been charged with sexually abusing a male student at a religious school, police said (footage of the alleged attack)

A police officer escorts the handcuffed cleric to court on Monday where he faces sexual abuse charges

It has even led to protests against the government for the lack of protection for students at religious schools.

Rehman denied the accusation of sexual abuse in a video statement, saying that he was drugged before the filming of the alleged abuse.

He said this was part of a plot to throw him out of the seminary, the Jamia Manzoor-ul-Islamia.

Police said it would be a 'test case' after detaining Rehman and his two sons who have been accused of trying to intimidate the alleged victim.

The court ordered police to obtain medical and DNA tests on the cleric, a police spokesman told Reuters.

Charges were filed against the cleric after footage purporting to show him forcing himself on the student went viral on social media

Inam Ghani, inspector general of Punjab police, said, The Telegraph reported: 'We want our kids protected from these child molesters and to keep our society safe.'

Rehman, who is in his 60s and is a member and former leader of prominent religious political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), has worked as a custodian of the Lahore seminary for several years.

He has been a regular at anti-blasphemy rallies held in recent months to denounce publication of cartoons in France depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

The seminary said the cleric has been expelled from his position, and Wafaq-ul-Madaris, the body that oversees the religious schools system, said it has stripped him off his title, mufti, which means a religious scholar.

Rehman, who is in his 60s and is a member and former leader of a prominent religious political party, has worked as a custodian of the Lahore seminary for several years

A police spokesperson said police could not locate the cleric when they visited the seminary after the student filed the sexual abuse complaint.

The student, who police said appeared to be in his early 20s, said in his complaint that he has given several video and audio recordings to help police investigate, adding he had gone into hiding because he had received death threats.

The police said the student had told them that the cleric had been abusing him for several years.

He started filming the abuse after he got sick of it, and sent the video clips of the abuse to the head of the Wafaq-ul-Madaris, the student claims.

He said: 'I was admitted into the madrassa in 2013 and had been attending it since. Mufti Aziz promised passing me in exams in exchange for keeping immoral relations with me.'

Police said it would be a 'test case' after detaining Rehman (pictured behind bars) and his two sons who have been accused of trying to intimidate the alleged victim

In another video posted on social media, the alleged victim said: 'My attacker's son's have threatened to kill me for exposing him.'

It was not clear how the video clips began circulating on social media.

Over 2.2 million children attend religious seminaries in Pakistan.

Sexual abuse cases are often hushed up, although some parents have recently been coming forward to file complaints.

Previous high-profile sexual assaults have prompted calls for harsher sentences or even death penalties for the perpetrators.

A nongovernment organization called Sahil that works to stop child abuse reported 2,960 cases of child sex abuse in 2020 throughout the country, not just in seminaries.
Boris Johnson is under pressure from his Cabinet ministers to appoint Ruth Davidson to a prominent UK Government role to lead the fight against Nicola Sturgeon's independence push.

Senior figures want a new position of constitutional secretary to be created for Ms Davidson so she can head up the pro-Union campaign.

The former leader of the Scottish Conservatives who quit Holyrood last month has been nominated for a peerage and ministers want her to return to the political frontline when she arrives in Westminster.

Meanwhile, the PM is also being urged to expand voter eligibility for a potential second independence vote to allow Scots living elsewhere in the UK - and not just in Scotland - to have their say.

Many in Whitehall believe such a move would ensure Ms Sturgeon is defeated.

Senior figures want a new position of constitutional secretary to be created for Ms Davidson so she can head up the pro-Union campaign

The PM is also being urged to expand voter eligibility for a potential second independence vote to allow Scots living elsewhere in the UK - and not just in Scotland - to have their say

Mr Johnson is facing growing pressure to do more to prepare for a second Scottish independence vote.

Ms Sturgeon has said she wants to hold a re-run of the 2014 ballot before the end of 2023.

The PM has so far refused to grant permission for a second vote, arguing that the first was supposed to be a once in a generation event.

But many of his ministers believe denying a vote is not a sustainable strategy and want Mr Johnson to step up his planning to win a second referendum.

Ministers believe that Ms Davidson is the 'best pro-Union voice we have' and that the time is right to 'bring Ruth back into the front line'.

They also believe that expanding the right to vote in a future referendum would help sink Ms Sturgeon.

There are almost one million Scottish citizens living in other parts of the UK with a majority expected to be pro-Union.

One cabinet minister told The Times: 'We know Sturgeon will start trying to force another referendum as soon as she thinks it is politically tenable again, so there are things we can and should do now to be ready for her.

'One thing is to open up eligibility of the vote to all Scots in the UK, not just those living in Scotland.

Ms Sturgeon has said she wants to hold a re-run of the 2014 independence ballot before the end of 2023

'The other is to bring Ruth back into the front line. She is the best pro-Union voice we have.'

Another senior Tory figure said: 'We need to get out there on the front foot and start acting like we're ahead and not just wait for her to catch up again, which was the catastrophic mistake we made after the 2014 referendum.'

Supporters of the plan to extend voter rights for a second referendum believe the Brexit vote in 2016 set a precedent because it saw Brits living abroad allowed to cast a ballot.
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Boris Johnson all but ruled out summer holidays today as he admitted foreign travel this year will be 'difficult'  despite No10 drawing up plans to scrap travel quarantine rules for double-jabbed Britons.

The Prime Minister said it was his priority to keep Britain 'safe' and block dangerous new Covid variants from entering the country, which meant anyone looking to fly abroad would face 'hassle' and 'delays'.

Mr Johnson's remarks appear to contradict comments from his senior ministers including Matt Hancock, who suggested the Government is actively looking to give fully vaccinated people more freedoms.

Asked about the plans during a visit to a laboratory in Hertfordshire, the PM said: 'When it comes to travel we will certainly be looking at that, but I want to stress that this is going to be  whatever happens  a difficult year for travel.

'There will be hassle, there will be delays, I am afraid, because the priority has got to be to keep the country safe and stop the virus coming back in.'

Just hours earlier, Matt Hancock had raised the prospect of foreign travel when he confirmed Israel-style plans to scrap isolation for fully vaccinated people returning to the UK were being considered by No10.

The Health Secretary confirmed ministers were 'working on' relaxing restrictions for double-jabbed adults and their children, which could see the current mandatory 10-day self-isolation from amber and red list countries replaced with daily Covid tests.

But he said No10 could not press ahead with the plan for 31.3million Britons just yet because they are waiting for experts to analyse data from a pilot scheme to see if 'it will be effective'.

Mr Hancock confessed that he hopes progress will be made 'soon', with sources saying family holidays may be back on from August. He told BBC Breakfast: 'We're not ready to be able to take that step yet, but it's something that I want to see and we will introduce, subject to clinical advice, as soon as it's reasonable to do so.'

Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland claimed on Sunday that ministers were looking to relax quarantine rules for the fully vaccinated. He told the Andrew Marr Show the data on double vaccinations is 'still developing' but added: 'It looks great, it looks really encouraging, we're trying to be as flexible as we can.'

Fully-jabbed Israeli citizens wanting to travel abroad must take two tests  one three days before boarding their plane on the way home, and the other when they touch down. They must also show border control staff proof they have been vaccinated on an official app.

Boris Johnson all but ruled out summer holidays today as he admitted foreign travel this year will be 'difficult'  despite No10 drawing up plans to scrap travel quarantine rules for double-jabbed Britons. Mr Johnson made the comments during a visit to a Covid-19 vaccination centre temporarily set up at StoneX Stadium, home of English rugby union club Saracens, in north London today

No10 is also facing fresh calls to re-evaluate the travel list after data revealed fewer than one in 250 travellers from amber list countries tested positive for Covid last month. Just 89 of 23,465 people who travelled into the UK from nations such as Spain between May 20 and June 9 had a positive Covid test

The cases all came from just 16 of the 167 countries on the amber list, according to NHS Test and Trace data. And there were none classed as being 'variants of concern'  Alpha, Beta, Delta or Gamma strains

As well as easing the rules on travel quarantine for fully vaccinated Brits, ministers also want to ditch stay-at-home orders for those who come into contact with Covid cases (pictured, travellers wheeling their luggage through Heathrow)

Foreign destinations on the UK's amber list and whether they are open or closed to UK visitors.

WHAT ARE ISRAEL'S TRAVEL RULES FOR THE FULLY JABBED? UK ministers have confirmed they are considering Israel-style travel plans that would give fully vaccinated Britons more freedoms. Israelis who've received both jabs can go on holiday to all but six countries in the world without having to quarantine on their return. Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Russia and South Africa have all been deemed too dangerous because of their high levels of the Indian variant. All Israel citizens have to do is take a PCR test 72 hours before boarding their flight home and a second swab at the airport when they arrive. They must also, however, carry a so-called vaccine passport - proof they've been jabbed - upon returning. The rules are in stark contrast to those currently in place in Britain. There is a non-negotiable self-isolation period of 10 days for all passengers returning from amber list countries, no matter their vaccination status. They must also take two PCR Covid tests. Britons can end their self-isolation early by paying for a private test after five days. There are 11 green list countries where a negative test result is required before returning to the UK and Britons do not need to quarantine, including Israel, Brunei, Iceland and Singapore. But this applies to everyone regardless of whether they have had a vaccine or not. There are currently no travel incentives or special perks for those who've been double jabbed. Advertisement

As well as relaxing travel quarantine rules, Whitehall insiders say ministers also want to follow the US in ditching stay-at-home orders for fully-vaccinated people who come into contact with the infected.

No10 is also facing fresh calls to re-evaluate the travel list after data revealed fewer than one in 250 travellers from amber list countries tested positive for Covid last month. Just 89 of 23,465 people who travelled into the UK from nations such as Spain, Greece, France and Italy between May 20 and June 9 had a positive Covid test.

The cases all came from just 16 of the 167 countries on the amber list, according to NHS Test and Trace data. And there were none classed as being 'variants of concern'  Alpha, Beta, Delta or Gamma strains.

Asked about whether No10 was considering replacing quarantine rules for fully-vaccinated travellers, Mr Hancock told Sky News: 'We know the vaccine is working.

'That's why it is so important so many people are coming forward to get it and we're always looking at how we can replace the restrictions we've had to have as a country with the protection you get from the vaccine.

'In fact, that's the whole point of the vaccine  to protect life and get us out of these restrictions.'

Mr Hancock added: 'Now, we are not able to make any specific announcements on this today. It is something that we're working on and I very much hope we'll be able to make progress soon.'

But Paul Charles, chief executive at travel consultancy The PC Agency, said he does not anticipate any major changes.

He said: 'I think caution is going to continue from the Government.

'I think there may well be very few changes. You may see maybe somewhere like Turkey move from red to amber, you may see a couple of greens added.

'But they've got to re-instil confidence in people about the traffic light system. The system is shot to pieces at the moment, because of the way that they treated Portugal two weeks ago.

'They've either got to reinvigorate the traffic light system, or they've got to outline how they're going to enable fully jabbed citizens to travel with more freedom and not have to quarantine when they return from an amber country.'

He added: 'I'm not sure they're going to open things up very much at all until August.'

His comments came after Dr Susan Hopkins, Public Health England's Covid strategy chief, yesterday said there may be 'alternatives to isolation' for holidaymakers who have had both jabs.

She told the BBC One's Andrew Marr show: 'We've talked a lot to countries like Israel who are ahead of us in the vaccination campaign.

'And they are now really looking at allowing people to come into their country who've had two vaccines and not needing to isolate, and they are allowing their population to travel more.

'We will need to be alert and will need to consider how we can measure the response of these vaccines to new variants that come along.

'But we are moving steps forward, and I think in a time in the future, I'm not sure when, I can imagine a situation where we'll have alternatives to isolation for people who have two doses of the vaccine.'

As well as easing the rules on travel quarantine for fully vaccinated Brits, ministers also want to ditch stay-at-home orders for those who come into contact with Covid cases.

One Whitehall source told the Mail there was a 'keenness to get going' with relaxing rules, with hopes of pressing ahead with the move in August.

Ministers were hesitant to favour vaccinated people but now believe it is no longer unfair to do so because the vaccination drive is now open to all adults, insiders claimed.

'Now we are at the point where all over-18s can book, the balance of fairness has shifted because of the progress we've made and where we're at with the programme,' the source said.

It is not clear whether there would be an exemption for children  or for those who are unable to be vaccinated.

But the Telegraph says the Department for Transport has penned a document calling for children to be exempt from the double vaccination scheme.

Almost 60 per cent of British adults have already had two doses of a coronavirus vaccine (31.34million) and 81.6 per cent (42.96m) have had at least one dose.

Ministers have been buoyed by the effectiveness of vaccines against the Indian, or Delta, variant, with the latest data suggesting just one in ten patients in hospital with Covid  84 in 806  had received both doses.

Under the plans, daily lateral flow testing would replace the isolation and quarantine rules for the double jabbed, although no final decisions have been made.

A pilot study with up to 40,000 participants is under way and is due to report before the end of the summer.

Yesterday's death figure of six was a slight drop from last week's total of eight, a sign that the vaccination programme is continuing to keep mortality rates low despite the increase in cases

Britain NEEDS an autumn booster plan! NHS chiefs warn ministers must END 'emergency response' and have long-term Covid strategy Doctors and NHS trusts are demanding a plan for Britain's autumn booster jab rollout within weeks to ensure the UK can end its 'emergency response' to Covid-19 and edge further towards normality. Medics also want clarity from ministers on how long they believe that immunity from the first two jabs will last and whether children are to be vaccinated as England's proposed 'Freedom Day' arrived with little relaxation of rules because of the Indian 'Delta' variant. The challenge of also doing the winter flu jab campaign as usual - and the potential of a combined shot to fight both the flu and coronavirus - must also be overcome as well as keeping an army of volunteers on standby to administer the injections, experts warned today. Chris Hopson, the head of NHS Providers and Royal College of GPs chairman Martin Marshall said the plan to ensure every British adult is offered a jab by July 19 is 'not so much a finishing line as a staging post'. One insider told the BBC: 'We cannot just carry on as we are, with an emergency response'. Almost a third of all adults in the UK have now had two jabs, while 80 per cent of the population has had a first jab. But the elderly and vulnerable are expected to need a third jab to protect them this winter. Covid booster vaccines are currently being trialled in the UK as health chiefs gear up to offer all over-50s a third dose this autumn. Southampton University scientists is recruiting thousands of fully-vaccinated Britons to the study, which will test seven Covid jabs as top-ups. They will record any side-effects analyse the antibody levels of volunteers to check whether the extra dose offered any extra protection. No10's top scientists are set to be fed the results of the world-first trial to determine how booster shots should be dished out later in the year. Advertisement

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove took part earlier this month after he was told he had come into contact with someone who had tested positive.

Anybody notified through Test and Trace that they are a contact of a positive case must self-isolate for ten days, regardless of their vaccination status.

But under the pilot scheme, people are exempt from the requirement to self-isolate if they take a rapid test daily for a week. They must continue to test negative and not develop symptoms.

Under the travel quarantine rules, Britons going to countries on the green list  such as Israel, Singapore and Iceland, don't have to stay-at-home on their return.

Travellers from amber list countries including Spain and Portugal are required to self-isolate for 10 days on their arrival in the UK, and take two PCR Covid tests. They can end their self-isolation early by paying for a private test after five days.

Anyone returning from a nation on the red list, such as Afghanistan, must quarantine for 10 days in a Government-approved hotel at a cost of 1,750 for one adult.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland yesterday claimed ministers were 'trying to be as flexible as we can' with quarantine and self-isolation rules.

He told The Andrew Marr Show evidence was still developing on double vaccinations but it 'looks really encouraging, we're trying to be as flexible as we can'.

Paul Charles of the PC Agency, a travel consultancy, claimed there was 'absolutely no reason why those who are double jabbed should have to quarantine from an amber country when they return to the UK'.

He said the UK was 'an outlier' and couldn't carry on with this 'ridiculous policy', with both the US and EU now having removed the requirement to quarantine for fully-vaccinated arrivals.

It comes after an analysis of official data showed there were no 'variants of concern' found in passengers arriving from 'amber' countries from May 20 to June 9.

And there were no positive cases among arrivals from green list countries, where ten-day quarantine is not required.

Ministers say the strict foreign travel rules are there to reduce the risk of dangerous variants from reaching the UK.

But the figures, which cover the period of May 20 to June 9, have led to more calls to relax restrictions, which have caused havoc on the travel industry.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 committee of Conservative MPs, said the Government should start relying on its successful vaccine roll-out.

He told the Times: 'Vaccination and testing are making international travel safer just as surely as they make things safer within our borders.

'It's time British people were able to reap the benefits of the vaccines and for us to get the travel industry moving again.'

Professor Wren, who is based at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said England might open up 'sooner rather than later' thanks to the success of the vaccine programme.

He added: 'We'd still need to be vigilant  but vigilance and vaccination are the two words. If the numbers continue to be promising then I think there's great hope we could open up on July 5.'
Chinese staff at Canon can only enter the tech company's offices if they are smiling after AI cameras were installed to ensure workers were positive at work.

Employees must smile at the cameras if they also want to book conference rooms for meetings after the 'smile recognition' technology was installed.

The aim is to ensure that the staff, by having a grin on their face, will create a positive environment in the office and increase morale.

Chinese staff at Canon can only enter the tech company's offices if they are smiling after AI cameras were installed to ensure workers were positive at work

The workspace management system was installed last year by Canon Information Technology, the Chinese subsidiary of Japanese camera maker Canon, in the company's Beijing office, the Financial Times reports. There are also plans for the AI cameras to be used by companies in Singapore.

But staff have complained the system is a way of 'manipulating' their emotions if they are forced to smile whenever they enter the office or book a room.

'So now the companies are not only manipulating our time, but also our emotions,' one person posted on Weibo.

However, a spokesperson for Canon China insisted that the AI cameras would encourage a more positive atmosphere in the workplace.

'We have been wanting to encourage employees to create a positive atmosphere by utilising this system with the smile detection setting "on",' the spokesperson told the newspaper.

'Mostly, people are just too shy to smile, but once they get used to smiles in the office, they just keep their smiles without the system which created positive and lively atmosphere.'

Employees must smile if they also want to book conference rooms for meetings after the 'smile recognition' technology was installed

It comes as a growing number of Chinese firms are using AI technology to monitor their workforce and increase productivity.

Some companies are installing software onto their employee's laptops and tracking their screens, recording their conversations on chats as well as their browsing history.

Others are using CCTV to check how long staff are away on their lunch break, while some are even tracking their employee's movements when they leave the office using mobile apps.

Nick Srnicek, a Digital Economy lecturer at King's College London, told the FT: 'Workers are not being replaced by algorithms and artificial intelligence.

'Instead, the management is being sort of augmented by these technologies.'

'Technologies are increasing the pace for people who work with machines instead of the other way around, just like what happened during the industrial revolution in the 18th century,' Mr Srnicek said. 'The same thing is happening today. Humans just have little autonomy over that.'

China hopes to be the world leader in artificial intelligence development by 2030 and won more AI patents than US institutions in 2019.

It isn't just China making use technology to monitor employees. US e-commerce giant Amazon uses algorithms to rank worker productivity and will fire those who fall at the bottom of the scale.
Woman complained to her family but was told to 'ignore it' for career prospects

A barrister has been suspended after asking a teenage pupil what her bra size was and telling her to 'wear skirts and heels instead of trousers'.

Robert Kearney was in his late 40s when he made a series of 'sleazy' comments to the aspiring lawyer who was still a university student at the time.

The married lawyer also sniffed the 19-year-old's neck while they were in a lift together and asked what perfume she was wearing, a disciplinary hearing was told.

But when the woman complained about his behaviour to her family, her mother and boyfriend both told her not to make a fuss for fear of harming her career.

The judgement in the case condemned Mr Kearney's 'totally inappropriate' behaviour, suspending him from the profession for six months.

It also shed light on what it calls the 'unedifying banter' and 'gallows humour' prevalent among criminal barristers.

Senior barrister Robert Kearney has been suspended after asking a teenage pupil what her bra size was and telling her to 'wear skirts and heels instead of trousers'

The woman claimed Mr Kearney told her 'that eating pineapple makes semen taste better' and asked her 'if she had ever had sex in her parents' house and the details about it'

The Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service hearing was told the woman - identified only as Person A - had been studying law at Manchester University when she started a 'mini pupillage' with Mr Kearney in January 2015.

The student - who has family connections to the legal profession - met him while she was working as a waitress in the same building as his Lincoln House chambers in the city and he had given her his card.

The hearing was told that during the course of three days with Mr Kearney, the barrister of 25 years made a number of remarks which made the teenager uncomfortable.

'She is familiar with the unedifying banter that was part of the way of life in the criminal bar,' the panel's judgement observed.

'She at least understood that was part of the way of life, whether good or bad, and said she understood the crude humour of barristers.

'She said she had been around it all of her life, but it had never caused her to feel unsafe.'

The woman claimed Mr Kearney told her 'that eating pineapple makes semen taste better' and asked her 'if she had ever had sex in her parents' house and the details about it'.

While in a robing room she also said he told her 'she should wear skirts and heels instead of trousers and asked her what her bra size was'.

The judgement in the case condemned Mr Kearney's 'totally inappropriate' behaviour, suspending him from the profession for six months

He was also accused of leaning into her when they were alone inside a lift, smelling her neck and asking what perfume she was wearing. He also spoke about sex with his wife.

Person A said she did not reply to his comments, and feigned ignorance of the innuendos.

She said she later complained to several members of her family about Mr Kearney's 'sleazy' behaviour, but was told to 'ignore it' to avoid harming her career prospects.

'Her mother gave her advice which she now regrets,' Tribunal Chairman Andrew Goymer said. 'I do not think that we should in any way tell her to reproach herself for that, the same for the others she told.

'The advice her mother gave her was this, that it would be best to ignore it, don't laugh, and tell him that it made her feel uncomfortable and not to drink too much if she accompanied him for a drink after work.

'Similar advice came from the boyfriend, he was well aware of the difficulties in obtaining a mini pupillage and it is very valuable in getting a pupillage and tenancy.

'It was suggested that it may cause trouble. It is regrettable that this advice was given but one has to look at the context of how it was given.'

The tribunal heard Person A kept silent about Mr Kearney's behaviour until November 2018 when she read about another incident in which he had made inappropriate drunken comments to a gay pupil barrister.

Mr Goymer said: 'A lot has been made in the course of the proceedings about the culture of the criminal bar and the humour. It is not for this tribunal to pass judgement and what is now not acceptable in 2021 may have been acceptable then.

'It is one thing to engage in that kind of banter amongst equals who can look after themselves, it is characteristic of the criminal bar. What is not acceptable is where there is disparity of power, status and age.

'It is not acceptable to behave in that way towards a pupil or a mini pupil, especially the latter because they may feel unable to complain about it. Such a person may also fear that a complaint would potentially impede their prospects.

'This was very much in her mind and in her family's mind too. The boyfriend said he did not tackle it because he thought it would not serve any purpose and we find his answer compelling.'

At the hearing Mr Kearney denied any wrongdoing and said he did not remember having the woman as a mini pupil. However, the panel found his evidence 'unconvincing' and found him guilty of misconduct.

'This was totally inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour to show to someone who was a mini-pupil and for whom he was in a position of authority,' it said.

'She was a young woman and there was a disparity of power. He was quite a senior member of the Bar approaching 20 years call, in his late 40's and she was simply a young student.

'He was in a position to behave in this way and he thought he could, without anyone doing anything about it.'

As well as suspending him for six months, Mr Kearney was ordered to pay 3,000 costs.
The Government's chief scientific adviser is to lead a new taskforce that will seek to apply the success of the UK's vaccine roll-out to help beat cancer and climate change.

Sir Patrick Vallance will head a new National Science and Technology Council tasked with ensuring the UK's innovations are used for the benefit of the nation.

Boris Johnson said that the 'miraculous' development of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK almost did not happen at all and said the nation had to have a renewed focus on science.

The new group will be chaired by the Prime Minister and will be asked to review which prospective technologies the nation focuses on.

'It is a wretched fact that British firms are investing a fraction of the OECD average on research; and though the speed of the discovery of Oxford AstraZeneca was little short of miraculous, it was also something of a miracle that it took place here at all,' he told the Daily Telegraph.

'Before Covid, the UK domestic vaccine industry had almost perished out of benign neglect. Had a couple of investment decisions gone the other way, this country might not have possessed the skills or practical capability to make vast batches of the vaccine that has been so indispensable to our success.

'So this is the moment to learn this stark lesson of the pandemic  our daily dependence on high-quality scientific research. It is also the moment to abandon any notion that government can be strategically indifferent, or treat research as a matter of abstract academic speculation.'

Sir Patrick Vallance will head a new National Science and Technology Council tasked with ensuring the UK's innovations are used for the benefit of the nation.

Boris Johnson (pictured today) said that the 'miraculous' development of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK almost did not happen at all and said the nation had to have a renewed focus on science.

The Prime Minister will ask the whole of government to work with Sir Patrick to develop on the UK's successful approach to coronavirus vaccines and apply it to other priorities.

Downing Street said these will include developing technology to combat the climate crisis by reaching net zero and to cure, rather than just treat, cancer.

Alongside his current roles that have seen him play a leading role in the pandemic response, Sir Patrick will also become the national technology adviser.

Mr Johnson is also tasking Sir Patrick with running a new Office for Science and Technology Strategy to drive Whitehall's science strategy.

Mr Johnson said: 'From discovery to delivery, our vaccination programme has proven what the UK can achieve at scale and at speed.

'With the right direction, pace and backing, we can breathe life into many more scientific and technological breakthroughs that transform the lives of people across the UK and the world.

'That's why I'm establishing a new ministerial council and office at the centre of government, so we can realise the limitless possibilities that research and technology has to offer and cement the UK's place as a global science superpower.'

Sir Patrick said: 'The new Office for Science and Technology Strategy will put science and technology right at the heart of policy-making and strengthen the way we work across government to reinforce the position of the UK as a science superpower.

'I look forward to working with the National Science and Technology Council to help identify cutting-edge research and technologies that will deliver strategic advantage for the UK.'

But Labour's shadow science minister Chi Onwurah said: 'Ministers have cut the budget for science this year leaving researchers and programmes in the lurch, and medical research charities have been left to fend for themselves during the pandemic.

'More government structures cannot disguise the fact the Government has no long-term plan for UK science and is letting our country's researchers down.

'Boris Johnson blowing his own trumpet won't protect the UK's status as a science superpower - only a proper plan backed with long-term investment can do that.'
This is the incredible moment a hungry elephant smashes through a family's kitchen wall to steal a bag of rice in the middle of the night.

The adult bull, named Plai Bunchuay, sniffed out the food and broke into the house in Hua Hin, southern Thailand, on Sunday morning at 2am.

Rachadawan Phungprasopporn and her husband were woken up by the noise and rushed to the kitchen to see what had happened.

El's kitchen! A hungry wild elephant poked its head through a family's kitchen wall to steal a bag of rice in Thailand

They were shocked to see the elephant with its huge ivory tusks rummaging through the cupboard with its long trunk.

It even grabbed a plastic bag of rice which it shoved into its mouth.

Rachadawan said her husband helped to shoo away the beast, which disappeared into nearby woodland.

She said: 'This elephant is well known in the area because he causes a lot of mischief.

'He came to the house about two months ago and was looking around, but he didn't damage anything then.

The bull, named Plai Bunchuay, sniffed out the food and smashed through the house in Hua Hin, southern Thailand, on Sunday morning at 2am

Rachadawan Phungprasopporn and her husband were woken up by the noise and rushed to the kitchen to see what had happened

'We spoke to the local wildlife officers and they told us not to keep food out in the kitchen because the smell attracts the elephants, so we followed their advice.

'The wall will cost about 50,000 Baht (1,140) to repair. It was funny to see the elephant like that but also I'm worried he could come back again.'

Thailand has an estimated 2,000 Asian elephants living in the wild but there is often conflict when they come into contact with humans on roads and in villages.

Staff from the country's National Park - the sprawling area of protected woodland where wild elephants live - believe the animals have changed their behaviour in response to the food available from humans.

The wild beast knocked over a number of pots and pans as it rummaged around in the kitchen for food

Rachadawan said her husband helped to shoo away the beast, which disappeared into nearby woodland

Conservation officer Supanya Chengsutha said: 'The most likely explanation for this situation is that the elephant smelled the food and wanted to eat it.

'It's not because the elephant was particularly hungry, as the food in the jungle has stayed the same. There is plenty and that hasnt changed.

'But sometimes individual elephants experience a change in their behaviour and character, so theres no one factor why they would do this.

'Elephant eating habits have also changed now that they come into contact with humans more. They have started to like the food that people eat.

'It could also be that hunters and traps in the jungle have disrupted the elephant and it has moved out of the deep forest more towards settlements.'
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Have you had a bad experience in a quarantine hotel? Email jacob.thorburn@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

A mother has shared her family's 'awful' experience in a hotel quarantine in London - claiming the food gave her two young children a vomiting bug.

Puneet, 39, and wife Priyanka, 37, from Edinburgh, travelled to Chhattishgarh in India to attend Priyanka's mother's funeral after she died in April.

They arrived on 17 April with their four-year-old daughter Preet and 13-month-old son, Parth.

The family flew back to London on 4 June and made their way to the hotel Corporate Travel Management had booked for their 10-day quarantine, the Park Plaza in Waterloo, at the price of 2,400.

But the family claim the experience was a nightmare from start to finish.

Priyanka and Puneet claim families were only allowed 15 minutes of fresh air per day and were stuffed into a 'claustrophobic' room with their children and offered meals that gave their children a vomiting bug.

The hotel denies their claims and says it has not been informed by 'the medical support team of any guests suffering from stomach bugs related to food served.'

Upon arrival, they were asked to select food choices for the duration of their stay, with options including Thai curry, vegetable biryani and moussaka.

Priyanka asked for choices more appropriate for the small children but was told none were available - despite paying 2,400 for the enforced hotel stay.

Puneet, 39, and wife Priyanka, 37, from Edinburgh have shared the nightmare tale of their quarantine hotel experience

Priyanka says the family had to 'stop eating' and were told the hotel couldn't offer alternatives when they requested 'plain foods' for their children

Puneet and Preet exercise inside their room as the family say they were only allowed 15 minutes per day on the hotel terrace for fresh air

After five days, the children (above) had recovered from their stomach bug, but continued to find the quarantine distressing in the 'claustrophobic' room

Upon arrival, the family were asked to pick food choices for the duration of their stay, and say they were not given meals 'appropriate' for young children

Priyanka said: 'When we expressed displeasure over the food on one occasion when it arrived after 8pm and was too spicy for the babies, we were told "sorry that's what we have".'

Despite the food issues, and finding their room 'claustrophobic' and 'airless', the family was determined to make the best of their stay.

The couple entertained their children as best they could; playing games of skittles with empty bottles and brown paper bags and exercising in the room.

They say they were only allowed 15 minutes a day on the hotel terrace for some fresh air - which was the daily highlight of their stay.

Priyanka said: 'Our room didn't have an open door, just big glass windows so we could see people outside eating and drinking, but we didn't have any fresh air.

'It was really tough and we would look forward to going out for our break each day.'

She said she couldn't even grieve the loss of her mother, focusing her energies on keeping her children occupied. To make matters worse, Parth became unwell on day two.

Corporate Travel Management booked the family's their 10-day quarantine hotel at the Park Plaza in Waterloo, at the price of 2,400

Another family said they also had to battle with hotel staff to secure 'proper food' for their toddler during their stay

The family say they were provided meals that gave their kids a vomiting bug during their 10-day stay. The hotel denies this claim

Priyanka said: 'My baby started vomiting and we were scared because it kept happening. We called the on-site medic who advised we call 111 and another doctor came.

'She asked if Parth had eaten the tomato soup for lunch, which he had. She said the food was too rich for his age - the soup was very concentrated - or the cut fruit cocktail which could be behind the bug.

'The sheets had gotten very mucky and nobody was allowed in to clean so we had to do it ourselves.

'Someone came to take them but the hotel said they didn't have in-house laundry and would have to send our clothes elsewhere.'

A Park Plaza spokesperson responded: 'We take our role in assisting the UK government with its hotel quarantine programme very seriously, to help provide a safe and comfortable experience for travellers.

'We understand that the quarantine process may be difficult for travellers and we do our utmost to make our guests feel welcome throughout their stay.

'We are working closely with the DHSC and the relevant authorities to ensure the service we provide meets the parameters set by the government.

'Furthermore, we endeavour to provide service levels above and beyond what is expected of a government-approved quarantine hotel.

'For privacy reasons, we cannot share information related to specific guests.

'However, as part of the arrangement with DHSC, there is a medic on site for guests 24/7 and the hotel team hasn't been informed by the medical support team of any guests suffering from stomach bugs related to food served.'

Priyanka says the laundry service charged 3 to clean a single pair of socks and was shocked by the prices - instead requesting a bottle of washing detergent and hand-washing their clothes, leaving them around the room to dry.

While Parth's condition improved the following day, Preet then came down with identical symptoms.

Priyanka said: 'That's when I started to panic because it meant it was definitely the food.

'We all had to stop eating because I was breastfeeding too, and we couldn't order takeaways and run the risk of getting worse.

'My husband and I requested plain foods from the hotel a number of times but they couldn't offer us alternatives, so we relied on fruit and yoghurt, and then purchased cereal from Amazon.

'We worried about the fruit the hotel gave us because it came pre-sliced and was left outside our door, so we had no way of knowing how long ago it had been cut.

'Luckily we have friends in London who brought us foods like boiled rice to keep us going.

'The paramedic came to check on us and offered us a banana and croissant - she showed us more empathy than the hotel staff.'

After five days, the children had recovered but continued to find the quarantine distressing.

Priyanka said: 'Our one-year-old felt upset most times - partly due to the sickness bug - as he has only just started walking and couldn't understand why he was restricted in a room.

'My husband and I were frustrated and felt helpless in the first two to three days, largely due to the children catching the bug, and also due to not being able to give them fresh air or enough physical exercise.

'We had no other choice than to accept the circumstances and at times were withdrawn, but we tried to develop into a routine of sorts once the sickness bug left us.'

Pictured: Milk sachets were left outside the rooms of families who had babies with them

Another family, who wished to remain anonymous, reported security guards standing outside their rooms 'constantly'.

They also claimed to have had several maintenance and service issues, including securing 'proper food' for their toddler with the meal on their first day arriving four hours after the child's usual mealtime.

The second family paid 2,500 for their stay and confirmed they too were only given 15 minutes of exercise per day on the roof terrace.
Carrie Bickmore and fellow Channel Ten stars have taken a cheeky swipe at Scott Morrison after it was revealed he took a brief visit to a distant relative's village during last week's G7 summit in the UK.

The Prime Minister has came under fire from some after photographs emerged of him visiting the Jamaica Inn hotel in Cornwall, with Mr Morrison saying the uproar 'massively overstated' what went on as he stopped for lunch while on the work trip.

He was also criticised for a trip to his fifth great-grandfather's Cornish village, despite the fact it was a brief stopover on the way to the airport.

But with Australians banned from travelling overseas due to coronavirus restrictions, hosts of The Project couldn't resist piling in, calling the excursion 'insensitive' and 'hypocritical'.

An image of Scott Morrison standing outside an English pub has sparked angry accusations of hypocrisy as Australians face yet another year of overseas travel bans

The Jamaica Inn hotel, in Cornwall, posted a social media image of the Australian Prime Minister visiting their drinking hole for a weekend lunch, during the three-day G7 summit at Carbis Bay, a one-hour drive away

Poll Is it hypocritical for Scott Morrison to fly to the UK as Australians are banned from travelling overseas? Yes No Is it hypocritical for Scott Morrison to fly to the UK as Australians are banned from travelling overseas? Yes 1362 votes

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'Well, my great-great grandfather is in Mykonos so maybe I'll just head over there,' Bickmore joked, referring to the Greek party island.

'Who is advising him? Just do the job and come home. At the moment it's too sensitive.'

Co-host Steve Price said the day trip is a 'terrible look' for the government who have opted to keep Australian's borders closed until at least the middle of next year.

'That's the second pub he's been to on that visit,' the conservative panelist said.

'Now I don't begrudge him on a working trip for going to a hotel, but his office has secretly worked on a journey into a little village to check out where his relatives came from.

'Right now there are Australians still locked up in this country who can't go and visit sick relatives overseas and haven't been able to for 14 months.'

Carrie Bickmore (pictured right with Waleed Aly) and fellow Channel Ten stars have taken a cheeky swipe at Scott Morrison after it was revealed he took trip to his great-great grandfather's village during last week's G7 summit in the UK

A Facebook group, UK Mums in Australia, protested about the ban on permanent residents leaving Australia for social visits unrelated to work

Mr Morrison on Monday hit back at the accusations of hypocrisy for travelling just a one-hour drive away from where the three-day G7 summit was held at Carbis Bay.

'After the G7 on the way back to the airport we stopped at a place that just happened to be where my fifth great-grandfather was from,' he told 2GB host Ben Fordham from self-isolation following his return to Australia.

'I think it was pretty innocent and I think that's massively overstating it.'

His ancestral relative William Roberts was brought to Australia as a prisoner on the First Fleet in 1786 for the crime of stealing five-and-a-half pounds of yarn.

Mr Morrison's 17,000km visit to England last Tuesday, Australian time, yielded an important free-trade deal with the UK (pictured arriving in France on June 15)

His fifth great-grandfather was born in St Keverne in 1755.

Despite copping a barrage of criticism, many Australians jumped to his defence.

'He's the Prime Minister for gods sake. What's he meant to do, hide under the doona?' one person wrote.

Another said: 'Scott Morrison was invited to attend one of the most important meetings on earth, and he rightly took that opportunity to increase our profile and come back with a great trade deal.'

'So good on him and shut up all you negative whingers'.

Mr Morrison's 17,000km visit to England last Tuesday, Australian time, yielded an important free-trade deal with the UK, following the June 11 to 13 summit.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson invited Australia, India and South Korea to the June 11 to 13 G7 summit, even though they are not permanent members of the Group of Seven nations. Mr Johnson is pictured left with Mr Morrison centre and US President Joe Biden right on June 12

He also won the support of the G7 in condemning China's human rights abuses and calling for a fresh inquiry into the origins of Covid, demonstrating the US, UK and the Europe Union could be united in the face of a more aggressive Communist superpower.

Mr Morrison was accompanied by personal advisers, public servants from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, along with Australian High Commission staff, based in London, during his pub visit on Sunday, Australian time.

His office also confirmed an official photographer and a press secretary were part of the entourage to the UK.

Mr Morrison's entourage of 20 staff was significantly smaller than US President Joe Biden's 1,100 personnel.
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This is the dramatic moment a huge cargo ship smashed into a dock in Brazil while attempting to sail out to sea - sending workers running for their lives.

The Cap San Antonio, a Denmark-flagged vessel operated by German firm Hamburg-SUD, was attempting to leave port in Santos, near Sao Paulo, on Sunday when the accident happened.

Video shows the ship - which is as long as the Eiffel Tower is tall - smashing into a pontoon used for loading passenger ferries as it tries to leave the port, ripping a hole in the side of the vessel.

Navio bate na balsa e faz travessia santos Guaruja. pic.twitter.com/FlgOQplfNJ  Isaias Andrade () (@i_f_an) June 20, 2021

This is the moment the Cap San Antonio, a Denmark-flagged vessel operated by German firm Hamburg-SUD, smashed into a ferry-loading pontoon while leaving port in Brazil

The hole in the ship's hull is clearly visible after tearing along the side of the dock

Meanwhile more footage shows dock workers scrambling to get out of the way as the pontoon is ripped free, causing some parts of the dock to sink and leaving a trail of debris floating on top of the water.

The crash took place on Sunday afternoon as the San Antonio was heading from Santos to Paranagua, a relatively-brief 180-mile sail to the south.

As the ship was leaving Santos it hit part of the dock with its port side, dragging away a pontoon that was attached to the dock.

The pontoon remained stuck and was dragged 'for some time' according to specialist shipping publications, before it eventually broke free.

That left a large hole visible in the side of the ship that was leaking water, suggesting the vessel punctured its ballast tank.

Cargo vessels typically have several ballast tanks that are filled and emptied of water as the ship loads and unloads its cargo to help it remain stable in the water.

After the accident, the ship was anchored at Santos so the crash could be investigated and the breach repaired, Maritime Bulletin reported.

Authorities have not yet said what they believe caused the crash.

Shocked workers captured the moment on film before running for safety as the pontoon broke free, sinking parts of the dock in the process

The Cap San Antonio is one of 10 container ships built for Hamburg-SUD and completed construction in 2014. The vessels are 1,090ft long and 160ft wide.

By comparison the MV Ever Given - the container ship which got stuck in the Suez Canal - measured some 1,300ft long by 190ft wide.

The accident also recalls a similar - though far more serious - smash at a Taiwanese port that took place two weeks ago.

During that accident, the 1,040ft-long, 150ft-wide OOCL Durban - operated by Orient Overseas - smashed into a dock in Kaohsiung port on June 3.

The accident caused a huge loading crane to collapse and toppled shipping containers, leaving several port workers injured.

The cause of that crash has not been established, with the shipping company saying the vessel was not badly damaged.
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The heartbroken parents of 23-year-old model Gracie Spinks last night paid tribute to their 'beautiful' daughter, who is believed to have been killed by her stalker who allegedly became obsessed with the horse enthusiast after just one date and could not cope when she rejected him.

Miss Spinks' parents Alison Heaton and Richard Spinks both added a frame to their Facebook profile pictures after midnight which read: '#Stop Violence Against Women #Justice For Women'.

Her mother Mrs Heaton swapped the image for a photo of Miss Spinks and wrote: 'My beautiful daughter Gracie, taken away from me, her dad and brother and sister, and everyone who loved and cared for her'.

Miss Spinks, who studied art and design at Chesterfield College and lived in Old Whittington, worked as a packer at e-commerce firm Xbite with suspected killer Michael Sellars, and occasionally modelled for a London agency.

Her body was discovered in a paddock in the picturesque village of Duckmanton, Derbyshire on Friday morning. Derbyshire Police said a man was later found dead half a mile away and they are not looking for any other suspects - indicating a possible murder-suicide.

Colleagues described Sellars, 35, as a 'loner' and a 'weirdo' who became 'so obsessed with her' that he 'wouldn't leave her alone' and allegedly turned up at the stables where she went riding. One source claimed Miss Spinks even obtained a restraining order against him.

Sellars is said to have lived with his parents and was not known to have ever had a girlfriend. He is also said to have been sacked by Xbite just six months earlier amid concerns over his conduct - reportedly towards other staff. MailOnline has approached Xbite for further information.

One employee claimed Miss Spinks' suspected killer 'just flipped' and killed her', adding: 'The man used to work here. I knew him - many of us did. We knew Gracie and it is very upsetting. It's going around that she had a stalker who was totally obsessed with her. It's the man who worked here who just flipped and killed her.

'He was a weirdo and wouldn't leave Gracie alone.'

It also emerged that a 'murder bag' containing knives an axe which was allegedly used during the attack was found stashed in a lane around 100 years from the scene of the killing.

Anna White, who found the bag, wrote on Facebook she had handed it to police only to be told it would not be forensically examined. Derbyshire Police declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.

Mrs White posted a picture of the contents of the rucksack she found in early May - including an axe, hammer, two large knives, a flick-knife, Viagra and a sinister note which read: 'Don't lie!'

She wrote: 'I found a backpack six weeks ago... the contents of which were extremely disturbing. I contacted the police and handed the bag to them. They basically said they wouldn't be investigating further despite the obvious fact that DNA would have been recoverable.

'If this is in any way linked to this incident then the police have some major questions to answer.' MailOnline has approached Mrs White for further information.

Derbyshire Police said it is referring itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, but it has not explained why. The IOPC confirmed it had received the referral, telling MailOnline: 'We can confirm we have received a referral from Derbyshire Police following the death of a woman in Duckmanton, Derbyshire on Friday 18 June. We will assess the referral and decide on our level of involvement, if any, in due course.

'Our thoughts remain with the woman's family.'

The heartbroken parents of 23-year-old model Gracie Spinks last night paid tribute to their 'beautiful' daughter, who is believed to have been killed by her stalker who allegedly became obsessed with the horse enthusiast after just one date and could not cope when she rejected him

Miss Spinks, who studied art and design at Chesterfield College and lived in Old Whittington, worked as a packer at e-commerce firm Xbite with suspected killer Michael Sellars, and occasionally modelled for a London agency

Miss Spinks' parents Alison Heaton and Richard Spinks both added a frame to their Facebook profile pictures after midnight which read: '#Stop Violence Against Women #Justice For Women'

Her mother Mrs Heaton swapped the image for a photo of Miss Spinks and wrote: 'My beautiful daughter Gracie, taken away from me, her dad and brother and sister, and everyone who loved and cared for her'

Michael Sellars, 35, is believed to have fatally wounded the 23-year-old horse enthusiast - who was found dead in the picturesque village of Duckmanton in Derbyshire on Friday morning

Derbyshire Police has referred itself to the police watchdog over into the death of part-time model Gracie Spinks, 23, (pictured) who was killed in an apparent murder-suicide on Friday

A forensic tent in Derbyshire village where 23-year-old's body was found on Friday morning

Michael Sellars, 35, is believed to have fatally wounded the 23-year-old horse enthusiast, who was found dead in a paddock in the picturesque village of Duckmanton in Derbyshire on Friday morning. Derbyshire Police said a man's body was later discovered half a mile away and they are not looking for anyone else - indicating a possible murder-suicide

It is not clear if the referral to the IOPC is because of prior contact with Miss Spinks and an alleged stalker or because of the weapons that were handed in which Derbyshire Police have not confirmed is linked to Miss Spinks' death.

Speaking to MailOnline, the force confirmed it had referred itself to the watchdog while an IOPC spokesman added: 'We have been notified that a referral is being made by the force. When we receive it, we will carry out an assessment to determine what further action is needed by us.'

Six weeks ago a walker found a backpack filled with a cache of weapons on a farmer's track just 100 yards away from where Miss Spinks was killed.

Miss White said she brought the bag to her local police station but was told nothing could be done.

On Friday, roads in and out of the area were cordoned off after Miss Spinks' assailant reportedly fled towards a country park.

A primary school went into lockdown and local businesses were issued with a description of a suspect in grey jogging bottoms and a black top.

But by lunchtime police said the situation had been 'resolved' after the body of a man in his 30s was discovered around half a mile away.

Six weeks ago a walker found a backpack filled with a cache of weapons on a farmer's track just 100 yards away from where Miss Spinks was killed. It also had a note reading 'don't lie'

A water bottle was among the cache of weapons found inside the orange backpack

Pictured: Anna White wrote a post on social media: 'I found a backpack six weeks ago on the farmers track directly opposite Tom Lane. The contents of which were extremely disturbing'

Now friends of the 23-year-old, who lived in Old Whittington, around five miles from where her body was found, have revealed how she had long been bothered by a man, said to have been 'obsessed' with her. Pictured, the backpack found six weeks before her death

Gracie Spinks, who studied art and design at Chesterfield College and lived in Old Whittington, worked as a packer at e-commerce firm Xbite with suspected killer Michael Sellars, and occasionally modelled for a London agency

Colleagues described Sellars, 35, as a 'loner' and a 'weirdo' who became 'so obsessed with her' that he 'wouldn't leave her alone' and allegedly turned up at the stables where she went riding

After realising the bag she found was close to the scene of Miss Spinks' death, Mrs White wrote on social media: 'I found a backpack six weeks ago on the farmers track directly opposite Tom Lane. The contents of which were extremely disturbing.

'I contacted the police and handed the bag to them. They basically said they wouldn't be investigating further despite the obvious fact that DNA would have been recoverable (water bottle and clothing).

'If this is in anyway linked to this incident then the police have some major questions to answer. The whole purpose of me handing it in was in the hope that a future tragedy could be prevented. They may not be linked but it does seem very odd !!'

Friends of the 23-year-old, who lived in Old Whittington, around five miles from where her body was found, have revealed how she had long been bothered by a man, said to have been 'obsessed' with her.

One told the Sun: 'We are aware that she had a stalker but didn't know who he was. We heard she had taken out a restraining order against him because he was becoming quite a pest. She's a beautiful young woman, very popular, and he was obsessed with her and kept turning up at the stables.

'He was infatuated with her.'

Meanwhile, floral tributes have also been left in memory of the aspiring eventer and show jumper, whose family are said to be 'besides themselves with grief'.

Friends of the 23-year-old, who lived in Old Whittington, around five miles from where her body was found, have revealed how she had long been bothered by a man, said to have been 'obsessed' with her

Friends of Miss Spinks, who worked for a local e-commerce company, posted tributes on Facebook on Friday night

Derbyshire Police, who declined declined to discuss possibility Gracie had a stalker known to them, continued to investigate at the scene yesterday as they refer themselves to IOPC

Scene: Floral tributes have also been left in memory of the aspiring eventer and show jumper

Friends said 23-year-old Gracie Spinks (pictured) lived for horses and riding and took part in showjumping and dressage competitions with her favourite, named Paddy

A villager, 28, who lives close to the spot where Miss Spinks was found, said: 'The word locally is that this was a very vicious attack and possibly a crime of passion.

'Gracie kept at least one horse on the land - it is grazing land where a number of people have horses and there is a temporary stable. As I understand it, Gracie was looking after her horse when she was attacked. It is just awful.'

Friends said she lived for horses and riding and took part in showjumping and dressage competitions with her favourite, named Paddy.

After Derbyshire Police set up roadblocks around the community close to the M1 outside Chesterfield, a local resident wrote on Facebook: 'I've been informed that, sadly, less than an hour ago a young woman was murdered on a farm less than half a mile from Poolsbrook Park.

'The perpetrator is believed to have fled towards the area of Poolsbrook Park. Anyone around that area please be careful.'

Friends of Miss Spinks posted tributes on Facebook on Friday night.

Charlotte Pemberton, 23, who grew up with her, wrote: 'RIP Gracie. Such a beautiful, kind young girl who's been taken far too soon. Fly high sweet girl.'

Alicia Jordan wrote: 'Oh Gracie Spinks Heartbroken doesn't even cut it... This world is so cruel.'

Friends of Miss Spinks, who worked for a local e-commerce company, posted tributes on Facebook last night with many saying she lived for horses and riding

By Saturday afternoon, a GoFundMe page set up to help Miss Spinks' family by Abbey Griffin, one of her friends, had raised more than 1,600.

Miss Griffin said: 'Gracie was a beautiful girl at just 23 years old she had already touched so many people's life and what gorgeous memories she leaves behind.

'She was a caring and loving individual and was always happy to help. She was also so so stubborn and she'd always stand up for what was right.

'If you knew Gracie you'd also know she was horsey mad and had the most gorgeous horse called Paddy whom she loved dearly.

'Although no amount of money could ever bring Gracie back, I ask that you please donate what ever you can to help her family at this moment.

'We all love you so dearly Gracie, behave up there.'

Locals leave floral tributes in memory of Gracie Spinks where her body was discovered

An aerial shot shows extent of the police cordon as detectives continue to investigate incident

Derbyshire Police, pictured at the scene yesterday, said it was not looking for anyone else

Roads in the area were cordoned off after her assailant reportedly fled towards a country park

Its understood Miss Spinks, who studied art and design at Chesterfield College, did occasional modelling work for a London agency and took commissions online to do pet portraits

Roads in Duckmanton were cordoned off after assailant reportedly fled towards a country park

Miss Griffin also said she would be organising a balloon release from the Markham Vale business park, where Miss Spinks worked, on Monday June 28 to allow her friends to say their goodbyes.

Derbyshire Police said it was not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.

The force said: 'A woman was found injured in a field near to Staveley Road at around 8.40am. Paramedics attended and the woman, who was in her early 20s, sadly died at the scene.

'At 11am, the body of a man in his mid-30s was found in a field off Tom Lane, Duckmanton.

'We have traced and informed both families and specialist officers are supporting them at this time.'
A young beauty therapist who went missing almost a week ago has been found 4,500km away from home in Western Australia, with just her car and beloved dog.

Isobel Bryne, 22, went missing from her home in Avoca Beach on the NSW Central Coast about 12:30pm last Tuesday and was found in Broome.

Police understand she may have driven there through Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Her distraught family raised the alarm on Saturday, describing the young woman's mysterious disappearance as 'out of character', prompting a frantic search.

Isobel Byrne, 22, (pictured) was last seen at a home on Baronga Road in Avoca Beach on the NSW Central Coast almost a week ago

Concerned family members raised the alarm on Saturday, describing Isobel's disappearance as 'out of character'. Pictured: Avoca Beach on the NSW Central Coast where she is from

Police previously stated the 22-year-old was likely travelling with her beloved Maltese terrier in a blue Holden Barina she had left home in.

On Monday, Brisbane Water Police announced they had located the beauty therapist 4,500 kilometres from her home on the west coast.

'Following inquiries, the woman and her dog were located safe and well at Broome, Western Australia, about 2.30pm today', a police statement read.

'Police would like to thank the media and the community for their assistance.'

The young beauty therapist was found safe and well by police 4500km from home in Broome, Western Australia about 2:30pm on Monday. Pictured: A Beach in Kimberley, Western Australia

Ms Bryne worked at the Face On Beauty and Makeup Studio at Erina on the Central Coast, with an employee posting a since-deleted tribute to the missing woman.

'Firstly, thank you for all your heartfelt messages that have been bombarding our social media pages regarding Isobel,' the post on Facebook read.

'As you can imagine all the staff and myself were distraught.'
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A father-of-two can now count himself part of the exclusive 'Chipping Norton set' after he won a luxury Cotswolds mansion worth 2.5m when he entered a charity prize draw for just 25.

IT consultant Darren Wordon, who lives in a three bedroom detached home with his family in Bath, saw the raffle advertised on television to help raise funds for the Prince's Trust charity.

The 49-year-old purchased the 25 ticket but never expected to scoop the jackpot prize which has landed him a seven bedroom property in the Cotswolds idyll with 2.3 acres of land.

The market town is famous for being home to raft of celebrities who divide their time between London and the countryside, including presenter Jeremy Clarkson, the Beckhams, Amanda Holden, and former Prime Minister David Cameron. It is also home to Soho Farmhouse, the country branch of the Soho House club chain.

Mr Wordon and his wife Mandy, 48, and two children Maddison, 20 and Matthew, 17, who moved to the UK five years ago from Johannesburg, South Africa, are currently living in a three-bedroom detached house in Bath.

Their new dream home also has a two-bedroom detached cottage on the grounds, and it boasts an open-plan kitchen, a beautiful wood burner in the living room and a study overlooking the countryside.

Darren Wordon, 49, won the big prize after purchasing a 25 bundle advertised on TV raising funds for the Prince's Trust

The beautiful home, worth 2.5m comes with seven bedrooms bedrooms and includes a two bedroom detached cottage. It also features a stunning area for the family to enjoy the outdoors with an outdoor dining area and a cosy seating area complete with an open burning fire pit and fairy lights to brighten the dark evenings

The property boasts a beautiful open plan setting, with a kitchen complete with a breakfast bar and an adjoining dining room. The flagstone flooring is a feature throughout the property, as as the big and open bay windows.

The living room is open and light but also features a stunning fire place and wood burner, perfect for the cosy evenings in. The room is carpeted with spotlights in the ceiling to give a warm glow alongside the fireplace, which features stunning brickwork

Mr Wordon said the prize is 'life changing' and that 'this kind of thing just doesn't happen to people like us.'

'I saw the advert on TV and hearing more about the incredible work The Prince's Trust does for young people, I was inspired to enter the draw,' he said.

'Having two children myself, ensuring young people have the support and opportunities to thrive means a lot to me.

'The house looked incredible but I never thought I'd win in a million years, this kind of thing just doesn't happen to people like us.

'Having seen how beautiful the house is, we have no idea if we'll move in or sell it, it's a brilliant dilemma to have.

'Either way it's a life-changing prize.'

The furnishings in the kitchen are light and compliment the wide open windows giving the property a natural and light feel

There is also a study which features large windows, perfect for looking over the incredible Cotswold countryside . Wooden doors and entry ways are a big feature in the property, giving it a natural and cosy feel.

The study area in the property offers an incredible views of the Cotswolds countryside beyond

The kitchen is light, open and airy and has patio doors which open up onto the 2.3 acres of land which comes with the home. It comes complete with the beautiful white furnishings and a wooden breakfast bar, with marble surfaces

The wood burning fire is the main focus of this room, featuring beautiful brickwork and light and fresh painted walls. The living room has carpeted floor, but other parts of the property feature wooden flooring to compliment the wooden doors.

The wood burner makes a perfect addition to the property, giving it a cottage feel despite its huge size. Beyond the wood burner, there is a clear view into the next room

The campaign was part of Omaze's Million Pound House Draw, which has raised 500,000 for the Prince's Trust charity.

The trust, founded by Prince Charles in 1976, aims to help vulnerable young people aged between 11 to 30 get into jobs, education and training.

James Oakes, SVP International at Omaze, said: 'We're thrilled that Darren and his family got to help out a charity that means a lot to them, and just as delighted that this campaign helped to raise 500,000 for The Prince's Trust in the process.'

The property features seven bedrooms, all large and open with stunning views over the countryside and 2.3 acres of land. The bedrooms are large, open and airy with sections cutting off secluded and private areas of the room for occupants

The bathrooms are also light and open, featuring beautiful furnishings which compliment the stunning home. This bathroom features marble flooring and a small bath which slots perfectly into the room

Each bedroom has large windows, which help to give the occupant an amazing view of the Cotswolds countryside below. Each bedroom features large wardrobes, and neutral carpets which can compliment any colour

In total, there are seven bedrooms in the property, as well as another two bedrooms in an adjoining cottage. The high ceilings in this room showcase the curves in the roof.

The family have said they are not sure what they plan to do with the 2.5m property - whether they will sell it or live in it

Pictured - Darren, Mandy, Matthew and Maddison celebrate their big win in the Cotswolds having spent just 25 on the raffle

Previously, Omaze has offered up properties which include a 3m mansion in London, helping to raise millions of pounds for charities including the British Heart Foundation and Teenage Cancer Trust.

House raffles work very much the same way as buying a raffle ticket at a school fete or charity event.

The same principles apply where people will purchase one or more raffle tickets, only in this prize draw, giving themselves the chance of winning a home.

Once all of the tickets have been purchased, the property seller will choose a winner at random, leaving the seller of the home with the profits from selling raffle tickets.

Apart from raising funds for charity, some people are now opting to raffle their homes to sell them more quickly and avoid leaving them sitting on the market.
The 91-year-old grandmother who became the first person in the world to get an approved Covid vaccine has today begged other people to come forward for their jabs.

Margaret Keenan was given her first dose of Pfizer at Coventry's University Hospital when the UK's roll-out began on December 8, 2020.

Since then, almost 43million other Britons have had a jab  but millions of adults are still yet to book their appointment.

Calling on the nation to take up the offer, Ms Keenan told BBC Breakfast: 'Whatever you thought before, please do have the jab.

'There is nothing to it. Don't be afraid of a needle. It is just to save your life and to save other lives.'

Margaret Keenan was given her first dose of Pfizer at Coventry's University Hospital when the UK's roll-out began on December 8, 2020

How the UK's vaccine roll-out progressed to inviting over-18s December 8: Roll-out begins for care home residents, their carers, over-80s and frontline NHS workers January 18: Over-70s and clinically extremely vulnerable adults February 15: Over-65s and over-16s with underlying health conditions March 1: Over-60s March 6: Over-56s March 17: Over-50s April 13: Over-45s April 26: Over-44s April 27: Over-42s April 30: Over-40s May 13: Over-38s May 18: Over-36s May 20: Over-34s May 22: Over-32s May 26: Over-30s June 8: Over-25s June 15: Over-23s June 16: Over-21s June 18: All over-18s Advertisement

She added that it 'did feel very important to have it done' and she had hoped at the time that it would get 'the ball rolling' in kickstarting the vaccination programme.

Mrs Keenan, who has lived in Coventry for more than 60 years but is originally from Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, said she had wanted to do it not just for herself but for 'everybody and the NHS'.

Six months on from that first jab, more than 43million people in the UK, or 81.6 per cent of the adult population, had joined her in receiving a first dose of vaccine.

Mrs Keenan received a second dose on December 29, becoming one of what are now nearly 31.3million people in the UK  more than half the adult population  to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

Matron May Parsons, who administered the jab, said it was 'an absolute privilege' to have given Mrs Keenan her first jab and they have since built a friendship.

She spoke of her pride in her work and of the vaccination programme, saying 'our NHS is like a gem and we need to look after it, it is something we should be proud of'.

Ms Parsons added that it is important to look after the staff who have been involved in delivering services during the pandemic.

She told the programme: 'I am really passionate about making sure that the staff are looked after, not just because they are doing the job but because they are also humans. They have suffered through Covid in 18 months.

'Everyone stayed at home but we were here and we carried on and were still doing the job as best as we could.

'There was no let-up for us.'

She added: 'The success of the vaccination is testament to what everyone can achieve if they put their minds together.

'I do not have any worries about the booster programme because we have already done it. We have done the first one and been successful in the rollout.'
The Wuhan Institute of Virology at the centre of the Covid-19 lab leak theory has been nominated for China's top science award for its work during the pandemic.

The laboratory was put forward for the Chinese Academy of Sciences' 2021 Outstanding Science and Technology Achievement Prize.

The country's 'bat woman' scientist, Shi Zhengli, who leads research into the animal at the lab, also received a special mention from the committee.

Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli, known as Bat Woman, is pictured in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The scientist has been nominated for a prize for her work on Covid-19

The laboratory was put forward for the Chinese Academy of Sciences' 2021 Outstanding Science and Technology Achievement Prize

A description posted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences said, according to The Times: 'The research group collectively has completed the most comprehensive and systematic identification research on the aetiology of Covid-19, and the results of the project have laid an important foundation and technology platform for the follow-up research on the origin, epidemiology and pathogenic mechanism of the Covid-19 virus, as well as the research and development of drugs and vaccines.

'It provided key scientific and technological support for epidemic prevention and control.'

The nomination comes despite growing speculation that the virus did not occur naturally but escaped from the lab located just a few miles away from the Wuhan wet market where the outbreak was first identified.

Critics have lashed back against scientists who last year refused to entertain the idea which was dismissed as a conspiracy theory.

The nomination comes despite growing speculation that the virus did not occur naturally but escaped from the lab (pictured)

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.

China has rejected the allegations, despite the US pushing them to carry out further probes, citing findings by the World Health Organisation that said it was 'extremely unlikely' the virus emerged from the lab.

Dr Shi gave a rare interview last week in which she backed her government, saying the accusations are 'filth' and claimed no one at the lab ever got sick.

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

'How on earth can I offer up evidence for something where there is no evidence?' She told The New York Times.

'I don't know how the world has come to this, constantly pouring filth on an innocent scientist,' Dr Shi added.

She said the theories were completely unsubstantiated and said it was untrue that three of her colleagues had fallen ill with Covid before the outbreak emerged.

'Bat woman' has been accused of conducting controversial 'gain of function' experiments which genetically modify viruses in order to better understand the risks they pose.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology employs nearly 300 people and is the home to only two Chinese labs given the top bio-safety clearance, Level 4. It is the only lab in China permitted to handle deadly viruses such as ebola, bird flu and HIV.

While China has tried to insist the virus originated elsewhere, academics, politicians and the media have begun to contemplate the possibility it escaped from the WIV - raising suspicions that Chinese officials simply hid evidence of the early spread

'The Wuhan Institute of Virology has not come across such cases,' she wrote. 'If possible, can you provide the names of the three to help us check?'

But China has blocked an independent probe of the lab and hasn't released any of the raw data from the facility, making it impossible to validate anything Dr Shi says.

And in recent days, one of the UK's top virologists said she couldn't rule out the possibility that the coronavirus had been leaked.

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'.

Her comments came after Boris Johnson 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.

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

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 doesn't look as though this particular disease of zoonotic origin came from a lab.

'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.

The Trump administration attempted to raise the alarm with intelligence dumps about the lab which said researchers fell ill in the fall of 2019 with symptoms consistent with Covid-19. That was at least a month before Beijing officially reported the existence of a new respiratory illness to the world on December 31, 2019.

Among the dossiers were claims that the Bat Woman's team were working with a bat coronavirus that is 96.2 percent similar genetically to the virus that causes Covid and that the lab had secret links to Chinese military.

The first investigation in January by Western scientists, which was strictly supervised by Beijing from start to finish, resulted in a report that a Wuhan laboratory incident was 'highly unlikely' to have caused the pandemic. Pictured: Scientists at the WIV in 2017

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 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'.
A millionaire has lost a battle to cut down protected trees at his beauty spot home - to save himself a two-mile drive to his stables.

Supermarket chain owner Chris Kiley, 67, wanted to axe the woodland to make a track through the nature reserve around his home that overlooks Caswell Bay on the Gower, South Wales.

Mr Kiley told planners the 98-metre track would link his home with a small-holding on his land where he keeps horses and stables. But council officers rejected the bid, saying there was no reasonable justification after more than 150 objections.

Mr Kiley bought the 2.5million home with wife Alice, 32, a former Miss Great Britain entrant who appeared on the TV cooking contest Masterchef in 2013 - but the couple have since split up.

He had already fallen out with neighbours after submitting plans to demolish his house and build a modern 'Grand Designs' style home in its place.

Last year, Mr Kiley was embroiled in a row with residents after he allegedly cut down trees to make way for a 'racing track' for off-road bikes.

The house overlooks Caswell Bay on the Gower Peninsula which was designated the UK's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - meaning planning projects require extra permissions.

Kiley, who started with one CK's supermarket in 1988, now owns a chain of 31 Welsh stores that pockets 56million in annual turnover.

Supermarket chain owner Chris Kiley, 67, planned to fell 12 'small to medium' trees at his home to create a two-mile shortcut to his stables

The millionaire's 2.5million home on the Gower, South Wales faces extra planning permission requirements as it is an 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty'

The tycoon infamously caused Heathrow Airport's air traffic control to halt international flights when he flew his helicopter two miles into the controlled airspace in 2015.

Mr Kiley's planning statement said 12 'small to medium' trees would need to be felled for the track but he promised to replace them.

The planning statement added: 'Access tracks are common features in countryside locations such as this and the development is considered a modest addition which will have an acceptable impact on the wider Gower AONB.'

He wanted the track because it now meant a two-mile car journey from his home to get to the fields, horses and stables above the woodland.

Among the 154 objections were Bishopston Community Council who said the track was not needed as there was already a path running alongside it.

The group also said the plans were 'environmentally unacceptable' because of the damage to trees and wildlife.

Preservation group The Gower Society also objected to the proposals saying they had a 'possible undesirable impact upon the AONB and the prominent coastal slope'.

Swansea Council rejected his bid saying the planned track had 'excessive width' and would harm the rural character of the site.

Mr Kiley (pictured) had previously fallen out with some neighbours and planners by intending to demolish the house to build a modern 'Grand Designs' style home in its grounds

His luxurious mansion overlooks the beautiful Caswell Bay on the Gower in South Wales

It said that because of the existing path they could not grant permission because 'no reasonable justification or need' had been shown.

Previously, Mr Kiley faced the fury of neighbours who alleged that trees were being illegally cut down in the Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which was the first AONB designated in Britain in 1956.

They also complained that Mr Kiley and his friends were reportedly using the grounds as a 'racing track' for off-road bikes.

The supermarket millionaire wanted a huge open plan living area downstairs and Mr Kiley, who owns 31-strong supermarket chain CK Foodstore, said the home would fit 'seamlessly' into the character of the seafront.
Tourists and visitors from Victoria will be welcome back in New Zealand from Wednesday after the easing of government restrictions.

Jacinda Ardern's government halted the trans-Tasman bubble last month in response to Melbourne's latest Covid-19 outbreak.

With new community case numbers slowing to a trickle, the Ministry of Health has given the green light for travel to resume.

The Health Ministry's statement says it is encouraged by a lack of new Delta variant cases, large testing numbers and wastewater sampling.

Jacinda Ardern's government halted the trans-Tasman bubble last month in response to Melbourne's latest Covid-19 outbreak

New Zealand's move is perhaps surprising, given its ultra-cautious approach to first removing the quarantine requirement from trans-Tasman travellers.

New South Wales first scrapped quarantine for Kiwis in October last year.

It was not until six months later, in April this year, that New Zealand reciprocated.

In allowing regular travel, it is re-opening to Victoria ahead of all Australian states except for New South Wales.

Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland all have varying degrees of restriction on Victorians heading across their borders.

Some restrictions still apply for would-be trans-Tasman travellers.

People who have visited a location of interest - where a potentially infected person has also travelled - in any state must not travel to New Zealand within 14 days of visiting that site.

The move means the trans-Tasman bubble is fully operational for the first time since May 25.
This is the moment a tiger appeared to be bemused as a group of tourists carrying cameras looked in the opposite direction after the animal quietly emerged in front of their car.

The male Bengal tiger was pictured a matter of feet away from the group's truck - but the sightseers missed the moment of a lifetime to picture the spectacular creature by looking the wrong way.

The animal turned his head to look back at the tourists and appeared to be baffled as to why they had not noticed him when he emerged from the trees moments earlier.

Wildlife photographer Arpit Kubba managed to picture the bewildered tiger looking back at the distracted group of sightseers during their visit to Rathambore National Park in Rajasthan, India.

The male Bengal tiger turned his head to stare at the group who were looking the wrong way - and missing the moment of a lifetime to picture the spectacular creature which appeared a matter of feet away from their truck

Mr Kubba said the group had been distracted by another tiger they had spotted in the bushes by the side of the road.

'The interesting thing here is that everyone is looking behind and no one seems interested in this tiger,' Mr Kubba said.

'But the reason was his brother was in plain sight, but this cunning fellow just very silently came out onto the road without anyone behind him spotting him.'

He added: 'It was a great feeling to capture this tiger on camera with an interesting image. Usually we see pictures from India with all the tourists looking towards the tiger, but here you see the opposite.'

According to latest figures there are now around 70 tigers in Rathambore National Park in India, increasing from just 25 in 2005. Across the country, there are more than 3,000 tigers.

Bengal tigers are still under threat due to pressures from poaching, hunting and from conflict with human populations.

In a similar scenario, a group of whale watchers nearly missed a rare moment when a sneaky whale popped up right behind their boat as they looked in the opposite direction.

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)

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 just 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.

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.
Flu could pose a 'bigger problem' than Covid this winter because very few people currently have immunity against it, a top Government scientist warned today.

Professor Anthony Harnden, who advises No10 on Covid vaccines, said there had been a 'very, very low' prevalence of influenza over the past few years.

He added that flu cases plunged to 'virtually nil' when the pandemic hit as lockdowns and social distancing rules curbed the spread of other respiratory viruses.

Professor Harnden, deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said the low rates meant barely anyone had been exposed to flu and built up natural immunity, leaving the bulk of the population vulnerable.

He warned it could cause havoc on the NHS this winter if there is a large influenza outbreak.

'I will emphasise that actually flu could be potentially a bigger problem this winter than Covid,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Professor Anthony Harnden warned that the flu could be a 'bigger problem' than Covid-19 this winter, because less people are now immune to it following Covid restrictions

Admissions to intensive care unit and high dependency unit with the flu have been flat since last October, while patients admitted with Covid peaked in January

Flu kills around 17,000 people in England every year, compared to Covid which killed 109,396 people in England up to March 1 2021

'We've had a very, very low prevalence of flu for the last few years, particularly virtually nil during lockdown, and we do know that when flu has been circulating in very low numbers immunity drops in the population, and it comes back to bite us.

Plans for Covid booster jab programme in the autumn will be set out in the next few weeks, Matt Hancock says Matt Hancock today promised to set out plans for Britain's autumn booster Covid vaccine campaign in the coming weeks. The Health Secretary said officials were waiting for the results from a Government-funded trial into whether mixing and matching different jabs gives better protection. 'When we know the results of that [study], then we will set out the full plans for the booster programme over the autumn,' Mr Hancock told BBC Breakfast today. Findings are expected from the 19.3million Cov-Boost trial in the coming weeks. But pressure is mounting on No10 to unveil the plans by NHS bosses who say they need as much time as possible to staff the mammoth operation. Hospital trusts will have to juggle the jab campaign with an annual flu jab programme and the backlog of routine care that has amassed during the pandemic. Experts believe two standard vaccine doses are extremely effective for at least six months and probably much longer  but exactly when immunity begins to fade is not yet known because the jabs are so new. Officials will aim to give a third vaccine dose to the elderly and vulnerable for whom vaccines traditionally wear off quicker as the country moves into the colder months, when Covid finds it easier to spread. But they want to know whether, for example, giving a Pfizer dose to a patient who has received two AstraZenca jabs could give them even better immunity, as is the case with vaccines for other viruses. Seven Covid jabs are being mixed and matched in the trial, including the three vaccines already deployed in the UK. As well as the AZ, Pfizer and Moderna jabs, Southampton University scientists are also looking at vaccines made by Novavax, Johnson & Johnson, Valneva and CureVac. They have recruited thousands of fully-vaccinated Britons to the study, which will record any side-effects analyse the antibody levels of volunteers to check whether the extra dose offered any extra protection. Almost a third of all adults in the UK have now had two jabs, while 80 per cent of the population has had a first jab. But the elderly and vulnerable are expected to need a third jab to protect them this winter. It came as one million jabs were booked over the weekend as officials launched a 'summer sprint' to vaccinate all over-18s by July 19. Advertisement

'So, flu can be really, really important this winter.'

NHS hospitals usually see a mass influx of flu patients every winter  but over the past year they have barely treated any influenza sufferers. Public Health England credited lockdowns for the figures.

The first and second lockdowns  coupled with government messages encouraging people to wash their hands, wear facemasks and stay 2meters apart  meant Brits were less likely to pick up other illnesses like the flu and common cold.

Top experts  including Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance  have said throughout the pandemic that we need to learn to live with Covid like we do with flu because it will be impossible to completely eradicate.

Flu kills around 17,000 people in England every year. For comparison, 125,000 Brits have died of Covid over the last 18 months.

But deaths from influenza and pneumonia are currently killing three times as many people as Covid, other data suggests.

It comes amid plans to roll-out booster Covid vaccines this winter to cut down the threat of a potential third wave.

The booster objections are expected to be administered at the same time as flu jabs and could happen alongside each other for next 10 winters.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock today confirmed plans will be set out in the coming weeks.

Professor Harnden said data on whether the flu and Covid jabs could be given at the same time is expected soon.

This information on how the jabs react with each other and the side-effects recorded when the injections are given together is 'really important', he said.

Pressure is mounting on No10 to unveil the plans by NHS bosses, who say they need as much time as possible to staff the mammoth operation.

Hospital trusts will have to juggle the campaign with an annual flu jab programme and the backlog of routine care that has amassed during the pandemic.

No10's plans to vaccinate those aged 16 and 17 before the beginning of the school year in September could throw another spanner in the works.

The Health Secretary said officials were waiting for the results from a Government-funded trial into whether mixing and matching different jabs gives better protection.

'When we know the results of that [study], then we will set out the full plans for the booster programme over the autumn,' Mr Hancock told BBC Breakfast today.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers  which looks after NHS trusts and foundations  told Times Radio: 'Flu jabs start in September.

'So if we're going to do one jab in one arm, one jab in the other, we really do need to know quite quickly.

'We've done a fantastic emergency response in terms of these vaccines up to now, but we now need to make them business as usual and we've got to basically do them alongside all the other work the NHS has got to do, which is why we're saying the more time that we can have to do that planning, the more time we've got to make this business as usual.

'To be frank, we're probably going to need to do these vaccinations, probably on an annual basis for, I don't know, at least five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 years.'

Despite the Health Secretary pressing on with booster jab plans, some experts have question whether they are even needed.

Sir Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, which played a key role in developing AstraZeneca 's coronavirus jab, warned last week that it was not yet clear that a third jab is required.

'We are actually in quite a good place at the moment, we're not seeing any failure over time, waning of that protection, but it is something to be looked at, but I don't think we have the evidence to predict dates if boosters are indeed needed,' he said.
An HSBC manager is suing the bank for discrimination after claiming that the use of the phrase 'teaching a grandma to suck eggs' is sexist.

Rubinder Sukkersudha, who worked at the bank for six months in 2019 before she failed her probation, alleges she was the victim of harassment.

HSBC insist the saying is 'a generic, colloquial turn of phrase' which refers to giving advice to someone on a topic about which they already know.

The bank also claim that the 60,000-a-year audit manager, from Birmingham, was dismissed in late 2019 because she was poor at her job.

But Ms Sukkersudha, known as Ruby to colleagues, is now taking claims of sex discrimination, unfair dismissal and 'victimisation' to an employment tribunal.

Rubinder Sukkersudha, who worked at HSBC for six months in 2019 before she failed her probation, alleges that she was the victim of harassment

Her lawyer Nabila Malik told a preliminary hearing that her case included a complaint of sex discrimination about the use of the 'sucking eggs' phrase - a claim denied by HSBC's counsel, Caroline Musgrave.

Outlining Ms Sukkersudha's claim, Employment Judge Veronica Dean said: 'Ms Malik suggests that comments such as 'telling a grandma how to suck eggs' is harassment because of her sex.

'Ms Musgrave suggests that it is a generic, colloquial turn phrase not derogatory of women but refers to teaching someone something they already know, which is not harassment on the grounds of sex.'

Judge Dean ruled that the allegation should be heard at a full hearing.

She said: 'The allegations of harassment will be considered by a tribunal hearing all of the evidence. In context, taken together there is an arguable case that the treatment of Ms Sukkersudha may be considered to be based upon sexual stereotypes and constitute harassment because of Ms Sukkersudha's sex.'

After starting work in June 2019, Ms Sukkersudha asserted her statutory right by not opting out of the Working Time Regulation - the employment law which prevents employees working more than their weekly limit unless they choose to.

The audit manager is suing the bank for discrimination after claiming that the use of the phrase 'teaching a grandma to suck eggs' is sexist. HSBC insist the saying is 'a generic, colloquial turn of phrase' which refers to giving advice to someone on a topic about which they already know

Ms Sukkersudha alleges as a result she 'suffered detriments' and was still made to work long hours, which she claims impacted her health.

She alleges she was 'victimised' by colleagues when she made a protected disclosure - known as whistleblowing - about this.

The tribunal also heard that Ms Sukkersudha 'asserts that the decision to terminate her employment was an act of victimisation after she had raised concerns of bullying and harassment'.

HSBC reject the claims and 'asserts that the real reason was that she performed poorly and failed probation'.

A tribunal report added: 'It is HSBC's case that as early as September 17, 2019, [an HSBC manager] had raised concerns over Ms Sukkersudha's performance in a previous performance review.

'[The HSBC manager] had raised concerns in relation to Ms Sukkersudha's timekeeping and execution of her work, matters which were relevant to the issues that led to the termination of her employment.'

A full hearing will take place at a later date.
A police officer sexually assaulted a woman as she 'sheltered' in a hotel following an argument with her husband, a court heard today.

PC Rudvelle Walters, 48, allegedly slapped the complainant's bottom and slipped his hand inside her underwear when sent to conduct a welfare check after the woman was reported missing.

Pc Walters then allegedly sent her a Facebook friend request after asking for her name and telephone number.

Southwark Crown Court was told the woman was so shocked by his behaviour she thought he must have been a friend of her husband's out for revenge wearing a police costume.

He was suspended from duty after he was charged with sexual assault of the woman at 6am on 5 February 2019 at the Best Western Plus Hotel in Wembley, north-west London.

Police officers speaking to the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, raised the alarm when she described the assault to them the next day.

The alleged victim in her 20s, who does not speak English, also claimed and showed to them that Walters had sent a hello message with a heart emoji on Facebook.

Walters denies the assault and claims the two women aggressively gave him a 'bear hug', he lost his balance and his cuffs had dug into her as he fell.

PC Rudvelle Walters, 47, (pictured outside Southwark Crown Court today) is charged with the sexual assault of a woman in a Wembley hotel

He claims the social media interaction was because the woman had sent a friend request on his phone, as he was unfamiliar with how it worked, and the 'hello' with the heart was an automatic suggestion that was sent by mistake.

The Met made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) who carried out an investigation.

Walters was initially placed on restricted duties and was subsequently suspended from duty.

Prosecutor Abigail Husbands said: 'The defendant in this case is a serving police officer.

'As part of his duties, he attended a hotel room to conduct a welfare check on a lady who had been reported missing: she was sheltering with her friend, having had an argument with her husband.

'The officer attended to check that she was safe and well. Rather than doing this from outside the hotel room itself, he went into the room and whilst there, he sexually assaulted the missing woman, by putting his hand into her underwear.'

Ms Husbands said that two police officers were assigned to the call, with one remaining at the station conducting enquiries and the other, Walters, going on scene visits.

She said: '[The woman] was there with a female friend of hers. She had had an argument with her husband and had left her home during that argument with nothing but the clothes she was wearing.

'She was then at the hotel with her friend to have a break from the argument. She had nowhere else to go. Her husband must have phoned the police and reported her missing.

The officer, who was attached to the North West Command Unit, denies the assault and claims the two women aggressively gave him a 'bear hug'

'You will hear [the woman] say that she woke, and saw that she had had a number of missed calls.

'She googled the number and saw that it was a police number. She called the number back.

'Police explained that she had been reported missing. She agreed to give police her location as long as they did not pass it on to her husband. She sought that reassurance. She said she was safe and well.

'Police said that they would send a police officer round just to check on her that they could confirm that she was safe and well.

'He arrived at the hotel at 6.07am, he was wearing police officer uniform and had a police beanie on. [The woman] wasn't expecting him to go into the hotel room, her friend was still in bed.

'She had thought that he would just show his ID at the hotel room door and that would be it, but that is not what happened.'

The prosecutor said: 'Whilst in the room, PC Walters talked to [the woman] about the argument with her husband, how long she had been in England.

He was suspended from duty after he was charged with sexual assault of the Polish woman at 6am on 5 February 2019 at the Best Western Plus Hotel in Wembley, north-west London

'She said it was very early in the morning and was happy to go to the police station to discuss it all in detail the following day rather than discussing it then.

'She was told it was procedure to give her name, surname and phone number and she did so. He then found her on Facebook and sent her an invite to become friends on Facebook with her.

'[The woman] began to feel uncomfortable and she asked him to leave. She asked him to leave. He said he would if her friend gave him a kiss, and he tried to pull the duvet off her and to get a kiss from her.

Ms Husbands continued: '[The woman] tried to get him to stop. She was feeling stressed, she'd never been in a situation where she'd been reported missing.

'She became scared. She was trying to speak in English but he probably didn't understand everything and she didn't understand what he was saying.

'She noticed that his body-worn camera was not on as the red light wasn't flashing. Her husband worked in security so she knew how the body worn cameras worked.

'She became concerned that he may not in fact be a police officer at all, but something to do with her husband.

'She went to the door of the hotel room to let him out. She reached to let him out with her right hand. He was standing facing her with his back to the door. He then put his right hand up the left hand of her shorts.'

Southwark Crown Court (pictured, stock image) heard Walters was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on 6 February 2019. Walters, from Luton, who wore a grey shirt, coat, tie and blue medical facemask in the dock, denies sexual assault

The prosecutor said the sexual assault made her 'extremely shocked' and that the officer said he would come back after his shift ended at 7am to bring some food despite her saying she was not hungry.

PC Bradley heard back from Walters at 6.33am, and she remembered that she heard from him in a 50 second call and that it was just a domestic argument.

Ms Husbands added: 'After PC Walters had left the hotel room, [the woman] went back into her hotel room. Her friend was in tears. [The woman] said that it must have been someone sent by her husband, as the man could not have been a police officer.

'Later, [the woman] looked at her phone and saw some emojis on her Facebook messenger. It said hello with a heart on them. She could see they had been sent from from Rudy Sretlaw - Walters backwards.

'They had been sent to her from the officer's Facebook account, probably after his shift had finished.

'The following day, [the woman] attended the police station to deal with what had happened in relation to her husband.

'Whilst she was there and speaking to officers, she told them what had happened with the police officer that had come to her hotel room.

'She described his distinctive hat and showed police the Facebook message from him.'

Southwark Crown Court heard Walters was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on 6 February 2019 and gave a pre-prepared statement that he did not slap the bottom or put his hand down the knickers of the missing female.

Walters, from Luton, who wore a grey shirt, coat, tie and blue medical facemask in the dock, denies sexual assault.

The trial continues.
The Minnesota Attorney General has spoken of his compassion for Derek Chauvin after he was convicted of murdering George Floyd and said he hopes the judge won't go 'light or heavy' because Friday's sentencing isn't about 'revenge.'

Chauvin, 45, is facing a maximum of 40 years in jail after he was convicted in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter.

But Minnesota AG Keith Ellison told 60 Minutes on Sunday that despite his feelings of 'gratitude' and 'satisfaction' at seeing Chauvin convicted, he also felt sympathy for the cop.

'I spent 16 years as a criminal defense lawyer. So, I will admit, I felt a little bad for the defendant. I think he deserved to be convicted. But he's a human being,' Ellison told Scott Pelley.

'I'm not in any way wavering from my responsibility. But I hope we never forget that people who are defendants in our criminal justice system, that they're human beings. They're people. I mean, George Floyd was a human being. And so I'm not going to ever forget that everybody in this process is a person,' the AG added.

Minnesota AG Keith Ellison told 60 Minutes on Sunday that despite his feelings of 'gratitude' and 'satisfaction' at seeing Chauvin convicted, he also felt sympathy for the cop

Derek Chauvin, listens to verdicts at his trial for the 2020 death of George Floyd at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis on April 20

Chauvin was captured on video kneeling on the neck of the 46-year-old Floyd - suspected of using a counterfeit bill - for more than nine minutes until he passed out and died on May 25, 2020, while ignoring the victim's pleas for air and help.

The video of Floyd's death sparked huge protests across the United States and around the world against racism and police violence.

Asked whether the judge should give the maximum sentence and send a 'message,' AG Ellison told CBS: 'I think it is important for the Court to not go light or heavy. I don't know if it's right for a judge to send a message through a sentence because the sentence should be tailored to the offense, tailored to the circumstances of the case.

'Look, the State never wanted revenge against Derek Chauvin. We just wanted accountability.'

The lawyer added that, despite the shocking video which was beamed around the world, he was never certain that Chauvin would be found guilty.

'I was never convinced we were going to win this case until we heard the verdict of guilty. I remember what happened in the Rodney King case when I was a pretty young man, young lawyer,' Ellison said.

King, who was unarmed, was hauled from his car and beaten by four LAPD officers in 1991. The cops were acquitted of any wrongdoing sparking massive riots in Los Angeles.

Ellison said he's been 'devastated' when he heard how they walked free that day.

Comparing it to the Chauvin case, He told CBS: 'Whenever - an officer is charged with an offense, particularly when the victim is a person of color, it's just rare that there's any accountability. And so, there was every moment of this case, I thought, "What are we missing? What haven't we done?"'

The Attorney General said that they never worked on the assumption that the video was enough evidence and so built up detailed accounts from witnesses so that the jury could be convinced on that basis alone.

However, he conceded that without the video he couldn't be certain a conviction would have been obtained.

Asked by Pelley whether he thought the murder was a 'hate crime,' Ellison said that there was no evidence to that effect, saying that one of the mystifying things about the case was that they had no motive to present to the jury.

'I wouldn't call it [a hate crime] because hate crimes are crimes where there's an explicit motive and of bias. We don't have any evidence that Derek Chauvin factored in George Floyd's race as he did what he did,' the AG told CBS.

Chauvin was captured on video kneeling on the neck of the 46-year-old Floyd (pictured) - suspected of using a counterfeit bill - for more than nine minutes until he passed out and died on May 25, 2020, while ignoring the victim's pleas for air and help

As for Chauvin's motive for the killing, Ellison told CBS: 'That's a question we spent a lotta time asking ourselves. And all we could come up with is what we could divine from his body language and his demeanor.

'And what we saw is that the crowd was demanding that he get up. And then he was staring right back at them defiantly. "You don't tell me what to do. I do what I wanna do. You people have no control over me. I'm going to show you."'

He added that Chauvin, despite knowing he was being recorded, continued to kneel on Floyd's neck because he knew that 'history was on his side.'

Before Chauvin no police officer had ever been convicted of second-degree murder in Minnesota.

Asked whether Floyd had any responsibility to bear for what happened that day, the Attorney General said emphatically: 'No, he doesn't.'

Prosecutors earlier this month asked Judge Peter Cahill to sentence Chauvin to 30 years in prison, submitting court documents which called the actions of the cop an 'egregious abuse' of his position.

'Defendant's conduct was also particularly cruel,' prosecutors said.

They recalled that the judge had ruled there were four aggravating factors in the case, allowing him to depart from state sentencing guidelines and clearing the path for a tough sentence.

The most serious charge that Chauvin was convicted of - second-degree murder - carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.

As a first-time offender, Chauvin had potentially faced 12 and a half years in prison on that count under the guidelines, but the aggravating factors mean Cahill can opt for a longer jail term.

Attorneys for Chauvin countered with a far different request - a sentence of time served and probation, claiming that their client was guilty of 'an error made in good faith.'

Chauvin addresses Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis on April 15

They said their client was seeking 'a probationary sentence with an incarceration period of time served.'

As an alternative, Chauvin 'respectfully requests that the court grant him a downward durational departure,' or a sentence lower than what the guidelines suggest, his lawyer Eric Nelson wrote.

Aside from the 'long-term damage a prison sentence would inflict upon Mr Chauvin's life prospects, given his age, convictions for officer-involved offenses significantly increase the likelihood of him becoming a target in prison,' Nelson wrote.

Chauvin 'was unaware that he was even committing a crime,' he wrote, adding: 'In fact, in his mind, he was simply performing his lawful duty in assisting other officers in the arrest of George Floyd.'

'Mr Chauvin's offense is best described as an error made in good faith... not intentional commission of an illegal act,' the lawyer said.

Chauvin also faces separate federal civil rights charges in connection with Floyd's death.
An ex-convict has confessed to raping and stabbing a former female US marine in Russia, then leaving her to die in a forest, according to local police.

Alexander Popov, 43, appeared in court on Sunday as a judge ordered his detention for two months over the death of Catherine Serou, 34, an Afghanistan veteran.

Serou had been studying law at a university in Nizhny Novgorod, a city 260 miles east of Moscow, after arriving from California three years ago.

Her body was discovered in a forest on the edge of the city on Saturday following a massive search operation by law enforcement and volunteers after she went missing last Tuesday.

Popov told interrogators that he drove her to a forest outside the city where he raped her before beating her with his fists. He then stabbed her three times 'before leaving her to die in the forest'.

He is held on a murder charge.

Some reports say that Popov was an 'acquaintance' of Serou, but the woman had messaged her mother in the US after leaving a grocery store - saying she was in a stranger's car and feared she had been 'abducted'.

Catherine Serou, 34, had been studying law at a university in Nizhny Novgorod, a city 260 miles east of Moscow, after arriving from California three years ago.

Alexander Popov (pictured in court on Sunday) told interrogators that he drove her to a forest outside the city where he raped her before beating her with his fists. He then stabbed her three times 'before leaving her to die in the forest'.

Alexander Popov, a man who was arrested on suspicion of murder and surrounded by police officers, arrives at a courtroom in the city of Gorodets, 36 miles north-west of Nizhny Novgorod, on Sunday

The suspect is known to have previous convictions for rape, sexual assault, hooliganism and robbery

The suspect is known to have previous convictions for rape, sexual assault, hooliganism and robbery.

The attacks came after his latest release from prison, say reports.

The American had served with Cherry Point Marine Corps from 2006 to 2011, and had been posted to Afghanistan.

Serou, originally from New Orleans, had two degrees from the University of California Davis, before going on to study at Nizhny Novgorod State University.

She had British links, having written a thesis for her Masters degree on the famous Low Ham Mosaic in Somerset for her Master of Arts degree in Art History.

Russian law enforcement had opened a criminal investigation after Serou was reported missing by her mother Beccy who had received a message from her daughter saying: 'I'm riding in a car with a stranger. I hope I'm not being abducted.'

Police found that her cell phone signal had been traced to the village of Lindo-Pustyn, some 15 miles north of Bor, the suburb of Nizhny Novgorod where she lived.

As the hunt was underway, her mother said: 'She is a Marine, she has got survival skills

'And so I think that if anybody can survive it, she can.'

Serou was a former US Marine and graduate student who was studying law at a university in the Nizhny Novgorod region, just over 250 miles east of Moscow

Local volunteer groups handed out and posted missing person posters asking for Serou's safe return

Russian friends said Catherine had seen active service in Afghanistan but was 'very well-balanced' and showed no signs of post traumatic disorder.

They said she had killed enemies in the war zone but 'did not like to speak about it'.

She came to Russia 'for exciting adventures' and was 'loved by her university teachers and friends'.

Lilia Erushkina, head of admissions and academic support for foreign students at Nizhny Novgorod State University, said: 'It's very hard days for us now.

'We are in touch with Catherine's mother, as we have been throughout.

'She was such a hard-working student, so responsible.

'It wasn't easy for her to study in Russian, especially legal terms, but she clearly did her very best.

'Her spoken Russian was good, too.

Her mother, Beccy Serou, told NPR that she received an ominous text message on the night Catherine went missing. 'In a car with a stranger. I hope I'm not being abducted' it read

Serou was last seen on CCTV video shopping at a nearby market before disappearing after entering an unknown car on Tuesday night

'She liked Russia and liked Russian language. It's very hard.'

A Russian friend of the dead woman, Alexander Tokarev, 32, a local journalist, said: 'This is the end.

'My friend Kate (Catherine) is no longer with us.

'He was previously convicted for rape, robbery, and a whole lot of disgusting things.'

He posted: 'Forgive [us], my friend.

'You went through a war, crossed the ocean, found good friends, all to die here, near Nizhny Novgorod, without any reason.'
Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are on a collision course over his big-spending habits today as Tories voiced alarm about the UK's spiralling 2.17trillion debt mountain.

The Chancellor is believed to be increasingly alarmed about the commitments being made - with claims that the PM announced a huge effort on climate change at the G7 summit without informing him.

There is also an ongoing spat about Mr Johnson's insistence on sticking to the state pension 'triple lock', which could mean the payments rocket this year because furlough and the impact of the pandemic has warped wage figures.

And Mr Sunak is apparently refusing to foot the 200million bill for a national yacht announced by Mr Johnson - with Ben Wallace's Ministry of Defence and Liz Truss's Trade department also balking at the cost.

A potential flashpoint had been due to come tomorrow with Mr Johnson, Mr Sunak and Health Secretary Matt Hancock due to meet to discuss proposals on social care that are expected to cost 5billion a year.

However, the session has been 'taken out' of ministerial diaries for reasons that remain unclear.

The issue of spending is at risk of drawing another 'hawks' and 'doves' dividing line through the government, with the need to make good on 'levelling up' promises from the PM clashing with anxiety about the dire state of the public finances. Mr Sunak has been among the strongest voices on the need for a speedy unlocking, although he was said to be 'relaxed' about the latest delay to Freedom Day.

Mr Johnson has rejected the concept of austerity, suggesting it was a mistake after the credit crunch - but others are concerned that inflation and interest rates could throw the country into chaos unless the deficit is closed quickly.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng appeared to deal a rebuke to the Chancellor today, insisting the government should rely on economic growth rather than tax hikes to fill the Covid black hole in the public finances.

One plugged-in senior Tory told MailOnline that 'every day seems to bring a new spending commitment' from the PM and Mr Sunak is right to stamp his 'authority'.

The backdrop to the budgeting row is suspicion over Mr Sunak's ambitions among some allies of Mr Johnson, who believe he is positioning for the leadership with slick PR and schmoozing of backbenchers.

Boris Johnson (right) and Rishi Sunak (left) are on a collision course over his big-spending habits today as Tories voiced alarm about the UK's spiralling 2.17trillion debt mountain

Kwasi Kwarteng issued a veiled rebuke to the Chancellor insisting driving growth and not tax rises is the 'best way' of balancing the books

UK's new 200m yacht will be funded 'through' the MoD, says No10 The UK's new 200million national yacht will be funded 'through' the Ministry of Defence, Downing Street said today. There have been signs of wrangling between departments over the new flagship, with ministers unwilling to foot the bill out of their own budgets. The PM's spokesman told reporters: 'This new national flagship will boost British trade and drive investment into the economy. 'The procurement process, which is being done through the MoD, will reflect its wide-ranging use and so it will be funded through the MoD, as set out previously.' The No 10 spokesman declined to comment on how the MoD could afford a yacht costing a reported 200million, given its own equipment budget blackhole of 17billion. Pressed on reports the vessel could be classified as a 'warship' and could have guns attached, Boris Johnson's spokesman said: 'We will set out the exact detail in due course but this is a trade ship, it is not a military vessel.' Asked whether that meant it would not be a warship, he replied: 'That's correct.' Advertisement

In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Kwarteng insisted driving growth is the 'best way' of balancing the books amid claims Mr Sunak is looking at a pensions raid to raise revenue.

But he suggested reducing reliefs such as the 1million lifetime allowance was 'not necessarily the way forward'.

And he said he is 'pretty sure the triple lock will stay' - despite alarm in the Treasury that state pensions will rise at least 6 per cent this year due to the warping effects of furlough.

Asked about tax rises to cover the huge cost of coronavirus, he told Sky News: 'I am hopeful as business secretary as you can imagine that we can grow the economy.

'That in the past has always been the best way to raise tax revenue the tax revenue from a thriving economy can pay down some of the debt.'

Asked about the option of a raid on pensions reliefs, he said: 'I don't think that is necessarily the way forward.'

On the state pension, he said: 'Obviously it is a decision of the Chancellor, but I am pretty sure the triple lock will stay.'

Treasury sources said changing pensions tax relief is 'certainly not something the Chancellor is actively looking at'.

Officials are believed to be examining plans to save 4billion by suspending the triple lock on pensions for a year.

However, Mr Johnson wants to keep the lock in place, even though it would grant pensioners a 6 per cent or higher rise at a time when working-age people are facing a financial squeeze.

Asked about the possibility of a one-year suspension of the manifesto pledge, the Prime Minister's spokesman said: 'We are fully committed to the pensions triple lock.'

Mr Johnson was challenged about the triple-lock reports during a visit to a laboratory in Hertfordshire today.

He told broadcasters: 'I'm reading all sorts of stuff at the moment which I don't recognise at all about the Government's plans.'

Officials say Mr Sunak is also refusing to fund the 200million cost of Johnson's pet project to build a Royal Yacht, with the Ministry of Defence, the Cabinet Office and the Department of International Trade also reluctant to foot the bill.

In more evidence of rising tensions, one official branded the funding for the yacht 'a complete and utter s***show' and another even suggested the PM should 'set up a trust to pay for it'  a reference to his failed attempt to get Tory donors to fund the cost of renovations to his Downing Street flat.

The PM's spokesman told reporters that funding would be provided 'through' the MoD.

'This new national flagship will boost British trade and drive investment into the economy,' he said.

'The procurement process, which is being done through the MoD, will reflect its wide-ranging use and so it will be funded through the MoD, as set out previously.'

The No 10 spokesman declined to comment on how the MoD could afford a yacht costing a reported 200million, given its own equipment budget blackhole of 17billion.

Mr Johnson urged G7 nations to sign up for a 'Marshall Plan' to help drive global green growth at the summit in Cornwall, but there was no UK money announced and the Treasury was apparently not consulted.

A former minister told MailOnline: 'We are spending more than we can afford. It is not unreasonable to ask where is the money coming from.

'Everyone wants to be fair to pensioners. But I don't think even pensioners would want to take advantage of the pandemic.

'The problem is the pandemic has given the impression there is a magic money tree... Rishi needs to assert a bit of authority.'

Mr Sunak has already laid out plans for tax rises in the coming years to fill the massive black hole in the government finances.

The Chancellor has told colleagues that he does not think families should face any further rise to personal taxation to pay for the extra spending.

The national debt mountain now stands at 2.17trillion, and is higher as a proportion of GDP than after the credit crunch

The CPI index hit 2.1 per cent in May, up from 1.5 per cent the previous month and above the official 2 per cent goal

There are fears that without greater restraint from No 10, the manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT during this parliament will become strained.

Mr Sunak is, however, said to be open to cutting the money for state pensions.

Treasury officials are also believed to be working up plans to cut the 1million pensions lifetime allowance, bring in a single tax relief rate, or tax employer contributions

An online sales tax is likely to be unveiled this autumn.

Taxes on gambling giants are also in development, with a Whitehall tussle under way over whether the levy targets profits or turnover.

There are claims today that the Cabinet is demanding more of a say in spending plans to rein in Mr Johnson.

'The cabinet has to be involved in all the big decisions that reflect what the party stands for, the cabinet needs to be more involved in those decisions,' one Whitehall official told the Guardian.

'All cabinet ministers have to be part of making decisions that are part of a bigger picture. If you aren't taking decisions as a collective it is very hard to go out and sell a coherent argument.'

A No 10 spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister and Chancellor work closely together, and have been in lockstep throughout the most challenging period any government has faced since the Second World War.'
A young father has been accused of killing his 21-day-old son after the little boy was found with a bleeding brain and fractured ribs.

Ashley John McGreger, from Christies Beach in Adelaide's south, was arrested on Friday and charged with manslaughter and neglect.

The 31-year-old claimed in Christies Beach Magistrates Court on Monday that the infant fell when he tripped over a dog on April 21.

He and his partner took the unresponsive newborn to Noarlunga Hospital three days later, but the baby was pronounced dead.

Ashley John McGreger (pictured), from Christies Beach in Adelaide's south, was arrested on Friday after the death of his 21-day-old son

A post-mortem examination revealed the little boy's injuries were allegedly 'inflicted', which was inconsistent with McGreger's explanation of what happened, the ABC and 7News reported.

The boy's mother is also being questioned.

Outside court on Monday after his bail hearing, a family friend told 7 News the mother was 'in shock'.

Ashley John McGreger (pictured) and the baby's mother partner took the unresponsive newborn to Noarlunga Hospital three days later, but the baby was pronounced dead, the court heard

Ashley John McGreger (pictured) says he tripped over his dog and the baby fell, but experts say the child's injuries were 'inflicted', the court heard

The court also heard that McGreger is also facing a string of child sex charges, including maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child, and having sexual intercourse with a person under 14 years old.

He was also accused of producing and possessing child exploitation material after police allegedly found 'thousands' of images depicting child pornography.

'There's thousands of images on the phone; they haven't all been categorised as of yet, but some of the images are some of the worst we've seen,' the prosecutor said in court.

McGreger was not granted bail due to the serious nature of the allegations.

He will appear back in court in February 2022.
The 18-year-old French girl who called Islam a 's*** religion' has written a book defending freedom of speech as the trial into the 13 people accused of viciously harassing her resumes.

The teenager, known only as Mila, sparked outrage with her provocative comments about the religion then aged 16 which led to death threats and Emmanuel Macron speaking out in her defence.

She was placed under police protection with her family and forced to change school following the abuse after she posted a video online saying: 'The Koran is filled with nothing but hate, Islam is a s****y religion.'

Mila, the 18-year-old French girl who called Islam a 's*** religion', has written a book defending freedom of speech (pictured at court today)

The teenager, known only as Mila, sparked outrage with her provocative comments about the religion then aged 16

But Mila, who has refused to back down over her remarks, now says she craves nothing more than a normal life.

She says she has received more than 100,000 hateful messages and her new book, titled I Am the Price of Your Freedom, continues her provocative message.

She writes: 'If I get attacked then I am going to defend myself.'

'We no longer have the right to mock, criticise or insult religions, even when they are intolerant, sexist or homophobic.'

The furore erupted in January 2020, when Mila, then 16, who describes herself as pansexual, meaning she is attracted to people of all genders, was asked if she had a preference for white, Arabic or black people.

She was placed under police protection with her family and forced to change school following the threats

The furore erupted in January 2020, when Mila, then 16, launched into an anti-Islam tirade online

'I answered simply that Arabic and Black people are not particularly my type and that they do not attract me physically,' she said.

A boy who had shown interest in her then insulted her 'in the name of Allah'.

After receiving threats she launched into an anti-Islam tirade, declaring: 'Islam is s*** (...) Your religion is s***. I put my finger into the a****** of your God. Thank you and goodbye.'

Her outburst triggered a flood of insults, with one person writing: 'You deserve to have your throat cut.'

She said she was forced to leave school and no other establishment wanted her for security reasons, saying her life became 'hell'.

To go unnoticed during rare trips outside, she wore a disguise that made her feel like 'Inspector Gadget', she said in a recent French television interview.

The mass trial of 13 people over death threats sent to Mila (pictured at court earlier this month) after she called Islam a 's**t religion' has resumed

'Even when I go outside, I am in prison,' she said, declaring she just 'wants to live free'.

Her story goes to the core of the debate over freedom of expression which has raged in secular France since 2015 when Islamist gunmen attacked the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for publishing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed.

The controversy intensified further when teacher Samuel Paty - who had shown the caricatures in his civics class - was beheaded by an Islamist radical outside his school in Paris in October 2020.

Mila has been feted by some as a hero of the fight for freedom of expression in France although critics accuse her of needlessly provoking observant Muslims.

On a language study trip to Malta last summer she was threatened with death and rape by a fellow student, who recognised her. He was arrested and convicted on the island.

Mila has been feted by some, especially on the right, as a hero of the fight for freedom of expression in secular France

But in November Mila published a new video, reaffirming her previous tirade.

The 13 being tried in Paris for subjecting her to online harassment, including death threats, are all aged between 18-30. Most have never had any brushes with the law before.

'She received over 100,000 hate messages and death threats saying she would be tied up, cut up, quartered, stoned, beheaded, accompanied by coffin images, and photo-montages of her bloodied decapitated head,' her lawyer Richard Malka who also represents Charlie Hebdo, told the court.

When the controversy erupted, the hashtag #JeSuisMila (I am Mila) went viral in solidarity with her, echoing the #JeSuisCharlie slogan around which millions of people rallied following the 2015 attacks on Charlie Hebdo's cartoonists.

President Emmanuel Macron was among those who defended Mila, saying: 'The law is clear. We have the right to blaspheme, to criticise and caricature religions'.

Not all echoed such sentiments, however, especially on the left. Asked by French television 'Are You Mila?' Socialist ex-president Francois Hollande replied testily: 'No, I am Francois Hollande'.

Her story goes to the core of the debate over freedom of expression which has raged in secular France since 2015

He added: 'We have the right to criticise religions. Mila had every right to criticise religion. But, like everyone else, she should not engage in hate speech about those who practice their religion.'

Mila says she finds France now a 'fragile and cowardly nation' claiming that the 'silent majority' who support her 'do not do anything'.

'Even if I have a knife placed under my neck, I won't stop speaking out,' she told the TF1 channel. 'But I am still a young woman who does not know what to think about her future.'

France's defence of its secular values and a crackdown on religious extremism have stirred fierce protests by many Muslims worldwide, who accuse the country of encouraging insults against their beliefs.

But defence lawyers have argued that the 13 on trial are unfairly taking the rap as scapegoats for thousands of people taking advantage of the anonymity offered by social media platforms.

'My client is totally overwhelmed by this affair,' said Gerard Chemla, a lawyer for one of the accused. 'He had a fairly stupid instant reaction, the type that happens every day on Twitter.'

The accused face up to two years in prison and fines of 30,000 euros ($36,600) for online harassment.

A conviction of death threats carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison - two people previously convicted of death threats against Mila have received prison terms.
A French woman who was raped, beaten and prostituted by her stepfather-turned-turned husband today told a court how she shot her abuser in the back of the head.

Valerie Bacot, now aged 40, says she was first attacked by Daniel Polette aged just 12 when he was dating her alcoholic mother - the start of 25 years of horror that saw her forced to marry him and bear four of his children.

During that time Bacot said Polette routinely beat her, attacked her with a hammer, threatened her with a gun, and forced her to sleep with truck drivers near their home in central France while he directed her actions over an earpiece.

But on March 13, 2016, Bacot shot Polette - then aged 61 - in the back of the neck with his gun after, she claims, he threatened to prostitute their 14-year-old daughter.

Bacot described to a court in Chalon-sur-Soane, Burgundy, on Monday how she used a weapon Polette kept in the family car to shoot her abuser at point-blank-range as she sat behind him in the People Carrier. She remembers 'closing her eyes' as she pulled the trigger.

Bacot, who has written a book about her experience called Everybody Knew, is facing life in jail for Polette's murder in a case that has caused outcry in France.

Valerie Bacot (pictured in the tan scarf) has gone on trial for the 2016 murder of Daniel Polette in France after what she says was 25 years of abuse suffered at his hands

Bacot, now aged 40, says Polette began abusing her aged 12 when he was her stepfather - but later forced her into marriage and had four children with her

On March 13, 2016, Bacot shot Polette (pictured) - then aged 61 - in the back of the neck with his gun after, she claims, he threatened to prostitute their 14-year-old daughter

'I wanted to save me, and my children,' Bacot told the Saone-et-Loire Assizes Court in Chalons-sur-Saone.

Recalling how she fired at point-blank-range from behind as she sat behind Polette in the People Carrier, Bacot said: 'I just remember closing my eyes. I didn't really understand. I got out of the car and he fell out.'

When asked, if she had planned to killed her husband she replied: 'No'.

In the book, Bacot says she was abused from a young age - first by her older brother when she was aged five and then by Polette, who was initially her mother's partner.

Speaking to Le Parisien ahead of the trial, Bacot said the abuse began 'very quickly' after mother Joelle brought truck-driver Polette home when she was aged 12.

He initially played the doting stepfather but then began sexually abusing her - abuse which lasted for two years before she alerted police and Polette was arrested.

When Bacot was aged 14 he was jailed for four years for sexual abuse, but Bacot said her mother never cut off contact and would even take her to visit him in jail.

After two and a half years, Polette was released and immediately returned to the family home where the abuse resumed.

Bacot said she often thought about running away, but had nowhere to go - her grandparents would simply return her home, she believed, and her biological father wanted nothing to do with her. So she stayed.

Then, at the age of 17, Bacot fell pregnant with Polette's child and the family quickly fell apart.

Bacot says her mother kicked her out of the house, forcing her to go and live with Polette because she did not know where else to go.

She said Polette began physically and mentally abusing her shortly after their first child - a boy - was born.

'The first time it was because he thought I hadn't put the baby's toys away properly,' she said. 'But very quickly it became commonplace.

'If the coffee took too long to arrive, if it was too hot or too cold, he would get angry.

Bacot said Polette also forced her into prostitution - physically and mentally abusing her, and threatening to kill their children if she refused

Janine Bonaggiunta, one of the laywers defending Bacot, speaks outside the court in Chalon-sur-Saone where she went on trial for murder today

'Everything became a pretext for blows. You live with the idea that you deserve it because you are not doing things right.'

She said Polette controlled every aspect of her behaviour, forbidding her to go out except to shop or take the children to school, and would check her receipts when she got home to make sure she wasn't lying.

When he was unable to keep an eye on her, he would get others in the village where they lived to do it for him, she claims.

He chose her hairstyle, her clothes, and the names for their children - which eventually totalled four.

Bacot says she wanted to take contraceptive pills or get abortions so she would stop falling pregnant, but was forbidden from going to the doctor.

The pair married in 2008, but that did little to end the abuse, Bacot says.

Polette began using weapons in his assaults - at one point knocking her out with a hammer over the Christmas holidays, and routinely threatened her with a gun.

He also began prostituting her out to other truck drivers.

Operating out of the back of a Peugeot people-carrier under the name of Adeline, Bacot says Polette watched the acts and dictated her movements via an earpiece.

But, so as to leave clients in no doubt about who she 'belonged' to, he had his initials tattooed near her genitals.

'He wanted to mark his territory, show others that I belonged to him,' she added.

Bacot says her children contacted police twice on her behalf but were brushed off, with officers telling them that their mother needed to come to the station herself.

Journalists wait outside the courtroom in Chalon-sur-Saone, France, where Bacot is standing trial for Polette's murder

Things came to a head in 2016 as Polette routinely questioned Bacot's 14-year-old daughter about her sexuality - leading her to fear that he would start prostituting the teenager out as well.

Then, on March 13, came a visit from a violent client. Bacot said she refused to carry out a certain sex act for him, so he forced her into it - leaving her bleeding.

Afterwards, she claims Polette criticised her, telling her the man would refuse to come back and that she would have to make up for it.

Having tried to drug Polette using sleeping pills crushed into his coffee, Bacot then went for a revolver that she knew her husband kept between the seats in the back of the car.

While he was sitting in the front seat, she drew the handgun and fired it once through the back of his neck, killing him instantly.

Bacot then buried the body in a forest with the help of her two eldest sons and her daughter's boyfriend, who she says offered to help so police wouldn't take her away.

But in 2017, cops were alerted to the killing after the boyfriend confessed to his own mother - prompting her to call gendarmes.

They arrested Bacot who subsequently confessed to the killing, but was released on bail one year later pending trial.

Bacot's sons and the daughter's boyfriend were subsequently jailed for six months each for concealment of a corpse for the part they played in the cover-up.

Bacot now faces life in jail for murder. Her lawyers want the sentence reduced to 10 years in jail due to the abuse she suffered.

She made no comment as she arrived at the courthouse Monday, appearing intimidated by the crowd of reporters awaiting her.

Her lawyers said ahead of the trial that 'the extreme violence that she suffered for 25 years and the fear that her daughter would be next' pushed her to kill Polette.

The same lawyers, Janine Bonaggiunta and Nathalie Tomasini, had already defended Jacqueline Sauvage, a French woman who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing her abusive husband but won a presidential pardon in 2016 after becoming a symbol for the fight against violence directed at women.

'These women who are victims of violence have no protection. The judiciary is still too slow, not reactive enough and too lenient towards the perpetrators who can continue to exercise their violent power,' Bonaggiunta told AFP.

'This is precisely what can push a desperate woman to kill in order to survive,' she said.

Bacot was 'certain that she needed to commit this act to protect her children', a court evaluation found.

More than 500,000 people have signed a petition demanding that Bacot, who risks life in prison for murder, be cleared of the charge.
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Boris Johnson today insisted he will being forward 'good plans' on social care as it emerged a 'do or die' meeting with Rishi Sunak and Matt Hancock has been postponed.

The PM reiterated his vow to 'fix' the crisis in the system as he faces anger from campaigners who are still waiting for any indication of a strategy from the government.

Asked about the crucial issue during a visit to a laboratory in Hertfordshire, he told reporters: 'We are pledged to fix it and we must fix it for our country and for our society.

'Social care workers have borne the brunt of the pandemic and we have got to improve it, and we will. We will be bringing forward some good plans in due course.'

But there is dismay that progress seems to have stalled again, amid wrangling between the PM and Chancellor over fears costs could hit 10billion a year.

A meeting between the pair and Mr Hancock tomorrow, planned for at least a week, is understood been 'taken out' of ministerial diaries for reasons that remain unclear. No10 sources suggested the importance of the session had been overblown.

Mr Johnson first promised to push through social care reforms when he entered Downing Street two years ago, but details have not been forthcoming, with claims ministers want agreement across parties.

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt today urged Mr Johnson to put aside Treasury concerns and find the billions needed to fund a cap on care costs.

The urgency of the situation was underlined last night as shock new figures showed that thousands of desperate families are being lumbered with crippling average bills of 35,000 a year.

The average fee for a residential home in 2019/20 stood at 672 a week  a rise of 3 per cent on the year before and 29 per cent higher than in 2011/12.

The huge costs leave dementia sufferers with far less to hand on to their children and often require the sale of the family home.

A meeting between Boris Johnson (right), Rishi Sunak (left) and Matt Hancock (centre), planned for at least a week, is understood been 'taken out' of ministerial diaries for reasons that remain unclear

Mr Johnson is said to be in favour of a lifetime cap on the cost of care of 50,000, as proposed by economist Sir Andrew Dilnot a decade ago.

The average length of stay in residential care is two years, meaning a cap set at this level would help thousands of people.

But the Chancellor is concerned about the costs - which could end up approaching 10billion a year. He has also said Tory governments should not do anything which could force an increase in personal taxation.

Before the meeting was delayed, Mr Hunt wrote in the Mail that it was a 'do-or-die moment for social care'. 'Rather than put our heads in the sand and hope the problem goes away, it is time to grasp the nettle. Come on Boris!' he said.

Figures compiled by business analysts LaingBuisson and published by Which? show that in the decade since Sir Andrew brought forward his idea for a cap, care costs have soared.

Fees for nursing homes  for people who need round-the-clock medical care  are now 937 a week or 48,724 a year. This is an increase of 5 per cent in just one year and 33 per cent in eight years.

The figures, which cover the amount paid both by local councils and those who fund their own care, mask the fact that self-funders pay even more than this.

LaingBuisson said self-funders are typically charged 30 per cent more than councils  meaning the average annual cost of a residential care home place will actually be much more than 35,000. And the figures hide a desperate postcode lottery, with families in London and the South East having to pay significantly more.

Gavin Terry, of Alzheimer's Society, said: 'The pandemic laid bare the dire state of social care and the Government must now act. We must ensure families being bankrupted by care fees and woefully inadequate care provision are a thing of the past.'

Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK, added: 'Despite the efforts of the good people who work in social care, it's impossible to escape the conclusion that social care in England has become a miserable embarrassment.'

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: 'Ensuring we have a care system that is fit for the future remains a top priority and we will bring forward proposals for social care reform later this year.'

The Mail has been waging a long-running campaign to end the care crisis. And the Health Secretary is also eager for a solution to be agreed at tomorrow's meeting, believing the situation has been left to fester for too long

JEREMY HUNT: It's a do or die moment for my party over social care fees

Rarely has a behind-closed-doors shadowy Whitehall meeting mattered so much to the lives of so many. Tomorrow, if rumours are correct, Boris Johnson will sit down with Rishi Sunak and Matt Hancock to decide whether or not to keep his manifesto promise on social care.

I wanted Boris's job in Downing Street and fought with every breath I had to beat him. But even I, his vanquished rival, had to take my hat off to the big-heartedness of the promise he made on the steps of Downing Street when he got the job.

Those words brought hope to millions: 'I am announcing now  on the steps of Downing Street  that we will fix the crisis in social care once and for all with a clear plan we have prepared to give every older person the dignity and security they deserve.'

Optimistic words from a prime minister who has made defying the 'gloomsters' his trademark. And now we need that optimism more than ever to turn Britain into a country where everyone can face the prospect of old age with confidence and security. For that they need to know there will be a decent safety net to make sure everyone gets the care they need  just like the NHS does for health.

They also need to know the loved ones they leave behind won't lose all their savings if they end up with dementia and having to pay expensive care home fees.

But is it too expensive? Understandably some of our national bean-counters are worried it may be, with our national finances shot to pieces by the pandemic.

Jeremy Hunt said Mr Johnson must 'decide whether or not to keep his manifesto promise on social care'

My select committee said last year that this broken system needs a minimum of 7billion more added to its budget every year  an eye-watering sum.

But that was not right away  rather a sum to build up to over the years ahead.

Look underneath the numbers, which the Health Foundation helped us to calculate, and in the short term they are pretty manageable. For example, if the proposals for a cap on care costs  as recommended by Andrew Dilnot  were introduced from April 2023, the additional annual cost would be less than a billion pounds a year in the last year of the parliament.

Not small change by any means  but easily manageable compared to the 23billion we already spend on adult social care annually. The costs do then go up significantly  but crucially not in the immediate post-pandemic period when we are having to fund other pressures such as the NHS backlog.

There are of course other things we need to fix too  in particular merging the system with the NHS and making sure local authorities can fulfil their duties.

But we will have to pay many of these anyway because they are caused by increases in the number of older people and promised rises in the national living wage.

We also need to consider what will happen if we do nothing, as I know to my cost from my time as health secretary: the system will just carry on doing what it always has done and export its most vulnerable patients back into NHS hospitals.

Nothing could be worse as we try to bring down the waiting times for five million people  and we are guaranteed winter crisis after winter crisis when hospitals fill up. So rather than put our heads in the sand and hope the problem goes away, it is time to grasp the nettle.

Come on Boris! On top of what we are going to have to pay anyway  because of demography and manifesto commitments to protect people's homes  the additional amounts necessary are much smaller than the headline figures. Japan and Germany have both grasped the nettle  surely we can too?

Tomorrow is a do-or-die moment for social care. Conservatives have always respected the different generations that make up the fabric of our society.

It's time for this Conservative government to get this done so we can all sleep soundly at night knowing that whatever fate throws at us, we live in a society where every single older person will be treated with dignity and respect.
A busy Bondi Junction nail salon as well as a Chemist Warehouse and ANZ bank branch, both in Sydney's CBD, have been added to the city's growing Covid exposure list.

It comes as a number of major Sydney bus routes and an entire office building were already added on Monday afternoon.

The are now 11 cases in the Sydney and eastern suburbs cluster of the highly infectious Delta variant, as the city waits with bated breath to see if further restrictions will be introduced.

Although there were only two new cases of community transmission announced today, the number of exposed sites is continuing to spiral sending hundreds of Sydneysiders into isolation.

A Chemist Warehouse at 383 George St in Sydney (pictured) has been issued a Covid alert

An ANZ bank on the corner of York and Market Street in Sydney (pictured) has also been declared as an exposure site

Health authorities fear those who attended the Fresh Nails salon at Westfield Bondi Junction on Friday June 18 from 9:30am  7pm may have been exposed to the virus after it was visited by a positive Covid case.

NSW Health said anyone who attended the salon during the specified times is considered a close contact must immediately get tested and self isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.

Late-night alerts were also issued for Chemist Warehouse, at 383 George St Sydney, on Tuesday June 15 from 1:45pm  2:15pm, and at the ANZ Branch on the Corner of York and Market Street on Wednesday June 16 from 8:30am  4:30pm.

Anyone who visited these venues must immediately get tested and self isolate until they receive a negative result.

The are now 11 cases in the Sydney and eastern suburbs cluster of the highly infectious Delta variant, as the city waits with bated breath to see if further restrictions will be introduced. Pictured: Commuters get off a tram in Sydney

NSW health authorities issued an alert on Monday for passengers who travelled on eight bus routes which travelled around the city's CBD, northwest, and western suburbs.

Earlier on Monday state health authorities issued an alert for passengers who travelled on eight bus routes which travelled around the city's CBD, northwest, and western suburbs.

A positive case travelled on the 6I4X bus route from Baulkham Hills to Sydney, from Gooden Drive to Stand J, Wynyard Station, at York Street, on June 15, between 8.40am - to 9.23am.

The person then returned to Baulkham Hills on the same bus route later that day, boarding from Clarence Street at 5.44pm and arriving at Gooden Drive at 6.29pm.

Anyone who travelled on the two 614X bus routes are considered close contacts and must immediately contact NSW Health, get tested, and isolate for 14 days, regardless of their result.

Casual contacts of the person were also listed as travelling on the Northmead to Parramatta 600 bus route on the mornings of Wednesday June 9 and Thursday, June 10; the Parramatta to Winston Hills 600 bus on Thursday June 10; Haymarket to Newtown 428 buses on Tuesday June 15.

Anyone who travelled on the above bus routes must immediately get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received.

Those who were at the Ashfield office block, 2-4 Holden Street, on Friday June 18 between 6pm7.30pm, should monitor for symptoms and, if they appear, self-isolate until a negative result is received.

Those who were at the Ashfield office block, 2-4 Holden Street, on Friday June 18 between 6pm7.30pm, should monitor for symptoms

New Covid exposure sites in NSW BUS ROUTES: Close contacts: Baulkham Hills to Sydney, 614X Bus From Gooden Drive (opposite Malvern Avenue) to Stand J, Wynyard Station, at York Street, Tuesday 15 June, departed 8.40am  arrived 9.23am Sydney to Baulkham Hills 614X Bus From Clarence Street (near King Street) to Gooden Drive (near Malvern Avenue) Tuesday 15 June, departed 5.44pm  arrived 6.29pm Anyone who travelled on the above bus routes at the times listed must immediately call NSW Health, get tested, and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result Casual contacts: Northmead to Parramatta 600 Bus From Windsor Road (after Mary Street) to Smith Street (after Phillip Street) Wednesday 9 June, departed 8.49am  arrived 9.05am Northmead to Parramatta 600 Bus From Windsor Road (after Mary Street) to Smith Street (after Phillip Street) Thursday 10 June, departed 8.46am  arrived 9.02am Parramatta to Winston Hills 600 Bus From Smith Street (before Phillip Street) to Windsor Road (after Churchill Drive) Thursday 10 June, departed 2.14pm  arrived 2.28pm Northmead to Parramatta 600 Bus From Windsor Road (after Mary Street) to Smith Street (after Phillip Street) Friday 11 June, departed 8.44am  arrived 9am Haymarket to Newtown 428 Bus From Pitt Street (opposite Barlow Street) to King Street (opposite Missenden Road) Tuesday 15 June, departed 1.20pm  arrived 1.34pm Newtown to Haymarket 426 Bus From King Street (near Missenden Road) to Pitt Street (before Hay Street) Tuesday 15 June, departed 2.27pm  arrived 2.38pm Anyone who travelled on the above bus routes at the times listed is a casual contact and must immediately get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received. Please continue to monitor for symptoms and immediately get tested and isolate if they develop. VENUES: Close contacts: Bondi Junction Fresh Nails, Westfield Bondi Junction 500 Oxford St, Friday 18 June 2021 from 9:30am  7pm Anyone who attended the following venue at the time listed is a close contact andmust immediately call NSW Health on 1800 943 553, get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result. Casual contacts: Sydney Chemist Warehouse, 383 George St Sydney, Tuesday 15 June 2021 from 1:45pm  2:15pm. Sydney ANZ Branch Corner of York and Market Street, Wednesday 16 June 2021 from 8:30am  4:30pm Anyone who attended any level of the above building at the listed times should monitor for symptoms and if they appear, isolate and get tested until a negative result is received. Ashfield, Office building, all floors 2-4 Holden Street Friday 18 June, 6pm  7.30pm Anyone who attended any level of the above building at the listed times should monitor for symptoms and if they appear, isolate and get tested until a negative result is received. Advertisement

New South Wales has recorded two new local cases of Covid-19 overnight as the number of sites exposed to the virus across the state ballooned to 40.

Health officials in NSW confirmed the community infections following the 8pm cut-off on Sunday evening, along with five cases in hotel quarantine.

On Monday Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned masks were likely to stay mandatory in affected parts of Sydney until Thursday.

The premier said that the transmission in Sydney's Bondi cluster had been 'fleeting' and that people leaving their homes should assume anyone in close proximity to them has the virus.

There are now 11 cases associated with the Bondi cluster. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned masks were likely to stay mandatory in affected parts of Sydney until Thursday

There are now 11 cases associated with the cluster.

One of the local cases is a woman in her 50s from Sydney's northern suburbs who is a close contact of a previously reported case and in isolation.

The other is a man in his 30s - who is also self-isolating - from the eastern suburbs.

The two infections will be included in Tuesday's figures and bring the size of the state's latest Covid-19 cluster to 15 cases.

Ms Berejiklian tightened restrictions in NSW last weekend when she enforced mask use on public transport and inside public spaces in Randwick, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West, City of Sydney, Waverley and Woollahra.

She said the 'next few days are critical' and urged residents 'not to be complacent'.

'If cases continue to emerge, we will need to go further,' the Premier said.
Police are still hunting for a prisoner nearly three weeks after he leapt out of a dock and fled after being told he was going to jail.

Nathan Oloyowang, 22, made his dramatic escape from Wood Green Crown Court just after he was jailed for 10 months by Judge Jennifer Newcomb on 4 June.

The judge had sentenced Oloyowang to a stint in prison for driving over a bicycle belonging to a police officer who had approached him in north London.

He dragged the bike under his car for up to 50 metres in Camden on 22 March 2019 - but the officer was unhurt in the incident.

As he was told he would be jailed for 10 months, he climbed out of the dock, breaking a perspex screen, and ran out of the court building.

Oloyowang then ran down three flights of stairs and out of the courts main entrance before security officers could stop him.

Nathan Oloyowang, 22, made his dramatic escape from Wood Green Crown Court after he was jailed for 10 months over a dangerous driving offence on 4 June

A member of security staff sustained slight injuries to his hand during the incident.

Oloyowang lives in Camden in north London and is black, 6ft 1in with short dark hair.

Police have advised the public not to approach him if they see him, but to call 999 immediately.

Earlier this month a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: On Friday 4 June at about 15:30hrs at Wood Green Crown Court, a 22-year-old man was sentenced to ten months in prison for dangerous driving.

On receiving the custodial sentence he climbed out of the dock and in the course of the incident the dock perspex was broken and a member of court security received slight injuries to his hand.

The man then made off from the court.

A Serco spokesman said: Following sentencing, a prisoner escaped from the insecure dock at Wood Green Court last Friday afternoon, scaling the dock and breaking the glass in the process.

As he was told he would be jailed for 10 months at Wood Green Crown Court (pictured, stock image), he climbed out of the dock, breaking a perspex screen, and ran out of the building

The Met Police today appealed for the publics help in finding Oloyowang, who lives in the NW3 area of Camden.

He is described as black, 6ft 1in tall, with a heavy build and short dark hair. He was clean shaven when he was last seen.

The public should not approach Oloyowang if they see him. Instead, they should call 999 immediately.

In January this year, dangerous driver Marian Vasilica Dragoi, 19, launched a desperate escape bid from the dock in court nine of Wood Green Crown Court.

Court nine is directly above, and identical to court seven, where Oloyowang escaped.

Dragoi ran down four flights of stairs before he was apprehended by security officers who spotted him approaching on CCTV and closed the courts front doors.

Oloyowang, of Adelaine Road, Swiss Cottage, denied and was convicted of dangerous driving and sentenced to ten months.
New analysis of President Biden's tax proposals has suggested that nearly 60 percent of Americans may still face bigger bills, despite his continued promise that no one earning less than $400,000 a year would be impacted.

The findings from the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center show that the majority of the burden would be placed on America's richest families - also known as the one-percenters - earning more than $800,000.

Around 99.8 percent earning between $500,00 and $1million will pay more an average of $8,810 more in taxes each year.

But low and middle-income families who have been told they would avoid a hike in rates may also have to pay extra. These tax bills may be offset by tax credits, but experts suggest that families earning between $75,000 and $500,000 may still get pinched.

This is not as a result of direct taxes on income but of the impact of the other hikes in rates, such as the corporate tax rise.

New analysis of President Biden's tax proposals has suggested that nearly 60 percent of Americans may still face bigger bills, despite his continued promise that no one earning less than $400,000 a year would be impacted. The findings from the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center show that the majority of the burden would be placed on America's richest families - also known as the one-percenters - earning more than $800,000

Three-quarters of households earning between $75,000 and $100,000 annually would face paying an additional $440 per year in taxes under Biden's tax hikes, according to the data released last week.

About 69 percent of those earning between $100,000 and $200,000 would see their yearly tax bill rise by $830 on average, according to the analysis.

How American households earning less than $400k could still be hit by tax hikes Around 99.8 percent earning between $500,00 and $1million will pay more an average of $8,810 more in taxes each year. Three-quarters of households earning between $75,000 and $100,000 annually would face pay an additional $440 per year in taxes under Biden's tax hikes. About 69 percent of those earning between $100,000 and $200,000 would see their tax bill rise by $830 on average. Meanwhile 83.7 percent of those earning between $200,000 and $500,000 would see an increase of $2,040 on average When factoring in credits, a household making between $100,000 and $200,000 would see its overall tax burden shrink by $110 Households making between $75,000 and $100,000 would pay about $240 less, while those earning between $50,000-$75,000 could save an average of $540 But tax experts warns that credits could create a 'merry-go-round' effect because the policy itself may need to be funded by tax hikes. Source: The Tax Policy Center Advertisement

Meanwhile, 83.7 percent of those earning between $200,000 and $500,000 would see an increase of $2,040 on average.

While Biden is not directly taxing Americans earning less than $400,000 a year, some small and middle income families will be hit indirectly through corporate tax hikes, lower investment earnings and shrinking compensation.

Many, however, could benefit from the wider rollout of child tax credits and earned income tax credit.

Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center, wrote: 'For those looking to see if Biden kept his promise to not raise taxes for those making $400,000 or less, the answer is: Mostly, but not entirely.

'Including corporate tax increases, most households would pay more in 2022. About three-quarters of middle-income households would face a tax increase averaging about $300. But nearly all would be a result of those higher corporate taxes.'

When factoring in credits, a household making between $100,000 and $200,000 would see its overall tax burden shrink by $110.

Households making between $75,000 and $100,000 would pay about $240 less, while those earning between $50,000-$75,000 could save an average of $540.

None of these proposals have been set in stone and would need to be signed into law by Congress before they are enacted.

The Biden administration, Democrats and Republicans are still negotiating to try and reach a deal on a final total for the package.

The Biden administration has insisted there will need to be tax hikes to pay for the final plan, which based on current talks between parties could be around $1.2trillion.

However the number could still decrease as the Democrats and White House look for a way to get it signed into law.

David Williams from the Taxpayers Protection Alliance told DailyMail.com that there is a 'lot to unpack' from the findings, but ultimately Americans at all income levels will feel the pinch.

'Biden is trying to play the class warfare game by raising corporate taxes and other business taxes that he says will only affect the wealthy. The truth is that these taxes will be felt by everybody,' he said.

'It is becoming obvious to the President that these tax increase are very unpopular because there has been no serious legislative movement to get these tax increases through Congress'.

The Biden administration is still negotiating with Republicans over the final price tag of the the president's infrastructure bill.

He started out with a $2trillion proposal, but since then he has shrunk the package with the latest figure suggested being $1.2trillion.

The tax hikes on the wealthy that headline the way to pay for the proposals has received strong pushback from Republicans who want to keep the tax cuts Donald Trump signed when in office.

But low and middle income families who have been told they would avoid a hike in rates may also have to pay extra. These tax bills may be offset by tax credits, but experts suggest that families earning between $75,000 and $500,000 may still feel the pinch

Under Trump's plans, only individuals making more than $518,401 pay the top marginal tax income rate of 37 percent. Couples would have to jointly earn $622,051.

Williams also pointed out that raising corporate taxes will mean higher prices for consumers in general because they pass on the increase rates.

'These higher prices disproportionately hurt lower-income folks who have less money to spend on everyday household goods.

'So, yes, technically raising the corporate rate is a tax on business so Biden can say that he didnt raise taxes on the Middle Class, but realistically it will be the Middle Class paying the tax.

David Williams from the Taxpayers Protection Alliance told DailyMail.com: 'Biden is trying to play the class warfare game by raising corporate taxes and other business taxes that he says will only affect the wealthy. The truth is that these taxes will be felt by everybody'

Williams is also concerned that the Obamacare 'penalty' Trump reversed could return following the Supreme Court's decision to keep the Affordable Care Act in place.

'There is a possibility that could come back which would mean that people at all income levels would be affected.'

He also explained that while credits may offset some of the hikes initially, it is a 'merry go-round'.

'Because it is refundable credit, the policy in itself will result in tax hikes, which in turn would have to be "offset', according to Biden's logic.

'The child tax credit starts to phase out for singles making $75,000 and couples making $150,000. The credit phases out by $50 for every $1,000 of income over the threshold amount for all filers.

'It will be a tax hike for people without kids since they won't be eligible for tax credit. So, middle class couples or singles without kids will see a tax hike. It also unfairly punishes (many liberal) young people who want to work before having kids.'

How President Biden plans to raid inheritances to pay for his American Families Plan by reducing threshold for estate taxes The harsh new tax is being dubbed Biden's 'death tax' and it's receiving ferocious backlash across the aisle. It proposes that when someone dies, any asset they leave behind to their kids that has appreciated in value to more than $1million should be taxed. The tax would apply to the amount the asset's value has increased by, so if a woman bought a home in New York in the 1970s for $200,000 and by the time she sells it, it has increased in value to $2million, the $1.8million increase is what is taxed when her children receive it. The first $1million is exempt, so the 40.8% Biden death tax would be imposed on the remaining $800,000, producing an immediate tax bill upon the woman's death for her kids of $326,400. Right now, they wouldn't pay anything. Experts say that change will force some to sell the asset they've inherited just to be able to pay the tax on it. Estates that are worth more than $11million would be taxed twice - once under Biden's 40.8% for everything over $1million, and again at 40% for everything over the current exemption of $11.7million. It means if someone inherits an estate of $100million, they'd immediately pay $42million under Biden's proposed tax, plus a further $18million under the current rules for what's taxed over $11.7million. Their total tax bill, in that case, would be $61million - 61 percent of what they inherited. Advertisement

An America where your kids can't afford to keep your money: Middle income families' disgust with Biden's 'twisted' 'death tax' that would force many to part with their inheritance to pay the bill

by Jen Smith

Middle income families are lashing out against Joe Biden's punitive new tax plan that would claim a large chunk of the amount someone leaves to their kids when they die just because it has gone up in value over the course of their lifetime.

The harsh new tax - dubbed Biden's 'death tax' - is hidden in his American Families Plan and it's receiving ferocious backlash. It proposes that when someone dies, any asset they leave behind that has appreciated in value by more than $1million since the time they bought it should be taxed.

The tax rate would go as high as 40% - double what it is now - and it applies to how much the asset has appreciate. So someone who inherited a house their mother and father paid $250,000 for but that's now worth $2.5million would have to pay tax on the difference.

Currently, the only capital gains taxes people pay on inherited assets is what they pay when they sell it, and even then it is 23 percent.

The current law allows families with few cash assets to keep valuable property, stocks or businesses in the family, passing them down for generations without anyone being given a huge tax bill.

Previously, the only people who had to pay tax when they inherited money or assets were those who inherited $11.7million or more because they would be liable for an estate tax. That still has to be paid - so those heirs would pay a death tax twice.

But the proposed change to the capital gains widens the net drastically - a recent survey found there are at least 3million homes across America worth at least $1million.

Under Biden's plan, death tax wouldn't just be for the super wealthy but also people whose parents or grandparents worked their whole lives to make shrewd investments - and never thought they'd have to share the reward with Uncle Sam.

'WE WORKED OUR WHOLE LIVES TO BUILD A HOME WE COULD LEAVE TO OUR KIDS - NOW THEY MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO KEEP IT'

Judi Desiderio, 63, is the CEO of Town & Country Real Estate in Long Island. She and her husband bought a vacant lot of land in East Hampton, Long Island, in 2000 for $550,000.

They spent several years building the property and it's now worth an estimated $6million.

They plan to retire there and eventually leave the home to their two adult sons - aged 27 and 34 - but she now worries they'll have to sell it to be able to pay Biden's tax bill, if it becomes law.

'This affects homeowners all over New York and Long Island - it is not a high threshold,' she said.

She's also worried about how much the property will be worth by the children inherit it.

'We bought the lot in 2000 for just over $500,000 and we spent a lot of time and money building it. Now, it's worth around $6million.

Judi Desiderio, 63, is the CEO of Town & Country Real Estate in Long Island. She and her husband John bought a vacant lot of land in East Hampton, Long Island, in 2000 for $550,000. They plan to retire there and live out their days then leave it to their adult sons but they now worry they won't be able to afford the capital gains tax on it without selling it - which would ruin their dream of them raising their kids there

Judi Desiderio, 63, and her husband bought the vacant plot of land their home is now on in Long Island in 2000 for $550,000. Today, it's worth around $6million. They say they'll never leave - it's where they want to retire, and what they want to leave to their children. But she worries her kids wouldn't be able to afford the tax bill they received when they inherited the property, especially in strong markets where the value of homes is only going to keep going up over the next 30 years

'We dont intend on leaving there - we plan to retire and live out our life, we love it here. We have absolutely no intention of leaving.

'Our two sons will inherit it with their families but theyll have no choice but to sell it if by the time I drop dead, when that does happen  20 years from now, let's hope. And I cant imagine how much more its going to be [worth] by then.

'Its a money grab. Its punishing people and families that want to keep their family house in the family

'If they get slammed with the taxes  lets say in 20 years its worth $18 million... the government may look just at the $550,00 we paid for the lot and then the kids will have no alternative but to sell the house they grew up in to meet the tax.

'Its a money grab. Its punishing people and families that want to keep their family house in the family.

'Itll make it impossible for the next generation.

'When you look at land values anywhere on Long Island and New York  people bought apartments for a couple hundred thousand, now theyre worth millions.

'It's crazy to think that the next generation can pay that bill.

'It's just unfair, especially considering every penny earned to get to this point we've already paid taxes on,' she said.

'THIS DOESN'T JUST HIT THE BILL GATES OF THE WORLD... THIS WILL HIT US TOO'

Tom Hedger, 58, and his four brothers inherited their family's business when their father died in 2010.

His father had started it in 1939 and grown it to a company with around 100 employees.

They were hit hard in the recession and recovered in the years following his father's death.

The business changed hands in a year where estate tax - levied against estates worth more than $11.7million (which theirs was) was suspended.

Lisa and Tom Hedger with their kids. Tom says it's 'twisted' the government thinks it is 'privy' to the assets the family has spent a lifetime building, and that the estate tax alone would cripple their business

Had it been applied, he says it would have crippled them - as it would now.



Tom and Lisa Hedger's home in Maine which they bought to retire in for $800,000 in 2019 and which has already gained more than $400,000 in value

'The perception is, "Oh, you have a $40million business, you're OK". But thats not $40million in the bank.

'We didnt have the cash on hand to pay the estate tax.

'You basically would have been had to liquidate a huge amount of that.

'It was a horrible time.'

He is among many business owners who have long called for an end to the estate tax but now, they'd also be walloped with a capital gains bill under Biden's new plan.

Hedger and his wife live in Maine. They bought their home for around $800,000 in 2019.

Thanks to an influx of people moving from major cities to the area during the COVID-19 pandemic, their home has shot up in value.

They also have three Airbnb properties which they will use as their retirement business.

They don't consider themselves to be extraordinarily wealthy but their children would be in for a huge bill on their property alone when they inherit it.

CURRENT LAW VS BIDEN'S PROPOSAL CURRENT LAW Do I pay capital gains tax on an asset I inherit? Yes How much do I pay and when do I pay it? 20% of the gain from when you inherited the asset to when you sell it. There's no capital gains tax if you keep it in the family BIDEN'S PROPOSAL Do I pay capital gains on an asset I inherit? Yes How much & when do I have to pay it? Up to 40% of the gain from when the owner acquired it to when you inherit it - when the person dies, regardless of whether you plan to sell it or not Advertisement

'It is insane - the concept that people are just sitting around with that amount of cash and the idea that somehow that money is more beneficial in the hands of the government.

'My brothers are stressing our tremendously, they'd hoped to pass the business on too to the third generation.

'Now it's like, what do you have to liquidate in order to be able to afford to pass it on to your family?

'It's a question of can you afford your own family's money?

He and his wife have resorted to expensive insurance policies which not everyone would be able to afford.

'We've been fortunate enough to put aside in insurance - I want to be able to secure some kind of future for my kids.

'I've worked all my life to build up what we have.

'It is twisted to me that the government thinks they're privy to this money and that somehow your success is a result of what they have done - it's disgusting.

'The idea they're going to take that cash and allocate it in a manner more effective that I could or that my children could.

'The threshold is so, so low. This is not just affecting the Bill Gates' of the world.

'In fact, they'd barely be affected. It's the small businesses.

'The families who have worked their whole lives.'

'WE'RE HAVING TO PLAN NOW FOR WHAT HAPPENS 20 YEARS DOWN THE LINE TO AVOID THIS'

Patricia and Vince Sadd, both in their mid 60s, moved to Florida for tax reasons after the company he worked for was bought out. They have 3 adult kids who they'd planned to leave their estate to - now they say they're restructuring it in light of Biden's proposal. Their assets are in their businesses, not in property

Patricia Sadd, a 64-year-old retired pharmacist, and her 67-year-old husband Vince moved from California to North Carolina and then to Florida, all for the sake of being savvy with taxes in their retirement, after the company he worked for was bought out.

They have three adult children, one grandchild, and a portfolio of property and business to leave to them when they die.

Under the old threshold of $11.7million, they wouldn't have been affected but now, they are restructuring their estate planning to get around Biden's burdensome proposal.

'Weve worked hard and have been as savvy as we can be.

'This new law would be going too far.

'You see the farmers, the average joes, someone whose property really has appreciated, what do they do to be able to afford the taxes?' Mrs. Sadd told DailyMail.com.

'I just think theyre going to have to come up on with some remedy  you cant lose a family asset because you cant afford to pay the taxes... imagine not being able to afford your own inheritance?'

She does not believe it'll pass because the $1million threshold would likely impact most of Congress.

'This will affect way too many people, they're going to have think of some kind of remedy for it,' she said.

The Sadds moved from California to North Carolina then to Florida to save on taxes. They say they've been savvy about it their whole lives, and now don't want to have to worry about capital gains for their kids with whatever they leave them

The wealthy - who have access to estate planners and are well versed in estate loopholes - are already planning ways to get around this, like gifting their estates to their kids before they die.

'What we have decided to do is, were only in our mid-60s, we have time. Were not 85. I think with the right trust in place and some gifting itll be OK. Were planning to do that.

'But you have to stay on top of that  theres different ways to start gifting, it just depends on your length of time.'

They have turned to estate planners Van Leeuwen & Company to help guide them through the process.

But not everyone has access to such strategies and across the board, many say they shouldn't need to defend themselves from such policies in the first place.

'OUR FARM LAND HAS BEEN IN THE FAMILY FOR 100 YEARS AND IT'S THE ONLY ASSET WE HAVE - BUT OUR KIDS WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO KEEP IT UNDER BIDEN'S PLAN'

Farms, for example, have expensive equipment that would quickly put them in the threshold.

Another problem is establishing the value of the farm when it was first acquired.

Kalena Bruce, 35, lives on a ranch in Stockton, in southwest Missouri, with her husband and their daughter.

The farm has been in her family for over 100 years and was a homestead - it was given to one of her relatives after someone else in the family died in the war.

There's no way of telling how the government would decide what it was worth when the family acquired it but now, the 2,000 acres of farmland that she and her siblings own collectively could be worth between $5million and $6million.

Kalena Bruce, 35, lives on a ranch in Stockton, in southwest Missouri, with her husband and their daughter. The land has bee in their family for 100 years. The capital gains change would force their kids to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars when they inherit it. She's worried about how the government will determine the capital gain on a property that was acquired so long ago, that's now worth over $1million but is the entire family's only asset

There's no way of telling how the government would decide what it was worth when the family acquired it but now, the 2,000 acres of farmland that she and her siblings own is worth between $5million and $6million. Bruce is worried about how the government will decide what it's worth when they impose a capital gains tax if it comes into law

They'd pass it on as a collective, to her daughter and her daughters cousins.

But the kids would then be liable for a tax bill they'd only be able to pay by selling a huge chunk of the land.

'My husband and I are fifth generation and we ranch in southwest Missouri, Cattle, hay, and just have been doing that since we were basically born. We have land on both sides of our family that our family has been transferring through the generations for over 100 years.

'Our family has been working for this business for 100 years. If that gets taken away, it changes how we operate. It could put a lot of families out of business

'It's a really neat heritage and legacy and we're very proud of what we've built.

'Weve seen a lot of people move into our state and area, out of Californian and Arizona, the suburbs of Chicago and into our area because there is more opportunity so we were already worried about encroachment.

'People are moving in  those land prices go up and people want to buy our 100 acres and subdivide it. We need the stepped up basis tool in our toolbox.

'We have this farm thats wonderful, but what if my daughter inherits it in 50 years and theres a piece now in the city limits, she cant farm it and you cant fertilize it correctly, she needs the ability to sell it so it can be used but she couldnt have to sell more than what she needs to just to pay the taxes on that.

'Our family has been working for this business for 100 years. If that gets taken away, it changes how we operate. It could put a lot of families out of business,' Bruce told DailyMail.com.

She says that unlike in industries, farmers don't typically have any other type of asset to pass on beyond the land they live and work on.

'This would destroy farms. They own so much equipment, you have one of these combines that cost $200,000 and you have two or three, youre way past the $1million threshold,' David Williams of the Tax Payer Alliance told DailyMail.com

'Theres no 401k in farming- our retirement is the asset. What were leaving them is the land. It's what was passed down to us, we made it better, and were passing it down.

SPOOKED BY BIDEN'S PLANS, ESTATE PLANNERS ARE ADVISING ON HOW TO GET AROUND THEM Spooked by Biden's proposal and the fact that the current laws expire anyway in 2025 - opening the door for the threshold on estate tax to be lowered - money managers and estate planners are already thinking up ways to get around it. Take, for instance, a 70-year-old with an estate of $1.1million. If they gave away $15,000 a year to their single child for the ten years before they died, they wouldn't have to pay gift tax because they didn't exceed the annual exclusion of $15,000. If they managed it for ten years, their estate would be worth $950,000 when they die - less than Biden's threshold - nor would they have had to pay gift tax on the 10 years of $15,000 gifts they'd given to their kids. Equally, someone could gift $200,000 of their $1.1million estate - they'd be taxed 40% of that $200,000 gift ($80,000) rather than $440,000 - the rate of Biden's 40% death tax - when the parent died. Some are advising clients to take out life insurance policies so that there's a lump sum of cash left when they die for their kids to use on the tax. But as Caryn Keppler, partner at the legal firm Pierro, Connor & Strauss, LLC, points out, not everyone is insurable. 'This has been proposed many times and it has never become a law for various reasons. 'First of all, up until the last two decades, brokerage houses were not required to keep basis records so people had stocks, businesses etc. and nobody knew what they paid for it originally [making it impossible to determine what the capital gain is. 'The other reason is actually because it could be a drain on the middle class. 'I happen to live in Harlem. I look at some of these gorgeous brownstones that are on these beautiful blocks, purchased 50 or 60 years ago for next to nothing that are now selling for millions of dollars. 'The families who still own these may not have substantial cash without having to sell the property. People might be forced to buy life insurance to cover the capital gains. 'Youre talking about hitting a lot more families than you with do with the estate tax.' She said she's advising clients more on the likelihood of the estate tax threshold - currently $11.7million - being lowered. 'Keep I mind, that $11million is due to expire in 2025 and go back to $5million, which is what it was before the law was passed. It may even go as low as $3.5million.' Advertisement

'Theyd be forced to sell part of the far just to pay the tax on the transfer. That makes zero sense.'

Other farmers say this could decimate the industry.

'This would destroy farms. They own so much equipment, you have one of these combines that cost $200,000 and you have two or three, youre way past the $1million threshold,' David Williams of the Tax Payer Alliance told DailyMail.com.

Biden's plan wouldn't force family businesses to pay the gains - but only if they continue to operate the business.

If they want to sell it, they'd have to pay the gain - and determining that gain could become a nightmare.

Others are worried about how it would affect their stock inheritance.

Ginger Osteen's mother invested in a stock that now has a healthy capital gain. She wrote to DailyMail.com on Thursday, concerned about what would happen to her stock inheritance under Biden's plan.

'My mom has a stock that she has held for many years and there is a LOT of gains in it. Will I have to pay capital gains taxes on it or is that still exempt?' she said.

Others are worried about the duality of a federal estate tax and a state estate tax.

'For the most part, except for the ultra wealthy, inherited real estate has value far in excess of an heirs ability to pay a hefty capital gain tax upon inheritance.

'It is fairer to tax it upon sale, not upon inheritance, where at least the heirs can pay the tax out of the proceeds of the real estate sale.

'In addition, 40% is far too oppressive. Remember that many states also levy inheritance taxes upon the death of the decedent and those taxes are in the 5% range for direct descendants, more for siblings.

'Forty percent federal tax on top of state tax nearly halves an estate. That is far too burdensome,' Larry Klein, President of Klein Law & Mediations, told DailyMail.com.

Spooked by Biden's proposal and the fact that the current laws expire anyway in 2025 - opening the door for the threshold on estate tax to be lowered - money managers and estate planners are already thinking up ways to get around it.

Take, for instance, a 70-year-old with an estate of $1.1million.

If they gave away $15,000 a year to their single child for the ten years before they died, they wouldn't have to pay gift tax because they didn't exceed the annual exclusion of $15,000.

If they managed it for ten years, their estate would be worth $950,000 when they die - less than Biden's threshold - nor would they have had to pay gift tax on the 10 years of $15,000 gifts they'd given to their kids.

But they'd have had to have planned it meticulously for 10 years.

Or if someone gave their kids $200,000 of their $1.1million estate - they'd be taxed 40% of that $200,000 gift ($80,000) rather than $440,000 - the rate of Biden's 40% death tax - when the parent died.

Some are advising clients to take out life insurance policies so that there's a lump sum of cash left when they die for their kids to use on the tax.

But as Caryn Kepler, partner at the legal firm Pierro, Connor & Strauss, LLC, points out, not everyone is insurable.

'This has been proposed many times and it has never become a law for various reasons.

'First of all, up until the last two decades, brokerage houses were not required to keep basis records so people had stocks, businesses etc. and nobody knew what they paid for it originally [making it impossible to determine what the capital gain is.

'The other reason is actually because it could be a drain on the middle class.

'I happen to live in Harlem. I look at some of these gorgeous brownstones that are on these beautiful blocks, purchased 50 or 60 years ago for next to nothing that are now selling for millions of dollars.

'The families who still own these may not have substantial cash without having to sell the property. People might be forced to buy life insurance to cover the capital gains.

'Youre talking about hitting a lot more families than you with the estate tax.'

She said she's advising clients more on the likelihood of the estate tax threshold - currently $11.7million - being lowered.

'Keep I mind, that $11million is due to expire in 2025 and go back to $5million, which is what it was before the law was passed. It may even go as low as $3.5million.'
Conservative Republicans named Ron DeSantis as their top choice for the 2024 presidential nominee at a summit this weekend, giving the Florida governor their seal of approval over Donald Trump.

DeSantis led a straw poll of presidential contenders at the by the Western Conservative Summit with 75 percent to Trump's 72 percent.

Organizers at the summit, which was hosted by Colorado Christian University's Centennial Institute, asked both the 500 in-person and thousands of online attendees to make their top 2024 picks among 31 choices, which consisted of leading Republican names and a smattering of Democrats, including Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Michelle Obama.

DeSantis came out on top and former Vice President Mike Pence, who was known for his strong conservative support, came in near the bottom of the GOP choices, even trailing Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of the former president.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz came in third with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in fourth.

Conservative Republicans at Western Conservative Summit picked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as their top pick for the 2024 presidential race

It remains early in the presidential process as both parties focus on next year's midterm election. No GOP White House contender has formally announced and even former President Trump has played coy about whether he will seek a second term.

But, in June, Trump told Fox News that if he did run again he would consider putting DeSantis on the ticket over Pence.

'Sure I would  I would certainly consider Ron,' Trump told Fox Business' Stuart Varney.

'I know him very well. He's a great guy,' Trump said.

The Western Conservative Summit, billed as the largest gathering of conservatives outside Washington, D.C., has conducted straw polls for president since 2010. Herman Cain won the first straw poll in 2011, followed by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in 2012 and Cruz in 2013. Ben Carson topped the poll in 2014 and 2015.

None of the presidential contenders addressed this year's summit.

DeSantis is a first-term governor and a close Trump ally. Trump endorsed his gubernatorial campaign and hosts him frequently at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach.

DeSantis became a national figure during the COVID pandemic when he won praise from conservatives for his resistance to COVID lockdowns and other restrictive measures - even, at times, against the advice of health officials.

He called Florida an 'oasis of freedom' as the pandemic raged.

He also signed a controversial bill last month that would curb voting access, allowing only Fox News inside to witness the signing.

Mark Meadows, Trump's former chief of staff, told the Washington Examiner he doesn't think DeSantis would challenge the former president.

'Gov. DeSantis won't even  he's asked over and over and over again every time I'm in his presence  he's been asked, "Are you running in 2024?,"' he noted.

'His answer has been consistent: He is running for reelection for governor of the state that not only he loves, but one that is, quite frankly, well run because of his leadership,' he said.

DeSantis is up for a second term as governor in 2022 and has remained coy about any presidential ambitions as he keeps his focus on that contest.

Democrats are already using the 2024 reports against him, arguing to Florida voters that, if they give DeSantis a second term, he will immediately pivot to a White House race.

Former President Donald Trump came in second to DeSantis among the group of conservative voters; Trump returns to campaign trail on Saturday with a rally in Ohio

The Florida governor came in second to Trump in late February at a straw poll at CPAC, the largest gathering of conservative activists in the country. He won a second straw poll that didn't include the former president.

Trump, meanwhile, is returning to the campaign trail.

He'll hold a rally in Ohio on Saturday in support of his former White House aide Max Miller, who is running a primary campaign against Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, one of the ten House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the January 6th insurrection.

Pompeo and Pence also have been on the GOP speaking and fundraising circuit as they weigh their 2024 options.

Pence was booed and called a 'traitor' at the conservative Faith & Freedom Coalition event in Orlando on Friday.

'It is great to be back with so many patriots. Dedicated to faith and freedom and the road to the majority,' Pence said at the 'Road to Majority'-themed event.

As he began thanking Ralph Reed, the head of the Faith & Freedom coalition, he was met with boos and people loudly shouting 'traitor!'

Pence and Trump had a falling out when Trump, in the lead up to the January 6th certification of the 2020 presidential results, pressured Pence to try and stop Joe Biden's victory. Pence, who had no constitutional authority to do what Trump requested, refused to entertain the idea.

Trump railed publicly against his long loyal vice president. The MAGA rioters who stormed the Capitol were heard yelling 'Hang Mike.'

Former Vice President Mike Pence was booed and called a 'traitor' by audience members attending the Faith and Freedom coalition 'Road to Majority' event in Orlando, Florida

Earlier this month, Pence tried to argue that he was still on Trump's good side telling an audience at the Lincoln-Reagan Dinner in Manchester, New Hampshire that he'd spoken to Trump 'many times' since they left office.

He admitted, however, that they do not 'see eye-to-eye' on the January 6 insurrection.

'But I will always be proud of what we accomplished for the American people over the last four years,' Pence said. 'And I will not allow Democrats or their allies in the media to use one tragic day to discredit the aspirations of millions of Americans,' he added.

He told the audience that he 'learned a lot serving alongside President Donald Trump.'

'Some people think we're a little bit different,' the ex-veep said. 'But I think what President Trump showed us was what Republicans can accomplish when our leaders stand firm on conservative principles and don't back down.'
Parents who sent their children to a specialist school where disabled pupils were given infected blood products were not given details of the treatment their sons were receiving, an inquiry has heard.

Several pupils who attended the Lord Mayor Treloar College, a special education boarding school in Hampshire, in the 1970s and 1980s were given treatment for haemophilia at an on-site NHS centre.

But it was later found that many pupils with the condition, which has no cure and impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, had been given blood products, such as plasma, which were infected with hepatitis and HIV.

Out of 89 children who attended the school in the 1980s, less than a quarter of former pupils are still alive.

A public inquiry that began in London today will attempt to answer the questions from former pupils, parents and staff on how this crisis unfolded.

A public inquiry will hope to find answers into how Lord Mayor Treloar College pupils were given infected blood products while being treated for haemophilia

The Infected Blood Inquiry, an independent probe into the thousands of people who were infected with HIV and hepatitis after receiving blood transfusions in the 1970s and 1980s, began its hearings into the school on Monday.

In the first day of evidence involving the Lord Mayor Treloar College, Jenni Richards QC read out several extracts of letters dated from the 1970s.

The letters, read aloud and shown on screen, were communications between doctors who treated the children in their hometowns, the headmaster of the school at the time or the haemophilia centre at the school.

Ms Richards also read out extracts of statements given to the inquiry by parents or relatives of pupils who attended.

'Close contact was usually maintained between the centre and the school, and the home centre, and there are many examples of detailed letters being written, for example, by Dr Aronstam (a consultant haematologist at the centre) to the treating clinician explaining what bleeds there had been in a term, what treatment there had been, making suggestions or recommendations for treatments during holidays when the responsibility would rest with the home haemophilia clinician,' the lawyer told the inquiry.

'What's striking is the absence of any similar or equivalent communications to parents.

'It's very much a dialogue undertaken both at an early stage, as we've seen through these materials, and then throughout the boys' attendance at the school between the clinicians, with little involvement of parents that we have been unable to detect from the documents and written statements we have received.'

The Lord Mayor Treloar College, which has since been rebranded as Treloar's, was established in 1908 as a school which gave disabled children a better chance to receive an education alongside any medical treatment they might need.

It was originally a boys' school but then merged with a girls' school in 1978 to become co-educational.

From 1956, boys with haemophilia began attending the school.

After it was discovered pupils had been given infected blood plasma, the NHS clinic at the school closed.

Throughout this week, the inquiry will hear evidence from former pupils, a parent of a former pupil and the former headteacher at the Lord Mayor Treloar College.

A statement from Treloar's said it was 'completely supportive of the campaign for truth, answers and justice by our former pupils'.

It added: 'The students who attended, and were harmed, at the NHS clinic in the 1970s and 1980s are from a school community which is very close and where lifelong bonds are formed.

'This is a matter of great sorrow to us and we will continue to support the campaign for answers.

'It is our hope that the public inquiry into the use of infected blood products will finally establish the facts.'

The Infected Bloody Inquiry began in 2018 and its final report is expected to be published in 2022 or 2023.
Chilling CCTV has emerged showing Caroline Crouch's husband cradling their baby daughter moments before strangling his wife to death in Greece.

Babis Anagnostopoulos, 33, is seen sitting on the sofa of the living room with his 11-month-old daughter Lydia in his arms while typing on his phone at 12.35am in the last image taken before the killing.

At 1.20am, he removed the memory card from the CCTV cameras, proving it was not destroyed by robbers as he had claimed, before he went on to carry out the brutal attack and stage the break-in.

Miss Crouch had returned to the bedroom of their maisonette near Athens but the couple continued to argue over text for two hours, calling each other 'stupid', police said.

The 20-year-old Briton eventually fell asleep, but data on her smartwatch shows a sudden burst of activity at 4.05am, the coroner revealed, showing she was smothered to death rather than throttled during a fight as Anagnostopoulos had claimed.

In new testimony released by police, the husband says he lay down next to his wife in bed before 'pressing the front of her face... to the pillow.'

Police have also released a photo showing the Monopoly box where the helicopter pilot said 15,000 Euros which he had hidden were stolen by the alleged robbers.

Police's suspicions were aroused when they noticed the game pieces were neatly laid next to the box rather than scattered on the floor as they would expect from a robbery.

After Anagnostopoulos's confession, the pilot's father broke his silence saying he feels as if he has now 'lost two children', but his focus is on Lydia whom he intends to raise together with Caroline's family.

He said: 'The baby is with us. All we care about right now is the luck of this baby and we want to be as focused on it as possible.

'As a father right now, I have lost two children. I will try to not give any more bad luck to a child who is not guilty of anything.'

Chilling CCTV footage has emerged showing the moment Caroline Crouch's husband cradles their baby seconds before strangling the 20-year-old Briton to death in Greece

Police have also released a photo showing the Monopoly box where the helicopter pilot hid 15,000 Euros after claiming he had been the victim of a robbery

The gravestone of murdered Briton Caroline Crouch shows the mother smiling on her wedding day in 2018

Meanwhile an elderly neighbour revealed that the family is considering changing Caroline's gravestone because it currently features a photo of her on her wedding day along with the inscription: 'Our beloved mother, wife and daughter.'

Speaking at Miss Crouch's grave on a hill overlooking the sparkling Aegean Sea, one elderly neighbour sobbed and pointed to the cruel irony of the inscription.

She said: 'He did not love his wife. This stone will have to be changed.'

Further details have emerged of Anagnostopoulos's account to police of the night Miss Crouch, 20, was suffocated in front of the couple's baby daughter Lydia.

Anagnostopoulos had claimed to detectives as part of his burglary fiction that masked raiders had been after 10,000 in cash hidden in the house that was due to pay for building work on a plot of land the couple had bought.

However, police now say there was never any cash in the house - the detail had simply been invented by Anagnostopoulos to give a motive for the robbery.

Police also revealed harrowing diary entries written by Miss Crouch about the bitter fights between the pair, who lived a seemingly idyllic life in a wealthy Athens suburb.

When pregnant, in December 2019, she wrote: 'I fought with Babi again. This time it was serious. I hit him, I cursed at him and he broke down the door... I am thinking of leaving.'

Initially, Anagnostopoulos cynically staged a robbery  even strangling the family dog  before leading detectives on a merry dance and playing the tearful widower for five weeks, weeping at her funeral and hugging her grieving mother Susan.

He finally confessed last week after police nailed him with data from her fitness tracker which recorded that her pulse had stopped an hour before he claimed robbers had burst in.

Having first claimed the couple had a blazing row and that 'she pushed me and punched me... she threw the child inside the crib', Anagnostopoulos now admits she was 'sleeping... with her face resting on the pillow', according to an extract of his police interview made public yesterday.

Miss Crouch, 20, was suffocated by her husband, Greek helicopter pilot Babis Anagnostopoulos, in front of their baby daughter Lydia

Anagnostopoulos confessed: 'I laid down next to her, trying to tell her that what she did to Lydia was very bad. I pressed the front of her face, that is, her mouth, nose and eyes, to the pillow.

'I think I was pressing her head with the weight of my body. While I was pushing her I told her two or three times: "You will not hit the little one again".

Anger at death spreads across Greece The horror of Caroline Crouch's murder sparked poignant rallies across Greece at the weekend. Her death has aroused national anger in the same way as the Sarah Everard killing in south London prompted heartfelt public gatherings. Women, dressed in black, carried placards and lit candles in protest at rising cases of domestic violence. Some had red handprints on their necks, referring to the fact that Miss Crouch was asphyxiated. With slogans including 'wife-killers possess our home keys', they marched on parliament in Athens and held smaller rallies in the city of Patras and elsewhere. Protesters said domestic violence was often swept under the carpet and Miss Crouch had been killed by a wealthy, white, middle-class man  rather than the 'cheap foreign criminals' he had initially blamed. The Greek Network for Feminism, which organised the rallies, said: 'One of the most horrific murders in the world, that of 20-year-old Caroline, has been added to the long and... endless list of murders of women in our country. '[Her] killing fills us with rage and anger at the murderous sexism that this system reproduces. One of the main motivations of men to kill is their effort to control and 'own' women.' Advertisement

'This must have lasted for about five minutes, until I realised that Caroline had stopped moving. Then I panicked.'

The coroner said former schoolteacher Miss Crouch's pulse data showed her asleep until 4.05am, on May 11, when her tracker suddenly recorded a sharp burst of heart activity.

A struggle went on for six minutes, until her heart flatlined at 4.11am.

Hours earlier, Anagnostopoulos had removed the memory cards from security cameras.

More testimony given to police by Anagnostopoulos also reveals how he praised Caroline to detectives, describing her as 'smart, very creative with humor and imagination' adding that 'everyone liked her' in an attempt to paint the pair as a happy couple.

'My wife and I had a happy family and we were happy to be in our own house in a short time, but this tragedy that happened to us destroyed us,' Greek site Protothema reports.

'She was a girl who, despite her young age, took initiatives, found solutions and was active.

'I had a dream to get married on the beach and we decided that we wanted the wedding to take place in Portugal.

'80% of it she organized over the phone. Caroline had taken care of it and did everything perfectly.'

Only 100 yards from the cemetery where Miss Crouch is buried, on the island of Alonnisos, Susan and David Crouch, living at their retirement home, mourn their daughter.

Family friends say they are so shellshocked by their son-in-law's 'evil betrayal', they have not even felt able to make the short walk to her grave since the funeral.

Family friend Kostas Mavrikis said: 'I was crying with Babis when he gave his speech at her funeral. Imagine how betrayed Susan feels  she used to trust him, he was hugging her at the funeral.

'It's like she died twice: once when her daughter died and again when she learnt who killed her.'

Meanwhile, the killer ate a hearty meal and 'slept like a baby' in his first night behind bars, according to Greek media.

He requested his brother bring him a book by geophysicist David Bercovici titled The Origins of Everything.

The image of the grave comes as new data from Miss Crouch's smartwatch wristband blows apart Agnostopoulos's claims that he killed her after losing his temper during a fight

Another friend, Kiki Anagnostou, said: 'His behaviour at her funeral was bordering on cold-blooded. I remember he held the baby in his arms the whole time.'

Baby Lydia faces a tug of love over who will bring her up, now that her mother is dead and her father faces being jailed until she is in her 20s.

Her fate will be decided by a court in about 90 days. In the meantime, a prosecutor must decide whether the 11-month-old should stay with her father's parents in Athens, go to her mother's parents on Alonnisos, or be placed with social services.

Anagnostopoulos has begged that his daughter grow up 'in the family', telling his lawyer Alexandros Papaioannidis: 'I am devastated and everything I did, I did with my child in mind.'

Tomorrow in Athens, he faces another court hearing, following an initial appearance last Friday.

His lawyer said: 'He will speak the truth to the court, without hiding anything. Unfortunately, his life was ruined.'
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended the Biden administration hiring the family members of some of the president's top aides, including her sister, Chief of Staff Ron Klain's wife and White House counselor Steve Ricchetti's two sons and daughter.

Psaki was asked at the Monday briefing what safeguards the White House has in place to prevent preferential hiring of family members.

'We have the highest ethical standards of any administration in history,' Psaki replied. 'A number of ethics officials have conveyed that and we're proud of that. We have also staffed up at an unprecedentd pace and this is the most diverse administration in American history.'

'So we certainly expect that everyone will abide by those high ethics standards that applies in how we operate and that also applies in how hiring is done,' she added.

While President Joe Biden promised that none of his family members would receive government jobs, that hasn't extended to his top tier of advisers, whose children and other family members have gotten administration gigs.

At least five children of his top aides have gotten jobs, according to a report Friday in The Washington Post.

Relatives of other aides - including Chief of Staff Ron Klain's wife and press secretary Jen Psaki's sister - have also secured high-level administration jobs or nominations.

White House counselor Steve Ricchetti, deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed and presidential personnel office director Cathy Russell each have at least one direct family member working for the Biden administration.

The hirings have infuriated ethics experts, who hoped Biden would move away from the hiring practices of former President Donald Trump, who tapped his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner as two of his top-tier advisers.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that the White House has 'the highest ethical standards of any administration in history,' after some ethics experts questioned the hiring of family members of top Biden officials

The scrutiny on hiring practices was triggered in part by the Treasury Department's announcement last week that it was hiring J.J. Ricchetti, son of Biden counselor Steve Ricchetti, leading to accusations of nepotism.

J.J. Ricchetti, a recent college graduate with no other experience listed on his department bio, will be a special assistant to the Treasury's office of legislative affairs.

A White House official said that the administration had prioritized hiring volunteers from the campaign, such as J.J.

Steve Ricchettis daughter, Shannon, a 2016 college graduate, also works at the White House, serving as the deputy associate director of the office of the White House social secretary.

The Post reported that she secured the job after working at the Aspen Institute and for the Biden-Harris transition team.

Steve Ricchetti's son Daniel, who has more work experience, serves as a senior adviser in the office of the undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.

He spent seven years working on Capitol Hill, on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, The Post said.

Russell, the director of presidential personnel in the White House, has a daughter, Sarah Donilon, who graduated college in 2019 and works for the White House National Security Council.

Her uncle is Mike Donilon, a White House senior adviser.

Reed, a deputy White House chief of staff and longtime Biden confidant, has a daughter, Julia Reed, who graduated college in 2015 and works as Biden's day scheduler.

Psaki's sister Stephanie Psaki was appointed a senior adviser at the Health and Human Services Department in March, and Klain's wife, Monica Medina, was nominated for assistant secretary of state focused on oceans and the environment.

However, both have extensive experience in their fields.

Same with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's family members.

His wife, Maggie Goodlander, works as counsel for Attorney General Merrick Garland.

She formerly clerked for Garland when he was an appellate judge.

Sullivan's brother, Tom, is a State Department official and his wife Rose Sullivan, is an official at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Still former ethics chief in the Obama administration Walter Shaub accused Biden of thumbing his nose at government ethics with the prevalence of family ties among his administration's hires.

'I'm sorry, I know some folks don't like hearing any criticism of him. But this royally sucks. I'm disgusted,' tweeted Shaub, who led the Office of Government Ethics from 2013 to 2017.

'A lot of us worked hard to tee him up to restore ethics to government and believed the promises. This is a a real 'f*** you' to us - and government ethics,' he added.

Talking to The Post, Shaub also asked, 'In a country that had just come through a pandemic, how can these children of political appointees be the only people who are qualified for employment?'

He also opined that '"not as bad as Trump" cannot be the new standard.
Laura Johnson, 34, reportedly convinced a triple-murder suspect to surrender to authorities after he kidnapped her at gunpoint and forced her to drive him 2,000 miles from Oregon to Wisconsin

A woman who was kidnapped at gunpoint by a triple murder suspect who forced her to drive him 2,000 miles from Oregon to Wisconsin was able to convince the suspect to turn himself in to authorities during the 33-hour long drive, her family say.

Oen Evan Nicholson, 30, approached Laura Johnson, 34, as she was sitting in her car texting her boyfriend outside of a Springfield, Oregon, store where she worked on Friday and held her at gunpoint to force her to drive him north to Wisconsin, police said.

Hours earlier Nicholson allegedly murdered his father at a campground before mowing down a couple in his truck - killing one of them - and then fatally shooting a woman at a marijuana dispensary.

Johnson's family and friends said they lost contact with the mother-of-two on Friday afternoon and learned around 11pm that she'd never returned from her lunch break, KEZI reported.

The Springfield Police Department released surveillance footage showing Johnson's black Honda leaving the parking lot and asked the public for help to locate her.

By 6am Sunday Johnson's father Dennis said he received a call from the Milwaukee Police Department that his daughter was found safe and unharmed.

'They said she was forced to drive 33 hours to where they're at,' Dennis told KEZI. 'She was able to talk him into turning himself in.'

Oen Evan Nicholson, 30, pictured here in surveillance footage, is accused of killing his father, and two others in North Bend, Oregon on Friday

Springfield, Oregon police confirmed on Sunday that missing woman Laura Johnson was kidnapped by Nicholson and was found safe and unharmed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Surveillance footage showed Johnson's car pulling out of a parking lot during her lunch break from work on Friday. She was later reported missing

Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier confirmed Sunday morning that Nicholson had surrendered to local authorities, and he is now facing murder and assault charges.

Officials alleged that Nicholson killed his father, Charles Simms Nicholson, whose body was found in a trailer in the RV campground of The Mill Casino in North Bend, as well as Anthony Oyster and Jennifer Davidson.

Nicholson allegedly ran over Oyster, 74, and his wife Linda, 73, using his father's pickup truck in the same RV campground where his father was found.

Oyster died of his injuries, while Linda was critically-injured. He then allegedly shot Davidson at a nearby marijuana dispensary.

Police have not released details on how Nicholson's father was killed.

Authorities say Nicholson killed his father, Charles Simms Nicholson, as well as Anthony Oyster at an RV campground outside the Mills Casino in North Bend (pictured above). Nicholson allegedly ran over Oyster and his wife Linda with his father's pickup truck. Linda remains in critical condition

Surveillance footage captured Nicholson outside a marijuana dispensary brandishing a gund nearby in North Bend where he allegedly shot and killed another woman, Jennifer Davidson

He is also believed to have abandoned his father's truck after crashing it in Oregon on Friday, before approaching Johnson in Springfield, about 100 miles northeast of North Bend, and forcing her to drive the remainder of the way to Milwaukee, the Springfield Police Department reported on Sunday.

Johnson was reported missing on Friday, but was safe as of Sunday, the department reported, and charges regarding her alleged abduction were pending against him.

Authorities say Nicholson did not know Johnson at the time of her abduction.

She returned to Oregon on Sunday, but her car will remain in Milwaukee for further investigation.

Dennis Johnson said that when he heard the news and was first able to hear his daughter's voice again, he could not stop telling her how much he loved her.

'Me and my wife both feel amazing,' he told KEZI, 'and what a Father's Day gift that was handed back to me.'

A Gofundme was set up to pay for Davidson's (left) funeral expenses. Davidson was allegedly shot inside Herbal Choices Cannabis (right), where she worked

Nicholson is now being held in Wisconsin on fugitive warrants from Oregon. He was charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of his father, Oyster and Davidson as well as second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and failing to help a person injured in a traffic accident, Frasier said.

A Gofundme was set up to help pay for Davidson's funeral expenses.

No motive for the killings has been given.

Nicholson will appear in court in Milwaukee in the coming days before he can be extradited to Oregon to face the charges.

It remains unclear whether Nicholson has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

Frasier said Nicholson's extradition could take weeks if he contests it.

'Words fall short of describing the tragedy that took place on Friday and the ensuing events in Lane County, and we are all left incredibly shaken,' North Bend Mayor Jessica Engelke told reporters at a news conference on Sunday. 'This is something you hope never happens in your community, in the town you call home.'
Former Prime Minister John Howard has denied that the violent riots on Cronulla Beach were an example of underlying racism, which he says does not exist in Australia.

The 81-year-old, who lead the nation between 1996 and 2007, made the remarks during the results of the ABC's Australia Talks National Survey on Monday evening, hosted by Annabel Crabb and Nazeem Hussain.

The program is based on a survey by the ABC where 60,000 Australians are asked 600 questions about politics, sex, community, and family values.

Mr Hussain told the former leader that 76 per cent of those who responded said there is underlying racism in Australia, a statistic which sits in direct opposition to Mr Howard's opinion.

During the Cronulla riots (pictured) in 2005, gangs of young men from white backgrounds waged running skirmishes with young men of Middle Eastern backgrounds

Before the riots, text messages circulated calling on locals to fight back the following weekend including one asking them to 'get down to North Cronulla to support Leb and wog bashing day' (pictured, the 2005 riots)

After gangs of young men from white backgrounds waged running skirmishes with young men of Middle Eastern backgrounds, the then-Prime Minister denied that racism was a problem in Australia.

The civil unrest was sparked by several incidents, including the attack on two teenage lifeguards at North Cronulla beach by a Lebanese Australian gang.

When speaking on the ABC on Monday, Mr Howard acknowledged that there are likely racist people in Australia, but he largely echoed the same sentiments as back in 2005.

Probing the former prime minister, Mr Hussain said: 'After the Cronulla riots, you refused to call it out as racism. Instead, you said "there is no underlying racism in Australia", yet today 76 per cent of Australians say there is a lot of racism in Australia.'

'Are they wrong?'

Pictured: Nazeem Hussain, an ABC presenter who asked John Howard if he believes Australia has underlying race issues

Pictured: Former Prime Minister John Howard during an interview with Annabel Crabb and Nazeem Hussain on Australia Talks on Monday evening - in which he denied inherent racism exists in Australia

Poll Do you think Australia has underlying racism? Yes No Do you think Australia has underlying racism? Yes 138 votes

No 425 votes Now share your opinion





Mr Howard replied: 'That has not been my experience. I have to respectfully, to that 76 per cent, say I don't think there is underlying racism in Australia.'

Mr Hussain repeated: 'You don't think there's racism in Australia?'

'No, I don't,' Mr Howard said.

'On reflection, would you characterise the Cronulla riots as racist?,' Mr Hussain asked.

'No, I don't,' the former PM said again.

In 2005, text messages circulated calling on locals to fight back the following weekend including one asking them to 'get down to North Cronulla to support Leb and wog bashing day'.

An estimated 5,000 people, many fuelled by alcohol, converged on Cronulla car park for the demonstration and it quickly escalated into a riot.

Pictured: Young men jumping the fence at Cronulla railway station during the riots in 2005

Pictured: Two men and a police officer in a brawl during the Cronulla riots in Sydney in 2005

At the time, horrific pictures of the day showed people - mostly of middle-eastern appearance - being glassed and hit as crazed onlookers cheered on the attackers.

Mr Howard said the scenes did not mean racism was an issue in Australia.

'I do not accept there is underlying racism in this country,' Mr Howard said the day after the riots.

'I have always taken a more optimistic view of the character of the Australian people.'

On Monday, he reiterated his view and said: 'My view about the Cronulla riots is that is was not an example of underlying racism.'

Pictured: A police officer pinning a man to the ground during the Cronulla riots in 2005

The Cronulla riots (pictured) saw 5,000 people converge on the south Sydney beach

'I think that is a supremely pessimistic view of the Australian community and I've seen so many examples of where people of different races have worked together in a seamless fashion for the common good.

'I think that's a hugely pessimistic view of the Australian community.'

Mr Howard retired from politics after conceding to Kevin Rudd in 2007 in a stunning victory that marked the end of his 12-year reign.

He was a guest on the program because he was voted the nation's favourite former prime minister.
The mother who has claimed she gave birth to decuplets in South Africa has been admitted to a psychiatric ward, with her lawyer alleging she is being held against her will.

Gosiame Sithole was taken to Tembisa Hospital in Johannesburg for a psychiatric evaluation just days after her partner Tebogo Tsotetsi said he does not believe the ten children exist.

Ms Sithole, 37, was first apprehended by police officers at a relative's house in the northern township of Rabie Ridge near the city of Johannesburg in the early morning of Thursday 17 June.

She was transported to a police station in the nearby suburb of Chloorkop before being handed over to social workers who then admitted her to Tembisa Hospital's psychiatric ward for a mental health assessment.

The police, who denied that Ms Sithole had been arrested for a crime, had taken her to the station after Mr Tsotetsi's relatives reported her as missing.

Speculation has grown over Ms Sithole's claims after the hospital where she claimed she had given birth denied treating her.

The 37-year-old is said to have told her boyfriend she gave birth to the babies after midnight on June 8.

Since Ms Sithole's detention, her lawyer Refiloe Mokoena has claimed that she is being held against her will and that she will apply for a court order to secure her release.

Gosiame Sithole, 37, claims to have given birth to ten children in South Africa on Monday (pictured at home ahead of the 'delivery')

Ms Mokoena alleged her client was initially denied legal access and that Ms Sithole's request to visit a private psychologist instead of the institute she was taken to was turned down by the social workers from the Department of Social Development.

The lawyer told reporters: 'She declined that she should be taken to Tembisa Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation because she felt strongly that she is of sound mind.'

Since being admitted to the hospital's psychiatric ward, Sithole has been subjected to 'mental torture' and 'starvation' and she has also been 'handcuffed', claims news site IOL.

The lawyer added: 'When I left Tembisa Hospital, she made it clear that seeing that she is now being held against her will, I should please move an urgent court order for her to be released.'

A protest against her internment was due to be held by relatives, friends and activists outside the hospital on Friday 18th June, though it was not reported if it went ahead.

Dalian Mboweni, one of the march organisers, claimed that Ms Sithole said she was being 'mistreated' by hospital staff, reports Pindula News.

The activist said: 'Sithole told us that she was being mistreated by staff as if she is mentally disturbed. She says she was being shouted at and... she was handcuffed. This is breaking her, we want her released because she is held against her will.'

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

The development comes after Ms Sithole, who had not revealed her location since the apparent world record, accused the father of her children of trying to become a 'millionaire' from the story.

Ms Sithole claimed her boyfriend Mr Tsotetsi was 'expecting to be rich' from the alleged record births and was only concerned about the donations coming from people across the world.

She 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 'mother' had 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.

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.

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

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.

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.
Tasmania is lifting coronavirus travel restrictions with Melbourne after slamming the border shut more than three weeks ago.

The Victorian capital will be reclassified as low risk from 12.01am on Tuesday, Tasmania's Public Health Director Mark Veitch has announced.

It will allow Melburnian families to travel to the island state over Victorian school holidays, which start on Friday.

'This follows the extensive measures taken by Victorian health authorities over recent weeks to get on top of several outbreaks,' he said.

A travel ban remains in place for people who have been to specified 'hot spots' in Victoria at certain times.

The move allows Melburnian families to travel to the island state over Victorian school holidays, which start on Friday (pictured, Mount Williams National Park)

Anyone quarantining in Tasmania who was in Melbourne and not at high-risk premises can leave at midnight.

Tasmania implemented a hard border with all of Victoria on May 27, but lifted the ban on the state's regions on June 10.

The decision to reopen comes at the tail-end of the annual Hobart winter festival Dark Mofo, which usually draws big numbers from Melbourne.

Tasmania is open to the rest of Australia but not to those who have been at several high-risk premises in NSW, Queensland and the ACT at certain times.
Friends actor James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther in the hit series, has revealed he has been battling stage 4 prostate cancer.

The 59-year-old told NBC's Today on Monday that he was diagnosed back in September 2018 but it has since spread to other parts of his body, including his bones and spine.

Tyler, who appeared in all 10 seasons of Friends as the manager of the Central Perk coffee shop, can no longer walk after the aggressive cancer left his lower body paralyzed.

'I was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, which had spread to my bones,' Tyler said.

'I've been dealing with that diagnosis for almost the past three years... It's stage 4. Late stage cancer. So eventually, you know, it's gonna probably get me.'

Tyler said doctors were optimistic when he was first diagnosed but the cancer started 'mutating' at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Friends actor James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther, told NBC's Today on Monday that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer back in 2018 but it has now spread to other parts of his body

The 59-year-old told NBC's Today on Monday that he was diagnosed back in 2018 but it has since spread to other parts of his body. He is pictured above as Gunther in Friends with Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry

'I missed going in for a test, which was not a good thing,' Tyler said. 'So the cancer decided to mutate at the time of the pandemic and so it's progressed.'

Tyler, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy, said his illness stopped him from appearing in person for Friends: The Reunion, which aired last month on HBO.

He made an appearance via Zoom instead.

'I wanted to be a part of that, and initially I was going to be on the stage, at least, with them, and be able to take part in all the festivities,' Tyler said.

'It was bittersweet, honestly. I was very happy to be included. It was my decision not to be a part of that physically and make an appearance on Zoom, basically, because I didn't wanna bring a downer on it, you know? I didn't want to be like, 'Oh, and by the way, Gunther has cancer'.'

Tyler said that many of his former castmates, as well as the show's producers, are aware he has been battling cancer.

Tyler said his cancer was not caught early and was only detected during a routine check up three years ago.

Initially, doctors treated his cancer with hormone therapy.

Tyler said the aggressive cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2018, has left his lower body paralyzed. He is pictured above in his wheelchair and back brace

Tyler said the aggressive cancer has left his lower body paralyzed. He said the cancer was not caught early and was only detected during a routine check up three years ago

Tyler, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy, said his illness stopped him from appearing in person for Friends: The Reunion, which aired last month on HBO. He made an appearance via Zoom instead (pictured above)

He said that course of treatment 'worked amazingly for about a year' and allowed him to live his life normally because he had to take three drugs regularly.

'All I had to do was take a pill in the morning and the night, and boom, life was pretty much normal,' he said.

During that time, he made TV appearances, including another Friends reunion on NBC.

'I had it then, but (was) able to function normally... I was feeling fine, honestly. I had no symptoms, I didn't feel any symptoms. And it was very easy to regulate,' he said.

The cancer then started to spread to his bones and spine, which led to him being paralyzed in his lower body.

He said the cancer became a lot harder to deal with once it had spread to his bones.

'A lot of men, if they catch this early, it's easily treatable,' Tyler said. 'I don't want people to have to go through what I've been going through. This is not... an easy process.'

Tyler appeared in all 10 seasons of Friends as the manager of the Central Perk coffee shop

Tyler said that many of his former castmates, as well as the show's producers, are aware he has been battling cancer. He is pictured above on the show with David Schwimmer

He is encouraging men to ask their doctor for a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test even if they aren't showing any symptoms.

'There are other options available to men if they catch it before me,' Tyler said. 'Next time you go in for just a basic exam or your yearly checkup, please ask your doctor for a PSA test. It's easily detectable.

'If it spreads beyond the prostate to the bones, which is most prevalent in my form, it can be a lot more difficult to deal with.'

He said he is using his 'good sense of humor' to help him cope with treatment and that he sets himself goals to get through it.

'It's made me, personally, just realize how important every moment is, every day,' Tyler said.

'Don't give up. Keep fighting. Keep yourself as light as possible. And have goals. Set goals. My goal this past year was to see my 59th birthday. I did that, May 28th. My goal now is to help save at least one life by coming out with this news.

'That's my only reason for coming out like this and letting people know... That's my new role.'
Two parents have been arrested after their malnourished one-year-old girl died weighing just 8lbs and covered in sores.

Sage Wright, 22, and Christian Bishop-Torrence, 24, Wichita Falls, of Texas, were arrested Friday June 18 and charged with the offense of injury to a child, elderly, or disabled person following the death of their daughter on June 11.

When questioned by Wichita Falls Police Department, both parents admitted they didn't seek medical attention after noticing their daughter had been losing weight since January.

Sage Wright, 22, and her partner, Christian Bishop-Torrence, 24, were arrested in Wichita Falls, TX Friday, June 18 and charged with the death of their one-year-old daughter

According to the arrest affidavit, Bishop-Torrence, the victim's father, was on his way out the door to purchase fast food when noticed his daughter breathing shallowly, and rattling when she exhaled. He immediately rushed her out to his friend's car waiting outside, and transported her to the emergency room at United Regional Hospital.

According to the arrest affidavit, Bishop-Torrence was on his way out the door to purchase fast food when noticed his daughter breathing shallowly, and rattling when she exhaled.

He immediately rushed her out to his friend's car waiting outside, and transported her to the emergency room at United Regional Hospital.

Upon arrival at the hospital, medical staff discovered the child to be severely malnourished, with dirt plastered on her skin, as well as small, circular blisters on her lower back and buttocks.

The one-year-old weighed eight pounds, far below the average weight of 22 to 24 for a one-year-old.

The victim's mother, Wright, told police she hadn't been able to bond with the victim as well as she had with her two other children.

Bishop-Torrence, the victim's father, told police he lives with his wife, Wright, and their three children - the victim and two other daughters, according to Wichita Falls Times Records News.

When police inquired when the victim last received a medical checkup, Bishop-Torrence could not provide officials with any information.

In addition, Bishop-Torrence admitted he, 'f**ked up' and did not notice the severity of his daughter's condition during his police interview.

When police inquired when the victim last received a medical checkup, Bishop-Torrence could not provide officials with any information

An autopsy conducted at the Dallas County Medical Examiner/Southwestern Institute of Forensic Science Office discovered no acute trauma responsible for the victim's death. The autopsy identified physical finding consistent with neglect.

During a forensic assessment of the case, Dr. Suzanne Dakil, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, discovered that the victim had been able to eat and gain weight well.

Dakil suspects the victim stopped receiving adequate nutrition sometime after October.

'Even though a small chance exists that a genetic or metabolic problem could cause weight loss, normal newborn screens and the lack of family history would make this highly unlikely,' she wrote in the report.

Both parents are being held in the Wichita County Jail on bonds of $500,000. On Saturday, June 19, 2021, they both declared indigency and requested court-appointed attorneys.
A frustrated shopper has slammed popular supermarket chain Coles for 'cultural insensitivity' over a frozen snack.

Melbourne customer Om took to social media to rant after discovering a box of Coles brand 'Indian Style Triangles' in the freezer aisle.

'Seriously Australia?', he captioned a photo of the product which he uploaded to the popular Facebook page 'Subtle Curry Traits'.

Coles later explained that its new product, which contains jackfruit, had been named this way to avoid confusion with its pre-existing vegetable samosas.

Melbourne customer Om took to social media to rant after discovering a box of Coles brand 'Indian Style Triangles' (pictured) in the freezer aisle

But that didn't stop angry shoppers shaming the supermarket giant.

The disgruntled shopper's post was quickly flooded with likes and comments from more than 25,000 users who demanded answers for the name.

'Boycott Coles for cultural insensitivity and ruining a product of heritage?' one commenter posted.

'The disrespect in this image', another user wrote.

'By this logic they should call pizza "Italian Style Circles",' another pointed out.

'Here we go with the cultural appropriation', a fourth commented.

Coles confirmed 'Vegetable Samosas' were still being sold in stores, but explained the new flavour variety had been renamed to avoid confusion

The supermarket giant has responded to the backlash, claiming the 'Indian style triangles' were simply a new flavour being introduced to a pre-existing range.

Coles confirmed Vegetable Samosas were still being sold in stores, but explained the new flavour variety, with jackfruit inside, had been given a different name to avoid confusion.

A spokesperson said the 'Indian Style Triangles' are 'definitely' samosas.

'Our traditional Coles Vegetable Samosas are so popular with our customers that when we decided to add a new flavour to the range, we chose to give them a different name so customers could tell them apart easily,' they said.

'Jackfruit Indian Style Triangles are definitely samosas and we've loved seeing the support for them since they launched.'
Four of the eight youths who were killed when a bus belonging to an Alabama girls' ranch exploded into a fireball during Saturday's deadly 15-car pileup have been identified as the children and nephews of the ranch's director, who was pulled from the wreckage alive by a bystander.

Candice Gulley, 40, a married mother-of-four and the head of ranch life at the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch for abused or neglected girls, was driving eight children, aged 4 to 17, home after a week-long beach vacation in Gulf Springs when their van got caught in the fiery multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 65 south of Montgomery.

Gulley's aunt, Desiree Bishop, identified two of the deceased children as her niece's son and daughter, Ben and Isabella. The boy had just turned four years old on Thursday, and his older sister celebrated her Sweet 16 last November, according to recent social media posts.

Also among the dead were Gulley's two nephews, Josiah Dunnevant, 12, and Nick Dunnevant, eight, and four ranch residents, ages 14, 15, 16 and 17. Their names have not been released as of Monday morning.

Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock said the deadly crash happened after vehicles likely hydroplaned on wet roads during Tropical Depression Claudette, which has claimed at least 13 lives throughout Alabama.

The van Gulley was operating burst into flames just two hours away from home, killing everyone inside but her. The woman was pulled unconscious from the burning wreckage by a Good Samaritan and tried to go back for the children, but it was too late.

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Ben Gulley had just turned 4 on June 17. His sister Isabella Gulley celebrated her Sweet 16 in November. The siblings were among eight children who died when their van crashed and burst into flames in Alabama on Saturday

Ben (pictured in his dad's arm) and Isabella (center) were traveling with their mother, Candice Gulley (2nd L), their two nephews and four children from the youth home that Gulley manages in Alabama. The mom-of-five survived after being pulled from the wreckage

Candice Gulley's nephews Josiah Dunnavant, 12, and his eight-year-old brother, Nick (pictured with their mom Brandy Lee) were killed in Saturday's horrific 15-car pile-up in Alabama, which claimed 10 lives

The crash took place Saturday about 55 kilometers south of Montgomery on Interstate 65 The vehicles likely hydroplaned on wet roads caused by the storm, according to officials. The van Gulley was operating burst into flames just two hours away from home, killing everyone inside but her. The woman was pulled unconscious from the burning wreckage by a Good Samaritan and tried to go back for the children, but it was too late

Eight children, aged 4 to 17, were killed in a van belonging to a Christian youth ranch operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association. A man and a 9-month-old baby were killed in a separate vehicle

Some of the wreckage from the fatal multiple-vehicle crash is loaded to be carried away on Sunday in Butler County, Alabama

Michael Smith, the CEO of the youth ranch that is operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association, said Candice Gulley is going to survive her injuries

Gulley remained hospitalized Sunday in Montgomery in serious but stable condition.

'Shes going to survive her physical injuries,' said Michael Smith, the CEO of the youth ranch that is operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association.

'This is the worst tragedy Ive been a part of in my life,' said Smith, who drove Sunday to the youth home to talk to the remaining residents, who had returned from Gulf Shores in a separate van and did not see the wreck.

'Words cannot explain what I saw,' Smith said of the accident site, which he visited Saturday. 'We love these girls like theyre our own children.'

Smith told Alabama News Network that when he visited Gulley at the hospital and told her he was headed to the ranch to meet with the residents, she said to him: 'please tell my girls I love them.'

A GoFundMe account was set up for Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch to help offset the costs of funeral expenses, medical costs for the injured and counseling for those impacted. More than $185,000 has been raised so far.

The Tallapoosa County school system said counselors would be available Sunday at the 225-student Reeltown High School, where some of the ranch residents were students. Smith said the ranch, which is Christian-based, would likely have a memorial service later, asking for prayers as he began to cry.

A teenage girl who lived with the victims at the foster ranch paid a moving tribute to her late friends.

She said: ' When people hear about the ranch, they usually assume that the girls have done something wrong or bad to get there. But thats not the case.

Josiah and Nick, pictured together left and right, are survived by their mother and their three sisters

'These girls have been through so much, and they were such strong, wonderful, kind family members and it was my privilege and my honor to be their big sister.'

Gulley had worked with children for years, beginning when she and her of nearly 10 years, Tommy Gulley, were house parents at the ranch for seven years. The couple have four children of their own.

'During those years, there have been 74 girls that have come through our house and called us mom and dad,' she told the Opelika-Auburn News in August 2019. She said she then became a relief parent, working on fundraising and being involved in the community, before she became the ranch director.

'My heart goes out to the loved ones of all who perished,' Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement.

A separate GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help Brandy Lee, the mother of Gulley's two deceased nephews, Josiah and Nick, lay her sons to rest. The two boys are survived by their three sisters.

Cody Fox and his nine month-old daughter Ariana were two of ten people killed in a 15-car pile-up in Montgomery, Alabama, on Saturday

Fox was chief of New Hope Volunteer Fire Department in Tennessee, and is survived by his fiancee Hayle

'The family is devastated by this loss, but comforted in the knowledge that they are now in the loving arms of Jesus,' the description of the fundraiser reads.

Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch released a statement on Facebook Saturday saying the community's 'hearts are heavy.'

'Our hearts are heavy today. Our ranch has suffered great loss. As some of you may have heard, one of our ranch vehicles was involved a multiple car accident this afternoon,' the statement read.

'Please send prayers our way as we navigate this difficult time. We will update information as we are able, and if you have any questions feel free to contact us.

'Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and respecting the privacy of our large and extended families.'

The pileup also killed Cody Fox, a 29-year-old firefighter from Tennessee, and his nine-month-old daughter, Ariana.

Fox's fiancee Hayle Anderson was in the car too, and was injured, but is expected to recover.

Fox was the fire chief at New Hope Volunteer Fire Department in Tennessee.

'He was a great guy and were really gonna miss him, said Aaron Sanders, who worked with Fox at the emergency management agency in Marion County. He said Fox also ran a hot tub business with his father and doted on his daughter. 'He just loved her to death and that was his life.'

A tribute posted to him on social media read: 'Cody was an integral part of the EMA staff in Marion County, always ready, always willing to serve.

'His upbeat attitude, his willingness to learn, and without a doubt the politest young man I have ever known, will be greatly missed.'

The 10 victims of the crash are among 13 people killed in Alabama as a result of the devastating storm that has swept across the southeastern US this week, causing flash flooding and spurring tornadoes that destroyed dozens of homes.

Officials confirmed a 24-year-old man and a 3-year-old boy died when a tree fell on their house just outside the Tuscaloosa city limits Saturday.

Makayla Ross, a 23-year-old Fort Payne woman, died Saturday after her car ran off the road into a swollen creek, DeKalb County Deputy Coroner Chris Thacker told WHNT-TV.

The deaths occurred as drenching rains from Tropical Depression Claudette pelted northern Alabama and Georgia late Saturday. As much as 12 inches of rain was reported earlier from Claudette along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Flash flood watches were posted Sunday for eastern Georgia, the southern two-thirds of South Carolina and the North Carolina coast. A tropical storm warning was in effect in North Carolina from the Little River Inlet to the town of Duck on the Outer Banks. A tropical storm watch was issued from South Santee River, South Carolina, to the Little River Inlet, forecasters said.

WBRC-TV reported that search efforts were also under way for a man believed to have fallen into the water during flash flooding in Birmingham. Crews were using boats to search Pebble Creek.

Garlock said the location of the multi-vehicle wreck is 'notorious' for hydroplaning, as the northbound highway curves down a hill to a small creek.

The smash saw 15 vehicles collide, with eight foster children also killed after the bus they were on was consumed by a fireball

Authorities said the crash took place around 2.30pm Saturday afternoon about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Montgomery on Interstate 65

Ten people have been killed in a 15-car pile up in Alabama during Tropical Storm Claudette, including eight children on a bus run by a youth ranch for abused and neglected kids

Debris sits along a creek and roadway in Northport, Alabama, Sunday following the storm

Debris covers a street in East Brewton, Alabama, Saturday in the wake of Tropical Storm Claudette which has claimed 13 lives in the state

Ten people have been killed in a 15-car pile up in Alabama during Tropical Storm Claudette, including eight children on a bus run by a youth ranch for abused and neglected kids

The I-65 northbound was completely shut down at the Greenville 130 exit Saturday as emergency services responded to the scene

Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch released a statement on Facebook Saturday saying the community's 'hearts are heavy'

Several community groups also paid tributes to the victims of the tragic road accident

Traffic on that stretch of I-65 is usually filled with vacationers driving to and from Gulf of Mexico beaches on summer weekends.

County Sheriff Danny Bond wrote on Facebook: 'Butler County has had one of the most terrible traffic accidents.

'I believe is the worst ever in our county.'

The deaths occurred as Claudette crashed into the Gulf Coast late Friday into early Saturday, destroying homes in its path and stranding people in flash floods.

Drenching rains pelted northern Alabama and Georgia late Saturday.

As much as 12 inches of rain was reported earlier along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The Gulf Coast has been hammered by Claudette this week which was raised to a tropical storm Saturday

The devastating storm that has swept across the southeastern US this week, causing flash flooding and spurring tornadoes that destroyed dozens of homes

More than 20 people had to be rescued Saturday by boat due to flooding in Northport, Alabama, WVUA-TV reported.

The Tuscaloosa County Emergency Management Agency tweeted that local Red Cross volunteers were on hand to help those who were affected with a local shelter set up in Northport.

Meanwhile, a suspected tornado spurred by the storm demolished or badly damaged at least 50 homes in a small town in Alabama, just north of the Florida border.

Sheriff Heath Jackson in Escambia County said a suspected tornado 'pretty much leveled' a mobile home park, toppled trees onto houses and ripped the roof off of a high school gym.

A resident walks through a partially flooded trailer park in Northport, Alabama, after it was thrashed by Claudette

Tropical Depression Claudette has claimed 13 lives in Alabama as the storm swept across the southeastern US this week

Most of the damage was done in or near the towns of Brewton and East Brewton, about 48 miles north of Pensacola, Florida.

'It kind of affected everybody,' Jackson said. 'But with those mobile homes being built so close together it can take a toll on them a lot more than it can on houses that are spread apart.'

Tornadoes were also reported in southwest Georgia.

Damage from the storm was also felt in north Florida, where winds - in some cases reaching 85 mph (137 kph) - caused an 18-wheeler to flip on its side.

The storm also dumped flooding rains north of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana and along the Mississippi coast, inundating streets and, in some areas, pushing water into homes.

Later, the storm was drenching the Florida Panhandle and, well inland, a broad expanse of Alabama.

Over in Louisiana, a woman in labor was left stranded on her way to the hospital as police were forced to rescue 50 to 60 cars from Louisiana floods as the storm hit land.

Flooding in Slidell, Louisiana, Saturday caused by Tropical Storm Claudette which ravaged the Gulf Coast

Cars stranded on the flooded Gause Boulevard in Slidell, Louisiana, late Friday after Tropical Storm Claudette thrashed the Gulf Coast overnight Friday

A woman in labor was left stranded on her way to hospital as police were forced to rescue 50 cars from the Louisiana floods, according to the Slidell Police Department

The pregnant woman was heading to Slidell Memorial Hospital in Slidell, Louisiana, near New Orleans, possibly going into labor when she became trapped by flood water along the roadways, according to a Facebook post from the Slidell Police Department.

The woman was among multiple people authorities pulled from flooded cars along the city's major thoroughfare Friday night and into Saturday morning.

No major injuries were reported but authorities urged people to exercise caution when driving through neighborhoods as floodwater, debris and downed trees were scattered around.

Claudette had been declared a named storm at 4 am Saturday morning after it became both powerful and organized enough to meet the National Hurricane Center's criteria.

It was downgraded to an active tropical depression however it continued on its relentless path of destruction Sunday.

A flooded neighborhood is seen after Tropical Storm Claudette passed through Slidell

Danny Gonzales, right, stands in front of his flooded house with his neighbor Bob Neal

Drivers along the flooded Cedar Lake Road in Biloxi, Mississippi, found the road underwater and their cars almost parallel to the moored boats in the small harbor, Saturday

Flash flood watches continued to be in place Sunday for northern Georgia, most of South Carolina, the North Carolina coast and parts of southeast Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

A tropical storm warning was also in effect in North Carolina from the Little River Inlet to the town of Duck on the Outer Banks while a tropical storm watch was issued from South Santee River, South Carolina, to the Little River Inlet.

Top winds remained near 30 mph (45 kph) on Sunday.

National Hurricane Center forecasters predicted Claudette would strengthen back to tropical storm status Monday over eastern North Carolina before heading out to sea in the Atlantic Ocean.

The center of Claudette's disorganized circulation was located about 15 miles (20 kilometers) east-northeast of Atlanta on Sunday morning.

It was moving east-northeast at 17 mph (28 kph), the National Hurricane Center said.

Separately, Tropical Storm Dolores made landfall on Mexicos west coast with near-hurricane force. As of Sunday morning, it had dissipated over Mexico. Its remnants had maximum sustained winds of 25 mph (35 kph), and it was centered about 170 miles (275 kilometers) east of Mazatlan, Mexico.

Heavy rainfall totals up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) were expected across the southwest and western coastal areas of Mexico throughout the weekend. Forecasters were warning of the potential for flash flooding and mudslides.
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Three police officers have been injured after an anti-lockdown protest turned violent and cops were forced to make 14 arrests during demonstrations.

Maskless anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police in central London as they demonstrate against the delay of Freedom Day by blocking roads and hugging strangers in defiance of covid rules.

Police confirmed they have arrested 14 people who were 'obstructing' roads and being 'hostile to officers' as they attempted to contain a large group of Covid sceptics in Parliament Square and on Whitehall - on what would have been the day social distancing measures were lifted across the UK.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'We've made fourteen arrests while policing a demonstration in Westminster today. Three police officers were injured, thankfully their injuries are not serious.

'Officers worked hard to minimise disruption to the Westminster community and to keep traffic and public transport moving. Despite this, several people within the demonstration obstructed roads or became hostile to officers. Our operation will continue into the evening.'

Protestors offering 'free hugs' and demanding an end to all Covid restrictions held signs reading 'your obedience is prolonging this nightmare' and 'our kids aren't lab rats' as they marched through the streets. Others held placards reading 'lockdown is a crime against humanity', 'pro liberty', and 'no more lockdowns'.

Loud horns blown by the protestors were seen to spook a group of half-a-dozen police horses who had been drafted in to help control the crowd in Parliament Square.

The protest comes as Boris Johnson seemed to dismiss the prospect of easing the remaining coronavirus rules early, as he refused to rule out future lockdowns. He warned the nation should brace for a 'rough winter' whilst visiting a laboratory in Hertfordshire today.

The Prime Minister has delayed 'Freedom Day' by four weeks to July 19 - but a two week review will take place on July 5 to see if the return to normal can be moved forward. Mr Johnson said 'Delta' variant cases, hospitalisations and admissions to intensive care are still rising and the country must therefore be 'cautious'.

Maskless anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police in central London as they demonstrate against the delay of Freedom Day by blocking roads and hugging strangers in defiance of covid rules

Police confirmed they have arrested 14 people who were 'obstructing' roads and being 'hostile to officers' as they attempted to contain a large group of Covid sceptics in Parliament Square and on Whitehall - on what would have been the day social distancing measures were lifted across the UK

Police officers and protesters at an anti-lockdown protest in Parliament Square, London

A protester is led away by police officers at an anti-lockdown protest in Parliament Square, London

Anti-lockdown protesters clash with police during a demonstration in Parliament Square Anti-lockdown protest, London

Protestors demanding an end to all Covid restrictions held signs reading 'your obedience is prolonging this nightmare' and 'our kids aren't lab rats' as they marched through the streets surrounding Parliament Square, London

But he insisted it is 'looking good' for the rules to be lifted at the 'terminus point' of July 19 as he said the 'vaccination rollout is going gangbusters'.

However, Mr Johnson declined to rule out reimposing draconian curbs later in the year as he warned 'some new horror' could emerge which 'we simply haven't budgeted for'.

Regarding the ongoing protest Metropolitan Police said in a statement: 'We are aware of a demonstration in Parliament Square and along Whitehall, #Westminster.

'A policing plan is in place throughout the day. Officers, including units from our Mounted Branch, are on scene and are engaging with those taking part in this demonstration.'

The force later added: 'We are engaging with a crowd gathering on Bridge Street, #Westminster who are blocking traffic and being obstructive and hostile to officers.

'Eight arrests have been made so far. We are working to keep traffic moving and minimise disruption to the local community.'

A woman is held by police as covid deniers and other conspiracy theorists groups stage an anti-lockdown protest in Westminster

Eight arrests were made on Bridge Street, Westminster, where a crowd blocked a road. A woman is seen being detained by a police officer

An anti lockdown protester is detained during a rally in Westminster in London, June 21

Anti-lockdown protesters block the traffic during a rally in Westminster in London as the UK government delays full reopening for a further four weeks due to a significant rise in Delta variant of Covid-19 cases across England

Pictured: Piers Corbyn attends an anti-lockdown protest at Downing Street today

Activist and anti-lockdown protestor Piers Corbyn is spotted at Downing Street in London for a demonstration

Anti-lockdown protesters clash with police during a demonstration in Parliament Square Anti-lockdown protest, London

Photos showed police attempting to contain a large group of covid sceptics in Parliament Square, as some protestor offered 'free hugs' to others without masks

Mounted police officers maintain order as anti lockdown protesters rally in Westminster in London, June 21

Anti-lockdown protesters clash with police during a demonstration in Parliament Square Anti-lockdown protest, London

A protester holds a sign reading 'we stand for freedom' as they rally in Westminster, London, on what would have been 'Freedom Day'

One protester holds an umbrella reading 'No vaxx passports' as groups gather in close proximity to protest covid restrictions

Asked whether he will bring forward 'freedom day', Mr Johnson said today: 'As I say, the vaccination rollout is going gangbusters and loads of people are coming forward now for their second jabs.

'Please come forward, get your second jab, and it is great that today we will have done all of JCVI one to nine, so everybody over 50 will have been offered two jabs as of today plus all care workers, all the vulnerable groups, huge numbers of people.

'I think almost 60 per cent of adults in this country have now had or been offered two jabs so we are one of the most vaccinated countries in the world.

'But look at the numbers of delta, the "Delta" variant, it is sadly going up still, it is going up by about 30 per cent a week in cases, hospitalisations up by roughly the same amount and so sadly ICU admissions into intensive care.

'So we have got to be cautious but we will be following the data the whole time.'



A police man comes face to face with a maskless protestor at the Parliament Square anti-lockdown protest

Police push back a protestor as they form a line face to face with the maskless covid sceptics

Protestors demanding an end to all Covid restrictions held signs reading 'your obedience is prolonging this nightmare' and 'our kids aren't lab rats' as they marched through the streets

There was no social distancing as protestors got close to police whilst blowing whistles at Parliament Square, London

Protestors are seen hugging as police try to contain the crowds - others linked arms to form a barricade

Others held placards reading 'lockdown is a crime against humanity', 'pro liberty', and 'no more lockdowns'

The protest comes as Boris Johnson today poured cold water on the prospect of easing the remaining coronavirus rules early as he refused to rule out future lockdowns and warned the nation should brace for a 'rough winter'

Mr Johnson said it is still 'looking good' for the July 19 date amid fears among some Tory MPs that the PM could again delay the lifting of the remaining curbs.

Last Monday another anti-lockdown protest outside Downing Street saw a police officer dragged away amid chaotic scenes as Laurence Fox and Piers Corbyn joined demonstrators demanding an end to all Covid restrictions.

Mr Fox, 43, was shown speaking with police while holding a copy of an anti-lockdown magazine, while Jeremy Corbyn's 74-year-old brother held an anti-vax banner alongside protesters calling climate change a 'con' and complaining about the 'New World Order'.

Police officers help an injured colleague during an anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine protest in London, June 14

Laurence Fox, 43, was shown speaking with police while holding a copy of an anti-lockdown magazine during a protest against Covid restrictions, June 14

Piers Corbyn (right) held an anti-vaxxer banner alongside protesters calling climate change a 'con' and complaining about the 'New World Order'

Demonstrators protest outside Downing Street against the delay in easing of lockdown restrictions on June 14

Other activists held signs calling for masks and testing to be scrapped, with others said '99.7% of people do not die' and 'the media is a virus'.

Social media messages showed the demonstration had been specifically planned to coincide with Mr Johnson's announcement to the Commons about the fate of the opening plans for June 21.

Footage from the demonstration shows a female police officer being hauled away by her colleagues, as protesters scream 'traitors' and 'it's all right when it happens to one of us, isn't it'.
A 234-year-old all-boys school is set to welcome female students into its classrooms for the first time in its history.

The historic Trinity House Academy in Hull, East Yorks., will admit girls from September 2022 under plans approved by the trust that runs the school.

The move, which follows a public consultation, will see the former marine training academy double its capacity from 120 to 240 students and move to a new location in the city.

Delta Academies Trust Chief Executive Officer, Paul Tarn, welcomed the decision and said: 'The Trust will continue working in partnership with Hull City Council to develop the plans.

'The Academy will be central to a resurgent city, with new jobs and opportunities accessible to the young people of Hull.

The historic Trinity House Academy in Hull, East Yorks., is set to admit girls from September 2022, which if approved will be the first time in the school's 234-year history

The move, which follows a public consultation, will see the former marine training academy double its capacity from 120 to 240 students and move to a new location in the city.(Pictured: The Queen previously visited Trinity House School)

The former marine training academy which will open its doors to female pupils for the first time Trinity House Academy is an all-boys comprehensive secondary school situated in Hull city centre in East Yorkshire. The Academy is the only state-funded boys' school currently operating in Hull. Founded in 1787, the school was originally set up as a marine navigation school in connection with an ancient seafaring charity. It takes its name from Trinity House, which is dedicated to safeguarding shipping and seafarers. The Corporation of Trinity House was incorporated by Royal Charter under Henry VIII in 1514 to regulate pilotage on the River Thames and provide for aged mariners. It was run by elders known as The Bretheren. The school initally welcomed 36 pupils who dilligently studied the school's principal subjects; Arithmetic and Navigation. The uniform was traditionally naval wear, and upper school boys are still required to wear the naval 'square rig' uniform - a white shirt and white cloth covered peak cap. In April 2012 the school became an academy. Despite its conversion and general modernisation, Trinity House still offers a course in Maritime Studies to this day. Their website states: 'Hull Trinity House Academy remains very proud of its history and traditions and our motto Spes Super Sydera (Hope beyond the Stars) still clearly sums up our Academy's aims.' Source: Trinity House Academy's website Advertisement

'The aim is for the move to happen in time for September 2022.

'Our focus throughout has been on what is in the best interests of current and future students at Trinity House Academy.

'We have worked with The Brethren and local governors to ensure traditions at the school will be maintained, whilst creating an outstanding learning and teaching experience and offering greater opportunities to young people across the city.'

The school was founded in 1787 as a marine school for boys destined for careers at sea, and taught navigation and other maritime skills.

It was run by the seafarers' charity and guild Trinity House, and has remained boys-only and linked to the organisation ever since.

Initially private, it later entered the state sector as a technical school and has been a comprehensive academy since 2014.

A year later, it moved from its Victorian site to the old Hull Nautical College buildings after they had been vacated by the University of Lincoln.

Pupils still wear naval-inspired uniforms, maritime studies remains on the curriculum and activities such as sailing are available.

Hull Trinity House Academy Principal Graham Moffatt said: 'We are looking forward to discussing next steps with students, staff and parents, and sharing the great opportunities this project will unlock for our school community.'

Under the plans, laid out earlier this year, girls would enter as part of a phased expansion, one year at a time, starting at Year 7 in September 2022.

In a consultation sent out to parents in March, the trust said it planned to move to a co-education school because it 'supports equality of opportunity for all'.

It also added it would allow local families to choose its 'unique educational offer for their daughters as well as for their sons'.

It also highlighted the fact that the number of women going into and succeeding in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects is 'increasing rapidly'.

The numbers of women who choose to go to sea as a profession was also noted as a reason as this figure has 'increased dramatically'.

Founded in 1787, the school was originally set up as a marine navigation school in connection with an ancient seafaring charity

Councillor Shane McMurray, of Hull City Council, said: 'During several meetings with Delta Academy Trust my cynicism diminished very quickly.

'It is very clearly in the interest of young people within the city to have this school increase its capacity.

'Not only will they be inducting more young people into a school with a strong ethos and strong learning culture, but they will also be able to increase the breadth of their current curriculum to include more specialist subjects.

'All my initial reservations were overcome upon speaking with the academy who clearly had put in place a plan to mitigate potential issues.

'I have also had assurance that the school will work to have a positive impact in the local community that it will be amongst; beyond its immediate pupil numbers.

'It's absolutely imperative that the young people of Hull have the best possible chance of accessing the new jobs and industries that have been and will be developing on our coast and this school is able to deliver this in an authentic way.

'I wish the very best future for the school, the staff and most of all the pupils of this school.'

Capt Dennis Robinson, Master Warden of The Brethren and on the Academy Advisory Body, supports the move.

He said: 'Trinity House was the first Navigation School, established in 1787, by The Brethren, which was forward thinking indeed.

In April 2012 the school (pictured, stock image) became an academy. Despite its conversion and general modernisation, Trinity House still offers a course in Maritime Studies to this day

'Now, almost 250 years later, The Brethren realise that times have changed.

'Whilst the demand for British Seafarers has reduced overall, the numbers of women who choose to go to sea as a profession has increased dramatically and we know of all female crews on ships and aircraft.

'The Brethren would therefore support the school becoming co-educational, and extend the nautical ethos, education and training opportunities of the Academy to both sexes.

'For over 200 years, the school has been within the Trinity House Estate and the move to the old Nautical College buildings in George Street was a move away from The House.

'However, the links between The House and the school have remained strong, as has the ethos and character of the school.

'The Brethren are assured, and confident, that that ethos and character of the school, formed over many years, will remain as strong, if not stronger, if this initiative comes about.

'They are confident that the larger school will be every bit as academically successful as it has been in recent years with strong outcomes for the pupils, whether they take up a seagoing career or not.'
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The Indian 'Delta' variant is now dominant in more than 300 areas of England, MailOnline's analysis of testing data revealed today.

Figures show the ultra-transmissible strain had overtaken the formerly dominant Kent variant in 303 local authorities by June 12  just two months after it was seeded in the country.

The Delta variant was found to be behind every sample examined by researchers in 55 areas, most of which were concentrated in the North West, which has been a hotspot for the strain.

The figures highlight just how rapidly the variant has risen to dominance. Just 29 local authorities were detecting any cases of the mutant strain in the middle of April, according to the data from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, one of Britain's largest variant-tracking labs.

It found the strain was now dominant in all but two of the areas where data was available by the middle of this month  Worcester and Rotherham. It is possible that the Indian variant has already replaced the Kent version in those places in the nine days since the figures were collated.

SAGE's best guess is that the Delta variant is at least 80 per cent more infectious than the Kent, or 'Alpha', variant and spreads more easily in vaccinated people. Two doses of jabs are still highly effective against the Indian strain, however, and prevent up to 96 per cent of people from falling severely ill with the disease.

But PHE believes unvaccinated people are twice as likely to end up in hospital with the strain compared to the Kent one, which is why England's June 21 Freedom Day was pushed back by a month.

The Indian 'Delta' variant is now dominant in more than 300 areas of England, MailOnline's analysis of testing data revealed today. Figures show the ultra-transmissible strain had overtaken the formerly dominant Kent variant in 303 local authorities by June 12  just two months after it was seeded in the country

PHE figures from Friday showed that the areas with the most cases of the variant are mostly in the North of England and the Midlands, with fewer infections detected in rural areas in the South West and Norfolk

The latest figures show that the number of daily infections has hit 10,633, while 226 people were admitted to hospital and five people died. Over 43million people have now received their first vaccine and 31.4million have received their second

The Cambridge-based Sanger Institute sequences thousands of coronavirus samples to trace transmission and detect new variants. The institute sequences thousands of coronavirus samples to trace transmission and detect new variants.

Across the whole of England, 94 per cent of samples were found to be the Indian variant and 5.9 per cent by the Kent variant. This is slightly lower PHE's 99 per cent estimate because the figures are nine days out of date.

For comparison, the Kent strain was linked to 99 per cent of all cases in England in early April, before the Indian strain was imported into the country.

In the areas where the Indian variant was not dominant by June 12, the researchers found it made up 40 per cent of infections in Rotherham and 45.5 per cent in Worcester.

Ten local authorities, including Darlington, Eastbourne and Hartlepool, did not share their data, so it is unclear how prevalent the strain was in these areas.

The above maps show the beginnings of the spread of the Indian variant in April. The lightest colours identify the areas that had the lowest proportion of cases of the strain. By April 24, the Delta strain was only responsible for 2.6 per cent of cases

The above maps show the Indian variant spreading across England at the beginning of May. The purple regions were recording the highest proportion of cases that were caused by the Delta strain. By May 8, the mutation was responsible for 20.7 per cent of cases

The Delta mutation began to take off across England in mid May and overtook the Kent variant by May 22, with 60.6 per cent of all cases across the country being linked to the strain

By the end of May, the Indian mutation caused 77.7 per cent of cases across England, while the once-dominant Kent strain was responsible for just 21.8 per cent

Graph left: A Public Health England report published on Friday revealed the fast-spreading variant has now completely taken over in Britain and it makes up 99 per cent of cases. Graph right: Lab testing shows that the Delta variant (pink) has accounted for thousands of cases (specimens) in recent weeks and case numbers are soaring. It has dwarfed all other variants, shown in different colours. The Kent variant is not shown in the graph because it looks at only 'S gene positive' cases which are ones that the swab test works perfectly on. The virus's S gene on the Kent variant cannot be detected by swab-testing so it is classed as an 'S gene negative' variant. 'Unclassified' tests are strains that were not categorised as a specific variant, likely because they came in such small numbers compared to the Kent variant in January

THE AREAS WHERE ALL SAMPLES WERE THE INDIAN VARIANT IN THE TWO WEEKS TO JUNE 12 Allerdale Amber Valley Arun Babergh Bolsover Bracknell Forest Bromsgrove Chesterfield Colchester Craven Crawley East Devon Elmbridge Epping Forest Folkestone and Hythe Forrest of Dean Great Yarmouth Hambleton Harborough Harrogate Hastings Havant Horsham Hyndburn Kingston upon Thames Knowsley Linchfield Mendip Mid Devon Middlesbrough New Forest North East Derbyshire Reigate Richmondshire Rother Runnymede Selby Slough Somerset West and Taunton South Derbyshire South Oxfordshire South Somerset South Tyneside Spelthorne Stafford Stratford-on-Avon Sunderland Surrey Heath Swale Tandridge Teignbridge Test Valley Tewkesbury Thanet Worthing Wycombe Advertisement

Meanwhile, Britain's daily coronavirus case have risen by another third in a week, official figures revealed today after Boris Johnson warned more lockdowns could still be on the cards this winter.

Department of Health bosses recorded 10,633 positive tests in the last 24 hours  up 37.3 per cent on last Monday's count  with the national uptick in cases fuelled by the highly-transmissible Indian variant, which MailOnline today confirmed was now dominant in more than 300 areas of England.

Despite cases steadily increasing since mid-May, the number of people dying from the disease has stayed relatively flat, in a key sign the vaccines have broken the link between infections and fatalities. Five victims were added to the official toll today, compared to three last week.

But hospital admissions  which also lag weeks behind any spike in positive tests because of how long it takes for infected patients to become severely ill  have risen by another 20 per cent in the space of a week.

The data came as the Prime Minister poured cold water on the prospect of easing the remaining coronavirus rules early, as he refused to rule out future lockdowns and warned the nation should brace for a 'rough winter'.

No10 has delayed 'freedom day' by four weeks to July 19 but a two-week review will take place on July 5 to see if the return to normal can be moved forward.

Mr Johnson struck a pessimistic tone during a visit to a laboratory in Hertfordshire as he said 'Delta' variant cases, hospitalisations and admissions to intensive care are still rising and the country must therefore be 'cautious'. But he insisted it is 'looking good' for the rules to be lifted at the 'terminus point' of July 19 as he said the 'vaccination rollout is going gangbusters'.

However, he declined to rule out re-imposing draconian curbs later in the year as he warned 'some new horror' could emerge which 'we simply haven't budgeted for'.

Meanwhile, the PM also dashed hopes of international travel being opened up in time for summer holidays as he admitted foreign trips this year will be 'difficult'  despite ministers drawing up plans to scrap quarantine rules for returning double-jabbed Britons.

Travel experts said they fear ministers will not 'open things up very much at all until August' as the industry faces another disastrous summer. Mr Johnson said it is his priority to keep Britain 'safe' and block dangerous new Covid variants from entering the country, which means anyone looking to fly abroad in the coming months is likely to face 'hassle' and 'delays'.

The remarks appear to contradict recent comments from Cabinet ministers who have suggested the Government is actively looking to give fully vaccinated people more freedoms.

The PM said: 'I want to stress that this is going to be  whatever happens  a difficult year for travel. There will be hassle, there will be delays, I am afraid, because the priority has got to be to keep the country safe and stop the virus coming back in.'

Matt Hancock had just hours earlier raised the prospect of foreign travel rules being loosened when he confirmed that Israel-style plans to scrap isolation for fully vaccinated people returning to the UK were being considered by the Government.

The Health Secretary said ministers were 'working on' relaxing restrictions for double-jabbed adults and their children, which could see the current mandatory 10-day self-isolation from amber and red list countries replaced with daily Covid tests.

But he said Downing Street could not press ahead with the plan for 31.3million Britons just yet because they are waiting for experts to analyse data from a pilot scheme to see if 'it will be effective'.

Tory MPs, hospitality chiefs and travel bosses are all hopeful the PM will accelerate the nation's exit from lockdown.

But Mr Johnson appeared to suggest that is unlikely as he painted a grim picture of the spread of the 'Delta' variant.

Asked whether he will bring forward 'freedom day', the Prime Minister said: 'As I say, the vaccination rollout is going gangbusters and loads of people are coming forward now for their second jabs.

'Please come forward, get your second jab, and it is great that today we will have done all of JCVI one to nine, so everybody over 50 will have been offered two jabs as of today plus all care workers, all the vulnerable groups, huge numbers of people.

'I think almost 60 per cent of adults in this country have now had or been offered two jabs so we are one of the most vaccinated countries in the world.

'But look at the numbers of delta, the 'Delta' variant, it is sadly going up still, it is going up by about 30 per cent a week in cases, hospitalisations up by roughly the same amount and so sadly ICU admissions into intensive care.

'So we have got to be cautious but we will be following the data the whole time.'

Mr Johnson said it is still 'looking good' for the July 19 reopening date amid fears among some Tory MPs that the PM could again delay the lifting of the remaining curbs.

Asked to rule out further lockdowns in the future, the premier said: 'You can never exclude that there will be some new disease, some new horror that we simply haven't budgeted for, or accounted for.

'But looking at where we are, looking at the efficacy of the vaccines against all variants that we can currently see  so Alpha, Delta, the lot of them, Kappa  I think it's looking good for July 19 to be that terminus point.

'I think what the scientists are saying is that things like flu will come back this winter, we may have a rough winter for all sorts of reasons, and obviously there are big pressures on the NHS.

'All the more reason to reduce the number of Covid cases now, give the NHS the breathing space it needs to get on with dealing with all those other pressures, and we are certainly going to be putting in the investment to make sure that they can.'
A police officer who grabbed a member of the public while drunk off duty has been found guilty of assault.

PC Stephen Maskell, 44, attacked an innocent man while 'heavily intoxicated' in Harlesden, north west London, last summer.

Maskell identified himself as a police officer before grabbing the man and telling him he was detaining him for a search, despite being off duty and having no grounds to do so.

During the attack, Maskell became 'aggressive and abusive' towards the victim and another resident who had come to see what all the commotion was about.

PC Stephen Maskell, 44, identified himself as a police officer before grabbing the man and telling him he was detaining him for a search, Willesden Magistrates' Court heard. (Stock image)

Maskell was found to be 'heavily intoxicated' and was arrested by officers who attended the scene in the early hours of July 1, 2020.

He appeared at Willesden Magistrates' Court last Thursday where he was found guilty of assault by beating and using threatening, abusive, insulting words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm and distress to another person.

Superintendent Waheed Khan, North East Leadership and Support, said: 'The high standards we expect from our officers apply equally when they are off duty.

'PC Maskell's actions on this night were unacceptable.

'Misconduct proceedings will now take place following the conclusion of criminal proceedings.'

The 'discredited' serving officer, based on the North East Command Unit, which polices Waltham Forest, has now been placed on restricted police duties and a misconduct hearing will take place once he has been sentenced next month.
Vice President Kamala Harris landed a seventh job on Monday with the White House dispatching her to Pennsylvania to sell President Joe Biden's Child Tax Credit.

It's part of the administration's push to mark what they are calling Child Tax Credit Awareness Day to highlight a component of Biden's American Rescue Plan. The president himself has no public events on his schedule but the White House did post a video to its social media accounts of Biden talking about the tax credit.

Harris will take the lead on selling it, giving remarks on the Child Tax Credit in Pittsburgh, which sits in the important presidential election state of Pennsylvania, and then hosting a roundtable with union leaders and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh.

The American Rescue Plan increased the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 per child to $3,000 per child for children over the age of six and from $2,000 to $3,600 for children under the age of six, and raised the age limit from 16 to 17. Payments start July 15.

It's the latest item added to Harris' busy plate as she continues to face pressure from Republicans to visit the border.

In early June, the vice president received her fifth and sixth jobs, as the president asked her to go on a vaccine education tour and handle the administration's efforts to protect voting rights.

These tasks were assigned before her first trip abroad - to Guatemala and Mexico - as part of the most controversial part of her portfolio: dealing with the 'root' causes of migration from the Northern Triangle, which is primarily responsible for the current border crush.

Vice President Kamala Harris heads for Air Force Two in route to Pittsburgh to promote President Biden's Child Tax Credit

Vice President Harris has said she will visit the border but no date as been publicly announced

Republicans have slammed Harris repeatedly for not visiting the US-Mexico border during that trip even as the White House argued that was not her direct responsibility.

'It reminds me of that old show, 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?' She'll go everywhere except the border because she's afraid of what's going on down there, and they have no solutions,' Republican Senator Ted Cruz told 'Fox & Friends' last week.

Harris has pledged to visit but no date has been announced.

Rounding out Harris' workload are the issues of broadband and space, while she's also leading a pro-union taskforce that would take a 'whole-of-government approach to empower workers.'

THE BORDER

In late March, Biden announced he had tapped Harris to lead the effort to stem migration coming from the Northern Triangle countries - El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras - and up through Mexico.

Harris, he said, 'agreed to lead our diplomatic effort to work with those nations.'

Very quickly Harris became a target for Republicans as border crossings soared and she didn't travel to the border to see the conditions on the ground.

In mid-April, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the 'confusion' surrounding Harris' role with the migrant crisis is 'perplexing,' arguing immigration policy has never been a 'one-woman' job.

Psaki also pointed out that Biden, as vice president, had essentially played the same role during the Obama years.

Harris traveled to Guatemala and Mexico earlier this month but down played any expectations on outcomes: 'The issue of root causes is not going to be solved in two days,' she said.

She also sparked controversy on the first day of the trip when, questioned by NBC's Lester Holt on why she hadn't visited the border, she replied: 'And I haven't been to Europe. And I mean, I don't understand the point that you're making. I'm not discounting the importance of the border.'

The next day she committed to making such a visit but a date has not been publicly set.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris attend a bilateral meeting at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City on June 8

VOTING RIGHTS

Just six days out from her first international trip as vice president, Biden announced he giving Harris another responsibility: voting issues.

'I'm asking Vice President Harris to help these efforts and lead them, among her many other responsibilities,' Biden said during his speech in Tulsa, Oklahoma, marking the 100th anniversary of the city's race massacre.

'With her leadership, and your support, we're going to overcome again, I promise you. But it's going to take a hell of a lot of work,' Biden added.

Last week, Harris met with 16 fellow Democrats from the Texas state legislature who successfully blocked a bill they said would make it harder for Blacks and Hispanics to vote.

'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,' Harris said.

Additionally, as part of her work, she's working with Congress on passing nation-wide voting rights legislation.

That means Harris will be back at her old stomping grounds - the U.S. Senate - as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has already pledged to give the House-passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, a vote.

The Senate is expected to begin debate on the matter this week.

Vice President Kamala Harris hosts members of Texas State Senate and Texas House of Representatives, who in May blocked passage of legislation that would have made it significantly harder for the people of Texas to vote

VACCINE TOUR

Earlier this month the White House announced Harris would be leading a vaccine tour as the administration aims to have one shot in the arms of 70 per cent of U.S. adults by the Fourth of July holiday.

Harris will 'lead a nation-wide tour to reach millions of Americans who still need protection against the virus, to highlight the ease of getting vaccinated, encourage vaccinations, and energize and mobilize grassroots vaccine education,' the White House said.

The president was more specific about where Harris would travel and said she would be joined by additional surrogates.

'The vice president's going to lead that tour across the south and the midwest,' Biden said in remarks Wednesday afternoon. 'We still have millions of people to vaccinate. She is going to be joined by the first lady and the second gentleman and cabinet secretaries along the way.'

Harris started on a Southern swing, visiting Greenville, South Carolina, and Atlanta last week.

Vice President Kamala Harris, CEO of Walgreens Roz Brewer and Walgreens Health Supervisor Niki Pappos-Elledge greet a health worker during a tour at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination site at the YMCA of Greenville, S.C., on June 14

SPACE

Taking on the same role as the previous vice president, Mike Pence, Harris is chairing the National Space Council.

The announcement was made in early May.

'I think her approach to this is just going to be to get the job done, and use this to lead our space policy, and not really focus, perhaps as much on big displays,' one official told ABC News on how Harris would differ in the job than Pence, who made multiple trips to Florida for rocket launches.

President Joe Biden announced during his first presidential address before Congress that Vice President Kamala Harris would be leading the effort to curb the digital divide

BROADBAND

On April 21, when Biden made his first Congressional address to a joint session, the president said Harris would also be leading the effort to curb the digital divide.

Biden's aim is to expand broadband access nationwide.

'It's going to help our kids and business succeed in the 21st century economy,' he said. 'And I'm asking the vice president to lead this effort, if she would, because I know it will get done.'

Biden initially asked for $100 billion in his infrastructure plan to expand broadband. The most recent GOP counteroffer included $65 billion.

PRO-UNION TASKFORCE

Also in late April, Biden announced the formation of a pro-union taskforce that would look into ways to aid labor.

The taskforce would be chaired by Harris.

It would take a 'whole-of-government approach to empower workers,' essentially looking into what laws could be used to help workers organize.
A search has been launched for a Texas woman and her two children who went missing over a week ago while visiting her ill father in Mexico.

Gladys Perez, 39, and her children, 16-year-old Juan Gonzalez and nine-year-old Michelle Duran reportedly disappeared June 13 while driving from Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon to their home in Laredo, Texas via a highway that connects Monterrey and Nuevo Laredo.

Surveillance footage obtained by Univision shows Gonzalez stepping into the front passenger seat of his mother's 2014 yellow Chevrolet Sonic with Texas license plates NBX-4740.

Gladys Perez traveled to Sabinas Hidalgo, Mexico, with her son, Juan Gonzalez, and her daughter, Michelle Duran, to visit her father, who is ill. Her nephew, Jose Perez, told Univision and Mexico television network Televisa Monterrey that his relatives were driving back to Laredo, Texas, on June 13 via Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway and that phone calls to them went unanswered. The family filed a report with authorities in the state of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, which borders with the victims' hometown of Laredo. The FBI is involved in the investigation. The three victims are all citizens of the United States.

Gladys Perez was last seen leaving her father's home in Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, on June 13 and was driving her 2014 Chevrolet Sonic with Texas license plates NBX-4740

Gladys Perez (third from left to right) with her father (left); nine-year-old daughter Michelle Duran (second from right); oldest daughter Giromy Perez; and 16-year-old son, Juan Gonzalez

'It's really hard not knowing about them,' Gladys Perez's oldest daughter, Giromy Perez told the network. 'It hurts because they are innocent.'

Jose Perez told Univision that the family became worried after Gladys Perez, his aunt, failed to answer their phone calls an hour after she had departed her father's home in Sabinas Hidalgo.

He then tried calling Gonzalez but was unable to get through. A followup call 15 minutes later was also not picked up, prompting the family to reach out to authorities in the states of Nuevo Leon.

Jose Perez told Mexican television network Televisa Monterrey that they reached out to the FBI, who offered support to help find their missing relatives and offered them advice on 'how to avoid extortions.'

Gladys Perez, her son, Juan Gonzalez, and her daughter, Michelle Duran, have been reported missing in Mexico. Perez was accompanied by her children to visit her sick father in Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, and were driving back to their home in Laredo, Texas, on June 13 when they reportedly disappeared

Tamaulipas State Commission for the Search of Missing has been working to locate Gladys Perez, her son, Juan Gonzalez, and her daughter, Michelle Duran, since last Thursday

A spokesperson for the FBI in San Antonio declined to comment on the investigation when approached by DailyMail.com on Monday.

However the agency did release a statement encouraging members of the public to contact the FBI if a US citizen friend or relative goes missing in Mexico.

'In addition, any threatening communication received in the United States must also be reported, demanding ransom in exchange for the release of a kidnapped victim,' the FBI said. 'Concerns about missing US citizens should also be reported to the nearest US embassy or consulate.'

Gladys Perez with her daughter, Michelle Duran, and son, Juan Gonzalez. The three are American citizens and have not been seen since June 13 when they departed Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, for their home in Laredo, Texas

A spokesman for the the Attorney General's Office for the state of Tamaulipas, which borders with Laredo, Texas, confirmed to DailyMail.com that the services of state law enforcement had been requested by their Nuevo Leon counterparts.

The official said authorities are unaware in what stretch of the Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway the family disappeared from.

However, since November 2020 there have been at least 60 people reported missing while transiting along Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway in Tamaulipas.

Tamaulipas is one of five states in Mexico for which the US Department of States issued a 'do not travel warning' due to crime and kidnapping.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday morning that President Joe Biden will not support a gas tax to pay for the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.

'We need a few more details about the deal and about the proposal, including specifics about how to pay for it,' Psaki said on CBS This Morning.

Psaki was speaking about a compromise package that's supported by a group of 21 senators from both parties.

'An idea that's been floating around that certainly the president would not support is a gas tax which would raise taxes on people making less than $400,000 a year,' she continued. 'We're just not going to stand for that, and we're not going to accept that.'

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday morning that President Joe Biden would not support a gas tax

Senators continued haggling over a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, with socialist Bernie Sanders laying out red lines on tax and Republican Lindsey Graham telling President Biden a deal was there for the taking.

The wrangling illustrates just how hard it will be for President Biden to bring along progressives and conservatives in a bipartisan deal to deliver one of his biggest legislative priorities.

Sanders said he would not support using gas taxes or fees on electric vehicles which would not spread the burden fairly - while Graham challenged Biden to get on with agreeing to a deal.

Graham said he was hopeful that the bipartisan negotiation would be successful with White House backing.

'President Biden, if you want an infrastructure deal of a trillion dollars, it's there for the taking. You just need to get involved and lead,' Graham told Fox News Sunday.

His intervention illustrates the pressure on Biden as Democrats continue to weigh going it alone with an expansive $6 trillion proposal.

In the meantime, some 21 senators, including 11 Republicans, have signed up to a $1.2 trillion plan to invest in roads, bridges and other construction projects - rather than the broader infrastructure definition unveiled by Biden, that included work on climate change and spending on child care.

Sen Lindsey Graham said: 'President Biden, if you want an infrastructure deal of a trillion dollars, it's there for the taking. You just need to get involved and lead'

Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders is working on an alternative $6 trillion infrastructure proposal as both side jockey over how expansive the program should be

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk on the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, as they arrive from a weekend trip to their house in Wilmington, Del., late Sunday, June 20

That is about a quarter of Biden's original vision but the haggling over how to pay for it continues.

Graham warned Biden against jettisoning Republican support and trying to push a bigger package through the congressional process of 'reconciliation' which would avoid the filibuster.

'President Biden, you've got a party that's divided, you've got a Republican Party that's willing to meet you in the middle for a trillion dollars of infrastructure that could fundamentally change the way America does business in roads, ports, and bridges and accelerate electrical vehicles,' he said.

'You've got to decide what kind of president you are and what kind of presidency you want.'

The bipartisan plan offers a deal worth about $973 billion over five years, rising to $1.2 trillion over eight years. It includes $579 billion in new spending, funded in part by unspent COVID relief funds and a surcharge on electric cars.

As haggling continues, some Democrats are continuing to work on their own plan, intent on working climate change mitigation into any spending package.

And many Republicans are wary of any legislation they deem too broad.

At the same time Sanders, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee and who is working on the $6 trillion proposal, said he would not accept 'regressive' tax measures.

'Nobody really knows what is going to be in this bipartisan agreement, and how it is going to be paid for,' he told NBC's Meet the Press.

'So if it is roads and bridges, yeah, of course we need to do that and I support that.

'If it is regressive taxation - you know, raising the gas tax or a fee on electric vehicles, or the privatization of infrastructure - no, I wouldn't support it.'
The U.S Commerce Department said Monday it was rescinding a list of prohibited transactions with TikTok and WeChat that were issued in September as the Trump administration sought to impose severe restrictions on both Chinese-owned apps.

The withdrawals came after President Joe Biden earlier this month withdrew a series of Trump-era executive orders that sought to ban new downloads of Tencent-owned WeChat and TikTok, and ordered a Commerce Department review of security concerns posed by those apps and others.

The Commerce Department under Trump also had sought to ban other transactions that would have effectively banned WeChat's use in the United States and later sought similar restrictions that would have barred TikTok's use.

The department did not immediately comment.

The Biden order directed the Commerce Department to monitor software applications like TikTok that could affect U.S. national security, as well as to make recommendations within 120 days to protect U.S. data acquired or accessible by companies controlled by foreign adversaries.

The Commerce Department rescinded a list of prohibited transactions with TikTok and WeChat that were originally issued under the Trump administration

President Trump sought to impose severe restrictions on both Chinese-owned apps

WeChat, which has been downloaded at least 19 million times by U.S. users, is widely used as a medium for services, games and payments.

Biden's executive order revokes the WeChat and TikTok orders Trump issued in August, along with another in January that targeted eight other communications and financial technology software applications.

The January Trump order directed officials to ban transactions with eight Chinese apps, including Ant Group's Alipay and Tencent's QQ Wallet and WeChat pay. No bans have been issued to date.

The Trump administration had appealed judicial orders blocking the bans on TikTok and WeChat, but after Biden took office in January, the U.S. Justice Department asked to pause the appeals.

A separate U.S. national security review of TikTok, launched in late 2019, remains active.
A would-be bomber who tried to buy a hand grenade from an undercover detective and then claimed it was all part of his 'James Bond fantasy' has been jailed for nine years.

Mohammed Chowdhury, 24, planned to throw the explosive device at Bethnal Green police station in east London.

Chowdhury harboured a hatred of police and trawled the internet looking for grenades he could purchase.

He unwittingly approached an undercover operative known as 'Gary,' on the social media app Signal last January asking him if he had any 'merch' to sell.

Under the username 'Buyer,' Chowdhury told Gary he wanted to buy three grenades for 900 - before arranging a rendezvous at Costa Coffee on Wanstead High Street.

Mohammed Chowdhury, 24, was sentenced to nine years in prison at the Old Bailey today after trying to buy grenades from an undercover police officer

Chowdhury was convicted of attempting to possess or control an explosive substance with intent to endanger life by an Old Bailey jury earlier this year.

Passing sentence as he jailed him for nine years, Judge Philip Katz told Chowdhury: 'You intended to buy and believed you were buying a highly dangerous item.

'On the day, you appear not only nervous, but excited. In those circumstances, I am sure your decision to buy the grenade was anything but impulsive.'

Alistair Richardson, prosecuting, said: 'On 5 February last year, this defendant, Mohammed Chowdhury, tried to buy a hand grenade. He did so because he wanted to use it.

'He wanted to use it to throw at Bethnal Green Station - in fact, it seems likely, Bethnal Green Police Station.

'When he tried to buy that hand grenade, he was intending to use it to endanger lives, or cause serious damage to property.

'The only reason he did not succeed in obtaining a hand grenade was, because unbeknownst to him, the person he was trying to buy it from was an undercover officer.

'The defendant would have you believe that this was all part of a James Bond fantasy. Where is independent the evidence for that?

'Instead what you have time and time again is an interest in weapons and explosives, evidence entirely in keeping with those notes on his phone.

'Be it references to his interest in the velocity in grenades or be it the recitation of these events, endangering life or causing serious damage to property, during evidence.

'You know that he is someone who is willing to lie, willing to deceive in an attempt to save his own skin.'

A jury convicted Chowdhury of attempting to possess or control an explosive substance with intent contrary of the Criminal Attempts Act.

He showed no emotion as the verdict was announced.

Chowdhury had admitted four counts of possessing material likely to be of use to a terrorist before the trial.

Chowdhury is said to have wanted to target Bethnal Green Police Station (above) with the explosive devices had he been successful in buying them

Chowdhury had messaged the officer on Signal saying: 'I'm interested in three grenades' before following up with: 'Hi I'm interested in the merch can you tell me when you deliver.'

When Gary responded asking what type he wanted, 'Buyer' simply responded: 'Grenades.'

On February 5 the officer watched Chowdhury stroll into Costa before becoming 'flustered' when he introduced himself to set up the exchange, jurors heard.

After telling Gary he could only afford one grenade instead and needed to withdraw money first, Chowdhury arranged to meet him later in a retail park in Leyton.

When he approached the officer again outside B&Q, Chowdhury said he wanted the weapon 'just to play around with it' and throw it somewhere in his neighbourhood, the court heard.

Mr Richardson said: 'Gary saw a man walk in to Costa Coffee. Gary then received a message from Buyer saying 'I'm here'.

'Gary was seated in a corner of the shop behind the counter and made eye contact with the man who had just walked in and nodded, and the man joined him. As you know, the man was this defendant.

'Gary asked to see the messages they had exchanged on the defendant's mobile telephone and wanted him to confirm the platform he had used to communicate.

'The defendant showed Gary the messages on his phone and confirmed that they had been communicating via Signal.

'Gary recognised the messages as the ones between him and Buyer, and saw his Signal ID 'Gz' attached to the messages.

'Mr Chowdhury seemed flustered to Gary. He had been going through his pockets trying to find his phone.'

Detailing the alleged conversation between the pair in the retail park, Mr Richardson said: 'The defendant said to Gary that he had never done anything like this before.

'Gary called another man and arranged for him to bring a grenade over from his car which was parked very close by and place it in his boot.

'This other man, known as 'D' was in fact another undercover police officer.

'Gary watched this take place and then he and the defendant got out and went to the boot. Gary put on a pair of gloves and showed the defendant the grenade.

'The defendant appeared to be excited. Gary confirmed that the defendant wanted the grenade and told him to be careful when he handled it.

'Gary directed him to the nearby parked car in which 'D' was waiting and told him to give 'D' the money.

'Gary closed the boot and watched the defendant get into the other car with 'D'.

'Before he did this, the defendant had told Gary that he was going to throw the grenade in his yard, i.e. the area in which he lives and just play around with it.

'Gary asked him if he knew how to handle a grenade and the defendant replied, "Yeah, take it and like 30 seconds and then you chuck it or something like that".'

Armed police swooped in to arrest Chowdhury as soon as he handed over a transparent bag of cash to 'D' inside his car, jurors heard.

Chowdhury, of no fixed address, denied but was convicted of attempting to possess or control an explosive substance with intent contrary of the Criminal Attempts Act.

He was given an extended sentence totalling 14 years - meaning he will serve at least nine years in custody then serve a period of five years on licence.
A secret push by China to have Australia's Great Barrier Reef declared 'in danger' could cripple the Far North's multi-billion dollar tourist economy and affect over 64,000 local jobs.

Beijing has been plotting with a China-chaired United Nations committee to have the environmental health status of the world-renowned coral reef downgraded, in a blatant effort to bypass the normal channels of the World Heritage Committee.

This has happened without proper scientific scrutiny or consolation, it is claimed, with any downgrading likely to threaten tourism and jobs.

The ploy took Australian government officials by surprise, who first learned about the clandestine scheme on Friday, The Australian reported.

An unscrutinised push by China to have Australia's Great Barrier Reef (pictured) declared 'in danger' could cripple the Far North's multi-billion dollar visitor economy

Beijing has been plotting with a China-chaired United Nations committee to have the environmental health status of the world-renowned coral reef downgraded, in a blatant effort to bypass the normal channels of the World Heritage Committee

The man at the centre of China's latest efforts to economically punish Australia after the Morrison government called for an independent inquiry into the origin of the Covid pandemic in April last year, is China's Vice-Minister for Education Tian Xuejun.

Mr Tian is the chairman of UNESCO - the global body which oversees the 21-nation World Heritage Committee of which Australia is a member.

The organisation's role is to safeguard important natural and manmade sites around the world.

But Beijing is known for stacking UN committees with Communist Party loyalists who carry out the authoritarian state's bidding.

For over a year China has been locked in an ongoing campaign of economic coercion against Australia, slapping key exports with over $20billion worth of arbitrary bans and tariffs.

Among the sectors under attack are wine, barley, coal, seafood, copper, timber and cotton.

The man at the centre of China's latest efforts to economically punish Australia after the Morrison government called for an independent inquiry into the origin of the Covid pandemic in April last year, is China's Vice-Minister for Education Tian Xuejun (pictured)

For over a year China has been locked in an ongoing campaign of economic coercion against Australia, slapping key exports with over $20billion worth of arbitrary bans and tariffs. Pictured: People's Liberation Army troops

Beijing officials have even warned Chinese students against travelling to Australia, labelling it a 'racist' country.

It now appears Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef will be the next in the firing line.

The decision on the reef is expected to be presented at the 44th meeting of the World Heritage Committee in China on July 16 as the committee seek ratification.

To add insult, China itself is currently destroying reefs in the South China Sea as it builds artificial military islands.

The world's largest coral reef, which sits off the Queensland coast and stretches for 350,000sq/km, is worth about $6.4billion a year to the Australian economy with about 64,000 jobs reliant on the reef.

The push to have the reef downgraded comes as Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government faces criticism over its climate change policy.

Beijing is known for stacking UN committees with Communist Party loyalists who carry out the authoritarian state's bidding (pictured, Chinese soldiers at a training centre in Russia)

The world's largest coral reef sits off the Queensland coast and stretches for 350,000sq/km. It is worth about $6.4bn a year to the Australian economy with about 64,000 jobs reliant on it

The last time World Heritage Committee scientists travelled to the the reef was in 2012, and in 2015 an 'in danger' downgrade was flagged.

The reef has lost about half of its corals from 1995 to 2017, with mass bleaching events taking place in 2016 and 2017, according to a marine scientists at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in Queensland.

To combat the destruction of the reef caused by warming ocean temperatures, the federal and Queensland governments have pledged $3billion as part of their Reef 2050 Plan.

'Australia is widely acknowledged as an international leader in reef management,' a spokesman for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said.

'In recent years, Australia has doubled the size of its field management program on the reef, is pioneering a world-leading climate adaptation and reef resilience program, and is working in partnership with the science community, industry, government agencies and traditional owners.'

The Great Barrier Reef is worth $6.4billion in tourism revenue and supports 64,000 jobs (pictured, a tourist enjoys the view at Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays)
Donald Trump considered quarantining Americans infected with COVID on Guantanamo Bay when the pandemic first started to take hold, a new book claims. Trump is pictured in February, 2020

Donald Trump considered quarantining Americans infected with COVID on Guantanamo Bay when the pandemic first started to take hold in February 2020, a new book claims.

'Don't we have an island that we own? What about Guantanamo?' the president asked when White Officials debated where to send US citizens who had the virus in February 2020, according to Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta in Nightmare Scenarios: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History.'

'We import goods,' Trump told his staff in the Situation Room. 'We are not going to import a virus.'

Trump then brought up the idea a second time, forcing aides to quash the plan fearing a backlash over putting members of the public on the same island as terrorism suspects, according to an excerpt published in the Washington Post.

The book details the workings inside the White House before infections began spreading rapidly across the country at the end of February and start of March 2020 and is based off interviews with 180 people.

It also details how Trump allegedly fumed at US infections doubling from 14 to 28 when infected Americans were evacuated from the Diamond Princess and returned home and his anger over the CDC taking over testing.

'Testing is killing me!' Trump reportedly shouted in a March 18 phone call to then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.

'I'm going to lose the election because of testing! What idiot had the federal government do testing?' the president added.

'Don't we have an island that we own? What about Guantanamo?' the president asked in the Situation Room in February 2020, according to Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta in Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History. Guantanamo Bay detainees are pictured in a yard in August 2009

Trump frequently stated during the pandemic that the number of infections in the US were so high because the rate of testing was higher than anywhere else in the world.

'Uh, do you mean Jared?, Azar responded according to Abutaleb and Paletta.

The phone call came five days after Trump's son-in-law Kushner took over management of national testing with the help of the private sector.

'This was gross incompetence to let CDC develop a test,' Trump told Azar in the heated phone call.

Kushner, according to the book, also called Robert Kadlec, the HHS emergency preparedness chief, a 'f***ing moron' when he found out an order of 600 million masks would not arrive in the US until June.

'Well all be dead by June,' Kushner said.

Mark Meadows also attacked Kadlec when the government was slow in handing out the antiviral treatment remdesivir after it was approved by the FDA.

'Im going to fire your a** if you cant fix this!' Meadows said in a phone call to Kadlec.

The book details the workings inside the White House before infections spread across the country and is based off interviews with 180 people

According to the book, Trump's comments on the call were so loud that Azar's aides could hear him.

Trump also reportedly told his aides to fire a senior State Department official who allowed 14 Americans infected with COVID to get off the Diamond Princess on US soil.

The Americans were among the hundreds of people evacuated from the quarantined cruise ship in Yokohama on February 17, 2020.

They were taken off the vessel and repatriated back to the US on two chartered flights that landed at Travis Air Force Base, California, and Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

The State Department deemed that all the infected passengers were asymptomatic and cleared to fly.

Trump complained to Azar that it 'doubled his infections overnight', with the total number of cases in the US rising to 28.

Abutaleb and Paletta write that the aides balked at the idea and instead said that bringing back the sick Americans meant it saved their lives.

Trump also called for firing Kadlec after he signed off on the Diamond Princess evacuation.

Later on in the response he pushed to oust Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn because he refused to speed up vaccine approvals before the election.

The officials Trump wanted to fire managed to survive the administration.

Dr Anthony Fauci, who had a contested relationship with Trump, also stayed in his position even though staff looked to Kushner and other economic advisors when deciding on the response, the book claims.

'That was what the response had turned into: a toxic environment in which no matter where you turned, someone was ready to rip your head off or threatening to fire you,' Abutaleb and Paletta write.

Their book also lays out the tensions in the White House when Mike Pence was chosen to head up the COVID response, essentially replacing Azar.

Pence's chief of staff Marc Schort criticized Trump for extending a a 'pause' on the economy through Easter 2020 and said it was a 'gift' to Democratic governors.

Short also slammed the plan to send free masks to every American household, with some officials comparing them to 'underwear on your face' and a 'training bra'.

Trump also reportedly told his aides to fire a senior State Department official who allowed 14 Americans infected with COVID on the Diamond Princess. He complained to Azar that it 'doubled his infections overnight', with the total number of cases in the US rising to 28. The Diamond Princess is pictured in Japan in February 2020
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Two brothers claim they have set the new record for walking the longest highline at Yosemite National Park.

Moises and Daniel Monterrubio, both from San Francisco, earlier this month with a group of friends spent six days stringing a single long line from Taft Point all the way west past a chain of gulleys plunging over 1,600 feet, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The line itself was over 2,800 feet long.

'It was pretty intense and dangerous. But we made it happen,' Monterrubio told the Chronicle.

Daniel and Moises Monterrubio had been planning on setting the record for the longest highline at Yosemite National Park for over a year and accomplished the feat with the help of dozens of friends and fellow highliners

Daniel Monterrubio stands in the middle of the longest highline set by he and his brother at Yosemite National Park after he was the first to make his way across on June 10

The Monterrubio brothers had been aspiring to set the new record over the past year. The two have been training to become rope-access technicians.

Highlining as a sport has gained popularity over the past decade and made its way into the mainstream with gear brands, sponsorships and even athletes. How it's defined is high-altitude slacklining, where a webbing is strung between two points to act as a balance beam to be walked across.

The longest highline walked in Yosemite - 954 feet - before the Monterrubio brothers set their sites on the record extended from Taft Point all the way to anchor east.

The one that they set? Almost three times that length.

Once they finally had their anchors set to go between a two boulders and and an old tree trunk, the two brothers received permission from park officials to advance.

Daniel Monterubbio stands in the middle of the highline after he and his brother Moises set the record for the longest highline at Yosemite National Park

Moises Monterubbio poses while on the highline he walked across at Yosemite National Park

Ryan Jenks (pictured) was one of the people who helped the Monterrubio brothers set the record for the highline at Yosemite National Park

Jimmy Breiz walks his way across the highline at Yosemite National Park after the Monterubbio brothers set the record for the highest highline at Yosemite National Park

The morning of June 10 with the sun setting off in the distance, the line was ready and the brothers made their voyage across.

23-year-old Daniel was the first to go and fell three to four times before he eventually made it to the end. Moises would also end up falling, only he did it twice before making it past.

An elated Moises revealed the most rewarding part of the journey, was seeing 'all my friends at the anchor excited about just having it done'.

After the brothers' friends took turns walking the line over a four-day span, Moises and his mentor, Eugen Cepoi walked the entire line for 37 minutes without falling.
Sydney's restrictions are likely to be extended amid the city's burgeoning number of Covid exposure sites, after several people became infected with the Indian Delta variant through momentary contact, Gladys Berejiklian has warned.

Mandatory mask rules were enforced for five days on Sunday as the number of cases swelled into double digits for the first time in months, peaking at 11 related to the Bondi cluster on Monday.

Major Sydney bus routes, busy CBD businesses and an entire office building have been added to the growing list of exposure sites, prompting the New South Wales premier to say it is likely the restrictions will be extended.

This is because several of the cases are believed to have caught the virus through 'fleeting' contact with an infected person in places including shopping centres and cafes, prompting health experts to fear it may have spread even further.

'In all likelihood  the existing settings we have in place are likely to continue beyond the initial five days,' Ms Berejiklian said.

A commuter is seen entering Wynyard Station (pictured) with mandatory mask restrictions now likely to be extended beyond Thursday

Passengers wear face masks inside a Sydney Train service at Wynyard station in Sydney CBD (pictured) with the city subject to a growing Covid exposure list

If the rules are extended, people in Randwick, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West, City of Sydney, Waverley and Woollahra will be forced to wear masks inside public spaces after Thursday, when they were initially supposed to expire.

The premier said that the transmission in Sydney's Bondi cluster had been 'fleeting' and that people leaving their homes should assume anyone in close proximity to them has the virus.

Chief health officer Kerry Chant said authorities are at a 'critical' point in controlling the outbreak after a case of the virus spread between two people who passed each other for a moment at Bondi Junction.

Anyone who visited Bondi Junction shopping centre on June 12-13, even in the car park, has been urged to get a test.

Similarly fleeting contact is also understood to have caused an infection at a Vaucluse cafe.

Meanwhile, an extra 50,000 Pfizer vaccines will be delivered to NSW over the next three weeks to curtail the growing number of infections.

Ms Berejiklian promised to ask the Commonwealth to up its supply of jabs to NSW.

Women are seen in face masks on Sydney's George Street, with exposure sites now spread across the city

Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) has warned the restrictions are likely to be extended - meaning mandatory face masks will remain

Covid-19 taskforce commander Lieutenant-General John Frewen said state leaders did not make any specific requests for more vaccines at Monday's national cabinet meeting, despite reports that they were going to ask for more Pfizer doses.

He also said 98 per cent of Australians who are due for their second doses of Pfizer or Astra Zeneca have turned up for their appointments.

Health authorities fear those who attended the Fresh Nails salon at Westfield Bondi Junction on Friday June 18 from 9:30am  7pm may have been exposed to the virus after it too was visited by a positive Covid case.

NSW Health announced on Monday night that anyone who attended the salon during the specified times is considered a close contact must immediately get tested and self isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.

Late-night alerts were also issued for Chemist Warehouse, at 383 George St Sydney, on Tuesday June 15 from 1:45pm  2:15pm, and at the ANZ Branch on the Corner of York and Market Street on Wednesday June 16 from 8:30am  4:30pm.

An extra 50,000 Pfizer vaccines will be delivered to NSW over the next three weeks to curtail the growing number of infections (pictured, testing in Bondi)

A Chemist Warehouse at 383 George St in Sydney (pictured) has also been declared a Covid exposure site

Anyone who visited these venues must immediately get tested and self isolate until they receive a negative result.

Earlier on Monday state health authorities issued an alert for passengers who travelled on eight bus routes which travelled around the city's CBD, northwest, and western suburbs.

A positive case travelled on the 6I4X bus route from Baulkham Hills to Sydney, from Gooden Drive to Stand J, Wynyard Station, at York Street, on June 15, between 8.40am - to 9.23am.

The person then returned to Baulkham Hills on the same bus route later that day, boarding from Clarence Street at 5.44pm and arriving at Gooden Drive at 6.29pm.

Anyone who travelled on the two 614X bus routes are considered close contacts and must immediately contact NSW Health, get tested, and isolate for 14 days, regardless of their result.

An ANZ bank on the corner of York and Market Street in Sydney (pictured) was also declared to be a Covid exposure site after being visited by an infected case

Anyone who travelled on the Northmead to Parramatta 600 bus route on the mornings of Wednesday June 9 and Thursday, June 10; the Parramatta to Winston Hills 600 bus on Thursday June 10 or Haymarket to Newtown 428 buses on Tuesday June 15 are considered casual contacts.

Anyone who travelled on the above bus routes must immediately get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received.

Those who were at the Ashfield office block, 2-4 Holden Street, on Friday June 18 between 6pm7.30pm, should monitor for symptoms and, if they appear, self-isolate until a negative result is received.

New South Wales recorded two new local cases of Covid-19 overnight, with another two cases to be included in Tuesday's official figures.

A positive case travelled on the 6I4X bus route from Baulkham Hills to Sydney, from Gooden Drive to Stand J, Wynyard Station, at York Street, on June 15, between 8.40am - to 9.23am (pictured, unrelated commuters on a Sydney bus)

NSW health authorities issued an alert on Monday for passengers who travelled on eight bus routes which travelled around the city's CBD, northwest, and western suburbs.

Two of the cases are a man in his 50s from Sutherland Shire and a woman in her 50s from Sydney's south, with both being close contacts of a previously recorded case and already in isolation.

Another of the local cases is a woman in her 50s from Sydney's northern suburbs who is a close contact of a previously reported case and in isolation.

The other is a man in his 30s - who is also self-isolating - from the eastern suburbs, and also a close contact of a known case.

Ms Berejiklian tightened restrictions in NSW last weekend when she enforced mask use on public transport and inside public spaces in Randwick, Bayside, Canada Bay, Inner West, City of Sydney, Waverley and Woollahra.

She said the 'next few days are critical' and urged residents 'not to be complacent'.

'If cases continue to emerge, we will need to go further,' the Premier said.
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This is the moment baton-wielding cops were surrounded by an angry mob and accused of being 'racists' after they tackled a young black man to the ground in Vancouver.

Footage shows an angry mob hurling abuse at three police officers as they struggled to detain the suspect who screamed at them and angrily lashed out at English Bay on Friday evening.

Bystanders yelled, 'racist motherf***ers,' accused them of being 'f***ing racists,' and asked the cops why they hadn't apprehended a white suspect instead  although it's not clear to whom they were referring.

Vancouver Police said their officers were trying to disperse a crowd when an 'aggressor' refused to leave and exhibited 'assaultive behavior towards police and the public.'

They said the unnamed black man, who is in his 20s, was making others feel 'unsafe' and left officers with injuries, including one who was sent to hospital.

Footage shows a crowd hurling abuse at three police officers as they struggle to detain the suspect who screams at them and angrily lashes out at English Bay on Friday evening (pictured: the officers pin the suspect down, left, as dozens of people gather around the cops, right)

A third police officer arrives to help bring the suspect down, left, and the police officers fall to the ground with the suspect, right

Video shot by a witness captures the dispute from the moment that two officers have already taken hold of the suspect.

A young man and a young woman are already filming with their phones at that stage and hurling abuse at the officers, claiming they are racist.

The suspect is seen trying to wrestle the two police officers, a man and a woman, off of him, while the young man filming up close also gets involved.

The suspect shouts abuse at the officers and tries to fight free of their grip.

The officers draw their batons and yell at the growing crowd around them to get back.

A third policeman rushes to help them hold onto the suspect as the young man filming up close, who is white, also gets involved in the altercation.

One of the officers rips this man's phone from his hands and throws it away. The young man responds by drawing his fist back as if to punch the officer before another bystander pulls him away.

The tussle with the suspect continues to deteriorate and the police force him to the ground, falling onto his back and pinning him down.

At this point, the crowd become increasingly agitated, shouting obscenities at the cops and calling them racist.

A witness told CTV that the man being detained was not an aggressor and had been trying to break up a fight.

'He broke up the fight, he didn't do anything wrong and they're over here arresting him and doing nothing to the white guy and it's really messed up,' Saina Rezaei told CTV.

She claimed that the police were racist because they had not done anything about the white man who was also involved in the fight.

'They don't treat people equally, they're being racist for no reason,' she said.

Police denied they were racist.

Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Const. Steve Addison told CTV: 'What happened last night was the direct result of this man's assaultive behavior towards police and the public. It had nothing to do with race, and it is irresponsible to suggest otherwise.'

Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Const. Steve Addison told CTV: 'What happened last night was the direct result of this man's assaultive behavior towards police and the public. It had nothing to do with race, and it is irresponsible to suggest otherwise.' (pictured: the man struggles as the police detain him, left, and a third police officer arrives to help his colleagues, right)

'He became hostile, began causing a disturbance, assaulted at least one of our officers, and resisted arrest,' Addison added.

Local resident Susan Cunningham who shot video of the arrest said she thinks the police did well under circumstances.

'It was a very tense situation,' she told CTV, referencing how the crowd had been screaming at the officers.

'I was actually worried about this crowd becoming more of a mob and worried about the safety of everyone involved because it seemed like this was ready to ignite,' she said. 'Just an unruly situation and I think police did their very best to restrain things.'

Eventually other officers arrived on the scene to help deal with the crowd while the suspect was taken into custody.

Addison said he faces multiple charges.

Police also handcuffed several more people at the scene who were later released and asked to leave the area.

The initial altercation that sparked the arrest remains under investigation.

Police said that two of their officers suffered 'cuts and bruises,' while the third who was sent to hospital is expected to make a full recovery.
Horrifying video captured the moment a waitress was abducted and assaulted after she chased after five suspects who skipped out on their $70 bill.

The incident unfolded around 11.15pm Saturday at a Nifty Fifty's restaurant in Turnersville, New Jersey, when three men and two women walked out of the business without paying.

Surveillance video showed the 20-year-old waitress - who has not been named - running after the group before they pulled her into their white Dodge Durango.

One of the suspects was seen running away as the others drove off with the victim inside their vehicle.

Police released the video in a statement asking for the public's help in identifying the five suspects who remain at large as of Monday morning.

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Horrifying video captured the moment a waitress was abducted and assaulted after she chased after five suspects who skipped out on their $70 bill at the Nifty Fifty's restaurant in Turnersville, New Jersey, on Saturday night

The incident unfolded around 11.15pm Saturday when three men and two women walked out of the business without paying

The suspects pulled the waitress inside the white Dodge Durango above, where they assaulted her, police said

'The vehicle headed north on Route 42, made a U-turn and was heading south towards Monroe Township, and pushed her out of the vehicle,' Washington Township Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik said.

The unidentified victim was then able to run back to the restaurant and call police because she didn't have their cell phone on her.

She was taken to a local hospital where she was treated for bruises to her head, face, neck and a possible concussion. Gurcsik said the waitress was traumatized.

'As an employee, that makes me feel bad. And mad,' John Hill told Action News.

'Oh, this is crazy. This is a family restaurant,' said Stacie Garris-Oliver of Lindenwold, New Jersey, who dines regularly at Nifty Fifty's.

Two of the suspects wanted in connection with the kidnapping are pictured above

One of the women wanted in connection with the kidnapping is pictured above

The suspects were last seen on Route 42 south near Monroe Township.

'Do not chase after accused suspects and confront them yourselves,' said Gurcsik.

Instead, employees are encouraged to take down would-be suspects' information such as their vehicle's plate number and any other details they can.

Washington Township Police did not immediately return DailyMail.com's request for comment on Monday morning.

Anyone with information about the suspects was urged to call police at 856-589-0330 ext 1160 or email tips to Det. M. Longfellow at mdlongfellow@pd.twp.washington.ny.us.

The Nifty Fifty's restaurant where the kidnapping unfolded is pictured above

Washington Township Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik encouraged employees not to run after suspects and confront them
Israel has used an airborne laser to shoot down drones in a series of tests, officials said Monday, calling it a 'milestone' for its already powerful defence systems.

During the tests, a prototype of the high-power laser system carried on a small civilian plane 'successfully intercepted several [drones]', said Yaniv Rotem, head of the defence ministry's research and development unit.

The system could down any flying object, including 'drones, mortars, rockets, ballistic missiles,' Rotem said, adding they hoped to have a working prototype in 'three to four years'.

It means that, at least in theory, the laser system could be used as part of Israel's Iron Dome system which is effective but expensive to use.

Israel says it has used a laser mounted on an aircraft to shoot down drones at a distance of 3ft, but hope the weapon can be upgraded to fire over a distance of 12 miles

Footage released by the Israeli MoD shows the laser burning holes in drones which then crash to the ground during tests 'in the last week'

A video released by the Israelis showed the laser system on the back of the small plane, directing a beam of energy towards a test drone, apparently burning a hole and setting it on fire.

The tests saw the airborne lasers intercept drones from a range of 3ft, but once operational, developers claimed it could reach targets as far as 12 miles away.

The laser, Rotem said, uses existing Israeli aerial defence technologies to track and lock its target, before firing a 100-kilowatt laser beam, Rotem told reporters.

Oren Sabag, head of Elbit Systems which was working with the Israeli defence ministry on the lasers, called the recent successful trials 'a significant milestone' in the product's development.

Israel's defence establishment was in parallel developing a ground-based laser defence system for aerial threats.

But an airborne system had the advantage of being able to operate at a high altitude and above clouds, which could impair the operation of a ground-based laser.

A drone smokes as it drops into the ocean after being shot by a laser weapon that the Israeli MoD has been testing

The civilian plane used during testing takes off from an airfield in Israel

Recent tests downed drones flying at an altitude of 3,000ft.

The electricity-powered lasers provide a significantly cheaper solution to complement Israel's existing air defences.

The lasers would be used alongside Israel's short-range Iron Dome system, as well as its medium-range David's Sling system, and the Arrow, Israel's highest-altitude missile interception system.

Israel's army, its latest conflict with Hamas in Gaza last month, said 4,300 projectiles were fired by Palestinian militants towards the Jewish state, with the Iron Dome defence system intercepting 90 percent of those headed for populated areas.

Each Iron Dome missile costs tens of thousands of dollars.

'The laser system will add a new layer of protection at greater ranges and in facing a variety of threats - securing the State of Israel while saving the costs of interception,' Defence Minister Benny Gantz said in a statement.
Sotheby's has announced it will accept cryptocurrencies as payment for a rare 101.38-carat diamond that is expected to fetch up to $15million at auction next month.

The auction house on Monday said its sale will mark the first time a diamond of such size has been offered for public purchase with cryptocurrency. No other physical object of such high value has previously been available for sale with cryptocurrency, it said.

The pear-shaped diamond, dubbed The Key 10138, is one of just ten diamonds of more than 100 carats ever to come to auction, only two of which were pear-shaped.

It carries a pre-sale estimate of $10million - $15million and will be sold on July 9 in Hong Kong. Bitcoin or Ethereum, along with traditional money, will be accepted as payment.

Sotheby's Auction House will be marking another Bitcoin milestone next month, as it is the first time a diamond of such size has been offered for public purchase with cryptocurrency

Sotheby's said that the past year has seen strong demand for white diamonds, jewels and other luxury items, particularly from younger people, including those in Asia

'This is a truly symbolic moment. The most ancient and emblematic denominator of value can now, for the first time, be purchased using humanitys newest universal currency,' Patti Wong, chairman of Sotheby's Asia, said in a statement.

The famed art and luxury items broker had previously tested using cryptocurrency during a recent NFT online auction earlier this month.

The move marks another milestone for Bitcoin and similar cryptocurrencies despite a volatile year, with the marketplace continuing to experience explosive growth and major tumbles.

In the United States, the National Republican Congressional Committee last week said it will accept donations in cryptocurrency. El Salvador this month became the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender.

Earlier this month, Bitcoin prices soared over $40k after an endorsement from billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones.

Sotheby's said its sale will mark the first time a diamond of such size has been offered for public purchase with cryptocurrency (file photo)

'I like bitcoin as a portfolio diversifier. Everybody asks me what should I do with my bitcoin? The only thing I know for certain, I want five percent in gold, five percent in bitcoin, five percent in cash, five percent in commodities,' Jones told CNBCs 'Squawk Box' earlier this month.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who had previously experimented with Bitcoin payments for the brand's electric cars, has had quite the influence over the cryptocurrency market recently as well.

Musk had halted the use of Bitcoin as a payment method in May after revealing his concerns over the climate impact of cryptocurrency mining, causing hundreds of billions of dollars to be erased from the crypto marketplace, according to a CNBC report.

As of Monday, Bitcoin prices had dropped below $35,000 as China intensifies its crackdown on crypto mining.

The world's biggest cryptocurrency has lost over 20 percent in the last six days alone and is down by half from its April peak of almost $65,000. However, it has still gained over 10 percent this year.

The diamond carries a pre-sale estimate of $10 million - $15 million and will be sold on July 9 in Hong Kong, according to Sotheby's

But new developments such as Sotheby's use of cryptocurrency for its luxury item auctions could help to stabilize an otherwise volatile marketplace.

In May, Sotheby's sold a Banksy for $12.9million in the first instance of a work of physical art sold by a major auction house that was bought with cryptocurrency.

Sotheby's said that the past year has seen strong demand for white diamonds, jewels and other luxury items, particularly from younger people, including those in Asia.

The name of the colorless diamond - Key 10138 - is intended to reflect the integral role that keys occupy in the world of cryptocurrencies.

Pear-shaped diamonds are among the most sought after. The 530 carat Cullinan 1 diamond, which forms part of Britain's Crown Jewels, is the most famous example.

The top price paid for a colorless diamond at auction was a 118.28 carat oval that went for $30.8million at Sotheby's in Hong Kong in 2013, with a record price per carat of $260,252.
Gemstones that sparked a diamond rush in South Africa last week have turned out to be just quartz, preliminary findings show.

Thousands from across the country flocked to a hillside in KwaZulu-Natal province to dig for mysterious stones first unearthed by a cattle herder and believed to be diamonds.

The rush prompted the government to send geoscientists and mining experts to collect samples for testing.

People travelled from across the country last week to join villagers in KwaHlathi in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province digging for stones, which turned out to be quartz

Locals dug for days after a herd man found the first stone in an open field and put out the word

More than 1,000 fortune seekers flocked to the South African village in search of what they believed to be diamonds

The results quashed the dreams of diggers hoping to come up with a fortune.

'The tests conducted conclusively revealed that the stones discovered in the area are not diamonds,' a local government statement said.

'In fact, what has been discovered are quartz crystals,' it said, noting that the potential value of the stones would be 'very low' compared to diamonds.

Before the report, some people had already started selling the stones, with the starting price ranging from 100 rand (5.15) to 300 rand (15.46).

Quartz, the second most abundant mineral in the earth's crust, is inexpensive and diggers would be unlikely to make much money from their finds, unlike diamonds which could have fetched thousands.

Before the report, some people had already started selling the stones, with the starting price ranging from 100 rand (5.15) to 300 rand (15.46)

The rush prompted the government to send geoscientists and mining experts to collect samples for testing

Quartz crystals were common across a sedimentary basin known as the Karoo Supergroup, which stretches over the site

The report said the site - 190 miles southeast of Johannesburg - sat near a sill of volcanic rock named dolerite 'which is not in a zone where diamond occurences are present'.

It added that quartz crystals were common across a sedimentary basin known as the Karoo Supergroup, which stretches over the site, and particularly abundant along dolerite sill.

The prospect of finding a diamond had sent ripples of hope across one of South Africa's poorest regions and beyond.

The diamond rush 'highlighted the socio-economic challenges confronting people in the area'

The country, renowned for its mineral wealth, has struggled with decades of spiralling unemployment

The country, renowned for its mineral wealth, has struggled with decades of spiralling unemployment worsened by the coronavirus pandemic.

The diamond rush 'highlighted the socio-economic challenges confronting people in the area', the statement said.

Local officials have vowed to respond to issues raised by the community during their visit, particularly around road quality and water access.

The government has meanwhile reiterated calls for people to vacate the area, citing coronavirus risks and environmental degradation.
Amal Clooney has secured justice for a Yazidi woman who was raped from the age of 14 after being enslaved by ISIS in Syria.

Clooney was representing the woman as one of three victims of an ISIS bride named only as Sarah O, who was jailed for six-and-a-half years in Dusseldorf on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old, who holds Algerian nationality, travelled to Syria as a teenager in 2013 where she married a German-Turkish national named only as Ismail S., who remains at large.

From 2015, the couple started enslaving Yazidi women and girls who were kidnapped by marauding ISIS fighters and sold throughout the 'caliphate.'

The Yazidi ethnic group, who are mostly based in Iraq, faced genocidal persecution by Islamic State which claims they are a race of 'devil worshippers.'

Amal Clooney is pictured at the United Nations Security Council during a meeting about sexual violence in conflict in New York in April, 2019

Over two years, Sarah O. and Ismail S. enslaved seven Yazidi women, some of whom were sold onto others, while another, a 14-year-old girl, died in captivity.

Sarah O. beat the prisoners and helped her husband sexually abuse at least two of the victims, helping to 'prepare them' for rape.

She also forced the Yazidis to carry out slave labour at her house.

The couple were arrested in Turkey in February 2018. After seven months in custody, Sarah O. was deported to Germany and her trial began in October 2019.

The proceedings were closed to the public because she was a teenager when some of the events took place. In accordance with German law, her full name has not been released either.

The victim represented by Clooney, along with her German colleagues, Natalie von Wistinghausen and Sonka Mehner, was present in Dusseldorf on Wednesday when judges announced the verdict.

Following the judgment, the victim said: 'No conviction can make up for our suffering, but I am immensely grateful to the German Federal Prosecutors and the German court for investigating and shedding light on the crimes committed against the Yazidis and I hope that many more countries will follow this good example.'

Sarah O. was convicted of membership in a foreign terrorist organisation, assault, deprivation of liberty, aiding and abetting rape, enslavement and religious and gender-based persecution as crimes against humanity.

Clooney's German colleague Sonka Mehner said: 'Thanks to the victims, the full extent of the defendant's criminal conduct could be established.'

George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney attend the 'Money Monster' premiere during the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival in 2016

The other German attorney representing the Yazidi woman, Natalie von Wistinghausen, added that 'for the first time ever, a court handed down a conviction for religious and gender-based persecution and this recognition is of utmost importance for our client and for all Yazidi women, for their religious community as a whole, as well as for other victims of gender-based violence.'

Clooney, the 43-year-old wife of Hollywood actor George, is a barrister who specialises in international criminal and human rights law.

She was called to the London Bar in 2010 after being called in New York in 2002.

Fluent in French and Arabic, she has worked in The Hague including at the International Court of Justice.

In addition to her legal work, she served as a senior adviser to Kofi Annan when he was the UN's Envoy on Syria.
Shanetta Little describes her bizarre encounter with the group

A new homeowner got more than she bargained for when a group of men broke into her newly-purchased New Jersey home and claimed the property as their 'ancestral home'.

In a TikTok video that has garnered over 325,000 views, Shanetta Little, 37, or @regblackgrl, describes her bizarre encounter with the extremist group known as Moorish Sovereign Citizens, in a 49-part 'story time' explanation which ended with a SWAT team being called in.

Moorish Sovereign Citizens has been labeled an extremist group of squatters who do not recognize the authority of the United States government or its laws.

In the video, Little explains the men broke into her Newark home while she wasn't there on June 18, sawed off the locks, and changed them.

She noticed the break-in when she arrived at her home one afternoon to have the gas lines fixed and discovered her keys didn't work.

Little, who works as an operations specialist, explained she had been living in a separate apartment while renovations on her new home were being made.

'I'm stumbling with the locks, feeling like an idiot and I slowly realize this isn't even my doorknob anymore because my house had an original, vintage doorknob,' Little told DailyMail.com.

She says she immediately called her contractor to see if she had changed the locks when she was last there. When Little discovered her contractor wasn't the one who switched out the locks, her anxiety kicked in.

She noticed the break-in when she arrived at her home one afternoon to have the gas lines fixed and discovered her keys didn't work

'I called the police and dismissed the gas company guy, and the police basically tell me it's going to take a long time because it's not an emergency or a priority,' Little said. 'They told me they would get to me in the order my call was received.

'I called the police and dismissed the gas company guy, and the police basically tell me it's going to take a long time because it's not an emergency or a priority,' Little said. 'They told me they would get to me in the order my call was received.

While waiting for the police to arrive, Little decided to ask her neighbors if they witnessed anything unusual while she was gone. That's when she made an alarming discovery.

'All of the sudden my next door neighbor, who I share a fence with, pulls up and I ask him if he had seen anyone hanging around my house lately,' Little said. 'He told me there had been two men hanging around the house, one of which claimed to be my husband.'

Apart from owning a cat, Little explains she is a single woman who lives alone.

Little said she received two 'legal notices' just before Memorial Day Weekend, claiming her home was being claimed by someone with connections to the Moorish Sovereign Citizens

Who are 'indigenous Moors'? The Moorish sovereign citizens political movement emerged in the mid-1990s on the East Coast based off the teachings of the Moorish Science Temple, a religious sect dating back to 1913. MSTs founder Noble Drew Ali taught that black Moors were Americas original inhabitants and were therefore entitled to self-governing status. He believed that all African Americans were descendants of the Moabites and are therefore Moorish. Some Islamic historians believe that the Moors and Muslim groups reached the Americas before Christopher Columbus. Moorish sovereigns believe this entitles them to claim immunity from federal, state, and local laws and can sometimes cite Gods law or common law over constitutional authority. They come into conflict with federal and state authorities over their refusal to obey laws and government regulations. Advertisement

'She basically told me she noticed two men that were there and they were sawing off the lock on the side door,' Little said. 'They told my neighbor that they were going to be her new neighbors. Obviously that freaks me out.'

Little said she received two 'legal notices' just before Memorial Day Weekend, claiming her home was being claimed by someone with connections to the Moorish Sovereign Citizens.

They are apart of an extremist group that emerged in the '90s, and have been known to retaliate against government authorities through financial means  a process called 'paper terrorism.'

The letters sent to Little stated she would have to surrender her home if she refused to vacate within 30 days.

When she took the letters to her lawyer, they were dismissed as a scam.

Little said the police responding to the incident were initially treating the man occupying her home as a squatter.

However, under New Jersey property law, someone can only claim squatter's rights if they have been living in a property for minimum of 30 years and paid five years of property taxes.

When confronted by responding officers, Little said the man occupying her house claimed to be a Moorish Sovereign Citizen, saying he was not subject to local or federal law.

Eventually he was removed from the property, arrested and the locks were changed shortly after.

Little said she needs to pursue charges against the man.

As of now, she hasn't filed any charges or heard back from anyone at the prosecutor's office.

This is not the first time a group of sovereign citizens, who say they own most of the land in the Western Hemisphere, have caused problems for homeowners.

Back in 2020, they knocked on the doors of wealthy homeowners in the Seattle area and showed fake documents alleging that their properties belong to them.

According to detectives in Snohomish County, Washington State, members knocked on doors of waterfront homes in Woodway and Edmonds and informed the residents there that they were moving in, KIRO-TV reported.

In December 2018, Joel Fedd (pictured) was arrested by authorities in Gwinnett County, Georgia, after he moved into someone else's property, changed the locks on the door and displayed no trespass signs

In December 2018, authorities in Georgia arrested a man after he moved into a $500,000 home that another family had just purchased.

Joel Fedd, 33, claimed the home in Gwinett County was his because he is an 'indigenous Moor' and as such had rights to the land.

It is thought that Fedd claimed he had a right to claim the land as there is a theory that Moors had discovered the Americas before Christopher Columbus.

In March 2013, a family of extremist squatters occupied a $3million mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, before being evicted by an armed SWAT team.
New York City has suffered the most job losses than any other major American city over the past year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data shows.

The city has seen an 11.8 percent decline in jobs between February 2020 and April this year, according to data from the Center for New York City Affairs at the New School.

That figure is three times the loss experienced across the United States in total, the data, which was obtained by the New York Times, shows. The country, in total, saw a decline of 4.3 percent in jobs during that same period.

Of the 20 largest cities in the country, San Francisco (10.5 percent) and Los Angeles (10.3 percent) suffered similar job loss declines to New York City.

New York City has seen an 11.8% decline in jobs between February 2020 and April this year, data from the Center for New York City Affairs shows

Philadelphia saw a 9 percent decline in jobs, while Chicago saw a 6.7 percent decline.

The job losses in cities in Texas and Florida, which were still down, were vastly different.

Austin saw a 1.5 percent decline in jobs between February last year and April this year.

In Florida, the city of Jacksonville saw a 1.6 percent decline.

While the US has recovered about two-thirds of the jobs lost since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, New York City had only recovered 41 percent as of April, according to the data.

It leaves a deficit of more than 500,000 jobs in the Big Apple.

Only San Francisco and Los Angeles have been slower that New York in gaining back the jobs lost during the pandemic.

Ten cities - mostly in the South and Southwest - had already regained more than 70 percent of their pandemic job losses as of April.

While the US has recovered about two-thirds of the jobs lost since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, New York City had only recovered 41 percent as of April, according to the data

Despite all COVID-19 restrictions being lifted in New York City last week, the toll of the pandemic is still evident with many businesses forced to shut down last year

States like New York and California enforced stricter lockdown measures than others, such as Florida and Texas.

More than 3.5 million Americans were still collecting traditional state unemployment benefits as of last week, according to the latest Labor Department report.

The Labor Department said on Thursday that the number of Americans receiving continued unemployment benefits rose slightly by 1,000 to just over 3.5 million for the week ending June 5.

That figure was at about 19 million around this time last year when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the economy to largely shutdown.

The government said 14.8 million people were receiving some type of jobless aid - including supplemental federal jobless benefits and regular state unemployment aid - during the week of May 29, which is down from 30.2 million a year earlier.

Despite all COVID-19 restrictions being lifted in New York City last week, the toll of the pandemic is still evident with many businesses forced to shut down last year.

While many offices have already started welcoming back employees as New York City reopened, many large firms have pinpointed September as an official return date.

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

Separate data obtained by DailyMail.com has revealed that liberal cities like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles are slower getting people back to the office than others.

The data 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.

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 percent) and Houston (47.7 percent).

The national average is 31.5 percent and New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia are all beneath it.

Only 21 percent of staff in New York City have gone back to the office despite all of the COVID restrictions lifting last week.

Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman last week was among the first to take a tough stance after warning his staff they had to be back in the office by Labor Day.

San Francisco - a tech hub - has seen just 18 percent 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.
The officer was dismissed from the military and sent to prison for 20 months

A Lieutenant Colonel has become one of the most senior British Army officers to be jailed after fraudulently claiming more than 44,000 in allowances to send his children to a top boarding school.

Lt Col Adam Roberts 'knew exactly what he was doing' as he lied on Army allowance forms eight times so he could claim public funds he was not entitled to.

He received Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) from the military to keep two of his three sons at Old Buckenham Hall, a boarding school in Ipswich, Suffolk, where fees are 25,000 a year.

It comes just months after Major General Nick Welch was jailed at Bulford Military Court for 21 months after he was convicted of fraud by falsely claiming more than 48,000 in allowance to pay for his children's school fees.

The 57-year-old abused the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) to send two of his children to boarding schools in Dorset until he was reported by a 'frustrated' Colonel neighbour.

Lt Col Adam Roberts was jailed after fraudulently claiming more than 44,000 in allowances to send his children to a top boarding school. Pictured: Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire

Founded in 1862, Old Buckenham Hall is described as a 'leading prep school' and prides itself on sending pupils on to top public schools such as Rugby.

A court martial found Lt Col Roberts, who was commanding officer of the 105th Regiment Royal Artillery before the offences came to light, lied by claiming he was living with his wife.

However, the court heard while Lt Col Roberts was living in Sandhurst, Berkshire, and Paisley, Scotland, his wife was up to 420 miles away in Colchester, Essex, but he continued to claim CEA on the basis he was 'serving accompanied'.

A board found him guilty of eight counts of fraud but acquitted him of two others.

At a sentencing hearing at Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, Lt Col Roberts, who was a Major at the time he committed the frauds, was dismissed from the military and sent to prison for 20 months.

Judge Advocate Jane England told him: 'You were staying in married quarters at Sandhurst and at this time your children were not boarding.

'Your wife was spending most of her time at her mother's in Colchester and you decided your eldest child should board.

A court martial found that Lt Col Roberts lied by claiming he was living with his wife.

'You were deployed to Glasgow at short notice and applied for CEA on the basis they would move there with you but they did not.

'Frequent and late notice postings can have a considerable effect on service personnel and their families.

Major General who fraudulently claimed 48,000 to pay his children's private school fees is jailed for 21 months Maj Gen Welch (pictured) was jailed in March Major General Nick Welch was jailed at Bulford Military Court for 21 months after he was convicted of fraud by falsely claiming more than 48,000 in allowance to pay for his children's school fees. The 57-year-old abused the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) to send two of his children to boarding schools in Dorset until he was reported by a 'frustrated' Colonel neighbour. Welch, who was Assistant Chief of the General Staff based at the Ministry of Defence's headquarters in London, had claimed he couldn't afford the school fees, even on his 'lofty' salary of 120,000-a-year. Welch had claimed he and his wife Charlotte, 54, were living in Putney, south-west But freelance consultant Mrs Welch in fact spent the majority of her time at the family's 800,000 country home in Dorset. Advertisement

'Difficult choices have to be made. You are not the only service person to have to deal with this.

'You had a choice to make and you chose not to raise your circumstances at any stage because you knew your CEA would be stopped.

'You knew exactly what you were doing.'

The fraud began in March 2017 and ended in February 2018 but Commander Peter Barker, prosecuting, said the fraud only ended because he was caught.

He said: 'The CEA system is based on trust and relies on information from [Lt Col Roberts].

'It can operate like this because of the standards expected of military personnel. By making these claims fraudulently, Lt Col Roberts has abused that power, trust and responsibility he had.

'This was over a sustained period of time. He made four separate sets of claims and submitted an eligibility certificate which described him as entitled for ongoing CEA.'

The 105th Regiment Royal Artillery has its headquarters in Edinburgh and is 'a Close Support Light Gun Regiment based in various locations across Scotland and Northern Ireland'.

Cdr Barker said Lt Col Roberts was warned by a senior officer in Glasgow about CEA when his family situation changed, adding that the senior officer had told him to 'make sure you're tight'.

He added: 'Dishonesty is not consistent with service in the Armed Forces because it is corrosive to unit cohesiveness and morale.'

The court heard he had served in Cyprus, Iraq and Afghanistan over a 21 year career in the Army

Fiona Edington, defending, said: 'This officer was a good quality officer. That money was repaid in full after conviction.

'In that discussion in Glasgow he didn't discuss CEA in a meaningful sense.... [the senior officer] knew the family situation and they had a chat about it that was just a chat or a gossip I think.

'He knew perfectly well about the family situation and thought Lt Col Roberts had it under control.

'This young man, he stands to lose his job and a career that he has done honestly and truthfully for 21 years.

'There are three young boys and a wife who stand to be impacted by this sentence also.'

Lt Col Roberts was dismissed from the military and sent to prison for 20 months.

Old Buckenham Hall is located in Brettenham Park, a grade II listed building in about 80 acres of parkland in the Suffolk village of Brettenham.

Year 6 to 8 boarding fees are 8,704 per term.
The White House is considering ending a border policy signed under Donald Trump that allowed migrant families to be sent back to Mexico after they crossed into the U.S., according to a report on Sunday.

The Biden Administration is considering revoking the policy known as Title 42 by July 31, Axios reported, as a record 170,000 migrants crossed the border last month.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to confirm or decline the report.

'I don't have any new policy to announce so when it comes to title 42,' Psaki said at her press briefing Monday. 'There's been no change.'

The Trump-era policy relied on a 1944 public health statute to close the border to 'nonessential' travel as part of efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

It has resulted in tens of thousands of migrant families being turned away without applying for various protections in the United States, including asylum. But could also have led to the spike in children being held in government custody after being sent to cross the border alone.

In May, two doctors with the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the border, argued the use of Title 42 had the 'perverse impact' of encouraging parents to send their children to cross the border alone, since the Biden administration doesn't turn away minors.

Shelters were overwhelmed and many children were held longer than the legal limit as the government struggled to process the influx of minors and find them family or guardians in the United States.

But single adults and many migrants traveling together as a family are immediately turned around under Title 42.

Biden was under heavy pressure to reverse the order from various groups - including Democratic lawmakers; the ACLU, which sued the Trump administration to stop implementation; and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials.

The White House is considering ending a border policy signed under Trump that allowed migrant families to be sent back to Mexico after they got into the U.S. Migrants cross the Rio Grande on a raft over the weekend near Roma, Texas

Thermal imaging cameras show migrants crossing the Rio Grande overnight in Roma, Texas

The Biden Administration is considering revoking the policy known as Title 42 by July 31, despite a record 170,000 migrants crossing the border every month. Migrants are seen helping each other out of the water near Roma Texas

According to Axios, the Biden administration has been in negotiations with the ACLU to withdraw Title 42 themselves. The civil rights group has put its lawsuit on hold as talks continue.

'There's a policy process that's ongoing that's unrelated to the litigation,' Psaki said.

Administration officials have argued that the Department of Justice would be forced to defend the Trump policy if the ACLU went ahead with their lawsuit.

A White House official told Axios it is 'a public health decision that will be made ultimately on those grounds.'

Biden came under fire for implementing the Trump-era policy as COVID cases soared in the United States. He was hit on both sides - those who said he was betraying his promise for a more compassionate immigration policy and those who said, if he didn't impose it, would be soft on border issues.

In the last year, CBP authorities applied Title 42 to more than 80% of encounters with migrants, carrying out 530,000 expulsions, the Los Angeles Times reported in March.

The Biden administration has been in negotiations with the ACLU over the plans, while they have put a lawsuit condemning the practice of expelling families on hold

Two weeks ago, Customs and Border Protection released figures that show illegal crossings have exploded by 674 per cent in a year.

Border guards confronted 180,034 migrants in May - the fourth consecutive monthly rise.

The figures show the number of migrants rocketed by more than six-fold from the 23,237 who crossed from Mexico into the United States in May 2020.

Last year's number was far lower than usual because of the COVID-19 outbreak, but this year's figures still spell worrying news for Biden, with 2021 on-track to record the highest number of illegal border crossings since 2006.

Single adults still represented the majority of border-crossers, data from the U.S. Border Patrol showed.

In May there was a decrease in the number of unaccompanied minors, from roughly 16,910 to 13,906, Border Patrol found.

CBP also said that a majority of those who crossed the border were already expelled due to Title 42, which allows the U.S. government to quickly remove people using the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the 180,034 crossers, 112,302 had already been expelled.

CBP also pointed out, according to Fox News, that Title 42 is leading people to try to cross the border more than once, which could also factor into the high numbers.

Axios reported last week that preliminary CBP data from the fiscal year 2021 showed that illegal crossings have been the most since 2006 - with four months still to go.

In this image made with a thermal camera, a Border Patrol agent leads up group of immigrants from the bank of the Rio Grande at night over the weekend in Roma, Texas

Immigrants seeking asylum wait to be accounted for and taken to a border patrol processing facility after crossing the Rio Grande near Roma, Texas, on Saturday night

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)
The US Navy's new $166billion fleet of Virginia-class submarines is being hampered by infrastructure issues and defective parts that are breaking down decades earlier than expected.

The Navy is facing 'significant delays' in submarine maintenance that will stunt its ability to keep up with its workload for the next 25 years, according to a recent report from the Congressional Budget Office.

The CBO report found that the Navy faces a drastic shortage of parts and has too often relied on a solution called 'cannibalization.' In other words, when a submarine is missing a part, the Navy typically swaps it with another submarine.

While an effective means of getting a submarine working again, the CBO reported that it requires extra steps and increases the Navy's workload.

'There is also a risk that a part might be damaged during the extra steps,' the CBO reported.

The Navy's submarine leaders are 'not satisfied with any material cannibalization that limits our submarine fleet's ability to respond to national tasking and is taking all steps necessary to avoid these scenarios,' the Naval Sea Systems Command told Bloomberg. It said it is ordering parts earlier to 'reduce material work stoppages and maintenance delays awaiting components'.

The U.S. Navy's new $166billion fleet of Virginia-class submarines is experiencing defective parts that are breaking down decades earlier than expected. Above, sailors were aboard the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS New Hampshire in May

As a result, the Navy is facing delays in submarine maintenance. Sailors above were aboard the USS John Warner moor at Naval Station Norfolk last November

When a submarine is missing a part, the Navy typically swaps it between another submarine through a process called cannibalization. Sailors above were assigned to the USS Hawaii in Pearl Harbor

A report from the Congressional Budget Office found that the Navy faces a drastic shortage of parts and has too often relied on a solution called 'cannibalization.'

The Navy has swapped out 1,600 parts since 2013, according to Bloomberg. The number of swapped parts for the submarines increased from 100 in 2013 to 171 in 2016, 201 in 2018 and 452 in 2019 before declining to 318 last year, Bloomberg reported. The Navy projects the number will drop to 82 between this year and next.

The Navy doesn't know how much the swaps add to workload, saying that at this point 'there is limited range and depth of data,' as stated in the Bloomberg article.

Bryan Clark, a former special assistant to the chief of naval operations, told Bloomberg that 'the Navy may have been too slow to act on indications that some components were wearing out faster.'

Some parts were supposed to last 33 years, according to engineering analysis and testing, but faced 'degradation' and 'corrosion caused by complex galvanic interactions' such as friction between parts 'that had not been predicted in some operating environments,' the Navy said in a statement.

On top of its infrastructure issues, the new, 12-vessel Block V version of the submarine is already costing more than expected, according to an assessment from the Government Accountability Office.

Congress has continually pushed the Navy to increase construction rates for the Virginia class from two vessels a year to three. And the CBO report suggested that 'maintenance delays could be reduced by hiring more workers, sending more submarines to private shipyards for maintenance, or cutting the size of the fleet.'

The Navy is pursuing a 20-year, $21billion plan to amend these issues and upgrade its infrastructure, CNBC reported.

Sailors were giving a tour of the dry-dock shelter on the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS North Carolina

The Virginia-class fleet includes 48 ships, such as the USS North Carolina (pictured), which were first introduced in 2004

Powered by nuclear energy, the subs are able to generate their own water and oxygen and can remain submerged for months at a time

'Right now, the state of Navy shipyard infrastructure is not great. They've been underfunded for the past couple of decades,' Aidan Quigley, a reporter at Inside Defense who covers the U.S. Navy and Marines, told the news outlet.

According to Quigley, the Navy is striving to build on two to three Virginia-class submarines and one Columbia-class submarine per year through 2035.

The Virginia-class fleet includes 48 ships that were first introduced in 2004 and are essential to the Navy's multi-mission undersea program as they are capable of attacking other submarines, surface ships and land targets as well as conducting special operations for intelligence gathering and reconnaissance.

Powered by nuclear energy, the subs are able to generate their own water and oxygen and can remain submerged for months at a time.

The subs were built by Falls Church, Virginia-based General Dynamics Corp. and Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. Liz Power, a spokesperson for General Dynamics, said in an email to Bloomberg: 'We work closely with the Navy to help it address any unanticipated issues with parts, to include initiatives to design improvements that can be applied to future boats.'

Brent Sadler, a 26-year Navy veteran with extensive tours on nuclear-powered submarines, told Bloomberg that his 'assessment is that operational assumptions were off in the design.'

He said 'suppliers may have made modifications to the materials after design without considering' potential corrosion that 'resulted in rapid failure of specific parts.'

It's 'not clear what steps Navy has taken to address the root cause of this situation, which to me is the most important aspect of this,' said Sadler, who's now a naval fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
Jared Kushner screamed at a health official, calling him a 'f****g moron' and crying 'we'll all be dead in June' after learning that a shipment of COVID-19 masks had been delayed last March.

The incident was revealed in a new book about Trump's response to the pandemic.

It describes how Kushner, a senior adviser, screamed at HHS emergency preparedness chief Robert Kadlec last March when Kadlec told him that he'd bought 600 million masks for the country - but that they wouldn't arrive until June.

Kushner, the book claims, threw his pen against a wall and screamed: 'You f****ng moron.

'Well all be dead by June.'

Kadlec was also yelled at by White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows for not distributing remdesivir across the country fast enough.

Jared Kushner screamed at HHS emergency preparedness chief Robert Kadlec (right with Trump) last March when Kadlec told him that he'd bought 600 million masks for the country - but that they wouldn't arrive until June

Meadows yelled at him: 'Im going to fire your ass if you cant fix this!'

The book, titled Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History, also claims that Trump considered quarantining Americans infected with COVID on Guantanamo Bay.

'Don't we have an island that we own? What about Guantanamo?' the president asked in the Situation Room in February 2020, according to Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta in Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History.

Donald Trump considered quarantining Americans infected with COVID on Guantanamo Bay when the pandemic first started to take hold, a new book claims. Trump is pictured in February, 2020

Trump then brought up the idea a second time, forcing aides to quash the plan fearing a backlash over putting members of the public on the same island as terrorism suspects, according to an excerpt published in the Washington Post.

The book details the workings inside the White House before infections started to spread across the country at the end of February and start of March 2020 and is based off interviews with 180 people.

It also details how Trump allegedly fumed at US infections doubling from 14 to 28 when infected Americans were let off the Diamond Princess cruise ship onto U.S. soil and his anger over the CDC taking over testing.

Abutaleb and Paletta write that Trump also raged about testing, slammed letting the CDC take over and dealt with aides worried about undermining public health.

'Testing is killing me!' Trump reportedly shouted in a phone call to then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on March 18.

'I'm going to lose the election because of testing! What idiot had the federal government do testing?' the president added.

'Don't we have an island that we own? What about Guantanamo?' the president asked in the Situation Room in February 2020, according to Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta in Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History

Trump frequently stated during the pandemic that the number of infections in the US were so high because the rate of testing was higher than anywhere else in the world.

'Uh, do you mean Jared?, Azar responded according to Abutaleb and Paletta.

The phone call came five days after Trump's son-in-law Kushner vowed to take over national testing with the help of the private sector.

'This was gross incompetence to let CDC develop a test,' Trump told Azar in the heated phone call.

The book details the workings inside the White House before infections spread across the country and is based off interviews with 180 people

According to the book, Trump's comments on the call were so loud that Azar's aides could hear him.

Trump also reportedly told his aides to fire a senior State Department official who allowed 14 Americans infected with COVID to get off the Diamond Princess on US soil.

The Americans were among the hundreds of people evacuated from the quarantined cruise ship in Yokohama on February 17, 2020.

They were taken off the vessel and repatriated back to the US on two chartered flights that landed at Travis Air Force Base, California, and Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

The State Department deemed that all the infected passengers were asymptomatic and cleared to fly.

Trump complained to Azar that it 'doubled his infections overnight', with the total number of cases in the US rising to 28.

Abutaleb and Paletta write that the aides balked at the idea and instead said that bringing back the sick Americans meant it saved their lives.

Trump also called for firing Kadlec after he signed off on the Diamond Princess evacuation.

Later on in the response he pushed to oust Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn because he refused to speed up vaccine approvals before the election.

The officials Trump wanted to fire managed to survive the administration.

Dr Anthony Fauci, who had a contested relationship with Trump, also stayed in his position even though staff looked to Kushner and other economic advisors when deciding on the response, the book claims.

'That was what the response had turned into: a toxic environment in which no matter where you turned, someone was ready to rip your head off or threatening to fire you,' Abutaleb and Paletta write.

Their book also lays out the tensions in the White House when Mike Pence was chosen to head up the COVID response, essentially replacing Azar.

Pence's chief of staff Marc Schort criticized Trump for extending a a 'pause' on the economy through Easter 2020 and said it was a 'gift' to Democratic governors.

Short also slammed the plan to send free masks to every American household, with some officials comparing them to 'underwear on your face' and a 'training bra'.
The successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia will be paid for out of Britain's defence budget despite being an unarmed 'trade vessel' it was revealed today.

The 200million 'national flagship' will be funded out of the already overstretched Armed Forces coffers and crewed by Royal Navy sailors, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed.

But the announcement sparked fury after Downing Street said it would not carry guns or missiles and would be used for trade rather than military purposes, however.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is being asked to pay for the national flagship even though MPs have previously criticised the 'funding black hole' of 17 billion in the department's equipment budget.

The Royal Family is also said to be lukewarm about the scheme, turning down the opportunity to have the ship named after the Duke of Edinburgh.

Ex-defence minister Tobias Ellwood suggested proposals to leave the vessel unarmed could put extra pressure on the Royal Navy.

He said it would be 'more efficient' to use a repurposed Type 23 frigate as the successor to the Britannia if the MoD was being asked to pay.

'Any other vessel would require a warship escort and that's an extra burden our overstretched surface fleet cannot afford,' the Commons Defence Committee chairman tweeted.

The successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia will be paid for out of Britain's defence budget despite being an unarmed 'trade vessel' it was revealed today.

The 200million 'national flagship' will be funded out of the already overstretched Armed Forces coffers and crewed by Royal Navy sailors, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed.

Ex-defence minister Tobias Ellwood suggested proposals to leave the vessel unarmed could put extra pressure on the Royal Navy.

Earlier this year, Westminster's Public Accounts Committee warned that defence chiefs faced 'tough choices' if they were to balance the books.

Despite the procurement coming from the MoD, No 10 plans to build the ship in the UK at a reported cost of up to 200 million and use it to boost the UK's post-Brexit trading opportunities.

Construction of the new ship is expected to begin as soon as 2022 and it will enter service within the next four years.

The ship will be crewed by the Royal Navy and is expected to be in service for around 30 years.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman told reporters: 'This new national flagship will boost British trade and drive investment into the economy.

'The procurement process, which is being done through the MoD, will reflect its wide-ranging use and so it will be funded through the MoD, as set out previously.'

Recent polling has indicated that a majority of the public are against spending money on a new trade ship.

A YouGov survey in April found that 51 per cent of people questioned were opposed to replacing the Britannia with an updated vessel, with only 25 per cent in favour.

Similarly, 57 per cent said spending on a new vessel could not be justified, versus 26 per cent who thought it could be.

The vessel will be used to host trade fairs, ministerial summits and diplomatic talks as the UK seeks to build links and boost exports following Brexit.

It will be the first national flagship since Britannia, which was decommissioned in 1997, but the new vessel will be a ship rather than a luxury yacht.

The vessel would replace the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was decommissioned in 1997 after service of more than 40 years.

Mr Johnson's spokesman, pressed on reports the vessel could be classified as a 'warship' and have guns attached, told reporters: 'We will set out the exact detail in due course but this is a trade ship, it is not a military vessel.'

Asked whether that meant it would not be a warship, he replied: 'That's correct.'

The Downing Street official declined to comment on how the MoD could afford to build the multi-million pound yacht, given its own equipment budget deficit.

The Liberal Democrats have called for the flagship to have a 'double' defence purpose to justify the expenditure.

Defence spokesman Jamie Stone said: 'If we are to have a ''national yacht'' then it must double up as a vessel having a very clear defence capability within the Royal Navy.

'Otherwise the cost becomes incredibly hard to justify at a time we are cutting troop numbers.'

But Business secretary Kwasi Kwateng this mornign backed the plan.

'I think it is a good idea actually,' Kwarteng told Sky, though he said there was still a discussion in government over the plans. 'It's a huge amount of money.

'What it does is it represents Britain - it is a symbol of Britain and if you are going on trade missions - that is exactly the way we would drive trade.'
Two serial fly-tippers, who dumped a tipper truck full of rubbish, rubble and broken plasterboard at a South Wales beauty spot, were caught out by secret cameras.

Cousins Michael Doran, 31 and Johnny Doran, 30, repeatedly binned piles of waste in the countryside spot in the Gwent Levels near Newport, South Wales.

The pair were spotted brazenly leaving it at the roadside in the area, which is home to rare birds, insects and otters.

Two serial fly-tippers, who dumping a tipper truck full of rubbish, rubble and broken plasterboard at a South Wales beauty spot, were caught out by secret cameras

They also dumped green waste, a duvet, and other household items at the designated Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Environment bosses were so fed up of illegal dumpers ignoring 'no fly-tipping signs' and leaving their rubbish at the roadside they set up secret cameras to monitor the area.

And the pair were caught by the camera on four separate occasions and later admitted fly-tipping at Cardiff Magistrates Court.

Cousins Michael Doran, 31 and Johnny Doran, 30, repeatedly binned piles of waste in the countryside spot in the Gwent Levels near Newport, South Wales

Michael Doran was handed a community order of 100 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay 950 costs by Cardiff Magistrates.

Johnny Doran, was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court, where he was ordered to pay 1,900 in fines and costs.

The secret camera in Peterstone, near Newport, was set up by environment agency Natural Resources Wales.

Environment bosses were so fed up of illegal dumpers ignoring 'no fly-tipping signs' and leaving their rubbish at the roadside they set up secret cameras to monitor the area

It was set up in partnership with campaign group The Living Levels Partnership to keep an eye on the area.

The Gwent Levels is made up of 26,000 acres of coastal wetland running out of the Severn Estuary across South Wales.

The area is currently home to several species that are rare or endangered in the UK including the Variable Damselfly, Lapwing, Musk Beetle and Water Vole.

The secret camera in Peterstone, near Newport, was set up by environment agency Natural Resources Wales

Pamela Jordan, Senior Fly-tipping Officer for NRW, said: 'Our environment provides us with our basic needs, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat - it's important to protect it.

'The illegal dumping of waste not only harms the environment but also impacts on people's health and undermines legitimate waste operators.

'We hope this sends out the message that fly-tipping and illegal waste disposal in all its forms will not be tolerated.'
Murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a close friend of Osama bin Laden and cried when the al-Qaeda leader died, it has been revealed.

'I just fell apart crying heartbreak to you, Abu Abdullah,' Khashoggi tweeted hours after bin Laden was confirmed dead in May 2011.

'You were beautiful. brave in those beautiful days in Afghanistan before you succumbed to anger and passion', the Arabic tweet added.

The former Washington Post columnist was murdered by a team of assassins at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.

Murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a close friend of Osama bin Laden and cried when the al-Qaeda leader died, it has been revealed

Jamal Khashoggi reportedly broke down and cried when he heard Osama bin Laden (pictured, right) had been killed

A series of taped interviews between Khashoggi and fellow journalist Laurence Wight in 2005 being played for the first time on Yahoo News podcast Conspiracyland reveal the extend of the slain journalist's relationship with bin Laden.

Khashoggi first made headlines as a young journalist when he was invited by bin Laden to cover the war between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan.

His headline in Saudi outlet Arab News on May 4, 1988, read 'Arab youths fight shoulder to shoulder with Mujaheddin'.

The piece praised bin Laden, identifying him by his nom du guerre Abu Abdullah, and applauded Arabs who had joined the fight against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.

During these trips, Khashoggi later recalled, he spent several nights sleeping alongside bin Laden in his camps and in caves.

He described the experience as 'moving' and 'beautiful', characterising bin Laden as having 'a sentiment of Muslims, a concept of jihad, and of being close to God.'

Khashoggi's headline in Saudi outlet Arab News on May 4, 1988, read 'Arab youths fight shoulder to shoulder with Mujaheddin'. The piece praised Arabs who had joined the fight against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan

The piece (pictured) also praised bin Laden, who Khashoggi became close with and slept next to

That bond failed to wain after the war as Khashoggi rose through the ranks of Saudi journalism and bin Laden built al-Qaeda.

The pair reunited in Sudan, where bin Laden had set up a base after being banished from his home nation.

In the three-day meeting, Khashoggi tried to persuade his friend to renounce violence on tape and return to Saudi Arabia, but bin Laden refused.

Sources from Khashoggi's youth suggest the slain journalist may always have had sympathies with bin Laden's hardline views, but changed later in life.

Journalist Jamal Khashoggi (pictured in Afghanistan) was invited to cover the Afghan-Soviet war by Osama bin Laden

A university peer has claimed Khashoggi encouraged him to shun Shia Muslims, whom many Sunni Muslims view as heretics, while studying journalism at Indiana State University in Terre Haute.

Omar Farooq said Khashoggi was a devout Muslim and that the pair used to pray together at Islamic Center.

Khashoggi's views evolved as he aged, especially after the 2011 Arab Spring, but it appears the journalist never stopped seeing bin Laden as a friend.

Saudi academic and former colleague of Khashoggi Nawaf Obaid the journalist always saw bin Laden as some kind of hero for defeating the communist Soviet Union.

He said Khashoggi repeatedly defended bin Laden, refusing to associated him with the acts of terrorism perpetrated by al-Qaeda for several years.

It was not until 9/11, Obaid said, that Khashoggi started to see his former friend for the man he really was.

'I would say he was ideologically, and I would even go as far as theologically, conflicted by him,' he added.

Khashoggi was killed and dismembered, allegedly with a bone saw, inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.

It is a case that has tarnished the reputation of de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Evidence revealed last week suggests a team of Saudi assassins flew to Cairo to collect 'illegal' drugs used to kill Khashoggi from their alleged Egyptian accomplices.

It is unclear what the drugs contained or who provided them at Cairo International Airport in the early hours of October 2, 2018, but it is the latest bombshell in the years-long attempt to determine how Khashoggi died.
Two thugs armed with giant machetes have been caught on camera fighting each other outside of a petrol station before a driver deliberately runs one of them over.

A man, 27, was taken to hospital after the fight at 9.35pm on Sunday at the Shell garage in Chorley Old Road in Bolton, Greater Manchester.

And two other men, aged 39 and 37, have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder.

The disturbing clip comes as shocking new figures last month revealed that machete attacks are happening on Britain's streets every two hours.

A man, 27, was taken to hospital after the fight at 9.35pm on Sunday at the Shell garage in Chorley Old Road in Bolton, Greater Manchester

In the video, which was filmed by a terrified unknown bystander from a residential window, thugs brandish huge machetes during an altercation in the Shell petrol station forecourt.

Petrol station employees try to stop the men fighting but they continue to square up to one another with their giant blades.

The onlooker then screams in horror as a driver in a 4x4 car suddenly speeds onto the petrol station forecourt and wildly runs over one of the machete-wielding thugs - leaving him lying injured in the middle of the road.

Last month, it was revealed that rising numbers of criminals are choosing machetes as their weapons of choice to instil terror in victims and rival gang members.

In the latest example of 'Wild West Britain', statistics uncovered using freedom of information requests show that in the final two months of 2019 police dealt with 664 crimes involving machetes - an average of 11 a day, or one every 130 minutes.

The disturbing clip comes as shocking new figures last month revealed that machete attacks are happening on Britain's streets every two hours

It represents a dramatic rise from just three years before, when the deadly blades were used in only 100 crimes a month over the same period.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police asked for anyone with information to contact the force: 'Officers were called around 9.35pm on Sunday 20 June 2021 to Chorley Old Road, Bolton to a report of a disturbance.

'Officers attended and enquiries established a group of males, armed with weapons including machetes, had assaulted another three males on the forecourt of a petrol station.

'Two men, aged 39 and 37, have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder. They remain in custody for questioning. A 27-year-old man was taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be life threatening or changing.

'Enquiries are ongoing.'

Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 5757 quoting incident 2786 of 20/06/21. Details can also be passed by our live web chat function at www.gmp.police.uk.

Alternatively, details can be passed anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.'
A 'massive' breakdown in communications meant the fire and rescue service did not arrive at the Manchester Arena bombing until more than two hours later, the inquiry into the attack has heard.

The public inquiry was told the length of time it took for firefighters to attend the incident which killed 22 people and injured hundreds was 'unacceptable'.

Officers from British Transport Police, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and a paramedic from North West Ambulance Service had entered the City Room foyer just over 20 minutes after the blast.

A 'massive' breakdown in communications meant the fire and rescue service did not arrive at the Manchester Arena bombing until more than two hours later

This was where Salman Abedi detonated his shrapnel-laden device at 10.31pm on the evening of May 22 2017.

Paul Greaney QC, counsel to the inquiry, said the first firefighters from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) went into Victoria railway station, adjoining the Arena complex, at 12.49am.

He outlined that was two hours and 15 minutes after the first notification to North West Fire Control of an explosion.

It was also two hours and nine minutes after that senior firefighter Andy Berry was first alerted.

It was one hour and 58 minutes after each of the other emergency services involved actually had someone within the City Room.

He also said it was one hour and 10 minutes after the last living casualty had been removed from the foyer.

First firefighters from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) went into Victoria railway station, adjoining the Arena complex, at 12.49am (pictured arriving)

All these timings were compared to an average deployment time - getting to the scene - for GMFRS of six minutes.

Station manager Mr Berry was the duty Nilo (national inter-agency liaison officer) on the night of the attack.

His responsibilities were to provide internal tactical advice to incident commanders and external advice to other agencies about resources and capability.

Mr Greaney asked him: 'Is the period that it took GMFRS firefighters to enter the station acceptable to you as a senior firefighter?'

Mr Berry replied: 'No it's not sir.'

Salman Abedi detonated his shrapnel-laden device at 10.31pm on the evening of May 22 2017 killing 22 people

Mr Greaney said: 'If firefighters had entered the station at what I would describe as a relevant time, did they have value to bring to the emergency response?'

The witness said: 'Absolutely sir and they wanted to be there.'

The inquiry has heard casualties in the City Room were evacuated on makeshift stretchers by police officers and members of the public.

This is because specialist fire crews with enhanced first aid equipment, trauma dressings, tourniquets and rescue stretchers were never sent.

Mr Greaney went on: 'Are you able to explain for us as simply as possible why the fire and rescue service did not arrive at all until well over two hours after the explosion and why specialist assets never arrived?'

Mr Berry said: 'I would say there was a massive breakdown in communications in the initial stages.

'The JESIP (Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles) principles weren't implemented correctly which led to us not receiving the information I required to be able to do my job effectively and deploy our resources.

'It's a tri-service type incident so between the three main services there was a lack of communication.'

The inquiry heard Mr Berry made seven failed attempts to contact GMP's Force Duty Officer Dale Sexton, the initial commander of the incident, within minutes of being told of the explosion.
Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has come under fire after he dismissed his long-term family membership at an exclusive and reportedly all-white beach club as 'a long tradition in Rhode Island'.

The 65-year-old progressive senator and his family have been members of the exclusive Bailey's Beach Club in Newport for at least two decades.

Whitehouse was confronted by a GoLocalProv.com reporter on Friday about his family's membership at the club and was asked if it was now accepting minority members.

'I think the people who are running the place are still working on that and I'm sorry it hasn't happened yet,' he said.

When asked if all-white clubs should still exist in 2021, Whitehouse said: 'It's a long tradition in Rhode Island and there are many of them. And I think we just need to work our way through the issues.'

Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse was confronted by a GoLocalProv.com reporter on Friday about his family's membership at the exclusive and predominately white Bailey's Beach Club in Newport

He refused to answer any further questions.

Despite Whitehouse's comments, his office on Monday denied that the club, which is run by the Spouting Rock Beach Association, is discriminatory and has no minority members.

'The club has no such restrictive policies. The club has had and has members of color,' his spokesman said.

It was not immediately clear how many minority members, if any, the club currently has.

In a 2003 New York Times profile, when asked about the demographics of the club, a life-long member was quoted in the profile saying: 'Jewish, yes... Blacks, not really.'

When Whitehouse was elected back in 2006, he allegedly said he would quit the club.

The local news outlet revealed in 2017 that Whitehouse was still a member but had transferred his shares to his wife Sandra Thornton Whitehouse.

His wife, who he has been married to for 35 years and shares two children with, is one of the top shareholders in the club and is said to visit daily during the summer.

'I think it would be nice if they changed a little bit, but it's not my position,' Whitehouse said back in 2017.

He vowed at the time to take up the issue of diversity at the club 'privately'.

The 65-year-old progressive senator and his family have been members of the exclusive Bailey's Beach Club in Newport (above) for at least two decades

Whitehouse, his wife Sandra Thornton Whitehouse and their families have been members of the club for decades. The senator transferred his shares in the club to his several years back

When Whitehouse was elected back in 2006, he allegedly said he would quit the club. The local news outlet revealed in 2017 that Whitehouse was still a member but had transferred his shares to his wife Sandra Thornton Whitehouse

The club has long been considered elite and has been described as one of the most exclusive clubs in the US.

It was frequented by the likes of President John F. Kennedy in the early 60s.

Today, its website can only be accessed by members.

The New York Times profile noted that club lacked diversity.

'Diversity, of course, has made scant inroads on the Newport of Bailey's Beach, whose membership profile might be defined less by who people are than what they are not,' the profile read.

The profile noted that the biracial grandchildren of a member sometimes visited the club.

Whitehouse has spoken out repeatedly against racial injustice, particularly in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

He was also a critic of President Trump and accused him of deepening fault lines in the US.
A childhood friend of Andy Cohen who had been missing for the past month has been found dead.

The body of Andy Neiman, a 48-year-old actor and playwright, was discovered along the shoreline of the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, NY, according to People.com.

Neiman's death was confirmed by friend Stephanie Saur after she began a GoFundMe page to help locate him following his disappearance from MidHudson Regional Hospital back on May 21.

'We are utterly heartbroken to share that Andy's body has been found in Poughkeepsie,' the heartfelt post said. 'THANK YOU to all who have given so much to help with the search. We're increasing our goal to raise additional funds to support Andy's 8-year-old daughter and to cover funeral costs. Thanks to all who have contributed to this effort. With love and gratitude.'

Andy Neiman's sister Emily Asher Abramson shared the news on Facebook. 'Yesterday it was confirmed that the body found on the Hudson River shoreline in Poughkeepsie on Wednesday was indeed him,' her post read

Andy Neiman had been in the hospital dealing with his mental health issues before his untimely death earlier this month

Andy Cohen and Neiman's friendship first began when the two went to the same camp in Wisconsin

His sister, Emily Asher Abramson also shared the news on Facebook.

'Yesterday it was confirmed that the body found on the Hudson River shoreline in Poughkeepsie on Wednesday was indeed him,' her post read.

'As before, when we were on the hunt to bring him home, your words of love and prayer and encouragement bring me great comfort at this time. Do not be afraid of saying the wrong thing. Thank you for being the web that I can fall into.'

Neiman, who had an eight-year-old daughter, had suffered from schizophrenia and was diagnosed as bipolar. Before he went missing, he also had suffered a psychotic break his sister told Page Six.

Andy Neiman had gone missing on May 21 after suffering a psychotic break

A Facebook group had been made by Andy Neiman's friend Stephanie Saur when he went missing

The poster that was used on social media for Andy Neiman's disappearance

Friends, family, friends of friends and family, and strangers I may never meet who have shown their care and humanity in... Posted by Emily Asher Abramson on Saturday, June 19, 2021

Cohen himself had posted a missing flyer earlier this month on Facebook of Neiman two weeks after he disappeared.

The two have known each other since they both attended the same camp in Wisconsin, Nebagamon.

They also attended the same high school.

A rep for Cohen declined to comment.
The dismembered human remains that were found last week scattered in two separate locations in Minneapolis have been identified as a mentally ill father-of-two who had been in and out of jail for various offenses, including for hurling feces at transit workers.

Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder said Friday evening that they have identified the victim as 36-year-old Adam Richard Johnson.

Some of Johnson's body parts were found in the 300 block of Main Street Northeast and in the 300 block of University Avenue Northeast in Minneapolis on Thursday morning, but more remain missing.

Elder described the crime scenes as 'disturbing.'

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Adam Johnson, 36, has been was identified as a victim of a homicide whose remains were found scattered in Minneapolis last Thursday

A neighbor discovered human body parts stuffed into two bags in northeast Minneapolis

A black screen shields evidence from view following the grim discovery last week

A neighbor who was said to have made the grisly discovery near his home told KSTP the human remains were in two bags, one black and one clear.

No cause of death has been determine as of Monday afternoon, but police are investigating the case as a homicide.

'This appeared to be a very focused attack, Elder said. 'This did not appear to be random.'

The police spokesperson added that there is no evidence to suggest that the public is in danger.

'Theres zero reason for us to believe that this is any pattern,' he said.

Police say Johnson's death is being investigated as a homicide, although it is unclear at this time how he died, or when

Some of Johnson's body remains remain missing, and police are asking the public to be vigilant and report anything suspicious

Investigators dont have any indication the body was frozen or otherwise preserved, and they think Johnson's death was recent. There have been no arrests in the case.

Johnson had been in and out of jail since May 1, and had been arrested on May 22 for allegedly throwing feces at a transit worker

Elder said investigators have gone back through years of cases and contacted neighboring agencies.

Court records indicate that Johnson had been arrested at least three times since May 1, including for allegedly throwing feces at a transit operator.

His most recent run-in with the law took place on June 9, when Johnson was picked up on charges of fleeing police, obstructing and officer and disturbing the peace. He was released from jail the next day.

Johnson's former girlfriend, who has two children with him, including a four-year-old, told KSTP that he had struggled with mental illness.

'When he's doing fantastic and doing great, he is a wonderful person, and when he struggles, he really struggles. ... It does and it has ended up in trouble,' said the woman, who asked to be identified only as JoJo.

Johnson has two young children with his former girlfriend, 'JoJo' (pictured together)

'JoJo' told local news outlets Johnson had struggled with mental illness, which often led to problems with the law

She said Johnson had been looking for a permanent place to stay in Minneapolis and she last heard from him on June 12, when he messaged her via Instagram, telling her he would talk to her 'ASAP.'

JoJo made a direct appeal to the person, or people, responsible for Johnson's death, asking them to come forward and provide his family with answers.

'There's no words to describe how I feel and the heartache that I have now that my children know,' JoJo told KARE11.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help Johnson's family with his funeral expenses.
An 81-year-old dementia sufferer died in a private ambulance on a motorway hard shoulder after being driven more than 250 miles from her care home for mental health treatment, an inquest has heard.

Peggy Copeman had never previously left her home county of Norfolk before she was taken from St Mary's residential home in New Buckenham to Cygnet Hospital in Taunton, Somerset, on December 12, 2019.

In a statement read by the coroner at the inquest in Norwich, Mrs Copeman's daughter Maxine Fulcher said that she died on the return leg four days later on December 16.

She described her mother as 'giving and affectionate' and someone who 'took pride in her appearance' from an early age.

Peggy Copeman (pictured) had never previously left her home county of Norfolk before she was taken from St Mary's residential home in New Buckenham to Cygnet Hospital in Taunton, Somerset, on December 12, 2019

Mrs Fulcher said Mrs Copeman, who was first diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in the late 1960s, moved into a care home in 2014 after showing signs of dementia.

Dr Ashish Pandey, consultant psychiatrist for Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), said 'there was a deterioration in (Mrs Copeman's) presentation' and she had a mental health assessment on December 10 2019.

He said Mrs Copeman was 'shouting, kicking, punching staff members and other residents', throwing food and talking to people who were not there.

'She had reported that she's a queen and having a baby,' he said.

'She thought it was World War Two and staff members were Russian.'

He said that during her assessment it was noted that she 'appeared frail and thin-built'.

Matthew Rushmere, community mental health nurse for NSFT, said Mrs Copeman's needs were 'unmanageable at the care home'.

He said she was placed under recommendation for section two of the Mental Health Act.

In a statement read by the coroner at the inquest in Norwich, Mrs Copeman's daughter Maxine Fulcher (pictured with her mother in the 1960s) said that she died on the return leg four days later on December 16

Section two of the Act allows for someone to be detained in hospital for an assessment and mental health treatment.

Mrs Fulcher said the family were 'very shocked' when they were told on December 11 that an inpatient bed had been found for her mother in Somerset.

'We were very shocked to hear it and thought they had got it wrong as it was so far away,' she said.

'We said she had never travelled out of Norfolk and this was too far for her.'

She said the family were told this was the only bed available, and that she voiced concerns to NSFT.

'We wanted to go to see my mum before she left but she was transported earlier than planned,' Mrs Fulcher said. She said she was told that her mother arrived in Somerset and was 'settling in'.

'I was subsequently informed that my mum had a water infection,' she said.

Mrs Fulcher said she was told on December 14 that a bed 'would shortly be available' for her mother at Julian Hospital in Norwich. She said she felt the journey should wait until her mother felt healthier.

Mrs Fulcher said that on the morning of December 16 she received a call from Cygnet Hospital 'saying mum was being transported back to Norfolk'.

'We made a further phone call highlighting our concerns but they were transporting mum back,' she said.

'We were upset and concerned but were reassured we would get a phone call as soon as mum was at the Julian Hospital.'

Mrs Fulcher said that in a call that afternoon they were told that the ambulance had 'pulled over... they said on the hard shoulder and were unable to say why'.

'We were going out of our minds with worry,' she said.

Mrs Fulcher described chasing people for information and later being told that her mother had died.

Dr Olufemi Solanke, who worked at Cygnet Hospital, said he was aware that Mrs Copeman did not have a physical examination before travelling to Somerset and was told that this was because she was 'not co-operating'.

He said that, on December 14, physical observations were done and Mrs Copeman was found to have a high temperature and a suspected urinary tract infection.

He said that he prescribed antibiotics, and that her other observations were 'within normal range'.

On the morning of her discharge, on December 16, 'she did not appear to be in any distress, she sat upright in the wheelchair', Dr Solanke said.

He said staff had tried to take physical observations 'but she declined'.

Asked by the coroner on what basis he assessed her as 'fit to travel', he replied: 'At that point it was based on my observation that she looked physically stable at the time.'

The inquest continues.
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Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas became the first cruise ship to depart from a US port in 15 months as the industry looks to rebound from a crippling shutdown during the coronavirus pandemic.

Freedom of the Seas set sail from PortMiami on Sunday with 650 passengers on board - well below the impressive ship's capacity of 4,500.

The two-day trip was dubbed a 'simulated voyage' by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is meant to test whether cruises hit hard early in the pandemic are safe to sail as COVID-19 continues to circulate worldwide.

All of the passengers are volunteers or employees of Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas became the first cruise ship to depart from a US port in 15 months as it set sail from PortMiami on Sunday (pictured)

650 passengers boarded Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas as part of its first trial voyage to assure that the company can follow safety measures before it resumes its operation with full capacity

Passengers wave as the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas gets underway through the Government Cut shipping channel at PortMiami on Sunday

Captain Patrik Dahlgren, senior vice president of Global Marine Operations and Royal Caribbean Group, hailed the ship's departure as a sign that the cruise industry is finally on the mend after over a year of uncertainty.

'Fast forward 15 months, we have learned so much, the world has learned so much, vaccine is also a key player here. It is a game changer for us,' Dahlgren said.

He went on to add that treatment of COVID-19 and the knowledge of how it spreads created an evolution for the industry, saying the company is very excited about its first simulated voyage and what is to come.

The two-day trip was dubbed a 'simulated voyage' by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is meant to test whether cruises hit hard early in the pandemic are safe to sail as COVID-19 continues to circulate worldwide

Passengers arrive on the Freedom of the Seas in PortMiami on Sunday

The ship set sail with 650 passengers - well below its capacity of 4,500

Dahlgren also said that Royal Caribbean Cruises works with the University of Nebraska, which is renowned for its research on air quality.

'They help us to study the air quality on our fleet in details,' he explained. 'We want to make sure guests' experience is memorable through social distancing and using technology.

He also noted that the days that people gathered together in crowds are gone. It is a great improvement from a safety side.

'I feel really safe with my mask, I'm vaccinated, everyone's vaccinated, so I feel really good about it,' said Carolina Jimenez, a 25-year-old law student who was invited along as a plus-one.

'It's unfortunate how long it's taken to come back, but I think that's something no one could have controlled, and I'm just glad that now we're here and getting back to it.'

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.'s Freedom of the Seas set its first ship off the PortMiami on Sunday after 15 months of uncertainty and endless battle with COVID-19

Passengers arrive as Royal Caribbean International prepares to sail the Freedom of the Seas from PortMiami during the first U.S. trial cruise testing COVID-19 protocols on June 20, 2021 in Miami, Florida

Passengers are seen next to Emergency Guide staff on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas from PortMiami during the first U.S. trial cruise testing COVID-19 protocols on June 20, 2021 in Miami, Florida

The cruising industry has a long way to recover to its pre-pandemic state.

It takes about three months to prepare each ship for a new travel. As a result, scheduling new trips will likely not accelerate anytime soon.

The CDC has laid out two scenarios for cruising companies to resume their trips.

They can run simulated, also known as trial, voyages - or they can restart revenue cruises right away if they verify a 95 percent vaccination rate among passengers and crew.

Cruise ship operator are required to notify the CDC and request its approval to conduct a simulated voyage at least 30 calendar days prior to the date on which the cruise ship operator proposes to conduct the simulation.

Companies are instructed to use volunteers as passengers in trial voyages. The minimum number of required volunteer passengers for each simulated voyage must be at least 10 percent of the maximum number of passengers permitted onboard for the first two restricted voyages.

All volunteer passengers must be informed in writing that they are participating in a simulation of health and safety protocols that are unproven and untested in the United States for purposes of simulating a cruise ship voyage and that sailing during a pandemic is an inherently risky activity.

All volunteer passengers must be at least eighteen years old or older on the day of the simulation and at the time that their consent to participate is obtained.

CDC requires proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 using an US Food and Drug Administration vaccine or a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization.

If not fully vaccinated, written documentation from a healthcare provider or self-certified statement that the volunteer passenger has no medical conditions that would place the volunteer at high risk for severe COVID-19 as determined through CDC guidance.

These terms and conditions have caused a lot of contention among politicians and cruising companies.

Royal Caribbean employee volunteers arrive at PortMiami to board the Freedom of the Seas cruise ship for a simulated cruise on Sunday

Captain Patrik Dahlgren, senior vice president of Global Marine Operations and Royal Caribbean Group, hailed the ship's departure as a sign that the cruise industry is finally on the mend after over a year of uncertainty

Passengers are seen on the deck of the Freedom of the Seas before it departed Sunday

Just two days before the first simulated voyage left the port, a federal judge in Tampa, Florida, issued a 124-page ruling throwing out regulations from CDC that dictated what safety rules cruise lines must comply with to set sail.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis challenged the rules in court, arguing the regulations were unfairly targeting the cruise ship industry and cruise companies should be allowed to operate without any federal oversight.

He won his battle against CDC on Friday July 18, but US District Judge Steven Merryday put it on hold until July 18 and gave the CDC until July 2 to propose a narrower order.

The Republican governor took separate actions before his legal win too.

Last month, DeSantis 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.

However, the bill was not welcome by all cruising companies.

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.

In the meantime, Dahlgren said he doesn't have any comment about the governor's win.

Instead, he said the safety and health of our crews and guests will always be at the forefront of our purpose no matter what ruling comes in. We have a great collaboration with CDC as well as the State of Florida.
Two German tourists are being investigated for alleged manslaughter after a boat crash in Italy killed two people.

An Italian man and woman died in the boat collision on Lake Garda, Italian police said. Local media reported that the woman's leg had been partially torn off.

The Corriere della Sera newspaper named the victims as Greta Nedrotti, 25, and Umberto Garzarella, 37.

Investigators were awaiting results on Monday of blood analyses to determine if the tourists, from Munich, had been drinking before the crash.

The Carabinieri said both Germans are free on their own recognisance while under investigation for alleged manslaughter and failure to provide evidence.

The Carabinieri office conducting the investigation declined to give further details to the Associated Press because the probe is still ongoing.

Two German tourists are being investigated for alleged manslaughter after a boat crash in Italy killed two people

The Corriere della Sera newspaper named the victims as Greta Nedrotti (left), 25, and Umberto Garzarella (right), 37

Investigators were awaiting results on Monday of blood analyses to determine if the tourists, from Munich, had been drinking before the crash

Nedrotti's body was recovered from the lake on Sunday evening by Italian firefighter rescue divers. Garzarella's body had been found in their small boat earlier that day.

Corriere della Sera said the victims' boat was badly gashed near the bow and that Garzarella had suffered a serious abdominal wound.

One of Nedrotti's legs was partially torn off, it said. A search had been launched for her after women's clothing was found on the boat near Garzarella's body.

Police located the tourists after people noticed their docked motorboat was damaged, the Italian daily said.

The Carabinieri said both Germans are free on their own recognisance while under investigation for alleged manslaughter and failure to provide evidence

Corriere della Sera said the victims' boat was badly gashed near the bow (pictured) and that Garzarella had suffered a serious abdominal wound

Nedrotti's body was recovered from the lake on Sunday evening by Italian firefighter rescue divers. Garzarella's body had been found in their small boat earlier that day

The Italians reportedly had met with friends on shore Saturday evening, then headed out on Garzarella's boat and were about mid-lake when the vessel was struck by the motorboat.

Corriere della Sera said investigators found pieces of wood from Garzarella's boat embedded in the tourists' boat.

Lake Garda, which has many shoreline resorts in northern Italy, is very popular with European visitors

The Italians reportedly had met with friends on shore Saturday evening, then headed out on Garzarella's boat and were about mid-lake when the vessel was struck by the motorboat
President Joe Biden is in danger of missing two of his major COVID targets in the coming weeks - a 70 per cent vaccination rate in the United States by July 4th and sending 80 million vaccine doses worldwide by the end of June.

Biden has touted a return to normalcy for Americans on Independence Day and is planning a massive gathering on the South Lawn of the White House to celebrate.

But, as his plans roll forward for 1,000 essential workers and military families to join him at the White House while thousands more gather on the National Mall to watch a fireworks display, the vaccination rate in the US has slowed to a level that threatens to derail his target.

The administration also has bragged about its commitment to the global fight against COVID with its vaccine donations. On Monday it announced destinations for 55 million doses of the vaccine with focuses on Latin America, South American, Asia and Africa.

On Monday the White House announced destinations for 55 million doses of the COVID vaccine with focuses on Latin America, South American, Asia and Africa

But fewer than 10 million doses of the COVID vaccine have been shipped, including 2.5 million doses delivered to Taiwan over the weekend and about 1 million doses delivered to Mexico, Canada and South Korea earlier this month, the Associated Press found.

President Joe Biden is in danger of missing two of his major COVID targets in the coming weeks

The White House has down played the possible missed deadlines.

Press secretary Jen Psaki blamed logistical challenges for the delay in getting doses of the vaccine overseas, including customs, language barriers and shipping issues.

'What we found to be the biggest challenge is not actually the supply. We have plenty of doses to share with the world, but this is a Herculean logistical challenge and we've seen that as we've begun to implement,' Psaki said at her press briefing on Monday.

'When we work with countries, we need to ensure that there's safety and regulatory information is shared. Some supply teams need needles, syringes and alcohol pads. Transportation needs teams need to ensure that there are proper temperature storage prep prevent breakage and ensure the vaccine immediately clears customs, so this has not as you all know, been done before. Sometimes it's even language barriers that occur as we're working to get these doses out to countries,' she said.

Last week the World Health Organization warned that the global spread of the coronavirus is moving faster than worldwide distribution of the vaccine.

More than 3.8 million people have died from COVID across the globe since the beginning of the pandemic.

Domestically, Psaki also down played the slow down in vaccination rates in the United States, particularly in the South.

Currently, 54% of the American population has had at least one shot of the COVID vaccine while 46% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to CDC data. The US has passed more than 600,000 deaths from the coronavirus.

'First let me say we've made tremendous progress in our vaccination efforts to date,' Psaki said.

She blamed the lower vaccination rate among 18-25-year-olds as the reason the overall vaccination rate is dropping.

'As we dig into the data, we know that what we're seeing is a lower rate among young people. That's concerning especially with the Delta variant being on the rise as it as it is, which does not discriminate by age, which still could cause death, serious illness,' she said.

If the rate of adult vaccination continues on the seven-day average, the United States will come in just shy of Biden's target, with about 67 percent of adults partly vaccinated by the Fourth of July, according to a New York Times analysis.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said logistic problems have slowed vaccine shipments world wide and blamed the falling vaccination rate in the US on 18-25-year-olds

The administration is making an all out push to hit is 70% vaccination goal by Independence Day.

Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off a vaccination tour last week, making two Southern stops - in Greenville, South Carolina, and Atlanta.

Jill Biden will make a series of Southern stops this week - Jackson, Mississippi and Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday and Kissimmee and Tampa, Florida, on Thursday.

And President Biden will visit a vaccination clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday.

The White House also has tried to entice young people to get a shot by offering free beer, free ride sharing and noting your vaccination status on your dating app.

A nurse injects the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to a person at BSMMU Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh

An Islamic cleric leads relatives to pray during the burial of a man at the special section of Jombang Public Cemetery reserved for those who died of COVID-19, in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia
Netflix and Steven Spielberg have just signed a deal that will see the acclaimed filmmaker's production company produce multiple new films for the streaming giant each year.

The partnership between Spielberg's Amblin Partners and Netflix was announced on Monday. It is a coup for Netflix at a time when competition with streaming rivals including Disney+ and HBO Max is heating up.

It is not clear how much Spielberg's deal with Netflix was worth.

Spielberg, 74, has been skeptical about streaming in recent years and reportedly moved to bar Netflix films from Oscars eligibility. Spielberg later dismissed that claim as false.

In a joint statement about the new Netflix deal, Spielberg praised 'this new avenue for our films' as an 'amazing opportunity to tell new stories together and reach audiences in new ways'.

Netflix and Steven Spielberg announced a deal on Monday that will see the acclaimed filmmaker's production company, Amblin Partners, produce multiple new films for the streaming giant each year

Spielberg also praised his close relationship with Netflix co-CEO and content chief Ted Sarandos, a former industry outsider who has risen to become one of Hollywood's top power brokers.

'We cannot wait to get to work with the Amblin team and we are honored and thrilled to be part of this chapter of Steven's cinematic history,' Sarandos said.

The Academy Award-winning director of big-screen classics such as 'E.T.', 'Schindler's List', 'Jaws', and 'Saving Private Ryan' will continue to direct and produce movies for Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures under a separate agreement.

Spielberg's upcoming 'West Side Story' will be released by Disney-owned 20 Century Studios.

The announcement does not specify whether Spielberg, who in recent years has produced many more films than he has directed, will personally direct any of the Netflix movies.

Amblin produces several movies beyond the ones that Spielberg directs himself.

Recent Amblin projects included 2018 best picture winner 'Green Book' and 2019 World War One drama '1917,' both distributed by Universal.

The deal is a coup for Netflix at a time when competition with streaming rivals including Disney+ and HBO Max is heating up. It is not clear how much Spielberg's deal with Netflix was worth

This is how the streaming services currently stack up. Netflix has by far the biggest number of subscribers and it spends the most but the new Discovery and AT&T company will spend more. Amazon right now spends around $11 billion, but a purchase of MGM could change that equation

The deal, however, comes as the industry pivots from a model that insisted on lengthy, exclusive 'windows' for movie theater releases, to one in which major films often appear on streaming platforms simultaneously or very soon after they hit the big screen - or even skip theaters altogether.

That move has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another production by Spielberg's Amblin, 'The Trial of the Chicago 7,' was intended for theatrical release by Paramount but ended up on Netflix last year while thousands of movie theaters were closed.

Monday's deal also did not say whether Spielberg's films for Netflix would also appear on the big screen first.

Other top directors who have recently joined forces with Netflix include Martin Scorsese ('The Irishman'), Spike Lee ('Da 5 Bloods') and David Fincher ('Mank').

As well as 'West Side Story', which is due in theaters in December after being delayed by the pandemic, Spielberg is currently developing a semi-autobiographical film about his childhood in the southwestern state of Arizona.

Netflix is slated to make 60 films in 2021.

Netflix was one of the big winners of the pandemic after seeing a surge in subscribers as people the world over were confined to their homes.

Shares and subscribers have dropped off this year as lockdowns were lifted and the streaming wars continue to heat up.
Six staff at a McDonald's branch in Scotland have tested positive for coronavirus but the restaurant remains open.

The workers from, Kinnaird, Edinburgh, have been asked to self-isolate after an outbreak began at the branch late last week when one member of staff tested positive for Covid-19.

Since then, others have tested positive with one, who wished to remain anonymous, saying staff do not feel they are being properly protected by management, Edinburgh Live reports.

The workers from, Kinnaird, Edinburgh, have been asked to self-isolate after an outbreak began at the branch late last week

In an email to senior staff management, it says: 'We are confident that the measures and approach that we are taking with employees is the right one given the specific circumstances.

'However, we wanted to let you know....and reiterate that you should continue to monitor your wellbeing as this is incredibly important to us. You should continue to follow all social distancing guidelines inside and outside of work.'

McDonald's spokesperson, said: 'Six employees at our Fort Kinnaird restaurant have tested positive for COVID-19 and are self-isolating. As soon as we were informed, the restaurant was given an enhanced clean as a precaution and will be followed by a deep clean by an external cleaning company this evening.

'We have contacted all restaurant employees, as well as Public Health Scotland. We have a number of safety measures in place to help keep our people safe, including perspex screens, temperature checks at the start of each shift, maintaining a two metre distance from others as much as possible, face coverings, regular hand washing and the use of hand sanitiser.'

The news comes after the restaurant announced it will hire 20,000 staff and open 150 new restaurants.

Another 100 stores are also set to follow in the next two years.

The huge expansion by the firm is seen as a shrugging off of fears over the decline in footfall in the high street where it has traditionally had a large footprint.

Making the announcement, Paul Pomroy, its UK chief executive, said: 'It's fantastic to be able to offer an additional 20,000 people an opportunity to work with us.

The huge expansion by the firm is seen as a shrugging off of fears over the decline in footfall in the high street where it has traditionally had a large footprint

'There is no doubt the pandemic has had a huge impact on many people's employment opportunities and threatened the future of high streets up and down the country.

'Our 1,400 restaurants are run by 200 local franchisees which means we have a personal stake in every one of our communities.'

The firm said the additions are not to replace the jobs lost throughout the pandemic.
A hacker attempted to poison the water supply in California by stealing an employee's login information at a facility in the Bay Area and attempting to delete treatment programs, a new report has revealed.

The suspect - who has not been identified or apprehended - launched his attack on the unspecified facility on January 15, but it was quickly detected the next day.

A subsequent report from the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center later exposed just how easily the hacker was able to break into the system.

The report said the perpetrator somehow obtained a former employee's TeamViewer login credentials, which allows users to remotely access their computers, NBC reports.

They then deleted computer programs designed to treat the area's drinking water.

The hacker's attack was only thwarted after the facility changed all of its passwords before reinstalling and updating the programs, however the breach is still under investigation by the FBI.

'No (system) failures were reported as a result of this incident, and no individuals in the city reported illness from water-related failures,' the report stated.

It marked one of many recent cyberattacks on US water infrastructure that have officials troubled nationwide.

Pictured: Sunol Valley Water Treatment Plant in Sunol, Ca. which supplies water to thousands of Bay Area customers. The exact facility that was breached was not identified by officials

The cyberattacker had somehow obtained a former employee's TeamViewer login credentials, which allows users to remotely access their computers

Pictured: San Ramon Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility in Pleasanton, Cali., another Bay Area water treatment plant.

Just weeks after the Bay Area water facility cyberattack, hackers breached Oldsmar, Florida's water supply and programmed its systems to raise the levels of lye in the water from 100 to 11,100 parts per million.

Anything over 10,000 can lead to 'difficulty swallowing, nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain, and potentially even damage to the gastrointestinal tract, Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, a medical toxicology physician at the National Capital Poison Center, told NBC back in February.

In May, a state water warning system in Pennsylvania notified personnel of two attempted recent hacks, while the Camrosa Water District in Southern California had ransomware installed in their system last summer, according to a data breach report.

Although a nationwide cybersecurity audit would likely protect water treatment plants from further breaches, the federal government says it has no plans to do so, NBC reports.

Like the Bay Area cyberattack, the Florida hackers got into the facility's computers through TeamViewer. Once a hacker has access to an account, they can change the chemical content that is used to treat an area's drinking water.

While an employee was able to immediately reverse the Florida hackers changes and protect the drinking water for the 15,000-plus Oldsmar residents, the threat of further breaches to the country's water infrastructure remains ever-present, according to authorities.

'Water facilities are particularly problematic,' said Suzanne Spaulding, former chief cybersecurity official at the Department of Homeland Security for the Obama administration.

'When I first came into DHS and started getting the sector-specific briefings, my team said, 'Here's what you've got to know about water facilities: When you've seen one water facility, you've seen one water facility.'

NBC reports that the country's water infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to these kind of cyberattacks, as there is no federal or centralized governing body to oversee each of the US's roughly 54,000 water plant's security systems.

To make matters worse, most water facilities in the US are nonprofit entities unlike the country's electrical grid, meaning there are less employees on hand to catch these kinds of breaches in more rural areas.

'It's really difficult to apply some kind of uniform cyber hygiene assessment, given the disparate size and capacity and technical capacity of all the water utilities,' said National Rural Water Association analyst Mike Keegan.

'You don't really have a good assessment of what's going on,' he added.

While a motive has not been revealed for the Bay Area or Florida water system cyberattacks, some officials are pointing the finger at Chinese and Russian government-sponsored hackers, who regularly target US industrial and infrastructure systems, according to NBC.

'They're even more fragmented at lower levels than anything we're used to talking about, like the electric grid,' he said. 'If you could imagine a community center run by two old guys who are plumbers, that's your average water plant.'

The Bay Area hacker has yet to be identified, nor have authorities identified a possible motive for the Jan. cyberattack

Pictured: Water dam and filtration system for the management of the South San Francisco Bay Area wetlands, part of a Sunnyvale water pollution control plant

An internal survey conducted by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency earlier this year revealed as many as 1 in 10 water and wastewater plants had cybersecurity vulnerabilities, according to NBC.

Over 80 percent of such vulnerabilities were found before 2017, suggesting that water plant employees are not regularly updating their computer systems, the news outlet adds.

However, remote computer access does not appear to be going anywhere, despite ongoing security breaches and problems.

'Remote access makes it so you don't have to man a facility 24 hours a day,' said Daryn Martin, a technical assistant at the Kansas Rural Water Association.

'We have a lot of remote water districts that cover hundreds of miles. To pay a guy to drive 30 miles to turn a pump on and then he might have to turn it off in 3 hours when the tank gets full? He can do all that remotely. That saves money.'
A Colorado couple are demanding answers from a Denver hospital after they say their newborn baby daughter was slashed in the face during an emergency C-section.

Reazjhana Davis and Damarqus Williams welcomed their daughter, Kyanni Williams, at Denver Health Hospital last Tuesday, but the joy of meeting their youngest child was marred by fear and frustration after learning of the injury their infant had sustained during the delivery.

As photos shared by the family show, baby Kyanni came into the world with a massive laceration on her left cheek, which required 13 stitches and the intervention of a plastic surgeon.

'Its upsetting; shes not comfortable,' Damarqus Williams told Fox 31 of his week-old child.

Kyanni Williams suffered a large cut to her left cheek when she was delivered via C-section at Denver Health Hospital on June 15

The laceration required 13 stitches and the intervention of a plastic surgeon

Parents Reazjhana Davis and Damarqus Williams, pictured above during a recent baby shower, said the original plan was for the mom to deliver their baby naturally

Davis, the girl's mother, said that her original plan was to deliver the baby naturally, but just minutes after she was given a pill to speed up her labor, she was taken in for surgery.

'They said our baby made a sudden movement and they couldnt hear her heartbeat or find it and they took her into an immediate C-section,' said the father.

Damarqus added that they were told by medics that Kyanni's face was close to the placenta wall.

Kyannis grandfather, Walter Williams, described the circumstances of the baby's delivery as 'devastating.'

Davis, who also has a three-year-old son, said she has never heard of a baby sustaining facial injuries as a result of a C-section.

Davis said she was given a pill to speed up her labor, and minutes later she was taken in for surgery. Williams said doctors told him his daughter's face was close to the placenta wall

Denver Health Hospital argued that the cut 'was a known medical complication in emergency C-sections'

A 2006 study conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network found that out of more than 37,000 C-sections between January 1999 and December 2000, 272 resulted in the baby sustaining skin lacerations, which accounted for 0.7 per cent.

Davis, pictured above during her pregnancy, said she has never heard of a baby suffering a cut during a C-section

Denver Health addressed the incident in a statement to Fox 31, but offered no explanation for what exactly happened during Davis' surgery.

'Denver Health has been in touch with the family directly,' the hospital stated. 'While this is a known medical complication in emergency C-sections, our focus is always on providing care in the best interest of the mother and child. At Denver Health, the safety and well-being of our patients is our number one priority.'

Kyanni's parental grandmother, Tashaira Williams, tearfully called for the hospital to be held responsible for the baby's injuries.

'I dont think thats right,' she said. 'They have to be held accountable for what they did.'

The grandmother has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help her son and his girlfriend pay for an attorney to pursue legal action in this case.
A mother has lost two of her IVF triplets just days apart after she contracted cytomegalovirus while she was pregnant.

Vicci Dunne, 36, from Widnes, Cheshire, found out she was expecting two girls and a boy with her husband Paul after going to Cyprus for IVF treatment before the pandemic hit.

The mother, who works in recruitment, was told at her various scans that daughters, who she named Heidi and Harriet, weren't growing and to 'prepare for the worst'.

Vicci Dunne, 36, from Widnes, Cheshire has lost two of her IVF triplets just days apart after they contracted cytomegalovirus (pictured with her husband Paul and son George)

A post mortem revealed that Harriet and Heidi had contracted cytomegalovirus (CVM) in the womb.

This is a common virus that is usually harmless but can be fatal for those with weakened immune systems or newborn babies.

By nearly 28 weeks doctors were concerned about 'fetal demise' - the death of a baby in the womb and Vicci gave birth by C-section.

She had Harriet, 1lb 6oz, George, 2lb 9oz and Heidi, 1lb 4oz, and the babies were rushed away for specialist care while Vicci underwent surgery after haemorrhaging.

Vicci gave birth to Harriet, 1lb 6oz, George, 2lb 9oz and Heidi, 1lb 4oz, via C-Section at nearly 28 weeks and the babies were rushed away for specialist care

When she woke she was taken into a room to see a team resuscitating Heidi, but she had fluid in her heart and a bleed on the brain and wasn't going to make it.

Vicci said: 'I hadn't even seen her yet and there she was being resuscitated - it was completely surreal.

'It was all about memory-making then. We got them all together and took pictures and then we were in a separate room where we held her and waited for her to pass away.

Vicci's heartache continued when Harriet was found to have an infection and began deteriorating.

She said: 'Harriet's lungs weren't working properly and when she had a blood transfusion all her numbers just dropped.'

George spent his first three months in hospital, and now nine months he is doing well at home with his older brother Alfie, four.

Vicci found out she was having two girls and George (pictured) after going to Cyprus for IVF treatment before the pandemic hit. He was the only one who survived

Wirral Wings - a charity that helps people who have experienced the loss of a child - stepped in and helped Vicci with her loss.

Vicci said: 'A friend had been in touch with them and they sent this beautiful hamper to the hospital - it was so lovely and everything related so much to what we were going through.

'I asked them if they could make dresses for Harriet and Heidi for the funeral from my wedding dress and I was amazed at the talent.

'I dressed the girls with the help of the funeral home and we had butterflies and rainbows on their coffins.'

George spent his first three months in hospital, and now nine months he is doing well at home with his older brother Alfie, four (pictured together)

Vicci now helps Wirral Wings by talking to others who have lost their children and said it was important to keep talking after such heartache.

She said: 'Wirral Wings give people the freedom to grieve by allowing you to share your loss and celebrate your children.

'You just have to talk - that's all. Forget about making people feel uncomfortable, talk about it, it helps, share your baby's life.

'And try and allow yourself to enjoy moments without feeling guilty, you cannot let it consume you.'
White House press secretary Jen Psaki called Sen. Joe Manchin's voting rights proposal a 'step forward,' as the Senate is slated to vote to begin debate on the issue Tuesday.

'It's a step forward,' she said during Monday's press briefing. 'We don't expect there to be a magical 10 votes. I'm not suggesting that. But just two weeks ago, there were questions about whether Democrats would be aligned.'

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday afternoon that he would have the Senate vote Tuesday on a motion to proceed, which would allow the body to begin debating a voting rights compromise.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the White House would continue to push for voting rights legislation even if a test vote fails in the Senate Tuesday. Psaki also said Sen. Joe Manchin's compromise idea was a 'step forward'

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin has floated a compromise proposal for a voting rights bill that the White House said Monday was a 'step forward'

'It's not a vote on any particular policy, it's not a vote on this bill or that bill, it's a vote on whether the Senate should simply debate the issue of voting rights,' Schumer explained Monday.

That motion will need a filibuster-proof 60 votes, meaning it's likely to fail.

'If the vote is unsuccessful tomorrow, we suspect it will prompt a new conversation about the path forward and we'll see where that goes,' Psaki predicted.

In an op-ed earlier this month, Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat and important Senate swing vote, announced he was against the House-passed 'For the People Act,' essentially dooming that bill as written.

However, he expressed support for aspects of the legislation including making Election Day a holiday, mandating early voting, creating automatic voter registation through the DMV and ending gerrymandering.

Manchin, however, has expressed support for voter ID requirements, which could be a poison pill for some Democrats.

That being said, The Washington Post reported that some prominent Democrats have been softening on voter ID.

Stacey Abrams, a former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate credited for her state's voting rights push, slapped down the idea that Democrats were against voters having to prove their identity.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday he will have the Senate vote Tuesday on a motion to proceed that would open debate on voting rights legislation

'That's one of the fallacies of Republican talking points that have been deeply disturbing,' Abrams said last week on CNN. 'No one has ever objected to having to prove who you are to vote. It's been part of our nation's history since the inception of voting.'

Abrams expressed that she's been against Republican-pushed voter ID provisions that would restrict voting - such as limiting the kinds of ID to only driver's licenses and not, for example, student IDs.

The Manchin proposal, however, is less strict than most backed by Republicans in recent years.

Voters could use something like a utility bill as their identification.

With a less restrictive voter ID provision in place at the federal level, The Post pointed out that it could actually reduce the barriers to vote in certain states.

Psaki wouldn't say if President Joe Biden would support any sort of voter ID.

'I'm not going to go through different individual pieces of the package,' she answered when asked Monday about it specifically. 'It's a compromise.'

'The president - there are components out there of course that I think universally among most Democrats in the country - an extension of early voting, making Election Day a law, we would support,' she continued.

'This is a step forward. It should be seen as an incremental step forward. We'll see what's the next step in Congress,' Psaki added.
President Barack Obama's ethics chief on Monday slammed Hunter Biden's 'shameful and grifty' sale of his art pieces for up to $500,000 to anonymous buyers as part of an upcoming exhibition that has already sparked bribery and potential money laundering fears.

Walter Shaub, the former Office of Government Ethics director, also warned that it could be a way for 'influence seekers' or foreign governments to funnel money to the Biden family.

Shaub, who last week called out Biden administration officials for hiring a slew of family members to a variety of positions, has urged Hunter and his art dealer Georges Berges to reveal the identity of the buyers so the public can see if the buyers are trying to get access to the White House.

He told Fox News: 'The notion of a president's son capitalizing on that relationship by selling art at obviously inflated prices and keeping the public in the dark about who's funneling money to him has a shameful and grifty feel to it.'

'Just as hotel charges and real estate purchases created a risk of unknown parties funneling money to the Trump family for potentially unsavory purposes, Hunter Biden's grotesquely inflated art prices create a similar risk of influence-seekers funneling money to the Biden family,' he added.

'But I also think it's ridiculous that Hunter Biden is even going forward with this sale as a first-time artist.

'He can't possibly think anyone is paying him based on the quality of the art. This smells like an attempt to cash in on a family connection to the White House.'

'At a minimum, the president should be asking his son not to go through with this auction.'

Shaub also tweeted on Monday: 'Let's let foreign govts or anyone else funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars anonymously to POTUS's relatives through subjectively priced commodities like hotel charges, real estate purchases and art. Oh wait, no, art is COMPLETELY different.'

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.

President Barack Obama's ethics chief has slammed Hunter Biden's 'shameful and grifty' sale of his art pieces for up to $500,000 to anonymous buyers as part of an upcoming exhibition that has sparked bribery and potential money laundering concerns

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.

Walter Shaub, the former Office of Government Ethics director, also warned that it could be a way for 'influence seekers' to funnel money to the Biden family

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.

Shaub also tweeted about Hunter's upcoming exhibition and wrote: 'It makes perfect sense that a hedge fund manager with no art training who has never sold a piece would seek $500,000 for his doodles, and anyone who thinks the payoff's based on his relation to POTUS is patently crazy'

He also suggested foreign governments may try and take advantage of the exhibition

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.
An Air Force veteran was allegedly killed by her ex-husband less than a week after she married another man.

Lori Anne Deatherage, formerly Lauri McCloud, was found shot dead in her home in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, on Friday.

Just four days earlier Deatherage had married fellow Air Force veteran Billy Deatherage on June 13 - which was also her 48th birthday - and was planning to move to Arkansas to live with him.

Upon finding her body, officers tracked her 64-year-old ex-husband to his Brooklyn Center home, where a 10-hour stand-off ensued, according to the Star Tribune.

Negotiators from several agencies contacted him by phone, and he surrendered at about 9pm.

Lauri Anne Deatherage, left, had just married Billy Deatherage, right, on June 13

The two first met about 30 years ago when they were stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota

The suspect, who has not been named, remained in custody at the Hennepin County Jail on Monday and was pending charges. The investigation is still ongoing, police told DailyMail.com.

Deatherage, a medically-retired disabled veteran who served her country in the early 1990s, first met Billy Deatherage when the two were stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota together three decades ago.

He said they reconnected about four years ago, before he proposed this spring.

'Our time was cut short by an atrocious act,' Deatherage, 53, told the Star Tribune. 'We had been married for less than one week before she was taken from me.'

She was found dead from a gunshot wound in her Minnesota home on Friday morning

Deatherage, 48, has spent the past 20 years designing costumes for the Minnesota Renaissance Festival and is described as a woman who would help others in need

On Facebook, she posted that she could not wait to see who showed up to attend her wedding on June 13 to Billy Deatherage

She spent the past 20 years designing costumes for the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, Billy Deatherage told the Tribune, and even took up professional modeling at one point in her life.

On Facebook, she posted that she could not wait to see who would show up to her wedding to Billy Deatherage on June 13.

Deatherage said he has been a 'train wreck' since he learned of her passing, and described his wife as an artist, seamstress and sister who would often take people under her wing and offer them help if they were struggling.

'Lauri was loved by literally hundreds and hundreds of people, and she touched so many lives in so many positive ways,' he said. 'She was a good soul.'
Brazilian authorities are searching for a man who was captured on camera shooting dead his former girlfriend outside her home on Sunday.

Thais Silva, 27, was expecting to meet her ex-boyfriend Osmar de Sousa, 36, in front of her home in the Federal District town of Sobradinho, where the suspect was to drop of their two-year-old daughter, according to online news portal G1.

Surveillance footage showed Silva walking to her apartment complex's entrance gate. The former couple appeared to exchange words as Silva stepped out to the sidewalk.

De Sousa then fired three shots at Silva, sending her tumbling backwards and falling in the courtyard.

He then stood over her and fired a fourth shot, which appeared to strike her in the head.

Thais Silva, 27, was expecting to meet her ex-boyfriend Osmar de Sousa, 36, in front of her home in the Federal District town of Sobradinho, to pick up the former couple's two-year-old daughter before she was shot dead Sunday evening. De Sousa remains on-the-run

Thais Silva (pictured) dated her alleged killer, Osmar de Sousa, for five years before ending the relationship five months ago, police said according to Brazilian online news portal G1. Silva was expecting him to drop of their two-year-old daughter, but instead left her at his brother's home. Police have ruled out his brother as a person of interest, indicating he was not made aware of the plan to kill his niece's mother

Osmar de Sousa (pictured) was arrested in 2016 on a domestic violence charge from a relationship he had with a woman prior to meeting Thais Silva

The security camera showed de Sousa taking off in a vehicle, which was found abandoned at a supermarket parking lot.

Investigators said de Sousa left his daughter at his brother's home before he executed Silva, who worked for the Department of Health as a dental hygienist.

De Sousa's brother was not considered a person of interest in the investigation, according to police chief Hudson Maldonado.

'Nothing indicates that the brother knew about the grisly plan,' Maldonado said.

De Sousa was arrested in 2016 on a domestic violence charge from a relationship he had with a woman prior to meeting Silva.

De Sousa and Silva dated for five years, but he was not happy with the way their relationship ended five months ago.

Silva feared for her well-being, but never reported de Sousa to the police.

Thais Silva feared for her wellbeing, but never reported Osmar de Sousa to the police

Thais Silva (whose body is picture covered) is the fourth woman murdered by their partner in the last 13 days in Federal District

She is the fourth woman murdered by their partner in the last 13 days in Federal District.

A mother-of-two identified as Melissa Mazzarello, 41, was found dead at her home last Thursday in Sobradhino after she was reportedly strangled by her estranged husband, Leandro de Barros, 41. He fled the home by the time police arrive, but was arrested in the evening.

On June 8, Fernanda Landim, 30, was stabbed dead by her husband. A day earlier, Leidenaura Moreira, 37, was found dead after suffering a stab wound to the neck by her ex.
British shoppers face a chilled food shortage 'crisis' this summer due to a lack of lorry drivers and production workers, experts have warned.

A double impact from Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic is said to have sparked disruption to the chilled food supply chain, industry insiders say.

And it means suppliers are struggling to bring items to supermarkets, with chilled food bosses warning of a spate of late deliveries and failed orders.

Chief executive of industry group, Cold Chain Federation, Shane Brennan, said the situation was now a 'crisis'.

However, trade association British Retail Consortium (BRC) said that while there has been 'minor disruption', there would not be a shortage of food on shelves.

Mr Brennan told trade paper, The Grocer: ' This does feel very different to the past crises we've been through  the lockdown and Brexit preparations.

A double impact from Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic is said to have sparked disruption to the chilled food supply chain, industry insiders say

A double impact from Brexit (pictured: Lorries line up at the Port of Dover during Operation Stack) and the Covid-19 pandemic is said to have sparked disruption to the chilled food supply chain, industry insiders say

It comes as it was revealed that Morrisons (pictured: A Morrisons' delivery van) is set to axe wholesale supply to independent convenience stores due to a lack of lorry drivers

'This time we're trying to do the job without labour and that is a very different challenge.'

It comes as it was revealed that Morrisons is set to axe wholesale supply to independent convenience stores due to a lack of lorry drivers.

The supermarket chain, which has more than 500 of its own stores across the UK, has closed wholesale accounts for independent retailers it supplies to in order to prioritise its own customers.

Morrisons say the move will impact 'fewer than 10' of its customers.

It comes as The British Meat Processors Association (pictured: Chief executive Nick Allen) last week warned it was 'heading for a brick wall' on labour shortages

A Morrisons spokesperson said: 'Due to the national driver shortage, we're prioritising our contracted customers and have temporarily suspended sales for a very small number  fewer than 10  of our ad-hoc customers.

'We're working hard with our partners to resolve this as soon as we can. This doesn't affect any of our other services, for example to food banks, charities, local authorities and wholesalers, as well as contracted wholesale customers.'

It comes as The British Meat Processors Association last week warned it was 'heading for a brick wall' on labour shortages.

The group said production capacity was down 10 per cent because a lack of skilled workers in the UK.

Chief executive, Nick Allen, said: 'Our problems started with Brexit and Covid has made them worse.

'And the pubs and hotels opening up has increased the demand on labour. The whole food industry is really struggling at the moment.'

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) denied shelves could be left empty but admitted a degree of 'minor disruption' to some supply chains.

A statement sent to The Mirror said: 'Supermarkets are working closely with their suppliers to ensure that consumers still have access to the same great selection of goods.'

Morrisons, which has more than 500 of its own stores across the UK, has closed wholesale accounts for independent retailers it supplies to in order to prioritise its own customers

It comes after a driver shortage triggered calls for the Army to be on standby to deliver food to convenience stores, pubs, restaurants and care homes.

The Federation of Wholesale Distributors (FWD) says the situation has reached crisis point, leading to bare shelves and a risk of empty plates.

Local convenience stores are now resorting to putting up notices warning customers of shortages due to the lack of delivery drivers.

Pub and restaurant chains are also not getting the fresh produce deliveries they expect.

Supplies of beer, milk and other chilled products are being hit, while there are fears the situation might affect tanker deliveries of fuel to petrol stations.

James Bielby, chief executive of the FWD, said there is an estimated 70,000 shortfall in HGV drivers.

The Road Haulage Association said the crisis has been triggered by a combination of Brexit, which has led to a cut in European truckers, and Covid, which has seen no new HGV drivers trained for a year.

Mr Bielby said: 'The situation has reached crisis point and it is likely to get worse as more hospitality venues open and demand increases. The Government needs to act very quickly.

Nationwide Produce PLC MD Tim O'Malley, pictured, has warned that a shortage of HGV drivers in the UK could result in empty supermarket selves

'We are concerned enough to suggest that the Government considers having Army trucks on standby to ensure there are enough vehicles and drivers to distribute food.'

It comes after Tim O'Malley, managing director of Nationwide Produce PLC - one of the biggest companies supplying fruit and vegetables to supermarkets and restaurants across Britain - warned fruit and vegetables are rotting in cold stores because of a major shortage of HGV drivers.

He has warned that perfectly good food is being left to rot as there are not enough truck drivers to transport produce across the country.

In an article in the Fresh Produce Journal, Mr O'Malley warned that his industry has been hit by Brexit, Covid-19 and changes to the tax system of HGV agency drivers.

Mr O'Malley wrote: 'The acute shortage of HGV drivers is now the direct cause of perfectly good, graded and packed fresh produce being dumped or left rotting in cold stores, waiting for wheels to go under it.

'Supermarket shelves and restaurant plates are going empty, and this is now a crisis of national importance.'
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tore into former President Donald Trump on the Senate floor Monday, calling him 'despicable' for 'poisoning our democracy,' in advance of the Senate voting to debate voting rights legislation.

'Just a note, how despicable a man is Donald Trump?' Schumer asked. 'He lost an election legitimately. He can't face that. That it was his failure. And he creates a lie, a big lie, and wins so many people over to that lie with the help of news media and other news commentators, who are lying as well and they know it.'

As Schumer lashed out at the former Republican president, he taunted his GOP colleagues to vote in favor of debating voting rights - a vote the Democratic leader would make them take Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tore into former President Donald Trump on the Senate floor Monday, calling him 'despicable' for 'poisoning our democracy'

Schumer blasted former President Donald Trump during a Monday floor speech in advance of a Tuesday vote that will allow the Senate to debate voting rights legislation

'Tomorrow, tomorrow the Senate will also take a crucial vote on whether to start debate on major voting rights legislation,' Schumer said giving scheduling updates on the floor Monday afternoon. 'I want to say that again. Tomorrow the Senate will take a vote on whether to start debate on legislation to protect Americans voting rights.'

Schumer made it clear that the vote wasn't for a particular piece of legislation.

'To the people watching, it's called the motion to proceed, it's how we get bills on the floor of the Senate,' the New York Democrat explained.

While the Democrat-controlled House has passed H.R. 1, the 'For the People Act,' it doesn't even have the support of all 50 Senate Democrats.

It would need 60 votes, overall, to bypass the filibuster.

Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat who announced he's opposed to the 'For the People Act,' has pitched a compromise that could attract some GOP support.

At Monday's press briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the proposal a 'step forward.'

Schumer said the vote Tuesday would be a procedural vote to debate voting rights legislation generally.

'It's not a vote on any particular policy, it's not a vote on this bill or that bill, it's a vote on whether the Senate should simply debate the issue of voting rights,' Schumer explained Monday.

He then ranted about Trump and state-level Republican efforts to curb access to the ballot.

'In the wake of the 2020 elections, Donald Trump told a lie - a big lie - that the election was stolen from him by voter fraud. There was no evidence for this. His own administration concluded that the 2020 election was one of the safest in history. His lawyers were laughed out of courts, many by Republican judges, some by judges he appointed - Trump appointed. But he kept saying it anyway,' Schumer said. 'Donald Trump lied over and over and over again.'

'Poisoning our democracy,' he continued. 'Lighting a fire beneath Republican state legislatures, who immediately launched the most sweeping vote suppression effort in at least 80 years.'

Schumer fumed about some of the restrictions that have passed, saying he noticed a trend.

'And by the way, in so many states, if you're African-American, if you're inner-city, if you're poor, if you're brown, you have to wait a lot longer than if you're white and in a suburb,' he said.

'Don't allow them to have a drink as they're waiting in the hot sun in lines to vote,' he continued.

'What does that have to do with voter fraud?' he asked. 'It has to do with cruelty, it has to do with nastiness, and it has to do with suppressing the vote.'

He also pointed to some jurisdictions cutting back Sunday voting hours - thought to be targeted at black churchgoers.

'Do any of my colleagues actually have evidence that voter fraud is especially prevalent on the Lord's day?' he asked. 'Please, we know what you're up to, America knows what you're up to.'

He challenged Republican senators to 'come to the floor' and 'defend these policies, adding that many 'sound like Jim Crow.'

'There is no principle behind these policies,' Schumer argued.

'The big lie that started with Donald Trump is infecting them, infecting them,' he also said.
Barnaby Joyce's young sons restlessly climbed on their mother Vikki Campion while he was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister for the second time after staging a spectacular political comeback.

The father of six - who has four daughters from his collapsed marriage and two sons with his former staffer Campion - reclaimed leadership of the Nationals in a party vote on Monday.

The leader of the National Party - which is in a Coalition with Scott Morrison's Liberal Party - holds the role of Deputy Prime Minister when in government.

Re-elected Leader of the Nationals Barnaby Joyce poses for a photograph with partner Vikki Campion and sons Sebastian and Thomas

Barnaby Joyce hold his son Sebastian as he poses with Governor-General David Hurley after the swearing-in ceremony as Prime Minister Scott Morrison appears on video link while in home quarantine

Thomas perched calmly on a chair while Sebastian climbed on his mother, prompting her to pick him up and place him on a chair next to her

Poll Does Barnaby Joyce's return make you more or less likely to vote for the government? More likely Less likely No difference Does Barnaby Joyce's return make you more or less likely to vote for the government? More likely 79 votes

Less likely 266 votes

No difference 88 votes Now share your opinion





Mr Joyce - who took the leadership from Michael McCormack - was sworn in by the Governor-General, the Queen's representative in Australia, at Government House on Tuesday morning.

His partner Ms Campion and their two sons Sebastian, three, and Thomas, two, sat in the front row to watch the ceremony.

Thomas perched calmly on a chair while Sebastian climbed on his mother, prompting her to pick him up and place him on a chair next to her.

Mr Joyce's extraordinary return to the frontbench will see his pay packet more than double from $211,500 a year to $433,575.

His comeback from the wilderness has divided public opinion, with Sky News host Alan Jones even claiming Mr Morrison 'can't stand' Mr Joyce.

'The true reality is that while Morrison is backing McCormack behind the scenes and can't stand Barnaby Joyce, it's Barnaby Joyce's leadership that will paradoxically save the government and Scott Morrison's prime ministership,' Jones said on his program on Monday night.

Jones labelled Mr McCormack a 'dud' while saying Mr Joyce had traction in the regions and could help hold and win rural seats in Queensland and New South Wales.

'People in the bush love him,' Jones claimed.

Re-elected Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce (right) poses for a photograph with partner Vikki Campion (left) and sons Sebastian and Thomas after being sworn by the Governor General at Government House

Mr Joyce was sworn in by the Governor-General, the Queen's representative in Australia, at Government House on Tuesday morning

However, Labor MPs are hopeful Mr Joyce's return will help them by turning female voters away from the Coalition.

Mr Joyce was forced to stand down three years ago after his affair with Campion became public and he denied sexually harassing a woman after an event in Canberra.

Jones's claim that Mr Morrison can't stand Mr Joyce may be hyperbolic - but it's true the pair don't share the same friendship the prime minister had with Mr McCormack.

Sources say their relationship is likely to be practical and centred on securing victory for the Coalition at the next election.

'Congratulations Barnaby, I look forward to working together,' Mr Morrison said after the ceremony.

'Thanks Prime Minister, the same,' Mr Joyce replied curtly.

Nationals member for Lyne David Gillespie, Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and son Thomas during the swearing-in ceremony

His partner Ms Campion and their two sons Sebastian, three, and Thomas, two, sat in the front row to watch the ceremony

On Monday, Mr Morrison welcomed Mr Joyce's return to the role.

In a statement, the Prime Minister said he looked forward to 'working closely together to ensure Australia continues its recovery from coronavirus and the recession it caused'.

Insiders say Mr Joyce has had his eye on reclaiming the Nationals leadership since he was forced to take a 50 per cent pay cut three years ago.

Two years ago, Mr Joyce revealed he struggled to support his two families on his $211,000 salary following his demotion to the backbench and was slaughtering his own farm animals to help slash living costs.

'It's not that I'm not getting money, it's just that it's spread so thin,' the father-of-six told News Corp at the time.

'I'm on an incredibly good salary. I say it over and over again. Because otherwise people would say, 'You're full of it'.

'You're on $211,000 a year for God's sake. I get that. But it's not just for me. I split it, I cover all my responsibilities and then you live with what you've got left.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison (left) will be forced to work closely with his new deputy to maintain his leadership, despite claims he 'can't stand' Barnaby Joyce (right)

Partner Vicki Campion and sons Sebastian and Thomas were there for Barnaby Joyce's swearing-in as the new Nationals leader and deputy prime minister on Tuesday morning

Ms Joyce's 24-year marriage to Natalie collapsed in December 2017 and two months later it was revealed he had been having an affair with his former media advisor Ms Campion.

In February 2018 it was revealed the pair were expecting a child in a Daily Telegraph front page which featured a picture of a pregnant Ms Campion under the headline 'Bundle of Joyce'.

The Nationals leader initially claimed the child may not be his, insisting the identity of the father was a 'grey area' - but said he would not take a paternity test and would raise the boy named Sebastian as his.

Further details of Mr Joyce's affair emerged in a book by political insider Niki Savva, who wrote that he was spotted with Ms Campion at a doctor's surgery for 'scans' while she was pregnant.

Ms Campion, a former journalist and state National Party advisor who was hired by Mr Joyce in mid-2016, apparently spoke to her colleagues about her 'closeness' with the deputy prime minister, telling fellow government staff about the bushwalks they went on together.

Ms Savva, a former press secretary to ex-Treasurer Peter Costello, wrote: 'She made no secret of her closeness to Joyce.

'She would describe him as the loneliest man in Parliament.'

The affair prompted the introduction of the so-called 'bonk ban' in Federal Parliament to stop relationships between ministers and their staffers.

Natalie Joyce (centre) with daughters Bridgette, Julia, Caroline, and Odette

Mr Joyce stepped down as Nationals leader and deputy prime minister in February 2018 when details of his relationship with Vikki Campion made national headlines. The pair are pictured with their two sons, Sebastian and Thomas

Vikki Campion (pictured) was a journalist before becoming a staffer for the National Party

Mr McCormack was overthrown in a party-room meeting on Monday after Joyce supporter Senator Matt Canavan moved a spill motion.

The spill - the third attempt to roll Mr McCormack in as many years - was prompted by growing disquiet over his lacklustre performance as Acting Prime Minister last week, when Mr Morrison was overseas.

But it came after long-running concerns that Mr McCormack was not cutting through in the Nationals' regional heartlands amid fears that conservative voters would turn to One Nation or the Shooters, Farmers and Fishers Party.

Mr Joyce claimed he did not expect to win a leadership ballot on Monday morning, adding: 'If I thought it was going to happen I would have brought my hat.'

He said: 'I will try, always, to be the better person. I acknowledge my faults. I resigned, I've spent three years on the backbench. I don't walk away from making sure that I can be a better person to do a better job.

'And I'm reminded by that by the people that I love dearly - my four daughters and my two sons and Vikki.'

Mr Morrison welcomed Mr Joyce's election and thanked Mr McCormack for being a 'tremendous bloke'.

Barnaby Joyce's young sons Sebastian (left) and Thomas (right) stole the show during their dad's swearing-in ceremony at Government House in Canberra on Tuesday morning

Nationals leader and new deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce (left) is sworn in by Governor-General David Hurley (right) as Prime Minister Scott Morrison watches via Zoom

Barnaby Joyce was forced to step down as Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader following his affair with Vikki Campion (pictured together with eldest son Sebastian)

On Monday Mr Joyce acknowledged his faults and says he hopes to come back a better person following his extraordinary return to the frontbench.

The father of six, 54, claimed he did not expect to win a leadership ballot on Monday morning, adding: 'If I thought it was going to happen I would have brought my hat.'

Asked whether he would try to overturn former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull's 'bonk ban' which prevents politicians having sex with their staff, he said: 'I can't and I won't start telling other people how they should start thinking of other people.

'I will try, always, to be the better person. I acknowledge my faults. I resigned, I've spent three years on the backbench. I don't walk away from making sure that I can be a better person to do a better job.

'And I'm reminded by that by the people that I love dearly - my four daughters and my two sons and Vikki.'

Alan Jones (pictured) says Mr Joyce's leadership that will paradoxically save the federal government and Prime Minister Scott Morrison

Youngster Thomas (left) steals the attention of his dad Barnaby Joyce during a photo opportunity with Governor General David Hurley and Prime Minister Scott Morrison

Mr Joyce (centre with Nationals MP David Littleproud and Senator Bridget McKenzie) announced his leadership of the National Party in a press conference

Mr Joyce was propelled back into leadership on Monday morning when Nationals leader Michael McCormack was overthrown in a party-room meeting after Joyce supporter Senator Matt Canavan moved a spill motion.

The spill - the third attempt to roll Mr McCormack in as many years - was prompted by growing disquiet over his lacklustre performance as Acting Prime Minister last week, when Mr Morrison was overseas.

But it came after long-running concerns that Mr McCormack was not cutting through in the Nationals' regional heartlands amid fears that conservative voters would turn to One Nation or the Shooters, Farmers and Fishers Party.

Mr Morrison welcomed Mr Joyce's election and thanked Mr McCormack for being a 'tremendous bloke'.

Mr McCormack told reporters in Canberra on Monday that he respects the decision made by the National Party, and wishes Mr Joyce 'all the best'.

'I have been honoured to serve the National Party as its leader the past three years. I have been privileged and humbled to do that,' he said, adding that he will now 'take some time' to think about his future.

'I want to acknowledge the fact that this has been a democratic decision, and I accept that. This is the way politics is.'

Mr McCormack (pictueed) told reporters in Canberra on Monday that he respects the decision made by the National Party, and wishes Mr Joyce 'all the best'

Barnaby Joyce dramatically reclaimed the leadership after a spill motion in the Nationals' party room. Pictured with former staffer Vikki Campion and their baby

When asked why there was a spill in the middle of a pandemic, Mr McCormack said he 'doesn't know'.

'You will have to ask the people who called on the spill today that question. [Australians] have been my focus this weekend as of course the rumblings and the murmurs of a spill were taking place here and elsewhere,' he said.

'I have always put those things aside and just got on with business as usual. Just got on with my job.'

Mr McCormack said he was proud to have worked alongside Mr Morrison through the Covid pandemic.

'I regard him as a true leader of our nation... Malcolm Turnbull, Scott Morrison and I didn't always agree on everything, but we got things done.'
Anagnostopoulos initially said intruders had broken into the home and killed her

The parents of murdered British mother Caroline Crouch yesterday vowed to care for her baby daughter and ensure 'the memories of her mother live forever'.

Susan and David Crouch are wracked with a gut-wrenching grief that will never leave them following their daughter's death at the hands of her Greek husband.

But one crusade keeps them focused  the fate of their granddaughter Lydia, too young to understand what she witnessed when her father suffocated her 20-year-old mother.

It has been 41 days since Miss Crouch was murdered and almost a week since her husband confessed to killing her with a pillow in front of Lydia.

Yesterday Miss Crouch's father, David, told the Daily Mail: 'Both Susan and I will spend the rest of our lives making sure that justice is done and ensuring that her little daughter Lydia is brought up with all the advantages that we can give her and that the memories of her mother live forever.'

But amid their grief, a custody battle over 11-month-old Lydia may now loom with her father's parents.

In their first words since her death, David and Susan told of their deep pride in the young mother who was 'cruelly taken away at the beginning of what was expected to be a wonderful life'. In a double horror for her parents, the son-in-law they wept with had deceived them in the worst way imaginable.

For weeks, Babis Anagnostopoulos coolly played the tearful widower as police searched for the 'robbers' he claimed had tied him up and killed his wife, plus the family's pet dog, Roxy.

Then last Wednesday, hours after hugging heartbroken Susan at a memorial service, Anagnostopoulos, 33, finally brought the cruel charade to an end with a police confession.

The parents of murdered British mother Caroline Crouch yesterday vowed to care for her baby daughter and ensure 'the memories of her mother live forever'

As they face trying to come to terms with such appalling betrayal, David and Susan cannot bear to speak about the events of May 11 when their daughter was attacked in her sleep, defenceless.

But they will always be fiercely proud of their daughter, and yesterday the couple told the Daily Mail about her young life on the Greek island of Alonnisos, where they settled when Caroline was 22 months old.

David listed the 'many accomplishments of my wonderful daughter'. As a schoolgirl, multilingual Caroline 'could run the legs off most of the boys of her age' and was just as gifted academically.

Liverpool-born David, 78, said: 'Caroline was born in a private hospital in Athens on 12th July 2001 but was a British citizen. She first came to the island with her mother as a babe-in-arms to be introduced to her future friends, and then moved to the island permanently with Susan and me in May of 2003.'

Caroline's parents are focused on the fate of their granddaughter Lydia, too young to understand what she witnessed when her father suffocated her 20-year-old mother. Pictured: Caroline (left) and husband Babis Anagnostopoulos on their wedding day

Alonnisos - next to Skopelos, where Mamma Mia was filmed  is a lush and unspoilt island. David, a retired gas executive who met his wife, originally from the Philippines, in Athens when he was working on a pipeline project, had their dream home built on a stunning hilltop with breath-taking views to the sparkling Aegean Sea.

Caroline began nursery when she was three, junior school at five and then went to senior school where she 'excelled academically', said her father.

He said: 'She was invariably chosen to carry the national flag in the Independence Day parades, an honour reserved for students who excel at their studies.'

He said she was 'a keen Scout and took part in exhibitions of traditional dancing', adding: 'At a relatively young age, she also became a proficient kayaker, taking to the sea like a seasoned veteran. And as a talented performer she would, together with her school friends, entertain the people of the island in popular plays, staged at the municipal theatre.'

He said: 'Caroline of course had a serious side and in her mid-teens embarked on a religious study course. Both Susan and I were very proud when she was awarded a place at Piraeus University to read statistics although we were very sad to see her leave home.'

David said his daughter was 'not just academically brilliant, she was also a wonderful sportswoman'.

He said: 'From learning to swim at an early age, she went on to qualify as a scuba diver in open water diving - her only disappointment being that she couldn't gain her instructors certificate because she was under eighteen at the time.

'She competed in 10km road races here on the island and could run the legs off most of the boys of her age. A keen kick-boxer, she terrified the life out of me - although I can say, hand on heart, in all our time together we never had a cross word.'

How different to the self-serving account spun to police by Caroline's husband, who claimed she died during a heated 'argument' the couple had. In reality, he brutally smothered her with a pillow while she slept.

When Caroline was younger, she pursued carefree adventures exploring Europe, said her parents.

David said: 'During the school holidays she would travel extensively with her school friends, phoning home every day to reassure her mother that she was well. Using her fluency in languages, she would help to organise these trips for her school. As well as speaking Greek, she spoke perfect, unaccented English and was fluent in French and Tagalog, her mother's language.'

Caroline and Babis Anagnostopoulos married in Portugal in 2018, when she was still a teenager and he a 28-year-old successful helicopter pilot. They lived a seemingly perfect life in a semi-detached villa in wealthy Athens suburb Glyka Nera.

Caroline's parents' lives have been shattered - but they are determined to pursue justice for Lydia, and give her the best possible care.

The little girl  whose mother is dead and whose father will be in jail for at least the rest of her childhood  is currently being looked after by her paternal grandparents in Athens. Anagnostopoulos's parents yesterday declared they want to play a part in her upbringing too.

Anagnostopoulos's father, Constantinos, said: 'The baby is with us. All we care about is the future of this baby and we want to be as focused on this as much as possible.'

Referring to his son's incarceration and daughter-in-law's death, he said: 'As a father right now, I have lost two children. Now I want to ensure this baby doesn't have more bad luck  none of this is this child's fault.'

According to Greek newspaper Proto Thema, Lydia's paternal grandparents will ask for 50/50 custody of the little girl. It will be down to a Greek court to decide in a hearing in about 90 days' time where Lydia will end up.

Today Anagnostopoulos will appear in court in Athens to formally record his version of events before a judge.
The Duchess of Sussex may have cut short an official visit to a feminist project in Fiji due to a perceived snub by its organisers years earlier.

At the time, aides blamed the heat, humidity and crowds for the then-pregnant duchess's decision to leave after just eight minutes, disappointing market vendors who had waited to meet her.

But royal biographer Robert Lacey has now suggested it could have been due to the involvement of UN Women, which hosted the event.

The Duchess of Sussex may have cut short an official visit to a feminist project in Fiji due to a perceived snub by its organisers years earlier

Prince Harry should've spoken directly to the Queen about being stripped of his military titles Prince Harry should have told the Queen he was 'aggrieved about losing his military titles' rather than agreeing to his bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, a royal editor has claimed. The Duke of Sussex is said to have become 'angry' at losing military appointments in the wake of 'Megxit', and reportedly agreed to the tell-all interview less than 24 hours after hearing of the decision. Appearing on Lorraine today, royal editor Russell Myers said that instead of pointing out 'discrepancies' about the royal titles of their son Archie, the duke, 36, would have benefitted more from addressing the issue of his military role directly. He also said that there has been 'limited contact' between Harry and Prince William amid their ongoing rift, despite their upcoming reunion on July 1 to attend the unveiling of their mother's statue. 'I think sometimes decisions made in haste don't end up being the best for everybody involved and we're still seeing the fallout of this,' said Myers. 'My point is that if he felt aggrieved for having his military titles taken away from him, one might wonder if he he had a right to feel like that. He served his country with distinction, it was his favourite time of his whole life. 'Rather than going on the interview and Meghan saying there was discrepancies about whether Archie and other children would be princes or princess - why didn't he just say "I felt aggrieved for having my military titles removed"?' Myers also claimed there has been just a 'few text messages here and there' between Prince William and Prince Harry, whose relationship is said to have been rocked by the Sussexes' bombshell interviews. Advertisement

In 2015, before dating Prince Harry, Meghan gave a keynote address on gender equality for UN Women in New York.

Then an actress in the US legal drama Suits, she received a standing ovation from guests including Ban Ki-moon, then UN secretary-general.

Mr Lacey writes in Battle of Brothers, his book about William and Harry: '[Meghan] had rubbed shoulders with the likes of Hillary Clinton... and might have hoped to join UN Women's distinguished roster of goodwill ambassadors that included celebrities such as Nicole Kidman and Emma Watson... but in those pre-Harry days UN Women only assigned the cable actress the lesser role of advocate.'

Suggesting that Meghan's swift exit years later was down to what she'd seen as a snub, Mr Lacey quotes a Los Angeles screenwriter who told him: 'Meghan does not cope well with what she perceives as rejection.

'She's nice and smiley as can be until you step in her way or don't give her what she hopes for. Then she can be remorseless  heaven help you!'

Meghan was pregnant with son Archie when she and Harry embarked on a royal tour of Australia and Fiji in 2018.

She was due to make a 20-minute visit to the market in Suva, the Fijian capital, to see the work of Markets for Change  a project run by UN Women.

At the time, an aide said of her early departure: 'It was hot, humid and uncomfortably busy and there were far larger crowds than expected.'

However, a source told The Times that her decision to leave was down to UN Women  and that Meghan had only agreed to visit the market if there was no branding for the organisation.

Lawyers for the duchess denied she had left because of the organisation, and said she met with other leaders from UN Women later in the tour.

Mr Lacey also played down reports that Prince Charles's pursuit of a slimmed-down monarchy could see him block Archie and his sister Lilibet from becoming a prince and princess.

He told The Times that Charles's priority as king 'will be to gain popular support for upgrading the status of Camilla from princess consort to queen consort... he is not likely to court unpopularity by removing HRH status from Archie and Lili'.

At the time, aides blamed heat, humidity and crowds for the then-pregnant duchess's decision to leave after just eight minutes, disappointing market vendors who waited to meet her

Prince Harry may arrive back in UK in next 24 hours and is set to stay with Princess Eugenie at Covid-secure Frogmore Cottage ahead of Diana statue unveiling

By James Robinson for MailOnline

Prince Harry could arrive in the UK in the next 24 hours, and will stay at a 'Covid-secure' Frogmore Cottage with Princess Eugenie and her family, according to reports.

It is understood that the Duke of Sussex, 36, will stay in self-contained accommodation at the royal home in Windsor when he jets back from the US.

Harry is leaving wife Meghan Markle, who has recently given birth, back at their 11million California mansion to take part in the unveiling of a statue in honour of his mother, Princess Diana, next month.

He could make the journey within the next 24 hours, in order to serve out his 'amber list' quarantine at Frogmore ahead of the unveiling, on July 1.

Frogmore Cottage was initially gifted to Harry and Meghan by the Queen after the couple's wedding.

But they gave up the property after dramatically quitting frontline royal duties and moving to the US.

The keys were later handed to Princess Eugenie, who is living there with husband Jack Brooksbank and their recently born first child August.

According to the Sun, the house has been divided into two parts to make it Covid safe for Harry's arrival.

A source told the paper: 'Eugenie and Jack were handed the keys last year and told they could use it while Harry and Meghan were in America.

'The cottage is now literally split into two, meaning Harry can isolate in one half of the house without ever coming into contact with his cousin and her family.

Prince Harry will stay at a 'Covid-secure' Frogmore Cottage with Princess Eugenie and her family when he returns to the UK, according to reports

Frogmore is currently the home of Princess Eugenie, who is living there with husband Jack Brooksbank and their recently born first child August (pictured together)

Harry is reportedly due to stay at Frogmore Cottage - which was initially gifted to Harry and Meghan by the Queen before their move to the US - during his stay

The unveiling of the statue will be the first time the pair have reunited since Prince Philip's funeral in April (pictured: Princes William and Harry at the funeral)

'It has been set up for his return after last-minute plans seemed to work when he was back for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral in April.'

Harry and Meghan were handed the keys to Frogmore, on the royal owned Windsor Home Park estate, as wedding gift by the Queen.

But, after spending 2.4million in taxpayer-funded renovation, which they later agreed to pay-back, the couple quit the UK and jetted off to America.

Eugenie and husband Jack then moved into the five-bedroom home in November last year. The couple welcomed their first child, August, in February.

Harry recently quarantined at Frogmore when arriving from the US for the funeral of his grandfather Prince Philip.

He will, subject to any changes, have to quarantine at the house again for 10 days on his arrival in the UK, because the US is currently on the amber travel list.

The unveiling will take place on July 1, which means he will need to arrive at Frogmore within the next 24 hours in order to see out the full 10-days.

Did Harry go 'nuclear' for 'revenge'? Royal expert suggests Prince 'threatened' he would do Oprah 'truth bomb' interview if Queen stripped him of military titles Prince Harry may have 'threatened' to drop his Oprah 'truth bombs' before the Queen stripped him of his military titles, a royal expert has today suggested. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said the Duke of Sussex, 36, may have hinted to courtiers about doing a bombshell interview with the US chat show host before the announcement of the final 'Megxit' deal in February. The announcement saw Prince Harry stripped of his military titles, including Captain General of the Royal Marines, as part of his decision to step back as a front line royal. Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle signed off on a tell-all interview with Oprah within 24 hours, according to new reports today. Mr Fitzwilliams said the Palace's decision to take back the titles would have likely left Prince Harry, who served in the Army for ten years, feeling 'extremely angry' and may have left him seeking 'revenge'. And he suggests that the Duke may have warned courtiers about the possibility of a TV interview prior to the 'Megxit' announcement being made. Mr Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: 'There is no doubt that harry valued his patronages terribly and theres absolutely no doubt that if you look at this as a probable revenge. They were told it was made pretty clear to them a year before them at the Sandringham Summit, they more or less knew they were going to lose their patronages. 'There were endless rumours in the years that followed that they were going to keep them - and they were left open. It's also very possible that they threatened they might do this (interview), and perhaps the palace courtiers negotiating didnt believe them.' Advertisement

However he could take the option of a five-day quarantine if he has a negative Covid result in the Government's 'Test and Release' scheme.

The voluntary test, which is funded by the person taking it, allows people to cut the quarantine time to five days if they have a negative test on the fifth day.

It comes as it was reported that Harry and his brother William will put differences aside to attend the unveiling of the new statue dedicated to Diana.

The unveiling of the statue could help thaw frosty ties between her sons who are both due to be at the July 1 ceremony in the gardens of Kensington Palace.

The princes are due to walk together to unveil the statue they commissioned to mark what would have been their mother's 60th birthday.

It will be the first time the pair reunite since Prince Philip's funeral in April. The pair have failed to reconcile since the Harry's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, sources claim.

A source told The Sun: 'Harry and William have only communicated by text since the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral. There have not been any personal chats or proper talks, just a very brief and minimal exchange of text messages.

'The relationship is still very much strained and there's no sign yet that there will be any sort of coming together any time soon.'

Prince Harry's arrival at Frogmore comes as current occupant Eugenie shared an adorable set of photos of her husband with their baby son August to mark Father's Day.

The proud mother, 31, took to Instagram today to reveal the four images.

One showed a tired Jack with August, who was born in February, lying on his chest as he slept. In another, the proud father smiled for the camera while holding his son.

Jack was also seen smiling widely as he pushed August's pram, whilst the fourth image showed the husband and wife posing together for a photo with August in the countryside.

In the caption she wrote: 'Happy Father's Day to you my love... you are the ultimate father to our boy!!'

Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank welcomed their son - his full name August Philip Hawke Brooksbank - on February 9 at the Portland Hospital in London.

Within an hour of Eugenie sharing the images, she had racked up nearly 50,000 likes and nearly 400 comments.

Eugenie's post came after the Duke of Cambridge spent Father's Day with his two eldest children, who helped him kick off a half marathon event on the Queen's Sandringham Estate.

Prince William, who recently turned 38, was joined by Prince George, seven, and Princess Charlotte, six, at the beginning of the event in Sandringham, Norfolk.

Prince Harry's arrival at Frogmore comes as current occupant Eugenie (pictured with husband Jack) shared an adorable set of photos of her husband with their baby son August to mark Father's Day

Princess Eugenie has shared an adorable set of photos of her husband Jack Brooksbank with baby son August to mark Father's Day today

Kate and Prince William did NOT talk to Prince Harry after Prince Philip's funeral because they feared details would 'go straight back to Meghan to be leaked out via Oprah Winfrey or some other tentacle of the Sussex network' says royal historian

By Harry Howard and James Robinson and James Gant and Mark Duell for MailOnline

Prince William and Kate Middleton did not have a sit-down conversation with Prince Harry after Prince Philip's funeral because they feared details would be leaked, a royal historian has claimed.

The trio were seen walking and chatting together for a few minutes as they left their grandfather's funeral service at Windsor Castle in April.

It was believed at the time that the brothers then spoke to each other and to their father Prince Charles for around two hours afterwards.

This was said to be in the hope of repairing relations following Prince Harry and Meghan's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

However, leading royal historian Robert Lacey has said in an updated version of his book Battle of the Brothers that the conversation did not take place because the Cambridges were worried their conversation would be leaked.

In the book, which is being serialised in The Times, Mr Lacey wrote: 'They told friends that they could see no point in talking to Harry since any discussion of substance would go straight back to Meghan to be leaked via Oprah [Winfrey] or some other tentacle of the Sussex network.'

Prince William and Kate Middleton did not have a sit-down conversation with Prince Harry after Prince Philip's funeral because they feared details would be leaked, a royal historian has claimed

Instead, Prince Charles is said to have gone back to his Wales home whilst Kate and William went home to Kensington Palace to put their children to bed.

The Cambridges' alleged fears came after Meghan's friend Gayle King revealed on US news channel CBS that while Prince Harry had had talks with his brother and father after his interview with Oprah, these discussions were 'not productive'.

She said in March: 'Well, I did actually call them to see how they are feeling, it's true, Harry has talked to his brother and his father, too.

'The word I was given was, those conversations were not productive. But they are glad they at least started a conversation.'

Mr Lacey also said in his updated book that it was 'not by accident' that neither Princess Anne nor the Countess of Wessex - Prince Edward's wife - spoke in public with Prince Harry on the day of Prince Philips' funeral.

He wrote: 'People felt incensed by what they saw as the calculated and focused cruelty of the TV interview and by the hypocrisy of Meghan  relating so brightly to Oprah how she had phoned the Queen to show her concern about Philip's condition without even considering, apparently, the impact that their televised catalogue of grievance might have upon the invalid's morale and health.'

Leading royal biographer Robert Lacey has said in an updated version of his book Battle of the Brothers that the conversation did not take place because the Cambridges were worried their conversation 'would go straight back to Meghan (pictured) to be leaked via Oprah'

The Cambridges' alleged fears came after Meghan's friend Gayle King revealed on US news channel CBS that while Prince Harry had had talks with his brother and father after his interview with Oprah, these discussions were 'not productive'

Ms King, who attended Meghan's baby shower in 2019, said on CBS she had been told by the Sussexes that they had been keen for the 'royals to intervene and tell the Press to stop with the unfair, inaccurate, false stories that definitely have a racial slant'.

Ms King, 66, who is also close friends with Oprah, failed to give any examples of the stories she was referring to, but added that Meghan has 'documents to back up everything that she said on Oprah's interview'.

She added: 'And I think what is still upsetting to them is the palace keep saying they want to work it out privately, but yet, they believe these false stories are coming out that are very disparaging against Meghan, still.

'No one in the Royal Family has talked to Meghan yet, at this particular time.

'And I think it's frustrating for them to see that it's a racial conversation about the Royal Family when all they wanted all along was for the royals to intervene and tell the Press to stop with the unfair, inaccurate, false stories that definitely have a racial slant.

'And until you can acknowledge that, I think it's going to be hard to move forward.

'But they both want to move forward with this and they both want healing in this family. At the end of the day, that is Harry's family.'

Prince Harry rocked his family with bombshell accusations during his and his wife's interview with Ms Winfrey in March.

They 36-year-old claimed his 38-year-old brother and 72-year-old father were 'trapped' in 'The Firm'.

Harry and William were seen talking after Prince Philip's funeral after they made an impromptu decision to walk back to Windsor Castle rather than use the state cars which were waiting for them.

Harry was initially seen speaking to his sister-in-law Kate but she appeared to hang back so he could talk to William for a few moments without her.

Prince William (left) and Prince Harry (right) walk either side of Peter Phillips and behind Prince Andrew at Windsor during Prince Philip's funeral in April

Prince William and Kate Middleton (left) sit on the opposite side of St George's Chapel to Prince Harry (right) who sat alone

The Sussexes accused the Royals of institutional racism during the bombshell 90-minute interview with Oprah.

They claimed one member of the family  not the Queen or Prince Philip  questioned what colour their son Archie's skin would be.

'They are still very upset,' the source added. 'They are putting on a united front for the Queen. They all think he has behaved appallingly.'

The Duchess of Sussex did not fly with Harry to the UK after doctors advised her not to travel due to her pregnancy. Pictured: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their bombshell interview with Oprah

The siblings maintained stony expressions as they walked behind their grandfather's cortege before the funeral service.

The Duke of Cambridge strode ahead of his brother as they entered the 15th Century chapel and inside the atmosphere remained frosty.

William sat with Kate directly opposite Harry but did not appear to make eye contact, instead preferring to focus his gaze towards his grandfather's coffin.

The new revelations in Mr Lacey's book were revealed after it was reported yesterday that Harry and Meghan's son Archie could be allowed to choose whether or not he becomes a prince when he turns 18.

Mr Lacey said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could follow in the footsteps of Earl and Countess of Wessex - who have not styled their children 'prince' or 'princess'.

The couple's children, James and Louise, are instead known as Viscount Severn and Lady Louise Windsor.

The siblings, who are 13th and 14th in line to the throne, will get a choice on whether to take royal titles or style themselves as HRH when they turn 18.

It comes amid claims, first reported in the Mail on Sunday, that Prince Charles will ensure that Archie will never be a prince as part of his plan for a slimmed-down Monarchy.

However, Lacey, told the Times that such a move does 'not seem likely'.

He said: 'It is possible that Prince Charles may try to remove royal status from the Sussex children when he comes to the throne but that does not seem likely.

'His priority then will be to gain popular support for upgrading the status of Camilla from princess consort to queen consort, and he is not likely to court unpopularity by removing HRH status from Archie and Lili.'

Meanwhile, palace insiders have reportedly told the Times that the Prince of Wales does not have the power to stop Archie from becoming a prince.

According to the paper, under the current system, Archie will automatically become a prince when the Queen dies and Prince Charles ascends to the throne.

Therefore, the only way that Archie could be prevented from becoming a prince is if the Queen decides to change the rules.

However, Lacey told the Times: 'It is clear to me that the Queen and her advisers have discussed this issue at the highest level, and that the future royal status of Archie and Lili is not in jeopardy in her lifetime.'
The Bafta-winning production company behind The Crown has been accused of failing two female staff members who were sexually and physically assaulted by a senior executive.

Chris Croucher, 39, was given a 12-month community order in February after admitting sexually assaulting one woman at a cocaine-fuelled party and common assault of a friend who tried to protect her.

Both women had been working for Left Bank Pictures when the former Downton Abbey producer propositioned one of them at a Christmas party in Soho in 2019.

Chris Croucher, 39, (pictured with wife Sarah in 2016) was given a 12-month community order in February after admitting sexually assaulting one woman at a cocaine-fuelled party and common assault of a friend who tried to protect her

Croucher, who is now terminally ill, chased her around an office shirtless and began touching himself behind her after asking her to take part in a threesome or a foursome.

The victim said she made a formal complaint about his conduct to Left Bank shortly after the incident but claims the company prioritised protecting Croucher and minimising the impact of his actions.

She told The Guardian that Croucher was not initially fired but was allowed to resign from the firm with notice.

Both victims also claim they were asked by management not to explain to people why Croucher had left the company. In an email, a senior executive said: We agree with you that we do not need to say he has resigned but instead can say that he has left and/or is no longer working on the production and there does not need to be a further explanation for his leaving.

Croucher (pictured with Kate Middleton), who is now terminally ill, chased her around an office shirtless and began touching himself behind her after asking her to take part in a threesome or a foursome

'If asked, we can say that we cannot comment further... but we would not go beyond that to refer to conduct or inappropriate behaviour.

Croucher was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2020 and has tumours in his heart and lungs.

During his sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, one victim said: I feel very alone this year. Its made me scared to go out alone in the day as well as at night.

Both women told The Guardian they felt discouraged to phone the police and handed in their notices before their contracts expired.

Both women had been working for Left Bank Pictures when the former Downton Abbey (pictured) producer propositioned one of them at a Christmas party in Soho in 2019

Left Bank denies they were discouraged from reporting the crimes. A spokesman told the newspaper their claims about its handling of the matter were inaccurate and completely mischaracterise the seriousness with which Left Bank Pictures took the complaint.

He added: Upon receiving the complaint, Mr Croucher was removed from the workplace and a full investigation began immediately. Following the findings of the investigation and further interviews with staff, he was summarily dismissed.

At no time were the women who raised the concerns... asked or encouraged to lie. The welfare of both women was a priority from the outset.
Next month, she would have turned 60. Now, for a landmark series and podcast that re-examines Dianas last days, the Mail has spoken to a host of crucial eyewitnesses and members of her inner circle.

Yesterday, we reconstructed the Princesss final weeks as she enjoyed a new relationship with playboy Dodi Fayed.

Today, we tell the story of the tragic crash and the unsuccessful fight to save her. Some details of the injuries she suffered and the medical help she received have been excised, but what follows is an important historical account that dispels so many of the cruel myths surrounding her death.

Sunday, August 31

Midnight in Paris: Brigadier Charles Ritchie, the military attache at the British Embassy, is strolling past the Ritz after an evening out when he sees a crowd of photographers and other onlookers by the entrance.

The soldier, who had once been equerry to Princess Anne, stops to speak to one of the spectators. He is told they have gathered because Lady Di is inside the hotel. Ritchie therefore becomes the first British official in the city to learn of her presence there.

He will later tell the Mets Paget inquiry that he intended to inform his ambassador, but saw no reason to do so before the morning. Dianas butler Paul Burrell will also tell Paget that while she was obliged to inform the Home Secretary when she travelled abroad, in practice she only did so for official visits. This jaunt with Dodi was strictly unofficial. And so Ritchie carries on home. He has seen two Range Rovers and drivers outside the front of the hotel but assumes Diana will not leave the Ritz again at this late hour. It is a wrong assumption.

A French medic named Dr Mailliez directs the rescue attempt of Princess Diana after the car crash in the Pont D'Alma tunnel in Paris on August 31, 1997

12.01am: Dodi pops out of the Imperial Suite and informs his two British bodyguards, Trevor Rees-Jones and Kez Wingfield, that there has been another change of plan.

The couple will not be leaving by the Ritzs front entrance to travel to his apartment in the cars used earlier this evening, nor in the company of the two bodyguards and dedicated chauffeurs. Instead, Dodi tells them, he and Diana will leave by a rear exit with the Ritz deputy security manager Henri Paul and be driven by him in another Mercedes.

The bodyguards will go out of the front and act as decoys while the couple and Paul make good their escapes. The two bodyguards are horrified at the bad plan. There is a heated debate during which Dodi tells his men: Its been okayed by MF [Mohamed Al Fayed], its been okayed by my father. A compromise is reached. Rees-Jones will go with the couple and Paul. Neither bodyguard is happy at this, but Dodis word is final.

12.06am: The couple leave the Imperial Suite and, with Paul and Rees-Jones, descend to ground level in a service elevator. Parked outside is the only suitable vehicle from the Ritz car pool available  a black three-year-old Mercedes S280. Rees-Jones gets into the front passenger seat. Diana sits behind him with Dodi behind Paul. None of them is wearing a seatbelt. They are only minutes from catastrophe.

12.18am: The subterfuge has failed dismally. The Mercedes is surrounded by paparazzi before they can move off. One of the last pictures of Diana alive is taken here. Rees-Jones looks stressed, the bespectacled Paul bemused. According to an eyewitness, as he gets into the car Paul says to the photographers: Dont try to follow us; in any case, you wont catch us.

Dodi Al Fayed, and Diana, Princess of Wales, pictured leaving the Ritz Hotel in Paris, France, the day before their fatal crash

12.20am: They are pursued along the Rue Cambon to the junction with Rue de Rivoli, where Paul turns right into the Place de la Concorde. Then they enter the Cours la Reine, which runs along the Seine embankment, accelerating.

Now they are passing under the approach to the Pont Alexandre III but the speeding Mercedes fails to  perhaps cannot  take an exit slip road that offers the most direct route to their destination. And so it continues along the river bank, pursued by paparazzi, towards the next bridge, the Pont de lAlma. At this point a number of disputed factors that will launch a myriad theories and investigations come together.

Near the entrance to the underpass the speeding Mercedes is in a glancing collision with a white Fiat Uno. We shall return to that car later in this series. For now, though, suffice it to say that Paul loses control and the two-ton car smashes into the 13th pillar of the tunnels central reservation, at an estimated speed of 65mph.

It spins about and comes to rest facing in the opposite direction. The impact kills Dodi and Paul. Rees-Jones and Diana are critically injured. Seconds later, off-duty doctor Frederic Mailliezs Peugeot enters the Alma tunnel from the other direction.

Diana's bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones and the back of Diana's head and driver Henri Paul

He and his boyfriend Mark are on their way home from a birthday party. They left early because the doctor is on duty in the morning. I noticed some smoke in the tunnel and I drove slower and slower and then I saw [the Mercedes], Mailliez recalls to the Mail. The smoke is coming from its engine, which was almost cut in two, and the horn is blowing, on and on. There was nobody around the wreckage.

He stops his car and hurries across the carriageway. Inside the Mercedes two [victims] were already apparently dead and two were severely injured but still alive. So I did a very quick assessment. Then I went back to my car to get what little medical equipment was there.

I had a bag valve mask, which I took. Then I went back inside the Mercedes and tried to give assistance to the young woman.

She was sitting on the floor in the back and I discovered then she was a most beautiful woman and she didnt have any [serious] injuries to her face. She was not bleeding [then] but she was almost unconscious and was having difficulty breathing. So my goal was to help her breathe more easily. It was a pretty difficult situation for me. I was on my own, I had little equipment. She looked fine for the first minutes but the accident was very high energy and you always suspect severe [internal] injuries in that kind of situation.

Yves-Marie Clochard-Bossuet at the church of Notre-Dame-des-Foyers in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. The Catholic priest was the chaplain at the hospital where Princess Diana died

Dr Mailliez calls the emergency services on his mobile phone. Then he goes back to work inside the car. He has no idea that the injured woman he is trying to help is Diana, Princess of Wales.

All that matters is that her pulse is weak and rapid. But soon he becomes aware of other figures beginning to gather around the wreck as he works on her, trying to fix the respiratory bag on to her face. The flashguns of cameras go off behind him. Often people take pictures at an accident because they are curious, he says. But in that time there were a lot of people taking pictures, which surprised me but did not stop me doing my work. He tries to comfort Diana in French. He does not know she is a foreigner. Then someone behind him says that the young woman speaks English.

So I began to speak English to her, saying that I was a doctor and that the ambulance was on its way and everything is going to be alright. Thats the kind of thing you say to make a patient feel comfortable. He still doesnt know who she is.

12.30am: The first uniformed police officer arrives on the scene. Sebastian Dorzee immediately recognises the Princess.

12.32am: Fire Sergeant Xavier Gourmelon arrives with two vehicles from the Marlar fire and ambulance station. He already knows it will be serious because a full medical team has been despatched to the scene. He sees the man who is Trevor Rees-Jones. He was very agitated, trying to turn round, muttering in English. I couldnt understand him but I put a team on him straight away, he recalls to the Mail.

The sergeant also sees a figure crouched in the wreck with another victim. It is Dr Mailliez and Diana who is moving and talking.

Gourmelons team removes Dodi from the car to try to resuscitate him. Once he was out, I stayed with the female passenger, he says. She spoke in English and said, Oh my God, whats happened? I could understand that, so I tried to calm her. I held her hand. Then others took over. This all happens within two or three minutes. Physically, he can see little wrong with Diana, apart from her shoulder . . . but you cant just rely on what you see.

His fire service colleague Philippe Boyer fits her with a cervical collar and a fresh breathing mask. Then Boyer covers Diana in a metallic isothermal blanket. Her breathing is normal, her pulse fine and quite strong. Its looking hopeful.

12.40am: The first ambulance arrives. It is in the charge of Doctor Jean-Marc Martino, a specialist in anaesthetics and intensive care treatment. All Parisian ambulances carry a doctor as part of their crew. I introduced myself [to him] gave my assessment and went back to my car to go, Dr Mailliez recalls. And so I left the scene without knowing who I had been treating.

He and Mark drive home, where he will begin the task of trying to wash his stained white suit. Without thinking, he has retained the respiratory mask that he had fitted on the woman. Philippe Massoni, Prefet de Police for Paris, is informed of the crash.

12.50-1am: George Younes, duty security officer at the British Embassy in Paris, receives a call, possibly from Nicola Basselier, assistant private secretary to Massoni, informing him of the accident. Younes records it in the Chancery Daily Occurrence Log. Immediately afterwards, Younes receives another, from the duty officer at the Elysee Palace, passing on the same message. Younes is the first British official to learn that Diana has been in a crash in his city. He records the information as entry No 3 in that nights duty log.

It reads: T/C [telephone call] from Mr [unreadable] Permance de Palais Elysee to inform the Embassy that Lady Diana had a serious car accident at tunnel Pont de lAlma Paris. There is death in her car, she is being taken away to a hospital [unreadable] Paris that still kept secret for instant take all details from here. The truncated words and strange syntax perhaps reflect the confusion and enormity of the news.

1am: Martino tells Gourmelon that they must remove Diana from the car. So thats what we did, he says. We took her out and first put her on a wooden board and then . . . on to a mattress filled with air. It stops the person from moving around, to avoid spine trauma. But when we moved her from the board to the mattress her heart stopped beating.

So we started giving her heart massage, two of us, and her heart started again almost immediately. From thereon in [her treatment] was all down to the doctors.

1.10am: Younes telephones Keith Shannon, second secretary (technology) and the Embassys on-call duty officer and leaves an answerphone message. Shannon also receives a call soon after from Philippe Massoni who is already at the scene of the crash.

1.15am: Shannon telephones Keith Moss, the British Consul General in Paris.

1.18am: Gourmelon helps to put Diana in the ambulance. Like Mailliez, the fireman doesnt yet know who he has been helping  until he is asked if he does by a captain at the scene. He tells me who she is and then, yes, I recognise her, but in the moment I didnt, he says. His team clear up and return to the station. He will give a statement to the police. But he doesnt talk about his part in the tragedy until he speaks a generation later to the Mail.

Most urgently, Dianas blood pressure is beginning to fall. Martino administers another line of dopamine but fears the symptoms indicate internal damage. They have done all they can at the scene and now must get her to hospital. Which hospital is the subject of discussion in the control room.

1.30am: The decision that the Princess should be taken to the Pitie-Salpetriere in the 13th arrondissement is relayed to Martino. At the same time the hospitals emergency room team is put on standby to receive her. Keith Moss is notified and sets off for the hospital.

1.41am: The Princesss blood pressure has stabilised enough for the journey to begin; a slow and steady journey as any jolting, acceleration or deceleration might be fatal. In the tunnel, the roof of the Mercedes is cut away so that Rees-Jones can be removed.

1.45am: Moss telephones the Hotel de Charost, the magnificent residence of HM Ambassador on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore. His Excellency Sir Michael Jay is woken and informed of the crash.

Buckingham Palace is empty of royals. But it is still guarded and houses the 24-hour-a-day control room for the police protection of all the UKs royal residences.

Constable Garry Smith (not his real name owing to his current sensitive work) is on duty tonight. Only a week ago, Diana had posed for a photograph with him at her Kensington Palace apartment.

Id told her I was organising a major charitable event and she offered to give me public support, he recalls to the Mail. I told her that as a member of the Royal Family she couldnt do that. She said: Well, Im not a member of the Royal Family any more, am I? I can do what I want. 

Now, over his personal radio, he starts to hear that something major has happened in Paris involving his friend and benefactor the Princess. He leaves his static post for the control room to monitor events.

Chief Superintendent Dai Davies is head of Scotland Yards Royalty Protection Squad. He is asleep at his home on the outskirts of London when the phone rings.

It was my duty officer at Buckingham Palace, a little strained, to tell me that Dodi was dead and Diana dying, he recalls to the Mail. My immediate reaction was to say Dodi who? because I was not fully awake and had been on leave.

Davies goes downstairs and phones back his man at the Palace. He asks if his senior protection officer at Balmoral has been informed. Has anybody told Prince Charles? The Queen? All these questions were going through my head, Davies recalls. He dresses and drives to his HQ at Buckingham Gate.

2am: The ambulance is nearing the hospital when Dianas blood pressure drops again. Martino orders the driver to stop while he administers further treatment. He increases the level of dopamine. The prognosis is not good. Others are preparing for the worst.

In his apartment close to the hospital Father Yves-Marie Clochard-Bossuet, who has volunteered to be duty chaplain this weekend, is woken by the telephone. It is the head concierge at the hospital.

He said to me, Can you give me the address of one of your Anglican colleagues?,  the priest recalls. So I said I didnt have an Anglican name on hand and added, You must have the number of an Anglican priest? But they said to me, Hes not answering. And I said, Im sorry, I dont know, and hung up.

The hospital hasnt explained why an Anglican clergyman is required at this hour and the priest doesnt think to ask. His respite is brief.

2.02-2.03am: The priests phone rings again. He called me back and asked, Can you come in place of the Anglican priest?  he recalls. I said, Yes, but why? He said, Look, I cant tell you.

So I said, Funny you cant tell, because if Im going to see a person at two in the morning, I would love to know who it is. 

The priest begins to think the caller might be drunk. He tells him: If you cant give me the name or reason at 2am you are playing a joke. So he said to me, Well, I will tell you then. Its the Princess of Wales. 

Now, Father Clochard-Bossuet absolutely believes the concierge is under the influence and hangs up right away. Even so, he is slightly worried. He doesnt try to go to back sleep.

2.05am: Dianas blood pressure has stabilised. Her ambulance journey resumes.

2.06am: The ambulance reaches the hospital at last. The Princess is in a state of traumatic shock. The on-call cardio-thoracic surgeon, Dr Bruno Riou, is present and two X-rays are taken. They show she is bleeding internally. Diana begins to receive treatment but Dr Riou is pessimistic.

2.07am: The priests phone rings again. Father, Im really sorry, but its true what I told you, says the frantic concierge. You are expected by the British Ambassador who is [already] there. This is a very serious medical situation. The priest gets out of bed and dresses.

2.15am (approx.): Michael Cole, a former BBC royal correspondent and now chief spokesman for Mohamed Al Fayed, is asleep at his home in Woodbridge, Suffolk, when the phone rings. It is Clive Goodman , the royal editor of News Of The World.

He told me that thered been a crash in Paris and Diana was injured and Dodi had been killed, Cole recalls to the Mail. He asked me for a comment. His newspaper had been one of the most ruthless in pursuit of Diana and Dodi that summer, so all I said was you make me sick and hung up.

Cole phones Mohamed Al Fayed at his Surrey estate. He answered but at the same time he was talking on another line to his helicopter captain, making arrangements to be picked up and flown to Paris. I told him what I had just been told and he said, very calmly, Michael, let us hope it is not true. Let us pray it is not true. 

2.16-2.21am: Diana goes into further cardiac arrest. She is given external cardiac massage and adrenaline. But the battle is being lost. General surgeon Dr Monsef Dahman is called in to perform a surgical procedure to locate and stop the internal bleeding.

2.25am: The grievously injured Rees-Jones is delivered, at last, to the same hospital.

2.30am: Professor Alain Pavie, one of Frances most eminent cardio-surgeons, arrives. He has the Princess transferred from her stretcher to the surgical theatre. He locates the source of the bleed. The rupture is sutured and the haemorrhage brought under control, but Dianas heart does not restart. The surgical team know now there is no hope. Nevertheless, they continue with attempts to save her.

The on-duty chaplain is walking to the hospital. I begin to see a lot of vans [with TV satellite dishes], he recalls. And I was like, So that stuff is true. Why else would this be happening in the dead of night in August?

3am (9am Manila time): Foreign Secretary Robin Cook is in the Philippines and due to leave for Singapore in a couple of hours. But news has come through of the crash in Paris. Because of the time difference he is the only senior British politician awake and working and with a media entourage.

He is interviewed in his hotel lobby by print and TV crews. He states that Diana is injured but alive and predicts it will be doubly tragic if it emerges that the accident that has claimed her boyfriends life was caused in part by the persistent hounding of the Princess and her privacy by photographers.

The British reporters are bussed to the Villamor air base. The RAF VC10 is waiting ready to go. Foreign Office clerical staff are aboard in a curtained apartment at the back of the fuselage.

But Cook is still delayed. A huge story is developing and there is no template. Uninformed, the reporters remain corralled in the grounded VC10.

3-3.30am: Colin Tebbutt, Dianas loyal driver-minder, arrives at Dianas private office in Kensington Palace, from his home in the hamlet of Botany Bay, on the outskirts of North London. He finds that her private secretary Michael Gibbins, her butler Paul Burrell and three female secretaries are already there. They are all watching the rolling TV coverage, which reports that Diana has been injured but is alive.

3.30am: Father Clochard-Bossuet has reached the hospitals surgical department. He has been greeted by the hospital director, who introduces him to the British ambassador, Sir Michael Jay. The ambassador says to me Please wait here. Im going to ask you something. The priest does as requested, waiting outside the operating theatre in which Frances best surgeons are battling to keep Diana alive.

4am: To no avail. Dianas medical team take the decision to cease their resuscitation efforts, which for at least an hour, perhaps, have been without any real hope of success. They have exhausted the supply of adrenaline. They have done all they can and more, but her injuries have defeated them.

The most famous, most photographed woman in the world is officially declared dead. Outside the operating theatre the priest is approached by a member of the medical team who tells him: Its over. When will the world be told? For the moment there is an official news blackout.

But some outside the emergency room and the official loop begin to learn the worst has happened.

Michael Cole had met Dianas stepmother Raine, Countess Spencer, at his office that Friday. She told me she was going to Venice for the weekend and gave me the number of the friends with whom she was staying.

So I called the number in Venice and after some delay because of the lateness of the hour, I got through to Raine. I told her what I knew, that Diana had been injured, and gave her the number for the hospital in Paris.

I waited and in a very quick time Raine came back to me and said she had spoken to the hospital and that they had told her Princess Diana had not survived. And that, however terrible it was that Dodi had been killed, it was much, much worse that Diana was dead.

When she told me it felt like I had been hit in the solar plexus. I sank to my knees and wept. And that was the last time in my life that Ive cried hot tears.

Colin Tebbutt recalls: We were watching the television and they were broadcasting the footage of Robin Cook saying that Diana was injured but alive when the phone rings. Michael Gibbins answered it and spoke briefly. Then he replaced the receiver, turned the television down and said to us, quite calmly, Ladies and gentlemen, the Princess is dead. And that was a shock, let me tell you. That wasnt easy to take. Dianas secretaries and Burrell burst into tears.

At Buckingham Gate, Dai Davies, the head of Royal Protection at the Met, is stunned by the news. Now he and his boss Commander Peter Clarke have to react professionally. There is a contingency plan for the death of every senior royal. But for Diana, no such arrangements are in place.

He calls in Inspector Ken Wharfe, a former long-serving protection officer for Diana. He also orders a French-speaking royal protection officer to go from Balmoral to Paris.

4.20-4.25am: Father Clochard-Bossuet is escorted by a nurse to a room on the first floor where he finds a number of dignitaries, including the French Interior Minister Jean-Pierre Chevenement and Ambassador Jay. He recalls: The ambassador says to me, We will now take you to the room where Diana has been laid. We ask that you say prayers and watch over her until an Anglican priest is found. 

The priest agrees. It is too late to perform Extreme Unction, the sacred ritual for the dying, and in any case Diana was not Catholic. But he will say prayers for the deceased.

4.25am: On the airfield outside Manila, the RAF VC10 has not moved. It cannot take off for Singapore until the Foreign Secretary boards. Why is he taking so long?

Steve Doughty, the Mails diplomatic correspondent, is one of the journalists on the plane. He recalls: Buckingham Palace had no night duty officer awake and able to deal with overnight business, and so was out of the loop.

The Foreign Office was in charge of getting Diana information, and it was diverting all message traffic from Paris to their boss, Robin Cook, in Manila. My understanding at the time was that Cook was being told before Downing Street.

This traffic is being fielded by Foreign Office staff in the communications suite at the back of the VC10. They are separated from the Press in the main passenger compartment by a thin curtain.

Some secrets are too big to keep, says Doughty. A female colleague twitched back the curtain at the rear of the plane to reveal a row of female Foreign Office secretaries all in floods of tears. And thats when we knew that Diana was not injured but dead.

The officials on the plane do not attempt to deny the news. Those journalists with mobile phones that work in Manila begin to call their editors in London.

4.41am: The Press Association in London breaks the news that Diana has died in Paris. It is as yet unsupported by official confirmation. Back at the hospital Father Clochard-Bossuet is taken by the ambassador and a nurse to the room in which Diana is lying, her body covered by a sheet.

I saw her for the first time there, he recalls. She was completely intact, no mark or stain, or make-up. Completely natural. And she was a really beautiful woman and it seemed as if . . . you could almost talk to her.

The priest is now alone with Diana. He had been aware of the Princesss holiday activities that summer and had not approved: All those photos, the lovers . . . For a woman who is the mother of a king . . . that was not behaving well. I was not sympathetic [to her].

But then he had read her interview in Le Monde newspaper on Thursday and his opinion changed. There was a page on her explaining what [else] she was doing and very positive things. And I thought, Well you were ready to judge, but ultimately she is a good woman. It was providential that I saw it [given what happened].

He thinks of the two young Princes who have yet to be told. They are going to have to wake them up and tell them, Its over . . . It is the worst thing.

He begins to pray for Dianas soul. In the darkness outside the hospital Interior Minister Chevenement is confirming to the world that the Princess is indeed dead.
Tourism bosses in Portland have taken out a full-page advert in the New York Times admitting the riot-hit city has an 'edge' - but urging visitors to come anyway.

Travel Portland - a nonprofit which oversees the Oregon city's tourism marketing - referenced reports of far-left violence in the city in the ad.

It admits that much of what has been said about Portland - whose 50-strong riot squad resigned last week - was true, and that the city, which endures nightly riots, has an 'edge.'

Youve heard a lot about us lately, the NYT ad begins. Its been a while since youve heard from us.'

Some of what youve heard about Portland is true. Some is not. Whats most important is that were true to ourselves.'

'There's a river that cuts through the middle of our town. It divides the east and the west. But it's bridged - over and over again. Twelve times, to be specific. And that's kind of a great metaphor for this city.'

The advert goes on to highlight Portland's problems - and implies that locals don't mind the out-of-control behavior that has made much of the city's downtown area a no-go zone after dark

It says: 'We're a place of dualities that are never polarities. Two sides of the same coin that keeps landing right on its edge. Anything can happen. We like it this way.

'This is the kind of place where new ideas are welcome - whether they're creative, cutting-edge or curious at first glance. You can speak up here. You could be yourself here.'

'We have some of the loudest voices on the West Coast. And yes, passion pushes the volume all the way up. We've always been like this. We wouldn't have it any other way.'

'We have faith in the future. Were building it every day the only way we know how, by being Portland. Come see for yourself.

A full-page advertisement for the city of Portland appeared in Sundays New York Times paper

Travel Portland posted a video to its Youtube channel to coincide with the ad

Travel Portland said the ad, which voices over different Portland landscapes and scenes, will advertise the city throughout the summer and encourage overnight stays at local hotels and short-term rentals

The commercial includes over 30 local chefs, merchants, athletes, performers and artists

Towards the end of the video, it reveals a few clips and images of peaceful Black Lives Matter protests

Travel Portland's accompanying advert included footage from a Black Lives Matter protest

Travel Portland said the ad is part of a campaign called 'This is Portland,' which will advertise the city throughout the summer and encourage overnight stays at local hotels and short-term rentals, reported KOIN. The campaign will run through August and will target leisure travelers in the West Coast cities of Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Travel Portland posted a video to its YouTube channel to coincide with the ad. Most of the narration is the same as the ad and voices over different Portland landscapes and scenes. The commercial includes over 30 local chefs, merchants, athletes, performers and artists.

Towards the end of the video, it reveals a few clips and images of peaceful Black Lives Matter protests over which a narrator says, And yeah, we have some of the loudest voices on the West Coast. Sometimes passion pushes the volume all the way up. Weve always been like this.

ProPublica reporter Alec MacGillis shared the ad in a tweet, which had a mixed bag of reactions.

A Twitter user named Cyber Westphalia wrote, Perfectly reasonable use of taxpayer funds of a city thats set ablaze daily. And Jeff McNamee wrote, Two blocks of the city HAD the riots. The rest is pretty sweet.

An account named UnitedWeStand52 wrote, Portland is only villainized because of @FoxNews. Portlands moto for years has been #KeepPortlandWeird and that it is.

Meanwhile, last Wednesday Portland's 50-person riot squad resigned after one of its members was indicted for striking a photographer he claimed he thought was a rioter.

The resignations were effective immediately, according to the Portland Police Bureau, and come after the indictment on Tuesday of Officer Corey Budworth (pictured)

The resignations were effective immediately, according to the Portland Police Bureau, and come after the indictment of Officer Corey Budworth, for assault during an incident in which he allegedly struck photographer Teri Jacobs in the head during a riot last August.

'Unfortunately, this decorated public servant has been caught in the crossfire of agenda-driven city leaders and a politicized criminal justice system,' the Portland Police Association said in a statement Tuesday.

Video of the incident was shared on social media, in which Budworth appears to push the photographer, who has been identified as Jacobs, an activist, and then striking her in the head with his baton.

Jacobs says she was attacked despite carrying a press card. She was not charged with any crime, and received a $50,000 settlement from the City of Portland as a result of the baton strike. Cops have continued to insist she was part of a riot which set a government building alight with a petrol bomb.

The officers from the Rapid Response Team, which is equipped to handle riots, will remain employed in the Portland Police Department, the PPB said, but would no longer be a part of the team.

It is not clear how the resignation's would affect the department's effectiveness during riots, with the Oregon city experiencing nightly unrest in its downtown district for the last year.

'Under the cover of darkness, a group of 200 demonstrators, many equipped with tactical helmets, faces covered, and armed with a variety of weapons, sparked a night of violence. Multiple dumpsters were set on fire, buildings were defaced, and windows were broken.' the Portland Police Association said, giving its version of the events of August 18 when the assault allegedly occurred.

Eventually, the event escalated and was declared a riot.

Cops are pictured tackling a rioter in Portland on August 2018. That was the night Officer Corey Budworth struck Teri Jacobs with a baton - an incident he has now been indicted for

Portland's entire riot squad has resigned after Officer Corey Budworth was filmed hitting protester Teri Jacobs, pictured, with a baton last August

From last June through July there were protests virtually every day in the city, with tens of thousands of demonstrators, some of whom identified themselves as representing ANTIFA.

On one night in June, Portland Police Bureau's North Precinct was set on fire following violent clashes between cops and protesters. One right-wing commentator described the area as looking like something from 'a war zone', while protesters accused the authorities of inflaming tensions.

Demonstrators attempted to create an autonomous zone - much like Seattle's CHAZ - around the precinct. Police responded by declaring an 'unlawful assembly', KOIN reported.

Cops confirmed they used tear gas to try and disperse that crowd. Some protesters allegedly responding by 'shooting paintballs at the officers' face shields, rendering them unable to see'.

More recently, in February around 150 suspected members of the violent anti-fascist group took part in a protest against President Joe Biden's immigration policies, vandalizing several businesses including a Starbucks, Chipotle, Umpqua Bank and Urban Pantry.

Last month two groups of radical protesters, who have throughout the past year represented Antifa and other far-left causes, were armed with weapons, body armor, shields and flares and marched throughout parts of the city.
New South Wales has recorded 10 new Covid cases overnight as the state battles a 'fleeting' outbreak of the virus and mandatory mask rules were extended for another week across Greater Sydney.

Health officials in the state confirmed five cases of community transmission had been detected in the 24 hours to 8pm on Monday - two of which had already been reported.

NSW Health said another seven local cases had been detected since the 8pm cut-off, meaning there are now 21 cases linked to the city's Bondi cluster.

Those seven cases - of which six are household contacts of previously known cases and already in isolation - will be added into tomorrow's numbers.

The final of the seven cases is a child who goes to the Saint Charles primary school in Waverley in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

The five cases from Tuesday include a woman in her 60s from the Illawarra and a woman in her 40s from Sydney's north.

Both are contacts of previously reported cases and already in isolation.

New South Wales has recorded 10 new Covid cases overnight as the state battles a 'fleeting' outbreak of the virus. Pictured passengers wearing face masks at Wynyard train station on May 6

The growing outbreak in Sydney's east is at a critical phase, health authorities say, with 'scarily fleeting' transmission causing concern. Pictured is a commuter leaving a tram in the city on Friday

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said masks would be mandatory on public transport and indoor venues in all parts of Sydney apart from the Central Coast and the Hunter region until midnight next Wednesday.

She said Sydney residents can only take off their masks in indoor settings when they are eating or drinking.

A woman in her 20s from the city's eastern suburbs also tested positive and officials said her case is linked to the Bondi cluster. That infection is still under investigation.

Ms Berejiklian said the fact all but one of the newly-detected cases was linked to an existing case gave the state government confidence the enhanced restrictions would be enough to contain the outbreak.

'That gives us a degree of confidence that what we have asked people to do matches the risk that is there at the moment,' she said.

Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said authorities were particularly concerned about the woman in her 20s as she worked in the Bondi Junction area.

'We are calling out for anyone who has been in Bondi Junction including the car parks at any time between June 12 and June 18 to get a test,' she said.

Customers wearing face masks at Westfield Bondi Junction. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was reassuring all but one of the newly-detected cases was linked to an existing case

Health authorities said on Monday the growing outbreak in Sydney's east was at a critical phase.

Dr Chant said concerns remain over the extreme transmissibility of the Delta strain of the illness.

'In some instances, the exchanges have been scaringly fleeting,' NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Monday.

'People not even physically touching each other but literally fleetingly coming into the same airspace has seen the virus transferred from one person to another.'

Dr Chant said the contagious nature of the virus means the state is at a critical stage in managing the outbreak.

Motorists are pictured lining up for testing at St Vincent's testing clinic in Bondi on Saturday. Health officials in the state confirmed five cases of community transmission had been detected in the 24 hours to 8pm on Monday - three of which had already been reported

Hundreds of people are isolating after scores of exposure sites were identified across more than a dozen suburbs.

NSW Health named a new close contact site on Monday night, saying anyone who visited Fresh Nails at Westfield Bondi Junction on Friday, June 18, should get tested and isolate for 14 days.

A Chemist Warehouse in Sydney's CBD and the ANZ bank branch on the corner of York and Market St have also been added to the list, for Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon respectively, with patrons considered casual contacts being told to get tested and isolate until receiving a negative test.

Pfizer is now the preferred jab for anyone under the age of 50, as AstraZeneca is feared to heighten the risk of blood clots in younger age groups (pictured, a nurse receives the Pfizer jab in Adelaide)

Passengers on three busy bus routes - visiting Baulkham Hills, Sydney, Northmead, Parramatta, Winston Hills, Haymarket and Newtown - were also listed as close or casual contacts.

'From one person alone we've had four or five cases ... even if they infect one or two each, you can see how it grows exponentially.'

'We need to find all the cases, and make sure we identify the close contacts and casual contacts.'

As a result, mask-use has been mandated in a number of settings across the seven local government areas, and on public transport in Greater Sydney, Wollongong and the Shellharbour region.

Visitation limits have also been imposed on aged care and disability facilities.

The premier said those restrictions would likely be extended beyond Thursday, when they were due to expire.
A Texas fast food chain is paying teenage managerial workers $50,000 salaries to try and retain talent amid a huge staff shortage partly-blamed on generous COVID handouts.

Layne's Chicken Fingers, based in Texas, has found with many workers reaping the benefits of unemployment checks until September, it has been hard to fill job openings.

It means that staff who would otherwise be more junior are being fast-tracked and promoted into well-paid positions relative to their age, with Layne's owner Garrett Reed hopeful that the generous salary will encourage workers to stay, and help him expand his chain.

Those on the $50,000 salary earn well-above the $30,600 average salary for the Lone Star State, as well as the average US income, which sits at $31,100.

A Texas fast food restaurant, Layne's Chicken Fingers, has promoted some teenage workers into managerial positions due to a shortage workers in the labor market

In the United States, the pandemic has precipitated many high school students into the world of work, at the risk of jeopardizing their future. Teenagers juggle school and odd jobs mainly in fast food restaurants, clinging to the idea of a better future

Layne's Chicken Fingers, based in Texas , has found with many workers reaping the benefits of unemployment checks until September, it has been hard to fill job openings

Garrett Reed, the CEO of Layne's Chicken Fingers which runs six restaurants across the Lone Star State has told the Wall Street Journal he was training 16- and 17-year-olds to run his new stores because he was so short on staff.

'We're so thin at leadership that we can't stretch anymore to open more locations,' he said. 'I've got a good crop of 16- and 17-year-olds, but I need another year or two to get them seasoned to run stores.

'The biggest challenge for small companies to grow right now is your labor force,' Reed said. 'We'd be growing at twice the rate if we had more people.'

'There's only so much I can pay and remain profitable without raising prices too much.' Reed says he raised his company's wages to try and stop staff jumping ship to work at McDonald's or Walmart.

The hospitality industry is currently facing a severe labor shortage.

McDonalds said recently that it wanted to hire 10,000 employees at company-owned restaurants and would raise pay at their locations

In April, there were 349,000 job openings in the food-services industry according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics leading some restaurants to raise their wages in an effort to attract workers.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate sat at 5.8 per cent in May - well above the 3.5 per cent achieved by Donald Trump at the height of his presidency, just before COVID hit.

McDonalds said recently that it wanted to hire 10,000 employees at company-owned restaurants and would raise pay at their locations.

Entry-level employees would earn at least $11 to $17 after the increases while supervisors would earn an hourly minimum of $15 to $20.

Non-managerial employees at company-owned stores earlier this year earned an average of nearly $12 an hour with supervisors earning $16 to $18 an hour.

Part of the reason for the ongoing labor crisis is because of the ongoing COVID-related unemployment benefits being offered by many US states - some of which pay considerably more than an entry-level job would.

Nearly 15 million people claimed some form of unemployment insurance benefits in late May, up from about 2 million before the pandemic.

Massachusetts and Washington are the most generous states, offering those on unemployment benefits up to $850-a-week, although those handouts will end in September as the economic recovery gathers pace.

Some other states 0

In March 2019, the average weekly payment to an unemployed person was $348 when combining federal and state unemployment payments. That nearly tripled to $938 in April 2020. Now they're still $638 -a-week - $300 more than they were before. It means, someone who was working 40 hours a week before the pandemic now gets nearly $16-an-hour to do nothing at home, which is more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25

In March 2019, the average weekly payment to an unemployed person was $348 when combining federal and state unemployment payments.

That nearly tripled to $938 in April 2020, when Trump passed CARES - a temporary economic plan that boosted weekly unemployment payments by $600 and also gave employed people one-off stimulus checks. It expired in last summer.

Now, the average weekly unemployment check is $638 - still $300 more than before the pandemic, and it'll stay that way until September 6 at least.

It means, someone who was working 40 hours a week before the pandemic now gets nearly $16-an-hour to do nothing at home, which is more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

Dozens of US states have already ended, or are in the process of ending those benefits to encourage people back to work, with the latest hold-outs set to end their COVID unemployment programs on September 4.

In eight states, the unemployed can earn at least $600 per week in benefits. Massachusetts offers the most generous benefits

Bank of America estimates that anyone who earned $32,000 before the pandemic can now get more from a combination of state and federal unemployment benefits. They are also allowed to claim benefits for up to 39 weeks - nearly a full year - whereas before, it was capped at 26 weeks. The average US salary in 2019 was $31,133.

Those benefits, first agreed by Donald Trump, and continued under Joe Biden, have created a scenario where restaurant workers, cleaners, retail workers and other people who slogged for minimum wage are simply choosing to stay at home because they earn more and are not put at risk of catching the virus.

Now, the only way for businesses to make up for it is by raising their hourly wages.

Restaurant owners who have been financially knee-capped with closures now have to compete with higher-paying sectors if they want to attract staff, and with rising vendor costs across the board, it is manifesting in higher prices for customers.
Campaigners angrily accused Boris Johnson of cowardice last night after he again put off his promise to fix the broken care system.

He was supposed to have held a crunch meeting with the Chancellor and the Health Secretary today to decide whether to finally bring in a cap on sky-high costs.

But No 10 cancelled the meeting and it is not known when the trio will meet again. Charities warned that every week of dithering means an extra 13,000 vulnerable pensioners being denied vital help.

It is now almost two years since Mr Johnson stood in Downing Street on his first day as Prime Minister and promised he would sort social care once and for all.

Yesterday he insisted his Government was still planning to bring forward some good plans  but offered no timescale.

Campaigners angrily accused Boris Johnson of cowardice last night after he again put off his promise to fix the broken care system

He is believed to support a 50,000 lifetime cap on the costs of care to shield pensioners from catastrophic bills.

However Chancellor Rishi Sunak is concerned about having to find 10billion a year to pay for this.

It is understood that one idea under consideration is to increase the cap to 80,000 or even 100,000, which would make the scheme much cheaper, although it would not help as many people.

Jeremy Hunt, the Tory former health secretary, said last night: It is deeply worrying this crucial meeting appears to have been cancelled. This process has been beset by delay after delay instead of the action we need.

Mr Hunt pledged to grill health minister Nadine Dorries on exactly what is going on when she appears before the Commons health committee, which he chairs, today.

Former Tory pensions minister Baroness Altmann said: The lack of attention to this issue is both callous and cowardly.

I dont think that is the intention but that is the effect. Politicians in the past have always been too eager to leave this issue to successors and hope doesnt blow up on their watch. Elderly people deserve better than that.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, said: This delay is really bad news for older people because doing nothing just prolongs their misery, if they need good care.

Boris Johnson was supposed to have held a crunch meeting with the Chancellor and the Health Secretary today to decide whether to finally bring in a cap on sky-high costs

It has real consequences for them, forcing many to continue to have to make do without all the help they need and constricting their lives to unacceptable degree. In care homes, this continued dithering in government about fixing social care is condemning some older people who need one-to-one support to eat and drink, to try to manage on their own.

Age UK said that every week the top-level meeting is delayed, a total of 26,000 people will request state help with their care and 13,000 will be refused it  largely due to town hall cutbacks.

It also means thousands of families are left paying sky-high bills  a cost that could be mitigated if a lifetime cap on care costs was introduced.

Miss Abrahams added: With these repeated delays in decisions on social care, were starting to hear older people say they feel their trust has been betrayed, and that the lack of government action on reform feels like a breach of faith.

James White, head of campaigns at the Alzheimers Society, said: Two years ago, Boris Johnson promised in his first speech as Prime Minister that he would fix the deep-rooted problems in our social care system.

Today was yet another day when this didnt happen.

This inaction lets down the 850,000 people living with dementia and their families, who simply cant afford to wait any longer.

Asked about social care funding during a visit to a laboratory in Hertfordshire yesterday, the Prime Minister said: We are pledged to fix it and we must fix it for our country and for our society.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is concerned about having to find 10billion a year to pay for this

Social care workers have borne the brunt of the pandemic and we have got to improve it, and we will. We will be bringing forward some good plans in due course. It came as social care leaders wrote to the Prime Minister, along with Mr Sunak and Health Secretary Matt Hancock, to say immediate funding was needed to ensure short-term stability and avoid serious risks to support during the next phase of the coronavirus pandemic.

Signatories of the letter include Stephen Chandler, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, and Professor Martin Green on behalf of the Care Provider Alliance. They called on Mr Johnson to act now and set out proposals before Parliaments summer recess begins on July 22, saying it was now time to deliver reform.

As well as long-term changes to funding, they also urged an immediate cash injection to cover short-term costs incurred during the pandemic.

No 10 declined to comment on reports about the meeting to discuss the social care plan, with the Prime Ministers official spokesman saying that, as is standard practice, he would not be drawn on timings for internal meetings in government.

The spokesman said cross-party talks on reform will take place once proposals have been revealed.

He said he would not be drawn on how much the changes could cost or whether taxes would have to rise to pay for them, following reports the reforms could cost 10billion annually to fund.

Jeremy Hunt pledged to grill health minister Nadine Dorries on exactly what is going on when she appears before the Commons health committee, which he chairs, today

Asked whether he recognised the frustration with the delay in publishing the plan, he said: Reforming and coming up with a long-term solution to social care has been a challenge for many years, we absolutely recognise that.

The Prime Minister remains completely committed to coming out with a long-term solution for social care.

Sir Andrew Dilnot, the economist who came up with the idea for a cap on care costs, told Radio 4s Today programme that there should also be a significant increase in the generosity of the means-testing system. He said his plans would cost an extra 3billion to 5billion a year, on top of an extra 5billion the Treasury would have to spend anyway due to Englands ageing population.

Urging ministers to be generous, he said the overall cost was not huge compared with wider public spending, and would have a massive impact on individuals.

Liz Kendall, Labours social care spokesman, said: The Tories cowardice on this issue is letting down millions of families across the country.

Ministers must set out a firm commitment to reform, and present their plans to Parliament as soon as possible.

A government source said meetings move around all the time because of the Prime Ministers diary.
A young father accused of killing his 21-day-old son has claimed the little boy died after he tripped over his dog and crashed into his bassinet.

Ashley John McGregor, from Christies Beach in Adelaide's south, was arrested on Friday and charged with manslaughter and neglect after his son was found with a bleeding brain and fractured ribs.

The 31-year-old claimed in Christies Beach Magistrates Court on Monday that the infant fell out of his cradle onto the ground on April 21.

He claimed he tripped over the dog and knocked the bassinet, causing it to flip over.

McGregor and his partner took the unresponsive newborn to Noarlunga Hospital three days later, but the baby was pronounced dead.

Ashley John McGreger (pictured), from Christies Beach in Adelaide's south, was arrested on Friday after the death of his 21-day-old son

A post-mortem examination revealed the little boy's injuries were allegedly 'inflicted', which was inconsistent with McGreger's explanation of what happened, the ABC and 7News reported.

The boy's mother is also being questioned.

Outside court on Monday after McGregor's bail hearing, a family friend told 7 News the mother was 'in shock'.

Ashley John McGregor (pictured) and the baby's mother partner took the unresponsive newborn to Noarlunga Hospital three days after the boy was allegedly injured, but the baby was pronounced dead, the court heard

McGregor (pictured) says he tripped over his dog and knocked over the baby's bassinet, but experts say the child's injuries were 'inflicted', the court heard

The court also heard that McGregor is also facing a string of child sex charges, including maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child, and having sexual intercourse with a person under 14 years old.

He was also accused of producing and possessing child exploitation material after police allegedly found 'thousands' of images depicting child pornography on a mobile phone.

'There's thousands of images on the phone; they haven't all been categorised as of yet, but some of the images are some of the worst we've seen,' the prosecutor said in court.

McGregor was not granted bail due to the serious nature of the allegations.

He will appear back in court in February 2022.
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A landmark report has found that white working-class pupils have been 'let down' for decades by England's education system - and that promoting ideas of 'white privilege' makes the situation worse.

The Tory-dominated Commons Education Select Committee, which is chaired by Robert Halfon MP, said white working-class pupils are one of the worst-achieving groups in the country, and 'feel anything but privileged'.

It said they are behind many of their similarly disadvantaged peers of other ethnicities at ages five, 16 and 18 - and that 'politically controversial' and 'divisive' phrases such as 'white privilege' may have contributed to poor white pupils being forgotten by the system 'for decades'.

The MPs also warned against 'pitting different groups against each other' and suggested that schools which promote ideas of 'white privilege' could be in breach of the Equality Act 2010.

Their report includes two maps of England which indicate that white working-class pupils live in poor areas, are not eligible for free school meals and underperform to a greater extent than their similarly disadvantaged peers in other ethnic groups - particularly outside London.

It concluded that disadvantaged white pupils have been badly let down by 'muddled' policy thinking and the Department for Education has failed to acknowledge the extent of the problem.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Halfon said there are a number of factors at play, including geography - where white working-class pupils live in towns that have been 'left behind because all the money, all the focus has been spent on the big cities'.

He also warned that some families were 'disengaged from education' in areas where 'there is often a lack of community, a lack of social capital as well'.

Asked if there was a danger of a situation arising in which there were schools for the rich and schools for the poor, Mr Halfon said: 'That's exactly what were trying to stop, that's what's happening at the moment.

'The culture of many white working-class communities is vocational, its in favour of skills and apprenticeships and what we're saying is that subjects like design and technology should be introduced to the curriculum.

'Schools should teach careers advice properly about apprenticeships and skills, which is not happening. Only 16 per cent of white working-class boys and girls on free school meals go to university. That's the lowest compared to every other ethnic group. Just 16 per cent.'

A network of family hubs should be introduced to boost parental engagement and mitigate the effects of multi-generational disadvantage, it said. It added that funding needs to be tailor-made at a local level, initiatives should focus on attracting good teachers to challenging areas, and vocational and apprenticeship opportunities should be promoted.

But Mr Halfon was today forced to deny peddling a 'fake' culture war by Labour MPs who accused the Tories of hijacking the committee to 'divert attention' from government cuts to education. Former Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott tweeted: 'The truth is that this Government fails pupils across the board.

'They also have no significant proposals to fundamentally alter that. Instead their attack on the term white privilege is designed to cause division. This is the politics of divide and rule applied to education.'

This map shows the proportion of all white pupils as of January 2020 across England, with blues and purples showing higher numbers and oranges and yellows showing lower numbers. In parts of London, there is a greater proportion of non-white pupils than white pupils. Outside of London, there is a greater proportion of white pupils than non-white pupils

This map shows the attainment gap between pupils eligible for free school meals and those who are not eligible for free school meals, with red and dark areas showing a bigger gap than lighter areas. Those who are eligible for free school meals are performing better than those who are not eligible for free school meals

White working-class pupils are one of the worst-achieving groups in the country, MPs said in a report (file image)

Committee chairman Robert Halfon said white working-class pupils have been 'let down and neglected' for decades

Two in five disadvantaged pupils 'believe they will receive unfair grades' Nearly two in five disadvantaged students are not confident they will receive fair grades that reflect their ability, under the teacher assessment system this summer, a report suggests. A survey by the Social Mobility Foundation (SMF) charity suggests 52% of high-achieving poorer pupils do not believe they will be able to successfully appeal against any grades that they believe to be wrong this year. More than a third (36%) of young people questioned are not confident they will receive the grades they need for their chosen career path, or to secure a university place this autumn, the poll found. The findings come after teachers across England have finalised decisions on their pupils' GCSE and A-level grades after this summer's exams were cancelled for the second year in a row. Teachers are able to draw on a range of evidence when determining pupils' grades this summer, including mock exams, coursework, and in-class assessments using questions by exam boards. But the poll, which included more than 1,300 high-achieving disadvantaged sixth formers across the UK, found 38% are not confident they personally will receive fair grades reflective of their ability. The charity is calling for all UK governments to ensure all Year 13 pupils can repeat a year if deemed appropriate by their schools, and those opting to take exams in the autumn - rather than accepting their teacher-assessed grades - can do so free of charge. Advertisement

Disadvantaged white pupils have been badly let down by 'muddled' policy thinking, the report said.

It found that among five-year-olds, only 53 per cent of poor white British pupils meet the expected standard of development, one of the lowest percentages for any disadvantaged ethnic group.

At GCSE, just 17.7 per cent of poor white British pupils achieve grade 5 or above - the equivalent of a C - in English and maths, compared with 22.5 per cent of poor pupils from all ethnicities.

And the proportion of poor white British pupils going to university is 16 per cent, the lowest of any ethnic group other than travellers.

The inquiry authors defined 'poor pupils' as those who were eligible for free school meals. The MPs said they were not convinced by the DfE's claim that the gap in attainment can be attributed to poverty alone. Other factors include poor parental experience of education and multi- generational disadvantage.

Tory MP Mr Halfon added: 'For decades now white working-class pupils have been let down and neglected by an education system that condemns them to falling behind their peers every step of the way.

'There has been muddled thinking from all governments and a lack of attention and care to help these disadvantaged white pupils in towns across our country.'

He called on ministers to stop 'sweeping the problem under the carpet' and find ways of closing the attainment gap.

'Never again should we lazily put the gap down to poverty alone, given that we know free school meal eligible pupils from other ethnic groups consistently outperform their white British peers,' he added.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Halfon said the term 'white privilege' is 'wrong-headed' because it 'says there is collective guilt when it should be individual responsibility for racists acts'.

But he was accused of peddling a culture war. Fleur Anderson, MP for Putney, Southfields and Roehampton and a committee member, said: 'I'm concerned this report will be used to fight a divisive culture war instead of address chronic under-funding of early years, family hubs, careers advice and mentoring, and youth services.

'There is a lot that needs to be heard in this report about children badly let down. But I joined the Labour members in deciding that we had to vote against it. The report makes the issue race when we found it is more about disadvantage based on place.'

Kim Johnson, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside and a committee member, also tweeted: 'Deeply depressing that we are seeing a Government that has presided over deep cuts to education diverting attention from that onto a fake culture war. Nothing changes.'

Mr Halfon told the Today programme: 'Let me be very clear: I'm from a Jewish background. I know all about anti-Semitism and racism, and we should do everything to combat it. But 'white privilege' is wrong, the concept of 'white privilege' is wrong-headed for a number of reasons.

'Its wrong-headed because it says there is collective guilt when it should be individual responsibility for racist acts. All the data shows white working-class boys and girls on free school meals from disadvantaged backgrounds underperform at every stage of the education system compared to most other ethnic cohorts.'

The phrase 'white privilege' is used to describe the inherent advantages possessed by a white person on the basis of their race. It can apply where people are living under the same social, political or economic circumstances, or in a society where there is racial inequality.

Asked how 'white privilege' could be relevant, he went on: 'What were saying is that is the wrong way, it's a wrong-headed way to describe and deal with racism because it pits one group against another.

Table shows the extent of the achievement gap for disadvantaged white pupils by comparing the number of pupils in each ethnic group eligible for free school meals (for pupils receiving their GCSE results in 2020)

This bar chart shows the total number of pupils receiving their GCSE results in 2020 who were eligible for free school meals. White British pupils eligible for meals numbered 55,375, compared to 33,291 for non-white British pupils

The Commons education committee's report, published last night, said 'politically controversial' phrases such as 'white privilege' may have contributed to poor white pupils being forgotten 'for decades' (file image)

'One of the reasons we found that white working-class boys and girls are struggling in education is because the families have been disengaged from the education system, and we believe this concept of 'white privilege' perpetuates that.'

When asked if he was trying to create a culture war, Mr Halfon said: 'I've never engaged in the culture wars, all I care about is, as our committee does, is addressing the decades of neglect that have led to a situation where white working-class boys and girls from disadvantaged backgrounds are underperforming.'

The committee made recommendations to improve white working-class pupils' outcomes, including finding 'a better way to talk about racial disparities' to avoid pitting different groups against each other. It agreed with the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities that discourse around the term 'white privilege' can be 'divisive'.

Mr Halfon told Times Radio: 'You're telling poorer white communities that they are white privileged, when all it does is lead to further disengagement from the education system and pits one group against another.'

Daisy Cooper MP, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for education, said: 'The real story of this report is the Government is badly letting down all of our country's poorest children. Pitting kids against each other based on the colour of their skin is a truly despicable thing to do.

'Instead of stoking up the culture war, the Government should get its act together and provide proper funding for the catch up programme families so desperately need.'

Mr Halfon said: 'So far, the Department for Education (DfE) has been reluctant to recognise the specific challenges faced by the white working class, let alone do anything to tackle this chronic social injustice. This must stop now.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said schools 'do a very good job in providing opportunities for discussion around issues in a sensitive, balanced and measured way'

'We also desperately need to move away from dealing with racial disparity by using divisive concepts like white privilege that pit one group against another.

'Disadvantaged white children feel anything but privileged when it comes to education. Privilege is the very opposite to what disadvantaged white children enjoy or benefit from in an education system which is now leaving far too many behind.'

The committee recommended setting up a network of 'family hubs' to help parents engage in their child's education.

It also said more good teachers need to be attracted to challenging areas, and vocational training needs a better platform in schools' careers services.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: 'We're not quite sure why the committee has chosen to enter the debate about the widely discredited report from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, and the term 'white privilege'.

'This does not seem helpful and is likely to divert attention from the rest of the report.

'Schools are well aware of their responsibilities and do a very good job in providing opportunities for discussion around issues in a sensitive, balanced and measured way.'

A Department for Education spokesman said: 'This Government is focused on levelling up opportunity so that no young person is left behind.

'That's why we are providing the biggest uplift to school funding in a decade - 14 billion over three years - investing in early years education and targeting our ambitious recovery funding, worth 3 billion to date, to support disadvantaged pupils aged two to 19 with their attainment.'
Travel chiefs reacted with fury last night after Boris Johnson appeared to suggest cumbersome testing and quarantine measures could remain in place until the end of the year.

Despite soaring Covid vaccination levels in the UK and abroad, the Prime Minister warned it would be a difficult year for international travel, with holidaymakers facing continued hassle and delays.

He confirmed ministers were looking at relaxing some curbs for fully-vaccinated people, but warned: I want to stress that the emphasis is going to be on making sure that we can protect the country from the virus coming back in.

The travel industry warned that current restrictions could cost the economy nearly 20billion  more than 600million a day  in July alone

He added: This is going to be, whatever happens, a difficult year for travel. There will be hassle, there will be delays, Im afraid, because the priority has got to be to keep the country safe and to stop the virus coming back in.

The travel industry warned that current restrictions could cost the economy nearly 20billion  more than 600million a day  in July alone. Ministers will meet this week to consider whether any countries should be added to the quarantine-free green travel list. Just 11 destinations are currently on the list and no major European hotspots are expected to be added from next week.

Officials will also discuss whether fully-jabbed adults should be allowed to travel to amber list countries with their children without having to quarantine at home for up to ten days on return.

However, any change to this effect is unlikely to take effect until late July.

Even if approved, families may still face costly and cumbersome testing requirements as part of efforts to keep Covid variants out of the country. Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal and France are all on the amber list, meaning travellers must self-isolate for at least five days on return.

The Government currently insists Britons should only go on holiday to green list countries.

The policy is at odds with the US and EU, which allow fully-vaccinated travellers to sidestep testing and quarantine requirements to low-risk countries.

Travel chiefs last night sent an open letter to Mr Johnson warning of the cost to the economy if ministers fail to kick-start international. The World Travel & Tourism Council said more than 200,000 UK jobs are at risk if significant action to drop curbs and reopen the skies is not taken this week. It said 307,000 jobs had already been lost last year.

The council urged ministers to harness the success of the vaccine rollout by immediately relaxing testing and quarantine measures for fully-jabbed travellers arriving from green and amber countries.

Virginia Messina, of the council, said: If international travel remains off-limits for the whole of July, WTTC research has shown that every day the UK would lose a staggering 639million, severely delaying the UKs economic recovery and competitiveness. Stalling the resumption of international travel until August could cost the country dearly. We simply cant afford any further delay  we are running out of time and money, with many businesses facing going bust if international travel doesnt resume in July.

Paul Charles, of the PC Agency travel consultancy, said: They are still taking a very cautious approach, but every day that they are not opening up they are costing the economy hundreds of millions of pounds. And the data is showing there are no variants of concern coming from amber countries. So not only should we have amber countries being green instead, but the fully-jabbed should be able to go anywhere  except to red countries  with just one pre-return test.

Tim Alderslade, of Airlines UK, said of Government policy: The virus is already here and this is once again treating international travel differently to the domestic economy. The Governments own data shows...it is perfectly safe to open up travel to many countries whilst maintaining a robust red list to high-risk destinations.

It comes after analysis of NHS Test and Trace data showed fewer than one in 200 UK travellers from amber countries are testing positive for Covid on their return.

The data also revealed that no variants of concern were detected from any passengers returning from the 167 countries on the amber list. Between May 20 and June 9, just 89 of 23,465 passengers who travelled to the UK from amber countries tested positive for Covid  a rate of just 0.4 per cent. Meanwhile, no one arriving from green list countries tested positive, with no variants of concern detected. The travel industry called for the Governments traffic light system to be reviewed.

Alan French, of Thomas Cook, said: Weve long argued that the Government should take into account peoples vaccination status when it designed the current traffic light system so its great to see that this is going to happen hopefully in time for the summer holidays.

With around half the population double-jabbed we would encourage the Government to introduce these new measures as soon as possible to give families confidence and certainty they can get away this summer for some much-needed weeks in the sun. It came after analysis last week showed that fully-jabbed travellers are safer going to amber countries than non-vaccinated travellers visiting green destinations.

Official figures published yesterday showed that daily Covid cases had risen to 10,633  up 2,891 on a week earlier  with 1,316 people in hospital (up 223) and five deaths (up two) recorded.

Please, let us reunite with our loved ones abroad

Families separated from overseas relatives yesterday pleaded with ministers to relax travel curbs to make reunions possible this summer.

One British mum now living in Turkey told of her heartbreak at not being able to visit her parents with their 18-month-old granddaughter Ela since Christmas, after Turkey went on the UKs red list.

Kate Can, 28, from Basildon in Essex, moved to Turkey in 2014 where she now lives with husband Orcun Can, 33.

Kate, 28, and Orcun Can, 33. Kate is British and lives in Turkey but has been unable to see her family for 6 months due to travel restrictions

Pippa Twigg, 56, and Darren Hunt, 56. They both live in Cyprus but have had 14 flights cancelled since the start of the pandemic. It means Pippa has not seen her family back home in the UK since Jan last year

She is due to give birth to her second daughter in August, so fears it may be several more months before a family reunion will be possible.

Mrs Can said the situation is improving in Turkey and believes it should go amber, with ten-day home quarantine also dropped for arrivals into the UK from these medium-risk countries.

She said: My dad has only seen his granddaughter for four weeks out of her 18 months of life, my mum the same. If someones had a vaccination, especially double-vaccinated, I dont understand why they cant travel.

Meanwhile, Pippa Twigg, 56, lives in Cyprus with her partner Darren Hunt, also 56. Due to repeated cancelled flights she has been unable to make it back to the UK since January last year. The couple moved to Cyprus, currently on the UK amber list, four years ago.

She said: We have had 14 flights cancelled since all this started. I missed Christmas with my family last year, my mothers 80th birthday in September and its my sons 30th birthday next Monday and Im now not going to be able to return for that. Not only that, weve had two new grandchildren that I have never seen.

Ola is Polish but has lived in Wales since 2014. She says that travel restrictions and the cost of tests mean her parents in Poland have been unable to meet Oskar since he was born in September last year

If they push Cyprus on the green list, or allow vaccinated people to travel, people can go back without having to self-isolate which means airlines might actually run their flights as scheduled.

Ola Smith, 29, is a Polish national who lives in Wales with husband Dan Smith, 33. She gave birth to their nine-month-old son Oskar last year but has been unable to take him to Poland to meet her parents.

Mrs Smith, who moved to the UK in 2014, said the family have been unable to afford to go to Poland due to testing and quarantine requirements. She said: Its been really, really hard for them not being able to meet Oskar, and for us. If someone has been fully vaccinated...then let people travel.

Johan Lundgren, chief executive of easyJet, said: These moving stories show why the ability to travel is so important. We urge the Government to reopen and we look forward to playing our role in reuniting them.
The mouse plague ravaging Australia's eastern states has now spread to a prison, with more than 400 inmates forced to move to nearby facilities.

The Wellington Correctional Facility has been overrun by the vermin, with staff finding rodents eating through the jail's wiring and paneling.

As many as 420 prisoners and 200 jail staff have to be moved before the end of the month as the stench of the mice and damage done to the walls creates conditions not suitable for living in anymore.

The Wellington Correctional Facility has been overrun by mice, with staff finding rodents eating through the jail's wiring and paneling

As many as 420 prisoners and 200 jail staff have to be moved before the end of the month as the stench of the mice and damage has led to unsafe conditions

They are in the process of finding nearby prisons in the state's west to transport inmates.

Many will be moved across to Macquarie Correctional Centre, with some returning to work at the Wellington prison through the week to work.

'This process is essential in order to deep-clean and repair the damaged infrastructure, so staff can return to work in a safe environment,' Corrections Minister Anthony Roberts told The Daily Telegraph.

He said the prison staff's 'dedication and professionalism in the face of the plague has been exemplary'.

Repairs on the facility will look to implement strategies to ensure another plague doesn't impact its operations in the future.

Inside the Wellington Correctional that will see prisoners moved to nearby jails after the mice plague found its way into the facility

Australia's out-of-control mouse plague could last for up to two years if urgent action is not taken to kill millions of the rodents, a farmer's association has warned.

Xavier Martin, the vice president of NSW Farmers, said growers are now abandoning paddocks to the mouse hoard, fearing that crops sown there over the winter will be devoured before they can be harvested.

'Without a concerted baiting effort in the next few weeks, this could easily turn into a two-year plague event,' Mr Martin warned as the government revealed it is ready to hand out one of the world's deadliest poisons for free, as soon as states approve it.

The chemical is called bromadiolone.

The shocking mathematics behind the lifecycle of mice is one of the main reasons the mouse plague inundating Australia's eastern states is so terrifying

Countless farmers have had crops destroyed, with some losing as much as $300,000 worth of stock.

The shocking mathematics behind the lifecycle of mice is one of the main reasons the mouse plague inundating Australia's eastern states is so terrifying.

In only a few months, two mice can spawn a colony of hundreds of thousands - which in perfect conditions could even blow out to millions in just over a year.
Boris Johnson has boosted hopes that family holidays could be back on the cards by August after suggesting daily testing could be an alternative to self-isolation.

The Prime Minister hinted that ministers were examining plans to offer rapid daily tests to fully jabbed travellers returning from amber list countries as an alternative to quarantining at home.

It mirrors a plan to spare fully vaccinated people from having to quarantine if they come into contact with someone later diagnosed with Covid  provided they take daily tests.

Boris Johnson has boosted hopes that family holidays could be back on the cards by August after suggesting daily testing could be an alternative to self-isolation

Speaking during a lab visit in Hertfordshire yesterday, Mr Johnson suggested this idea could be extended to those returning from holiday, saying: Its very important we look at the opportunities for all of us over the coming months from two jabs... [we are] one of the most vaccinated countries in the world now.

If you look today, everyone over 50 should have been offered their second jab... so theres a great deal of potential there.

But when it comes to travel well certainly be looking at that [the daily testing plan].

It is thought that easier rules for fully vaccinated travellers could also extend to children  and this is despite them not being jabbed.

However, in his interview yesterday, Mr Johnson stressed the challenges the industry will face and added: This is going to be, whatever happens, a difficult year for travel.

As it stands, all arrivals from amber countries must quarantine at home for ten days whether they have been vaccinated or not.

Speaking during a lab visit in Hertfordshire yesterday, Mr Johnson hinted that ministers were examining plans to offer rapid daily tests to fully jabbed travellers returning from amber list countries as an alternative to quarantining at home

Any move to ditch or ease quarantine rules in favour of daily testing would open up amber destinations for family holidays, including to Spain, Greece, France and Italy (pictured)

Apart from Gibraltar, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, the whole of Europe is currently on the amber list. They can shorten the quarantine with a negative PCR test halfway through  but travellers would still need to isolate for five days which is enough to deter many from travelling.

Ministers are reviewing the current traffic light system  as well as the testing and quarantine rules  during three checkpoints over the year.

Flu could be a bigger problem this winter Flu could pose a bigger problem than Covid this winter, a senior government adviser has warned. Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said the success of the vaccine rollout means the UK should be in a really good place with Covid. But the low prevalence of flu over the last few years is likely to have led to a fall in immunity among the population which could bite us this winter. The knock-on effect of social distancing has led to flu cases plunging during the pandemic. And experts worry a large influenza outbreak would wreak havoc on the NHS. I emphasise that flu could potentially be a bigger problem this winter than Covid, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. Flu seasons can vary in severity with the average number of deaths in England for the last five seasons from 2014/15 to 2018/19 at 17,000 annually. Figures from the Office for National Statistics last month showed more than twice as many people were dying from flu than Covid. In the first week of May, 94 people died from Covid-19 in England and Wales, compared to 247 from flu or pneumonia. Advertisement

The first is on Monday next week, followed by July 31 and October 1. Simultaneously, the list of which countries are on the red, amber and green lists is reviewed every three weeks.

As part of this weeks checkpoint review, ministers will consider whether to ditch or ease quarantine rules for vaccinated travellers arriving from amber countries.

However, they are not expected to activate the changes until late July at the earliest.

Any move to ditch or ease quarantine rules in favour of daily testing would open up amber destinations for family holidays, including to Spain, Greece, France and Portugal  all of which are on the amber list.

It is understood the Department for Transport is also pushing for children to be included in any exemptions for fully vaccinated travellers despite them not having been jabbed.

In another positive sign, a Government source yesterday also said Health Secretary Matt Hancock is open to the move.

During previous cabinet meetings to discuss the traffic light system, Mr Hancock is said to have put up the strongest resistance to relaxing measures.

However, families may still be subject to costly and onerous testing requirements even if quarantine measures are dropped for vaccinated people.

Under the traffic light rules, arrivals from green countries are the only ones which enjoy quarantine-free travel. But there are only 11 destinations on the green list and travellers must take two tests, one pre-departure and another post-arrival.

Amber arrivals must quarantine at home for ten days and take a total of three tests while red country travellers must quarantine in hotels for eleven nights at their own expense.

The rules are the same for jabbed and unvaccinated people.

The travel industry has long been calling for restrictions to be relaxed for vaccinated individuals due to scientific studies showing they are less likely to transmit the virus.
Barnaby Joyce's young sons restlessly climbed on their mother Vikki Campion while he was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister for the second time.

The father of six - who has four daughters from his collapsed marriage and two sons with his former staffer - reclaimed leadership of the Nationals in a party vote on Monday.

The leader of the National Party - which is in a Coalition with Scott Morrison's Liberal Party - holds the role of Deputy Prime Minister when in government.

Re-elected Leader of the Nationals Barnaby Joyce poses for a photograph with partner Vikki Campion and sons Sebastian and Thomas

Barnaby Joyce hold his son Sebastian as he poses with Prime Minister Scott Morrison in quarantine and Governor-General David Hurley after the swearing in ceremony

Thomas perched calmly on a chair while Sebastian climbed on his mother, prompting her to pick him up and place him on a chair next to her

Mr Joyce was sworn in by the Governor-General, the Queen's representative in Australia, at Government House on Tuesday morning.

His partner Ms Campion and their two sons Sebastian, three, and Thomas, two, sat in the front row to watch the ceremony.

Thomas perched calmly on a chair while Sebastian climbed on his mother, prompting her to pick him up and place him on a chair next to her.

Mr Joyce, 54, has become Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Regional Development and will select his frontbench companions on Tuesday.

He was made Deputy Prime Minister for the second time on Monday after the Nationals voted to axe Michael McCormack in a party room meeting.

Mr Joyce was sworn in by the Governor-General, the Queen's representative in Australia, at Government House on Tuesday morning

Nationals member for Lyne David Gillespie, Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and son Thomas during the swearing-in ceremony

His partner Ms Campion and their two sons Sebastian, three, and Thomas, two, sat in the front row to watch the ceremony

Ms Joyce's 24-year marriage to Natalie collapsed in December 2017 and two months later it was revealed he had been having an affair with his former media advisor Ms Campion.

In February 2018 it was revealed the pair were expecting a child in a Daily Telegraph front page which featured a picture of a pregnant Ms Campion under the headline 'Bundle of Joyce'.

The Nationals leader initially claimed the child may not be his, insisting the identity of the father was a 'grey area' - but said he would not take a paternity test and would raise the boy named Sebastian as his.

Further details of Mr Joyce's affair emerged in a book by political insider Niki Savva, who wrote that he was spotted with Ms Campion at a doctor's surgery for 'scans' while she was pregnant.

Ms Campion, a former journalist and state National Party advisor who was hired by Mr Joyce in mid-2016, apparently spoke to her colleagues about her 'closeness' with the deputy prime minister, telling fellow government staff about the bushwalks they went on together.

Natalie Joyce (centre) with daughters Bridgette, Julia, Caroline, and Odette

Mr Joyce stepped down as Nationals leader and deputy prime minister in February 2018 when details of his relationship with Vikki Campion made national headlines. The pair are pictured with their two sons, Sebastian and Thomas

Vikki Campion (pictured) was a journalist before becoming a staffer for the National Party

Ms Savva, a former press secretary to ex-Treasurer Peter Costello, wrote: 'She made no secret of her closeness to Joyce.

'She would describe him as the loneliest man in Parliament.'

The affair prompted the introduction of the so-called 'bonk ban' in Federal Parliament to stop relationships between ministers and their staffers.

Nationals leader Michael McCormack was overthrown in a party-room meeting on Monday after Joyce supporter Senator Matt Canavan moved a spill motion.

The spill - the third attempt to roll Mr McCormack in as many years - was prompted by growing disquiet over his lacklustre performance as Acting Prime Minister last week, when Mr Morrison was overseas.

But it came after long-running concerns that Mr McCormack was not cutting through in the Nationals' regional heartlands amid fears that conservative voters would turn to One Nation or the Shooters, Farmers and Fishers Party.

Mr Joyce claimed he did not expect to win a leadership ballot on Monday morning, adding: 'If I thought it was going to happen I would have brought my hat.'

He said: 'I will try, always, to be the better person. I acknowledge my faults. I resigned, I've spent three years on the backbench. I don't walk away from making sure that I can be a better person to do a better job.

'And I'm reminded by that by the people that I love dearly - my four daughters and my two sons and Vikki.'

Mr Morrison welcomed Mr Joyce's election and thanked Mr McCormack for being a 'tremendous bloke'.
Victoria has recorded zero new local Covid infections on Tuesday as tourists from the state are welcomed back into New Zealand from tomorrow after the easing of government restrictions.

Jacinda Ardern's government halted the trans-Tasman bubble last month in response to Melbourne's latest Covid-19 outbreak.

With new community case numbers slowing to a trickle, the Ministry of Health has given the green light for travel to resume.

The Health Ministry's statement says it is encouraged by a lack of new Delta variant cases, large testing numbers and wastewater sampling.

Victoria has recorded zero new local Covid infections on Tuesday

New Zealand's move is perhaps surprising, given its ultra-cautious approach to first removing the quarantine requirement from trans-Tasman travellers.

New South Wales first scrapped quarantine for Kiwis in October last year.

It was not until six months later, in April this year, that New Zealand reciprocated.

In allowing regular travel, it is re-opening to Victoria ahead of all Australian states except for New South Wales.

Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland all have varying degrees of restriction on Victorians heading across their borders.

Some restrictions still apply for would-be trans-Tasman travellers.

People who have visited a location of interest - where a potentially infected person has also travelled - in any state must not travel to New Zealand within 14 days of visiting that site.

The move means the trans-Tasman bubble is fully operational for the first time since May 25.
People suffering with depression could soon have a new treatment, in the form of a drug based on a common psychedelic substance found in plants, developers claim.

The first patient dosing of the drug, based on the compound DMT (N-Dimethyltryptamine), is being given to 'healthy brained' first time drug users in a clinical trial that will examine the impact the substance has on the brain.

If successful, the second stage of the trial will see the team experiment with different dosing levels and strategies and eventually treat people with depression.

It works by sending the patient on a hallucinogenic trip that acts to 'break down' blockages in the mind, that can then be restored with a course of therapy.

British biotech firm Small Pharma are running the trial, and CEO Peter Rands told MailOnline said it had the potential to help people not supported by current drugs.

The drug can be administered within an hour long therapy session and they are working out what level of dosage is required and how long it would last.

People suffering with depression could soon have a new treatment, in the form of a drug based on a common psychedelic substance found in plants, developers claim

WHAT IS DMT? DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine) is a hallucinogenic tryptamine drug that occurs naturally in many plants and animals. It is also referred to as the 'spirit molecule' due to the intense psychedelic experience. Although lesser known than other psychedelics such as LSD or magic mushrooms, DMT produces a brief but intense visual and auditory hallucinogenic experience. DMT is a white crystalline powder that is derived from certain plants found in Mexico, South America, and parts of Asia, such as Psychotria viridis. It is typically consumed in the following ways: vaporised or smoked in a pipe

consumed orally in brews like ayahuasca

snorted or injected on rare occasions Advertisement

The clinical trials began in January and if successful, the firm hopes to be able to start offering it as a licensed treatment in connection with therapy within six years.

It is described as a 'controlled therapeutic experience' that involves the patient taking the drug while in a therapist office and requires significant 'preparation' with the therapist beforehand to ensure the brain is ready.

With 1 in 6 people predicted to suffer major depression in their lifetime, Small Pharma wanted to find a safe, patentable solution to the growing problem.

The aim was to tackle the root of the problem, rather than simply mask the cause, as many existing treatments do, and that is where the therapy and psychedelic combination comes into its own, Rands explained.

Small Pharma started by deciding what they wanted to treat, before considering how they were going to treat it, the only rule being to apply an intellectual property first approach to traditional and natural ingredients.

'The science was moving forward and we were discovering new things about known compounds we didn't know before, and I thought that was the perfect environment we could operate in,' said Rands.

They started by working on a ketamine drug, removing any 'high' aspect from the treatment, believing the impact on depression came from other responses.

But, at the same time new studies were coming out to show the benefits of psychedelics in treating a range of conditions, including depression.

Particularly psilocybin, a chemical within 'magic mushrooms,' that studies had shown could be used along with psychological therapy to 'reset' the brain of someone with depression or addictive traits such as alcoholism.

Effectively instead of working on drugs to remove side-effects, the best treatment came within the side-effects, particularly hallucinogenic effects.

There were several other companies working to remove the psychedelic aspect of drugs like ketamine to treat depression and similar conditions and several of them were failing despite being given approval for trials.

'I thought, everyone is failing where we are trying to treat, so we looked at whether the psychedelic experience could be a marker of efficacy rather than a marker to dial down,' Rands told MailOnline.

The first patient dosing of the drug, based on the compound DMT (N-Dimethyltryptamine), is being given to 'healthy brained' first time drug users in a clinical trial that will examine the impact the substance has on the brain

HOW WOULD PSYCHEDELIC THERAPY WORK? Small Pharma explained that the drugs would always be given during a therapy session with a specialist. First the patient would have a preparatory session which would involve the therapist telling them a story as an analogy. This would tell them what their 'trip' would likely be like when it happens. The brain has to be prepared for this or it won't work as expected, they said. Next the drug will be administered and the 'trip' would act to make the mind more pliable to therapy. This is when the traditional therapy session comes in, working to treat the underlying causes of the depression. It isn't known how many sessions would be needed or how many times the drug would need to be given. That is something they hope to learn from the clinical trials. Advertisement

'It is counter-intuitive but we weren't the only people doing this. Others were working on psilocybin and getting financial backing to do a regulated package on a chemical very hard to protect' in terms in intellectual property.

However, psilocybin wasn't the only compound that had these types of psychedelic properties, so they looked at alternatives and settled on DMT.

'It was investible, it was back-able and fell within our thesis of a new medicine based on known active ingredients' said Rand.

DMT overcame a number of shortcomings found with psilocybin, such as the fact DMT is much faster to administer - taking 10 minutes in the clinic rather than up to eight hours with psilocybin - meaning the treatment can be completed in an hour.

'It had all the criteria necessary for our selection mechanism, in that it had patentable space to move into and fit within our thesis,' said Rand.

Small Pharma isn't the only firm exploring the idea of psychedelic drugs for treating a range of mental health conditions.

Other firms are looking at other chemicals, such as psilocybin, and even looking at the use of DMT. They also have different approaches to dosages and follow on treatment - including one using AI as an alternative to therapy.

'A lot of regulations changed in the US and Canada and is continuing week-on-week with statements from politicians and the senior people at the FDA singing the praises of psychedelics,' Rand told MailOnline.

If successful, the second stage of the trial will see the team experiment with different dosing levels and strategies and eventually treat people with depression

DEPRESSION AFFECTS ONE-IN-TEN PEOPLE AT SOME POINT While it is normal to feel down from time to time, people with depression may feel persistently unhappy for weeks or months on end. Depression can affect anyone at any age and is fairly common  approximately one in ten people are likely to experience it at some point in their life. Depression is a genuine health condition which people cannot just ignore or 'snap out of it'. Symptoms and effects vary, but can include constantly feeling upset or hopeless, or losing interest in things you used to enjoy. It can also cause physical symptoms such as problems sleeping, tiredness, having a low appetite or sex drive, and even feeling physical pain. In extreme cases it can lead to suicidal thoughts. Traumatic events can trigger it, and people with a family history may be more at risk. It is important to see a doctor if you think you or someone you know has depression, as it can be managed with lifestyle changes, therapy or medication. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

'The timing is fascinating. Lockdown has pushed depression up the mobility scale and the incidence is on the rise.

'But other things have happened as well including the fact that multiple vaccines were developed in an 18 month timeframe changed people's perception of the pharmaceutical industry, including funding becoming more available.'

Small Pharma raised CAN $63 million (36m) since the start of the year, and in the few years before that they had only raised about CAN $10 million (6m).

This allowed the company to push ahead with the clinical trials of the DMT-based drug, which started in January and saw the first person given the drug in February.

'We start with a dose escalation study in healthy psychedelic naive subjects,' said Dr Carol Routledge, Chief Medical & Scientific Office in an interview with MailOnline.

'This is to understand the dose and tolerability and psychedelic experience of DMT and use psychedelic naive subjects as the majority of people will not have taken a psychedelic drug before so we need to understand the tolerability.'

They had to carry out extensive psychological analysis to ensure the volunteers really were taking a psychedelic drug for the first time and not just out for a trip.

'It is very careful questioning at the screening stage with a really astute psychiatrist who is very good at weeding out that kind of information,' said Routledge.

The second stage of the trial is a fully powered proof of concept study looking at the efficacy of DMT with therapy in patients with major depressive disorder.

The drug allows the therapy to have much better effects, acting as a 'catalyst, in catalysing the benefit of what one can do in a treatment session,' said Rand.

'With respect to psychedelics, late stage studies would support strongly the complimentary nature of the psychedelic experience increasing [brain] plasticity over a long period of time,' he told MailOnline.

It works by sending the patient on a hallucinogenic trip that acts to 'break down' blockages in the mind, that can then be restored with a course of therapy

Psychedelic compounds can drastically reduce stress in mice Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have found that a non-hallucinogenic psychedelic drastically lowers the levels of stress in mice. A single dose of tabernanthalog (TBG) can lower anxiety and cognitive inflexibility in the rodents. It also has the ability to promote the regrowth of neuronal connections and restoring neural circuits that are negatively impacted from stress. The new findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, had two-month old mice subjected to 'mild, unpredictable stressors'. The TBG compound was responsible for making it seem as if the stressors, which include a reduction in cage space, exposure to a new room, loud noises and new mice, weren't there. TBG has not yet been tested in humans, but it does not show toxicity in animals, nor does it induce actions such as head-twitching. Advertisement

'What we are now interested to know is whether that can be reduced into an hour long session with DMT and we are looking at major depressive disorder.'

The second stage of the clinical trials are due to begin as soon as the first stage finishes later in the summer as they have regulatory approval for both elements.

'We think the proof of concept study, starting in late summer, will complete in the first half of next year,' Routledge told MailOnline.

Assuming all the trials go as planned, the final drug could be available within the next six years - so by the end of this decade.

Treatment would always be within a clinical setting, usually with a therapist and possibly during the course of a normal therapy session.

The idea is that at the start of the session the therapist would work to 'set the mind of the patient' by using various stories to explain what the experience would be like.

They'll then administer the drug and watch as the patient experiences the hallucinogenic effects, which will work to make their brain more pliable.

'There is a real disconnect in mental health treatment, which is that the pills are never administered alongside a course of psychiatry, so this is a surprisingly innovative proposal to make both components essential,' Rand told MailOnline.

After the trip is over the therapist will work with the patient on their underlying issues with depression, while they are in a much more receptive state.

It is thought that by working on the issues after the brain has been made more pliable will help any therapy to 'stick for longer' and improve the treatment.

An increasing body of evidence has shown that when combined with talking therapy, hallucinogenic drugs can be a safe treatment for a range of mental illnesses

USING PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS TO TREAT MENTAL HEALTH In recent years, scientists have increasingly looked to psychedelic drugs as promising therapies for treatment-resistant mental illness. Ongoing clinical trials suggest that drugs once beloved by hippies and club kids might have medical benefits. Under clinical settings, with a controlled dose, the hallucinogenic nature of the drugs help to 'alter' the minds of those taking them. This can work to effectively reset the brain of someone with depression or substance abuse disorder. Combined with therapy to 'reset' the brain, it could help someone resistant to other treatment. Advertisement

What isn't known yet is how high the dose should be, how long it would work for and whether it would work as a regular treatment or only in extreme cases.

That is something they hope to discover through the clinical trial process, but it will happen sequentially as initially it will be about optimising a single session.

Then they will work on how many psychedelic sessions are needed for the number of non-psychedelic sessions, the team explained.

'Even in this first proof of concept study we are comparing one dose to two doses to see if one dose with therapy is better or worse than two doses with therapy.

'Ideally you'd take on treatment with therapy on both sides and not need another treatment for six months, then that could just be therapy,' said Routledge.

She said it is clear, from the first few months of the study, that DMT is a 'very safe and clean drug' as you see a psychedelic experience, but very few adverse events.

'We are dose escalating upwards and we are now three quarters of the way through and it is going really really well,' Routeledge explained to MailOnline.

Rand told MailOnline that there is a common thread that we are 'overprescribing anti-depressants' in the UK adding that 'while they are useful for certain people, we think this new drug will help people anti-depressants are not helpful for.'

While initially the focus of the study and the drug will be to treat people not treated by existing drugs for depression, it could be a replacement for anti-depressants.
Medieval plague victims were buried individually with 'considerable care', new analysis of their teeth has revealed.

Archaeologists have long thought this was the case but could not prove it because plague kills so rapidly that no visible traces are left on the skeleton, meaning victims could only be identified if buried in mass graves.

But for the first time Cambridge researchers have now found Yersinia pestis, the pathogen that causes plague, in DNA from the teeth of people who died between the 14th and 16th centuries.

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Discovery: Medieval plague victims were buried individually with 'considerable care', new analysis of their teeth has found. Pictured are the skeletons of victims in a friary in Cambridge

WHAT IS PLAGUE? Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague and is spread by the bite from an infected flea. The infection spreads to immune glands called lymph nodes, causing them to become swollen and painful and may progress to open sores. Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, and can be contracted by humans and household animals if proper precautions are not taken. Human-to-human transmission of bubonic plague is rare and is usually caught from animals. Symptoms may include sudden onset of high fever, chills, headache, nausea and extreme pain and swelling of lymph nodes, occurring within two to seven days after exposure. Advertisement

They were individually buried at a parish cemetery and friary in Cambridge, a study by researchers from the After the Plague project found.

The Black Death killed between 40 and 60 per cent of the European population when it hit in the mid-14th century. It had run its course by the early 1350s but reappeared every few generations for centuries afterwards.

Lead author Craig Cessford, of the University of Cambridge said: 'These individual burials show that even during plague outbreaks individual people were being buried with considerable care and attention.

'This is shown particularly at the friary where at least three such individuals were buried within the chapter house.'

The study also found that some plague victims in Cambridge did indeed receive mass burials.

Yersinia pestis was identified in several parishioners from St Bene't's, who were buried together in a large trench in the churchyard excavated by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit on behalf of Corpus Christi College.

This part of the churchyard was soon afterwards transferred to Corpus Christi College, which was founded by the St Bene't's parish guild to commemorate the dead including the victims of the Black Death.

An artist's impression shows the reconstruction of a plague victim from All Saints, Cambridge

For centuries, members of the college would walk over the mass burial every day on the way to the parish church.

Cessford said: 'Our work demonstrates that it is now possible to identify individuals who died from plague and received individual burials.

'This greatly improves our understanding of the plague and shows that even in incredibly traumatic times during past pandemics people tried very hard to bury the deceased with as much care as possible.'

The study is published in the European Journal of Archaeology.
NASA is struggling to fix an issue with a 1980s-era computer that controls science instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope, a week after it stopped working.

The telescope, a partnership between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), has been in space over 30 years and made countless astronomical discoveries.

The computer stopped working on Sunday, June 13 and an attempt to restart it on Monday, June 14 failed. NASA has had no success in getting it to operate normally.

The team from the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland investigating the issue say it may be a degrading computer memory module causing the shutdown.

'Hubble is in safe mode, restoration work in progress, no back-to-service date given yet,' a spokesperson for ESA told MailOnline.

NASA says the telescope itself and scientific instruments that accompany it are "in good health,' adding the issue is with payload computer that controls and coordinates the scientific instruments and monitors their health and safety.

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 ageing, despite a series of repairs and updates by spacewalking astronauts during NASA's shuttle era

MAJOR DISCOVERIES MADE USING HUBBLE The Hubble space telescope launched for low Earth orbit in 1990 and has been used to change our understanding of the universe. Captured images of the debris left behind by comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 after it collided with Jupiter.

Hubble provided the first conclusive evidence of the existence of supermassive black holes in the centres of galaxies after observing the galaxy M87.

Measured the elements within the atmosphere of exoplanets, giving insight into worlds beyond our solar system.

Hubble observations revealed the dwarf planet Eris is actually larger than Pluto, a year after it was demoted to dwarf planet status.

Captured images of distant galaxies from when the universe was less than a tenth of its current age.

Helped expand our understanding of how planets formed through observations of proto-planetary discs in distant systems.

Helped astronomers pin-down the age of the universe to 13.8 billion years through the study of Cepheid stars. Advertisement

'NASA continues to work on resolving an issue with the payload computer on the Hubble Space Telescope,' the US space agency wrote in a blog post on Friday.

Throughout last week the NASA operations team ran a series of tests to collect more information on the system to further isolate the problem.

During this process the telescope and its instruments will remain in 'safe mode'.

When the operations team attempted to switch to a back-up memory module, the command to initiate the backup module failed to complete.

They tried again last Thursday to see if they could get more diagnostic information and bring both the backup and main memory modules online - but this failed.

ESA says the system will remain in safe mode while they continue to work on the issue and find ways to resolve the memory module issue.

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 said.

'The module has various levels of redundancy which can be switched on to serve as the primary system when necessary.'

A 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.'

The agency plans to continue working through the backup memory modules to restore the computer and allow the 30 year old telescope to resume operations.

'It is fully redundant in that a second computer, along with its associated hardware, exists on orbit that can be switched over to in the event of a problem,' NASA said.

'Both computers can access and use any of four independent memory modules, which each contain 64K of Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) memory.

'The payload computer uses only one memory module operationally at a time, with the other three serving as backups.'

'NASA continues to work on resolving an issue with the payload computer on the Hubble Space Telescope,' the US space agency wrote in a blog post on Friday

Throughout last week the NASA operations team ran a series of tests to collect more information on the system to further isolate the problem

Launched in 1990, Hubble is showing more and more signs of ageing, 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.

NASA created sensational images of planets within our solar system, including this one of Jupiter, revealing more about our neighbourhood

The US space agency is going to replace the Hubble with $10 billion James Webb Telescope, however it has run into delays

Earlier this month, said it would delay the telescope because the European Space Agency-funded Ariane 5 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.'

It is still expected to launch for space this year and James Webb will spent at least 30 per cent of its first year studying exoplanets.
McDonald's is being sued for recording customers' biometric data at its new artificially intelligent-powered drive-thru windows without getting their consent.

In court filings, Shannon Carpenter, a customer at a McDonald's in Lombard, Illinois, claims the system violates Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, or BIPA, by not getting his approval before using voice-recognition technology to take his order.

BIPA requires companies to inform customers their biometric informationincluding voiceprints, facial features, fingerprints and other unique physiological featuresis being collected.

Illinois is only one of a handful of states with biometric privacy laws, but they are considered the most stringent.

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A McDonald's customer in Chicago is suing the burger chain, claiming it records and stores users' voiceprints without their written consent, in violation of Illinois strict biometric privacy law

In 2020, the fast-food chain began testing out using voice-recognition software in lieu of human servers at 10 locations in and around Chicago.

The system also records collects customers' voiceprints.

As reported in court filings, Carpenter drove through the pull-up window early last year, and rather than a human operator, his order was taken by the company's new artificial intelligence-based voice assistance program, Apprente.

According to Shannon's suit, the chain maintains it collects customers' voiceprints to be able to correctly interpret customer orders and identify repeat customers to provide a tailored experience,' Restaurant Business Online reported.

Carpenter, whose lawsuit was moved to federal court this month, is seeking class status, meaning that if McDonalds is found guilty, it will have to pay out to everyone who has ever used the AI drive-thrus.

McDonald's rolled out the AI-powered pull-up window in 2020, after acquiring conversational technology startup Apprente in 2019.

'McDonald's AI voice assistant goes beyond real-time voiceprint analysis and recognition and also incorporates 'machine-learning routines' that utilize voice recognition in combination with license plate scanning technology to identify unique customers regardless of which location they visit and present them with certain menu items based on their past visits.'

'McDonald's fails to inform its customers that their voiceprint biometrics are being collected when they interact with the Al voice assistant or obtain any consent from them to do so,' the lawsuit alleges. 'Nor does McDonald's have a publicly available data retention policy that discloses what McDonald's does with the voiceprint biometric data it obtains or how long it is stored for.'

In a statement to DailyMail.com, McDonalds said Carpenter's suit 'demonstrates a misrepresentation of the technology and its purpose.'



It maintains the technology doesn't store any identifying voiceprint or feature or try to compare a current orderer to a previous customer.

"This technology was specifically developed and deployed in a way that does not identify any customers,' the company said, adding that it intends to defend against the allegations in court.

The fast-food chain began testing voice-recognition software last year at 10 locations in and around Chicago. But the system hasn't gone off without a hitch, with close to one in five orders made with Apprente ultimately needing a human worker to step in.

A customer posted their experience with the Siri-like technology on TikTok, calling it 'most dystopian thing I have ever seen in the 27 years of my life.'

The technology aims to shorten the wait at the drive-thru, but CEO Chris Kempczinski admitted it may not be rolled out at all McDonald's locations.

'There's a big leap from going to 10 restaurants in Chicago to 14,000 restaurants across the U.S., with an infinite number of promo permutations, menu permutations, dialect permutations, weather  and on and on and on,' Kempczinski said, per CNBC.

McDonald's announced in 2019 that it had acquired conversational technology startup Apprente, with a plan to integrate its systems with services such as drive-thru menus, self-order kiosks and a mobile app.

In November 2020, former McDonald's workers in Illinois filed a class-action suit, alleging the fast-food giant violates BIPA because it 'mishandles' employees' biometric information

'We've never been more focused on improving the experience of the drive-through, in particular, the speed of service,' McDonald's said in a 2019 earnings report, following the acquisition.

Former CEO Steve Easterbrook said the acquisition would make it 'simpler and even more enjoyable for crew members to serve guests.'

That same year, the House of Ronald McDonald acquired Israeli digital startup Dynamic Yield with similar plans to use AI to improve diners' experience.

'We're leveraging technology to improve and modernize the way we connect with customers,' Easterbrook told investors, according to Nation's Restaurant News. 'We're confident about the road ahead.'

Replacing human workers with robots and AI has been a hot topic for years, amid demands that the federal minimum wage increase to $15.

McDonald's has also talked about plans to automate its kitchens with robotic fryers and grills.

'It's cheaper to buy a $35,000 robotic arm than it is to hire an employee who's inefficient making $15 an hour bagging French fries,' former McDonald's CEO Ed Rensi told Fox Business in May 2016.

'If you can't get people for a reasonable minimum wage, you're going to get machines to do the work.'

McDonald's is already facing a class action suit in Illinois filed by workers who claim it mishandled their biometric data.

Eight former workers filed a class-action complaint in the St. Clair County Circuit Court in November 2020, alleging BIPA violations because McDonald's never gave them notice or requested written consent to capture and store their biometric data.

The plaintiffs maintain McDonald's requires their franchises to use the company's system-wide program which 'mishandles' employees' biometric information, The Madison-St. Clair Record reported.

Other major companies have run afoul of the BIPA before. In February, TikTok paid $92 million to settle a class-action lawsuit claiming it violated the law.

Facebook paid out $650 million in 2015 in a similar case, and five years later, was hit with another class-action suit claiming it used the same tool on Instagram.

In 2019, security firm Suprema revealed that a vast data breach exposed the biometric information, including fingerprints and facial scans, of millions of people.
Researchers in the UK and the US found that three-quarters of the 59 biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) facilities around the world that handle dangerous pathogens have low biosecurity and biosafety levels, according to a new report.

The measurements are based the Global Health Security Index, which looks at whether countries have legislations, regulations, oversight agencies, policies and training on biosafety and biosecurity is put in place.

The 59 facilities include those in operation, under construction or planned, and span 23 countries, including the UK, US, China and India.

The team also notes that three-quarters of these labs sit in urban areas, more than half are government run and the rest are in universities.

Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has gained attention during the coronavirus pandemic, is show with a medium ranking for biosafety and biosecurity, while the National Health Laboratory in Saudi Arabia was low across the board.

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These facilities include those in operation, under construction or planned, and span 23 countries, including the UK, US, China, and India. The team also notes that three-quarters of these labs sit in urban areas, more than half are government run and the rest are in universities

Gregory Koblentz, an associate professor of biodefense at George Mason University, and Filippa Lentzos at King's College London, conducted the research to determine how many pass safety protocols.

The team suggests that the World Health Organization should be responsible for the oversight of such facilities, in a bid to ensure all labs are up to par with current protocols.

'Our study also revealed that there was significant room for improvement in the policies in place to ensure that these labs were operated safely, securely and responsibly,' Koblentz and Lentzos wrote in the Guardian.

'The vast majority of countries with BSL-4 labs do not conduct oversight of the type of gain-of-function research that has been a central feature in the debate on COVID-19's origin, as potentially responsible for the possible leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology,' they added.

Wuhan Institute of Virology is among 59 labs that handles dangerous pathogens

The biosafety and biosecurity scores are based on the Nuclear Threat Initiative's Global Health Security Index, which measures 'whether countries have the requisite legal and institutional components of national biosafety and biosecurity oversight systems.'

'We used national-level data on biosafety, biosecurity, and dual-use research oversight generated by the Global Health Security Index produced by the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Koblentz told DailyMail.com in an email.

'NTI measured if countries had laws, regulations, policies, institutions, and training in place to provide a comprehensive whole-of-government approach to biorisk management. Based on this data, we categorized countries as having high, medium, or low levels of biosafety and biosecurity preparedness. '

Europe is home to the most BSL-4 labs with 25, while North America and Asia have roughly the same, with 14 and 13 facilities, respectively.

All the labs in the US are ranked as 'high' in both biosecurity and biosafety, while all three in Africa are low.

Only 40 percent of nations with BSL-4 labs are members of the International Experts Group of Biosafety and Biosecurity, which is where regulators share best practices on handling dangerous pathogens.

Members include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, the UK and the US.

The biosafety and biosecurity scores are based on the Nuclear Threat Initiative's Global Health Security Index, which measures 'whether countries have the requisite legal and institutional components of national biosafety and biosecurity oversight systems'

The new report has raised concerned among experts who fear relaxed controls and regulations at some locations could spark another pandemic.

'The larger the number of institutions and the larger the number of individuals with access to these dangerous agents, the greater the risk,' Richard Ebright, a professor of chemical biology at Rutgers University, told the Financial Times. '

Accidents and leaks already happen in very large numbers, especially in places that have weaker biosafety standards.'

'We need to strengthen biosafety and biosecurity rules around the world' Ebright added.
Cave paintings date back at least 44,000 years and are among the earliest known forms of human culture and storytelling.

But how did our primitive ancestors create detailed, often colorful scenes on cavern walls in the dark, without artificial light or even matches?

Archaeologists in Spain have examined prehistoric cave art sites to determine how Paleolithic humans could see well enough to express themselves artistically in these lightless passages.

They re-created primitive torches and lamps to determine which would have most likely been used by Stone Age artists.

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Archaeologists in Spain fashioned torches and lamps similar to the ones used by Stone Age cave dwellers. They found torches were good for exploring larger areas but generated a lot of smoke and needed constant maintenance

'We are really interested in all the production processes behind these images,' Diego Garate, a cave art specialist at Spain's University of Cantabria, told CNN.

'They could have made drawings just at the entrance of the cave without any problem. They wanted to do it in these narrow places and go very deep inside the caves. That was part of it.'

Using charcoal residue and other archaeological evidence at cave art sites, Garate and his team attempted to re-create the sort of lighting available to Paleolithic humans as they created (and viewed) their work.

They fashioned five torches made with dried juniper wood, like the remains of torches found in the Aldene and Reseau Clastres caves, Ars Technica reported, and used birch bark for tinder and pine resin, ivy and deer fat for fuel.

At left: A re-created sandstone lamp gives off a semicircular arc of light. The researchers found the lamps were good for illuminating a small space over a longer period

They also carved a pair of sandstone lamps, replicas of ones found in La Mouthe Cave in France's Dordogne region, using dried juniper wood as a wick and cow marrow as fuel.

A small, stationary 'fireplace' was also constructed, using dried juniper, oak and green birch bark as kindling.

Archaeologists tried to create simple torches similar to authentic ones (left) found in Paleolithic cave dwellings

The archaeologists tested their three lighting techniques inside Isuntza 1 Cave, one of the better known cave-art sites in northern Spain's Basque region.

They chose two locations in Isuntzaa large, wide chamber with bedrock walls and a smaller, second site connected by a 130-foot long-corridor.

'We walked for 20 minutes inside the cave until the light was getting low,' Garate, lead author of a new report in the scientific journal PLOS One, told CNN.

`It was pretty striking that the light from the torches is really different from the artificial light we are used to.'

A majority of the best known Paleolithic cave art has been found in Spain and France

Able to project light nearly 20 feet, the wooden torches were easier to transport and worked best for exploring or crossing wider spaces.

The torches were tested in both sites and their flame, which lasted between 20 minutes and an hour, was five times brighter than a grease lamp.

But they produced a large volume of smoke and were unpredictable, often needing to be waved back and forth to keep lit.

Only tested in the first, wider cavern, the lamps proved better for lighting a small space over a longer period of timesay, when an artist was working on a section of a mural. With light about as intense as a candle, they could illuminate a diameter of about 10 feet, Inside Science reported, burning consistently for more than an hour without much monitoring and little smoke.

Creating a stationary fireplace (above) proved the least effective means of illuminating deep in caves, the researchers report, because they burned quickly and generated a lot of smoke

The lamps were poor for navigating the caverns, though, because they didn't illuminate the ground.

The stationary fires, also just tested in the first site, burned quickly and generated a lot of smoke, making them unsuitable for either exploring or painting.

Whatever light those prehistoric Picassos used may have looked pretty trippy to them: a recent study from Tel Aviv University suggests Paleolithic cave painters may have hallucinated due to a lack of oxygen.

Writing in Time and Mind: The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness and Culture in April, archaeologist Yafit Kedar said the cave artists likely induced hypoxia, or oxygen starvation, as 'a conscious choice, motivated by an understanding of the transformative nature of an underground, oxygen-depleted space.'

'The symptoms of hypoxia are very similar to when you are taking drugs,' Kedar told The Times of London. 'It occurred to me that maybe we are talking about alternate states of consciousness.'

Recent research suggests a lack of oxygen, known as hypoxia, would have made prehistoric cave painters experience euphoria, hallucinations and out-of-body sensations such as floating or flying. Pictured: The Lascaux cave in Lascaux, France

Early man could have left his mark on walls near cave opening, but most Palaeolithic cave paintings in Europe are hundreds of feet or further from entrances, often accessible only via narrow passages not used for daily activities.

The paintings, produced across a wide area of Europe between 40,000 and 14,000 years ago, depict animals including mammoths, bison and horses.

To find out whether oxygen deprivation may have played a role in the production of the works, the researchers ran computer simulations based on cave sites in France and Spainincluding the paintings and engravings in Dordogne's Rouffignac cave, which are around 2,400 feet from the entrance, and El Castillo cave in Cantabria, northern Spain, some 660 feet from the entrance.

Using computer modeling, Kedar's team determined oxygen in the artists' bodies would have fallen rapidly at those depths and would have induced hypoxia.

Normal concentrations of oxygen in the atmosphere are around 20 percent, with the rest mostly made up of nitrogen.

Their computations suggested that, for a Stone Age artist using primitive tools to make a mural, oxygen levels would have fallen below 18 percent, the threshold for hypoxia, within 15 minutes.

Severe hypoxia, with oxygen falling below 11 percent, could have happened within a few hours if they were working in a cramped space where the roof was lower than three feet.

Both hypoxia and environments such as deep caves increase the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, the researchers noted.

While potentially deadly, hypoxia can result in euphoria, hallucinations and out-of-body sensations such as floating or flying.

In such a state, the art works on the cave walls may have appeared to float, Keder theorized, suggesting the paintings were a way of communicating with gods or other worlds.
With NASA and the European Space Agency set to send three missions to Venus in the not-too distant future, researchers are anxious to learn more about the seismic activity of 'Earth's evil twin.'

Enter a balloon.

In a new study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech were successful in testing to see if a balloon could be used in the atmosphere to detect sound waves caused by aftershocks of the 2019 Ridgecrest, California earthquakes.

The researchers flew two 'heliotrope' high-altitude balloons with instruments attached to them to measure the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes that triggered more than 10,000 aftershocks over a six-week period.

The balloons rose to heights between 11 and 15 miles after being fully heated by the sun and returned at dusk.

The barometers attached to them measured changes in air pressure as the acoustic vibrations from the aftershocks traversed through the air.

On July 22, 2019, barometers on one of the balloons detected the low-frequency sound wave that happened following a 4.2 aftershock nearly 50 miles away.

Since seismic waves also produce sound waves, the information from the seismic waves is put out into atmosphere, where it can be studied from the air.

Researchers hope to use a balloon used to measure earthquakes to detect seismic activity on Venus

Two 'heliotrope' high-altitude balloons with instruments attached to them were flown to measure the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes that triggered more than 10,000 aftershocks over a six-week period.

Approximately 700 million years ago, Venus underwent a 'dramatic transformation' -possibly due to volcanic eruptions - that completely altered the planet. It presently has a surface temperature of 864 degrees Fahrenheit

'The acoustic coupling of quakes into the atmosphere is calculated to be 60 times stronger on Venus than on Earth, meaning it should be easier to detect venusquakes from the cool layers of Venus' atmosphere between 50 to 60 kilometers [about 31 to 37 miles] in altitude,' said JPL technologist Siddharth Krishnamoorthy, principal investigator of the analysis effort in a statement.

'We should be able to detect venusquakes, volcanic processes, and outgassing events while characterizing the levels of activity.'

Frequency-Time ANalysis (FTAN) analysis of seismic and acoustic records

The Ridgecrest balloon experimental campaign, showing the Hare and Tortoise balloons flew on July 22, 2019, whereas Hare 2 and CrazyCat flew on August 9, 2019. Earthquakes with magnitudes over 1.5 (figure f) are shown as black dots, and those on August 9 are shown as magenta dots

To better understand Venus and why it eventually evolved into a planet vastly different from Earth, experts have to study its seismic waves.

Yet with the planet's hell-like atmosphere, they're unable to come anywhere close to its surface.

'Tens of thousands of ground-based seismometers populate spatially-dense or permanent networks, enabling this possibility on Earth,' said Caltech professor and study co-author Jennifer M. Jackson in the statement.

'We don't have this luxury on other planetary bodies, particularly on Venus. Observations of seismic activity there would strengthen our understanding of rocky planets, but Venus' extreme environment requires us to investigate novel detection techniques.'

Approximately 700 million years ago, it underwent a 'dramatic transformation' -possibly due to volcanic eruptions - that completely altered the planet.

Venus presently has a surface temperature of 864 degrees Fahrenheit.

Understanding the strength and speed of seismic waves can give researchers insight into the characteristics of the rocky layers underneath or even spot liquid reservoirs and volcanic and tectonic activity, which might be useful on Venus.

The ESA's EnVision mission - which could launch as early as 2031 - is expected to be focused on Venus's nature, looking at the planet's 'tesserae,' the planet's equivalent of Earth's continents.

It will also study the planet's underground layers and monitor for trace gases in the atmosphere, looking for signs of active volcanic activity.

To better understand Venus and why it eventually evolved into a planet vastly different from Earth, experts have to study its seismic waves. Yet with the planet's hell-like atmosphere, they're unable to come anywhere close to its surface

Discovering any kind of volcanic activity on Venus would be of great interest to Krishnamoorthy.

'If we drift over a hotspot, or what looks like a volcano from orbit, the balloon would be able to listen for acoustic clues to work out if it's indeed acting like a terrestrial volcano,' Krishnamoorthy added.

'In this way, balloons could provide the ground truth for satellite measurements.'

Sending a balloon to Venus would not be breaking new ground: in 1985, the then Soviet Union sent two balloons as part of its Vega missions to the second planet, although neither had equipment to detect seismic activity.

The first of NASA's two missions, DAVINCI+ (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) will measure Venus' atmosphere to understand how it formed and evolved and determine whether it ever had an ocean.

It will also look for noble gases - such as helium, neon, argon and krypton - in its atmosphere and find out why it is a 'runaway hothouse,' when compared to Earth.

The other mission, VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) will map the surface of Venus and look at its geologic history in an effort to find out why it developed so much differently than Earth.

It will use a synthetic aperture radar and 'chart surface elevations over nearly the entire planet to create 3D reconstructions of topography' to see whether plate tectonics and volcanic activity are still happening on the planet, NASA added.

In 2020, scientists caused a stir when they said that trace amounts of phosphine gas, a colorless gas that is naturally produced mainly by certain microorganisms in the absence of oxygen, were discovered.

Those hopes may have been dashed however, when a separate study said that it wasn't phosphine that was detected, but 'ordinary' sulfur dioxide.
A flesh-eating parasite, known as Leishmania, is running rampant in South America, but experts warn climate change could push the parasite north into the US.

The parasites use sand flies as a host, which then bite humans to spread the infection that causes skin sores or even organ damage.

Reports of the parasite have surfaced in Texas and Oklahoma, but researchers have found Leishmania is making its way to Florida.

Researchers warn that by 2080, nearly 27 million North Americans could be exposed to the flesh-eating parasite.

A flesh-eating parasite, known as Leishmania, is running rampant in South America, but experts warn climate change could push the parasite north into the US. Pictured is parasite under a microscope

Climate change has a strong link with the emergence of zoonotic disease, Victor Sanchez-Cordero, an ecology professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, told UnDark.org.

There is the possibility that there will soon be cases of human leishmaniasis in the U.S. where before [they] did not exist.

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease that is found in parts of the tropics, subtropics and southern Europe.

It spreads in through bites of a sand fly, which are only about one fourth the size of mosquitoes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The parasites use sand flies as a host, which bites humans to spread the infection that causes skin soars or even organ damage

Researchers note that these parasite moving into the US is not expected to happen overnight, but over several decades.

However, several studies have found these creatures in the US in just the past decade, including one case as far north as North Dakota.

In 2014, a healthy 27-month-old developed lesions on the right upper eye and lower eyelids, according to a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

After months of testing, the boy was found to have been infected by a Leishmania.

Researchers warn that by 2080, nearly 27 million North Americans could be exposed to the flesh-eating parasite. The parasite causes skin soars

However, the parasite has been on researchers radars since at least 2010, with one paper sounding the alarm about the parasite traveling into the US.

Climate change is increasingly being implicated in species' range shifts throughout the world, including those of important vector and reservoir species for infectious diseases, reads the study published in the journal National Library of Medicine.

In North America (Mexico, United States, and Canada), leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease that is autochthonous in Mexico and Texas and has begun to expand its range northward.

Vector-born diseases are infections by the bite of infected arthropod species, such as mosquitoes, ticks, triatomine bugs, sandflies and blackflies - and in this case, a sand fly.

The 2010 study, conducted by the University of Texas at Austin and the National Autonomous University of Mexico, analyzed data from captured sand flies and rodents in Texas and northern Mexico.

The researchers predicted that by 2020, the rodents and flies carrying the parasite would move into Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri by 2020, according to the study publuished

And the report also suggests that by 2080, the disease will be exposed to 27 million Americans and Canadians.

Sahotra Sarkar, author on the study and professor of integrative biology at the University of Texas at Austin, told UnDark that the team still needs more data to prove the accuracy of their model, but he believes the 2020 predictions are correct.
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You didnt know you wanted to go to Jersey? Neither did I. But right now this pretty Channel Island, just a few miles off the coast of France, is your best option for an almost-foreign holiday involving sun, sand and some of the kindest people you could ever meet.

This is not an exaggeration. I was astonished by the good manners and natural warmth of the islanders. With roughly the same population as Bath, Jersey is a tiny place (five miles long and nine miles wide) where everybody knows everybody.

Thats why were all so incredibly nice, says Sean Kinsella, our good-natured kayaking guide. You have to be or the island wouldnt work. As he leads me and my partner Georgia, both in wetsuits, across the beach, he is greeted by a dozen locals.

Shore bet: Thomas dines on soft scallops hand-picked by a diver from waters just by Mont Orgueil Castle (pictured)

The iconic La Corbiere lighthouse, which stands sentinel on Jersey's south-western corner

Thomas and his partner enjoyed a stay at the swanky Atlantic Hotel, pictured, where rooms cost from 250

POUND NOTES, RED SQUIRRELS & KNITTED JUMPERS One-pound notes still exist.

The population of Jersey is about 106,000.

Some residents can speak Jerriais (also known as Jersey French, a variety of Norman).

Any potato that is sold as a Jersey Royal potato must be grown on the island (it is a protected food name).

Red squirrels live on the island.

It was part of the Duchy of Normandy until 1204.

Knitted jumpers, it is said, are known as jerseys because of wool sourced from the island.

King Charles II gave the governor land in America in return for help during his exile  this became New Jersey.

Lillie Langtry was born in Jersey in 1853 (and nicknamed The Jersey Lily).

The great French writer Victor Hugo lived in exile on the island from 1852 to 1855.

There is no VAT.

Jersey is 14 miles from France (on the amber list) and 85 miles from mainland Britain. Advertisement

Soon after, were out at sea in our kayaks, gazing at the crazy spires of pink granite that rear out of the clear waters, listening to the shrill cry of the oystercatchers overhead, and wishing wed discovered Jersey years ago.

The reason the island is exempt from travel restrictions is that its a British Crown Dependency, so it doesnt count as abroad. Yet because it isnt part of the UK, it makes its own rules.

If youre from one of the majority of UK regions classed as Covid-safe, you can just fly in and take a free PCR test at the airport.

Tony, the nurse who did my test, said he liked my straw hat. I offered to swap it for his face shield, but he declined. This, however, was my first taste of Jersey charm. Its not easy being likeable while swabbing a nose.

The only catch is that those who have not had both jabs have to isolate until their results come through by text, which can take up to 12 hours  and in our case, it did.

Luckily, our berth at the swanky Atlantic Hotel had a balcony, so we watched the sunset while making the most of room service. By the time we woke up the next morning, we had the all-clear.

Putting aside recent squabbles with French fishermen over post-Brexit fishing licences (involving a blockade of the harbour at St Helier, the capital, and the deployment of two Royal Navy vessels), everything on the island really does seem nice.

Jersey is like wandering into an advertisement for Werthers Originals, the old-fashioned toffees whose sentimental branding includes images of grandfathers dandling toddlers on their knees.

Thats how it feels as we drive slowly (the speed limit is 40mph) around the winding lanes of the island, past wisteria-clad cottages, while in the near distance the sunshine twinkles on the surface of the sea.

Actually, it occurs to me at some point that I should buy an actual packet of Werthers Originals. But more sophisticated culinary delights are in store. That evening, taking her first bite of the mind-blowing banana souffle at Samphire restaurant in St Helier, Georgia emits a noise that is not unlike the call of an oystercatcher.

We are similarly excited the next day during lunch at Sumas, on the islands east coast.

We sit out on the terrace and the sun  seen more often on Jersey in 2020 than anywhere else on the British Isles  dutifully reappears. Across the bay looms the castle of Mont Orgueil.

Jersey is a tiny place, just five miles long and nine miles wide. Pictured is Portelet Bay

The mighty Elizabeth Castle, built by Sir Walter Raleigh on a rock in the bay at St Helier

With a squeeze of lemon, the oysters from Jersey 'taste as fresh as a sea breeze', writes Thomas

The War Tunnels network, built by the Nazis during their four-year occupation, is now a museum

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO You must complete a travel form  found at gov.je.

For unvaccinated tourists coming from red locales in the UK, you must quarantine for ten days on arrival. These areas are listed at gov.je on its Country and regional classifications for travelling to Jersey page.

However, if your locale is green, you must have a PCR test on arrival  theyre free and take 15 minutes.

Then you must self-isolate at your accommodation until you get your result (up to 12 hours), after which youll be free to explore the island.

Fully-vaccinated arrivals will still need to take a PCR test but are not required to self-isolate.

However, from June 29 all of Scotland and England will turn red for two weeks. Arrivals who have been double jabbed will not need to quarantine, nor will under-18s.

On return, you do not need to quarantine or be tested as Jersey is In the Common Travel Area. Advertisement

My rock oysters were sourced from one side of it. With a squeeze of lemon, they taste as fresh as a sea breeze.

We learn from Paul Dufty, Sumass suave owner, that Georgias soft scallops were hand-picked by a diver on the other side of the castle. With a main of turbot and a glass of crisp Spanish Albarino, it adds up to the best seafood lunch either of us has had in years.

There are other surprises, too, not least the coldness of the sea. When I take a dip from a beach on the east coast, its my turn to squeal like an oystercatcher.

Later, we learn that among the famous inhabitants of Jersey  as well as the society beauty Lillie Langtry and Superman actor Henry Cavill  was one Sir Walter Raleigh, who was governor of the island for three years at the start of the 17th century. The great adventurer came at a time when he was out of favour with Good Queen Bess.

His tobacco habit dismayed the islanders, who feared smoking might be unhealthy. But they were grateful for the mighty castle he built on a rock in the bay at St Helier. He called it Elizabeth Castle in the hope of flattering the queen  but she died soon afterwards and her heir, James I, threw poor Raleigh back in the Tower of London.

We walk out to Raleighs castle at low tide over the damp sand and marvel at its battlements. Its wise not to stay long, though. On the shoulder of the Atlantic, the island has an immense tidal range. In a few hours, the place where were standing will be deep underwater. Back in St Helier, we reward ourselves with a pint of Stinky Bay ale at the Prince of Wales pub.

Jersey has its attractions for the young. The surfing is supposedly excellent. But its appeal is perhaps more geared to an older demographic. I was particularly interested in the War Tunnels, a network built by the Nazis during their four-year occupation.

A quiet country road in Jersey, where the speed limit is 40mph. Jersey is like wandering into an advertisement for Werthers Originals, says Thomas

Designed as a hospital and for sheltering troops from Allied attack, it is now a museum telling the story of what happened during that era. The personal stories  such as that of young June Sinclair, who was sent to a concentration camp for slapping a Nazi soldier  are extraordinarily moving.

The quaintness of Jersey is such that you might be tempted to wonder what lurks behind it. The answer is nothing. Even the Devils Hole turns out to be just a large crater caused by coastal erosion.

Beside the path leading to this curious beauty spot is an enjoyably understated sign: Devils Hole  well worth a visit. Without hesitation, Id say the same about the whole of Jersey.
She welcomed her second child - a daughter called Vittoria - back in March.

Yet Chiara Ferragni showed no sign of fatigue as she got to work hosting an event in collaboration with Nespresso in Madrid on Thursday.

The social media star, 33, looked sensational as she stepped out on stage at the Hotel Santo Mauro in a thigh-skimming black mini dress.

Wow: She welcomed her second child - a daughter called Vittoria - back in March. Yet Chiara Ferragni showed no sign of fatigue as she got to work in Madrid on Thursday

Chiara looked sensational in the black midi dress that featured a triangle cut out detail on the chest.

In the sleeveless dress, Chiara gave fans a glimpse of her many intricate tattoos, including a lion and a love heart.

She put on a leggy display in the scallop edged dress and completed the ensemble with a pop of colour in mint green stilettos.

Stepping out: She put on a leggy display in the scallop edged dress and completed the ensemble with a pop of colour in mint green stilettos

Chiara broke up the black in her outfit with the pair of eye-catching sling back point toed shoes.

On her wrists and ankles, Chiara stayed true to her boho chic style and donned a selection of string and thread bracelets.

The fashionista was also adorned with a selection of glittering rings, including her impressive diamond engagement ring on her left hand.

Stylish: Chiara looked effortlessly chic as she got to work hosting the event

Chic: The social media star, 33, meant business as she stepped out on stage at the Hotel Santo Mauro in a thigh-skimming black mini dress

She styled the lengths of her blonde tresses in loose waves that cascaded past her shoulders, with the front sections of her hair up into a sweet topknot.

With her hair away from her ears, the stylish social media star revealed a collection of small gold hoop earrings and studs that littered her ear lobes.

The influencer accentuated her natural beauty with peachy lipgloss and a brush of subtle blusher.

She framed her piercing blue eyes with a slick of dark kohl liner and added a touch of copper-toned eye shadow to really make them pop.

Curls: She swept the front sections of her blonde tresses up into a sweet top knot to create a relaxed half-up-half-down look

Bling: The fashionista was also adorned with a selection of glittering rings, including her impressive diamond engagement ring on her left hand

Chiara hosted the event to promote her collection with Nespresso that includes a limited edition coffee machine.

The machine is adorned with an edgy eye illustration, that also decorated the stage at the event.

The influencer smiled as she was handed a coffee from the machine that she'd partnered with the coffee company to make.

Speaking of the launch, Chiara said: 'As an Italian, I am a big coffee drinker and have been a fan of Nespresso for a very long time.'

Cute: On her wrists and ankles, Chiara stayed true to her boho chic style and donned a selection of string and thread bracelets

Business: Chiara hosted the event to promote her collection with Nespresso that includes a limited edition coffee machine

'As an Italian, I am a big coffee drinker': The influencer smiled as she was handed a coffee from the machine that she'd partnered with the coffee company to make

The outing comes after Chiara welcomed her second child - a daughter - in March.

The social media star and her husband Fedez, 31, both shared the same picture of their daughter, writing 'Our Vittoria', meaning Victory. alongside a pink ribbon.

The couple are already parents to son Leone, three, who they call Leo for short.

Fans of the couple had been guessing what the child's name would be' because Fedez had been seen wearing a shirt with the initials of Chiara, Leone and a 'V'.

Happy news: The outing comes after Chiara welcomed her second child - a daughter called Vittoria - in March with her husband Fedez

Celebration: Chiara revealed her daughter's name, Vittoria as a host of celebrities sent their well wishes

They had kept their baby's gender a secret up until the birth but their latest post garnered almost three million likes in a short space of time.

The couple finally tied the knot in a glamorous ceremony in Sicily back in 2018, just a few months after Leone was born.

Federico Leonardo Lucia, or Fedez, proposed to Chiara in May 2017 during one of his concerts at Veronas Arena venue which the blogger was attending with friends as part of her 30th birthday celebrations, as reported on WWD.

Blooming: Chiara has been documenting her pregnancy journey on social media

The concert and proposal was broadcasted live on the Italian radio and TV channel RTL 102.5 and shared on social media. The couple then headed to Venice to celebrate and Chiara went on to host a part in Milan.

The engagement came a year after the pair started dating and they welcomed their son, Leone, on March 19, 2018.

Chiara and Fedez split their time between Los Angeles and Milan.

Italian blogger Chiara opted to sport three Dior bridal gowns on her wedding day, designed by Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri.

Happy tears: She shared a snap of her husband crying over the new addition to the family soon after

Born on May 7 1987 in Cremona, a city located in northern Italy, Chiara Ferragni garnered fame after the launch of her blog The Blonde Salad in 2009.

Since then, she has become the Creative Director of her own clothing line, a magazine cover star and has collaborated with a number of fashion houses.

Two years after the launch of her blog, while still studying at Bocconi University, she had reached more than one million unique visitors and 12 million views per month and in addition to this, was featured in Teen Vogue as their Blogger of the Moment.

After modelling for Guess in 2013, she collaborated with Steve Madden to design a nine-shoe collection for Spring 2014.

Happy families: Chiara and husband Fedez are already parents to son Leone, aka Leo

The show mogul said: Chiara is fashions Italian goddess. Im excited to give our customers shoes that combine her flair with a twist of Steve Madden.

Chiara added: My inspiration for this collection comes from all the shoes Ive been wearing over the years and all the shoes Ive always looked for but never found: every pair is unique and tells a different story. Following this, she went on to present the Italian TRL Awards and made an appearance on Chiambretti Night.

After appearing as a guest judge on Project Runway, Chiaras shoe collection was set to make her $8 million (6.2m), making her one of the first to use a personal blog to launch a career and establish a fully realised brand and global business, according to WWD.

In April 2015, she also became the first blogger to ever grace the cover of an edition of Vogue and since then, Chiara has appeared on over 50 magazine covers.

She was then named the global ambassador of Pantene with Mattel created a Barbie version of the model in 2016.

A year later, Chiara opened her first Chiara Ferragni Collection store in Milan and her success also resulted in her taking the top spot on Forbes Top Influencers list in the Fashion category and becoming a Harvard Business School case study.

The Ivy League school predicted that Chiara was making up to $9 million (7m) revenue for herself and her team and since the report was published in 2015, she has gone from strength to strength, now employing 20 members of staff.
Dr Zoe Williams has revealed she's named her newborn son Lisbon Lion.

The This Morning star gave birth to her first child three weeks ago, and explained her partner Stuart McKay had to help deliver their baby after a surprisingly quick labour.

Speaking to HELLO! magazine, Zoe revealed that she had a water birth at home but the process was so quick there was no time for the midwife to arrive.

Introducing Lisbon Lion! This Morning star Dr Zoe Williams, 41, showed off her newborn son and revealed boyfriend Stuart McKay delivered their baby in a new interview

She revealed: 'I had planned on a home birth, but as it turned out, there wasn't much choice because he came quite quickly.

'It was a beautiful moment when Stuart and I were facing each other in the (birthing) pool, we looked down and he was there in the water.

'I picked him up and we had five minutes where we held him, before even checking if he was a girl or boy.'

Stuart added: 'It sounds stressful but the reality was far from it. Zoe was incredible and I had complete confidence everything would be okay.'

Baby news! Zoe announced she'd welcomed her first child last week in an adorable Instagram post as she gushed that she's 'enjoying her newborn love bubble'

Zoe revealed they decided to name their son, who weighed eight pounds, Lisbon as she met Stuart at a bar in Portugal 20 months ago and decided shortly afterwards that would be the name of their child.

The doctor now plans to take a year off from her work as an NHS GP but hopes to return to This Morning sooner.

Zoe announced she'd welcomed her first child last week in an adorable Instagram post.

She gushed that she's 'enjoying her newborn love bubble,' alongside an image of her baby's hands clasped between Stuart's and her own.

Out now: Read the full interview in Hello! magazine, out now

Zoe first revealed she was expecting her first child with boyfriend Stuart in January, having previously said she considered using a sperm donor in her quest to motherhood.

In the post's caption Zoe said: 'So delighted to announce that baby Williams-McKay has arrived and we are all safe, sound and doing great.

'We are taking a week away from social media to enjoy our newborn love bubble but I promise to share all the details once I'm back online next week.'

In a recent interview, Zoe described pregnancy as 'magical' and admitted she was considering trying to conceive via a sperm donor before she met her partner.

The doctor, who previously revealed she froze her eggs in 2018, explained: 'Having my scan was just the most amazing thing. It's so magical, the wonder of seeing this little life that's growing inside you.'

Read the full interview in Hello! magazine, out now.
Its quite a special occasion when a father gets to celebrate his actual birthday on Fathers Day.

Such was the case for one Lionel Richie, who was honored on Instagram by both his daughters Sofia Richie and her older sister Nicole on Sunday for both Fathers Day as well as his 72nd birthday.

Sofia, 22, shared a gallery of photos from their celebration, which featured a chocolate bust cake that looked like a sculpted figurehead of Lionel.

Very special day: Lionel Richie was honored on Instagram by both his daughters Sofia Richie and her older sister Nicole on Sunday for both Fathers Day as well as his 72nd birthday

The cake simply said Hello next to a solitary candle  a nod to one of the senior Richies most famous songs.

Underneath, on a blue banner, a message read 'Happy Birthday Lionel'.

Also posing in the first photo was their brother Miles Brockman Richie, 27, along with Nicoles husband Joel Madden and Lionels longtime girlfriend Lisa Parigi.

Loving daughter: Sofia, 22, shared a gallery of photos from their celebration, as well as images to her Instagram Story

Another photo saw Lionel dressed in white, holding a drink as he walked along smiling next to a long pool.

A third picture saw the siblings posing for a group selfie alongside Joel and birthday boy Lionel in front of a beautiful vista and table spread for the birthday festivities.

Sofia also included some lovely photos on the occasion of her dads trip around the sun to her Instagram Stories, including some throwback shots from when she was just a small child.

Birthday boy: Another photo saw Lionel dressed in white, holding a drink as he walked along smiling next to a long pool

Smile: A third picture saw the siblings posing for a group selfie alongside Nicole's husband Joel Madden and Lionel in front of a beautiful vista and table spread for the birthday festivities

A more recent and fashion-forward image saw the pair posing by a marble doorway, underneath the caption, 'You are absolutely everything. I love you'.

Nicole, 39, also included a sweet photo of the group posing around the funny cake, with the caption reading, 'We finally found a way for you to take the photo but also be included. Happy Fathers Day & happy birthday L-Train!'

Lionel legally adopted Nicole, the daughter of one of his bandmates, when she was nine years old after raising her since taking her into his home in 1983.

The crooner shares biological children Sofia and Miles with his ex-wife Diane Alexander, to whom he was married from 1995 until 2004.

Wow: Sofia also included some lovely throwback shots from when she was just a small child on the occasion of her dads trip around the sun to her Stories
Bindi Irwin is facing backlash from her own family for accusing her estranged grandfather Bob of 'ignoring' her since her childhood.

The 22-year-old made headlines on Sunday after she posted a scathing Facebook comment about her strained relationship with Bob, 82, claiming the ageing conservationist - who founded the family business Australia Zoo in 1970 - had 'never said a single kind word' to her and even 'returned gifts' she'd sent him.

While Bob has yet to publicly respond to the accusations, members of his inner circle have fired back at Bindi overnight.

'Steve would be furious': Bindi Irwin (pictured) is facing backlash from her own family for accusing her estranged grandfather Bob of 'ignoring' her since her childhood

Bethany Wheeler, another granddaughter of Bob's by marriage, declared on Facebook: 'The time has come to speak up.'

'I read some absolutely appalling comments by Bindi today! Feel free to share this post (I will make it public) as we have all been silent... for too long,' she wrote.

Ms Wheeler, whose stepmother Mandy is Bob's daughter, defended her grandfather's character, calling him 'one of the most genuinely beautiful humans on this planet' who has 'never spoken out or put down anybody'.

Feud: The 22-year-old made headlines on Sunday after she posted a scathing Facebook comment about her strained relationship with Bob (pictured in October 2016), claiming the 82-year-old conservationist - who founded the family business Australia Zoo in 1970 - had 'never said a single kind word' to her and even 'returned gifts' she'd sent him

'He is a man who sits silently and battles his demons alone, in what is great sadness. He doesn't retaliate, only prays for his grandchildren's safety and good lives,' she continued.

Ms Wheeler went on to thank Bob for showing 'absolute love, respect, support and encouragement' throughout her life.

'My sisters and brothers will happily back me up when I say that Bob Irwin is a passive and beautiful human,' she added.

Breaking her silence: Bethany Wheeler (second from left), another granddaughter of Bob's (left) by marriage, declared on Facebook: 'The time has come to speak up... We have all felt sick reading [this] for too long.' Pictured: Ms Wheeler at her wedding to husband Wayne

Amanda French, a family friend who co-wrote Bob's 2016 autobiography, The Last Crocodile Hunter, also accused Bindi of assassinating her grandfather's character.

'To read the sad comments online today has sickened me, and people who are closest to him,' Ms French wrote on Facebook.

She described Bob as 'kind, gentle, generous and extremely f**king introverted'.

'Sickened': Amanda French (right), a family friend who co-wrote Bob's 2016 autobiography, The Last Crocodile Hunter, accused Bindi of assassinating her grandfather's character

'It is disappointing [for Bindi] to have written what was written. To call a man [what Bindi called him] who has not once retaliated, simply buried his head in the sand and got on with his life in a meaningful way is [unfair],' she wrote.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Monday, Ms French called Bindi's attack 'heartbreaking', and insisted Bob still loves his family, including his granddaughter.

'He hasn't seen you since you were 10. He's done all he knows how to do and that is bury his head in the sand because that's how he copes,' she said, referring to how Bob withdrew from life after his son Steve's death almost 15 years ago.

Steve Irwin died in September 2006 aged 44, after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a wildlife documentary in Batt Reef, Queensland.

Hitting back: Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Monday, Ms French called Bindi's attack 'heartbreaking', and insisted Bob still loves his family, including his granddaughter

'This should be a private matter not written about on Facebook. I'm so disappointed to read this. It's immature to write such words. We could turn this around and say he supported your family financially by handing you the keys to the very property he built with his bare hands,' Ms French said, referring to how Bob handed ownership of Australia Zoo to his son and daughter-in-law Terri Irwin in 1992.

Meanwhile, Bob's other granddaughter Toni Johnstone also claimed Steve would be 'furious' about his daughter's accusations if he were alive today.

Commenting below Ms French's Facebook post, Ms Johnstone wrote: 'I honestly cannot believe how [Bindi] can [accuse Bob of these things] and then preach "let's be kind to one another" in the same post.'

Lashing out: Bob's other granddaughter Toni Johnstone also claimed Steve would be 'furious' about his daughter's accusations if he were alive today

Ms Johnstone, whose mother Mandy is Steve's sister, added: 'Let's hope [Bindi and Terri] remember who built the zoo that made them who they are today.'

'Poppy [Bob] is the most caring, loving, beautiful soul and I am so incredibly lucky to have him as my grandfather,' she continued.

Ms Johnstone went on to say she was 'puzzled' as to why Bindi would make such 'horrible' claims about Bob.

Confused: Ms Johnstone said she was 'puzzled' as to why Bindi would make such 'horrible' claims about Bob. Pictured from left: Robert, Terri and Bindi Irwin

The Irwin family feud was blasted wide open on Sunday when Bindi responded to a fan on Facebook who criticised her decision to exclude Bob from a post she'd written about 'the fathers in [her] life'.

Bindi had uploaded sweet post celebrating Father's Day in the USA, saying she was thankful for the 'three most incredible fathers in her life': her late father Steve Irwin, her husband Chandler Powell and her father-in-law Chris.

Fuming: Bindi (pictured with husband Chandler Powell) sensationally spoke out about her strained relationship with her estranged grandfather Bob in a scathing Facebook comment

When one fan asked why she hadn't included her grandfather - Steve's father, Bob - Bindi gave an uncharacteristically raw account of their relationship, claiming he's ignored her since she was a 'little girl'.

The mother-of-one wrote: 'I really wish that my entire family could spend time with Grace. Unfortunately, my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family.'

She went on to claim that Bob had 'returned gifts I've sent after he opened them', and ignored any letters sent from her.

Claims: When one fan asked why she hadn't included her grandfather - Steve's father, Bob (far right) - Bindi (far left) gave an uncharacteristically raw account of their relationship. Pictured with mother Terri (second right) and brother Robert (second left) in 2007, one year after Steve's death

Speaking out: The mother of one wrote, 'I really wish that my entire family could spend time with Grace. Unfortunately, my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family'

Thankful: Bindi had commented on a sweet Father's Day post celebrating the 'three most incredible fathers in her life' ; her late father Steve Irwin, her husband Chandler Powell and her father-in-law Chris

'From the time I was a little girl he has ignored me, preferring to spend time doing anything else rather than being with me,' she continued.

'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart.'

She went on to say that her mother Terri still writes to him and sends birthday cards and Christmas gifts, but claims they have received no reply.

Strained: 'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart.' Bindi claims. Pictured: Bob holding a photograph of Bindi in 2008

'We have also been his financial support since 1992 when he retired from Australia Zoo, sending him funds every week,' she added.

'We built him a house on a beautiful property and will always do our best to ensure his wellbeing.

'I hope everyone remembers to be kind to one another but most of all care for your own mental health.

'I have struggled with this relationship my entire life and it brings me enormous pain.'

Bindi, who welcomed her first daughter Grace in March, concluded by saying she has to 'choose to care for her own mental health now'.

Bob previously spoke to the media about the alleged family feud that left him estranged from his granddaughter.

Support: 'We have also been his financial support since 1992 when he retired from Australia Zoo, sending him funds every week,' she added. Pictured, Bob Irwin and wife Judy at the RSPCA in Brisbane in 2008

In September 2019, he told the Courier Mail that he had not received a response since writing a letter to Bindi in which he wished her well after she announced her engagement to her now-husband Chandler in July.

He claimed their latest dispute stemmed from a misunderstanding after a reporter walked onto his property hoping to get a comment on what he thought about the engagement.

When Mr Irwin refused to answer, it was mistakenly taken as a begrudged silence. Photos of him at his home were also splashed across the tabloids, only fuelling the false impression that he was unhappy with the upcoming marriage.

Helping hand: 'We built him a house on a beautiful property and will always do our best to ensure his wellbeing,' said Bindi. Pictured, Bob Irwin's farm outside Kingaroy, 2008

He said he wasn't invited to the wedding, and didn't expect to be.

'If they wanted to, of course I would,' he had said.

'I get messages (from friends) constantly about how Bob and Bindi are doing, what achievements they've made, what interests they have, and I also watch television like everyone else.

'They keep me up-to-date. Both Bindi and Bob have achieved a lot in a short space of time; mind you, they're both only young yet. But they've done well and I would say Steve would be pretty happy with the way they're doing.'
Real Housewives of Melbourne's Kyla Kirkpatrick has listed her Ivanhoe investment apartment for sale as she prepares to debut on the reality show later this year.

The 42-year-old businesswoman, known as the 'Champagne Dame', is selling the two-bedroom property with a price guide of $500,000 to $550,000, reports realestate.com.au.

The eighth-floor home has panoramic city views and dramatic full-height windows, with on-site facilities including a heated pool, gym and private entertaining room.

For sale: Real Housewives of Melbourne star Kyla Kirkpatrick has listed her Ivanhoe investment apartment for sale as she prepares to debut on the reality show later this year

The kitchen boasts stone benches with an integrated dishwasher and electric oven, with the room flowing seamlessly to the lounge and dining area.

There's also a spacious balcony to enjoy a morning coffee, and two beautiful bedrooms which feature built-in wardrobes.

It's one of many properties the savvy entrepreneur owns, with her portfolio worth about $4.5million in total.

Kyla's first purchase was an apartment in Melbourne's CBD, which she bought for $175,000 and later sold, using the profit to upgrade to a bigger home.

Kyla is the CEO and founder of two companies, Emperor Champagne and The Champagne Dame.

Luxury: The 42-year-old businesswoman, known as the 'Champagne Dame', is selling the two-bedroom property with a price guide of $500,000 to $550,000

Gorgeous: The kitchen boasts stone benches with an integrated dishwasher and electric oven, with the room flowing seamlessly to the lounge and dining area

She owns a warehouse in Sandringham and while the coronavirus pandemic is affecting most businesses, Emperor Champagne is thriving.

Launched in 2017, Kyla describes her company as being the 'largest stockist of Champagne in the Southern Hemisphere'.

She also runs Champagne Dame, which she launched in 2008. The business aims to educate people about Champagne and Kyla travels to France each year to take customers on private tours of the country's best vineyards.

Epic: The eighth-floor home has panoramic city views and dramatic full-height windows

Bonus: On-site facilities include a heated pool, gym and private entertaining room

Stunning: There's also a huge outdoor pool overlooking the city

She balances her business empire with being a mother to six-year-old daughter Arlington.

Kyla recently told Daily Mail Australia that signing up for the popular reality franchise was a massive 'change of pace' for her.

'It's not unusual to find me still in my office after an intense 12-hour day and it's often six days a week, not to mention presenting after hours or on weekends,' she said.

Production for the new season commenced in January.
Jen Harley was arrested Saturday in Las Vegas in connection with assault with a deadly weapon and domestic battery.

Harley, 34, had her bond set at $5,000, TMZ reported, and was being held at the Clark County Detention Center pending a court hearing on Sunday.

Officials have not named who Harley allegedly attacked in the incident, but told TMZ that Harley owns a local home with the person.

The latest: Jen Harley, 34, was arrested Saturday in Las Vegas in connection with assault with a deadly weapon and domestic battery. She was snapped in Sin City in 2019

Harley, who shares three-year-old daughter Ariana with her ex, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, has past had legal problems stemming from her relationship with the Jersey Shore personality.

Harley, a real estate agent, was arrested in 2019 in an incident in which she launched a glass ashtray toward Ortiz-Magro in Las Vegas.

Harley was also arrested in Vegas in June of 2018 in an incident in which she faced allegations she had dragged Ortiz-Magro with her vehicle; authorities later said there was 'insufficient evidence' to press charges on her.

Ortiz-Magro has also past had a litany of legal problems involving violent incidents, including an April arrest in Los Angeles in connection with domestic violence. The MTV personality, who posted $100,000 bond in the incident, was not charged.

Officials have not named who Harley allegedly attacked in the incident, but told TMZ that Harley owns a local home with the person

Harley, who shares three-year-old daughter Ariana with her ex, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, has past had legal problems stemming from her relationship with the Jersey Shore personality

Background: Ortiz-Magro has also past had a litany of legal problems involving violent incidents, including an April arrest in Los Angeles in connection with domestic violence

His lawyers Scott E. Leemon and Leonard Levine told US Weekly, 'We are very happy that after further investigation both the L.A. County District Attorneys office and the L.A. City Attorneys office determined that criminal charges were not warranted against Ronnie related to the incident that occurred in April.'

Ortiz-Magro, who was on probation prior to the incident, is expected to appear in court later this month to address the incident.

An insider told US that Harley 'has been concerned about his behavior in front of Ariana and its been an issue shes been worried about,' adding that 'she knows he always has this pattern and that he does not change.'

In October of 2019, Ortiz-Magro was arrested in connection with kidnapping following an incident with Harley in which he was accused of hitting her, brandishing a knife and locking himself in an Airbnb they'd rented. Ortiz-Magro eventually made a plea deal in the incident.

The couple ceased dating in the wake of the incident, but continue to share custody of Ariana.
Ricky Butcher's return to EastEnders has reportedly been thwarted after actor Sid Owen demanded more money than the BBC is willing to pay.

The actor, 49, who first appeared on the soap in 1988, was believed to be heading back to Albert Square to join his character's sister, Janine, played by Charlie Brooks.

After being in talks with the show bosses earlier this year, all negotiations are said to have fallen through after Sid's expectations of his fee were out of the bosses price range.

Hopes shattered: Ricky Butcher's return to EastEnders has reportedly been thwarted after actor Sid Owen (pictured) demanded more money than the BBC willing to pay

A source told The Sun: 'Bosses thought it was an ideal time for him to go back to Walford as his on-screen sister Janine has been written back in.

'Obviously Sid jumped at the chance but when they started talking about cash things hit a rut. Sids expectations for pay were well out of sync with what the BBC were willing to give him.'

It comes after his co-star Charlie Brooks revealed last week that her villainous character Janine would be returning to The Square again.

MailOnline has contacted EastEnders's and Sid's representatives for comment.

Iconic The actor, 49, who first appeared on the soap in 1988, was believed to be heading back to Albert Square (pictured with on-screen wife Bianca - played by Patsy Palmer in 1995)

Siblings: It comes after his co-star Charlie Brooks revealed last week that her villainous character Janine would be returning to The Square again (pictured together in 2011)

EastEnders icon Sid has returned to the show several times previously since he joined in 1988, with his last appearance in 2012 when his character decided to open a restaurant in France but the possibility of his return was left open.

Sid delighted fans back in October when he appeared on Loose Women alongside Patsy Palmer for a joint interview.

The former co-stars, who portrayed of the show's most memorable couples Ricky and Bianca, reminisced about their early days on the soap.

With Patsy having joined the BBC soap at the age of 21, the pair shared how they constantly got into trouble during their time together on the show  often getting sent to the office.

Return: Sid delighted fans back in October when he appeared on Loose Women alongside Patsy Palmer for a joint interview

Happy days: Sid is seen out with his new love interest Victoria Mills earlier this month

But when the subject was raised of Ricky and Bianca reuniting onscreen at some point in the future, Patsy revealed that an attempt to return to EastEnders earlier this year was scuppered by the pandemic.

She said: I would like to work with Sid again, but I dont know  I havent watched EastEnders so I dont know how they are doing it now.

'I mean, I was there just before lockdown and I had to leave. There was a little bit I was going to do but I didnt end up doing it and I dont know how theyre doing it now because I havent seen it.'

With travel between the US and UK remaining restricted, she was forced to fly home before the borders were closed.
Paris Hilton was red-carpet ready as she attended the premiere of her documentary This Is Paris at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival.

The 40-year-old socialite hit the red carpet with her venture capitalist fiance Carter Reum at the festival, held at Hudson Yards in New York City on Sunday afternoon.

The blonde bombshell was also joined on the red carpet by her 37-year-old sister Nicky Hilton along with This Is Paris director Alexandra Dean.

Paris premiere: Paris Hilton was red-carpet ready as she attended the premiere of her documentary This Is Paris at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival

Kissing: The 40-year-old socialite hit the red carpet with her venture capitalist fiance Carter Reum at the festival, held at Hudson Yards in New York City on Sunday afternoon

Paris and Nicky: The blonde bombshell was also joined on the red carpet by her 37-year-old sister Nicky Hilton along with This Is Paris director Alexandra Dean.

Hilton stepped out wearing a black sequined mini-dress with dark sunglasses and large diamond earrings, while showing off her engagement ring.

She also stepped out with a small silver purse and sheer stockings while completing her look with black pumps.

She was also seen kissing her fiance Carter Reum on the red carpet, as the couple prepare for their upcoming wedding.

Paris' look: Hilton stepped out wearing a black sequined mini-dress with dark sunglasses and large diamond earrings, while showing off her engagement ring

Happy couple: She was also seen kissing her fiance Carter Reum on the red carpet, as the couple prepare for their upcoming wedding

The Rock: Paris Hilton shows off her massive engagement ring

This Is Paris debuted as a YouTube Original back in September, with the film described as, 'a film that digs into the challenges of growing up in the storied Hilton family, including dormant family secrets and the pressure of being a modern business mogul.'

The film also features Paris' mother Kathy Hilton and sister Nicky Hilton, along with Kim Kardashian and Kyle Richards.

The documentary is described as a, 'tender portrait' that, 'peeks through the looking glass of an iconic woman.'

Documentary: This Is Paris debuted as a YouTube Original back in September, with the film described as, 'a film that digs into the challenges of growing up in the storied Hilton family, including dormant family secrets and the pressure of being a modern business mogul'

Sister: The film also features Paris' mother Kathy Hilton and sister Nicky Hilton, along with Kim Kardashian and Kyle Richards

Iconic: The documentary is described as a, 'tender portrait' that, 'peeks through the looking glass of an iconic woman'

Hilton also took to Instagram on Sunday afternoon, sharing the trailer for This Is Paris along with a heartfelt message about why the film is so important to her.

'I am so proud of this film and all of the ways it has led me on my own journey of growth and healing,' Hilton began.

'Im so honored to be showing my #ThisIsParis documentary directed by @AlexDeanDirector on closing night of @Tribeca Film Festival,' she added.

Thanks: Hilton also took to Instagram on Sunday afternoon, sharing the trailer for This Is Paris along with a heartfelt message about why the film is so important to her

Hilton also explained that the film was, 'chosen as a selection last year but we couldnt have the screening because of Covid.'

'Im so excited to see it again on a big screen. Thank you to the millions of people whove watched my documentary on @YouTube and for all the letters and messages Ive received about how it inspired you or you felt a connection to my story,' she added.

'Being honest and opening up about my trauma and my past wasnt easy, but it was the best decision I ever made. I know Teen Paris would be so proud of the woman I am today,' Hilton concluded.

Covid: Hilton also explained that the film was, 'chosen as a selection last year but we couldnt have the screening because of Covid'

Big Screen: 'Im so excited to see it again on a big screen. Thank you to the millions of people whove watched my documentary on @YouTube and for all the letters and messages Ive received about how it inspired you or you felt a connection to my story,' she added
Former Sunrise host Sam Armytage offered a very telling response when questioned about rumours she didn't get along with her successor Natalie Barr.

During a live interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Monday, she momentarily froze when asked about Natalie's claim they weren't friends outside the workplace.

Instead of addressing their frosty relationship directly, the 44-year-old paraphrased Oscar Wilde's famous quote, 'There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.'

Having her say: Ex-Sunrise host Sam Armytage (pictured) offered a very telling response on Monday when questioned about rumours she didn't get along with her successor Natalie Barr

Radio host Jackie 'O' Henderson broached the subject, saying: '[Natalie] did an interview where she said you guys weren't that close because you didn't have a lot in common and that you wouldn't really talk when the cameras were off.'

After a pause, Sam dodged the question by saying: 'Yeah, well, look, I mean it's better to be talked about than not, isn't it in life?'

The former Sunrise host then took a subtle swipe at Natalie for bringing her up in an interview after she'd decided to take a step back from the TV industry.

She said: 'I thought everyone might forget about me when I was having my little sabbatical, but it seems they're not, you know?'

'Look, there's nothing interesting going on there, honestly. I'm just doing my thing, out in the country,' she added.

Caught off-guard: During a live interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, she momentarily froze when asked about Natalie's claim they weren't friends outside the workplace. Pictured from left: Sam, Natalie and Kylie Gillies in 2015

Ouch: Instead of addressing their frosty relationship directly, Sam said, 'Well, look, I mean it's better to be talked about than not, isn't it in life?' Pictured with her husband, Richard Lavender

Hours after her interview with Kyle and Jackie O, Sam fired off a brutal tweet describing her successor as desperate for the top job.

'Look, I'm out. Nat's wanted the job forever... and she's finally got it. She just needs to get on and enjoy it - and forget about me (even though I'm unforgettable,' she tweeted, adding the hashtag #PeaceOut.

Sam was co-anchor of Sunrise from June 2013 until March this year, when she stepped down to spend more time with her family. Natalie, the show's longtime newsreader, replaced her the week following her departure.

'Nat's wanted the job forever... and she's finally got it': Hours after her interview with Kyle and Jackie O, Sam fired off a brutal tweet describing her successor as desperate for the top job

It comes after Natalie, 53, revealed for the first time she didn't have a close relationship with Sam, whom she replaced as Sunrise anchor in March.

When asked about rumours the two women did not get along, Natalie told The Australian Women's Weekly last week they weren't friends outside the workplace.

She said that while the pair 'got along well in the office', they rarely spoke after the cameras stopped rolling because they didn't have much in common.

Not friends: It comes after Natalie, 53, revealed for the first time she didn't have a close relationship with her Sunrise predecessor. When asked about rumours the two women did not get along, Natalie said last week they weren't friends outside the workplace

'The truth is we didn't really see each other outside the office,' Natalie said.

'We had vastly different lives, I guess,' the mother of two added. 'We were in different places. She was hanging with her friends, and I was spending time with my family.

'So, yes, we were in different places.'

Setting the record straight: 'The truth is we didn't really see each other outside the office,' Natalie told The Australian Women's Weekly

Natalie's interview came after she was reportedly rankled by comments Sam made in a newspaper column in February about working mothers in the TV industry.

Sam claimed she'd been assigned more work than her female colleagues in the past simply because she was unmarried and childless.

She said 'bosses don't ask as much of you if you're a wife or mother', adding: 'I've never shied away from hard work, but there was an expectation that Sam would do it because she's got nothing else going on.'

Dividing opinion: Natalie's interview came after she was reportedly rankled by comments Sam made in a newspaper column in February about working mothers in the TV industry

At the time, many TV insiders wondered how Natalie would have reacted to this bold statement, given that she regularly picks up international assignments and fills in for colleagues at short notice, despite being married with two teenage children.

For months before her departure, rumours had swirled that Sam didn't get along with Natalie, who was Sunrise's newsreader before stepping up to the main desk.

Sources also claimed she didn't see eye to eye with her co-anchor David 'Kochie' Koch either.

Controversy: Sam - who quit Sunrise in March, making way for Natalie to replace her - claimed she'd been assigned more work than her female colleagues in the past simply because she was unmarried and childless. Pictured: Sam with Sunrise co-anchor David 'Kochie' Koch

Working mum: At the time, TV insiders wondered how Natalie would have reacted to this bold statement, given that she regularly picks up international assignments and fills in for her colleagues, despite being married with kids. Pictured with her husband Andrew Thompson

These whispers were seemingly confirmed when Natalie and Kochie didn't attend Sam's leaving party at the Catalina restaurant in Sydney's Rose Bay on March 11.

Eyebrows were raised yet again in May when it emerged Sam didn't follow either of them on Instagram, despite following many other Seven colleagues.

Sam downplayed this snub on her News Corp podcast earlier this month, saying: 'I don't think I unfo... I don't think anyone's following anyone in there.'

Feud? It emerged in May that Sam didn't follow Natalie or Kochie on Instagram, despite following many other Seven colleagues

'No users found': These screenshots from May show how Sam wasn't following Natalie or Kochie on Instagram. A search for their handles under her 'following' list yielded no results
Kevin Hart explained the uncomfortable exchanges he had with his oldest child over his 2017 cheating scandal.

The comic/actor, 41, speaking with Will Smith on a Father's Day edition of Red Table Talk, explained about how he explained the scandal to his oldest child, daughter Heaven.

'Having a little girl in my life, it's tough - you don't realize the impact that your mistakes can truly have,' the Philadelphia native said. 'When the kids get involved, it's a different feeling, a different emotion.'

The latest: Kevin Hart, 41, explained the uncomfortable exchanges he had with his oldest child over his 2017 cheating scandal while speaking with Will Smith on a Father's Day edition of Red Table Talk

Hart is dad to daughter Heaven, 16, and son Hendrix, 13, from his former marriage to Torrei Hart, 43; and son Kenzo Kash, three, and daughter Kaori, eight months, with his spouse Eniko Parrish, 36.

Hart said that he's 'got on some armor' after some 'public debacles' as a celeb in the limelight, but it didn't prepare him for what was coming at home.

'It is very hard to shoot through this, poke through, it is very hard to bother me,' the Ride Along star said. 'But when your child shows disappointment, shows emotion, shows, "I don't understand why?" and you have to have those conversations, well, now the head drops for the first time, and now you realize there is a different emotional chord that can be pulled that nobody else can touch.'

The multi-talented entertainer said that his eldest 'daughter touched on that chord' after he was linked to a woman Montia Sabbag while married to Parrish.

Hart explained to Smith about how he explained to his oldest child, daughter Heaven, about the scandal

Candid: Hart said that he's 'got on some armor' after some 'public debacles' as a celeb in the limelight, but it didn't prepare him for what was coming at home

'When me and my wife went through what we went through and the whole cheating display, my talk with Heaven ... that was one like no other,' said Hart. 'Getting my daughter back. Getting my daughter to understand that I was sorry, that I made a mistake, that was real.

He continued: 'To understand, I am still dad  every child has the internet  everything has a meaning.

'My daughter was tough on me - until this day - until this day, my daughter is tough on me. My daughter don't play no games with her father. She is 16.'

Ongoing process: Hart said of his relationship with Heaven, 'My daughter was tough on me - until this day - until this day, my daughter is tough on me. My daughter don't play no games with her father. She is 16'

The two A-listers chat on the pitfalls when celebrity meets parenting, on the special

The Jumani: Welcome To The Jungle actor said his oldest daughter was also upset with him after he decided not to host the Academy Awards in 2018 in the wake of past homophobic tweets coming back into the public eye

The Jumani: Welcome To The Jungle actor said his oldest daughter was also upset with him after he decided not to host the Academy Awards in 2018 in the wake of past homophobic tweets coming back into the public eye.

'When the whole thing started to happen with the LGBTQ+ community and the misconception of me and what I was and what I feel, my daughter was so upset because she couldn't process how people could think this about her father,' he said. 'And it was so tough because this was when I started to realize how my fame has an impact on my household.

'There is a certain level of obliviousness.'
Heidi Klum spent Father's Day by the beach with her husband Tom Kaulitz, where she put on a very cheeky bikini display.

The 48-year-old supermodel donned a patterned green two piece as she flashed her backside to the camera while seemingly painting a photo of the 31-year-old Tokio Hotel guitarist.

Earlier in the day she shared a topless video in which her spouse of two years helped daughter Lou, 11, build a sand castle in the background, as she remarked: 'We love you Tom.'

Woman of many talents! Heidi Klum, 48, puts on a very cheeky bikini display as she enjoys Father's Day with husband Tom Kaulitz, 31, by the beach and paints a portrait of him

In his image: The model's canvas showed an image of a man with a shaggy beard and long flowing locks that looked to be her interpretation of her lover's face; pictured 2019

In the beachside snap Heidi showed off her incredible figure and a generous amount of her butt while turning over her shoulder.

She flexed her artistic prowess as she painted an image that looked to be of Tom's likeness, as the canvas displayed a man with a very shaggy beard and long flowing hair to match his.

The German-born stunner slipped her beach blonde hair underneath a straw hat and donned mirrored oval shaped sunglasses while sipping a beer and taking in the ocean breeze.

And in more snaps shared to her Instagram story Tom also tried his hand at painting, as he showed of a very colorful paint palette and bulging muscles in a very revealing grey tank top.

Hunky: In more snaps, Tom showed of a very colorful paint palette and bulging muscles in a very revealing grey tank top

Artist at work: From a side shot he painted against the setting sun while enjoying a beer

Creative pair: Tom also looked to paint his abstract interpretation of Heidi

Klum and Kaulitz got married in 2019 after they met a year prior while she was hosting Germany's Next Top Model.

Before he proposed just months after they began dating, Heidi gushed about their relationship and called him 'absolutely wonderful.'

'He is the kindest, sweetest, most caring, loving person. I feel so lucky. I don't know the last time I was this happy in my life,' she told PEOPLE.

Despite it being her third marriage (Seal 2005 to 2014 and Ric Pipino 1997 to 2002), she said that they understood each other 'in a different way.'

Risque! Earlier in the day Heidi had shared a topless image of herself as she smiled while Tom built a sandcastle with her daughter Lou

'He is absolutely wonderful. Maybe it is because he is German and we understand each other in a different way. But so far so good.'

And in a May conversation with ET, she said that though they are still in the newlywed phase, she realizes she's 'found her match.'

'I found my match, finally, like I am very romantic and I do a lot of weird things, like I leave notes everywhere and I do a lot of things for him and it's beautiful when you get that back from your partner. And it's the first time I feel like I really have a partner to do everything with.'

Kaulitz was also previously married once before to Ria Sommerfeld from 2015 to 2018.
Dame Joan Collins branded her late Dynasty co-star John Forsythe 'a misogynistic p***k' in a scathing put-down.

Appearing on Sunday's episode of Piers Morgan's Life Stories, the 88-year-old actress discussed their feud, stating he always had to be 'front and centre' and was paid far more than her.

Joan played Alexis Colby in the hit series, while John - who died in 2010 aged 92 - played her ex-husband Blake Carrington.

Not holding back! Dame Joan Collins branded her late Dynasty co-star John Forsythe 'a misogynistic p***k' in a scathing put-down on Sunday's episode of Piers Morgan's Life Stories

The soap opera, that aired on ABC from 1981 to 1989 followed the pair's toxic dynmaic after Blake remarried Krystle Carrington, played by Linda Evans.

During the interview, Joan revealed that she had to campaign to have a higher wage herself, as John always 'had to get paid $5000 more and be front and centre in the publicity.'

The actress said she joined the show on $15,000 an episode, but noted, 'he was getting more like 25 or $30,000.

'He also had it in his contract that he always had to have $5,000 an episode more than anybody else in the cast, and that in any publicity that went out about the show, he always had to be front and centre.

'They were so misogynistic they allowed this to happen'.

Terrific trio: Joan played Alexis Colby, while John played her ex-husband Blake Carrington (pictured with Linda Evans who played his new wife Krystle Carrington)

When asked about what she was paid at her peak on the show, Joan replied: 'At my peak, it was $120,000 an episode.

'However that came with a caveat that theyd only put me in half the episodes as couldnt afford to pay me.'

Joan then added: 'In lockdown I started watching old Dynasty episodes, and I was impressed by myself quite frankly I think I should have got more [money].'

Dame Joan also recalled the advice given to her by Marilyn Monroe upon her arrival in Hollywood as a young woman.

She told Piers: 'She said: 'Beware of the wolves in Hollywood honey, because if they don't get what they want they will cancel your contract.'

'The casting couch, which I never, ever, ever did. I probably would have been a lot more successful. Can you imagine how much more successful I would have been?'

In 2019 Joan revealed the true extent of the 'resentment' behind-the-scenes of Dynasty, opening up to Attitude magazine like never before.

'I've been asked this question a million times, and when I was doing it, I would poo-poo it. I'd say, "Oh, no, no!" But yes. There was [a lot of resentment]. And now I know there was because many people have come back to me who were around at that time and said, "They bloody hated you, Joan!"

Bitter: During the interview, Joan revealed that she had to campaign to have a higher wage herself, as John always 'had to get paid $5000 more and be front and centre in the publicity'

'First of all, the fact that I was English, some didn't like that. This English woman comes in and saves the show. This is what the media said, because the show was about to be cancelled.

'Even now, when we get together for Dynasty reunions as we did a few years ago, I see an antipathy towards me.'

Of the men she worked with, Joan went on: 'Also, if you look at some of the things that John Forsythe, Gordon Thompson [Adam Carrington], and even Michael Nader [Dex] said about me in interviews, they were not nice.

'I have never said anything about it before, but now the time has come. Let's call a spade a spade.

'The first scene I did, which was me sitting in the defendant's box in court, being interviewed by a fabulous actor called Brian Dennehy, and staring at the whole cast who were looking at me. I looked at them and I saw their dislike.

'I saw, sitting in the audience, John Forsythe as Blake, Linda as Krystle, Pamela Sue Martin as Fallon. Then John James, he was playing Jeff Colby, who I felt an affinity with. He was the only one who gave me the vibe of, "I like you, Joan," because I felt that the others didn't.

'There wasn't a lot of love lost between [many of] us, particularly John, who played Blake. I don't know if you've seen any of the DVDs of Dynasty - John had to have his picture twice as big as anybody else, even though Linda and I were important.

'He couldn't bear that. He had to have more lines than anybody.'

Joan added: 'In lockdown I started watching old Dynasty episodes, and I was impressed by myself quite frankly I think I should have got more [money].'

She also revealed in a chat with Jonathan Ross prior to this that she had to fight for a balanced pay.

'I finally managed it, because I became quite popular on the show,' she said in 2017.

Dynasty is still on the air, after it was rebooted in 2017. Joan, however, does not feature.

The character of Alexis does appear - but has thus far been portrayed by three different actresses across the four existing seasons.
Emmerdale's Rosie Bentham discussed her dad John on Father's Day after his shock death a week before her 18th birthday.

The actress, 19, who plays Gabby Thomas in the soap, was away for the weekend when she received a phone call telling her her father had suffered a pulmonary embolism and died at just 60 years old.

To commemorate her father, Rosie, her mother, her sister and two brothers, got together on Sunday and remembered John but she admitted the second Father's Day without him was just as difficult as the first.

Heartbreaking: Emmerdale's Rosie Bentham, 19, revealed her heartache as she remembered her dad John (pictured together) on Father's Day after his shock death a week before her 18th birthday

Speaking to The Mirror, she said: 'Dad loved being a dad more than anything else. It was such a big thing for him. Its why I always tell my friends to reach out to their dads because you never ever know.

'When you have lost a parent, Fathers Day can be quite daunting. It can be quite a difficult day. I have it as a day of reflection.'

She said that she hopes by opening up about her own experiences with grief and losing a loved one she can help other people who may be going through something similar.

Unimaginable: The actress, who plays Gabby Thomas in Emmerdale, was away for the weekend when she received a phone call telling her her father had suffered a pulmonary embolism and died

Rosie is a rising star in the acting world after she joined the Nottingham branch of The Television Workshop in 2013, which boasts well-known alumni such as Vicky McClure, Jack O'Connell and Joe Dempsie.

While attending the performing arts organisation, she worked on plays such as Oklahoma, Fiddler on the Roof, Sound of Music and Annie.

Rosie auditioned for Emmerdale when producers contacted The Television Workshop.

She had four callbacks before being offered the part of Gabby Thomas and making her debut appearance in January 2016, aged 14.

Her role came up as the iconic Emmerdale character Ashley Thomas (John Middleton), her father in the soap, was battling dementia.

Brave: Rosie (pictured in Emmerdale) said that she hopes by opening up about her own experiences with grief she can help other people who may be going through something similar

Currently, Rosie is involved in a significant plot in the programme in which she is attempting to steal Home Farm from Kim Tate (Claire King).

In the past few months Kim has worked out someone has been drugging her and set up a trap to figure out who is behind it all.

Emmerdale revealed the suspects were Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson), Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley), Jamie Tate (Alexander Lincoln), Al Chapman (Michael Wildman), Will Taylor (Dean Andrews) and Gabby Thomas.

The culprit is due to be revealed this week.

Explosive: Kim Tate sets up a trap at Home Farm in a revenge storyline on Emmerdale after she realises she is being drugged by a mystery culprit
Piers Morgan's Life Stories: Joan Collins

Rating:

The Handmaid's Tale

Rating:

Dame Joan Collins celebrated her 70 years in showbusiness by appearing on Piers Morgan's Life Stories (ITV) and modestly apologising for blowing her own trumpet.

Not that you'd have noticed because she was in the presence of a master trumpeter.

When it comes to self-promotion, Piers is the Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band. Yet his great talent as an interviewer is the way he also blows other people's trumpets.

He batters his guests with compliments and flatters them into submission.

'When I think of all the people I know, you are by far the most entertaining,' he told Joan. He bellowed with laughter at her jokes, and pressed her to admit that, as a young actress, she was 'a right cracker'.

It's a technique that gets results. She was moved to tears talking about the deaths of her mother and her sister, the novelist Jackie Collins.

She dismissed one of her five husbands as a 'womaniser' and another as 'a jerk'. She described John Forsythe, her Dynasty co-star, as 'a misogynist p***k'.

Dame Joan Collins celebrated her 70 years in showbusiness by appearing on Piers Morgan's Life Stories (ITV) and modestly apologising for blowing her own trumpet

Unlike some younger stars, Collins doesn't want to tell us about her commitment to the latest fashionable cause, or moan about life. Whether talking about triumphs or setbacks, she is pretty much the same

Unlike some younger stars, she doesn't want to tell us about her commitment to the latest fashionable cause, or moan about life. Whether talking about triumphs or setbacks, she is pretty much the same.

'I haven't had any great roles,' she said wistfully of her career. 'I reached my peak with Dynasty.'

Doomster of the weekend In the final episode of his Adventures In Space And Time (BBC2), the cosmologist and former D:Ream star Brian Cox flashed his 1990s pop star smile and looked forward to the end of the universe. 'It'll certainly take us down a peg or two,' he chuckled. Whatever happened to Things Can Only Get Better? Advertisement

Perhaps her greatest triumph has been as Dame Joan, which she always plays with great flamboyance. She was dressed up to the nines  possibly the tens even  and under close questioning from Morgan revealed that she doesn't know how to use a hoover, and hasn't done any ironing since 1957.

She apparently does the dishes, but then so does the Queen.

Showing no mercy when lockdown Britain needs a bit of cheering up, Channel 4 gave us The Handmaid's Tale, which couldn't have been more grim and depressing if the screenplay had been sung by Morrissey in a particularly bad mood.

At the end of the third series in 2019, June (Elisabeth Moss) managed to smuggle 86 children from the dystopian religious hellhole that is Gilead, which is the United States turned into a cult. She was also shot and badly wounded.

The good news in the new series is that she and her fellow handmaids  the baby-making machines of Gilead  are safe on a friendly farm. The bad news is that the farmer's wife is deranged and violent, having been sexually abused by her husband and his friends.

Showing no mercy when lockdown Britain needs a bit of cheering up, Channel 4 gave us The Handmaid's Tale, which couldn't have been more grim and depressing if the screenplay had been sung by Morrissey in a particularly bad mood. Pictured: Elizabeth Moss as June in The Handmaid's Tale

You know the form by now. The men are largely dead-eyed and creepy, and say bigoted hateful things in a polite monotone.

The women behave more or less heroically, although Gilead's Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) makes Rosa Klebb look like Julie Andrews.

It is not for the squeamish. The handmaids capture a man, who is strung up in a barn and then stabbed to death by the farmer's wife (who then, in the final scene, cuddles up to June while still drenched in her victim's blood).

You watch every scene thinking something terrible is about to happen, and usually you're right. Though not always. At one point, I assumed one of the men was going to have his throat cut. Actually, he'd asked for a shave. Not something to be recommended in Gilead.
Bindi Irwin has shared her first social media post since publicly speaking out about her strained relationship with her estranged grandfather Bob Irwin Snr.

The wildlife conservationist, 22, took to Instagram on Monday to share a cryptic post about finding 'strength' while 'pulling yourself out of a mental dark place'.

Bindi posted a quote by U.S.-based author Steve Maraboli, which read: 'I don't think people realize how much strength it takes to pull yourself out of a dark place mentally.'

Breaking her silence: Bindi Irwin (pictured) has shared her first social media post since publicly speaking out about her strained relationship with her estranged grandfather Bob Irwin Snr

'So if you've done that today or any day, I'm proud of you.'

She also took to Facebook to repost a photo of husband Chandler Powell cuddling their three-month-old daughter Grace to mark Father's Day in the USA.

'My family,' Bindi captioned the sweet photo, which was originally shared by Animal Planet.

She also wrote in the comment section: 'All the love in the world for my sweet family.'

Cryptic: The wildlife conservationist, 22, took to Instagram on Monday to share a cryptic post about finding 'strength' while 'pulling yourself out of a mental dark place'

Bindi's post comes one day after she sensationally spoke out about her strained relationship with her estranged grandfather Bob Irwin Snr in a scathing Facebook comment.

On Sunday, the 22-year-old shared a sweet post celebrating Father's Day in the USA, saying she was thankful for the 'three most incredible fathers in her life'; her late father Steve Irwin, her husband Chandler Powell and her father-in-law Chris.

When one fan asked why she hadn't included her grandfather - Steve's father, Bob - Bindi gave an uncharacteristically raw account of their relationship, claiming he's ignored her since she was a 'little girl'.

'My family': She also took to Facebook to repost a photo of husband Chandler Powell cuddling their three-month-old daughter Grace to mark Father's Day in the USA

The mother-of-one wrote: 'I really wish that my entire family could spend time with Grace. Unfortunately, my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family.'

She went on to claim that Bob had 'returned gifts I've sent after he opened them', and ignored any letters sent from her.

'From the time I was a little girl he has ignored me, preferring to spend time doing anything else rather than being with me,' she continued.

Where it all began: On Sunday, Bindi shared a sweet Facebook post celebrating Father's Day in the USA, saying she was thankful for the 'three most incredible fathers in her life'; her late father Steve Irwin, husband Chandler Powell (pictured) and father-in-law Chris

'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart.'

She went on to say that her mother Terri still writes to him and sends birthday cards and Christmas gifts, but claims they have received no reply.

'We have also been his financial support since 1992 when he returned from Australia Zoo, sending him funds every week,' she added.

'We built him a house on a beautiful property and will always do our best to ensure his wellbeing.

Claims: When one fan asked why she hadn't included her grandfather - Steve's father, Bob (far right) - Bindi (far left) gave an uncharacteristically raw account of their relationship. Pictured with mother Terri (second right) and brother Robert (second left) in 2007, one year after Steve's death

Speaking out: The mother-of-one wrote: 'I really wish that my entire family could spend time with Grace. Unfortunately, my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family'

'I hope everyone remembers to be kind to one another but most of all care for your own mental health.

'I have struggled with this relationship my entire life and it brings me enormous pain.'

Following her post, members of Bob's inner circle have fired back at Bindi overnight.

Bethany Wheeler, another granddaughter of Bob's by marriage, declared on Facebook: 'The time has come to speak up.'

Thankful: Bindi had commented on a sweet Father's Day post celebrating the 'three most incredible fathers in her life'

No response: She went on to say that her mother Terri still writes to him and sends birthday cards and Christmas gifts, but says they have received no reply

Ms Wheeler, whose stepmother Mandy is Bob's daughter, defended her grandfather's character, calling him 'one of the most genuinely beautiful humans on this planet' who has 'never spoken out or put down anybody'.

Amanda French, a family friend who co-wrote Bob's 2016 autobiography The Last Crocodile Hunter, also accused Bindi of assassinating her grandfather's character.

'To read the sad comments online today has sickened me, and people who are closest to him,' Ms French wrote on Facebook.

She described Bob as 'kind, gentle, generous and extremely f**king introverted'.
They may be one of Australia's most famous families.

But behind Terri, Bindi and Robert's wholesome TV-friendly brand lies a bitter feud that has been raging for more than a decade.

The Irwin family rift was laid bare overnight after Bindi, 22, sensationally accused her estranged grandfather Bob Snr of 'ignoring her' since she was a child.

Inside the Irwin family feud: Behind Terri, Bindi and Robert's wholesome TV-friendly brand lies a bitter rift that has been raging for more than a decade

Pictured: the Irwin family tree, including who sides with Bindi and who sides with Bob Snr

She has since been publicly condemned by two cousins and a family friend, all of whom describe Bob as a kind and caring man.

The dogfight comes after years of simmering tensions between the opposing factions of the Irwin clan - those who side with Terri, and those who don't.

How the family feud began

The Irwins were once close-knit, working together at the family-run Australia Zoo on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

However, everything changed when Steve Irwin - known to millions around the world as the Crocodile Hunter - was killed by a stingray barb in September 2006.

How they were: The Irwins were once close-knit, working together at the family-run Australia Zoo on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Pictured: Bob Snr with his children Mandy, Joy and Steve, Steve's wife Terri, and their two children Bindi and Robert

Family feud: Everything changed when Steve Irwin - known to millions around the world as the Crocodile Hunter - was killed by a stingray barb in September 2006. Pictured from left: Terri, Robert, Bindi and Steve Irwin at Australia Zoo in April 2004

Steve's father Bob founded Beerwah Reptile Park - now known as Australia Zoo - in 1970 with his wife Lyn.

He handed ownership of the park to Steve and his wife Terri in 1992, but remained involved in the business.

However, two years after Steve's death, Bob Snr abruptly left the park after reportedly falling out with Terri about how the business should be run.

Falling out: Two years after Steve's death, Bob Snr abruptly left Australia Zoo - which he'd founded in 1970 - after reportedly falling out with Terri about how the business should be run. Pictured: Terri, Bob Snr, Bindi and Robert attending Steve's memorial service in 2006

Moving on: After leaving Australia Zoo in 2008 following an alleged dispute with daughter-in-law Terri over the direction of the company, he bought a secluded property near Kingaroy, now known as Camp Chilli - named after Steve's favourite camping spot

Bob Snr later reached a financial settlement which allowed him to buy a property near Kingaroy, now known as Camp Chilli - named after Steve's favourite camping spot along Cattle Creek near Ingham.

Bob has been estranged from Terri and her children ever since.

Terri cuts ties with her sister-in-law's family

Steve Irwin's older sister Joy and her family were also once heavily involved in the running of Australia Zoo.

While Joy oversaw the food court, her husband Frank was the general manager.

Rift: In 2015, Terri reportedly fired her brother-in-law Frank Muscillo (left) from his job as general manager of Australia Zoo. His wife Joy (right), who is Steve's sister, and her adult children left their jobs at the zoo soon afterwards

But in 2015, Frank was reportedly 'marched off' the property after being fired by Terri - with Joy and her adult children leaving soon afterwards.

Ms Muscillo told Daily Mail Australia in 2019 the rift was a 'very sad' situation.

'I keep away from all that,' she said. 'It's just very sad... family stuff.'

'It's just very sad... family stuff': Joy Muscillo told Daily Mail Australia in 2019 the rift was a 'very sad' situation. Pictured: Bob and Steve Irwin in an undated photo

Mrs Muscillo, who now runs a restaurant with her husband, today leads a quiet life worlds away from the glitz and glamour of her sister-in-law, niece and nephew.

After leaving the zoo, she said she was bound to a confidentiality agreement that prevented her from speaking about what had happened.

While the agreement has expired, she said it remained a 'personal decision' to keep her family situation private.

Bindi's strained relationship with Bob Snr

Bob Snr first spoke about his fractured relationship with granddaughter Bindi in 2015, telling The Herald Sun they'd lost contact over the years.

'I don't like to talk about family matters but no we are not in contact,' he said. 'It's sad but it's just the way things are.'

'It's sad but it's just the way things are': Bob Snr first spoke about his fractured relationship with granddaughter Bindi in 2015, telling The Herald Sun they'd lost contact over the years

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the 2015 AACTA Awards, Bindi claimed her grandfather had become reclusive in the years following his son's death.

'Everyone deals with grief differently. When my dad passed away he chose to distance himself from everything that dad loved the most,' she said.

'At the moment we're really just respecting his wishes because he hasn't had anything to do with us for a long time and he decided his own path. That's important, so good for him.'

'He chose to distance himself': Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the 2015 AACTA Awards, Bindi claimed her grandfather had become reclusive in the years following his son's death

Wedding bells: Bindi's estrangement from Bob Snr made headlines again in July 2019, after she became engaged to her now-husband Chandler Powell (left)

Bindi's estrangement from Bob Snr made headlines again in July 2019, after she became engaged to her now-husband Chandler Powell.

At the time, Bob Snr told the Courier Mail he had not received a response since writing a letter of congratulations to his granddaughter.

He claimed their latest dispute stemmed from a misunderstanding after a reporter walked onto his property hoping to get a comment on what he thought of the engagement.

Radio silence: At the time, Bob Snr told the Courier Mail he had not received a response since writing a letter of congratulations to his granddaughter

When Mr Irwin refused to answer, it was mistakenly taken as a begrudged silence. Photos of him at his home were also splashed across the tabloids, only fuelling the false impression that he was unhappy with the upcoming marriage.

He said he wasn't invited to the wedding, and didn't expect to be.

'If they wanted to, of course I would,' he said.

'I get messages [from friends] constantly about how Bob and Bindi are doing, what achievements they've made, what interests they have, and I also watch television like everyone else.

Fuming: Bindi addressed her estrangement from Bob on Sunday, posting a scathing Facebook comment claiming the ageing conservationist had 'never said a single kind word' to her and even 'returned gifts' she'd sent him

'They keep me up to date. Both Bindi and Bob have achieved a lot in a short space of time; mind you, they're both only young yet. But they've done well and I would say Steve would be pretty happy with the way they're doing.'

Bob Snr was not in attendance on Bindi's wedding day in March 2020.

Bindi addressed her estrangement from Bob on Sunday, posting a scathing Facebook comment claiming the ageing conservationist had 'never said a single kind word' to her and even 'returned gifts' she'd sent him.

Thankful: Bindi had commented on a sweet Father's Day post celebrating the 'three most incredible fathers in her life'

Response: When a fan asked why she hadn't included her grandfather in her Father's Day post, Bindi gave an uncharacteristically raw account of their relationship. Pictured with Terri, Robert and Bob Snr in 2007, one year after Steve's death

Bindi had uploaded sweet post celebrating Father's Day in the USA, saying she was thankful for the 'three most incredible fathers in her life': her late father Steve Irwin, her husband Chandler Powell and her father-in-law Chris.

When a fan asked why she hadn't included her grandfather, Bindi gave an uncharacteristically raw account of their relationship, claiming he'd ignored her since she was a 'little girl'.

The mother of one wrote: 'I really wish that my entire family could spend time with [her newborn daughter] Grace. Unfortunately, my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family.'

Speaking out: The mother of one wrote, 'I really wish that my entire family could spend time with Grace. Unfortunately, my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family'

She went on to claim that Bob Snr had 'returned gifts I've sent after he opened them', and ignored any letters sent from her.

'From the time I was a little girl he has ignored me, preferring to spend time doing anything else rather than being with me,' she continued.

'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart.'

She went on to say that her mother Terri still writes to him and sends birthday cards and Christmas gifts, but claims they have received no reply.

Strained: 'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart.' Bindi claims. Pictured: Bob holding a photograph of Bindi in 2008

'We have also been his financial support since 1992 when he retired from Australia Zoo, sending him funds every week,' she added.

'We built him a house on a beautiful property and will always do our best to ensure his wellbeing.

'I hope everyone remembers to be kind to one another but most of all care for your own mental health.

'I have struggled with this relationship my entire life and it brings me enormous pain.'

Support: 'We have also been his financial support since 1992 when he retired from Australia Zoo, sending him funds every week,' she added. Pictured: Bob Irwin and wife Judy in 2008

The estrangement of Steve's nieces

Bob Snr has yet to publicly respond to the accusations Bindi levelled against him on Sunday.

However, two of Bindi's cousins have spoken up in his defence.

Bethany Wheeler, another granddaughter of Bob's by marriage, wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday: 'The time has come to speak up.'

Breaking her silence: Bethany Wheeler (second from left), another granddaughter of Bob's (left) by marriage, wrote on Facebook on Sunday: 'The time has come to speak up... We have all felt sick reading [this] for too long.' Pictured: Ms Wheeler at her wedding to husband Wayne

'I read some absolutely appalling comments by Bindi today! Feel free to share this post (I will make it public) as we have all been silent... for too long,' she wrote.

Ms Wheeler, whose stepmother Mandy is Bob's daughter, defended her grandfather's character, calling him 'one of the most genuinely beautiful humans on this planet' who has 'never spoken out or put down anybody'.

'He is a man who sits silently and battles his demons alone, in what is great sadness. He doesn't retaliate, only prays for his grandchildren's safety and good lives,' she continued.

Lashing out: Bob's other granddaughter Toni Johnstone also claimed Steve would be 'furious' about his daughter's accusations if he were alive today

Meanwhile, Bob's other granddaughter Toni Johnstone also claimed Steve would be 'furious' about his daughter's accusations if he were alive today.

Commenting on Facebook, Ms Johnstone wrote: 'I honestly cannot believe how [Bindi] can [accuse Bob of these things] and then preach 'let's be kind to one another' in the same post.'

Ms Johnstone, whose mother Mandy is Steve's sister, added: 'Let's hope [Bindi and Terri] remember who built the zoo that made them who they are today.'

Confused: Ms Johnstone said she was 'puzzled' as to why Bindi would make such 'horrible' claims about Bob. Pictured from left: Robert, Terri and Bindi Irwin

'Poppy [Bob] is the most caring, loving, beautiful soul and I am so incredibly lucky to have him as my grandfather,' she continued.

Ms Johnstone went on to say she was 'puzzled' as to why Bindi would make such 'horrible' claims about Bob.

Bindi's cousin Rebecca Lobie, who is the Instagram-famous daughter of Steve's sister Joy, has also been estranged from Terri and her children for years.

Estranged: Bindi's cousin Rebecca Lobie, who is the Instagram-famous daughter of Steve's sister Joy, has also been estranged from Terri and her children for years

While Rebecca is best known for being a social media personality, she once held an administrative role at Australia Zoo, working alongside the Irwins.

However, she left the business shortly after her father Frank was fired back in 2015.

Rebecca weighed in on Bindi's Facebook comment over the weekend, sharing a post on Instagram Stories that didn't clearly state which side of the feud she was on.

However, it can be assumed she doesn't align with Bindi given the circumstances of her family's exit from the business.

Legacy: While Rebecca (left) is best known for being a social media personality, she once held an administrative role at Australia Zoo, working alongside the Irwins

Speaking out: Rebecca weighed in on Bindi's Facebook comment over the weekend, sharing a post on Instagram Stories that didn't clearly state which side of the feud she was on. However, it can be assumed she doesn't align with Bindi given the circumstances of her family's exit from the business

'After reading something on Facebook today about family, I'd like to remind everyone that unless you personally know someone or the circumstances of a situation, you should keep your judgements to yourself!' she wrote.

'There is a lot that happens out of the public eye that you don't know about! Please think about this the next time you go talk s**t about someone,' she added.

In October last year, reports emerged claiming Rebecca wanted to 'mend ways' with Bindi after years of estrangement.

Reconciliation? In October last year, reports emerged claiming Rebecca wanted to 'mend ways' with Bindi after years of estrangement

According to Woman's Day, a 'close family friend' claimed Rebecca hoped Bindi's pregnancy would be the catalyst for the pair to reunite.

However, she has supposedly ruled out a reconciliation with Steve's widow, Terri.

'Bec is resigned to not having Aunt Terri in their lives, but is desperate to at least mend ways with Bindi and [her brother] Robert before their grandfather is no longer around,' said the source.

Family values: Rebecca, who shares two sons with her husband Mick Lobie (left), apparently 'wants her boys to know their cousins and is hoping Bindi's baby will change everything'

'Bec is all about family first, so when her mum and dad fell out with Terri so publicly, it was losing her little cousins that was the most heartbreaking.'

Rebecca, who shares two sons with her husband Mick Lobie, apparently 'wants her boys to know their cousins and is hoping Bindi's baby will change everything'.

Terri's feud with her sister Patricia Raines

Terri Irwin's feud with her estranged older sister, Patricia Raines, was laid bare in resurfaced court documents dating back to 2015.

Judicial records discovered by New Idea showed that Terri had sued Patricia in the Lane County Circuit Court in Oregon for alleged 'conversion and negligence'.

The other Irwin family feud: Terri's feud with her estranged older sister, Patricia Raines, was laid bare in court documents dating back to 2015

'Conversion' refers to when an individual wrongfully uses someone else's property for their own purposes.

The case was dismissed with prejudice, which means the court couldn't make a finding of guilt or innocence. It also means Terri is now blocked from ever suing her sister for the same claim again.

The court battle took place a year after Terri and Patricia's mother, Judy Raines, died.

Dispute: The court battle took place a year after Terri and Patricia's mother, Judy Raines, died

Speaking to New Idea in 2016, Patricia revealed she hadn't spoken to her sister since their mother's death in 2014 due to a falling out which had erupted a few days before Judy's passing.

Patricia refused to go into detail about the events that led to the dispute, saying: 'Truthfully... it's very sad and I'm not at liberty to speak freely - it would be life changing.'

'It was so small... How people can hang onto grudges, I'm totally amazed. My heart aches so bad,' she added.
Sophia Bush was spotted stepping out on a coffee run with her boyfriend Grant Hughes in New York City on Sunday afternoon.

The 38-year-old actress cut a very stylish figure as she was accompanied by her beau while purchasing a few pick-me-ups before the couple made their way towards an airport.

The two were first spotted together during a beach date in Malibu last month and have been seen in each other's company on several occasions ever since then.

Stepping out: Sophia Bush was seen heading to an airport while spending time in New York City with her boyfriend Grant Hughes on Sunday

Bush was dressed in a chic black overcoat that was worn on top of a stark white t-shirt while stepping out with Hughes.

The Chicago P.D actress contrasted her tops with a pair of sky blue jeans that had been cut off at their bottoms, as well as a set of leather boots.

The performer covered up the crown of her head with a white cap, although much of her gorgeous brunette locks fell onto her shoulders and backside as she spent time with her beau.

The One Tree Hill actress accessorized with several articles of gold jewelry during the outing.

Stylish outfit: The Chicago P.D actress was dressed in a large black coat worn on top of a white t-shirt and sky blue jeans while spending time with her boyfriend

She notably carried a sizable black bag and wore a green facial covering to reduce her chances of contracting COVID-19.

Hughes kept it considerably more casual during the shared outing, as he was dressed in a graphic-printed white t-shirt and a matching pair of sneakers, as well as a pair of cuffed gray jeans.

He accessorized with a single silver bracelet and a pair of stylish round sunglasses.

Bush and her new beau were first spotted together during a beach date in Malibu that took place late last month.

Going strong: Bush and Hughes were first seen spending time together during a date in Malibu late last month; they are pictured earlier this month

The couple was seen hugging before taking a shared stroll while holding hands, giving rise to public speculation that there was something much more intense going on between the two.

Prior to becoming involved with her current beau, the actress was married to her former One Tree Hill costar Chad Michael Murray.

The two became engaged in 2004 and tied the knot the following year, although they separated after just five months and dissolved their marriage the following year.

Bush would later express that she and her former husband were not ready for a commitment of that magnitude at the time.

Former couple: The actress was previously married to her One Tree Hill castmate Chad Michael Murray, although their union was dissolved in 2006; they are seen at the 2005 premiere of House Of Wax

Moving on: The actress went on to start a relationship with her Chicago P.D castmate Jesse Lee Soffer, whom she began dating in 2014; they are seen together in 2015

Following the end of her marriage, she entered into another relationship with her former One Tree Hill castmates James Lafferty and Austin Nichols, although she broke off with both.

She also dated her Stay Alive costar Jon Foster before they separated in 2007, although they remain on good terms.

Bush was later linked to her Chicago P.D castmate Jesse Lee Soffer, with whom she began spending time in 2014.

Although the two made several appearances at high-profile events during the span of their relationship, they eventually split up in 2016.
The Bacheorette's Taite Radley has moved on following his heartbreaking split from Ali Oetjen last year.

The gym owner and personal trainer appeared to debut a new girlfriend, Melbourne business owner Chelsea Fenech, on his Instagram page on Monday.

Taite, 30, posted several fun selfies of the pair cuddling up during drinks with friends.

Moving on! The Bachelorette's Taite Radley appeared to debut his new girlfriend, Chelsea Fenech, on Instagram on Monday following his heartbreaking split with Ali Oetjen last year

In the pictures, they both pulled silly faces and poked their tongues out at each other.

Chelsea liked the intimate snaps and commented with a kissing face and heart emoji.

The brunette beauty is based in Melbourne and owns her own business, The Junior Edit, which personalises items for babies and children.

Cute! Taite, 30, posted several fun selfies of the pair cuddling up during drinks with friends

Fun times! In the pictures, they both pulled silly faces and poked their tongues out at each other

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to both Taite and Chelsea for comment.

It comes after Ali was spotted back in March enjoying an adventure around Adelaide with a male companion.

In a gallery of pictures shared to Instagram, Ali couldn't contain her joy as she visited hotspots around the City of Churches with her friend Shaun Sheahan.

Also moving on? It comes after Ali was spotted back in March enjoying an adventure around Adelaide with a male companion

The two spent their day together enjoying lunch at The German Arms Hotel, feasting on German sausages and lager.

The couple then went for a stroll through Old Handorf Village Market and stopped by the Crown Adelaide for an afternoon drink.

At one stage, the two stopped to take scenic autumn-themed pictures by a tree with stunning red leaves.

In each of their images, the two couldn't wipe the smile off their faces.

Afternoon drinks: The couple then went for a stroll through Old Handorf Village Market and stopped by the Crown Adelaide for an afternoon drink

Happy couple? In the pictures, Ali appeared to be beaming

Season of love! At one stage, the two stopped to take scenic autumn-themed pictures by a tree with stunning red leaves. In each of their images, the two couldn't wipe the smile off their faces

Earlier this year, Ali spoke to the Courier Mail and revealed she'd confirmed that she's fully recovered from her emotional split from ex Taite.

When asked if she was single, she simply said: 'I'm just doing me at the moment.'

'I'm into the next chapter. I couldn't be happier,' she said.

Recovered: Earlier this year, the yoga teacher spoke to the Courier Mail and revealed she'd fully recovered from her emotional split from ex Taite

Ali and Taite announced their split via Instagram last year saying they were 'taking time apart' and giving each other 'some space'.

The couple shared near identical statements underneath selfies together and said they were making the shock announcement with 'the heaviest heart'.

Just weeks later, Ali joined the cast of Seven's military-style show SAS Australia.

During an interrogation scene on the program, Ali tearfully explained to the drill sergeants how 'empty' she felt after losing the man she considered her 'soul mate'.
Nick Cannon's pregnant girlfriend, Alyssa Scott, took to Instagram Stories on Father's Day to share a striking snap while posing on the beach with the TV star.

The influencer, 27, posted a shot from the beach in which Nick, who had his head turned but was recognisable by his tattoos, was rubbing her bump. She captioned the shot, 'Celebrating you today' with a heart emoji.

The timing of the post is incredibly poignant after it was revealed last week that Nick had become a father once more to twin sons Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir with DJ and influencer Abby De La Rosa, 30.

Blooming: Nick Cannon's pregnant girlfriend, Alyssa Scott, took to Instagram Stories on Sunday to share a striking snap while posing on the beach with the TV host

While they have remained relatively quiet about their baby news, she gave a nod to her pregnancy in January, showing her baby bump with the caption, 'Lets all gasp together. SO EXCITED!!', however she later deleted the post.

Alyssa referenced Cannon's name in another post she deleted earlier this month, writing 'Zen S. Cannon' amid the backdrop of a maternity photoshoot.

While little is known of their union, Cannon and Scott were seen at the celeb haunt Nobu in October 2020. Last month, she branded the host 'a player' in a social media exchange however things now look to be on the up.

The San Diego, California native is father to six kids, three of them newborns.

The latest: Alyssa gave a nod to her pregnancy in January, showing her baby bump with the caption, 'Lets all gasp together. SO EXCITED!!', however she later deleted the post

Details: The San Diego, California native is father to six kids, three of them newborns

New mom: He shares newborn twin sons Zion and Zillion with DJ and influencer Abby De La Rosa

He is dad to 10-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe with ex-wife Mariah Carey; son Golden, five, and daughter Powerful, five months, with model Brittany Bell; and newborn twin sons Zion and Zillion with DJ and influencer Abby.

De La Rosa in April took to social media with a message for her unborn sons, and a reference to Cannon.

'Our dearest sons: my miracle babies' she wrote, 'thank you for choosing me to be your Mommy.

'I know the Lord has destined me and prepared me for the gift of not one but two little angels. I pray that God give you both the strength to walk brave and boldly in your individual truth just like your Daddy...

'That God bless you and your brother and guide you into living out your full purpose.'

De La Rosa on Sunday posted a shot of a man that appeared to be Cannon in surgical gear holding Zion and Zillion in a hospital. She wrote in the caption, 'Happy Fathers Day! We are forever grateful for you.'

Dailymail.com has reached out to Cannon's reps for comment.
Samantha Armytage's long-running feud with Natalie Barr came to a head on Monday when the former Sunrise host slammed her ex-colleague in a scathing tweet.

Sam well and truly confirmed the pair were not friends when she criticised Nat, 53, for continuing to speak about her in the media, three months after taking over as host of Seven's breakfast show.

'Look... I'm out. Nat's wanted the job, forever... & she's finally got it,' Sam, 44, wrote.

Bad blood: Samantha Armytage's (right) long-running feud with Natalie Barr (left) came to a head on Monday, when the former Sunrise host shared a telling tweet

She added: 'She just needs to get on & enjoy it - & forget about me... (even though I'm unforgettable.) #peaceout'.

Her comments came just hours after Sam brushed off a question about their rumoured rift during an interview on The Kyle & Jackie O Show that morning.

Instead of addressing their frosty relationship directly, Sam paraphrased Oscar Wilde's famous quote: 'There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.'

Hits back: 'Look... I'm out. Nat's wanted the job, forever... & she's finally got it,' Sam, 44, wrote about her former Sunrise colleague, who replaced her as host in March

After a pause, Sam dodged the question by saying: 'Yeah, well, look, I mean it's better to be talked about than not, isn't it in life?'

The former Sunrise host then took a subtle swipe at Nat for bringing her up in a recent interview in The Australian Women's Weekly after she'd decided to take a step back from the TV industry.

She said: 'I thought everyone might forget about me when I was having my little sabbatical, but it seems they're not, you know?'

'She just needs to get on & enjoy it - & forget about me... (even though I'm unforgettable.) #peaceout,' Sam said of Nat on Twitter

'Look, there's nothing interesting going on there, honestly. I'm just doing my thing, out in the country,' she added.

Rumours of a feud between the pair first escalated in March, after it was revealed that Nat hadn't been told about Sam's star-studded farewell lunch at Catalina Restaurant in Sydney's Rose Bay.

Appearing on The Kyle & Jackie O Show at the time, Sunrise host David Koch admitted he and Nat were not invited to the fancy event.

Not invited: Rumours of a feud escalated in March, after it was revealed that Nat hadn't been told about Sam's star-studded farewell lunch at Catalina Restaurant in Sydney's Rose Bay. Pictured with Kylie Gillies (far left)

'We didn't know about it,' the 65-year-old said, noting that the Sunrise team is strict about events because of their early start.

Added Nat: 'And we had been having Champagne in the office for a while.'

Earlier that month, before Sam sensationally quit Sunrise, Nat didn't take too kindly to controversial claims Sam made that married women with children aren't expected to work as hard in their careers.

Cutting comments: In March, Nat clapped back at Sam's claims that married women with children aren't expected to work as hard in their careers

No love lost: Hints of a feud between the two women first became public in July 2019, when Nat jokingly called Sam 'a b***h-faced moll'

Sam sensationally wrote in her column for Stellar magazine that 'bosses don't ask as much of you if you're a wife or mother'.

'I've never shied away from hard work, but there was an expectation that Sam would do it because she's got nothing else going on,' she wrote.

'[Sometimes I'd think], "Well, actually, I'd get something else going on if you didn't make me do this".'

Nat later clapped back saying that while 'everyone is entitled to their opinion', she's always worked just as hard as her unmarried and/or childless female colleagues.

'I don't feel like I've worked less being a wife and mum. I don't feel like I've had to prove anything either, that's how it's always worked for me,' the mum of two teenage sons with husband Andrew Thompson told The Courier Mail.

'I don't feel like I've worked less being a wife and mum. I don't feel like I've had to prove anything either, that's how it's always worked for me,' Nat told The Courier Mail .

'I feel like I've worked really hard and I've put my hand up for every job, every news story that involved going away,' she added.

'I've been to floods and fires and terror attacks and US elections and I love taking on all that extra load, it's why I became a journalist. I put my hand up as high as I can to get to those jobs and do the extra stuff.'

Nat insisted that her workload would be the same, even if she was unmarried or without children.

Courting controversy: Earlier in March, Sam sensationally wrote in her column for Stellar magazine that 'bosses don't ask as much of you if you're a wife or mother'

Silent treatment: In April, Sam revealed she hadn't spoken to any of her former colleagues since leaving Sunrise a month earlier

In April, Sam revealed she hadn't spoken to any of her former colleagues since leaving Sunrise a month earlier.

'It's only been a few weeks so I've had a quiet time and haven't spoken to anyone,' she told The Daily Telegraph.

Eyebrows were raised yet again in May when it emerged Sam didn't follow Nat or Kochie on Instagram, despite following many other Seven colleagues.

Sam downplayed the snub on her News Corp podcast earlier this month, saying: 'I don't think I unfo... I don't think anyone's following anyone in there.'

Nat finally confirmed last week that she didn't have a close relationship with Sam, who she replaced as Sunrise anchor on March 15.

Keeping it professional: Nat revealed for the first time last week that she didn't have a close relationship with Sam, who she replaced as Sunrise anchor on March 15. Pictured with Sunrise colleagues Mark Beretta (second left) and David Koch (far right)

When asked about rumours the two women did not get along, Nat told The Australian Women's Weekly they weren't friends outside of the workplace.

She said that while the pair 'got along well in the office', they rarely spoke after the cameras stopped rolling because they didn't have much in common.

'The truth is we didn't really see each other outside the office. We had vastly different lives, I guess,' Natalie said.

'We were in different places. She was hanging with her friends and I was spending time with my family. So, yes, we were in different places.'

Separate lives: When asked about rumours the two women did not get along, Nat told The Australian Women's Weekly they weren't friends outside of the workplace

'We didn't know about it,' David Koch said of Sam's farewell lunch, noting that the Sunrise team is strict about events because of their early start

Timeline of Samantha Armytage & Natalie Barr's Sunrise feud July 2019: Nat jokingly calls Sam 'a b***h-faced moll' when asked if her colleague is as 'nice' as she appears to be on Sunrise. March 2021: Sunrise co-host David Koch reveals he and Nat weren't told about Sam's star-studded farewell lunch at Catalina Restaurant in Sydney's Rose Bay. March 2021: Nat claps back at Sam's claims that married women with children aren't expected to work as hard in their careers. April 2021: Sam reveals she hasn't spoken to any of her former colleagues since leaving Sunrise a month earlier. May 2021: It's discovered that Sam doesn't follow Nat or Kochie on Instagram, despite following many other former Seven colleagues. June 2021: Nat tells The Australian Women's Weekly that she and Sam were never friends outside of Sunrise and claims they were 'in different places' in their lives. June 2021: Sam refuses to answer a question about their rumoured feud during an interview on The Kyle & Jackie O Show, and simply says: 'It's better to be talked about than not'. June 2021: Sam later tweets that Nat has 'wanted the job' as co-host on Sunrise 'forever' and urges her to 'get on and enjoy it - and forget about me'. Advertisement

Hints of a feud between the two women could even be traced back to July 2019, when Nat jokingly called Sam 'a b***h-faced moll'.

Sam and Nat were answering fans' questions during a segment on Sunrise when one viewer asked: 'Are you all really as nice as you appear to be on Sunrise?'

'Nah, she's a b***h-faced moll,' Nat responded facetiously, before she and Sam both burst out laughing.

She added: 'No, she's not, I just love that term.'

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Monday, TV Blackbox's Rob McKnight admitted 'there is fascination about what went on behind the scenes of Sunrise'.

'Nat is a straight shooter and tells it like it is. She was asked about her friendship with Sam and she told the truth,' said the former TV producer.

'Is anyone actually surprised the two didn't mingle outside of work? No, of course not - they are different people with different lives.

Curiosity: Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Monday, TV Blackbox's Rob McKnight admitted 'there is fascination about what went on behind the scenes of Sunrise'

'Sam is probably right that Nat has always had her eye on the job but that doesn't mean she was actively chasing it.

'In the media everyone wants the biggest job and the highest profile. If you don't have an ego and ambition you just won't make it in this industry.'

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Channel Seven for comment.
Pia Miller's ex-fiance Tyson Mullane has debuted a smouldering new look following her secret wedding to Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell.

Tyson showcased his longer, shoulder-length hair and more rugged appearance in photos shared to Instagram by his brother Jackson on Sunday.

The film producer also displayed his new beard - which suits his chiselled features - in the artistic black-and-white photos.

New chapter, new look: Pia Miller's ex-fiance Tyson Mullane has debuted a smouldering new look following her secret wedding to Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell

Jackson left a sweet message for his brother in the caption, writing: 'Love you.'

Actress Pia, 37, recently married Patrick - the executive chairman of the Endeavor talent agency - in a secret ceremony, but is yet to acknowledge their nuptials.

The couple, who got engaged in November, were reportedly seen 'celebrating their newlywed status' at a restaurant in Bondi, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Smouldering: Tyson (left) showcased his longer, shoulder-length hair and more rugged appearance in photos shared to Instagram by his brother Jackson (right) on Sunday

Meanwhile, a friend of the couple, Sydney socialite Nina O'Brien, also let slip they'd tied the knot in a comment she posted on Instagram.

'Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. PPW,' Nina wrote, referencing the pair's initials.

Nina also commented on another photo Pia shared to Instagram in April, which showed Patrick wearing what appeared to be a wedding ring.

Quirky but hot! Jackson recently shared several artsy photos of his brother Tyson (pictured)

She wrote underneath the image: 'Hello Mr and Mrs P' and added a love-heart emoji.

Pia and Tyson first began dating in 2015, before publicly announcing their romance on Valentine's Day in 2016.

They got engaged in November 2017.

Ring-a-ding-ding! Pia, 37, recently married Patrick Whitesell - the executive chairman of the Endeavor talent agency - in a secret ceremony, but is yet to acknowledge their nuptials. In April, she shared this photo of Patrick wearing what appeared to be a wedding ring

'In a hundred lifetimes, In a hundred worlds, In any version of reality - I'd find you and I'd choose you. Yes today, yes always,' Pia wrote on Instagram at the time.

But in April 2019, The Daily Telegraph reported the couple had 'amicably' ended their 18-month engagement and Tyson had moved out of their Sydney home.

Pia has two sons: 14-year-old Lennox from her marriage to retired AFL star Brad Miller, and 18-year-old Isaiah from a previous relationship in her teens.
Kourtney Kardashian and ex-partner Scott Disick addressed each other's new relationships for the first time.

During part two of the KUWTK reunion special, the former couple gave their blessing for their current partners: Kardashian, 42, is with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, 45, while Disick, 38, has been dating model and influencer Amelia Hamlin, 20.

The conversation surfaced when the former couple opened up to host Andy Cohen about watching the ups and downs of their relationship play out on the reality show for 20 seasons beginning in 2007.

Kourtney Kardashian, 42, and Scott Disick, 38, gave their blessing to each other's new relationships during day two of the KUWTK reunion special

Cohen first broached the subject of the new partners in their lives when he asked Disick that he seems to get 'really upset when Kourtney is linked to other guy, to which he shot back, 'Me? No, I just want to kill them.'

When asked about his baby momma, 42, and Barker, 45, though, the father of three admitted, 'I think if you really love somebody, you want them to be happy no matter what. So I do give her a blessing to be happy.'

'Whoever would make him happy, I would give my blessing,' the oldest of the Kardashian-Jenner siblings added in reference to her baby daddy and Hamlin.

Mature: 'I think if you really love somebody, you want them to be happy no matter what. So I do give her a blessing to be happy,' Disick said in reference to Kardashian and beau Travis Barker

'Whoever would make him happy, I would give my blessing,' the oldest of the Kardashian-Jenner siblings added in reference to Disick and Hamlin

The former couple would go on to answer one of the questions many fans want to know: did they hook up and have sex in the proceeding six years since their final split?

'People cannot believe that, but we have not. For real,' Kardashian confessed, for which her ex added, 'How annoying!" Gotta love that Disick charm.'

It turns out Disick's long bout with substance abuse was a major factor in their breakup.

Confession: The former couple would go on t reveal they have not hooked up and had sex in the proceeding six years since their final split

'The infidelity, I only knew about it at the end, so I think the substance abuse was the dealbreaker,' she said.

The 18-year age difference between Disick and Hamlin, and the nearly 16-year age gap he had with previous girlfriend Sofia Richie, was also a topic of conversation.

The reality star laughed it off, saying, 'Everybody gets this wrong, that I look for young girls. I don't go out looking for young girls,' he maintained before offering an explanation.

She had enough! Kardashian said Disick's long bout with substance abuse was a major factor in their breakup

'They happen to be attracted to me, because I look young. That's what I'm telling myself.'

The former couple first met when they both attended a party thrown by Girls Gone Wild creator Joe Francis in Mexico in 2006.

After becoming an item soon afterwards, they would break up and get back together a number of times, and become parents to three children: sons Mason, 11, Reign, six, and daughter Penelope, eight, along the way.

They eventually split up for the last time in 2015, but they have seemed to have a friendly relationship as co-parents

Not having it: The reality star laughed of the chatter about him dating much younger women since his final split with Kardashian in 2015
She has been proudly showing off her baby bump since announcing the news she is pregnant with her first child.

But Georgia Fowler covered up her figure as she stepped out to run errands in rainy Sydney over the weekend.

The 28-year-old model bundled up from the cold in an oversized black coat which she wore over a black turtleneck and a wide-legged trousers.

Keeping her bump under wraps! Makeup free Georgia Fowler covered up her tummy in an oversized coat and wide-legged trousers while running errands in Sydney on Sunday

She strolled around in a pair of comfortable trainers and accessorised with a black Bottega Veneta 'cassette' handbag.

Georgia flaunted her pregnancy glow by going makeup free and scrapped back her brunette locks in a casual bun.

The Victoria's Secret stunner is set to welcome her first child with her boyfriend Nathan Dalah.

Earlier this month, she flaunted her bare baby bump while posing in front of a mirror in a black bikini.

Expensive accessories! She wore a pair of comfortable trainers on her feet and gave her ensemble an edge by toting a black Bottega Veneta 'cassette' handbag

Glowing! Georgia flaunted her pregnancy glow by going makeup free and scrapped back her brunette locks in a casual bun

There is it! Earlier this month, Georgia flaunted her bare baby bump while posing in front of a mirror in a black bikini

She appeared makeup free and tied her long brunette locks back in a low bun.

Georgia announced her exciting pregnancy news on Instagram earlier this year and sweetly wrote: 'We can't wait to meet you little one.'

'It's been hard to keep this one quiet, but now it's pretty hard to hide,' she added.

New addition: The 28-year-old model shared a selfie to Instagram, while posing in front of a mirror in a black bikini

'Nathan and I couldn't be happier to share our exciting news with you. We cannot wait to meet you little one and begin our next adventure together.'

She finished: 'The best is yet to come.'

Nathan, a co-founder of the Fishbowl restaurant group, also shared the sweet baby news on his respective Instagram account and revealed they're having a daughter.

Growing family: Georgia is expecting her first child with restaurateur boyfriend Nathan, 26, and sweetly wrote: 'We can't wait to meet you little one'

'Beyond excited to welcome a little princess into the world with my superwoman,' he wrote.

Georgia and Nathan confirmed their romance in February last year.

Last year, they welcomed a pup into their family, called Chilli.
Tammin Sursok is the latest Hollywood star to arrive in Australia from the U.S.

The Los Angeles-based actress, 37, quietly landed in Sydney with her husband Sean McEwen, and their children, Phoenix, seven, and Lennon, two, on Sunday.

The Pretty Little Liars star wore a stylish striped dress and face mask as she touched down at Sydney Airport.

Back in Australia: Tammin Sursok cut a casual figure as she touched down in Sydney with her family on Sunday

Stylish: The Pretty Little Liars star wore a stylish striped dress and face mask as she arrived to Sydney Airport

Tammin completed her ensemble with a pair of comfortable white loafers and left her long brunette locks out.

She was spotted pushing a large trolley loaded with their luggage while her husband carried their daughter Lennon on his shoulders.

The couple's daughter Phoenix pushed her sister's empty pram and walked in front of her parents.

Tammin, Sean and their children were then taken to a hotel, where they are required to complete two weeks quarantine.

Comfort: Tammin completed her ensemble with a pair of comfortable white loafers and left her long brunette locks out

Hands full! She was spotted pushing a trolley loaded with her family's luggage

Doting dad: Tammin's husband Sean carried their daughter Lennon on his shoulders

The actress revealed on Sunday she was currently in Australia for a number of acting projects.

'MADE IT TO AUSTRALIA!!! 20 people on our LAX - SYDNEY flight was a sight we will never see again!' Tammin wrote on Instagram.

'Hotel quarantine starts now! Wish us luck.'

She continued: 'I'm here for a few projects. It was originally supposed to be one and then another one came and then another one came.'

She said some of the projects were American and others were Australian.

Helping hand: The couple's daughter Phoenix pushed her sister's empty pram and walked in front of her parents

Quarantine: Tammin, Sean and their children were taken to a hotel, where they are required to complete two weeks quarantine

New projects: The actress revealed on Sunday she was currently in Australia for a number of acting projects

In April, Tammin revealed her regrets about her last trip to Australia before the pandemic, saying she felt 'stressed and edgy' at the time.

'Oh how the world has changed. This pandemic will teach me to never take anything for granted. Ever again,' she said.

'I remember the day when I was at the airport leaving my parents, I was stressed and edgy and short. I regret it daily.

'I will now be mindful of how each moment with family and loved ones is precious.... it matters.'

'I'm here for a few projects. It was originally supposed to be one and then another one came and then another one came,' she revealed on Instagram
She is well known for gracing runways in fashion shows all over the world.

And on Sunday, Elsa Hosk turned the streets of New York City's Tribeca neighborhood into her personal catwalk as she wore a stylish outfit inspired by the 1980s while taking in the late springtime air.

The 32-year-old Victoria's Secret Angel's stroll comes on the same day that she shared several sweet snaps of her partner, Tom Daly, and their newborn daughter, Tuulikki Joan, to her Instagram account and Story.

Showing off her stuff: Elsa Hosk was dressed in an eye-catching outfit while strolling along the sidewalks of New York City's Tribeca neighborhood on Sunday

Hosk was outfitted in a slightly oversized light pink jacket that was paired with a matching skirt while she spent time outside.

The supermodel contrasted the standout shade of her clothing items with a stark white t-shirt, as well as a matching purse and pair of socks.

The fashion industry icon added a few elements of darkness to her ensemble with a pair of leather Chanel loafers and a stylish pair of sunglasses.

Her gorgeous blonde locks cascaded onto her shoulders and the nape of her neck during her walk, and at one point, a few strands were seen gracefully flowing in the wind.

Dressed to impress: The supermodel was seen wearing a slightly oversized light pink jacket and a matching skirt while stepping out

Color coordination: The runway regular contrasted the light shade of her outfit with a stark white t-shirt and a matching pair of socks. Her luscious blonde hair fell onto her shoulders and the nape of her neck during her solo outing

After she returned home from her walk, Hosk shared several photos of her partner and daughter to her Instagram account in recognizance of Father's Day.

The two officially began their relationship in 2015, although they had known each other for years prior.

In September of 2020, the supermodel announced that she would be expecting a child in a series of portraits that were shared to her Instagram account.

The following February, she gave birth to the couple's daughter, whom they named Tuulikki Joan.

Proud parent: Earlier this year, Hosk gave birth to her first daughter, Tuulikki Joan, whom she shares with her partner, Tom Daly

One of her shots showed the happy family spending time together while the entrepreneur kissed his daughter's forehead.

Another one of her shots showed her partner sleeping soundly next to Tuulikki Joan, who appeared to be at peace under the warm covers.

Hosk also wrote a brief message in the caption for one of her posts where she noted that the newborn had already grown very close to her father.

The supermodel noted that Tuulikki would 'look up to you no matter how tall she grows...happy father's day @tomtomdaly we love you.'

Sharing snaps: Later in the day, the supermodel shared several photos to both her Instagram account and Story in recognizance of Father's Day

Hosk later explained that her daughter's first name was that of a Finnish goddess and that her middle name was taken from Daly's mother.

In an essay that was shared through various posts made to her Instagram account, the supermodel opened up about her feelings regarding her child's birth and noted that the experience was entirely life-changing.

The fashion industry figure expressed that 'sometimes I look at her and I cry when I think about what we went through together.'
He recently returned to New York after spending three months in his native Australia to take a break from modelling and work on his mental health.

And Jordan Barrett looked happier than ever as he enjoyed lunch with friends in Manhattan over the weekend.

The 24-year-old beamed as he chatted away with his pal over a sushi lunch.

Fun with friends! Jordan Barrett looked happy as he dined with friends in New York over the weekend after speaking about his battle with mental health

The handsome Byron Bay born catwalk star dressed in a comfortable and casual outfit - wearing baggy shorts and a T-shirt.

He wore his famous locks in a shaggy style and his skin appeared clear and glowing.

Jordan's striking looks have seen him work alongside an impressive selection of A-list models over the years, including Kate Moss and Gigi Hadid.

Healthy: The group enjoyed a sushi lunch in Manhattan

Casual Sunday: The handsome Byron Bay born catwalk star dressed in a comfortable and casual outfit - wearing baggy shorts and a T-shirt

Jordan, who has over 1.1million followers on Instagram, recently spoke to GQ magazine about leaving his native Australia to live a life in New York.

'I'm not looking at it like I'm gone for good,' he confessed.

He also spoke about his battle with mental health, and said that returning to Australia for three months earlier in the year gave him time to reflect on himself.

'From being 17, and being extremely successful overseas in what I was doing, but not even really knowing what it was I was doing' he explained.

'When I was scouted, I didn't even understand what it meant to be a model. I didn't know what was going on in my mind. I didn't even know what a panic attack was until now.'
Channel Nine's Lauren Phillips has sparked rumours she's secretly engaged to aviation tycoon Paul O'Brien after she was spotted sporting a ring on Saturday.

The Weekend Today host flashed a simple gold band on her left hand ring finger as she arrived to Sydney Airport.

Lauren dressed casually in jeans, a white shirt and brown coat as she touched down in Sydney following her work trip to New Zealand.

Wedding bells? Weekend Today host Lauren Phillips has sparked engagement rumours with Sam Armytage's millionaire ex Paul O'Brien

Engagement rumours: The Weekend Today host flashed a simple gold band on her left hand ring finger as she touched down in Sydney Airport

She teamed her stylish ensemble with a pair of Timberland boots and held a black Louis Vuitton handbag.

She also carried a blue Louis Vuitton travel bag on her shoulder.

Lauren flashed the gold band as she used her hand to shield her face as she departed the airport.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Lauren Phillips for comment.

Romance: Lauren and Paul (pictured) began dating when she was living in Melbourne last year

It is rumoured the couple became engaged in April on a secluded island in the Whitsundays.

At the time, onlookers who were yachting around the area claim they were told to leave the island to make way for a proposal.

The onlookers claim they later saw Paul and Lauren leave the same island together.

Casual: Lauren dressed casually in jeans, a white shirt and brown coat as she returned back to Sydney following her work trip to New Zealand

Something to tell us? Lauren flashed her gold band as she used her hand to shield her face as she departed the airport

Lauren and Paul began dating when she was living in Melbourne last year.

But when Victoria's second wave of coronavirus took hold in July, the TV presenter relocated to Byron Bay.

There, she reportedly moved in with Paul while continuing to work as Weekend Today's weather presenter.

The pair were spotted together for the first time in January as they stepped out for a morning walk in Byron Bay.

Stylish: She teamed her ensemble with a pair of Timberland boots and carried a black Louis Vuitton handbag

Next step: Lauren reportedly moved in with Paul while continuing to work as Weekend Today's weather presenter in July last year

Keeping a low profile: The pair were spotted together for the first time back in January as they stepped out for a morning walk in Byron Bay

Lauren was previously married to television producer Lachlan Spark, but they split in December 2018 after just one year of marriage.

They had dated for six years before tying the knot on the Mornington Peninsula in 2017.

Lachlan previously unleashed on his ex in a scathing Instagram post in November, accusing Lauren of 'caring more about herself' during their relationship and saying he 'wasted' years of his life with the wrong person.

But speaking to Confidential that same month, Lachlan responded as to whether or not he meant the words with malice, saying: 'That certainly wasn't my intent.

Ex factor: Lauren was previously married to television producer Lachlan Spark, but they split in December 2018 after just one year of marriage. Pictured together at the the VAMFF 2017 Grand Showcase runway show in Melbourne in March 2017

'I wrote it purely to put it out there (for my own benefit more than anyone else's) that I'd put a difficult period behind me. Nothing malicious.'

He also addressed rumours of a third party as the cause of the end of their relationship - saying it 'had absolutely nothing to do with infidelity'.

'We were just two people heading in vastly different directions who figured it out a little too late,' he said.

Meanwhile, Paul previously dated Sunrise host Samantha Armytage for several months from 2018 to 2019.

He runs high-end aviation business AVMIN, which boasts celebrity clients including Matt Damon and Chris Hemsworth.

Past: Lauren was previously married to television producer Lachlan Spark, but they split in 2018 after just one year of marriage

History: Paul previously dated Sunrise host Samantha Armytage for several months from 2018 to 2019
Rebel Wilson is currently filming her next project, Senior Year, in Atlanta, Georgia.

On Sunday, the 41-year-old looked every inch the belle of the ball when she shot a prom scene for the movie, and shared the images to Instagram.

The Pitch Perfect star looked sensational as she showcased her slimmed-down frame in a floor-length pink frock, while steeping out of a black Tesla.

Pretty in pink! Rebel Wilson showcases her 30 kilogram weight loss on the set of her new movie Senior Year on Sunday

Impressive: Admitting she's always been 'a bit of a late developer,' Rebel said she wished she 'tried [to lose weight] when I was 30, not 40' in an interview over the weekend. Seen here in 2019

The Australian actress wore her blonde tresses down, allowing them to cascade past her shoulders.

'Stephanie Conway arriving in style Senior Year arriving 2022! Can't wait for you guys to see this movie next year,' Rebel wrote.

'Crushing it on the costumes for this huge Prom sequence,' she added.

It's not the first time Rebel has wowed fans with her dramatic transformation.

Wow: The Pitch Perfect star looked sensational as she showcased her slimmed-down frame in a floor-length pink frock, while steeping out of a black Tesla

On Saturday, Rebel shared footage of herself on TikTok running in front of a green screen depicting a city.

The Sydney-born bombshell was wearing a singlet with a bright pink jumper and pants while being hotly pursued by her co-star in the film, actress Mary Holland.

'I'm too fast!' Rebel is heard saying in the video, as she looks behind her.

While running, Rebel shrugged off the jumper, providing a visual clue of just how much weight the actress has lost.

The caption for the post simply said '@maryhollandise (Mary) and I doing amazing acting today #senioryear.'

The humourous TikTok received a lot of love and laughter from Rebel's fans online.

Strange: On Saturday, Rebel shared footage of herself on TikTok running in front of a green screen depicting a city. The Sydney-born bombshell was wearing a singlet with a bright pink jumper and pants while being hotly pursued by her co-star in the film, actress Mary Holland

Many shared laughing emojis, while one user wrote: 'Go Rebel, Go!'

Senior Year is currently in production and stars Wilson as a cheerleader who wakes up from a 20-year coma, and returns to high school in the hopes of regaining her popular status and the prom queen title.

It will also star Clueless actress Alicia Silverstone and is set to land on Netflix in March 2022.
Love Island Australia star Cassidy McGill has suffered an unfortunate Instagram fail after posting about her visit to the hairdresser.

On Sunday, the blonde influencer, 26, uploaded a photo of herself showing off her freshly-coiffed hair.

While Cassidy's post seemed innocent enough, it was her caption that raised eyebrows.

Unfortunate: Love Island Australia star Cassidy McGill, 26, (pictured) suffered an X-rated Instagram fail after she referred to her new blow dried hairstyle as a 'blowy'

'There really is nothing quite like a fresh blowy,' the former bartender wrote next to the image.

While it's clear Cassidy used the term 'blowy' to refer to a 'blow dry', some fans may have mistaken her meaning for something far more risque.

According to Urban Dictionary, 'blowy' is an Australian colloquial term often to describe the act of giving oral sex - usually to a man.

Whoops! While it's clear Cassidy used the term 'blowy' to refer to a 'blow dry', some fans may have mistaken her meaning for something far more risque. According to Urban Dictionary, 'blowy' can be used to refer an oral sex act - usually performed on a man

Cassidy rose to fame on season one of Love Island Australia, which was filmed in Spain and first aired Down Under in 2018.

During her time on the show, she was embroiled in a love triangle between Tayla Damir and Grant Crapp.

Grant eventually dumped Cassidy for Tayla, forcing heartbroken Cassidy to tearfully leave the Mallorcan villa and return to Australia.

Claim to fame: Cassidy rose to fame on season one of Love Island Australia, which was filmed in Spain and first aired Down Under in 2018

Controversial: During her time on the show, she was embroiled in a love triangle between Tayla Damir and Grant Crapp (right)

In 2019, Cassidy infamously raised eyebrows when she publicly slammed the 'stigma' attached to working as a social media influencer, going so far as to describe the job as 'hard work'.

'You know what, I kind of want to come on here and defend this stigma around having [this] as a job,' she wrote on Instagram at the time.

'Everyone thinks that we get paid a s***load to do f*** all, and it's really easy - it's not easy, this job basically never stops and there's a lot of pressure.'
Kurt Coleman has revealed the reason he was rushed to hospital three days ago.

The social media star, 23, told fans he would never be able to consume alcohol again after receiving a diagnosis of pancreatitis, which he blamed on his 'partying days'.

Pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreas, and heavy alcohol consumption is one of the most common causes, along with gallstones.

Sick: Kurt Coleman (pictured) has revealed the reason he was rushed to hospital three days ago. The social media star, 23, told fans he would never be able to consume alcohol again after receiving a diagnosis of pancreatitis, which he blamed on his 'partying days'

Symptoms include upper abdominal pain that often feels worse after eating, fever, vomiting, rapid pulse and nausea.

In a video filmed in his hospital bed and shared to Instagram Stories on Monday, Kurt said: 'I have been diagnosed with pancreatitis, just now. I haven't eaten in three days, and I am about to'.

In further posts, he revealed he would be turning his back on alcohol, and confessed he'd been consuming booze since his early teens.

In a video filmed in his hospital bed and shared to Instagram Stories on Monday, Kurt said: 'I have been diagnosed with pancreatitis, just now'

He added: 'I haven't eaten in three days, I am about to' before enjoying a sandwich

Ouch! Kurt shared a photo his of his cannula and said he could not wait to remove it

Kurt wrote: 'I'm just over the moon that I can eat finally and I don't have any stones, and this can heal, but I will never be able to drink alcohol again and they think this has been caused from my party days. Drinking since I was 13 years old.

'So when I say, "I'm never drinking again" I truly mean it for real this time. Because alcohol can kill me with having pancreatitis. I'm actually so happy because I might be able to go home soon.'

The influencer added in following posts: 'I am completely against drinking alcohol now and I will never ever drink a sip of alcohol ever again in my entire life. It's done. I think of it so differently now it's poison. It's changed my whole perspective on it.

New lease: In further posts, he revealed he would be turning his back on alcohol, and confessed he'd been consuming booze since his early teens

Kurt wrote: 'When I say, "I'm never drinking again" I truly mean it for real this time. Because alcohol can kill me with having pancreatitis. I'm actually so happy because I might be able to go home soon'

Change: Kurt insisted he would be embracing his new attitude towards alcohol right away

'And I wasted years of my life being 'wasted' and I never ever want to get this pain ever again I am telling you guys it was unbearable unexplainable pain. I can't even explain it.'

Kurt concluded that he would be embracing his new attitude towards alcohol right away.

'My work has already begun. Straight away. I want to explain more in depth how I felt, so people can know how toxic drinking is and what you can end up like,' he wrote.

The social media sensation had thanked his friends and fans for their 'overwhelming support' after he was rushed to hospital on Saturday.

ER: The social media sensation had thanked his friends and fans for their 'overwhelming support' after he was rushed to hospital on Saturday

Difficult: A day prior, he shared a photo to Instagram Stories of himself lying in his hospital bed, revealing in the caption that he's 'never felt so alone and scared'

Posting to Instagram on Sunday from his bed at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne, Kurt said he has been at his 'lowest' and in the 'craziest pain'.

The star went on to praise the 'beautiful doctors and nurses' for helping him deal with his anxiety and depression.

A day prior, he shared a photo to Instagram Stories of himself lying in his hospital bed, revealing in the caption that he's 'never felt so alone and scared'.

Kurt is a social media celebrity and podcast host, boasting 114,000 followers on Instagram.
He shares three sons with his soon-to-be ex-wife Megan Fox.

And Brian Austin Green managed to snap a rare family photo on Sunday featuring his youngest children, along with his oldest son Kassius Marcil-Green, 19, from his relationship with actress Vanessa Marcil.

The 47-year-old Beverly Hills, 90210 star got a special assist from his professional dancer girlfriend Sharna Burgess, 36, who took the sweet family picture.

Proud papa: Brian Austin Green, 47, celebrated Father's Day on Sunday with a rare family photo featuring his three youngest sons with Megan Fox and his oldest son Kassius (L) from his relationship with Vanessa Marcil

Brian sported a slightly touched up but still thick salt-and-pepper beard as he beamed from inside a hot tub with his children.

Kassius smiled softly and had his arm over his father's shoulders, while his son Bodhi, seven, sat on his lap and his other sons Journey, four, and Noah, eight, relaxed on his other side.

'Happy Father's Day everyone!!!' Brian gushed in his caption.

He also added a loving message to Sharna.

'Thank you baby for taking such an amazing pic for me :)).'

'Happy Father's Day everyone!!!': Brian thanked his girlfriend Sharna Burgess, 36, for snapping the photo. 'Thank you baby for taking such an amazing pic for me :))'

Back in the fold: Brian is rarely seen with his oldest son Kassius, and his ex Vanessa claimed on Instagram that he and his ex Megan Fox had cut off contact with him for five years

Although it's not unusual for Brian to spend time with his three youngest children, it appears to be much rarer for him to spend time with Kassius.

His ex Vanessa previously claimed on Instagram in 2018 that Kassius had barely seen his father or then-stepmother Megan Fox in years and that his bedroom at their home had been emptied out.

Back in September of last year, she wrote in Instagram comments that her son had been ostracized from Brian's family with Megan Fox for years.

'I celebrate Kassius love for his father and remain extremely grateful that Kass was finally invited back into his fathers life and was able to meet his youngest brother for the first time & finally start seeing his other two siblings again,' she wrote. '5 years apart with no explanation is devastating for children. For siblings. My son is also an incredible & protective big brother.'

She also wrote elsewhere that Kassius used to have a bedroom at the home Brian and Megan shared, but she claimed that it was repurposed once he stopped being invited.

Sweet: Sharna praised the parents on Australia's The Morning Show earlier this year, saying they were 'doing a great job with managing their situation, so Im grateful that Ive been able to fit into it  into their world'

Although Brian's ex may not care for his parenting in recent years, his new girlfriend has nothing but praise for him.

During an appearance on Australia's The Morning Show earlier this year, the Dancing With The Stars pro said Brian and Megan were 'doing a great job with managing their situation, so Im grateful that Ive been able to fit into it  into their world.'

She added that Brian was 'a wonderful dad, and he and his wife  uh, ex-wife  have raised three beautiful children, and they are so wonderful and sweet and kind and considerate, and theyve done such an amazing job.'

New love: Since his split from Megan in May 2020, she has moved on with rapper and rocker Machine Gun Kelly, whom she met while filming Midnight In The Switchgrass in March 2020; seen in May in LA

Brian has had a tumultuous relationship with Megan, which began in 2004 after they met on the set of Hope & Faith when he was 30 and she was only 18.

After breaking off an engagement, they got back together and were married in 2010.

The Transformers actress later filed for divorce in 2015, though they reconciled the following year.

Things ended for good in May of last year, when Brian announced their separation.

Now his ex is coupled up with rapper and rocker Machine Gun Kelly, whom she met on the set of the crime film Midnight In The Switchgrass, which began filming in Puerto Rico in March 2020, shortly before the pandemic forced a pause of production.

After dating around following the split with multiple women, including the recently engaged Courtney Stodden, Brian went official with Sharna in January, a month after they took a Hawaiian vacation.
Lorraine Kelly has branded her ITV colleague Kate Garraway 'incredible' amid her husband's prolonged battle with COVID-19.

The Lorraine host, 61, told MailOnline that Kate's partner Derek's illness profoundly affected the entire morning team at ITV, given their close-knit relationship.

Derek, 53, spent 12 months in hospital after contracting the deadly disease in 2020 and is now being cared for at home, with Lorraine saying of this: 'It hit us all really hard when Kate's husband got COVID. He got it very badly of course.

'It hit us hard': Lorraine Kelly has branded her ITV colleague Kate Garraway 'incredible' amid her husband's prolonged battle with COVID-19

'And with that and having Dr Hillary [Jones] on our team, we were so on it at ITV. Everything was done so well in terms of safety and social distancing and hand-washing.'

Of Derek's ordeal, she added: 'He is back home. And it's a case of baby steps. But Katie is just incredible.'

Of what she misses most amid the pandemic - which saw Lorraine merge her morning show with Good Morning Britain for several weeks at the start of the first lockdown - Lorraine said: 'Travel is my joy and I miss it so much. You should see my fridge with all the magnets on it of places we've been.

'When we can I want to go to Antarctica, Greenland, the Far East...'

'Incredible': The Lorraine host, 61, told MailOnline that Kate's partner Derek's illness profoundly affected the entire morning team at ITV, given their close-knit relationship [pictured together in 2013]

Trauma: Derek, 53, spent 12 months in hospital after contracting the deadly disease in 2020 and is now being cared for at home, with Lorraine saying of this - 'It hit us all really hard when Kate's husband got COVID. He got it very badly of course' [Lorraine and Kate pictured on Lorraine's show recently]

Yet Lorraine has been embracing travelling close to home in the meantime: 'I went to Orkney - it was just joyful. I've had my two jabs so I was confident about it. Not just for myself, for everyone else around me.

'But because you take a ferry to Orkney it felt a bit like I was going overseas. An adventure. I loved it there. And the Outer Hebrides. It's like another world.

'I just can't wait to get out and explore abroad when it's safe. But in the meantime I'm just doing more day trips; exploring England, Wales, Northern Ireland. We have an amazing country. But I can't wait to get travelling again, everyone needs it, we really do.'

Last week, Kate revealed she was informed her husband Derek probably 'wouldn't recover' if he didn't make progress in the two years after he caught COVID-19.

According to the Good Morning Britain presenter, 54, she was told by her doctor that 'there is very little chance of him making a meaningful recovery', if he fails to make significant improvements in the allotted time period.

Tragic: Kate revealed she was informed that her husband Derek Draper probably 'won't recover' if he doesn't make progress in the first two years [pictured on Monday]

Kate disclosed that Derek's neurologist, known as Dr W, also said 'time and waiting are your friends' because he 'had never seen anything like this before so cant personally chart the recovery', reports The Daily Star.

However, when she pressed him on how much time to allow for his recovery, she was shocked to learn his estimate time frame of two years.

Derek was hospitalised in March 2020 and was placed in a medically induced coma before he awoke in July.

The virus caused havoc throughout his entire body, resulting in kidney failure, liver and pancreatic damage.

Arrival: Kate was seen arriving via bike to Global Radio on Monday

Drizzle: The broadcaster has continued with work throughout her family's ordeal

Illness: Derek, 53, has already spent 12 months in hospital after contracting the deadly disease in 2020 and the former lobbyist is now being cared for at home

On more than one occasion his heart stopped beating, he battled bacterial pneumonia and fought multiple infections which punctured holes in his lungs. He is considered to be the longest surviving COVID patient in the country.

Despite returning to his North London home to be with Kate and their children, Darcey, 15, and William, 11, in April, he still needs round-the-clock care.

In an exert of her new book, The Power Of Hope, she recalled her conversation with Dr W and said: 'I had already waited so long.

'"How long before you know more? Not how long will it take for him to recover, because you dont know if he can even recover, but how long before you might know more?"

Tragic: The GMB host, 54, said she was told by her doctor that 'there is very little chance of him making a meaningful recovery', if he fails to make improvements in the allotted time period

'It was a confusing question, but I knew what I meant and he seemed to as well.'

She continued: 'After another long pause, he looked straight at me, then away. "Well, Kate"  the first time he had used my name  "I think its fair to say if he is still like this after two years we will know there is very little chance of him making any meaningful recovery."

'"TWO YEARS!" I screamed inside my head.'

Shock: Derek was hospitalised in March 2020 and the virus caused havoc throughout his body, resulting in kidney failure, liver and pancreatic damage and it stopped his heart from beating

'Up until now I had been living by the minute, hours on the phone monitoring infection levels and statistics, trying to get a handle on where Derek was, wondering every time I went to sleep if he would still be alive in the morning.

'How could I go on like this for another two years? Worse still, how could Derek be trapped like this for two years? The timescale winded me and Im sure I must have slumped a bit in the chair.'

Kate added that an intensive-care specialist, who was also present, explained the challenges that lay ahead.

She added: 'He said, "Derek is still very sick, at serious risk of dying. But even if he can live, and begin to recover from the huge damage COVID has wreaked throughout his body, its not going to be quick.

'"And you are going to have to bear that journey never knowing if he might ever be the person he was before, knowing he might never truly come back to you. You just have to give us time and be strong."'

Struggling to come to terms with the news, she reflected: 'I sensed they were trying to wrap things up. But I couldnt take in what they were saying. I wanted space to take it in. I didnt want to wrap up on this level of bleakness.'
A photo of Susanna Reid during her school days was shared on screen during Monday's edition of Good Morning Britain, prompting the presenter to declare: 'I've got a good head of hair.'

Susanna, 50, was just a teenager at the time, and the photo was taken while she was a sixth form student at St Paul's Girls' School.

The moment unfolded after Susanna and her co-host Adil Ray spoke to guests about the London school's recent decision to scrap the role of head girl because it is deemed too 'binary'.

Throwback: A photo of Susanna Reid, 50, during her school days was shared on screen during Monday's edition of Good Morning Britain

As the segment came to a close, Adil, 47, said: 'The great thing about doing this piece is it was Susanna's former school, St Paul's Girls School.

'So we get the chance to have a look at this again.'

As Susanna's photo appeared on screen, Adil continued: 'Look at that. What year would that have been at school?'

Susanna quipped: 'I can't even remember it's so long ago.'

Teenager: Susanna was just a teenager at the time, and the photo was taken while she was a sixth form student at St Paul's Girls' School

Adil then joked: 'You've got a head girl look about you I have to say.'

It was then that Susanna referred to her full head of hair, saying: 'I've got a good head of hair we can all agree.'

Referring to the photo's dark pigmentation, the presenter added: 'It's kind of got Sepia tones hasn't it? It is very much last century.'

Adil added: 'I think it's great. I was so surprised you didn't have a uniform.'

Funny: As the segment came to a close, Adil Ray, 47, said: 'The great thing about doing this piece is it was Susanna's former school, St Paul's Girls School'

Susanna then clarified: 'Well in sixth form lots of schools don't have uniforms.'

When asked by Adil: 'What were you wearing there?' Susanna hilariously replied: 'I don't know but that got chucked as soon as I saw that photo.'

It comes after St Paul's Girls' School announced it will no longer use the term head girl as it says it is too 'binary'.

The 26,000-a-year school in Hammersmith, London, will instead refer to the position as 'head of school' from the next academic year.

The change has prompted backlash from some staff of the school, which boasts a list of successful women including former vaccines taskforce chief Dame Kate Bingham and actress Rachel Weisz.

A source told The Times: 'Why do the girls have to change their name?

'They should be teaching young women to be proud of their sex, not ashamed of it. It's very contradictory.

'How can you be a single-sex school that exists to empower girls to do well and at the same time support girls to identify out of being a girl?'

Changes: St Paul's Girls' School, which costs 26,000-a-year, will no longer use the term head girl as it says it is too 'binary'

The senior pupil was known as head of school for decades after St Paul's Girls was founded in 1904.

The school said their decision-making was a result of senior pupils considering themselves young women rather than 'girls' but acknowledged the 'binary connotations' were also a factor.

It said senior pupils also felt the historic title was 'more modern, age appropriate and inclusive'.

The school denied that it should change its name under the same logic.

It came as LGBT charity Stonewall urged schools to use the term 'learners' instead of 'boys' and 'girls'.

Guidance documents also suggested teachers hold mixed sex PE classes and ditch all gendered uniforms, The Daily Telegraph reported.
EastEnders icon Shaun Williamson has shed light on his relationship with his secret son, who revealed he loved the show before finding out his father's identity.

Speaking to The Sun On Sunday, the father-son duo admitted they were making up for lost time after it was revealed in September that Shaun had fathered the child with a circus juggler more than 30 years ago.

The star, 55, who played Barry Evans in the soap, said: 'I know Ive missed out on a lot of his life  now I can make up for it', while Gary revealed he had been misled over the identity of his father until recently.

Sweet: EastEnders icon Shaun Williamson has shed light on his relationship with his secret son, who revealed he loved the show before finding out his father's identity

Shaun, who has a daughter Sophie, 22, and son Joseph, 20 with ex-wife Melanie Sacre, gushed over his delight at forging a bond with Gary.

Gary said: 'My nan used to tell me I loved EastEnders as a boy. One of my favourites was Barry. Nan always told me his storylines had me hooked and made me laugh...

'For years I thought someone else was my dad, but some information from my mum and a paternity test revealed that it was in fact the bloke I used to watch on the TV all those years ago...

'I tell people I meet that 'Barry from EastEnders is my dad'  they never believe me, but it's true. The guy I thought was my father left when I was six, but to now have the relationship I do with Shaun is a dream. It's proof that miracles do happen.'

Sweet: Shaun has daughter Sophie, 22, and son Joseph, 20 with ex-wife Melanie Sacre and has now forged a bond with Gary

Gary went as far as revealing that he had once attempted to meet Shaun at a meet and greet however he had not managed to reach out.

Shaun, who lives on The Isle of Sheppey, confessed he was concerned for his other kids, as he said: 'My first concern was that my other adult kids Sophie and Joe were OK. But they were absolutely great with it.'

Last year, Shaun detailed how he received an email in 2013 from Gary living in Northern Ireland who claimed to be his son. He told how the revelation was 'the most frightening but amazing discovery'.

Iconic: Shaun became a household name thanks to his role as Barry Evans on EastEnders, his character was dramatically killed off (pictured) by the evil Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) in 2004 after ten years on the soap

Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Shaun said: 'When I found out I had another son, I was stunned. I was shaking when I went to meet him.'

The actor added: 'He said he never thought in a million years that Barry from EastEnders could be his dad.'

The Celebrity Big Brother star told how he met Gary's mother, who remains anonymous, when he was working as a barman in 1987 aged 22.

Family: Gary went as far as revealing that he had once attempted to meet Shaun at a meet and greet however he had not managed to reach out

Shaun described how he was 'blown away' by the circus juggler and the pair went onto get engaged after six months despite having a 'fiery relationship'.

The star ended the relationship as he took up a job as a Pontin's Bluecoat before he was told by his ex-fiancee that she was pregnant.

However she later explained to her ex Shaun that her landlord's son was in fact the father and his name would be on the birth certificate.

Past: Shaun described how he was 'blown away' by the circus juggler and the pair went onto get engaged after six months despite having a 'fiery relationship'

In 2013 the former postman received an email out-of-the-blue stating it was 'Gary' from his 'circus days'.

The Extras star sent a paternity test to a centre in Canada which confirmed that he was his biological son with Shaun describing how it all 'fell into place'.

Shaun met his long-lost son Gary in a hotel in Belfast and described how the pair 'hit it off' from the start.

Bye Barry! Shaun became the eighth housemate to be evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother House in 2017

He said: 'It was a surreal experience. I could immediately see the similarity. We hit it off straight away.'

Shaun became a household name thanks to his role as Barry Evans on EastEnders from 1994 until 2004. His character was dramatically killed off by the evil Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks).

The actor has gone on to appear on the likes of current programme Mister Winner, Ricky Gervais' Extras and Scoop.

While in 2017, he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and joked as he entered the house that he would have 'Barry from EastEnders' written on his gravestone.
Love Island bosses have warned viewers to 'think before you post' during the new series.

The ITV2 dating show is to make a long-awaited return next Monday after being cancelled last year due to coronavirus; and a social media message shared by the producers has issued a warning to fans in advance.

The series has become known to attract trolls online, and many former Islanders have slammed the show, claiming they have suffered with mental health issues after taking part on it.

Stern reminder: Love Island bosses have warned viewers to 'think before you post' during the new series

Two past contestants have died by suicide, with the show's former host Caroline Flack also taking her life.

A message on the programme's Instagram account read: 'You've got a text! These Islanders are all single and ready to find love. We can't wait to watch them get to know each other, date, and maybe even find the one.

'We're so grateful they're letting us follow their journey this summer. We hope you enjoy the show, but please think before you post.'

Host Laura Whitmore and narrator husband Iain Stirling shared the same message.

Host: Laura Whitmore shared the same message

Sophie Gradon, who was 32, died by suicide in 2018, as did Mike Thalassitis, who was 26, a year later after both taking part on Love Island. Caroline took her life in February 2020 - she was 40-years-old.

This comes after Love Island bosses confirmed the show's duty of care protocols last week.

Dr. Paul Litchfield - who ITV appointed in 2018 to review the show's participant welfare processes - said: 'Society's appreciation of the importance of mental health and wellbeing has grown enormously in recent years and the pandemic has brought that into even sharper focus.

'Reducing the risk of harm, where possible, is an imperative but promoting good mental health is also necessary.

Tragic: Two past contestants have died by suicide, with the show's former host Caroline Flack also taking her life (pictured in 2019, three months before her death)

'ITV's evolving commitment to these issues, backed up by tangible action, is an example to others in the industry and beyond.'

The process for 'all contributors involved' in the show includes 'comprehensive psychological support', 'training for all Islanders on the impacts of social media and handling potential negativity' and 'training for all Islanders on financial management', as well as 'guidance and advice on taking on management after the show'.

There will also be 'detailed conversations' with contestants about the 'impact of participation on the show', as well as a 'proactive aftercare package' which promises to support Islanders once filming has ended with 'proactive contact' and extra support where necessary.

Cancel it: This comes after the mothers of Sophie and Mike warned the new cast to 'walk away now before it's too late'

ITV has confirmed that registered mental health professionals will be available for Love Island stars throughout the entire series, from pre-filming, during the show itself and as part of the aftercare.

What's more, there will be a welfare team during and after the show, and the senior team in Majorca has mental health first aid training.

This comes after the mothers of Sophie and Mike warned the new cast to 'walk away now before it's too late'.

Sophie's mum Deborah, 62, called for disciplinary action against ITV and demanded that the seventh series of the show - scheduled to air on June 28 - be cancelled.

Tragic: Shirley's son Mike, 26, died by suicide in March 2019 after taking part in Love Island in 2017

She said to The Sunday Mirror on Saturday: 'Its a disgrace that they should be allowed to bring it back after three adored, precious people with connections to the show have taken their own lives.'

MailOnline have contacted Love Island representatives for comment.

Deborah and Mike's mum Shirley met for the first time this week at The Mayfair Hotel in London.

In emotional scenes, both women broke down in tears as they consoled one another for the loss of their children.

Heartbreaking: Deborah's daughter Sophie died by suicide in 2018 after being a contestant on the show in 2016

Deborah tearfully told Shirley: 'Ive wanted you to know Ive been thinking of you for so long.'

The mothers also revealed that neither of them can stand to watch the show, with Deborah admitting even the theme tune makes her feel sick.

She also slammed the way she thinks ITV select contestants through social media and cause drama for ratings.

Deborah claimed her much-loved daughter Sophie was never the same again after taking part in the reality series.

She warned the upcoming contestants of this year's series: 'They dont understand just how much the overnight fame and the trolling can affect them. They should walk away before its too late,' she added.

Deborah said: 'Its a disgrace that they should be allowed to bring it back after three adored, precious people with connections to the show have taken their own lives' (pictured: Mike with Shirley)

Together, Deborah and Shirley combed ITV's plan for a new Love Island safeguarding package that they're introducing this year.

Contestants will now receive in-depth press training and professional advice on how to deal with comments from trolls.

Additionally, they'll receive financial guidance so they don't spend all of their prize money or later earnings.

At the meeting: Deborah and Shirley combed ITV's plan for a new Love Island safeguarding package that they're introducing this year (pictured: Montana Brown hugging Shirley at the inquest into Mike's death in 2019)

The channel will also offer Islanders a 14-month-long 'proactive aftercare package', which will include at least eight sessions with a therapist.

As a further precaution, ITV has hired the clinical psychologist Dr Matthew Gould and physician Dr Paul Litchfield.

However, Deborah has dismissed the new measures and expressed her concern that execs can't predict how taking part in the show can affect contestants.

She also added she wouldn't be happy until the show was taken off television completely.

Family: Sophie's mum Deborah previously revealed she's got a brain tumour, saying it could have been caused by the 'stress' of her daughter's tragic death (pictured together)

It comes after Deborah revealed earlier this year that she'd been diagnosed with a brain tumour that had been linked to her daughter's death.

Deborah spoke about her health issues and admitted that every day since her daughter died has been 'agony' in a candid interview with The Mirror.

Deborah explained that in the years following Sophie's death she started suffering from blurred vision and a loss of balance so went to see a specialist.

She said: 'I was told I had an endocrine tumour in my pituitary gland in my brain. He said it could well have been due to the stress of everything.'

Although not cancerous, Deborah said the tumour's position makes it dangerous and she often suffers from chronic fatigue.

Emotional: Reflecting on the loss of her daughter (pictured in 2016), Deborah said 'every day is agony'

The grieving mother also candidly spoke about life without Sophie, saying that each day is a struggle but she keeps going as she wants to tackle trolls.

Reflecting on the awful loss, Deborah told the publication: 'Every day is agony. The pain is visceral. You almost lose your mind and don't know who you are any more.

'I don't want Sophie's death to be in vain... the Government needs to do more. If a beautiful, clever girl can be destroyed by public humiliation, then anyone can.'

She added that she thinks trolls should be named and shamed after sending cruel messages and put on a trolls register.

Full list of Love Island 2021 contestants announced by ITV2

Struggle: Deborah said that Sophie (pictured in 2009) revealed to her she needed counselling when on Love Island but was told she could have just 10 minutes on a Skype call

Deborah claimed that Sophie revealed to her she needed counselling when on Love Island but was told she could have just 10 minutes on a Skype call.

She claimed that the guidelines on the show as just 'smoke and mirrors', adding that Sophie was on sertraline for bipolar depression and 'vulnerable'.

A Love Island spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Welfare and duty of care towards our contributors is always our primary concern, and we have extensive measures in place to support the islanders before, during and after their participation on the show.

Line-up: This year's contestants are being announced across the day on Monday. Pictured are Hugo Hammond and Shannon Singh

'We have continued to evolve our process with each series, as the level of social media and media attention around the islanders has increased, which includes enhanced psychological support, more detailed conversations with potential Islanders regarding the impact of participation on the show, bespoke training for all Islanders on social media and a proactive aftercare package.'

Love Island has not aired since February 2020 after both the summer 2020 and winter 2021 editions were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The new series is rumoured to be the 'biggest in history', as ITV bosses gear up for the highly anticipated comeback.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, or see samaritans.org for details
More than six years after his death, Nicole Kidman paid tribute to her late father, Antony, on Instagram.

The 54-year-old actress shared a photo of herself with her dad and another one with her husband of 15 years, Keith Urban, for US Father's Day on Sunday.

'Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and father figures out there. My love to these two fathers in particular. #USFathersDay,' she captioned the post on Monday.

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Daddy's girl: More than six years after his death, Nicole Kidman paid tribute to her late father, Antony, on Instagram

The first photo showed a young Nicole and her father gazing adoringly at each other, while a second photo showed The Undoing actress giving Keith, 53, a sweet kiss on the cheek.

Antony died from a fall while in Singapore visiting Nicole's sister, Antonia, back in September 2014.

In an interview with The Ellen DeGeneres Show a month later in October 2014, Nicole admitted she was still coming to terms with her dad's sudden death.

'Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and father figures out there. My love to these two fathers in particular. #USFathersDay,' she captioned the post. Pictured with husband Keith Urban

'Everybody loses their parents and it's awful. I'm sorry to bring everything down, but I'm at the same time trying to navigate through something right now,' she said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in October 2014

'Everybody loses their parents and it's awful. I'm sorry to bring everything down, but I'm at the same time trying to navigate through something right now,' she said at the time.

'And I'm amazed when people reach out, because it's an awkward thing at times, but to have people go, "I'm so sorry for your loss" the power of that...

'When you realise that someone has gone through a similar thing or is going through a similar thing, it really connects you.'

Family tragedy: Antony died from a fall while in Singapore visiting Nicole's sister, Antonia (far left), back in September 2014. Pictured with their mother, Janelle (second left)

Meanwhile, Nicole's best friend, Naomi Watts, gave her pal a sweet shoutout on Instagram on Sunday for her birthday on June 20.

Naomi, 52, shared a short video of Nicole wrapping her arms around her and snuggling against her.

'Happy birthday darling girl. Miss you madly xxx,' she captioned the post.

Birthday girl: Nicole's best friend, Naomi Watts, gave her pal a sweet shoutout on Instagram on Sunday for her birthday on June 20

The two women have been best friends ever since they starred in the 1991 film, Flirting, together.

In an interview with People in June 2017, Naomi revealed that they'd been through their share of ups and downs.

'We've gone through a lot together over a significant amount of time. That history binds you. We have a strong respect and love for one another,' she said.
Bindi Irwin has announced that she is taking a break from public life, after she shared a scathing Facebook post about her grandfather, Bob Irwin, on Sunday.

In an Instagram post on Monday, the Wildlife Warrior, 22, shared a black and white photograph in which she cuddled her three-month-old baby daughter Grace, and said she was 'working hard to protect her mental health'.

She wrote at length in the caption: 'Hi guys, Just a note to say thank you for your support. I'm taking a break from social media and most of my work in the public eye for a month to be with my beautiful daughter and my wonderful family.

Rest: Bindi Irwin has announced that she is taking a break from public life, after she shared a scathing Facebook post about her grandfather, Bob Irwin, on Sunday. Sharing a black and white photograph to Instagram in which she cuddles three-month-old baby daughter Grace, on Monday, the Wildlife Warrior, 22, discussed her mental health. Pictured with Grace

'I feel tremendously grateful to share our life and conservation work with you but I need some time to focus on the happiness that is my family (both human and animal). You can keep up with our adventures by following my family and Australia Zoo on social media.

'Recently, I've had many people reaching out to share their own stories of working hard to protect their mental health. Thank you for sharing and speaking your truth.

'To my friends who are dealing with depression, anxiety and other battles every day - I see you. These issues are very real and deserve to be discussed and addressed.

She wrote at length in the caption: 'Hi guys, Just a note to say thank you for your support. I'm taking a break from social media and most of my work in the public eye for a month to be with my beautiful daughter and my wonderful family. Pictured with husband Chandler Powell

'Surround yourself with the light of people who genuinely care about you and will support you during the good times and the hard times. Remember there are helplines available.

'Mental health deserves more understanding and support instead of being dismissed or patronised. You are absolutely worthy of love and kindness,' she concluded.

Earlier on Monday, Bindi shared a cryptic post about finding 'strength' while 'pulling yourself out of a mental dark place'.

Cryptic: Earlier on Monday, Bindi shared a cryptic post about finding 'strength' while 'pulling yourself out of a mental dark place'

She posted a quote by U.S.-based author Steve Maraboli, which read: 'I don't think people realize how much strength it takes to pull yourself out of a dark place mentally. So if you've done that today or any day, I'm proud of you.'

She also took to Facebook to repost a photo of husband Chandler Powell, 24, cuddling their daughter Grace to mark Father's Day in the USA.

The posts come after Bindi sensationally spoke out about her strained relationship with her estranged grandfather Bob Irwin Snr in a scathing Facebook comment.

On Sunday, she shared a sweet post celebrating Father's Day in the USA, saying she was thankful for the 'three most incredible fathers in her life'; her late father Steve Irwin, her husband Chandler and her father-in-law Chris.

Claims: The posts come after Bindi sensationally spoke out about her strained relationship with her estranged grandfather Bob Irwin Snr in a scathing Facebook comment. Pictured with mother Terri (second right) and brother Robert (second left) in 2007

When one fan asked why she hadn't included her grandfather - Steve's father, Bob - Bindi gave an uncharacteristically raw account of their relationship, claiming he's ignored her since she was a 'little girl'.

The mother-of-one wrote: 'I really wish that my entire family could spend time with Grace. Unfortunately, my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family.'

She went on to claim that Bob had 'returned gifts I've sent after he opened them', and ignored any letters sent from her.

'From the time I was a little girl he has ignored me, preferring to spend time doing anything else rather than being with me,' she continued.

Speaking out: When one fan asked why she hadn't included her grandfather - Steve's father, Bob - Bindi gave an uncharacteristically raw account of their relationship, claiming he's ignored her since she was a 'little girl'

Thankful: Bindi had commented on a sweet Father's Day post celebrating the 'three most incredible fathers in her life' ; her late father Steve Irwin, her husband Chandler Powell and her father-in-law Chris

'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart.'

She went on to say that her mother Terri still writes to him and sends birthday cards and Christmas gifts, but claims they have received no reply.

'We have also been his financial support since 1992 when he returned from Australia Zoo, sending him funds every week,' she added.

'We built him a house on a beautiful property and will always do our best to ensure his wellbeing.

No response: She went on to say that her mother Terri still writes to him and sends birthday cards and Christmas gifts, but says they have received no reply

Strained: 'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart.' Bindi claims. Pictured: Bob holding a photograph of Bindi in 2008

'I hope everyone remembers to be kind to one another but most of all care for your own mental health.

'I have struggled with this relationship my entire life and it brings me enormous pain.'

Bindi, who welcomed her first daughter Grace in March, concluded by saying she has to 'choose to care for her own mental health now'.

Bob previously spoke to the media about the alleged family feud that left him estranged from his granddaughter.

'We have also been his financial support since 1992 when he returned from Australia Zoo, sending him funds every week,' she added. Pictured, Bob Irwin and wife Judy at the RSPCA in Brisbane in 2008

Helping hand: 'We built him a house on a beautiful property and will always do our best to ensure his wellbeing,' said Bindi. Pictured, Bob Irwin's farm outside Kingaroy, 2008

In September 2019, he told the Courier Mail that he had not received a response since writing a letter to Bindi in which he wished her well after she announced her engagement to her now-husband Chandler in July.

He claimed their latest dispute stemmed from a misunderstanding after a reporter walked onto his property hoping to get a comment on what he thought about the engagement.

When Mr Irwin refused to answer, it was mistakenly taken as a begrudged silence. Photos of him at his home were also splashed across the tabloids, only fuelling the false impression that he was unhappy with the upcoming marriage.

Feud: In September 2019, Bob told the Courier Mail that he had not received a response since writing a letter to Bindi in which he wished her well after she announced her engagement to her now-husband Chandler in July. Pictured in 2016

He said he wasn't invited to the wedding, and didn't expect to be.

'If they wanted to, of course I would,' he had said.

'I get messages (from friends) constantly about how Bob and Bindi are doing, what achievements they've made, what interests they have, and I also watch television like everyone else.

'They keep me up-to-date. Both Bindi and Bob have achieved a lot in a short space of time; mind you, they're both only young yet. But they've done well and I would say Steve would be pretty happy with the way they're doing.'
Love Island 2021 contestant Aaron Francis 'hosted and chatted' at Princess Beatrice's wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi last summer.

The luxury events host, 24, also worked at the 2020 BRITs where he networked with the likes of Billie Eilish and Stormzy.

As well as 'hosting' Princess Beatrice's July wedding in 2020, Aaron also worked on her sister Princess Eugenie's big day when she married Jack Brooksbank in October 2018.

Impressive CV: Love Island 2021 contestant Aaron Francis 'hosted and chatted' at Princess Beatrice's wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi last summer

Talking about his exciting role as a luxury events host and the royal weddings he has worked, Aaron said: 'Yeah, Eugenie and Beatrice's over the summer. I hosted and chatted. It was nice and intimate.

'Everyone's chill. In my job you meet a lot of famous people unless you're Beyonce, I'm not really interested.'

Aaron has also shared several pictures of his luxury events to Instagram, revealing that he worked the 2020 BRITs.

It comes after MailOnline revealed the first of the 2021 contestants to be officially unveiled by Love Island for this summer's comeback series on Friday as Aaron.

Pictured: Princess Beatrice pictured with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi during their wedding in July 2020

Wow! The luxury events host, 24, also worked at the 2020 BRITs where he networked with the likes of Billie Eilish and Stormzy

The news was confirmed by ITV2 on Monday with Aaron revealing he has been single for about 'six or seven months' due to the dating world being a 'little bit off' during the pandemic.

Talking about his decision to take part, the luxury events host, 24, said: 'I've been single for about six or seven months and the dating world at the moment is a little bit off.

'Everyone's wearing masks. You can't really see anyone which makes dating a lot harder. I do prefer relationships than dating.'

Teasing his criteria for a future partner, Aaron said: 'I need someone that is passionate about what they are doing - from scientist to anything - you can tell when someone is speaking about something and they are actually smiling while they are talking.

Amazing: Talking about his exciting role as a luxury events host and the royal weddings he has worked, Aaron said: 'Yeah, Eugenie and Beatrice's over the summer. I hosted and chatted. It was nice and intimate.'

Star-studded: He added: 'Everyone's chill. In my job you meet a lot of famous people unless you're Beyonce, I'm not really interested.'

Pictured: Aaron is a pro model and represented by agency Linden Staub

'I love that. I don't like when people are doing a job just to make money and then they kind of just live for the weekend. Especially because I work on the weekends.'

As well as Aaron, other confirmed contestants include Nando's waitress Liberty Poole, civil servant Sharon Gaffka, the show's first ever disabled Islander, PE teacher Hugo Hammond and glamour model Shannon Singh.

Model Aaron, who is also a luxury events host, has no real social media profile  unlike recent Islanders  having just over 4,230followers on his Instagram, which is littered with shirtless pictures.

A Love Island source told MailOnline: 'Aaron has no real claim to fame, he's just a normal guy. However, his job does mean he sometimes moves in glamorous circles and he gets lots of attention.

Golden hour: The model is hoping to raise his profile on Love Island

Snapped! Aaron's social media following has already doubled since the announcement that he is to join the show

Welcome to Love Island 2021! Model Aaron, who is also a luxury events host, has no real social media profile  unlike recent Islanders  having just over 4,230 followers on his Instagram, which is littered with shirtless pictures

'Bosses think he'll be a real hit in the house with the girls and also get on with the guys.'

Aaron will have to quarantine when he reaches Majorca, as will all cast and crew, to comply with Covid-19 safety measures.

The pandemic resulted in last year's summer series being postponed and fans are eagerly awaiting the new series following the ITV2 juggernaut's extended break.

It's rumoured the British series may experience a crossover with its US counterpart, as both are being filmed at the same time, but bosses have yet to confirm the audacious move to ensure plot surprises are kept under-wraps.

CONFIRMED: The Love Island 2021 contestants have been confirmed as Nando's waitress Liberty Poole and civil servant Sharon Gaffka (L-R)

Work it: Glamour model Shannon Singh, 22, has also been confirmed

Each confirmed contestant will be given thorough psychological and medical assessments by health experts before, during and after the series as part of the show's duty of care protocols.

And every Islander must fully disclose their medical history to ensure the environment of the villa is suitable.

The 2021 summer series will be hosted by Laura Whitmore who featured in the show's big teaser advert last week.

The hit ITV2 dating show has not aired since February 2020 after both the summer 2020 and winter 2021 editions were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Love Island returns on Monday June 28 at 9pm on ITV2 and the ITVHub.

Line-up: The show's first ever disabled star, PE teacher Hugo Hammond, 24, pictured
Scarlett Moffatt candidly discussed her HPV diagnosis and Lletz treatment during an appearance on Loose Women on Monday, saying she had 'nasty cells [on her cervix] burned away'.

In a bid to encourage women to attend their cervical screenings, the former Gogglebox star, 30, explained she was told she had HPV (human papillomavirus) after a cervical screening, and later underwent Lletz treatment to have the abnormal cells removed.

Scarlett said: 'My friend who's a nurse - Rachel - she said come back in three years [after her first cervical screening]. I went back and they said ''Oh, we've found that you've got HPV''.'

Candid: Scarlett Moffatt, 30, candidly discussed her HPV diagnosis and Lletz treatment during an appearance on Loose Women on Monday, saying she had 'nasty cells [on her cervix] burned away'

The star continued: 'When I spoke about this with my friends, no one talks about it even though eight out of ten people who are sexually active get it at some point in their life.'

Scarlett went on: 'It's got this stigma around it where no one knows what it is, and I had to then go to a screening every six months and I ended up having Lletz treatment which is sort of like where they burn away the nasty cells.

'But obviously if I didn't go for my cervical screening then who knows where that could have ended up.'

Touching upon the fact that many of her friends have yet to undergo their first smear test, Scarlett added: 'I can't believe how many of my friends - I'm talking 35, 36 - have never been for one. It upsets us so much because it doesn't hurt.'

Encouraging: In a bid to encourage women to attend their cervical screenings, the former Gogglebox star explained she was told she had HPV (human papillomavirus) after a cervical screening

HPV infection  which is spread through close skin-to-skin contact, often during sexual activity  is extremely common. Up to eight out of 10 people will be infected with the virus at some point in their lives, according to Cancer Research UK.

It usually causes no symptoms at all and for most people, the body will clear the infection on its own. But for some it stays around for a long time and has been proven to cause certain types of cancer in some people.

In December, Scarlett candidly detailed how she had a Lletz treatment, saying she was 'anxious' and 'scared' before the procedure as she didn't know what to expect.

Taking to Instagram, Scarlett said that she wished she hadn't worried as it was over quickly and encouraged other women not to be concerned about having a 'smear or for any follow up treatment' as it could 'literally save your life'.

Explaining that she wants to use social media for good and put some information out there about the procedure, Scarlett started explaining what had happened.

Speaking about abnormal cells, she said: 'They can be easily treated if they're caught quickly but if they're not and you leave your smear tests, then it can be devastating and can literally be life or death.

Treatment: Scarlett told the panel that she later underwent Lletz treatment to have the abnormal cells removed

'I know that sounds really horrific and I'm not saying that to scare you. I'm saying that to show you how this tiny procedure, which lasts no longer than five to 10 minutes  normally five minutes  can literally save your life.'

Scarlett then discussed her own medical history and told her fans: 'I went for my cervical screening and it had abnormalities.

'I've had abnormalities for a couple of years now and then it wasn't getting better. It wasn't healing on its own. So an amazing nurse called Rachel who I've seen from the beginning said to me, I think it's best that you get some treatment on this.'

The star continued: 'When I spoke about this with my friends, no one talks about it even though eight out of ten people who are sexually active get it at some point in their life'

Scarlett then chatted about the technicalities of the Lletz treatment saying: 'They get an electric loop wire and remove all those nasty pre-cancerous cells... and I'm quite an anxious person and when I was looking for information on this I found a little bit online.. and on YouTube it was all weird stuff so I thought I'll do a video.

'You can be given an anaesthetic but due to the Covid situation and you'd have to self-isolate, I went for the local anaesthetic which they administer into your cervix.

'This sounds so scary and I'm not going to lie to you, because it was the unknown and I hadn't heard anyone talk about this, I was so nervous. I cried, cried some more, literally cried so much,' she candidly added.

Honest: In December, Scarlett revealed that she's had abnormal cells removed from her cervix after having a smear test

What is the Lletz procedure? The most common treatment for removing abnormal cells is Lletz. This is stands for large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ). Lletz is also called loop diathermy, loop cone, loop biopsy or loop excision. It involves removing the abnormal cells using a thin wire loop that's heated with an electric current. Usually the procedure is done while the patient is awake, with local anaesthetic injected into the cervix to numb it. After having Lletz women are advised to avoid driving for 24 hours and using tampons and having sex for four weeks. It is also advised to have another cervical screening in six months. Source: NHS Advertisement

She also said that her boyfriend Scott Dobinson supported her throughout the treatment, saying: 'Scott was like, ''come on, you can do this, it's really important'', so I braved up.

'And the nurse said I could have gas and air to take the edge off it although literally its an injection so you might feel a bit of discomfort but then the numbness kicks in.'

Scarlett added: 'It's such a simple procedure that is maybe heightened in our own minds because it's such a sensitive and personal area but honestly, doctors and nurses see those bits all the time.

'It's so important that if they say there's a treatment that can help prevent cancer, you take it...'

Speaking again about the procedure, Scarlett said: 'Just make a joke of it, I know even saying it sounds so daunting but it's really not, it's just another thing to do at the hospital... And then it's over.

'I really worked myself up about it and I wish I hadn't. I wish I'd seen a video like this so I knew there was actually nothing to be scared of.

'It's weird because you sort of fear the unknown. They took a biopsy, took all the abnormal cells out so fingers crossed all comes back well with that.'

She finished up the video by saying: 'I might have some spotting and you're not allowed any sexy time for four weeks and you can't go in hot tubs, but then after that everything's fine and dandy.'

Alongside the detailed video posted to her grid, Scarlett penned: 'I really hope this helps at least one person. I scouted everywhere to find a video on this treatment to get rid of abnormal cells from your cervix and I just couldn't.

'I was scared about the unknown & wish someone had told me that it really isn't bad or painful at all. A bit of discomfort that's it, so please watch this & promise me you will go for that cervical smear or for any follow up treatment. It's so important my lovely ladies  you've got this'.

Scarlett has always been open about her own smear tests and revealed in July that she may have to have her abnormal cervical cells removed.
Jack Tweed enjoyed a night out with Jade Goody's son Bobby Brazier over the weekend after he was allowed back in touch with his late wife's kids.

Jack, 34, revealed in 2018 that he was able to visit Bobby, 18, and Freddy, 16, again after the boys' father, Jade's ex Jeff Brazier, had banned him from seeing them following their mother's death when he spiralled out of control and ended up in jail.

The 34-year-old has since 'sorted himself out' and he works as an electrician, the same job he had before he met Jade.

Night out: Jack Tweed enjoyed a night out with Jade Goody's son Bobby Brazier over the weekend after he was allowed back in touch with his late wife's kids

Jack took to his Instagram over the weekend to share updates of his night out with Bobby, who turned 18 earlier this month, on his Story.

The stepfather and stepson appeared in great spirits as they beamed to the camera while out partying with other friends.

Bobby turned 18 earlier this month on 6 June where he, his father Jeff, and brother Freddy celebrated the birthday milestone.

The 18-year-old has established a successful career as a model, already working for established brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Dolce and Gabbana.

Gone too soon: Jack, 34, revealed in 2018 that he was able to visit Bobby, 18, and Freddy, 16, again after the boys' father, Jade's ex Jeff Brazier, had banned him from seeing them following their mother's death when he spiralled out of control (pictured with Jade and her two sons)

Fun times: Jack took to his Instagram over the weekend to share updates of his night out with Bobby, who turned 18 earlier this month, on his Story

Bobby bears a striking resemblance to his late mother Jade Goody, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 27 following a battle with cervical cancer.

In 2018, Jack revealed he was finally back in touch with Jade's two sons as he marked the then 10th anniversary of his late wife's tragic death.

The electrician had previously been banned from seeing them following their mother's death when the widower spiralled out of control and ended up in jail.

But after 'sorting himself out' and getting a decent job working as a builder, Jeff allowed supervised visits.

Family: Jade's ex Jeff pictured with his two sons Bobby, 18, and Freddy, 16, in a throwback picture

Jack revealed to OK! magazine at the time: 'Jeff stopped me from seeing the boys. At that time, I was getting into trouble and I was off the rails - so Jeff was probably right to do that.

'Now he's seen I've sorted myself out, so he got in touch and said the boys had been asking about me.

'They came around to mine for tea and Jeff was there so it felt like an awkward first date!'

Jack tied the knot with Jade Goody in 2009 following a three year romance, just one month before her tragic death from cervical cancer aged just 27.

Happy Birthday! Bobby turned 18 earlier this month on 6 June where he, his father Jeff, and brother Freddy celebrated the birthday milestone

She had split from the father of her sons Jeff while she was pregnant with their youngest child in 2004, after two years together.

Jack previously claimed he had only been allowed to see the boys once since Jade's death.

TV presenter Jeff has sole custody of the boys, who he raises with wife Kate Dwyer, and banned Jack from visitations when he ended up in prison.

Just one month after Jade lost her battle with cancer, Jack was sentenced to a 12-week jail term in April 2009 after being convicted of assaulting a taxi driver.

Model: The 18-year-old has established a successful career as a model, already working for established brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Dolce and Gabbana (pictured in 2020)

He was accused of rape later that year, but was later cleared of the charges.

Jack has previously emotionally insisted that he 'loved them like they was my own'.

'I brought them up for four years. Jeff used to only be around once a month for the weekend', he told The Sun in a past interview.

While Jack acknowledged that Jeff has been a great dad to the kids, he was adamant Jade wanted him to adopt them at the time and that he was the real 'father figure' in their lives at the time.

Heartbreaking: In 2018, Jack revealed he was finally back in touch with Jade's two sons as he marked the then 10th anniversary of his late wife's tragic death (Jade pictured with her two sons in 2006)

However, it seems he has since had a change of heart and is willing to accept the boys in his life on Jeff's terms.

Only recently, Jack looked loved-up as he posed for snaps with his new girlfriend Alee Jeffreys.

Jack has found love again 12 years after his late wife's passing, having revealed in March he was seeing someone new who he met on social media.

Essex native Alee shared a photo of the couple together as she marked Jack's 34th birthday.

Claims: Jack previously claimed he had only been allowed to see the boys once since Jade's death (pictured with Jade in 2008)

The couple were all smiles as they posed for a mirror selfie, with Jack stood behind Alee on the stairs as they grinned at the camera.

The pair went out for drinks to celebrate Jack's birthday with the media personality seen sitting in a pub in another snap.

Alongside the photos, Alee wrote: 'Happy birthday my love @JackTweed'.

It appears to be the first time the couple have shared photos together on social media, with Alee regularly posting stunning snaps of herself to her feed.

Couple: Only recently, Jack looked loved-up as he posed for snaps with his new girlfriend Alee Jeffreys

It comes after Jack told The Sun about the love in his life, saying he found romance difficult because he always compared new girlfriends to Jade.

He said: 'I've met someone. She's a really nice girl. We talk every day and it's probably the most serious I've been since Jade. It's hard for me because I will compare it all with Jade. I will never forget about Jade.

'I know it's stupid to think about 'cause I'm never gonna get what I had with Jade again and I'm never going to find Jade again. It's impossible. I have to get out of my head.

'I hope it goes well, it's early days, but I like her a lot and would like to settle down again.'

Jack was 21 when he and Jade married in February 2009, just one month before her death from cervical cancer.

The widower recently paid tribute to Jade and marked what would have been her 40th birthday.

Jack shared a snap of himself and the Big Brother star together alongside a heart emoji and her date of birth.

The mother-of-two would have turned 40 on June 5, with her widower ensuring the remember the star on the milestone date.

Loved-up: The pair went out for drinks to celebrate Jack's birthday with the media personality seen sitting in a pub in another snap

As well as marking Jade's birthday on social media, a source claimed that Jack would visit her graveside to privately pay his respects.

A pal told The Sun: 'Jack will never stop loving and missing Jade. The years may pass by but it doesn't get any easier to deal with.

'He will spend the weekend, as he always does in significant anniversaries and parts of Jade's life by paying his respects privately at Jade's graveside.

Beauty: It appears to be the first time the couple have shared photos together on social media, with Alee regularly posting stunning snaps of herself to her feed

'Jack has tried to move on with his life since Jade dies but he has come to accept he will never meet anyone who comes close.'

Electrician Jack also paid tribute to his late wife back in March as he marked 12 years since her tragic death.

Taking to Instagram, Jack shared a sweet image of himself and Jade alongside her sons Freddie and Bobby, captioning the image: '12 years never forgotten, miss you.'
Chandler Powell has thrown his support behind his wife, Bindi Irwin, after she announced that she's taking a break from social media.

In an Instagram post shared on Monday, the 24-year-old wrote: 'You inspire me with your unwavering kindness and your ability to stand up for what is right.

'You are the strongest and most beautiful person inside and out. Grace has an amazing mama to look up to'.

Support: Chandler Powell has thrown his support behind his wife, Bindi Irwin, after she announced she's taking a break from social media. Pictured with their baby girl Grace

It comes as Bindi reveals she is taking a break from public life, after she shared a scathing Facebook post about her grandfather, Bob Irwin, on Sunday.

In an Instagram post on Monday, the Wildlife Warrior, 22, shared a black and white photograph in which she cuddled her three-month-old baby daughter Grace, and said she was 'working hard to protect her mental health'.

She wrote at length in the caption: 'Hi guys, Just a note to say thank you for your support. I'm taking a break from social media and most of my work in the public eye for a month to be with my beautiful daughter and my wonderful family.

Sweet: In a post shared to Instagram on Monday, the 24-year-old wrote: 'You inspire me with your unwavering kindness and your ability to stand up for what is right. 'You are the strongest and most beautiful person inside and out. Grace has an amazing mama to look up to'

Rest: Bindi announced that she is taking a break from public life, after she shared a scathing Facebook post about her grandfather, Bob Irwin, on Sunday. Sharing a black and white photograph to Instagram in which she cuddles three-month-old baby daughter Grace, on Monday, the Wildlife Warrior, 22, discussed her mental health. Pictured with Grace

'I feel tremendously grateful to share our life and conservation work with you but I need some time to focus on the happiness that is my family (both human and animal). You can keep up with our adventures by following my family and Australia Zoo on social media.

'Recently, I've had many people reaching out to share their own stories of working hard to protect their mental health. Thank you for sharing and speaking your truth.

'To my friends who are dealing with depression, anxiety and other battles every day - I see you. These issues are very real and deserve to be discussed and addressed.

She wrote at length in the caption: 'Hi guys, Just a note to say thank you for your support. I'm taking a break from social media and most of my work in the public eye for a month to be with my beautiful daughter and my wonderful family. Pictured with husband Chandler Powell

'Surround yourself with the light of people who genuinely care about you and will support you during the good times and the hard times. Remember there are helplines available.

'Mental health deserves more understanding and support instead of being dismissed or patronised. You are absolutely worthy of love and kindness,' she concluded.

Earlier on Monday, Bindi shared a cryptic post about finding 'strength' while 'pulling yourself out of a mental dark place'.

Cryptic: Earlier on Monday, Bindi shared a cryptic post about finding 'strength' while 'pulling yourself out of a mental dark place'

She posted a quote by U.S.-based author Steve Maraboli, which read: 'I don't think people realize how much strength it takes to pull yourself out of a dark place mentally. So if you've done that today or any day, I'm proud of you.'

She also took to Facebook to repost a photo of husband Chandler Powell, 24, cuddling their daughter Grace to mark Father's Day in the USA.

The posts come after Bindi sensationally spoke out about her strained relationship with her estranged grandfather Bob Irwin Snr in a scathing Facebook comment.

On Sunday, she shared a sweet post celebrating Father's Day in the USA, saying she was thankful for the 'three most incredible fathers in her life'; her late father Steve Irwin, her husband Chandler and her father-in-law Chris.

Claims: The posts come after Bindi sensationally spoke out about her strained relationship with her estranged grandfather Bob Irwin Snr in a scathing Facebook comment. Pictured with mother Terri (second right) and brother Robert (second left) in 2007

When one fan asked why she hadn't included her grandfather - Steve's father, Bob - Bindi gave an uncharacteristically raw account of their relationship, claiming he's ignored her since she was a 'little girl'.

The mother-of-one wrote: 'I really wish that my entire family could spend time with Grace. Unfortunately, my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family.'

She went on to claim that Bob had 'returned gifts I've sent after he opened them', and ignored any letters sent from her.

'From the time I was a little girl he has ignored me, preferring to spend time doing anything else rather than being with me,' she continued.

Speaking out: When one fan asked why she hadn't included her grandfather - Steve's father, Bob - Bindi gave an uncharacteristically raw account of their relationship, claiming he's ignored her since she was a 'little girl'

Thankful: Bindi had commented on a sweet Father's Day post celebrating the 'three most incredible fathers in her life' ; her late father Steve Irwin, her husband Chandler Powell and her father-in-law Chris

'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart.'

She went on to say that her mother Terri still writes to him and sends birthday cards and Christmas gifts, but claims they have received no reply.

'We have also been his financial support since 1992 when he returned from Australia Zoo, sending him funds every week,' she added.

'We built him a house on a beautiful property and will always do our best to ensure his wellbeing.

No response: She went on to say that her mother Terri still writes to him and sends birthday cards and Christmas gifts, but says they have received no reply

Strained: 'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart.' Bindi claims. Pictured: Bob holding a photograph of Bindi in 2008

'I hope everyone remembers to be kind to one another but most of all care for your own mental health.

'I have struggled with this relationship my entire life and it brings me enormous pain.'

Bindi, who welcomed her first daughter Grace in March, concluded by saying she has to 'choose to care for her own mental health now'.

Bob previously spoke to the media about the alleged family feud that left him estranged from his granddaughter.

'We have also been his financial support since 1992 when he returned from Australia Zoo, sending him funds every week,' she added. Pictured, Bob Irwin and wife Judy at the RSPCA in Brisbane in 2008

Helping hand: 'We built him a house on a beautiful property and will always do our best to ensure his wellbeing,' said Bindi. Pictured, Bob Irwin's farm outside Kingaroy, 2008

In September 2019, he told the Courier Mail that he had not received a response since writing a letter to Bindi in which he wished her well after she announced her engagement to her now-husband Chandler in July.

He claimed their latest dispute stemmed from a misunderstanding after a reporter walked onto his property hoping to get a comment on what he thought about the engagement.

When Mr Irwin refused to answer, it was mistakenly taken as a begrudged silence. Photos of him at his home were also splashed across the tabloids, only fuelling the false impression that he was unhappy with the upcoming marriage.

Feud: In September 2019, Bob told the Courier Mail that he had not received a response since writing a letter to Bindi in which he wished her well after she announced her engagement to her now-husband Chandler in July. Pictured in 2016

He said he wasn't invited to the wedding, and didn't expect to be.

'If they wanted to, of course I would,' he had said.

'I get messages (from friends) constantly about how Bob and Bindi are doing, what achievements they've made, what interests they have, and I also watch television like everyone else.

'They keep me up-to-date. Both Bindi and Bob have achieved a lot in a short space of time; mind you, they're both only young yet. But they've done well and I would say Steve would be pretty happy with the way they're doing.'
After almost seven years away from our screens, Beauty and the Geek Australia is finally returning with a brand new season.

On Monday, Channel Nine gave fans a sneak peek at the upcoming reboot by sharing a two and half minute clip to Instagram.

The trailer kicks off showing footage of this year's geeks travelling by speed boat to meet their beauties on Sydney Harbour.

Coming soon: After almost seven years away from our screens, Beauty and the Geek Australia is finally returning to TV with a brand new season. Pictured: Host Sophie Monk

One nerd is then heard complaining, 'The waves splashing onto me. It gets onto the skin and salt water is not good for the skin. It's like nature's aftershave.'

Upon arrival at their destination, the nerds are introduced to the beauties by host Sophie Monk.

'Girls, are you ready to meet your men?' asks Sophie.

Do opposites attract? The trailer kicks off showing footage of this year's geeks travelling by speed boat to meet their beauties on Sydney Harbour

Looking for love: One nerd is then heard complaining, 'The waves splashing onto me. It gets onto the skin and salt water is not good for the skin. It's like nature's aftershave'

Meet your host: Upon arrival at their destination, the nerds were introduced to the beauties by a very busty Sophie Monk

At one point in the teaser, one brunette beauty is left speechless after a geek asked what her apocalypse survival plan was.

While things appear to get off to an awkward start for some, it appears others may find love on the reality show.

One female describes her partner as 'low-key hot', while another says that she is 'open to falling in love with a geek'.

Will she find The One? At one point in the teaser, a brunette beauty is left speechless after a geek asked what her apocalypse survival plan was

Will they last? While things appear to get off to an awkward start for some, it appears others may find love on the reality show

If the comments left underneath Channel Nine's preview are anything to go by, it appears reality TV fans can't wait for the new series.

Celebrity Apprentice star Michelle Bridges wrote: 'Looks really fun and super sweet,' while former Bachelor Matthew Johnson said he 'couldn't wait' for the series.

While Kyly Clarke wrote: 'I think I have replayed that last 10 seconds about 20 times already. Laughing so hard.'

Beauty and The Geek will air on Channel Nine soon

Dramatic! The teaser also sees host Sophie monk screaming with disbelief after seeing one of the groom's transformations
10-time Grammy winner Justin Timberlake shared the first two pictures of himself bonding with 11-month-old son Phineas on Father's Day.

In one shot, the 40-year-old R&B belter held his quarantine baby as his six-year-old son Silas Randall climbed on his back and in the second shot the trio played a video game.

'Being a dad is better than I ever could have imagined,' Justin - who boasts 183.3M social media followers - gushed on Sunday.

Rare sighting! 10-time Grammy winner Justin Timberlake shared the first two pictures of himself bonding with 11-month-old son Phineas on Father's Day

Bonding: In one shot, the 40-year-old R&B belter held his quarantine baby as his six-year-old son Silas Randall climbed on his back and in the second shot the trio played a video game

'Thankful to my dads and my grandfathers for leading the way, making the sacrifices for me to live out my dreams, and for teaching me that real life happens in all the little moments. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!'

Meanwhile, Timberlake's wife of eight years - Emmy nominee Jessica Biel - shared a Father's Day tribute where she called him the 'sour cream pound cake of my life.'

'Baby, you are the moon, the stars and the sour cream pound cake of my life,' the Minnesota-born 39-year-old wrote.

'You put a roof over our heads, and then fix it when the home made rocket goes terribly wrong. You put food on the table, so the baby can throw it under the table. You let us use the couch as an indoor trampoline even though we have one outside. You love the noise and the chaos of it all even though you've worked all night are are trying to sleep.

Justin - who boasts 183.3M social media followers - gushed on Sunday: 'Being a dad is better than I ever could have imagined. Thankful to my dads and my grandfathers for leading the way, making the sacrifices for me to live out my dreams'

'Baby, you are the moon and the stars': Meanwhile, Timberlake's wife of eight years - Emmy nominee Jessica Biel - shared a Father's Day tribute where she called him the 'sour cream pound cake of my life'

The Minnesota-born 39-year-old wrote: 'You put a roof over our heads, and then fix it when the home made rocket goes terribly wrong. You put food on the table, so the baby can throw it under the table'

Biel continued: 'You let us use the couch as an indoor trampoline even though we have one outside. You love the noise and the chaos of it all even though you've worked all night are are trying to sleep. We are grateful for you for all the big things and the things we don't see. Thank you for making it so fun. We love you dearly'

'We are grateful for you for all the big things and the things we don't see. Thank you for making it so fun. We love you dearly. And to all the other dads out there taking names and building play sets, I salute you. Happy Father's Day. Baby, You bring the light into our lives in so many ways.'

On June 14, Jessica opened up about her 'secret COVID baby' while appearing on Dax Shepherd's Armchair Expert podcast.

Dailymail.com broke the story in July of 2020 that Biel and Timberlake became parents for the second time and welcomed a new baby boy together, Phineas.

'I'm spending a lot of time at home on Zooms in my apartment,' Biel told Dax Shepherd. 'Hanging with my baby, changing diapers, doing nap time.'

Rare interview about motherhood: On June 14, Jessica opened up about her 'secret COVID baby' while appearing on Dax Shepherd's Armchair Expert podcast

'I had, like, a secret COVID baby,' the actress told Dax. 'It wasn't like it was supposed to be a secret. It was just COVID happened, and then I went to Montana with my family and never left'

'I had, like, a secret COVID baby,' the actress continued. 'It wasn't like it was supposed to be a secret. It was just COVID happened, and then I went to Montana with my family and never left.'

As DailyMail.com previously reported, Biel and Timberlake were staying in Montana with her family when the 7th Heaven actress gave birth. Jessica and Justin are parents to six-year-old son Silas.

She explained during her podcast appearance that, since it was the height of the coronavirus pandemic, there was a real concern that her popstar husband wouldn't be able to be by her side in the hospital.

'The hospital restrictions had just changed and there was a moment there that there was nobody allowed at all and I was really getting nervous about that situation,' Biel recalled on the podcast. 'But yes, he was allowed. I think if I had to be there alone, that would have been horrible. I would have been really scared.'

'The hospital restrictions had just changed and there was a moment there that there was nobody allowed at all and I was really getting nervous about that situation,' she recalled. 'But yes, he was allowed. I think if I had to be there alone, that would have been horrible. I would have been really scared.'

Prior to DailyMail.com revealing the birth, the couple hadn't gone public with the fact that Biel was pregnant. The star was able to keep her baby bump away from the cameras due to the pandemic.

Biel was also strategic in her social media posts ensuring that no photos from the waist down were released after her birthday in March 2020, when she would have been around four months pregnant.

Having a house full of boys hasn't been easy on the star who revealed that going from parenting an only child to two was a major transition.

On the downlow: As DailyMail.com previously reported, Biel and Timberlake were staying in Montana with her family when the 7th Heaven actress gave birth. Jessica and Justin are parents to six-year-old son Silas

'Someone said to me, "Two is like having a thousand." And that's exactly what it feels like,' Jessica said. 'The balance of everything is very different and super hard. But I agree. I mean, it's amazing. It's so interesting. It's so funny.

'The conversations I'm having now with my six-year-old is so cool. Like, he's a real person saying the funniest stuff and he's so sensitive and tender. It's just so interesting to see that part of it happen and the little one is just cute as h**l.'

Phineas isn't even a year old yet but Biel is already thinking about his future and how to handle whether her two boys will want to follow in their parents' footsteps.

When asked if she would want Silas and Phineas to go into show business the The Sinner star admitted that her 'knee-jerk reaction' would be a resounding no.

'But then I look at these kids and I'm like, 'Oh s**t, they're probably going to be musical. What are we going to do? Like, not let them play the piano or not let them take a voice lesson if that's their passion?,' she mused.

Jessica went on to say that she wouldn't 'stifle' her kids' dreams if they wanted to play music or act.

She added, however: 'I would so much rather them be an engineer or something.'
She's ready for the summer solstice.

Wendy Williams stepped out in head-to-toe white as she headed out of her Manhattan apartment on Monday morning to go to work.

The 56-year-old talk show host spent the weekend in Miami with son Kevin Jr. and her extended family to celebrate Father's Day with her dad.

Summer time: Wendy Williams stepped out in head-to-toe white as she headed out of her Manhattan apartment on Monday morning to go to work

Williams opted for a monochromatic look to kick off her week in a white Deadly Dolls sweatsuit with pearl encrusted white high top sneakers.

Her casual ensemble was offset by an enormous white Birkin bag - the cost of which starts at nearly $10K and can go upwards of a million.

Despite New York City reopening after COVID-19, Wendy still took extra precautions and wore a protective cloth facemask. The star suffers from the auto-immune disorder Graves' disease.

Her long sandy blonde hair was left down and mussed from sleep but Wendy's talented glamsquad will take over when she gets to her Chelsea studios.

Casual chic: Williams opted for a monochromatic look to kick off her week in a white Deadly Dolls sweatsuit with pearl encrusted white high top sneakers and a Birkin bag

Wendy's hair and makeup team scored coveted Emmy nominations this year for their work making the host look camera ready.

Over the weekend, the television personality headed to Florida to spend Father's Day with her family.

Taking to Instagram, Williams shared snaps from brunch on Sunday with her son Kevin Jr. and father.

'Happy Fathers Day!! My dad is lecturing my son that he cannot sip his Manhattan until he turns 21yrs..LOL,' she wrote in a caption.

Family time: The 56-year-old talk show host spent the weekend in Miami with son Kevin Jr. and her extended family to celebrate Father's Day with her dad

Fashion forward: Wendy's dad looked trendy as ever in a leopard print top at brunch with her son and sister Wanda

Adding: 'My whole invited family has made my weekend in MIAMI perfect. My sister Wanda got all the reservations & my son gifted me with a cute Chrome Hearts number!'

Williams explained on social media that her entire family lives in Miami while she resides in New York City.

It seems Wendy's only child, 20-year-old Kevin Jr., didn't spend Father's Day with her estranged ex husband Kevin Williams.

Over it: It seems Wendy's only child, 20-year-old Kevin Jr., didn't spend Father's Day with her estranged ex husband Kevin Williams who she split from in 2019 (pictured in 2010)

Wendy and Kevin had an acrimonious split in 2019 after DailyMail.com broke the news that Hunter had fathered a child with his longtime mistress. The star later filed for divorce after 21 years of marriage.

Before their split, sources said that part of the reason Kevin didn't leave Wendy over the years was because she supported him financially.

Kevin was an executive producer on her talk show and her manager but Wendy fired him from both gigs after their marriage crumbled.

Wendy has hosted the syndicated hit The Wendy Williams Show since 2008 and, prior to that, was a longtime radio DJ.
They went public earlier this month after months of quietly dating.

And Eiza Gonzalez looked quite happy while out and about with lacrosse player beau Paul Rabil in NYC on Monday.

The Godzilla vs. Kong actress, 31, strolled hand-in-hand with her Maryland-born love, all while turning heads in a breezy maxi dress.

What a pair: Eiza Gonzalez looked smitten with new beau Paul Rabil while they fetched coffee in NYC on Monday morning

The couple were starting their day off strong with a morning coffee run. And there chemistry was clear as they chatted non-stop throughout.

While Paul went for a laid back, rocking track pants, sneakers and a white tee during the outing, Eiza opted for a sexy and sophisticated dress which swept down to the ground.

Though the frock - which was a red and white crosshatched pattern - was full length, the design offered a look at the brunette beauty's legs via a high slit.

It also showcased her toned arms and shoulders, along with a hint of sideboob, courtesy of the high halter neckline.

For accessories the Baby Driver star kept with classics, adding pointy white mules, aviator sunglasses and small earrings.

Cute: The Godzilla vs. Kong actress, 31, strolled hand-in-hand with her Maryland-born love, all while turning heads in a breezy maxi dress

The couple made their public debut back on June 9 when they were spotted dining at Plant Food + Wine in Venice Beach, California together.

And according to insiders, the pair have been quietly seeing each other since spring.

They were previously spotted spending time together at a star-studded party in Los Angeles with Kim Kardashian and Drake.

A source told PageSix the actress was seen at the lacrosse player's East Coast season opener.

'They walked into training camp in Massachusetts together for breakfast, as he had a game the next day,' they said.

It is unclear as to exactly how long Gonzalez and Rabil have been dating and neither of the two has made an official comment about their relationship.

Former flame: Before she was connected to the professional lacrosse player, Gonzalez briefly dated model Dusty Lachowicz; they are seen together in December of 2019

Gonzalez was most recently linked to model Dusty Lachowicz, who she was seen during a PDA-filled date in West Hollywood last November.

Prior to becoming involved with the model, Gonzalez was notably spotted with Timothee Chalamet.

The two spent a steamy summer getaway last year in Cabo San Lucas and were pictured passionately making out at a private resort.

However, the pair's romance did not survive long after the trip back to the United States, and they were only spotted with each other a handful of times after their return.

Rabil was previously married to fellow lacrosse player, Kelly Berger, from 2014 until they dissolved their union in 2017.
Party of Five alum Jennifer Love Hewitt kicked off her week on Monday by donning a $12 Hatch 'belly mask' on her burgeoning baby bump in order to prevent stretch marks.

The expecting 42-year-old announced she was pregnant with her third (and final) child on May 18, which was an unexpected surprise during the coronavirus quarantine.

'We had always been open to a third, but definitely didn't think in the crazy year that the entire world was having that it would necessarily be this moment,' Jennifer told People last month.

'Double mask': Party of Five alum Jennifer Love Hewitt kicked off her week on Monday by donning a $12 Hatch 'belly mask' on her burgeoning baby bump in order to prevent stretch marks

'I feel like we've been able to so far raise two really special kids who will be great role models. This has been such a pleasant, beautiful, surprising gift in this time to be able to get to do all that again with another little human.'

On Sunday, Hewitt Instastoried a Father's Day tribute to her husband of seven years, Brian Hallisay, whom she first met on the set of NBC pilot Love Bites in 2011.

'Happy Father's Day to the best dad, friend, and husband I know,' the Texan-born brunette - who boasts 6.4M social media followers - gushed.

'I will always look at you and feel lucky you are mine. Our kids are very lucky and we celebrate you today.'

Pamper session: The expecting 42-year-old announced she was pregnant with her third (and final) child on May 18, which was an unexpected surprise during the coronavirus quarantine

'The best dad, friend, and husband I know!' On Sunday, Jennifer Instastoried a Father's Day tribute to her husband of seven years, Brian Hallisay, whom she first met on the set of NBC pilot Love Bites in 2011

'I feel lucky you are mine': Hewitt and the D.C.-born 42-year-old will celebrate the sixth birthday of their son Atticus James this Thursday, and they're also parents of seven-year-old daughter Autumn James (pictured November 20)

Jennifer and the D.C.-born 42-year-old will celebrate the sixth birthday of their son Atticus James this Thursday, and they're also parents of seven-year-old daughter Autumn James.

On June 15, Hewitt used her mezzo-soprano pipes to sing a cover of teen pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo's hit song Drivers License, which she also learned how to play on piano.

'Can I please play an animated princess!' the Kids Incorporated alum captioned her Disney-filtered video.

'Just learning this song and thought this was fun.'

'Thought this was fun!' On June 15, the Texan-born brunette used her mezzo-soprano pipes to sing a cover of teen pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo's hit song Drivers License

Ready for more? Acting-wise, Jennifer last portrayed new mother and 911 dispatcher Maddie Buckley in the fourth season of Fox's 9-1-1, which was renewed for a fifth season last month

Acting-wise, Jennifer last portrayed new mother and 911 dispatcher Maddie Buckley in the fourth season of Fox's 9-1-1, which was renewed for a fifth season last month.

'It's a story that I don't want to give short shrift to,' 9-1-1 executive producer Tim Minear told TVLine of Maddie's journey in season five. 'It will end up creating a major complication.'

In 2018-2019, Brian scored a role portraying Maddie's abusive ex-husband Doug Kendall in the first responder procedural.

Hewitt will next voice Gidget in Alex Merkin's 2021 Christmas flick Pups Alone alongside Dolph Lundgren, Jerry O'Connell, Malcolm McDowell, Eric Roberts, Danny Trejo, and Rob Schneider.
Kate Beckinsale showed off an eye-catching outfit as she met up with some friends in West Hollywood on Sunday.

Eschewing the more traditional Father's Day activities, the 47-year-old actress headed to Harriet's Rooftop bar sporting a strapless tartan top and flirty mid-length skirt.

Completing the look, she added some neon yellow stilettos, pulled her brunette tresses into a youthful ponytail, and added some diamond heart earrings.

Well heeled: Kate Beckinsale is pictured out in West Hollywood as she met up with friends on Father's Day on Sunday

'Also find your daddies where you can' Beckinsale captioned a photo of her posing with five friends, along with some rainbow colored hearts, giving a nod to LA Pride Month.

Kate paid tribute to her late father, actor Richard Beckinsale, in a sweet post on Sunday as she shared a clip of one of his TV appearances from the seventies.

Richard was best known for his roles in UK sitcoms Rising Damp and Porridge. He died suddenly in 1979 at the age of 31.

The clip she shared showed Richard alongside Kate's mom Judy on TV series This Is Your Life in 1977. The clip also shows Kate's first ever TV appearance at four years old.

Daring: The 47-year-old Underworld actress donned a strapless tartan top with a black skirt and added bright neon heels

Capturing the moment: The mother-of-one snapped a selfie with her friend

Weho fun: Beckinsale shared a photo of her posing with five friends, along with some rainbow colored hearts, giving a nod to LA Pride Month

'Partners in crime for life and beyond. I'll give you a big kiss when I see you. Happy Father's Day. I miss you so much.' Kate wrote in the caption.

She also shared a tribute to her stepdad Roy in a separate post, writing, 'And then I was rescued. Happy Fathers Day to the best stepfather I could have hoped for.

'Thank you for helping me with my physics homework, buying me a punchbag when I was 9 and making it a real shock later in life to discover that not all men treat girls as intellectual equals. I love you Roy x'.

Strike a pose: The British born actress completed her look wearing a chunky necklace and pulling her hair into a youthful ponytail

Kate paid tribute to her late father, actor Richard Beckinsale, in a sweet post on Sunday as she shared a clip of one of his TV appearances from the seventies

The clip she shared showed Richard alongside Kate's mom Judy on TV series This Is Your Life in 1977. The clip also shows Kate's first ever TV appearance at four years old

The Underworld star was just five when her father Richard suffered a fatal heart attack at the family's Berkshire home. A post-mortem later revealed he had coronary artery disease at the time of his death.

Of losing her father, the Hollywood actress said in 2013: 'It was a terrible loss. It's so weird as a five-year-old to look out in the street and see people reading the paper and crying while you're crying and your mum is crying and your granny's crying.

'Even though it was the worst loss that I have experienced I was able to share it with people who genuinely, even if they didn't know him, really seemed to love him.

'I feel not many people are in that position  to have lost somebody and also to feel like that's something really relevant to other people.'

On Sunday Kate also shared a tribute to her stepdad Roy in a separate post, writing, 'And then I was rescued. Happy Fathers Day to the best stepfather I could have hoped for
There might not be any flowers left in California after Kylie Jenner's over-the-top display for Father's Day.

The 23-year-old had multiple massive floral displays installed in and around her Calabasas mansion to celebrate her on-again boyfriend and the father of her daughter Stormi on Sunday.

Kylie took to her Instagram stories to share the jaw-dropping decor and some sweet moments with her 242 million followers.

Celebration: Kylie Jenner had multiple massive floral displays installed in and around her Calabasas mansion to celebrate her on-again boyfriend and the father of her daughter Stormi, Travis Scott, on Father's Day

'In honor of father's day yesterday just wanted to share some special moments,' she penned on social media.

The Instagram snaps kicked off with and enormous sunflower orb placed outside of Kylie's home.

Indoors there was an array of balloons including metallic blue Mylar ones spelling out 'happy dads day' along with some flowers.

Blue was the theme for the group as Travis and Stormi were both seen wearing the color standing out back in front of a blue 'DADDY' flower display.

'In honor of father's day yesterday just wanted to share some special moments,' she penned on social media.

Wow! The Instagram snaps kicked off with and enormous sunflower orb placed outside of Kylie's home

Incredible: The Kardashian Jenner family has become known for their lavish celebrations which usually include enormous floral displays

One area of her sprawling estate was filled to the brim with sunflowers that made a path leading under a yellow flower arch made of roses.

The room was swathed in warm blue lights and set up for some indoor glamping with twinkle lights and large cushions laid out.

In another area, thousands of pink flowers were lining the walkway into Kylie's mansion that continued through the foyer and down the hallway.

A massive flower heart was erected right as you enter the front door and the whole space was lit with tons of white pillar candles.

Romantic: One area of her sprawling estate was filled to the brim with sunflowers that made a path leading under a yellow flower arch made of roses

Back on! The overwhelming display comes just days after Travis and Kylie confirmed their relationship was back on

Jenner even had floating over-sized daisies in the pool for ambiance while the family of three dined al fresco.

In one video from the dinner table, her toddler Stormi can be heard having a polite conversation with her daddy.

'This is for Stormi?' she asked. When Travis replied: 'yes, absolutely,' the little girl squeaked out an adorable 'thank you.'

On Sunday, Kylie paid tribute to her on-again boyfriend by sharing an adorable snap of them snuggling up with their daughter.

Spared no expense: No detail was overlooked from the lighting to the candles

Cozy! The room was swathed in warm blue lights and set up for some indoor glamping with twinkle lights and large cushions laid out

Sweet: In one video from the dinner table, her toddler Stormi can be heard having a polite conversation with her daddy. 'This is for Stormi?' she asked. When Travis replied: 'yes, absolutely,' the little girl squeaked out an adorable 'thank you.'

'Happy Father's Day,' the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star penned on Sunday. Additionally, she gushed 'one day isn't enough to honor the dad you are' and that she and Stormi 'are so blessed to have' him in their life.

Just days after the couple confirmed their rekindled relationship at the 72nd annual Parsons Benefit hosted by The New School in New York, the makeup mogul was gushing about her other half and father of their three-year-old little girl.

'Happy Father's Day,' the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star captioned a sweet picture of Scott holding their toddler in his arms as she leaned closely to his face.

Additionally, she gushed 'one day isn't enough to honor the dad you are' and that she and Stormi 'are so blessed to have' him in their life.

Jenner's post comes after Scott, who was being recognized for his 'contributions in fashion, design, entrepreneurship, the arts, and social justice' at The New School, referred to the mother-of-one as his 'wifey' in an emotional acceptance speech.

Magical! Jenner even had floating over-sized daisies in the pool for ambiance while the family of three dined al fresco

Tasty: The mom of one put together a DIY cookie decorating station for the family to enjoy together

Little touches: Black and white photos of three-year-old Stormi with Travis and Kylie adorned the centerpieces

The reconciliation comes 20 months after the couple shocked fans when they called it quits in October 2019.

Although they split two years ago, they were living together during the COVID-19 pandemic so they could both see their daughter.

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.
Nina Dobrev looked totally rad while celebrating National Skateboarding Day with beau Shaun White on Instagram Monday.

The Vampire Diaries star, 32, took on the ultimate balancing act as she slipped into a stunning Dior ensemble for a roll across the sidewalk.

Nina was radiant in the red and white look, letting her sheer skirt fly up and reveal her toned, tan legs as she rode.

'Good thing I was wearing shorts,' she joked in the caption, along with a laughing emoji.

Skater girl: Nina Dobrev showed off her skateboarding skills on Monday, marking National Skateboarding Day

The Bulgarian/Canadian actress was the perfect blend of cool and chic in boyish button-up teamed with an ultra glam lace skirt.

Every detail of the outfit was perfect, down to matching monogram slides and a skateboard baring the name of the French fashion house.

Nina looked like a natural as she cruised along, throwing her arms back for balance while letting shiny brunette locks hang down her front straight and smooth.

In another shot Dobrev practiced her skater style, holding up her board and a peace sign while closing her eyes for a very laid-back look.

Diva in Dior: The Vampire Diaries star, 32, took on the ultimate balancing act as she slipped into a stunning Dior ensemble for a roll across the sidewalk

Cute: Afterwards, Dobrev got a lesson from real-life extreme athlete and boyfriend of over-a-year Shaun White, 24

Poking fun at herself, she wrote 'I'm a pro' at the bottom of her Instagram Story post.

Afterwards, Dobrev got a lesson from real-life extreme athlete and boyfriend of over-a-year Shaun White, 24.

While capturing the Olympic snowboarder/pro skater do a quick trick, she couldn't help but call him a 'show off.'

While Nina seemed to have some decent skateboarding skills, Shaun has said she's a 'pro' when it comes to the snow.

'She was pretty pro already,' he recently told Us Weekly.

Pro: While capturing the Olympic snowboarder/pro skater do a quick trick, she couldn't help but call him a 'show off'

'I dont know about the skateboarding front, but she grew up in Canada, so shes pretty talented on the snowboard.'

Things seem to be going strong for the pair, according to insiders.

'Nina and Shaun are very happy together at the moment,' a source tells Us Weekly, adding they 'wouldnt be surprised if an engagement is around the corner.'

'Nina has had a lot of relationships not work out in the past, but ever since meeting Shaun, you can tell shes just really excited about how far this relationship has come. Theyre gradually taking steps to starting a future together.'

Before their relationship, Dobrev was linked to actors Grant Mellon, Glenn Powell and former Vampire Diaries co-star Ian Somerhalder.
Courtney Stodden has said that they would like to be a part of the rumored Meghan Markle-style interview between Oprah Winfrey and Chrissy Teigen to discuss her cyber-bullying scandal.

Courtney - who identifies as non-binary, using pronouns them/they - brought up past tweets from 2011 where Teigen told the former teen bride to commit suicide, prompting others to come forward.

On Saturday, when arriving for a racy club performance in Downtown Los Angeles, Courtney, 26, said they would consider appearing alongside Chrissy and Oprah if it could help 'save lives' of those affected by bullying.

'I think that would really be interesting... Oprah has a really big platform, and I think if it helps save lives, by me sharing my story I would consider it,' the ex Celebrity Big Brother star said.

'We could help people': Courtney Stodden wants to appear alongside Chrissy Teigen on Meghan Markle-style interview with Oprah Winfrey (pictured on Saturday at a club in DTLA)

Courtney added: 'I think that it's important to be kind in this world. There's been so much meanness, and a lot of deflecting, so I would consider it, yeah. If it [would] help people.'

Following her comments, Courtney changed from a red PVC dress to a racy denim ensemble to perform for the crowd at the 1720 club in DTLA.

Sources told Rob Shuter's Naughty But Nice podcast last week that while Chrissy, 35, is 'being advised to go into hiding and lay low' the wife of John Legend allegedly has been plotting a sit-down chat with Oprah.

Can Oprah save Chrissy? Last week, it was rumored that Teigen 'wants an interview with Winfrey to save her reputation' amid growing cyber-bullying scandal

'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.

DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for Teigen to comment.

Scandal: Courtney - who identifies as non-binary, using pronouns them/they - brought up past tweets from 2011 where Teigen told the former teen bride to commit suicide

Wants to help: Stodden - on their way to a club appearance on Saturday - said they would consider joining Teigen and Oprah

Cheeky! The model later donned a very revealing denim ensemble when taking to the stage to perform for the crowd

Courtney released the pop song Pleasure last month and took to the stage to perform on Saturday

Big reveal: Courtney prepares to go on stage before taking a sip from an In-N-Out soda cup

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.'

Blonde bombshell: The reality star is pictured backstage before the performance

Wild things! Courtney was joined by models dressed as ghoulish rabbits for the event

Rocking out: Courtney exuded confidence while performing on stage for the crowd

Getting touch ups: Courtney prepares to go on stage

Buxom: The reality star certainly turned heads upon arrival into the DTLA club

She has come under fire in recent weeks for cruel posts on Twitter aimed at Stodden, Lindsay Lohan, Quvenzhane Wallis, and others.

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 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

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.

Vitriolic: Teigen shared this tweet about Farrah in 2013

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

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.

Claims: On Saturday, Project Runway designer Michael Costello was pictured out after claiming that he was bullied by Teigen

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.

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

'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.'
She paid tribute to the men who impacted her life the most.

And Blake Lively shared a heartwarming post honoring Ryan Reynolds and her late dad Ernie on her first Father's Day since his passing earlier this month.

The 33-year-old actress simply captioned a snap of Ryan and Ernie hugging with 'my guys' more than two weeks after he died of cardiac arrest at the age of 74.

Sweet: Blake Lively shared a heartwarming post honoring Ryan Reynolds and her late dad Ernie on her first Father's Day since his passing earlier this month

His family revealed the veteran actor died from cardiac complications on Thursday, June 3 in Los Angeles.

Lively and her father were close, even working together on her 2005 film debut, Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants.

Blake and Ryan have been married for eight years and have three children: James, six, Inez, four, and Betty, 20 months.

Sad: His family revealed the veteran actor died from cardiac complications on Thursday, June 3 in Los Angeles

Family forever: Lively and her father were close, even working together on her 2005 film debut, Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants (seen in 2008)

Reynolds told Access Hollywood in November: 'I love being a girl dad. I have three daughters, which I never in a million years would imagine. I come from all boys. I have three older brothers. So for me to have three daughters has been such a ride, and I love every second of it.'

The Deadpool star revealed his wife and their children are truly the 'superheroes' in his family.

'No joke, they're the most capable people I know,' he said. 'If anything got crazy or scary in my life, they're the first people that I would lean on. They have wisdom and strength, they're calm under fire, they have courage under fire - so yeah, to me [that] sounds like a true story.'

Family: Reynolds has three children with wife Blake Lively  James, six, Inez, four, and Betty, 20 months; seen in 2016

Last month, Ryan admitted he was inspired by his three daughters to speak openly about his own mental health struggles.

The 44-year-old actor took to Instagram in May to mark Mental Health Awareness month and discussed his own battle with anxiety in efforts to destigmatize the disorder and also help people feel more comfortable with their own diagnosis.

'Part of it is that I have three daughters at home and part of my job as a parent is to model behaviors and model what it's like to be sad and model what it's like to be anxious, or angry. That there's space for all these things,' said Reynolds. 'The home that I grew in, that wasn't modeled for me really. And that's not to say that my parents were neglectful, but they come from a different generation.'

'Part of that is to destigmatize things and create a conversation around [mental health],' he added. 'I know that when I felt at the absolute bottom, it's usually been because I felt like I was alone in something I was feeling. So I think when people talk about it, I don't necessarily dwell on it or lament on it, but I think it's important to talk about it. And when you talk about it, it kind of sets other people free.'
Manon Lagreve has given birth to her first child with fiance Luke Bennett.

The Bake Off star, 29, took to Instagram on Monday to announce that she welcomed a 'happy and healthy' baby girl named Fleur Camille, on Sunday.

The French baker also shared the first photos of the tiny newborn, and included the first moment she gave her daughter skin-to-skin.

Congratulations! Manon Lagreve, 29, has given birth to her first child, a 'happy and healthy' baby girl named Fleur Camille

Adorable: The Bake Off star took to Instagram on Monday to announce that she had welcomed her daughter on Sunday with fiance Luke Bennett, and to share the first photos of the newborn

Manon, who made it to week eight of Bake Off back in 2018, wrote alongside the trio of photographs: 'Fleur Camille Bennett.

'Born on Father's Day 20th June 2021, all happy and healthy. A little lady who took us by surprise when she decided to come! We love her very much already.'

Back in April, the baker celebrated seven months of pregnancy, and joked about having 'baby brain'.

Manon penned: '7 months pregnant, can't believe in 2 months we'll be parents, and we'll have our own baby!!!

Incredible: Manon included the first moment she gave her daughter skin-to-skin

'I kept telling friends that I have tended to so many babies, that it is going to be so interesting to see how I react to ours.

'Also baby brain is going strong, and I feel like I forget 10 times a day what I am meant to do.'

Manon announced she was expecting her first child with fiance Luke Bennett in March during a sweet interview with Hello! magazine.

The French baker told the publication: 'I grew up knowing I wanted to be a mum so I'm very happy and relaxed with being pregnant.'

Baby brain! Back in April, the baker celebrated seven months of pregnancy as she joked about having 'baby brain'

And Manon revealed she's keen to have a baby baker in the house to help her create culinary showstoppers.

'The baby will be with me in the kitchen from the day it's born. We are so happy to be having a summer baby and the due date is on Luke's birthday - it feels like it's meant to be.'

The former Great British Bake Off contestant also explained how much she wants to raise her child to be bilingual.

Manon added: 'That is one of the best gifts we can give them, so we're going to work hard at it. I'd like the baby to be French speaking at home and then use English outside the home.'

Happy couple: Manon announced she was expecting her first child with fiance Luke Bennett in March during a sweet interview with Hello! magazine (pictured in November)

Delight: Manon is planning to get married to her fiance Luke next year in her hometown of Louvigne-De-Desert, Brittany, France (pictured last year with her stunning engagement ring)

Manon is planning to get married to her fiance Luke next year in her hometown of Louvigne-De-Desert, Brittany, France.

Her boyfriend popped the question last November while the couple were on a romantic trip to Barbados.

The French baker confirmed at the time that her boyfriend had 'dropped to one knee' with a stunning sapphire ring shortly after they arrived at their boutique hotel during the Caribbean holiday.

Manon admitted it had not been a surprise, saying: 'We'd been talking about getting married for a while. It was love at first sight...

'We were boyfriend and girlfriend after two weeks and I moved in with him within four months. When you find the one, you just know.'
Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is engaged to girlfriend Saffire Matos.

The Jersey Shore star got down on one knee over the weekend, proposing to his girlfriend with a picnic on the beach, before sharing a photo of the moment on Instagram.

'I love you, Thank you for sticking by my side through thick and thin! Til death do us part! #SheSaidYes' Ronnie, 35, captioned the snap.

Happy news: Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is engaged to girlfriend Saffire Matos after a beach engagement over the weekend

Ronnie's family and daughter Ariana, three, who he shares with ex-girlfriend Jen Harley, were there to celebrate with him, according to People.

The reality star has been dating Saffire - an eyelash technician from Staten Island -for about a year and they went Instagram official last fall.

'Ronnie has taken this time to work on himself and his daughter,' a source told People.

'For him, he felt like this right time. They're both really happy for this next chapter. His health and happiness are what is most important.' they added.

It comes as more details were revealed about Harley's arrest on Saturday in Las Vegas in connection with assault with a deadly weapon and domestic battery.

She said yes: Ronnie, 35, shared a photo of the beach picnic he arranged for Saffire to pop the question

New love: The reality star has been dating Saffire - an eyelash technician from Staten Island -for about a year and they went Instagram official last fall

It's now being reported by TMZ that Harley pointed a gun at her new boyfriend, Joe Ambrosole, during the incident.

The couple reportedly arrived to Crazy Horse 3 in Sin City and were arguing about Harley's drinking as well as about where to park.

Things allegedly got more tense inside the bar and security asked the duo to leave, which they did.

But the arguing continued, and on the drive home Harley reportedly threw Ambrosole's phone out of the window, forcing him to stop the car and look for it.

Sources tell TMZ that Harley waited for him to get out the car before she hopped in the driver's seat and sped off, leaving Ambrosole to find a ride home.

When they got home to the property they share, things apparently spiraled once again, with Harley pointing a gun at her boyfriend.

Arrest: It's being reported that Ronnie's ex Jen Harley pointed a gun at her boyfriend Joe Ambrosole during an argument in Vegas over the weekend. The couple are seen here in a snap from last week

She allegedly said, 'I'll shoot and kill you,' before Ambrosole ducked for cover. Harley is said to have then fled the scene.

Ambrosole called the police and they eventually found Harley, arrested her and took her to jail on charges of domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon.

Harley, 34, had her bond set at $5,000, TMZ reports, and was being held at the Clark County Detention Center pending a court hearing on Sunday.

It comes after Ronnie was arrested in April in connection to a domestic violence incident. He was taken to jail before being released later that day on $100,000 bail.

The latest: Harley, 34, was arrested Saturday in Las Vegas in connection with assault with a deadly weapon and domestic battery. She was snapped in Sin City in 2019

She allegedly said, 'I'll shoot and kill you,' before Ambrosole ducked for cover. Harley is said to have then fled the scene, TMZ reports

At the time, Saffire addressed the reports on her Instagram Story, asking fans for 'privacy.'

'Ronnie and I are fine,' she began. 'There is a lot of misleading information floating around out there. With anybody who reached out with concern I appreciate it with all my heart, but everything that's being portrayed out there are not facts.

'I don't think it's fair that people are using false accusations to gain attention,' she continued. 'Please leave Ron and I alone. You don't know what someone is going through at the end of the day.'

He avoided a felony charge when his case was handed down to the L.A. City Attorneys office.

Harley, who shares three-year-old daughter Ariana with ex Ronnie, has past had legal problems stemming from her relationship with the Jersey Shore personality

His lawyers Scott E. Leemon and Leonard Levine told US Weekly, 'We are very happy that after further investigation both the L.A. County District Attorneys office and the L.A. City Attorneys office determined that criminal charges were not warranted against Ronnie related to the incident that occurred in April.'

Ronnie, who was on probation prior to the incident, is expected to appear in court on June 25 to address the incident.

Harley has previously had legal problems stemming from her relationship with the Jersey Shore personality.

In October of 2019, Ronnie was arrested in connection with kidnapping following an incident with Harley in which he was accused of hitting her, brandishing a knife and locking himself in an Airbnb they'd rented. Ronnie eventually made a plea deal in the incident

She was arrested in 2019 in an incident in which she allegedly launched a glass ashtray toward Ronnie during a night out in Vegas.

Harley was also arrested in Vegas in June of 2018 in an incident in which she faced allegations she had dragged Ronnie with her vehicle; authorities later said there was 'insufficient evidence' to press charges on her.

In October of 2019, Ronnie was arrested in connection with kidnapping following an incident with Harley in which he was accused of hitting her, brandishing a knife and locking himself in an Airbnb they'd rented. Ronnie eventually made a plea deal in the incident.

The couple ceased dating in the wake of the incident, but continue to share custody of Ariana.
British actor Daniel Radcliffe has just sold his apartment in Melbourne, but he's keeping the property in the family.

The Harry Potter actor, 31, sold his three-bedroom pad in Toorak to his parents, Marcia Gresham and Alan Radcliffe, reports realestate.com.au.

Their company reportedly made the purchase for $2million.

Not quite Hogwarts: Inside Daniel Radcliffe's stunning Melbourne apartment as he sells the luxury three-bedroom pad to his parents, Marcia Gresham and Alan Radcliffe, for $2million

The apartment, which is on the top floor of its complex, features floor-to-ceiling windows, spacious outdoor areas and an ultra-modern kitchen.

Daniel and his parents purchased the home when he was working in Australia in the mid 2000s.

The Daily Mail reported in December 2019 that his company Gilmore Jacobs, of which his parents are directors, had reached a net worth of 80million ($147million).

Beats the cupboard under the stairs! The apartment, which is on the top floor of the complex, features floor-to-ceiling windows, spacious outdoor areas, and an ultra-modern kitchen

Accio sale! Daniel and his parents, Marcia and Alan (pictured in November 2015), purchased the home when he was working in Australia in the mid 2000s

Home sweet home: The apartment, which is on the top floor of its complex, features floor-to-ceiling windows, spacious outdoor areas and an ultra-modern kitchen (pictured)

The couple established Gilmore Jacobs back in 2000, before Harry Potter first cast his worldwide spell.

His parents are the only directors, but have always made it plain the money it generates - from investments and Daniel's stellar career - is for him alone.

Daniel shot to fame in 2001 upon the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first of the Hollywood films based on J. K Rowling's novels.

Smart investors: The Daily Mail reported in December 2019 that his company Gilmore Jacobs, of which his parents are directors, had reached a net worth of 80million ($147million)

Career: Daniel shot to fame in 2001 upon the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first of the Hollywood films based on J. K Rowling's novels

He reportedly earned $1million for the first film, which was released when he was 12.

Daniel went on to star in all eight films in the popular franchise.

The fantasy movies also star the likes of Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Tom Felton.
She's previously impressed with her incredibly ageless complexion.

And it still seems that living The Good Life for so many years has paid off for Felicity Kendal, as she is still remarkably flexible in her eighth decade.

While standing and chatting on the phone, the actress, 74, casually rested her leg on a chest-high railing during a break from rehearsals for her new London show.

Still living The Good Life! Felicity Kendal, 74, displayed her impressive flexibility as she casually rests her leg on a bar during rehearsals for her new London show

Dressed in blue cropped trousers, a black T-shirt and loose blue shirt, Felicity easily managed the impressive move which most people half her age would struggle to perform.

She is reuniting with her former co-star Robert Lindsay, 71, for the play, after he appeared in just one episode of The Good Life.

The pair are set to star in the musical Anything Goes at the Barbican when it opens next month.

Screen star: The actress is reuniting with her former co-star Robert Lindsay, 71, for the play, with the actor also seen heading to rehearsals that day

Felicity rose to fame as the fresh-faced Barbara Good in the hit 1970s sitcom The Good Life which saw her character and her husband Tom living a self-sufficient life at their home in Surbiton.

She indulges in strict regular exercise and a lifetime fan of yoga. She says that she remembers watching her mother, who ran a Shakespeare touring company in India, doing her yoga exercises when she was a small girl.

She said: 'I used to exercise for three hours a week doing Pilates and weights. Now I have to do five or six hours to get the same result.'

Felicity was named Rear of the Year in 1981, no less, and has kept a shapely figure thanks to exercise and an active sex life, saying: 'It's part of life, like eating or breathing.'

Starring pair: The pair are set to star in the musical Anything Goes at the Barbican when it opens next month

Blast from the past: Robert starred in a single episode of The Good Life back in the 1970s, and this is the first time the pair have worked together since

She also previously revealed she is a fan of Botox, telling the Sunday Times magazine: 'I do it every six months, then you don't get the terrible little frown line.'

However the grandmother-of-two recently revealed she has given up Botox and instead relies on yoga, pilates and weightlifting to stay youthful.

She told Good Housekeeping magazine: 'There comes a point where you have to match bits of you with the other bits.'

While she's never had a face-lift, the actress has had fillers around her mouth.

Felicity explained: 'Then there was a time when you'd think, I'm over 60, I can't possibly wear a short skirt again because of my crinkly knees.

'Then you come out the other end and say, f*** it, I've got good legs, I'm going to put on tights and a short skirt.'
Kate Bosworth cut a glamorous figure in an elegant white trouser suit as she joined the stars in attendance for the Armani show at Milan Men's Fashion Week.

The actress, 37, oozed sartorial chic in the fitted white blazer and matching trousers as she arrived for the outdoor event in the Italian city with guests including Adrian Brody and Andrew Scott.

Due to the Covid pandemic, this year's Armani show took place in an outdoor setting, though as the vaccine rollout continues, it seemed guests were not required to maintain social distancing.

Stylish: Kate Bosworth, 37, cut a glamorous figure in an elegant white trouser suit as she joined the stars in attendance for the Armani show at Milan Men's Fashion Week on Monday

Kate posed up a storm in a structured white blazer and matching longline trousers, teamed with a matching blouse top and pointed-toe heels.

The Superman Returns star swept her blonde tresses into a sleek high bun, and accessorised her look with silver drop earrings earrings.

Kate was joined by several other stars for the fashion show, including Oscar winner Adrien Brody, who cut a dapper figure in a grey blazer, a matching jumper and lighter shaded trousers.

Gorgeous: The actress oozed sartorial chic in the fitted white blazer and matching trousers as she arrived for the outdoor event in the Italian city

Elegnt: Kate posed up a storm in a structured white blazer and matching longline trousers, teamed with a matching blouse top and pointed-toe heels

Gorgeous: The Superman Returns star swept her blonde tresses into a sleek high bun, and accessorised her look with silver drop earrings earrings

Grand occasion: A slew of models took to the runway in an array of looks for the show, which was held outdoors due to the Covid pandemic

Here she is! Ahead of the show, Kate was seen making her arrival to view the Spring/Summer 2021/2022 collection

Hard to miss! Her dazzlingly white look certainly stood out as she made her way along the street to the fashion show

Well-accessorised! Along with carrying a black paper mask, Kate stored her essentials in a white leather clutch bag

The Splice star was accompanied by a female guest and Giorgio Armani's niece Roberta.

Fleabag star Andrew Scott, 44, opted for a stylish taupe jumper and smart white trousers as he posed at the fashion show.

Adrien's appearance came after he made his red carpet debut with girlfriend Georgina Chapman for the premiere of his new crime thriller Clean.

The 45-year-old ex-wife of convicted sex offender and former film producer Harvey Weinstein walked the red carpet at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.

Statement: Her all-white outfit was hard to miss as she arrived for the fashion show

Friendly: She was joined by Fleabag star Andrew Scott, who opted for his own muted ensemble

Friendly: The pair appeared to be in good spirits as they arrived to sit front row for the fashion event

The pair reportedly began their relationship in March of 2020, with the ongoing coronavirus having kept them out of the spotlight until now.

Georgina's relationship with Adrien appears to be her first major coupling since she divorced Weinstein in 2018.

Although their relationship was first confirmed in March 2020, the two have been together 'for a while,' People reported that same month.

A source said the duo work well together because they share 'many of the same interests.'

'She thinks hes unusual and interesting,' the source continued, adding that Georgina is drawn to Adrien's 'deep passion for his work,' which reminds her of her own dedication to her fashion label.

Happy: Oscar winner Adrian Brody was also in attendance, posing alongside a guest and Roberta Armani

Safety first! As he arrived for the show he donned a matching printed mask in accordance with Covid safety guidelines

The Pianist star also 'diverts her attention from the pain of her situation and subsequent split.'

Georgina's divorce from Weinstein was finalised in January of 2018, and by May the disgraced producer had been charged with 'rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct for incidents involving two separate women' by the New York District Attorney's Office.

Kate previously detailed her fashion journey during an interview with InStyle, from when she was a teenager on the red carpet in 2000.

Smart: He cut a dapper figure in a grey blazer, a matching jumper and lighter shaded trousers

New girlfriend: Adrien's appearance came after he made his red carpet debut with girlfriend Georgina Chapman for the premiere of his new crime thriller Clean

She confessed: 'Before I walked the red carpet for the premiere of Remember The Titans at age 16, someone had to explain to me that Id need a fancy dress.'

Kate explained: 'Im from a small Connecticut town, so my only concept of fashion was whatever store a normal teenager would shop at in the 90s.'

The Win A Date With Tad Hamilton star was only on her second movie at that point but she had style in her blood as her father Harold was a fashion executive.

New relationship: The pair reportedly began their relationship in March of 2020, with the ongoing coronavirus having kept them out of the spotlight until now

Love is in the air: Georgina's relationship with Adrien appears to be her first major coupling since she divorced Harvey Weinstein in 2018

Happy: A source said the duo work well together because they share 'many of the same interests'

Focus: The Pianist star also reportedly 'diverts her attention from the pain of her situation and subsequent split'

While picking out her red carpet look from the Giorgio Armani showroom, 'I was thinking how he would tell me: "Classic never goes out of style," when I picked an ankle-length skirt and a strappy velvet tank top.'

She shed light on one of her style inspirations of the period saying: 'I might have also been looking to Gwyneth Paltrow for inspiration.'

Kate and her husband Michael Polish are reportedly shopping around their 10-episode modern western drama Bring on the Dancing Horses, which they shot in Montana where they wed.

Keeping with the theme! Fleabag star Andrew Scott, 44, opted for a stylish taupe jumper and smart white trousers as he posed at the fashion show

Posing up a storm: He was hard to miss in his neutral outfit as he arrived for the fashion event
They recently relocated to Southern California from New York to raise their newborn baby girl.

But Elsa Hosk looked happy to be back in the Big Apple on Monday, while seen out with her husband Tom Daly and their baby girl Tuulikki Joan.

The Swedish supermodel, 32, wore a white T-shirt fit for any newly minted mother, as it said 'extra tough' in the center.

Treated: Elsa Hosk strolled around New York with her husband Tom Daly and their baby girl Tuulikki Joan on Monday

She rolled the oversized T-shirt up at the sleeves, and sported a fresh, natural and makeup-free face.

On the bottom, the blonde runway star wore blue and white railroad striped trousers.

Meanwhile, she rocked pale blue retro Nike sneakers as she pushed the stroller along containing her four-month-old baby girl.

Elsa had her blonde hair tied back in a bun, and she sported 70s-style tortoiseshell sunglasses from Vehla Eyewear.

She had on a gold necklace, and wore a white leather designer purse across her delicate frame.

Family: The Swedish supermodel, 32, wore a white T-shirt fit for any newly minted mother, as it said 'extra tough' in the center

Star in stripes: The blonde runway star wore blue and white railroad striped trousers and matching Nikes

She was seen both in and out of a face covering, and also holding an ice cream cone covered in rainbow sprinkles.

Hosk was in good spirits, at one point flashing a peace sign and a kiss at onlookers.

Tom, who Elsa has been dating since 2015, mirrored her eclectic style in a white button down shirt decorated with various patterns and adornments.

He wore his shirt unbuttoned to the middle of his chest, and layered some necklaces.

Daly strolled along in loose-fitting black pants and matching sandals.

Cute couple: Tom, who Elsa has been dating since 2015, mirrored her eclectic style in a white button down shirt decorated with various patterns and adornments

The parents protected their little girl, who they welcomed in early February, with a blanket over her stroller decorated with a giraffe pattern.

On Instagram over the weekend, Elsa made sure to show her appreciation for Tom on the occasion of Fathers Day.

She included both still photos as well as video clips to her Instagram Stories showing the handsome Danish entrepreneur tending to his little girl.

The family of three look to be enjoying their trip to New York for the time being, but have recently relocated to Pasadena, just outside of Los Angeles, California.
Avril Lavigne teamed up with the ultimate Sk8r Boi for her very first TikTok post on Monday.

The pop punk princess, 36, offered fans the perfect dose of the early 2000s as she enlisted the one-and-only Tony Hawk, 53, to create a silly video for National Skateboarding Day.

The Canadian crooner kicked things off while lip-syncing her 2002 anthem directly at the camera.

Sk8r girl! Avril Lavigne enlisted the help of OG skate god Tony Hawk for her very first TikTok post on Monday

Avril looked pretty and punky while perched atop a neon green mini-ramp overlooking the ocean.

Hearkening back to her early days, she rocked thick, black eyeliner and a loose tie around her neck.

The shot zoomed in tight on the tie, before pulling back to reveal Hawk donning the same design.

The X-Games champ offered up a wry smile before he dropped in and carved things up.

Retro: The pop punk princess, 36, offered fans the perfect dose of the early 2000s in the clip

Shredder: The X-Games champ offered up a wry smile before he dropped in and carved things up

Signature look: While skating Tony donned a loose tie, a la Avril

On Instagram, Avril shared a few chummy behind-the-scenes snaps of the pair.

In one, the skater wrapped his arm around her while another saw the duo getting ready to roll side-by-side.

Seemingly elated about the collab, she captioned the post: 'I just posted my first @tiktok with the legendary @tonyhawk go check it out!'

Though the Complicated songstress looked like she was in balance on Monday, she shared a look into one of her shakier skate sessions in early May.

Friends: On Instagram, Avril shared a few chummy behind-the-scenes snaps of the pair

Oi to the world: Avril looked pretty and punky while perched atop a neon green mini-ramp overlooking the ocean

Drop in, drop out: The duo were snapped ready to skate together

Posting video of herself wiping out on her backyard ramp, she wrote: 'Hope this makes you laugh as hard as its made my friends and I laugh all week.

'Thats what I get for sk8ing in my slippers and dress.'

Avril is often seen skating around with her beau Mod Sun, 34, who she's been dating for the last few months.

They became friends through their mutual pal, Machine Gun Kelly, before he got the nerve to ask her about singing on his song Flames for his new album, Internet Killed The Rockstar.

Gravity: Though the Complicated songstress looked like she was in balance on Monday, she shared a look into one of her shakier skate sessions in early May

What goes up must come down: Posting video of herself wiping out on her backyard ramp, she wrote: 'Hope this makes you laugh as hard as its made my friends and I laugh all week

'We linked up through talking and just talking about music  she's such a music lover, she keeps her ear to what's happening now and she caught wind of my music through my brother Machine Gun Kelly,' he told recently told Metro.co.uk.

He added: 'It's hard to even say because it's f**king Avril Lavigne but she was like 'I really like your song, I really like your music' and she was like 'send me some other stuff that you're working on.'

Mod was previously in a tumultuous relationship with Bella Thorne while Avril called it quits with her billionaire boyfriend Phillip Sarofim in November 2019.

She was previously married for four years to fellow Canadian and Sum 41 musician Deryck Whibley, and moved on to marry Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger for two years before finalizing a divorce in 2015.
HGTV star Christina Haack officially finalized her divorce from second husband Ant Anstead nine months after their legal separation.

The Anaheim-born 37-year-old and the 42-year-old Englishman have 'privately settled' the property and assets accumulated during their 21-month marriage, according to TMZ.

Christina and Ant - who began their romance in November 2017 - will share legal and physical custody of their 21-month-old son Hudson London.

It's over: HGTV star Christina Haack officially finalized her divorce from second husband Ant Anstead nine months after their legal separation (pictured in 2020)

Anstead is also father to two children - son Archie, 14; and daughter Amelie, 17 - from his 12-year marriage to Louise Anstead, which ended in 2017.

Haack is also mother to two children - daughter Taylor, 10; and son Brayden, 5 - from her seven-year marriage to Tarek El Moussa, which ended in 2018.

The amicable, house-flipping exes have been hard at work on the 15-episode 10th (and likely final) season of HGTV's Flip or Flop premiering later this year.

Christina - who reverted back to her maiden name in December - has wiped all existence of Ant from her Instagram, and she's searching for a new Newport Beach home.

Better times: The Anaheim-born 37-year-old (R) and the 42-year-old Englishman (L) have 'privately settled' the property and assets accumulated during their 21-month marriage

Priority: Christina and Ant - who began their romance in November 2017 - will share legal and physical custody of their 21-month-old son Hudson London (pictured in 2020)

Long distance love: Anstead is also father to two children - son Archie, 14; and daughter Amelie, 17 - from his 12-year marriage to Louise Anstead, which ended in 2017 (pictured May 3)

Ex-husband #1: Haack is also mother to two children - daughter Taylor, 10; and son Brayden, 5 - from her seven-year marriage to Tarek El Moussa, which ended in 2018 (pictured in 2017)

After Haack sold their marital Newport Beach home for $5.3M, Anstead moved into a seaside Laguna Beach property he dubbed: 'The Temple.'

'There's so much going on with work and the kids, so [I'm] focusing on the kids and work and just having fun,' the interior designer told ET earlier this month

'My goal is just to move on and not take things so seriously. And do some fun trips with the kids, go to Tennessee more, take time for quiet time and just really focus on the family. Just those things for us, those private times, you know, fun moments.'

Christina continued: 'I'm more of a person that just focuses on staying positive. Like, I don't get stuck in dwelling on things if they're going differently. I just always constantly am looking at the future. New projects, new fun activities and everything like that. I guess the main thing is, yeah, just not getting stuck in the setback and just looking at the future.'

'Another fun day on set!' The amicable, house-flipping exes have been hard at work on the 15-episode 10th (and likely final) season of HGTV's Flip or Flop premiering later this year

'My goal is just to move on': Christina - who reverted back to her maiden name in December - has wiped all existence of Ant from her Instagram, and she's searching for a new Newport Beach home (pictured January 26)

'The Temple': After Haack sold their marital Newport Beach home for $5.3M, Anstead moved into a seaside Laguna Beach property (pictured June 12)

Catch more of Haack in the 14-episode third season of her spin-off Christina on the Coast, which airs Thursdays on HGTV and discovery+.

'It has just been the most fun season. You're going to see a lot of really cool stories,' the pretty presenter teased.

'There's a ton of different styles, everything from modern Hacienda to mid-century modern. I feel like what was cool about this season is every house, people's style was totally different and unique, and just really high design.'
An Irwin family friend has said Bob Snr is 'deeply upset' by his granddaughter Bindi's claims he's 'ignored' her since she was a child - leading those close to him to fear the rift may have tragic consequences.

Amanda French, who co-authored Bob's 2016 autobiography The Last Crocodile Hunter, said on Monday that family members have tried to shield Bob, 82, from 'the full extent' of what Bindi, 22, has said about him.

But he's nonetheless devastated and feels confused as to 'where this all came from'.

Ms French told Seven's The Latest on Monday: 'Naturally Bob's quite upset about it, and to be perfectly honest we haven't told him the full extent of the comments because we're quite concerned about how he might take that.'

'We're quite concerned about how he might take that': An Irwin family friend has said Bob Snr (pictured) is 'deeply upset' by his granddaughter Bindi's claims he's 'ignored' her since she was a child - leading those close to him to fear the rift may have tragic consequences

She also claimed Bindi's harsh Facebook comment about her grandfather on Sunday was particularly unfair given how Bob has always maintained a dignified silence on the circumstances of his exit from Australia Zoo in 2008.

'Bob's always been quite neutral about the reason why he left the zoo and that's something he'll probably take to his grave,' Ms French said.

'He has his own reasons between himself and Terri [Irwin], but he's always had the greatest respect for the kids; he's got photos in his hallway of the kids.

'I guess he's scratching his head today, wondering where this all came from.'

Inner circle: Amanda French (right), who co-authored Bob's (left) 2016 autobiography The Last Crocodile Hunter, said on Monday that family members have tried to shield Bob, 82, from 'the full extent' of what Bindi, 22, has said about him, but he's nonetheless devastated and feels confused as to 'where this all came from'

It comes as Bindi faces backlash from her own family for accusing her estranged grandfather of 'ignoring' her since her childhood.

The wildlife warrior made headlines on Sunday after she posted a scathing Facebook comment about her strained relationship with Bob, claiming the ageing conservationist - who founded the family business Australia Zoo in 1970 - had 'never said a single kind word' to her and even 'returned gifts' she'd sent him.

While Bob has yet to publicly respond to the accusations, members of his inner circle fired back at Bindi on Monday.

Feud: Bindi made headlines on Sunday after she posted a scathing Facebook comment about her strained relationship with Bob (pictured in October 2016), claiming the ageing conservationist - who founded the family business Australia Zoo in 1970 - had 'never said a single kind word' to her and even 'returned gifts' she'd sent him

Bethany Wheeler, another granddaughter of Bob's by marriage, declared on Facebook: 'The time has come to speak up.'

'I read some absolutely appalling comments by Bindi today! Feel free to share this post (I will make it public) as we have all been silent... for too long,' she wrote.

Ms Wheeler, whose stepmother Mandy is Bob's daughter, defended her grandfather's character, calling him 'one of the most genuinely beautiful humans on this planet' who has 'never spoken out or put down anybody'.

Rebuttal: While Bob has yet to publicly respond to the accusations, members of his inner circle fired back at Bindi (pictured) on Monday

'He is a man who sits silently and battles his demons alone, in what is great sadness. He doesn't retaliate, only prays for his grandchildren's safety and good lives,' she continued.

Ms Wheeler went on to thank Bob for showing 'absolute love, respect, support and encouragement' throughout her life.

'My sisters and brothers will happily back me up when I say that Bob Irwin is a passive and beautiful human,' she added.

Breaking her silence: Bethany Wheeler (second from left), another granddaughter of Bob's (left) by marriage, declared on Facebook: 'The time has come to speak up... We have all felt sick reading [this] for too long.' Pictured: Ms Wheeler at her wedding to husband Wayne

Meanwhile, Ms French accused Bindi of assassinating her grandfather's character.

'To read the sad comments online today has sickened me, and people who are closest to him,' Ms French wrote on Facebook.

She described Bob as 'kind, gentle, generous and extremely f**king introverted'.

'It is disappointing [for Bindi] to have written what was written. To call a man [what Bindi called him] who has not once retaliated, simply buried his head in the sand and got on with his life in a meaningful way is [unfair],' she wrote.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Monday, Ms French called Bindi's attack 'heartbreaking', and insisted Bob still loves his family, including his granddaughter.

'He hasn't seen you since you were 10. He's done all he knows how to do and that is bury his head in the sand because that's how he copes,' she said, referring to how Bob withdrew from life after his son Steve's death almost 15 years ago.

Steve Irwin died in September 2006 aged 44, after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a wildlife documentary in Batt Reef, Queensland.

Hitting back: Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Monday, Ms French called Bindi's attack 'heartbreaking', and insisted Bob still loves his family, including his granddaughter

'This should be a private matter not written about on Facebook. I'm so disappointed to read this. It's immature to write such words. We could turn this around and say he supported your family financially by handing you the keys to the very property he built with his bare hands,' Ms French said, referring to how Bob handed ownership of Australia Zoo to his son and daughter-in-law Terri Irwin in 1992.

Meanwhile, Bob's other granddaughter Toni Johnstone also claimed Steve would be 'furious' about his daughter's accusations if he were alive today.

Commenting below Ms French's Facebook post, Ms Johnstone wrote: 'I honestly cannot believe how [Bindi] can [accuse Bob of these things] and then preach "let's be kind to one another" in the same post.'

Lashing out: Bob's other granddaughter Toni Johnstone also claimed Steve would be 'furious' about his daughter's accusations if he were alive today

Ms Johnstone, whose mother Mandy is Steve's sister, added: 'Let's hope [Bindi and Terri] remember who built the zoo that made them who they are today.'

'Poppy [Bob] is the most caring, loving, beautiful soul and I am so incredibly lucky to have him as my grandfather,' she continued.

Ms Johnstone went on to say she was 'puzzled' as to why Bindi would make such 'horrible' claims about Bob.

Confused: Ms Johnstone said she was 'puzzled' as to why Bindi would make such 'horrible' claims about Bob. Pictured from left: Robert, Terri and Bindi Irwin

The Irwin family feud was blasted wide open on Sunday when Bindi responded to a fan on Facebook who criticised her decision to exclude Bob from a post she'd written about 'the fathers in [her] life'.

Bindi had uploaded sweet post celebrating Father's Day in the USA, saying she was thankful for the 'three most incredible fathers in her life': her late father Steve Irwin, her husband Chandler Powell and her father-in-law Chris.

Torn: Bindi (pictured with husband Chandler Powell) spoke out about her strained relationship with her estranged grandfather Bob in a scathing Facebook comment on Sunday

When one fan asked why she hadn't included her grandfather - Steve's father, Bob - Bindi gave an uncharacteristically raw account of their relationship, claiming he'd ignored her since she was a 'little girl'.

The mother of one wrote: 'I really wish that my entire family could spend time with Grace. Unfortunately, my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family.'

She went on to claim that Bob had 'returned gifts I've sent after he opened them', and ignored any letters sent from her.

Claims: When one fan asked why she hadn't included her grandfather Bob (right), Bindi (left) gave an uncharacteristically raw account of their relationship. Pictured with mother Terri (second right) and brother Robert (second left) in 2007, one year after Steve's death

Speaking out: Bindi wrote, 'I really wish that my entire family could spend time with Grace. Unfortunately, my grandfather has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family'

Thankful: Bindi had commented on a Father's Day post celebrating the 'three most incredible fathers in her life', her late father Steve, her husband Chandler and her father-in-law Chris

'From the time I was a little girl he has ignored me, preferring to spend time doing anything else rather than being with me,' she continued.

'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart.'

She went on to say that her mother Terri still writes to him and sends birthday cards and Christmas gifts, but claims they have received no reply.

Strained: 'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart,' Bindi claimed. Pictured: Bob holding a photograph of Bindi in 2008

'We have also been his financial support since 1992 when he retired from Australia Zoo, sending him funds every week,' she added.

'We built him a house on a beautiful property and will always do our best to ensure his wellbeing.

'I hope everyone remembers to be kind to one another but most of all care for your own mental health.

'I have struggled with this relationship my entire life and it brings me enormous pain.'

Family: Bob is the father of the legendary 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin, who died in 2006. Pictured: The family in 2004

Bindi, who welcomed her daughter Grace in March, concluded by saying she had to 'choose to care for her own mental health now'.

Bob previously spoke to the media two years ago about the family feud that left him estranged from his granddaughter.

In September 2019, he told the Courier Mail that he had not received a response since writing a letter to Bindi in which he wished her well after she announced her engagement to her now-husband Chandler in July.

Support: 'We have also been his financial support since 1992 when he retired from Australia Zoo, sending him funds every week,' she added. Pictured: Bob Irwin and wife Judy in 2008
The outcomes 2021 Assembly elections have been very significant for the Communist Party of India (Marxist). While the CPI(M) has retained its power in Kerala, it lost abysmally in Bengal. The lessons for the Left are many, but most importantly, it should be time for the Left to rethink their ideology about caste.

In India, with elections becoming increasingly polarised, a vague stand on caste will only weaken the Left further. Going by the outcomes of these elections, today the Leftists in India should face the reality and rethink their traditional ideas of avoiding questions on caste. If the Left wants to confront the RSS, then they should reconsider their faulty caste narrative.

Not every political party gets an opportunity to change its historical mistakes. It's true that under the Left regime, large scale caste violence has not taken place in Kerala, Bengal and Tripura. But that does not mean the Left has ever recognised the existence of caste. Several political parties in India look at the caste system in different ways. However, not recognising this fundamental idea of Indian society is anything but progressive. The mistake of the Left is not only distancing themselves from the masses, but also creating room for the RSS to expand freely.

In India, with the elections becoming increasingly polarised, a vague stand on caste will only weaken the Left further. (Photo: Reuters)

The Leftists have never allowed Dalit representation because they do not even believe in the word "Dalit". India's Left political parties denied Dalit representation in their politics, public participation and even in religious expression. The Dalits of Bengal and Tripura under the Left regime have remained as oppressed as they have been under any other upper caste political parties. At the end of the day, the CPI(M) in Bengal took the same path of reaching out to the Matua or Namashudra communities just before the elections. Today, the CPI(M), which considers itself as the political representative of Sarbahara or the Proletariat, does not have the support of the most oppressed section of Indian society  a fact they must face.

After the partition of Bengal, a large number of Dalits from Bangladesh resettled in the Marichjhapi area of Sundarban in West Bengal. In 1979, under the Left rule, these Dalits were forcibly evicted and massacred. The Left-led state government at the time neither accepted this massacre nor allowed any investigation into it, and eventually denied justice to these people. In 2025, the Communist Party of India will be 100 years old. But in these many years, the Left is yet to approve that their key leadership carries the identity of the upper caste.

Jyoti Basu, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Manik Sarkar, Sitaram Yechury, Prakash Karat and the top brass of the CPI(M), both past and present, are from upper castes. Noted Dalit author and social activist Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd observed in an article, "...I mentioned these names because they are well-known communist leaders past and present. Does anyone find last names such as Sarkar, Bhattacharya, Basu, Mitra among the Shudras (Other Backward Classes), Namashudhras (Dalits) and Adivasis in West Bengal or Tripura?"

During the recent Assembly elections in Bengal, the Left asked for a change. But a change is needed within the Left dispositions. It is high time the Communists started realising that to break the class dynamics of our country, it is important to go beyond their own upper-caste-centric political representation. In India, the Communists could have established their own theory of Communism by approving the caste system. However, they never paid attention to the factor. The Left has consistently refused to even recognise the annihilation of the caste theory by Dr BR Ambedkar.

It was only after the death of Hyderabad University's Dalit scholar Rohit Vemula in 2016 that CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said that 'Jai Bhim' and 'Lal Salaam' should fight casteist forces together. He said, Rainbow has both colours, blue (representing Ambedkarites) and red (symbolising Communists) and if they unite, the movement will get strength. And this was the first time that the CPI(M) spoke about Ambedkar and expressed the need to adopt this discourse. However, this whole idea has remained confined within some speeches by CPI(M) leaders. Neither the Politburo nor the Central Committee of the CPI(M) has approved of any such idea.

This has eventually distanced the Left from the Dalits in Bengal and Tripura. Without any representation in their politics, the Dalits and Adivasis of Bengal have shifted their leanings towards the RSS. In both the states, the first major penetration of BJP happened in the areas where majority voters are either Dalits or Adivasis. In Bengal, the Namashudras or the Matua community is one of the biggest vote banks of the BJP. They are Dalits who have traditionally been against the Brahminical politics of Hindutva, but today they have found their voice within the BJP, based on the massive groundwork of the RSS. And this has been happening due to the failure of the Left to acknowledge and address the caste system.

It is time the Left re-thought their stand on caste.

Also Read: CPI(M) deserves Prakash Karat's criticism more than BJP and RSS
Neel Bhatt, a UW assistant professor of otolaryngology, specializes in treating patients with voice problems. Through his work, he began to realize people did not like the sound of their own voices. With the transition to school over Zoom, many students can relate to the discomfort of hearin
DEAR ABBY: My college senior daughter, "Lisa," insists on inviting her "significant other" to every holiday and to our home when she's on break. This is Lisa's first girl/girl romance, and she thinks she's in love.

This girlfriend has zero personality and adds nothing to our family dynamic. None of us can stand her. How can I nicely explain to my daughter that although she feels one way, we feel another? She honestly thinks she's going to marry this girl and is VERY pushy when it comes to inviting her wherever we are. Also, this girlfriend is only going into her junior year. She has two more years of school left. Once Lisa graduates this year, she will be five hours from the girlfriend.

She makes my daughter very weird and not in a good way. I'm praying this relationship will end after she graduates. It's horrible. If the girl isn't with her, Lisa calls her 10 times a day. Help! -- MOM KNOWS BETTER IN NEW JERSEY

DEAR MOM: Be patient. Because of the circumstances you mentioned in your letter, there is a good chance your daughter's fixation on her "first love" will lessen. I assume that when she returns from college she will be socializing with other people. Cross your fingers and gently encourage it, because it may give her a different perspective. Absence does not always make the heart grow fonder.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been together for 18 years (married for 14). He has recently been hanging around a female friend who supposedly made a move on him while I was away, but he said he turned her down. He sends her private messages, looks her up on social media and "likes" every photo she puts up. Most of them are sexy. Now he wants to try new things in the bedroom. Should I be concerned? I have an uneasy feeling about this.

When I told him I was going to confront her, he got upset with me. He has deleted messages because he said he didn't want me to get the wrong idea if I read them. I'm not sure how I should be feeling about this whole thing. -- SOMETHING'S UP IN NEW YORK

DEAR SOMETHING'S UP: Right now you should be "feeling" your husband's relationship with this female "friend" is a threat. There's nothing innocent about deleting conversations that he knows would give you the "wrong" idea. His preoccupation with the sexy photos she is posting is hardly reassuring, and that he suddenly wants to try "new things" in the bedroom is a huge red flag in light of what else is going on.

Quietly talk to a lawyer about what your options are as a wife of 14 years in New York, gather as much financial information as you can, and then raise holy heck with your husband. You have a right to be upset.

DEAR ABBY: I have been with this man for more than 20 years and we still haven't tied the knot. When I told him that because I'm not his wife, I'm not willing to do wifely duties anymore, he got really upset. Do you think I should give him an ultimatum? -- ON HOLD IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR ON HOLD: I think you already have!

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
NEW YORK (AP)  The Stonewall Inn's owners say they won't serve certain beers at the famous LGBT bar during Pride weekend to protest manufacturer Anheuser-Busch's political contributions to some politicians who have supported anti-LGBT legislation.

Co-owners Stacy Lentz and Kurt Kelly said they would be instituting the ban on Friday in support of the Keep Your Pride campaign, a recently launched effort highlighting five companies that it says advertise support during Pride but have also made contributions to anti-LGBT lawmakers.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  Stefan Lofven, Swedens Social Democratic prime minister since 2014, lost a confidence vote in parliament on Monday, making him the first Swedish leader ever to lose such a motion.

The development creates new political uncertainty in the Scandinavian nation after the last election in 2018 created a deadlocked parliament and months of negotiations to produce a government.

Under a timeline dictated by the Swedish Constitution, the prime minister now has one week to decide whether to call a new election or ask the parliament speaker to find a new government. Lofven said he wants to take some time" though not necessarily the whole week to decide on his next step.

That government, a Social Democratic-Green coalition, is a minority government that has relied on votes from the small Left Party to pass laws.

The no-confidence motion in Lofven's government was called by the nationalist Sweden Democrats party, but it ultimately succeeded because the Left Party had withdrawn its support from the government over proposed legislation to tackle a housing shortage. Lawmakers voted 181-109 against Lofven, with 51 abstentions.

The Left Party said it lost confidence in Lofven over a proposal to abolish rent controls on newly built properties.

Sweden has strict regulations on rents aimed at maintaining affordable prices in larger cities. However, this makes property developers less willing to invest in building new homes for the rental market. People wanting to rent a home can wait years for a contract and buying property is increasingly hard amid soaring home prices.

However, the Left Party fears that deregulating the rental market will lead to rapid price increases and deeper segregation between rich and poor.

After the vote, Lofven, 63, said that regardless of what happens, I and my party will be available to shoulder the responsibility for leading the country.

My focus has and will always be to do the best for Sweden, he added.

Over the weekend, Lofven held last-minute meetings seeking to secure a majority in parliament for his proposed rent reforms. On Sunday, he sought to soften the reforms by inviting landlords and tenant organizations for talks.

However, Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar said the party was standing by its decision to oppose Lofven and said his effort was a political show.

We have done something that is perceived as unusual in politics ... kept our word, she said.

The Left Party's initiative was supported by three other parties, including the Sweden Democrats, a right-wing populist party which the mainstream parties generally refuse to cooperate with because they consider it extreme.

The Sweden Democrats made huge gains in a 2018 vote to 17.6%  a showing attributed to a backlash against large-scale migration. In 2015, Sweden, with a population of 10 million, took in a record 163,000 refugees  the highest per capita of any European country. The populist party became Sweden's third-largest party in the 2014 vote.

The 2018 election produced a hung parliament, with parties on the left and the center-right bloc securing about 40% of the vote each. In January 2019, Swedish lawmakers approved Lofvens minority government, ending a four-month political deadlock.

___ This story has been corrected to show that the Sweden Democrats became the countrys third-largest party in 2014, not 2018.
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About 32 positive cases were registered against 1410 tests on June 20 in Sattupalli division having nine government hospitals.  Representational image/Reuters

KHAMMAM: The lifting of lockdown is worrying medical officers and staff working in the eight mandals in Khammam district where Covid-19 cases remain alarming.

The medical officials have warned of an increase in cases in these mandals in the coming two to three days due to the unlocking decision. Mandals like Karepalli, Sattupalli, Vemsoor, Penuballi, Kallur, Madhira, Errupalem and Nelakondapalli mandals reported more cases from May 5 to June 19.

Covid-19 cases were 11,262 in April, which marks 16.77 per cent positive cases from 67166 tests. In May, it was 18,176 from 57,996 tests (31.34%) while till June 20, about 11,871 positive cases were reported from 1,45,195 tests.

The rise is alarming. In Karepalli, for instance, about 26 cases were registered on June 20. It was preceded by 17 on June 19, 16 on June 18, 15 on June 17 and 11 on June 16.

About 32 positive cases were registered against 1410 tests on June 20 in Sattupalli division having nine government hospitals. There are 77 positive cases against 2355 tests on June 19 and 97 cases against 2833 tests, said medical and health officials.

Additional DMHO Sitaram said that they succeeded in bringing the cases to 2.3 per cent.

K Chakradhar, a doctor working in a private hospital, said, The situation is not under control in Khammam district and the people should be aware of the things and save themselves from the virus for at least another two months. Cases did not come down and it is more than three percent. The government should have continued the night curfew at least till July 1.
Warangal: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Monday laid the foundation stone for a 24-storey multi-super specialty hospital in Warangal at the site where the 138-year-old Warangal Central Prison was demolished. He said it would be the tallest tower in Warangal city once completed. and set a deadline of one-and-a-half years for the officials and public representatives to complete the hospital.

"I read somewhere that they built a 10-storey building in just 28 hours. Our old habits must die. Instead of taking years to complete a project, this one must be ready in the quickest possible time," he told the officials.

Asking a team of health department officials and public representatives to visit Canada and study how the hospitals are built there, he said the Warangal hospital should be even better.

The Chief Minister said that the mother mortality rate (MMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR) in Telangana state had come down over the years. He said focus on mother and child safety must increase further and mother and child health centres must be set up at every level across the state.

Rao noted that the existing MGM Hospital, Warangal Central Prison area, Kakatiya Medical College and Regional Eye Hospital which were set up adjacent to each other constituted about 200 acres.

"A major health hub must come up in the entirety of this area. A dental hospital and a college will also be sanctioned here. The MGM Hospital and the Regional Eye Hospital may be demolished if required and better buildings can come up in their places. The state would bear the expense even if it costs `3,000 crore," he said.

The Chief Minister said Warangal, which is the second most important city in the state, must have all health facilities so that it would spread into rural areas. Even the airport in Mamnoor will be reopened soon to fulfil this purpose.

"In a bid to not centre everything around Hyderabad, I proposed to set up the Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences in Warangal and also inaugurated its administrative building today," he said.
Chennai: An Economic Advisory Council to the Chief Minister would be constituted with leading experts including Nobel laureate Prof Esther Duflo, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit said here on Monday in his customary address to the Assembly.

The Council is to prepare a roadmap for "rapid" and inclusive economic growth of the state, Purohit said in his first address to the House, which also marks the commencement of the first session after the formation of the DMK government last month.

"In recent years, we have seen a slowdown in Tamil Nadu's economic growth rate. This government will make all out efforts to reverse this trend and usher in a period of rapid economic growth...," he said and announced that the panel would be set up.

Besides Duflo of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-USA, former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, former chief economic advisor to the union government, Arvind Subramanian, development economist Prof Jean Dreze and former union finance secretary S Narayan would be part of the Economic Advisory Council, he said.

Based on the council's recommendations the government would take steps to revitalise economy and see that the benefits of growth reached all segments of society, he said.

The fiscal health of the state is a cause for concern and the government would focus on improving it and bringing down debt burden and a white paper on Tamil Nadu's finances would be released in July.

There could be no social justice when there is high economic inequality and stratification. Inclusive growth is government's priority and growth and progress must benefit all sections of society and not just the top of the economic pyramid, the Governor noted.
The vaccination drive started at 6 a.m. and went on till 7 p.m. at all 572 grama sachivalayams across 98 wards within the corporation limits.  Representational image/PTI

VISAKHAPATNAM: Sunday witnessed total 1,11,589 citizens getting vaccinated in the greater Visakhapatnam area during the state-wide mega vaccination drive launched on the day. With such a turnout, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) achieved the distinction of giving the highest number of vaccinations among all civic bodies within the state.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, GVMC chief medical officer Dr. K. S. L. G. Sastry said We were doubtful whether we will be able to vaccinate at least 50,000 people. But more than one lakh of them turned up. It is a great achievement for citizens of Vizag with collective efforts made by all our staff.

The vaccination drive started at 6 a.m. and went on till 7 p.m. at all 572 grama sachivalayams across 98 wards within the corporation limits, Dr. Sastry added.

GVMC mayor Golagani Hari Venkata Kumari said she toured Allipuram and the 13th ward to check the vaccination drive. She expressed satisfaction that people have responded overwhelmingly.

Corporation commissioner G. Srijana attributed success of the drive to the hard work put in by ward volunteers and health workers during the last few days in increasing awareness among people about taking vaccination. Srijana said the maximum number of people who turned up had been above 45 years in age and mothers with children aged below five years, the two target groups in Sundays drive.
He thanked Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and the people of Telangana state for taking time out from their regular schedule to welcome him. Hyderabadis are good hosts, he said.  PTI

Hyderabad: Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana has praised the Telangana state government, the people, leaders and others for treating him with high respect that overwhelmed him.

They treated me like a pampered child, the Chief Justice said in an emotional tone while returning to Delhi after completing a six-day tour of the two Telugu states. The CJI hails from Ponnavaram village in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh.

Justice Ramana said it was quite natural for parents to take pride in the achievement of their children. But, his misfortune was that his parents were not alive to see his growth to the top position in the Indian judiciary.

This emotional gap has been fulfilled by the people of Telangana who showered all their warmth and love on me. This was a rare occasion when I became emotional, the Chief Justice said.

The CJI said that, ignoring the Covid-19 threat, people from all walks of life reached out to him, spoke to him and blessed him. "They asked for nothing, but only suggested strengthening of the Indian judicial system. These people reflected the true nature of Telugu people, known for their selflessness and righteousness.

Justice Ramana offered his prayers for the retired judicial officers who had blessed him. This was a unique experience for him after stepping out of his home some two months after taking up the new assignment, he said.

He thanked Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and the people of Telangana state for taking time out from their regular schedule to welcome him. Hyderabadis are good hosts, he said.

He thanked the Raj Bhavan staff, the police, the High Court staff and the media personnel for the warmth they showed to him during his stay. The Chief Justice urged the people to maintain the Covid-19 protocols.
HYDERABAD: Senior Congress leader and former MP V Hanumantha Rao has urged the AICC to send an observer to Telangana as it did for some other states before naming the next TPCC president. Opinion is divided on the selection of TPPC president and the party should consider the views of seniors, he said.

Speaking to the media here on Monday, Hanumantha Rao said there was neither a core committee meeting nor any discussion on this so far. Political equations are changing fast in the state, but no one in the Congress reviewed this scenario, he lamented.

The Congress high command had sent Madhusudan Mistry as observer to settle the KPCC issue amicably in Karnataka, where there was a difference of opinion, he said.

Hanumantha Rao alleged that TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy and CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka were responsible for the Congress partys downfall in the state. More than taking a recommendation of names from the Telangana Congress in-charge Manickam Tagore, the AICC should send an observer to select the TPCC president, he said.
Banks are not disbursing fresh crop loans for kharif as the state level bankers committee (SLBC) is yet to unveil the annual credit plan for 2021 though the kharif season has started on June 1. (Representational Photo:AFP)

HYDERABAD: Farmers in Telangana state are in a tight corner as banks are adjusting Rythu Bandhu amount towards payment of interest on crop loan arrears during the ongoing Kharif season following the state governments failure to implement the Rs 1 lakh crop loan waiver scheme, which it promised in 2018.

To make matters worse, banks are not disbursing fresh crop loans for Kharif as the state level bankers committee (SLBC) is yet to unveil the annual credit plan for 2021 though the Kharif season has started on June 1. With this, farmers are struggling to mobilise required money to meet expenses for Kharif cultivation.

Complaints are pouring in from farmers in all districts to the agriculture department which took the matter to the notice of agriculture minister S. Niranjan Reddy who issued orders to banks not to utilise Rythu Bandhu towards crop loan arrears. But farmers allege that banks are not complying with these instructions saying that the state government itself had asked farmers to renew their loan accounts by paying interest and the government would waive loans along with interests later. Since farmers failed to pay interest, the banks say they are forced to utilise Rythu Bandhu amount credited in their accounts.

Despite the Covid-19 induced financial crisis, the state government has credited over Rs 7,000 crore as Rythu Bandhu funds in the bank accounts of over 60 lakh farmers to help them to meet expenses for kharif.

But banks started adjusting this amount towards crop loan arrears of farmers. The government announced to waive crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh as promised during 2018 Assembly polls. However, the government could not waive loans of farmers who took loans up to Rs 25,000 so far due to fund crunch even two-and-a-half years after it made the promise. With this, farmers who took loans of over Rs 25,000, defaulted on repayment of loans.

Even those who renewed their loan accounts by clearing arrears are unable to secure fresh loans as banks are refusing applications citing SLBC not unveiling annual credit plan to give loans for kharif so far.

The SLBC had unveiled an annual credit plan for neighbouring Andhra Pradesh three days ago but kept it pending for Telangana state without citing any reasons.
Violence against children in war-torn countries soared in 2020, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to an annual United Nations report released on Monday.

Child abductions increased 90 per cent while rape and sexual abuse of children rose 70 per cent compared to the previous year, said the report, signed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"The overall number of grave violations remained alarmingly high at 26,425," the report said.

Virginia Gamba, the UN's special representative for children and armed conflict, said "the wars of adults have taken away the childhood of millions of boys and girls again in 2020."

The report found that the pandemic "increased the vulnerability of children to abduction, recruitment and use, sexual violence and attacks on schools and hospitals."

Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Somalia were the most dangerous places for children in 2020, the report found.

Read | Global displacement from war, crises doubles in a decade: UN

Human rights groups criticised Guterres for not including Israel and the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition in Yemen on its list of violators.

Jo Becker, children's rights advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said Guterres was "letting warring parties implicated in the deaths and maiming of children off the hook."

The Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict also slammed Guterres for omitting the Saudi and UAE-led coalition in Yemen, noting that the UN itself accused them of killing or wounding 194 children in Yemen last year.

"The secretary-general's decision to remove the Saudi and Emirati-led coalition from his shame list last year sent a clear message that parties can get away with killing children," said director Adrianne Lapar.
In the stifling, tightly packed medical ward at Civil Hospital, the ear, nose and throat specialist moved briskly from one bed to the next, shining a flashlight into one patients mouth, examining anothers X-rays.

The specialist, Dr Bela Prajapati, oversees treatment for nearly 400 patients with mucormycosis, a rare and often deadly fungal disease that has exploded across India on the coattails of the coronavirus pandemic. Unprepared for this springs devastating Covid-19 second wave, many of Indias hospitals took desperate steps to save lives  steps that may have opened the door to yet another deadly disease.

The pandemic has precipitated an epidemic, Prajapati said.

In three weeks, the number of cases of the disease  known by the misnomer black fungus, because it is found on dead tissue  shot up to more than 30,000 from negligible levels. States have recorded more than 2,100 deaths, according to news reports. The federal health ministry in New Delhi, which is tracking nationwide cases to allot scarce and expensive antifungal medicine, has not released a fatalities figure.

The coronavirus pandemic has drawn stark lines between rich nations and poor, and the mucormycosis epidemic in India stands as the latest manifestation. During the second wave, which struck India in April, its creaky, underfunded medical system lacked beds, oxygen and other necessities as infections and deaths soared.

Read | Centre allocates additional vials of Amphotericin-B to states, UTs

The mucormycosis epidemic adds even more urgency to the difficult task of protecting Indias 1.4 billion people. Only a small fraction have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, and they remain vulnerable to a third wave and the consequences that could follow.

Mucormycosis will tail off and go back to baseline as the Covid cases subside, said Dr Dileep Mavalankar, an epidemiologist. But it may come back in the third wave unless we find out why it is happening.

Many doctors in India think they know why. The bone-and-tissue-eating fungus can attack the gastrointestinal tract, the lungs, the skin and the sinuses, where it often spreads to the eye socket and the brain if left untreated. Treatment for the disease involves complex, often disfiguring surgery and an uncommon and expensive drug, contributing to a mortality rate above 50%.

Mucormycosis is not passed from person to person. It develops from commonplace spores that sometimes build up in homes and hospitals. Doctors believe Indias crowded hospitals, and their dire lack of medical oxygen, left the fungus an opening.

Without enough oxygen to go around, doctors in many places injected patients with steroids, a standard treatment for doctors battling Covid globally. They can reduce inflammation in the lungs and help Covid patients breathe more easily.

Read | 'Compensate kin of those succumbing to Covid effects'

Many doctors prescribed steroids in quantities and for durations that far exceed World Health Organization recommendations, said Arunaloke Chakrabarti, a microbiologist and co-author of a study examining the causes of Indias mucormycosis outbreak. Those steroids may have compromised patient immune systems and made Covid-19 patients more susceptible to fungal spores.

The steroids may have also dangerously increased blood sugar levels, leaving people with diabetes vulnerable to mucormycosis. It could also increase the chance of blood clots, leading to malnourished tissue, which the fungus attacks, Prajapati said.

Desperate doctors may not have had the chance to ask patients about whether they had diabetes or other conditions before resorting to steroids.

Doctors hardly had any time to do patient management, Chakrabarti said. They were all looking at how to take care of the respiratory tract.

According to the health ministry, about four out of five mucormycosis patients have had Covid-19. More than half have diabetes.

Alok Kumar Chaudry, a 30-year-old engineer with surgical tape over his left eye and hooked up to an IV drip at Civil Hospital, is one of those with mucormycosis who first came down with Covid.

He was studying for Indias civil service exam in April in New Delhi when the second wave hit. After testing positive for the coronavirus, and with hospital beds, drugs and oxygen scarce, he jumped onto a train to his older brothers home in rural Gujarat. There, his oxygen levels plummeted to a potentially lethal 54%.

After two weeks on oxygen support and steroids at a local hospital, he recovered from Covid-19 but developed an acute headache on the left side of his brain. Doctors thought that steroids may have caused it and that it would go away.

Suddenly vision in my left eye went blank, Chaudry said.

An MRI exam showed mucormycosis. The doctors said they would have to remove his eye.

He went to Ahmedabads Civil Hospital for a second opinion. Five specialists oversaw a surgery that involved scraping away the dead tissue in his sinus tract. To clear out remaining infection, he received a 15-day course of amphotericin B, an antifungal medication.

Chakrabarti said that if Chaudry kept his eye, he could still lose his life, since surgeons couldnt remove the thin layer of infection behind his eye without removing the eye itself.

Ive lost vision in my left eye, my studies have suffered, Chaudry said. Definitely I want to know why mucor has formed. If its faulty treatment, then someone is responsible. If its the wrath of God, what can I do?

The study that Chakrabarti co-wrote, published this month by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that heavy use of steroids, the correlation with diabetes and the unsanitary conditions at some hospitals had played a role.

Even before the pandemic, India recorded about 50 mucormycosis cases a year, compared with, on average, a single case every two years in the United States and Western Europe. Environmental conditions play a part, as does the incidence of diabetes  India has more than twice as many people with the condition as the United States does.

Usually in India, mucormycosis afflicts people with diabetes who are either unaware of their condition or who are not taking insulin properly. But in the current outbreak, many patients had no history of diabetes. The common denominator was a Covid-19 infection treated with steroids, clinicians and researchers say.

The government in Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, declared mucormycosis an epidemic in May. Other states have followed. Whether patients live or die often depends on how quickly they undergo debridement surgery that removes the fungus and then start a two-week course of amphotericin B.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is from Gujarat, described the fungal disease as a new challenge and said it was important to create systems to tackle it.

India makes small supplies of amphotericin B, which can be obtained free of charge at some public hospitals. But because supplies are limited, India is importing it from the United States, where it costs about $300 per vial. Each patient needs 60 to 100 vials. Gilead Sciences, the American manufacturer, has donated about 200,000 vials.

Doctors are using cheaper drugs that are as effective but more toxic, posing a risk of kidney damage.

Thats a very painful choice, said Dr Atul Patel, an infectious diseases specialist at the private Sterling Hospital in Ahmedabad who has treated dozens of mucormycosis patients in the outbreak.

Patel, another of the studys authors, said that steroids, which in India are commonly prescribed for routine ailments such as diarrhea or fever, had been prescribed to Covid-19 patients with mild infections who didnt need them.

That was the case for one of Patels patients, Ambaben Heerabhai Patel, 60, the matriarch of a farming family in rural Gujarat, who is paying about $700 a day for antifungal treatment and other services at Sterling.

Its a steep cost, but Ambaben Patel had seen Dr Patel  no relation  for previous health issues related to her diabetes. After back-to-back infections of Covid-19 and then mucormycosis, she did not want to take any chances.

Arriving at the hospital May 17 with an intense headache and facial numbness, Ambaben Patel said in early June from her private room at Sterling Hospital that she felt healthy for the first time in more than a month.

Of Dr Patel, she said, hes like my god.
Days after Juneteenth became an official federal holiday, Delaware County honored and celebrated the occasion with events and commemorations throughout the area.
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Katrina Kaif shows what chill from home looks like in her latest post; Check it out

Bollywood star Katrina Kaif, who is an avid social media user and often treats her fans by sharing stunning pictures of her, on Sunday posted a selfie of her chilling at home. The Tiger Zinda Hai actor took to her Instagram handle and shared a beautiful self-portrait of her along with the caption, "chill from home." In the photo, Katrina could be seen sporting a blue outfit while looking flawlessly gorgeous in her no-makeup look. The post from the 37-year-old actor garnered more than four lakh likes within an hour of being shared on social media.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Katrina Kaif (@katrinakaif)

Meanwhile, on the film front, reportedly, Katrina is all set to shoot for the highly anticipated third installment of the blockbuster Tiger franchise alongside superstar Salman Khan. With the orders of the unlock issued by the Maharashtra government, the Film and TV industry has been allowed to commence shooting with the time limit of 5 pm in a bio bubble. Certain restricted areas are expected to slowly open up and that is when the actor will be joining the team of Tiger 3.

She will also be seen sharing screen space with actor Akshay Kumar in Rohit Shetty's cop drama Sooryavanshi, which was supposed to release last year. It got delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The actor also has Phone Bhoot co-starring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ishaan Khattar in the pipeline.
Pratyusha Banerjee's ex-boyfriend Rahul Raj Jain to file criminal defamation case against Vikas Gupta and Kamya Punjabi?

Balika Vadhu actress Pratyusha Banerjee died by suicide in 2016. It was a sad and shocking day for all to see a young talent leave us so soon. Within a few days, her then boyfriend Rahul Raj Jain was taken to police custody for abetment of suicide. Now, after half a decade, Rahul has thought of filing a criminal defamation case against Pratyusha's friends Vikas Gupta and Kamya Punjabi.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Biscoot Tv (@biscoottv)

While speaking to Spotboye, Rahul claimed that it was Vikas and Kamya who villainised him. He said, I can never forget that day. It is embedded in my mind heart and soul. And the way Pratyushas so-called friends Vikas Gupta and Kamya Punjabi tried to pin Pratyushas death on methey have their conscience and God to answer to. They know as well as I do that I am not guilty. They also know why they did all the tamasha.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kamya Shalabh Dang (@panjabikamya)

When asked why he thinks they did so, he promptly replied, For the publicity. They maligned me without a shred of evidence. That last phone call that Pratyusha made to me does not have any evidence to prove me guilty. Pratyusha does not accuse me even once in that conversation of anything. All her grief and anger were directed at her parents. They are the ones who should be held responsible. In fact when the honourable judge granted me bail it was on the basis of that last phone conversation between Pratyusha and me.

He also added, They have damaged my life and career beyond repair. No retaliatory action can give me back my five lost years. Since I was held responsible for Pratyushas death all my work dried up. All that I had achieved before Pratyushas death is forgotten. My life has come to a standstill. I will sue these two for criminal defamation claiming Re1 as compensation.

Rahul claimed that Vikas has been 'using' Pratyusha's name when he revealed that they were in a relationship. He also added that the proceedings have been delayed because of the pandemic.
Ray: Vasan Bala opens up about his segment 'Spotlight'

A sprinkle of "nostalgia" and pop-culture references have become signature to director Vasan Bala's films, who says revisiting his favourite movie memories drives him emotionally as a storyteller. The Mumbai-based filmmaker's first theatrical release, 2019's "Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota", was a homage to martial arts legend Bruce Lee loaded with Bollywood references starting from its title, based on megastar Amitabh Bachchan's dialogue in 1985 movie "Mard". The story about a man, whose medical condition makes him impervious to pain, was a hit with people appreciating Bala's pulpy treatment that reminded them of films like "Shehnshah", "Gangs of Wasseypur", "Paap Ko Jalakar Raakh Kar Doonga", "Pulp Fiction" and "Inglorious Basterds".

The director says the references are never introduced while writing the film and come in as a garnish at a much later stage.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vasan Bala (@vasanbala)

"The references come much later. First, we are interested in deciding about what we are trying to say and what the characters are. And once we are done, then I have fun garnishing with references of films and actors and other things I love. I just sprinkle. It's fine even if audiences don't get those references. It gives me an emotional connect while making films," Bala told PTI in a Zoom interview.

Before making his feature directorial debut with 2012 movie "Peddlers", Bala was making short films. He has also served as a co-writer on filmmaker Anurag Kashyap's "Bombay Velvet" and "Raman Raghav 2.0". The writer-director said as someone who has grown up watching all the pulpy, popular and cult films from across the globe, returning to his memories is the best way to stay on track as a filmmaker.

"It's like tapping into some kind of memory bank, nostalgia or probably it's just a kind of pinch to keep reminding me why I'm doing this. It's a beautiful reminder. And if I have the opportunity to keep doing it then why not. No one needs to know all this It's about going into a moment that emotionally drives me."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vasan Bala (@vasanbala)

The filmmaker adapted the same process for his next venture "Ray", a Netflix anthology series based on the short stories written by legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray. The series has four episodes, each a contemporary interpretation of Ray's writings, with Bala directing Harshvardhan Kapoor, Radhika Madan-starrer "Spotlight". The story revolves around a popular but creatively unsatisfied actor dealing with, his insecurities as a cult leader's presence threatens his stardom.

Bala said the team started discussing the project somewhere in 2019 and finished writing the first draft right before the coronavirus pandemic hit India. Initially, the film was set in Varanasi but post the pandemic, they decided to shift it indoors to comply with safety protocols. "Spotlight" also features many pop-culture references and well-defined characters. Bala said the best way to write a story is to give every character its own life and persona.

"None of these characters are sidekicks or protagonists or anything. They all exist in their own worlds and are connected the way people are connected in real life. When the writing doesn't fall into the trap, wherein a character has to exist just to react, it's great. We take that approach in writing and make sure every character has its own emotions in the context of the film. There isn't an archetype we were trying to tap in. We put in all the experiences of everyone we know so that, at the human level, we all can connect to these characters," he said.

Apart from "Spotlight", the anthology features three other episodes -- "Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa", helmed by Abhishek Chaubey, and Srijit Mukherji-directed "Forget Me Not" and "Bahrupiya".

The ensemble cast includes Manoj Bajpayee, Gajraj Rao, Ali Fazal, Shweta Basu Prasad, Anindita Bose, Kay Kay Menon, Bidita Bag, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, among others

Making an almost one-hour-long visual interpretation of a writing by cinema great like Ray can be an overwhelming process, but Bala said despite the awe he believes in owning the script once on board as a director.

"I believe once a director gets into making a film, they have to own it. If a filmmaker can't own it then I don't think one should even do it because then one is participating as a consumer and not as a filmmaker. Despite the reverence and the awe, one needs to have the courage to own it, " he added.

Ray will premiere on Netflix on June 25.
Minister Byrne to attend meeting of the General Affairs Council

Press release

The Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, T.D., will join his ministerial colleagues at a meeting of the General Affairs Council (GAC) in Luxembourg on Tuesday 22 June.

The main item at this months Council will be preparation of the European Council meeting on 24-25 June. At that meeting, leaders will discuss the Covid-19 pandemic; economic recovery; migration; the Eastern Mediterranean; and Russia.

In addition, Ministers will exchange views on the Enlargement and Stabilisation and Association Process. Following the Council, inter-governmental conference (IGC) meetings will take place with both Serbia and Montenegro to review progress by both countries in their ongoing accession negotiations with the EU.

The Council meeting will also include a hearing on values of the Union in Hungary with regard to citizens fundamental rights and freedoms and on rule of law in Poland while the Presidency will provide an update to the Council following the inaugural session of the Plenary of the Conference on the Future of Europe in Strasbourg on 19 June.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Minister Byrne said:

This will be a busy meeting of the General Affairs Council as we prepare for the European Council in Brussels later this week. We will also discuss the current state of the Enlargement process, in advance of IGC meetings with Serbia and Montenegro directly following the Council. I look forward to attending these two conferences and engaging with Serbia and Montenegro to encourage both countries to maintain their ongoing reform efforts as they seek to advance their European perspectives. Ireland has always been best placed as part of the EU and membership of it has led to meaningful change that has helped all Irish people achieve their potential, I want to see this equality of opportunity for the citizens of Serbia and Montenegro and indeed all the accession states.

I also look forward to the Presidency update on the Conference of the Future of Europe. I was delighted to take part virtually in the first Plenary Session in Strasbourg on Saturday and start the conversation with other European representatives and citizens about how we wish to see the EU evolve in the coming years. It was an empowering occasion and I encourage everyone, but particularly our younger citizens, to engage with the Conference and have their say on the future direction of our Union.

ENDS

Press Office

21 June 2021

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Statement by Ambassador Byrne Nason at the UNSC Briefing on the Situation in South Sudan

Statement

Like my colleagues before me, I want to appreciate the remarks made by Rajab Mohandis, and welcome the attendance of my colleague Permanent Representative Malwal.

May I join my colleagues by wishing you, Nicholas, a very warm welcome and sincere best wishes in your new role  a challenging one, no doubt, but one that we have every faith you can deliver upon. Many thanks also for your considered insights today.

Mr. President,

In a few short weeks we will mark the ten-year anniversary of the independence of South Sudan. It remains incumbent upon all of us to ensure that the aspirations of the people who believed so much in the power and potential of that joyous moment can be fulfilled.

We must work to deliver above and beyond the promise of peace, which will simply no longer suffice. Promise and potential need to be translated into action and real change for the people of South Sudan.

As the Secretary General has noted, we have seen some important developments in the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement, such as the recent reconstitution of Parliament. We hope to soon see the signing of an MOU with the African Union on the long-awaited, and much needed, Hybrid Court.

Yet we also have to acknowledge that the pace of progress must be greatly accelerated, particularly as the way forward is clearly signposted. This includes benchmarks incorporated last month into the sanctions regime, setting out steps for potential future lifting of the arms embargo.

Mr. President,

We continually hear that the ceasefire is holding. This cannot be taken for granted. However, the absence of active conflict is not enough when subnational violence continues unabated. It is not enough when the number of civilian killings is doubling year-on-year; its not enough when hunger is on the rise; and certainly not enough when the most vulnerable remain subjected to the most heinous treatment, including from those meant to protect them.

It is distressing to hear how challenging the humanitarian situation has become, with South Sudan now facing its highest level of food insecurity since independence, exacerbated by conflict, climate, and COVID.

Ireland is also deeply concerned by the rise in attacks on humanitarian workers. We appeal to South Sudanese authorities to better protect humanitarian personnel, and ensure accountability for those killed.

The rise in SOFA violations is completely unacceptable and must stop. We welcome the meeting of 31 May but we need urgently to see sustained efforts by the government of South Sudan to prevent and remove impediments to UNMISS work.

Mr. President,

Ireland remains seriously concerned by the dire human rights and protection environment, which continues to disproportionately affect women and girls. The persistence of grave violations, including conflict-related sexual violence, against children, also remains worrying. We call on the government of South Sudan to hold the perpetrators accountable so as to break this recurring cycle of violence, to provide services for survivors, and to ensure justice and support for them. We call again for the swift establishment and operationalization of all of the transitional justice institutions mandated by the peace agreement.

Steps must also be taken to address the increase in subnational violence. On this point, I want to commend UNMISSs prevention and containment efforts.

Like others, we look forward to elections being held in accordance with the Revitalized Agreement. However we strongly urge the incorporation of appropriate constitutional guarantees on a consensual basis in advance of any elections taking place.

Ireland sees the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women as a barometer of how a peace process is advancing. We know from experience that womens involvement is critical to peace. Ireland deeply regrets that the 35% quota has not been met. and the associated opportunity for women to be involved in peacebuilding. We look forward to the development of a new National Action Plan on WPS for South Sudan to drive forward progress in this area.

A vibrant civil society is also essential to sustaining peace and we call for the expansion and security of civil society space where its diverse membership can thrive.

Mr. President,

While we are cognizant of both the issues the country is grappling with, and of the conscious efforts it will take to alleviate them, let me state without agenda or judgement here today that as in 2011 Ireland believes in South Sudan.

It believes in the potential of its people, its women and youth in particular, as well as the pathways to peace that have been identified.

Furthermore, Ireland believes that further gains can and must be achieved.

Mr President

It is now up to South Sudan to lead the way.

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Daniel Webster School, a Ballard landmark first constructed in 1908 (with an addition in 1930), was recently renovated to house Licton Springs K-8 school.





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SALEM, Ore. (AP)  Authorities in Lake Oswego and Tigard in Oregon and Anacortes in Washington are among the communities asking residents to reduce water use during a chlorine shortage.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reports the chemical used in small amounts by water treatment facilities to prevent harmful bacteria growth in drinking water supply. State officials say they have a plan to help water districts across Oregon get the chlorine they need if their stockpiles run low and there's no threat to the water the public depends on.





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SEATTLE  An apartment building at 4405 Corliss Ave. N. sold for just under $8.5 million, according to King County records.

The sellers were two LLCs associated with investors represented by Westlake Associates, which acquired the property in 2015 for about $3.9 million.





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KIRKLAND  A small office building at 1414 Market St. in Kirkland sold for $4.2 million, according to King County records.

The seller was 1414 Market LLC, associated with Blue Fern Homes, which acquired the property in 2019 for $3.5 million.





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Gautam Adani loses $9 billion of personal wealth in worst market rout

Indian business tycoon Gautam Adani saw his personal wealth tumble by $9 billion to $67.6 billion over a four-day period starting Monday, following a report speculating about the genuineness of some of his offshore investors.

The biggest-ever market rout, triggered by a media report that raised questions about some offshore investors, hit the conglomerates six listed stocks, which continues unabated.

The market rout comes at a time when the 58-year-old tycoon was closing the gap with Mukesh Ambani as Asias richest man. Adani Group stocks continued to fall on Thursday.

The share fall started on Monday after The Economic Times reported that Indias national share depository froze the accounts of three Mauritius-based funds because of insufficient information about the owners  that the bulk of the holdings of Albula Investment Fund, Cresta Fund and APMS Investment Fund of about $6 billion - are shares of Adanis firms.

Adani group said the report is blatantly erroneous" and that it was done to deliberately mislead the investing community," investors concerned over transparency rushed for the exit.

The Mauritius offshore funds hold more than 90 per cent of their assets under management in Adani group companies, according to a Bloomberg report.

In identical exchange filings the same day, Adani group companies said that they had written confirmation from the Registrar and Transfer Agent that the offshore funds demat accounts in which Adani shares were held are not frozen."

Shares of Adani Green Energy Ltd, slipped 7.7 per cent this week. Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd plunged 23 per cent in four days, Adani Power Ltd, Adani Total Gas Ltd and Adani Transmission Ltd tumbled at least 18 per cent, while flagship Adani Enterprises fell almost 15 per cent.

The stock had soared more than 500 per cent since the start of 2020, which took Adanis personal wealth was close to $80 billion earlier this month. Adani has been making big push into sectors such as renewable energy, airports, data centers and defence contracting.
Finance ministry refutes report on surge in Indian funds with Swiss banks

The ministry of finance on Friday refuted news reports that cited a Rs20,700 crore rise of Indian funds in Swiss banks and the alleged rise of black money held by Indians in Switzerland.

The finance ministry s clarification comes following certain media reports stating that funds of Indians in Swiss banks have risen to over Rs20,700 crore (CHF 2.55 billion) at the end of 2020 from Rs6,625 crore (CHF 899 million) at the end of 2019, reversing a 2 year declining trend. It has also been stated that this is also the highest figure of deposits in the last 13 years.

In an official release, the finance ministry stated that the figures did not indicate the 'quantum of black money' held by Indians, and that the biggest increase had been cited under 'other amounts due from customers'- which refers to bonds, securities, and various other financial instruments.

"Media reports allude to the fact that the figures reported are official figures reported by banks to Swiss National Bank (SNB) and do not indicate the quantum of much debated alleged black money held by Indians in Switzerland. Further, these statistics do not include the money that Indians, NRIs or others might have in Swiss banks in the names of thirdcountry entities," the finance ministry stated.

The ministry cited the fall in the customer deposits from 2019 stating, "The funds held through fiduciaries has also more than halved from end of 2019." It also stated that exchanges of financial account information in respect of residents of each country have taken place between both countries in 2019 and 2020 and in view of the information exchanged, there does not appear to be any significant possibility of the increase of deposits in the Swiss banks which is out of undeclared incomes of Indian residents.

The centre has asked the Swiss authorities to provide the relevant facts along with their view on possible reasons for increase/decrease in Indian funds as cited by the news reports.

On Thursday PTI reported that funds parked by Indian individuals and firms in Swiss banks had risen to 2.55 billion Swiss francs (over Rs20,700 crore) in 2020 on a sharp surge in holdings via securities and similar instruments. Citing the annual data from Switzerland's central bank, the report stated that while customer deposits fell, there was an increase in aggregate funds of Indian clients with Swiss banks. According to PTI, the rise in Indian funds from 899 million Swiss francs (Rs6,625 crore) at the end of 2019, reverses a two-year declining trend and has taken the figure to the highest level in 13 years.
ADB provides $484 million loan to upgrade road network in TN industrial corridor

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India on Wednesday signed a $484 million loan to improve transport connectivity and facilitate industrial development in the ChennaiKanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) in Tamil Nadu.

CKIC is part of Indias East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC), which stretches from West Bengal to Tamil Nadu and connects India to the production networks of South, Southeast, and East Asia. ADB is the lead partner of the Government of India in developing ECEC.

Rajat Kumar Mishra, additional secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs and Takeo Konishi, country director for ADB in India, signed the loan agreement, an ADB release stated.

The project is key to providing seamless road connectivity across industrial clusters, transport gateways and consumption centers, and help reduce logistics and production costs for CKICs targeted industries to boost their competitiveness, Mishra remarked.

The project is part of the priority infrastructure projects identified for corridor development under the ADB-supported CKIC comprehensive development plan, said Konishi. The overall objective is to spur industrial transformation through provisioning of essential transport, energy and urban infrastructure for holistic development of industrial growth centres.

The project will upgrade about 590 km of state highways in the CKIC influence areas that cover 23 of the 32 districts between Chennai and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. Enhanced connectivity of industrial hubs with hinterland and ports will particularly help increase participation of Indian manufacturing in global production networks and global value chains, thereby creating jobs along the corridor.

In line with Strategy 2030, ADBs long-term corporate strategy, the project emphasises on sustainability, climate change resilience, and road safety elements. Seven-year contracts are provided for long-term maintenance of road projects. Climate change adaptation measures will be incorporated in highway upgrades, including improved drainage, raised road embankments in critical sections, and resising of bridges and culverts. The project will also strengthen road safety improvement programmes through advanced technologies for road monitoring and enforcement. In addition, the project will help improve the planning capacity of Tamil Nadus Highways and Minor Ports Department
Duncan, OK (73533)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low around 70F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low around 70F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
ADA [ndash] Jesse G. Denslow, 93, of Ahloso, passed away Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Shawnee. He was born to Leslie Earl Denslow and Poca Vanderpool Denslow in 1927 in Scullin, Oklahoma, "a wide place in the road". He claimed that his secret to long life was that he never drank, never smoked
Concerns were raised about continuing water discolouration in Dundalk at the monthly Louth County Council (LCC) meeting this afternoon.

Sinn Fein Cllr Kevin Meenan raised the issue at the meeting this morning, held online due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.

Cllr Meenan said that he has been in touch with Irish Water on a daily basis, and that he has had contact with constituents who have spoken to him about the water remaining brown.

Irish Water has said that this issue is due to a large burst in the network, causing sediment to be dislodged and carried through the network to household taps.

According to LCC, there is currently work ongoing to solve the discolouration issue.

Both LCC and Irish Water are asking those who are impacted by the discolouration to run their taps until the water runs clear.

However, if the water colour does not return to clear, Irish Water is advising customers to not drink the water and to instead contact Irish Water.

Further investigations by both LCC and Irish Water have found that the buildup of sediment and discolouration was also caused by a buildup of manganese, a mineral that occurs naturally in the area.

Manganese is found naturally in the Fane River which is the source water for the Cavanhill Water Treatment Plant.

There are currently works being done at Cavanhill to reduce the amount of manganese in the final treated water, which will therefore reduce the likelihood of further sediment buildup in the water network.

Irish Water has said that when that work is complete, they will begin a network flushing programme to clear the pipes of any remaining sediment.
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North Andover, MA (01845)

Today

Showers this evening becoming less numerous overnight. Low 56F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Showers this evening becoming less numerous overnight. Low 56F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Fear has invaded the Mexican border city of Reynosa after gunmen in vehicles killed 14 people, including taxis drivers, workers and a nursing student, and security forces responded with operations that left four suspects dead
Scotlands leader has defended the ban on nonessential travel between the country and the northwest English city of Manchester after its mayor lambasted the decision and called for compensation
First public call to develop utility-scale wind power plants in Albania

Developers invited to prepare qualification submissions

Diversification of energy supply, increase security and attract investment

Albania has launched its first tender for utility-scale onshore wind power plants today. Individual projects with a capacity of between 10 MW and 75 MW can apply. Several projects will be chosen; total tendered capacity equals 100 MW and this may be increased to 150 MW in the coming months, in line with the countrys renewable energy targets. The announcement of the successful bidders is expected in the first half of 2023.

The Albanian Ministry for Infrastructure and Energy is running the tender. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has been supporting the Albanian authorities in the introduction of competitive procurement processes for renewable energy projects.

Matteo Colangeli, EBRD Head of Western Balkans, said: We are delighted with the progress Albania is making on scaling up wind and solar energy through open and transparent tenders. This is another milestone for the diversification, resilience and sustainable development of the countrys energy sector.

Developers are invited to submit their qualification submissions by mid-June 2022. This will be followed by a request for proposals from applicants successful in the first phase. The launch of the tender process marks the start of a work-intensive phase for developers to meet the stringent technical, environmental and social requirements of the selection process.

Bidders are requested to propose sites for wind power-plant developments. To assist them, a wind siting study has been prepared, including suitability criteria for the selection of sites, as well as a preliminary high-level screening of no-go areas. The Albanian Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy will organise a conference for prospective bidders later this year to provide clarification and answer questions.

Todays call follows the successful award of two EBRD-supported solar tenders for the 140 MW Karavasta and 100 MW Spitalle solar photovoltaic projects in recent years. The projects will help to diversify sources of supply in Albanias electricity sector, which is vulnerable to seasonal changes in hydrology and dependent on expensive and emissions-intensive power imports. The competitive procurement processes to date have achieved highly competitive prices for electricity from solar power of less than EUR 30 per MWh. The wind tender is also expected to deliver highly competitively prices for clean power.

The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) is providing funding for the technical assistance that covers the new tender as well as regulatory work in the energy sector to facilitate the introduction of auctions.

Francoise Salame Guex, Infrastructure Financing Division, SECO Switzerland, commented: We are proud to support the Government of Albania in developing the countrys wind power market. The launch of the wind tender is an important milestone in attracting private-sector competition to the renewable energy sector in Albania, which is a critical step in transitioning to a diversified low-carbon economy.

The EBRD has been supporting Albania in the development of a sustainable and diversified energy sector through policy dialogue, technical assistance and investment. To date, the EBRD has invested more than 1.5 billion in 112 investment projects in the country.
EBRD providing local currency loan for construction of two windfarms

Financing will be matched by commercial parallel lender

Total installed capacity to exceed 125 MW; CO 2 emissions savings of 266,300 tonnes/year expected

Poland is accelerating its transition from fossil fuels with the development, construction and operation of two windfarms with finance from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The EBRDs local currency loan of PLN 275 million (60.4 million equivalent) is financing two separate projects, with a parallel commercial lender, Banco Santander S.A., who benefits from a partial guarantee from Denmarks Export Credit Agency (EKF), providing the same amount within a PLN 550 million financing package. Santander Bank Polska is acting as Agent, Security Agent and Account Bank.

The first project is the 81.4 MW Banie 3 development in northwestern Poland, where 37 turbines will be built. (The Bank provided finance for Banie 1 and 2 in 2016). The second is at Sepopol in north-eastern Poland, where 20 wind turbines will be constructed with a capacity of 44 MW.

The EBRD loans will be divided between the two farms, with PLN 91.6 million (20.1 million) going to Derickar Investments, owner of Sepopol windfarm, and PLN 183.4 million (40.3 million) to Gaberpoint Investments, owner of Banie 3. Both are Polish companies ultimately owned the Israeli renewables company Energix Renewable Energies.

Poland is committed to reducing its dependency on generating energy from coal with harmful effects on the environment and human health. Since the country relies on coal for 70 per cent of its electricity generation, it faces one of the most significant energy transition challenges of all the Bank's countries of operations.

Renewable energy is vital to the transition, and finance for it has become scarcer given the disruption caused by the Covid-19 global pandemic. These projects, expected to generate more than 348.3 GWh of renewable zero carbon electricity that will lead to CO2 savings of at least 266,300 tonnes per year, support the countrys ongoing energy transition.

Poland is actively growing its renewable energy sector, and aims to almost double the proportion of final energy consumption from renewables from 12.2 per cent at the end of 2019 to 23 per cent in 2030.

As of 2020, Polands installed wind capacity was 6.4 GW, representing 51 per cent of its renewable energy capacity. Polish renewables are expected to grow rapidly over the next two decades, which is also reconfirmed by ambitious targets set by Polish Authorities in the recently approved Energy Strategy.

The new plants will help fulfil Polands contribution to the EU climate and energy targets for 2030, which include a cut of at least 55 per cent in greenhouse gas emissions.

Since the start of operations in 1991, the EBRD has invested nearly 10.9 billion in 457 projects of all sectors of the economy in Poland. Supporting the countrys green transition with investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency remains one of the Banks priorities in Poland.
TWO Cork schools are to benefit from a funding boost from the Department of Education.

Colaiste an Spioraid Naoimh secondary school has been granted funding under the Emergency Works Scheme for external environmental projects.

Cork TD Padraig OSullivan welcomed the funding for the Bishopstown based secondary school.

The Minister for Education Norma Foley and the officials in the Department deserve praise as we have the biggest budget ever allocated for education. We are seeing a lot of announcements coming to fruition at the moment, he said.

The Fianna Fail TD for Cork North Central said it is vital investments are maintained for education in Cork.

It is vital we keep upgrading and improving our facilities. Education is key. It is great to see so much investment going into education. We are putting a lot of new facilities into schools.

Funding has also been announced for St Marys Special School in Rochestown.

The following works were approved in recent days: internal and external refurbishment to provide two ASD-specific classrooms with attached toilets, shower, changing areas, safe rooms, multi-sensory room, and repairs to OT room adjacent. Funding was also allocated for the removal of the existing toilets, to create a junior play area, and to make the whole yard secure with fencing and keypad entry.

Deputy OSullivan said the funds allocated for St Marys will help tackle the waiting lists for places in special education.

The funds announced for St Marys are also very welcome. This will tackle the waiting lists for places for special education. It is vital to stay ahead of the curve, he added.
IRISH Water has said investigations are ongoing in determining the cause of a sinkhole in Blackrock, which led to one family being evacuated from their home at the weekend.

A spokesperson for Irish Water told The Echo that the company is in the process of carrying out a detailed investigation into the cause of the incident which occurred at McGrath Park.

"It appears to be as a result of a burst pipe which led to a collapse of a section of ground above it.

"We understand how traumatic and difficult this has been for the family affected.

This pic shows a large area of footpath and public roadway also affected by the leak. A burst water pipe at the driveway to a home at McGrath Park, Blackrock, Cork. A sinkhole developed overnight and Cork City Fire Brigade responded to the emergency early on Sunday morning. There is considerable subsidence damage to the private-owned property with cracks visible on the exterior walls of the family home. Picture: Larry Cummins

"Our top priority at the moment is to make the area safe and allow the family to return to their home.

"In the meantime we have arranged hotel accommodation for them and we are liaising with them to ensure they have everything they need and are being given regular progress updates," the spokesperson said.

"Our technical teams are on the ground assessing the situation to identify what further works are needed to make the area safe.

"We are also carrying out examinations on the wider area to ensure there is no risk to neighbouring properties.

"The burst pipe has been repaired and normal water supply has been restored to the area."

The company has said they will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure the safety of the public and maintain normal water services.

Homeowner Gary ODonovan said he spotted water running in the area on Saturday evening and contacted Irish Water.

The area had dried up and the company was due to return to the site on Sunday to examine the area.

However, Mr ODonovan said when he looked out onto his driveway on Sunday morning, he saw the sinkhole.

The familys car was almost swallowed by the sinkhole.
A local newspaper report outlining alleged body shaming at a school in Carlow, which was based on inaccurate social media claims, has been criticised by the Press Ombudsman.

Presentation College Carlow was at the centre of controversy last year over false allegations that female students at the school had been told not to wear clothing that made male teachers uncomfortable.

The false claims resulted in an online petition about sexism against female students, which received thousands of signatures.

The principal of the school, Ray Murray, spoke on national radio where he pointed out that the claims were incorrect.

Students had received a reminder about uniforms, relating to changes concerning the wearing of training gear on PE days, which resulted in false rumours that the reminder was due to discomfort among male staff.

The Press Ombudsman has upheld a complaint made by Mr Murray over a report in the Nationalist in November 2020, according to The Irish Times.

The sub-head on the article read: Teenage girls told not to wear tight clothing as it made teachers uncomfortable.

In his complaint, Mr Murray said it was untrue to say that teenage girls in the school had been told not to wear tight clothing because it made teachers uncomfortable. He also said it was untrue that female students had been told not to wear tight leggings, or to roll up their skirts too short, or to tighten their jumpers, as this was too revealing of their body shape.

In a statement, the Press Council said the editor of the Nationalist said it had become aware of the petition posted on Facebook, along with online comments from parents, some of whom were interviewed.

The editor said the paper had sought a response from the school, offered a right of reply, and stood over its reporting.

The Nationalist also said that had the school responded, this complaint might never have arisen, according to the Press Council statement.

Mr Murray said there was no response from the school as it did not want to provide fuel for the fire of a non-story frenzy circulating on social media.

The Ombudsman concluded that the Nationalist had breached principles one and two of the code of practice, which concerns truth and accuracy and distinguishing between fact and comment.

The school's board of management welcomed the findings.
A leading Donegal hotel has announced 50 new jobs as part of a 500,000 investment at the 4-star property.

The Shandon Hotel & Spa, which overlooks Marble Hill Strand, Portnablagh, has been granted planning permission to expand its bar areas.

Work will get underway in the autumn, creating up to 35 jobs during the construction phase.

A complete refurbishment of the hotels guest lounge was completed in recent weeks, with the hotel adding 15 new members of staff since restrictions were lifted, taking the Shandon team to 130 people.

The London-based hotel owner Warren McCarthy bought the disused property in 2015. His mother Breda McCarthy is from the area and he spent his summers there. The pair featured in a fly-on-the-wall documentary about the Shandon, broadcast on TG4 in 2018.

We are delighted that the Shandon is fully booked this summer and thats a testament to our general manager Carolynne Harrison and our entire team here, Mr McCarthy said as he officially opened the new guest lounge.

The latest development at takes Mr McCarthys investment at the hotel to more than 6 million, but the company is already looking at future investments.

The lounge and bar works are the latest stage in the improvement of our offering to customers, said Shandon director and general manager Carolynne Harrison.

The new bar area will give us more space and improve the amazing hotel views over Marble Hill beach and strand. We plan to carry out the renovation works in November.

We are actively considering a number of other plans for the hotel and we hope to be able to announce those early in 2022.

Ms Harrison added: We have a very busy few months ahead with all rooms sold out until the end of August and advanced bookings for September and October already extremely high.

I want to pay tribute to all our staff in Team Shandon. They have all endured uncertain times since March last year and its wonderful to have everyone back again. Theres a really good vibe about the rest of the summer along this part of the Wild Atlantic Way.
The student unions of Andhra Pradesh held a protest at the office of the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission to express their disappointment with the recently released job calendar of the state government.

The police said that students tried to protest without permission. The representatives of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Students' Federation of India (SFI), and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) participated in the protest.

"The job calendar recently issued by the state government is not in accordance with the vacancies. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had promised before elections that he would fill up all vacancies in government jobs. But now he changed his words. Home Minister Sucharita said that 6500 constables and SI jobs will be recruited every year. But in the job calendar, only 450 posts are notified. Like that many thousands of posts are vacant in group 1, group 2 posts. But only 10,000 posts are to be filled up," student union leaders said.

They further said that they have been waiting for government jobs for years and this job calendar is a shocker to us. "It is merely an eyewash calendar. We demand the government to conduct mega DSC and fill the vacancies in all govt departments," they added.
During a new study, researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) identified a new gene that might be linked to certain intellectual disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders.

The findings were recently published in the American Journal of Human Genetics. Researchers of the study believe that finding genes involved in certain types of developmental disorders, provides an important first step in determining the cause of these disorders and ultimately in developing potential therapies for treating them.

About three percent of the world's population has an intellectual disability. Up to half, the cases are due to genetics, however, because many thousands of genes contribute to brain development, it has been difficult to identify the specific cause for each patient.

Once the researchers identified the gene, they worked with collaborators to give clinical diagnoses to 10 other families around the world, who had relatives with this condition. The researchers also used zebrafish to show the gene's role in development and survival, demonstrating its importance in helping the brain's neurons function properly.

"Our goal is to find as many of these genes required for brain function and take this knowledge back to patients and families to provide a clinically relevant genetic diagnosis," says Saima Riazuddin, PhD, MPH, MBA, Professor of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at UMSOM.

Dr Riazuddin and her team collaborate regularly with several scientists in Pakistan studying a group of 350 families geographically isolated, which as a result has led to inbreeding resulting in genetic disorders such as neurodevelopmental disorder and intellectual disability.

The team focused on one particular family with two brothers and an uncle with symptoms of intellectual disability, delayed speech and other developmental milestones, and epilepsy. Other members of the family with similar symptoms had since passed in childhood or early adulthood. Dr Riazuddin and her team identified the gene AP1G1 as the culprit.

Then through collaboration with 27 other institutions, her team was able to identify ten other families with variations in the same gene that led to growth retardation and intellectual disability. These families lived in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United States.

To determine the gene's role in development, the researchers engineered zebrafish without Ap1g1. These zebrafish embryos all began to die off by the fourth day. When the researchers added back mutated versions of the genes, like those found in the families with neurodevelopment disorder and intellectual disability, they observed a spectrum of symptoms with some zebrafish embryos dying off, some with major structural defects, and others with only minor tail deformities.

The gene AP1G1 contains the blueprints to make the protein Adaptor Protein 1 gamma 1 (AP1g1). This protein is one of five pieces that make up the Adaptor Protein Complex, which builds transport vesicles to move materials around cells.

"Think of these transport vesicles as little vehicles like trucks that have to load, transport, and unload their cargo around the cells (eg neurons) to provide the necessary supplies for the cell to function," says Dr Riazuddin.

Dr Riazuddin's team made normal and mutant versions of AP1G1 which they put in mammalian cells with cargo molecules labeled in red. The cells with the mutant versions of AP1G1 had vesicles that were delayed in delivering their cargo or did not make their deliveries at all.

"Improving clinical diagnosis of these developmental disorders may eventually provide new targets for therapies, in order to one day be able to treat these conditions allowing more people to live independently," says E Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, and the John Z and Akiko K Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine.
An official of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) said seven schools in the northwestern state of Kebbi had been shut down in the aftermath of an attack on a secondary school last week.

Isah Arzika, state chairman of the union in Kebbi, confirmed this in a statement on Sunday, saying those affected were schools located on the frontlines of the areas prone to attacks by suspected bandits, reports Xinhua news agency.

He said the government had directed all school principals to close school which was not safe, adding that police and vigilantes had also been deployed to the schools for monitoring and protection. "The government has given us an order and option to take any necessary action as far as our schools are concerned. We can close those schools which we think are not safe and prone to attacks in the areas close to the forest," he said.

He said so far seven schools have been closed and such a move is a proactive measure to guard against a recurrence of the incident similar to that of Federal Government College at Birnin Yauri area on June 17.

A group of unidentified gunmen attacked the college in Birnin Yauri area of the state, killing a police officer and abducted an unspecified number of students and at least three teachers. A spokesman for the Nigerian Army said troops on June 18 rescued seven abductees from the school.
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Amazon Prime Day is typically a toss-up when it comes to deals, but in the tech space, it usually brings a number of solid sales on audio devices. This year did not disappoint  some of our favorite headphones, earbuds and speakers have been deeply discounted for Prime Day, including high-end models from Sony, Bose and Samsung. Prime members who have been wanting to upgrade their old cans have a bunch of options to choose from for much less than usual today. Here are the best deals on headphones, earbuds and speakers we could find for Prime Day.

Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones - $248

Billy Steele / Engadget

The excellent Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless ANC headphones are $100 off for Prime Day, bringing them down to $248. This is the best price we've seen on Sony's premium cans, and they earned a score of 94 from us for their stellar audio and ANC quality, multi-device connectivity and automatic pausing when you speak.

Buy Sony WH-1000XM4 at Amazon - $248

AirPods Pro - $190

The AirPods Pro are on sale for $190, or $60 off their normal price. If you want the best sounding pair of Apple earbuds, look no further than the AirPods Pro. They earned a score of 87 from us for their improve audio quality, good ANC, IPX4 water-resistant design and hands-free Siri capabilities.

Buy AirPods Pro at Amazon - $190

Bose 700 headphones - $229

Billy Steele / Engadget

The Bose 700 headphones are down to $229, which is $70 less than their previous all-time low of $299. Price was one of the main things holding us back for fully recommending the 700s, but they are a much better buy at this sale price. We gave them a score of 90 for their outstanding ANC, improved design and easy to use touch controls.

Buy Bose 700 at Amazon - $229

Sony WH-CH710N headphones - $78

Billy Steele / Engadget

Sony's affordable WH-CH710N wireless headphones are on sale for $78, which is a new low. We've recommended these since they came out as a good, budget-friendly pair of ANC headphones. While their ANC isn't as strong as that you'll find on premium models, it's still good for the money and we like the cans' ambient-sound option and their 35-hour battery life.

Buy Sony WH-CH710N at Amazon - $78

Jabra Elite 85t - $170

Billy Steele/Engadget

A pair of Jabra's best wireless earbuds, the Elite 85t, are down to $170 for Prime Day. That's $60 off their normal price and a record low. We gave them a score of 86 for their powerful ANC, custom sound options and comfortable size.

Buy Elite 85t at Amazon - $170

Sony WF-1000XM3 + $20 gift card - $148

Sony's excellent WF-1000XM3 earbuds are down to $148, and Amazon's throwing in a $20 gift card as well. Although Sony just came out with the XM4, these buds remain solid thanks to their excellent sound quality, great battery life and full-featured companion app.

Buy WF-1000XM3 at Amazon - $148

Echo Buds - $80

Billy Steele / Engadget

The second-gen Echo Buds have been discounted for Prime Day: the model with standard charging comes in at $80 while the wireless charging model is $100. Amazon dramatically improved its wireless earbuds with these second-generation versions, and we gave them a score of 80 for their better sound quality, true active noise-cancellation and smaller size.

Buy Echo Buds at Amazon - $80 Buy Echo Buds (wireless charging) at Amazon - $100

Jabra Elite 75t - $95

Our favorite pair of wireless earbuds, the Jabra Elite 75t, are down to $95 today, which is $55 off their usual going rate. These buds have great sound quality, a comfortable design and a long battery life. Plus, a firmware update from Jabra brought ANC to these buds not too long ago.

Buy Elite 75t at Amazon - $95

Samsung Galaxy Buds+ - $85

Billy Steele / Engadget

Samsung's solid Galaxy Buds+ are down to $85, which is a new low. These came out last year and earned a score of 83 from us for their improved audio, better call quality, deeper iOS integration and longer battery life.

Buy Galaxy Buds+ at Amazon - $85

Anker Soundcore Spirit Dot 2 - $50

Engadget

We thought the Anker Soundcore Spirit Dot 2 were already great, affordable earbuds at $80, but their Prime Day price makes them even better. You can grab a pair for only $50 right now, and we liked them for their punchy bass and their comfortable design that's also rated IPX7 for protection against water and sweat.

Buy Soundcore Spirit Dot 2 at Amazon - $50

Jabra Elite 45h headphones - $55

Billy Steele / Engadget

Jabra's excellent (and affordable) Elite 45h headphones are even cheaper for Prime Day at $55. They impressed us with their good sound quality, comfortable fit and insane battery life.

Buy Elite 45h at Amazon - $55

Sony WF-SP800N earbuds - $88

Engadget

The sporty Sony WF-SP800N wireless earbuds have dropped to $88 for Prime Day. We gave them a score of 88 for their punchy bass, powerful ANC and 360 Reality Audio compatibility.

Buy Sony WF-SP800N at Amazon - $88

Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro earbuds - $152

Billy Steele/Engadget

The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro earbuds are on sale for $152, or $28 cheaper than their previous low. These THX-compatible buds have great sound quality, a good assortment of ear tips to choose from and a comfortable fit.

Buy Hammerhead True Wireless Pro at Amazon - $152

Jabra Elite 85h headphones - $158

Billy Steele / Engadget

The Jabra Elite 85h headphones are down to $158 for Prime Day, which is nearly $100 off their normal price. They earned a score of 84 from us for their custom EQ and ANC modes, comfortable and attractive design and impressive battery life.

Buy Elite 85h at Amazon - $158

Anker Soundcore Flare speaker - $49

Anker

The Soundcore Flare portable speaker is on sale for $49, a new all-time low. It has an IP67 waterproof design along with PassUp technology for enhanced bass, 360-degree sound and a built-in halo LED light that pulses and shines with your music.

Buy Soundcore Flare at Amazon - $49

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live - $110

Billy Steele/Engadget

Samsung's bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live are on sale for $110 right now, or $60 off their normal price. We liked their always-on Bixby feature, customizable touch controls and their included wireless charging case.

Buy Galaxy Buds Live at Amazon - $110

Anker PowerConf+ Bluetooth speakerphone - $120

Anker

Anker's PowerConf+ speakerphone with Bluetooth receiver is down to $120, or $30 off its normal price. If you spend most of your work days on Zoom calls, this device will help you sound better the whole time. It uses six microphones to capture voice from all directions and it uses special algorithms to reduce background noise as well. Plus, its built-in 6,700mAh battery lets you use the device completely untethered.

Buy PowerConf+ speakerphone at Amazon - $120

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AirPods - $100

Apple's AirPods have dropped to $100 thanks to an automatically applied coupon. These buds gained immense popularity thanks to their compact design and ease of use with iPhones, iPads and other Apple devices. We gave them a score of 84 for their improved wireless performance and good battery life.

Buy AirPods at Amazon - $100

Get the latest Amazon Prime Day offers by visiting our deals homepage and following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Most Amazon Prime Day deals may be exclusively for Prime members, but the day isn't just about Amazon anymore. The evolution of Prime Day over the years has spawned competing sale events from Amazon's biggest competitors like Walmart, Target and Best Buy. In addition to having exclusive sales that Amazon might not have, these retailers will often match some of Prime Day's biggest deals  giving anyone the opportunity to grab them. If you want to save some money but don't want to contribute to the machine that is Amazon, we've collected the best anti-Prime Day deals here so you don't want to go searching for them yourself.

Google Nest Audio - $75

Google

Google's Nest Audio smart speaker has dropped to $75 across the web, which is $25 off its normal price. We gave it a score of 87 for its great audio quality, minimalist design, stereo sound capabilities and Google Assistant chops.

Buy Nest Audio at Best Buy - $75 Buy Nest Audio at Walmart - $75 Buy Nest Audio at Target - $75

Nest Hub - $80

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

The latest Nest Hub is down to $80, or $20 off its normal price. This model just came out a few months ago and includes a new sleep tracking feature. We liked its speedier performance, clearer and louder audio and its subtle, pleasant design. If you're looking to build out a smart home system, eBay has the Nest Hub with Nest Hello Doorbell for $189 as well.

Buy Nest Hub (2nd-gen) at Best Buy - $80 Buy Nest Hub (2nd-gen) at Walmart - $80 Buy Nest Hub (2nd-gen) at B&H Photo - $80 Buy Nest Hub (2nd-gen) at Target - $80 Buy Nest Hub with Nest Doorbell at eBay - $189

40-inch Hisense Roku smart TV - $170

Hisense

This 40-inch Hisense TV is $58 off at Walmart, bringing it down to $170. Hisense makes solid budget sets that are good options for college students who want a full-featured smart TV without spending a ton of money. This model has a 1080p display and Roku's excellent smart TV interface.

Buy 40-inch Hisense at Walmart - $170

48-inch LG CX OLED 4K smart TV - $1,250

LG

My Best Buy members can get the 48-inch LG CX OLED 4K smart TV for $1,250, or $250 off its normal price. It's free to sign up for My Best Buy and it's worth it to get a bit of extra money off all of the retailer's current sales. OLED sets are the ones to get if you care about having the deepest blacks and most vibrant color reproduction, and this model has LG's a9 Gen 3 processor, support for Dolby Vision, Atmos, HDR10 and HLG plus Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa integration.

Buy 48-inch LG CX OLED at Best Buy - $1,250

Google Nest WiFi (2 pack) - $189

The Nest WiFi pack with one router and one extension point is down to $189, or $80 off its normal price. We gave this mesh system a score of 84 for its unobtrusive design, simple installation process and built-in smart speaker capabilities.

Buy Nest WiFi (2 pack) at Walmart - $189

Google Pixel Buds - $79

Billy Steele/Engadget

Google's Pixel Buds are on sale for $79, which is $100 less than normal. We gave these buds a score of 83 for their comfortable design, reliable touch controls, good audio quality and improved Google Assistant features.

Buy Pixel Buds at Walmart - $79

Beats Solo Pro - $149

Billy Steele / Engadget

The Beats Solo Pro are back on sale, this time for a record-low of $149. We liked these on-ear cans for their excellent sound quality, good ANC and hands-free Siri capabilities.

Buy Beats Solo Pro at Walmart - $149

Galaxy Chromebook 2 - $449

Engadget

Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook 2 is on sale for $449 at Best Buy, or $599 for the upgraded, Core i3 model. While not an all-time low, it's still a good sale on a much improved Chromebook. We gave this version a score of 82 for its impressive screen, good keyboard, loud speakers and solid performance.

Buy Galaxy Chromebook 2 at Best Buy - $449

Roku Streaming Stick+ - $39

Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

The Roku Streaming Stick+ is $10 off right now, bringing it down to $39. We consider this to be the best all-around streaming stick for most people thanks to its easy installation, simple on-screen interface, wide variety of supported streaming services and its handy private listening feature.

Buy Streaming Stick+ at Best Buy - $39 Buy Streaming Stick+ at Walmart - $39

Roku Ultra - $70

Roku

The latest Roku Ultra is down to $70, or $30 off its normal price. This is the most powerful Roku set-top box you can get, and it supports 4K streaming, HDR and Dolby Vision, plus a handy voice remote that lets you search for content more easily.

Buy Roku Ultra at Best Buy - $70 Buy Roku Ultra at Walmart - $70

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential - $30

Nicole Lee / Engadget

The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is down to $30, or $20 off its normal price. This tiny clock houses the Google Assistant, making it a bit smarter than your average alarm clock. We gave it a score of 83 for its simple design, tap-to-snooze feature, built-in nightlight and good smart home controls.

Buy Smart Clock Essential at Best Buy - $30

Philips Hue White and Color Lightstrip base kit - $60

Philips

Those looking to build out their smart lighting system at home can get this Philips Hue Lightstrip kit for $60 at Target, or $20 off its normal price. It includes an 80-inch white and color strip plus the power adapter and a connector box for reattaching cut pieces. As long as you have a Hue bridge at home, you'll be able to use this strip and do things like control it with your voice using your preferred virtual assistant.

Buy Lightstrip base kit at Target - $60

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Logitech C920s Pro HD webcam - $50

Our current favorite webcam , the Logitech C920s Pro HD , is $20 off at Target, bringing it down to $50. This is remarkable not only for the savings, but because the webcam is actually in stock. This will up your video conference quality with 1080p/30fps video and we like its adjustable base and the included lens cover for extra privacy.

Buy C920s Pro HD at Target - $50

Get the latest Amazon Prime Day offers by visiting our deals homepage and following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter.
Steven Spielberg's production company, Amblin, has signed a deal with Netflix to make "multiple new feature films per year" for the streaming service. It's a bit of a surprising move, given some of Spielberg's previous statements about streaming movies.

The deal covers at least two films a year, according to Variety . It's unclear whether Spielberg will end up directing movies for Netflix. Amblin also has a deal with Universal. It will produce films for both distributors , so Netflix won't get its hands on every film Spielberg has a hand in making.

"At Amblin, storytelling will forever be at the center of everything we do, and from the minute Ted [Sarandos, Netflix co-CEO and Chief Content Officer] and I started discussing a partnership, it was abundantly clear that we had an amazing opportunity to tell new stories together and reach audiences in new ways," Spielberg said in a statement. "This new avenue for our films, alongside the stories we continue to tell with our longtime family at Universal and our other partners, will be incredibly fulfilling for me personally since we get to embark on it together with Ted, and I cant wait to get started with him, Scott [Stuber, Netflix's head of global film], and the entire Netflix team."

Amblin has worked with Netflix in the past. It produced The Trial of the Chicago 7, which scooped up six Oscar nominations this year. They're also collaborating on Maestro, a biopic about composer Leonard Bernstein that Bradley Cooper is directing and starring in.

Spielberg once voiced opposition to streaming movies being eligible for Academy Awards. "Once you commit to a television format, you're a TV movie," he said in a 2018 interview . The following year, reports suggested Spielberg lobbied to block streaming movies from Oscar eligibility , but those appeared to be untrue .
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Australian TV star Bindi Irwin is among the celebrities who paid tribute to significant paternal figures in their life this father's day.

In a heartwarming post, the zookeeper described her late dad Steve Irwin, husband Chandler Powell, and her father-in-law Chris as the "three most incredible fathers" in her life.

"These extraordinary men inspire me and I love them so very much." She wrote. (check out her full tribute below)

Following this, fans quickly noticed that her grandfather, Bob Irwin, seems to be out of the picture. When one fan asked why is Bob not included in the post, she replied with a heartbreaking response.

"Unfortunately my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family," she wrote (via 7News). Irwin also claims that her grandpa publicly states that he wants to spend time with her family, but she has been experiencing "psychological abuse" from him her entire life.

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Besides this, she details that Bob has been returning the gifts that she sent him even though her family has continued giving him financial support since 1992.

She also added that she had been ignored by her grandfather ever since she was a little girl.

"Preferring to spend time doing anything else rather than being with me. He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart but it is not healthy to engage in an abusive relationship." she added.

Instead of holding grudges as the situation had brought her "enormous pain", the TV star concluded her comments by stating that everyone needs to be kind to one another and take good care of every individual's mental health.

How does Bob's family feel about Bindy's public response?

Showbiz Reporter Peter Ford recently told "Sunrise" (via News.com.au) that he had spoken to Bob's wife, Judy, about the situation. (watch a segment of the interview below)

Bindi Irwin has made shock claims about her estranged grandfather, accusing Bob of causing "enormous pain" by wanting nothing to do with her.



More on this story: https://t.co/aEWah144Wn pic.twitter.com/2M9jivmXRu  Sunrise (@sunriseon7) June 20, 2021

He stated that Bob's family was shocked by the comments, and they were not aware of what's happening as they have no social media accounts. The reporter claims he felt that the family was devastated by the news.

Bindi Irwin, who recently gave birth to her first child, is the daughter of the late environmentalist Steve Irwin who died in 2006 after a stingray pierced his chest in the Great Barrier Reef.

READ ALSO: 'Supergirl' Actress Sasha Calle: Will She Be Lara Lane Kent Or Cir-El? Fans React on Leaked Images

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Are Prince William and Kate Middleton pulling a Prince Harry and Meghan Markle move?

In a report published by the Daily Mail, it seemed like the Duke, and Duchess of Sussex are leaving London to move to Berkshire.

Berkshire is reportedly a new choice location for them, as the report suggested that the couple has already looked up schools in the area for their kids, Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, six, and Prince Louis, three.

The eldest Cambridge kids are enrolled at Thomas's Battersea Prep School while their youngest sibling goes to Willcocks Nursery.

While this is the current school setup that works for the family, it has been suggested that Prince William and Kate Middleton for their kids' for their future education - as staying in the capital is understood to be not part of their long-term plans.

It's also possible that their move to Berkshire is to be close to Kate Middleton's roots.

Berkshire was also the same place she was raised, and Bucklebury Manor is located where her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, currently live.

Their home features seven bedrooms and is listed as a Grade II Georgian property in the area.

Sources told the outlet that the couple could rent privately on Queen Elizabeth II's Windsor estate.

Currently, the Cambridge family lives in Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace, London. But they spent most of the time in a countryside home in Norfolk, Anmer Hall, where they spent a lot of time during the pandemic.

While Prince William and Kate Middleton and their kids are possibly moving out, the outlet cited and stressed that Kensington Palace would remain for their work purposes. Their offices will stay in the capital regardless of their new home.

READ ALSO: Prince William Would Rather Not See This Person At Princess Diana's Statue Unveiling

Kate Middleton's Birthday Plans for Prince William

The Royal family has encountered a challenging 2021 after Prince Harry's incriminating interviews and the death of Prince Philip.

With Prince William turning 39 years old on Monday, his wife Kate Middleton is reportedly planning to celebrate her husband's big day with something exceptional.

According to royal biographer Katie Nicholl who spoke to OK! Magazine, the Duchess of Cambridge wants to cheer him up and go the extra mile to make sure the heir to the throne would have a fantastic day.

"Kate always makes birthdays and celebrations special for William and the children. She's very much like her mother Carole in that respect."

She added, "Kate keeps William very grounded and she likes to show how important he is to her and the children."

"Especially after everything they've been through this year. It's only brought them closer."

READ MORE: NOT Meghan Markle: Prince Harry Expected to Marry This Woman Who 'Magically Fit' Him

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
Anonymous artist Banksy has recently lost trademarks for his works and can no longer claim legal rights to his new artworks.

According to Telegraph UK, experts say after he was stripped of two more trademarks for some of his most famous graffiti.

The latest rulings relate to his pieces "Radar Rat" and "Girl with Umbrella," meaning he has now lost four trademarks in total.

Earlier in 2021, the EU Intellectual Property Office ruled on the side of a gift card retailer "Full Colour Black," who ended up clashing with the street artist over the use of his work.

The greeting card firm convinced the EU panel to cancel the trademarks of the latter two artworks.

His continued anonymity and flippant comments regarding copyright have not done him any favors.

EU Intellectual Property Office Panel Speaks On Banksy Claiming Own Works

The said panel wrote, "As Banksy has chosen to be anonymous and cannot be identified, this would hinder him from being able to protect this piece of art under copyright laws,"

They also added, "without identifying himself, while identifying himself would take away from the secretive persona which propels his fame and success."

The office also reported how Banksy permitted parties to use his work.

Banksy provided high-resolution copies of his projects, which became an invite for people to use them.

A statement on the Pest Control Office Ltd website, which represents Banksy, explicitly outlines the rights people have with his work.

This has come under threat from companies like "Full Colour Black."

'Please do not use Banksy's images for any commercial purpose, including launching a range of merchandise or tricking people into thinking something is made or endorsed by the artist when it isn't...."

"Saying Banksy wrote copyright is for losers in his book doesn't give you free rein to misrepresent the artist and commit fraud. We checked,' it adds.

In his book "Wall and Piece," the Bristolian said copyright is 'for losers' and invited readers to have a copy of his work for 'amusement and activism' rather than profit.

He also said never to commercialize his work.

Banksy opened a shop in October of 2020 where he sold his works.

They said the shop was created "for the sole purpose of fulfilling trademark categories."

Yet, the panel said that this "departed from accepted principles of ethical behaviours or honest commercial and business practices" when ruling in favor of "Full Colour Black."

READ ALSO: What's NFT? Liam Payne Confuses Fans as He Tries to Explain His Newly Launched Non-Fungible Token Project

Banksy Counts Four Trademarks Lost On His Works After New Decisions From I.P. Office

In 2020, Banksy lost his first trademark for his work, the "Flower Thrower," after a two-year legal battle with the company and the IP office.

The panels further pointed that 'he cannot be identified as the unquestionable owner of such works as his identity is hidden.'

In May, he lost protection for his work "Laugh" in a similar battle with the card company.

According to this article, Banksy was named by The Mail as former public schoolboy Robin Gunningham, although this has not been confirmed.

READ MORE: Eamonn Holmes Suffers Embarrassing Mistake For Doing THIS To Daisy Lowe's dad Gavin Rossdale

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made several damaging claims about the British royal family during their Oprah interview in March.

New reports suggest that the Duke of Sussex only agreed to do the interview to get back to the royals.

Prince Harry's Alleged Retribution

According to a source who spoke to The Sun, the 36-year-old was furious after finding out he would be losing his military appointments in the wake of Megxit.

A decision that was publicized on Feb. 19 that losing his military titles is the final deal for him to be allowed to step back from his senior royal roles permanently.

But between Feb. 19 and Feb. 21, in one of those days, a "very cross" Prince Harry agreed to sit down with the famous TV host, weeks before the interview was broadcasted on Mar. 7.

Per the outlet's insider, "Harry and Meghan were very cross before Oprah because the final Megxit separation had just been signed off which included Harry not keeping military roles."

"That was what made him so angry. He's very emotional and his military roles were very important to him given that he served."

It was previously suggested that the main reason Prince Harry and Meghan Markle did the interview was that they were told their first-born son, Archie Harrison, wouldn't become a prince when Prince Charles becomes king.

The topic was touched during their 90-minute interview with Oprah.

The Duke of Sussex gave up his roles as Captain-General of the Royal Marines, Honorary Air Commandant RAF Honington and Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command.

Before the finalization of the Megxit deal in Feb., Prince Harry hoped to keep his titles, especially after touring Afghanistan twice with the army.

Reports suggested that he even asked his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, about the possibility, in what was described as a half-in and half-out role for him and his wife.

And when the titles were officially taken, Prince Harry was reportedly "devastated," which later made him allege his family of racism and other bitter accusations.

READ ALSO: Did Prince William and Kate Middleton Pull A Prince Harry-Meghan Markle Move?





Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Son Will NOT Be A Prince

The official reason why Prince Harry sat down with Oprah for a bombshell chat comes after new reports that Prince Charles made sure his two-year-old grandson Archie will never become a Prince.

The Prince of Wales has reportedly made it clear that the Sussexes' son will have no place among royal frontlines because of his plans to have a more slimmed-down Monarchy once he becomes king, according to the Daily Mail.

READ MORE: Prince William Would Rather Not See This Person At Princess Diana's Statue Unveiling

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Gordon Ramsay is probably being cheered on by most fathers right now, as he admitted to tormenting and scaring his daughters' boyfriends. His methods can be treated as too harsh, though - at least by his daughters.

The Hells Kitchen star Gordon Ramsay joked that he enjoys making his daughters' boyfriends uncomfortable when they come to visit. He only has one house rule when they want to hang out in his house, though and that is not to go upstairs to the bedroom.

He gave his warning so effectively, as reported by Daily Star UK.

While he is happy to cook for them, the dad-of-five does not want to see them have too much fun in his children's bedroom.

Ramsay, 54, even lamented the fact that his children are no longer the age where they just bring home playdates. Instead, they just bring home dates.

"Four or five years ago, they used to bring friends home, now they bring boyfriends home, which really grates on me," he explained. "I just stand there, about to chop onions and stare at them with a knife, and go 'you are not going upstairs, you little sh**.'

He does not care for excuses about studying or doing assignments together.

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"You are not going to go upstairs and rehearse that English exam, you are f**ing staying downstairs," he recounted. He also shared that even if he welcomes them to his home, feeds them - he also wants them gone as soon as possible.

"What the f*** would you like to eat and what time do you have to be f***ing kicked out of here'."

It is clear that Ramsay's swearing has become a mainstay not just at work but at home so he could keep order.

Ramsay can be described as laudable, though, considering that he's hands-on to his five kids - four of which who are already practically grown-ups themselves.

Gordon is a dad to Megan, 23, Holly, 21, Jack, 21, Matilda, 19, and two-year-old Oscar.

His daughters probably appreciate and respect his tough love, though. He would not have received such a sweet greeting on Father's Day if not.

On this special occasion, Matilda, or known by most as Tilly, posted on social media several throwback photos of Ramsay in action as a dad. She then captioned this with, "Happy Father's Day Dad!! I couldn't ask for a better dad and best friend!!"

Tilly herself has her own fans. She's presently filming "Celebrity MasterChef" in Australia.

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Sao Paulo, Brazil - A multidisciplinary analysis by a group of Brazilian scientists, published online in the journal Scientific Reports on June 21, 2021, revealed that three major factors accounted for the geographic spread of SARS-COV-2 across Brazil, as well as the massive flow of people in search of hospital care throughout the country, during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020. SARS-CoV-2 entered Brazil at the end of February 2020 through the country's international airports. Mathematical modeling revealed that during the first weeks of March 2020, the "super-spreader city" of Sao Paulo, located next to both the largest Brazilian international airport and the busiest highway hub in the country, accounted for more than 85% of COVID-19's case spread throughout Brazil. By considering only 16 other spreader cities, the authors were able to account for 98-99% of the cases reported during the first 3 months of the Brazilian pandemic in 2020. Most of this spread of COVID-19 cases resulted from people traveling across the country's major highways and its air space, which remained open during the entire month of March 2020. For instance, a group of 26 major federal highways alone accounted for about 30% of SARS-CoV-2's case spread during this period.

Following the emergence of community transmission in the major 16 super-spreader, SARS-CoV-2 cases spread to the Brazilian countryside through the country's federal and state highways. As cases increased exponentially in the Brazilian interior, severely ill patients from the country's interior had to be transported to state capitals to access ICU beds, creating a "boomerang effect" that contributed to skewing the distribution of COVID-19 deaths. Therefore, the distribution of COVID-19 deaths began to correlate with the allocation of the country's highly uneven distribution of intensive care units (ICUs), which is heavily weighted towards state capitals.

According to Miguel Nicolelis, one of the authors of the study "our analysis clearly showed that if a national lockdown and mandatory road traffic restrictions had been enforced around the main Brazilian super-spreader cities, particularly in the city of Sao Paulo, the impact of COVID-19 in Brazil would be significantly lower during the first wave, but also during the even more damaging second wave that hit the country a year later in the summer of 2021. From June 2020 to June 2021 Brazil went from 50,000 to 500,000 deaths, a tenfold increase in 12 months. This alone illustrates the utter failure of the Brazilian federal government to protect Brazilians from the worst humanitarian tragedy in the country's entire history."

In Brazil, the vast majority of tertiary hospitals, and hence the largest share of critical care beds, are located in large cities that serve as state capitals, their metropolitan areas, and a handful of mid-sized towns in each state's interior. As a result of the highly pervasive "boomerang effect" throughout the country, Brazil experienced the largest hospital admission surge in its history, leading to fatality peaks in each of the cities with a large number of critical care units. Such a "boomerang flow" was not restricted to roads and highways. For instance, in the Amazon rain forest, located in the north region of Brazilian, severely ill COVID-19 patients from many small riverside communities were transported by boats of all sorts via its large rivers towards the two largest Amazon cities, Manaus and Belem. Overall, analysis of the geographic flow of COVID-19 patients revealed that Sao Paulo, the largest Brazilian super-spreader city, received patients from 464 different cities all over Brazil, followed by Belo Horizonte (351 cities), Salvador (332 cities), Goiania (258 cities), Recife (255 cities), and Teresina (225 cities). Sao Paulo was also the city that sent more residents to be hospitalized in other cities (158 cities), followed by Rio de Janeiro (73 cities), Guarulhos (41 cities), Curitiba (40 cities), Campinas (39 cities), Belem (38 cities), and Brasilia (35 cities). Overall, cities that were highly connected to the health system network, either by receiving from or sending patients to other cities, also experienced a higher number of COVID-19 deaths. Therefore, as a result of the "boomerang effect", a significant number of severely ill patients had to migrate to larger cities for treatment and, eventually, a significant number of them perished there. Combined with the deaths of the residents of large cities, the widespread "boomerang effect" contributed decisively to the geographic skewing of the COVID-19 death distribution in all of Brazil.

Commenting on the study's findings, Rafael Raimundo, another author, said that "our analysis elucidated in great detail the mechanisms through which COVID-19 quickly spread throughout Brazil. Our findings also indicate that if non-pharmacological measures, such as highways blocks and lockdowns, had been enforced early on at a national or even regional level thousands of lives could have been saved at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil".

The authors also emphasized in their conclusions the fundamental importance of the Brazilian Public Health System, known as SUS. According to Rafael Raimundo "without the public health infrastructure of SUS, built during the past 40 years, the impact of COVID-19 would certainly be even more devastating. Yet, our data also show that the high magnitude of the "boomerang effect" highlights the need for SUS to install more hospital infrastructure, including more critical care unit beds, in the Brazilian interior to better assist and serve the population in the countryside."

"Certainly, the widespread absence of adequate hospital infrastructure and health professionals in the Brazilian countryside contributed decisively to a high number of deaths that could have been avoided altogether. Yet, if the Brazilian federal government had reacted quickly and properly to the arrival of SARS-CoV-2, by creating a national scientific task force in charge of fighting the pandemic, while implementing a national communication campaign to alert the population, and had closed the country's air space, while implementing a national lockdown in early March 2020, including establishing roadblocks on the major federal and state highways, Brazil would almost certainly have avoided the loss of tens of thousands of lives," added Miguel Nicolelis.

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The authors of this paper were: Miguel A.L. Nicolelis, Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA, and Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neurosciences, Natal, Brazil, Rafael L. G. Raimundo, Department of Engineering and Environment and Postgraduate Program in Ecology and Environmental Monitoring (PPGEMA), Center for Applied Science and Education, Universidade Federal da Paraiba - Campus IV, Rio Tinto, Paraiba, Brazil, Pedro S. Peixoto, Department of Applied Mathematics, Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Cecilia S. Andreazzi, Laboratory of Biology and Parasitology of Wild Reservoir Mammals, IOC, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mobility data utilized in this study was obtained from a collaboration between the Department of Applied Mathematics, Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sao Paulo, and the company InLoco/Incognia.

Article link:

https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1038/ s41598-021-92263-3
The use of statin therapy in adults 65 years old or older is not associated with incident dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or decline in individual cognition domains, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).

Cognitive decline and dementia are major health concerns in older individuals, affecting about 10% of people over 60 years old. Statins are used to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or bad cholesterol, thus they are a fundamental treatment for prevention of primary and secondary cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. The Food and Drug Administration released a warning in 2012 about cases of apparent short-term cognitive impairment with statin use, while acknowledging that the cardiovascular benefits outweigh their risks. However, systematic reviews have shown insufficient evidence on the impact of statins and research has shown mixed results, with some showing a neurocognitive benefit of statins and others reporting a null effect. According to the researchers of this study, since statins are widely used among older adults and expected to increase in use, determining the effects of statin therapy on cognition in older individuals is vital to help clinicians weigh their benefits against associated risks.

"With statins being increasingly prescribed to older adults, their potential long-term effects on cognitive decline and dementia risk have attracted growing interest," said Zhen Zhou, PhD, Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania in Australia and lead author of the study. "The present study adds to previous research by suggesting that statin use at baseline was not associated with subsequent dementia incidence and long-term cognitive decline in older adults."

Researchers of this study analyzed data from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial. ASPREE was a large prospective, randomized placebo-controlled trial of daily low-dose aspirin, which included 19,114 participants 65 years old or older with no prior CVD event, dementia or major physical disability, between 2010 and 2014 from Australia and the U.S. One of the key selection criteria of ASPREE was that participants had to have a score of ?78 for the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination test, a screening test for cognitive abilities, at enrollment.

Researchers excluded participants with missing values for cognitive test scores and/or covariates at baseline, resulting in 18,846 participants. They were grouped by their baseline statin use versus non-statin use, with 5,898 (31.3%) of participants taking statins. The study aimed to measure outcomes including incident dementia and its subclassifications (probable Alzheimer's disease [AD], mixed presentations); MCI and its subclassifications (MCI consistent with AD, MCI-other); changes in domain-specific cognition including global cognition, memory, language and executive function, and psychomotor speed; and in the composite of these domains.

After a median of 4.7 years of follow-up, researchers found 566 incident cases of dementia (including probable AD and mixed presentations). Compared with no statin use, statin use was not associated with risk of all-cause dementia, probable AD or mixed presentations of dementia. There were 380 incident cases of MCI found (including MCI consistent with AD and MCI-other). Compared to no statin use, statin use was not associated with risk of MCI, MCI consistent with AD or other MCI. There was no statistically significant difference in the change of composite cognition and any individual cognitive domains between statin users versus non-statin users. Also, no significant differences were found in any of the outcomes of interest between users of hydrophilic and lipophilic statins. However, researchers did find interaction effects between baseline cognitive ability and statin therapy for all dementia outcomes.

According to the researchers, this study has several limitations, including observational study bias, lack of data on the length of prior use of statins and the dose of statins was not recorded in the ASPREE trial, so their effects could not be fully explored. Researchers conclude the study must be interpreted with caution and will require confirmation by randomized clinical trials designed to explore the neurocognitive effects of statins in older populations.

In an accompanying editorial comment, Christie M. Ballantyne, MD, professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said the study does have limitations that the authors address, but agreed the findings suggest statins do not contribute to cognitive decline.

"Overall, the analysis was well done, and its main strengths are a large cohort with a battery of standardized tests that allowed the investigators to track both cognition and incidence of dementia and its subtypes over time," Ballantyne said. "Lingering questions such as the one raised by this analysis regarding potential adverse effects of statins in individuals with mildly impaired cognition can only be answered in randomized controlled trials in the appropriate age group and population and with appropriate testing and adequate follow-up. In the meantime, practicing clinicians can have confidence and share with their patients that short-term lipid lowering therapy in older individuals, including with statins, is unlikely to have a major impact on cognition."

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The American College of Cardiology envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its 54,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visit acc.org.

The Journal of the American College of Cardiology ranks among the top cardiovascular journals in the world for its scientific impact. JACC is the flagship for a family of journals--JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, JACC: Heart Failure, JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology, JACC: Basic to Translational Science, JACC: Case Reports, JACC: CardioOncology and JACC: Asia--that prides themselves in publishing the top peer-reviewed research on all aspects of cardiovascular disease. Learn more at JACC.org.
BEER-SHEVA, Israel, June 21, 2021 - A team of scientists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have invented an artificial nose that is capable of continuous bacterial monitoring, which has never been previously achieved and could be useful in multiple medical, environmental and food applications.

The study was published in Nano-Micro Letters.

"We invented an artificial nose based on unique carbon nanoparticles ("carbon dots") capable of sensing gas molecules and detecting bacteria through the volatile metabolites the emit into the air," says lead researcher Prof. Raz Jelinek, BGU vice president for Research & Development, member of the BGU Department of Chemistry and the Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, and the incumbent of the Carole and Barry Kaye Chair in Applied Science.

The patent-pending technology has many applications including identifying bacteria in healthcare facilities and buildings; speeding lab testing and breath-based diagnostic testing; identifying "good" vs. pathogenic bacteria in the microbiome; detecting food spoilage and identifying poisonous gases.

"BGU has a remarkable track record of sensor development, which has infinite possibilities for real-life application," says Americans for Ben-Gurion University (A4BGU) Chief Executive Officer Doug Seserman. "Our renowned multi-disciplinary research efforts continue to ignite innovation, addressing some of the world's most pressing issues."

The artificial nose uses chemical reactions and electrodes to sense and distinguish vapor molecules and record the changes in capacitance onto interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) coated with carbon dots (C dots). The resulting C-dot-IDE platform constitutes a versatile and powerful vehicle for gas sensing in general, and bacterial monitoring in particular. Machine learning can be applied to train the sensor to identify different gas molecules, individually or in mixtures, with high accuracy.

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About the BGU Research Team

Other BGU researchers on the team included: Nitzan Shauloff, Dr. Ahiud Morag, Dr. Seema Singh, and Ravit Malishev of the BGU Department of Chemistry and Prof. Lior Rokach, chair of the BGU Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering.

About Americans for Ben-Gurion University

Americans for Ben-Gurion University plays a vital role in maintaining David Ben-Gurion's vision of an "Oxford in the Negev." By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU's remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
Durham, NC - A team led by researchers at Newcastle University, UK has successfully created a model of the cells found in the lungs that can be used to replicate how COVID-19 infects the airways. This information, reported today in the STEM CELLS journal, paves the way for broader studies of viral lung infections using a cost-effective system that can easily be manufactured on a large scale.

COVID-19, which to date has resulted in more than 3.5 million deaths worldwide, has brought on an urgent need for airway models that can be used to develop effective therapies. While the use of in vitro (outside the body) models generated from primary pulmonary epithelial cells that mimic the human airways has increased in popularity over recent years, their availability is limited to primary samples that can differ significantly depending on the various donors' genetic backgrounds.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer a potential way around this drawback. Generated from adult stem cells found in fat, skin, blood and elsewhere, they can be reprogrammed to become every other cell type in the body, including those making up the airways. Additionally, iPSCs can propagate indefinitely and, thus, provide a large supply of cells with the genetic background of a single donor, rather than the varied backgrounds of the multiple donors hindering primary pulmonary epithelial cell models.

In the study reported in STEM CELLS, airway epithelial cells were generated from iPSCs (using a mixed population of lung progenitors) by culturing them on a polyester membrane to allow formation of a confluent monolayer, then exposing them to an air liquid interface to induce differentiation into a pseudostratified epithelial model.

The researchers then went on to demonstrate that their model is composed of the cell types found in the human upper airway epithelium -- including functional ciliated cells -- and that the cells are capable of secreting mucus and of being readily infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

"The infected model cells also secreted cytokines at levels corresponding to the behavior of the airway epithelium in the body following SARS-CoV-2 infection," said Lyle Armstrong, Ph.D., professor of stem cell sciences at Newcastle University, UK and corresponding author on the study. (Cytokines are proteins that signal the immune system to take action during an infection.)

"Our protocol not only simplifies the manufacture of cellular models of the human upper airways," he added, "but it has a distinct advantage in that we have eliminated the need for primary samples that differ in genetic backgrounds. Our next step will be to expand on this model by including immune cell components."

"The development of this reproducible and highly scalable protocol to manufacture upper airway models is very important for the study of respiratory viral infections such as SARS-CoV-2 and others," said Dr. Jan Nolta, Editor-in-Chief of STEM CELLS. "Having such models available will greatly enhance the development of future therapies and will allow the field to be better prepared to study new viruses and viral variants."

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The full article, "SARS-CoV-2 infects an upper airway model derived from induced pluripotent stem cells," can be accessed at https:/ / stemcellsjournals. onlinelibrary. wiley. com/ doi/ abs/ 10. 1002/ stem. 3422 .

About the Journal: STEM CELLS, a peer reviewed journal published monthly, provides a forum for prompt publication of original investigative papers and concise reviews. The journal covers all aspects of stem cells: embryonic stem cells/induced pluripotent stem cells; tissue-specific stem cells; cancer stem cells; the stem cell niche; stem cell epigenetics, genomics and proteomics; and translational and clinical research. STEM CELLS is co-published by AlphaMed Press and Wiley.

About AlphaMed Press: Established in 1983, AlphaMed Press with offices in Durham, NC, San Francisco, CA, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, publishes three internationally renowned peer-reviewed journals with globally recognized editorial boards dedicated to advancing knowledge and education in their focused disciplines. STEM CELLS is the world's first journal devoted to this fast paced field of research. THE ONCOLOGIST is devoted to community and hospital-based oncologists and physicians entrusted with cancer patient care. STEM CELLS TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE is dedicated to significantly advancing the clinical utilization of stem cell molecular and cellular biology. By bridging stem cell research and clinical trials, SCTM will help move applications of these critical investigations closer to accepted best practices.
The idea that a small number of "bad apples" are responsible for an outsized share of complaints against police officers has gained considerable traction over the last four decades. A new study considered the extent to which police misconduct is likely to be reduced by removing police officers identified early in their careers as being at risk for misconduct. The study concluded that replacing the top 10 percent of police identified as being the most likely to generate use-of-force complaints with officers who have not or are less likely to do so would reduce use-of-force complaints by just 6 percent over a 10 year period.

Conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University, the study appears in Criminology & Public Policy, a publication of the American Society of Criminology.

"Our analysis suggests that removing predictably problematic police officers is unlikely to have a large impact on use-of-force citizen complaints," explains Aaron Chalfin, assistant professor of criminology at the University of Pennsylvania, who led the study. "Moreover, predicting who the problematic officers will be is difficult, so a better idea is to design early warning systems to deter problematic behavior and promote greater accountability."

Analyses of police departments across the United States suggest that a small share of officers accounts for a large share of complaints about misconduct against police. A common estimate is that the top 2 percent of officers account for about 50 percent of known misconduct. Such statistics suggest that reform efforts should focus on terminating the "bad apples" but, as the authors show, such a computation is misleading.

In this study, researchers used data from several sources, including: 1) citizen complaints that implicated Chicago police officers between 2012 and 2017 and 2) use-of-force data from the Chicago Police Department's tactical response reports from April 2011 to April 2016, focusing on the 11,283 officers employed by the department as of September 2017 and going back five years for each officer. The data were made available to the public by the Invisible Institute's Citizens Police Data Project, which hosts a collection of nearly 250,000 complaints against Chicago police officers filed since 1988. The study followed Chicago police officers hired between 2000 and 2007 for 10 years, ranking officers by the number of complaints they received early in their careers to predict future risk of having a complaint filed against them.

Researchers found that between September 2012 and September 2017, 2,885 complaints against Chicago police officers involved use of force. Looking backwards, the top 10 percent of officers accounted for 70 percent of the complaints, leading many observers to posit that the Chicago Police Department could appreciably reduce use-of-force complaints by removing a small number of "bad apples."

To determine whether this would be the most likely outcome, researchers carried out a policy simulation: First, they identified high-risk officers using information generated during their early-career 18-month probationary period, what the researchers termed an early warning system. Then they determined that there was considerable persistence in complaints over an officer's career, suggesting that, on average, officers identified as high risk early in their career persisted in being characterized as high risk later.

Next, the researchers simulated replacing the high-risk officers with officers less likely to have use-of-force complaints (using a variety of different configurations of officers) to estimate the share of citizen complaints over a 10-year period that would be abated solely by terminating officers at high risk of use-of-force complaints.

The study estimated that removing the top 10 percent of the police force (a very difficult task since current rates of termination are approximately 0.2 percent annually) with officers drawn from the middle of the distribution of officers would reduce total complaints just 4.6 percent and use-of-force complaints 6.1 percent. These estimates, which are rather small, reflect the difficulty of identifying "bad apples" early in officers' careers and suggest that a focus on computations that identify "bad apples" looking backwards (e.g., the top 10% of officers end up accounting for 70% of complaints) present a misleading view of the problem in policing.

The effects of terminating the top 10 percent of high-risk officers based on officers' rankings of likelihood using force during a five-year probationary period (instead of the 18-month probationary period) were larger, at 16 percent. But the authors caution that terminating such a large number of officers after five years of service would be politically challenging.

"Early warning systems that simply identify problematic officers and incapacitate them, either through termination or reassignment, are unlikely to lead to large reductions in the use of force," suggests Jacob Kaplan, a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University, who coauthored the study. "But early warning systems that are coupled with rigorous oversight and genuine accountability might have a larger effect by generating deterrence or spillover effects among officers who are unlikely to be flagged as being high risk, or by changing departmental culture."

What is needed in police departments, the authors say, is broad-based measures to improve managerial practices and increase accountability. Toward this end, they suggest that policymakers provide incentives for better and more complete reporting and discovery of police misconduct.

Among the study's limitations, the authors note that while police departments' early warning systems are not a panacea, they could produce more changes in use-of-force complaints above and beyond the estimates of this study. In addition, they note that their simulation did not identify the promise of early warning systems more generally or what the effects might be at scale.

Furthermore, the authors note that in a city like Chicago, even a small proportional reduction in use-of-force complaints can translate into hundreds fewer complaints annually. This, in turn, could save millions of dollars in settlements of lawsuits as well as improve relations between police and the community.

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Indigenous people living in rural Canada are 16 times more likely to have to travel 200 km or more to give birth than non-Indigenous people, underscoring the need for more access to birthing facilities and providers for Indigenous families in rural regions, found new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https:/ / www. cmaj. ca/ lookup/ doi/ 10. 1503/ cmaj. 201903 .

Using data from the Canadian Maternity Experiences Survey (MES), this study included 3100 mothers living in rural and small towns in Canada and weighted the sample to represent 31,100 mothers, totaling 1800 Indigenous and 29,300 non-Indigenous mothers. First Nations women living on-reserve were excluded from the MES. Indigenous mothers were younger and were more likely to be single, have lower levels of education, have an income under $30,000 a year, have experienced abuse and have been admitted to hospital during pregnancy than non-Indigenous mothers.

Taking these factors into account, the study found that in rural areas, 23% of Indigenous people travelled 200 km or more to give birth compared with only 2% of non-Indigenous people.

"Our findings show an Indigenous and non-Indigenous disparity in geographic access to birthing within rural areas and suggest that this disparity is not primarily driven by medical complications of pregnancy, birth complications requiring cesarian delivery or other birth complications," writes Dr. Janet Smylie, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto and the University of Toronto, with coauthors.

In Canada, Indigenous people are more likely to live in rural and remote regions than in urban areas. The study accounts for this, and the authors suggest that this discrepancy in travel distances can be attributed to a lack of birthing facilities and providers near rural Indigenous communities -- a legacy of colonial policies that prioritized non-Indigenous settlements for locating quality health care facilities.

"Given the size of the Indigenous and non-Indigenous disparity in access to birth close to home identified by our study, the documented negative impacts of birth away from home for Indigenous families, and existing recommendations, there is a clear need to advance policies that support more equitable geographic access to birthing for Indigenous families in rural areas," write the authors.

The authors suggest that supporting Indigenous midwives and other health professionals as well as involving Indigenous leaders and communities in health service planning and delivery could increase access to birth closer to home for Indigenous peoples living in rural and remote areas.

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"Long-distance travel for birthing among Indigenous and non-Indigenous pregnant people in Canada" is published June 21, 2021.
NEW YORK, NY--COVID vaccine surveillance efforts are a global priority, but safety monitoring for vaccines should not reflect a single population. The largest, most extensive international study of the background rates of adverse events of special interest (AESI) that are being tracked in vaccine surveillance efforts show that adverse event rates vary substantially by age, sex, and method of data capture.

Led by researchers at Oxford University, Columbia University, Erasmus MC, UCLA, and Janssen, an international team of collaborators from the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) network provided a timely reference of the background rates of AESIs in a new study published June 14 in The BMJ.

The researchers found significant differences in the observed rates of AESIs based on the age groups and sex of more than 126 million people across four continents and 13 databases. Differences were also observed among people within databases.

"We knew regulators would be monitoring a long list of events for the surveillance of COVID vaccines safety," said co-senior author Dani Prieto-Alhambra MD MSc PhD, Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology at the University of Oxford. "To do this, they need robust estimates of the background rates of these events in historical data. These results can be used as benchmark for the monitoring of these potential safety events and for any upcoming COVID-19 vaccines."

There were 15 prespecified adverse events studied, matching those being monitored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and similar to those used by other regulatory agencies, including heart attack, stroke, and blood clotting. Incidence rates were classified by age groups and gender across the databases, though the outcomes of those groups vary by database.

"We found significant heterogeneity in background rates between age and sex," said co-lead author Xintong Li, DPhil candidate and Clarendon scholar at the University of Oxford. "If we compare these rates regardless of age or sex group, we may either find a false signal or neglect a real safety signal while monitoring vaccine surveillance.

"The observed and expected rates comparison should also be conducted within the same health database whenever possible," Li added. "While we understand that is not possible for all surveillance systems or vaccine safety studies, choosing a similar population and stratifying or standardizing by age and sex is highly recommended."

Heart attack, for example, was observed as a very rare (<1/10,000) outcome for a 24-year-old female, but it was a common (<1/10 to ?1/100) one for an 88-year-old male. The research team believes that the populations that are more likely to suffer these AESIs (like the older man in this example) should be analyzed separately from populations in much lower-risk groups.

"If a vaccinated population is older than an unvaccinated population, and we do not adjust for it, we may see a false increased risk of events following vaccination," said co-lead author Anna Ostropolets, MD, a PhD candidate in the Columbia University Department of Biomedical Informatics.

The variability between different databases could reflect numerous factors, ranging from the process of data capture to population differences such as socioeconomic status and comorbidities.

"The observed heterogeneity between databases was more than I expected," Prieto-Alhambra said. "As a consequence, vaccine safety surveillance should be conducted using the same database for both post-vaccine and background rates."

This multinational network cohort study used deidentified electronic health records and health claims data, all of which were mapped to the OMOP common data model, which allows for the systematic analysis of different observational databases. All rates of adverse events, as well as the protocol and study codes, are available in the publication.

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The study was developed and executed by the OHDSI community, a global, multi-stakeholder network that has more than 2,100 interdisciplinary researchers from six continents, as well as standardized health records for nearly 600 million unique patients around the world. The community strives to promote better health decisions and care through globally standardized health data, continuously developing large-scale analytics and a spirit of collaboration though open science.

Columbia University serves as the central coordinating center for the OHDSI community.

OHDSI research on COVID-19 has resulted in published studies on the safety profile of hydroxychloroquine, the characteristics and outcomes of more than 34,000 COVID-19 patients, the varied therapies used around the world for COVID treatment, the impact on children and adolescents, as well as several others in both peer-reviewed journals or on preprint servers.

The study, "Characterising the background incidence rates of adverse events of special interest for covid-19 vaccines in eight countries: multinational network cohort study," was published as a Special Paper June 14 by The BMJ.

Columbia authors are Anna Ostropolets, Patrick Ryan, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics, and George Hripcsak, Chair and Vivian Beaumont Allen Professor of Biomedical Informatics.

This work was partially funded by the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), European Medicines Agency, European Health Data and Evidence Network (EHDEN), US Food and Drug Administration CBER BEST initiative (75F40120D00039), and US National Library of Medicine (R01 LM006910). EHDEN has received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 806968. The Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA. The study funders had no role in the conceptualization, design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. This document expresses the opinion of the authors of the paper, and may not be understood or quoted as being made on behalf of or reflecting the position of the European Medicines Agency or one of its committees or working parties.
The finding in animals is important for vaccine development and therapies using COVID antibodies

DURHAM, N.C. - In the fight against viruses, antibodies have the potential to either block infection or enable infection and make the disease worse, leading to concern about their use as a therapy for COVID-19.

In a study published in the journal Cell, Duke investigators demonstrated in mice and monkeys that human antibodies lacked the ability to make SARS-CoV-2 infection worse and, instead, exerted their defensive powers against the infection. The findings help reinforce evidence that antibodies are safe when given as treatments or induced by COVID-19 vaccines.

The two types of antibodies -- those that neutralize the virus or those that enhance virus replication -- have been the subjects of much research, raising concerns that antibodies could potentially trigger severe infections in some recipients.

But the current research, led by scientists at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, is the first to use animal models to examine what occurs when SARS-CoV-2 antibodies are tested with the virus.

"Our study, using mice and monkeys, demonstrates that antibodies that are potentially harmful in the test tube do not appear to be harmful in the setting of SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice or monkeys," said co-senior author Barton F. Haynes, M.D., director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI).

"We tested a number of disease-enhancing antibodies in mouse and monkey experiments -- multiple trials with different antibodies -- and determined that disease enhancement does not occur in the animals, and that's good news for the development of effective treatments and vaccines." Haynes said.

Senior author Kevin Saunders, Ph.D., director of research at DHVI, isolated more than 1,700 antibodies from people who had COVID and screened them for their effects on the virus.

"We quickly found a set that were capable of blocking infection, including a set of antibodies that are candidates for clinical trials to prevent people from getting COVID," Saunders said. "We also found a set of antibodies that, instead of preventing infection in tissue culture, they enhanced infection in the test tube."

But in tests administering the antibodies to mice and monkeys, there were no such effects in the body that could be attributed to antibody administration. The presence of the infection-enhancing antibodies also did not counter how well the protective antibodies functioned in the body.

"These results in animal models suggest that SARS-CoV-2 antibody treatments or the induction of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies by vaccination have a low likelihood of exacerbating COVID-19 disease in humans," Saunders said. "Our findings are immediately applicable to COVID-19 vaccine candidates under development in use, and to antibodies and plasma being used to treat COVID-19."

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In addition to Saunders and Haynes, study authors include Dapeng Li, Robert J Edwards, Kartik Manne, David R. Martinez, Alexandra Schafer, S. Munir Alam, Kevin Wiehe, Xiaozhi Lu, Robert Parks, Laura L. Sutherland, Thomas H. Oguin III, Charlene McDanal, Lautaro G. Perez, Katayoun Mansouri, Sophie M. C. Gobeil, Katarzyna Janowska, Victoria Stalls, Megan Kopp, Fangping Cai, Esther Lee, Andrew Foulger, Giovanna Hernandez, Aja Sanzone, Kedamawit Tilahun, Chuancang Jiang, Longping V. Tse, Ken Cronin, Victoria Gee-Lai, Margaret Deyton, Maggie Barr, Tarra Von Holle, M. Anthony Moody, Derek W. Cain, Aaron Schmidt, Tongqing Zhou, John Mascola, Barney Graham, Ian N. Moore, Robert Seder, Hanne Andersen, Mark G. Lewis, David C. Montefiori, Gregory Sempowski, Ralph S. Baric and Priyamvada Acharya.

The study received support in part from a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense/DARPA (HR0011-17-2-0069), the National Institutes of Health (UC6-AI058607, R01-AI145687), and the State of North Carolina through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). A full disclosure of funding sources is provided in the study.
It could become a breakthrough for future tumor treatments with heavy ions and pave new ways: In the current experiment period FAIR-Phase 0, the GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung and the future accelerator center FAIR succeeded in performing a carbon ion FLASH experiment for the first time. The scientists involved were able to achieve the very high dose rates required and to irradiate tumors. The success was a collective effort of the GSI Biophysics Department and the accelerator crew on the GSI/FAIR campus in close collaboration with the German Cancer Research Center DKFZ and the Heidelberg Ion Therapy (HIT) center.

The topic of FLASH irradiation is in strong focus worldwide and is also a main research topic within clinical radiobiology at GSI Biophysics. The FLASH method is a new highly promising radiation therapy method. The word "flash" refers to lightning. Fitting to that, in radiation medicine, this means ultra-short and ultra-high radiation, where the treatment dose is delivered in sub-second timescales. The aim of FLASH irradiation is to apply a very high dose in a very short time. Traditional radiation therapy, as well as proton or ion therapy, deliver smaller doses of radiation to a patient over an extended period, whereas FLASH radiotherapy is thought to require only a few short irradiations, all lasting less than 100?milliseconds.

Recent in-vivo investigations have shown, in the field of electron radiation, that the FLASH method with an ultra-high dose rate is less harmful to healthy tissue, but just as efficient as conventional dose-rate radiation to inhibit tumor growth. Such an effect has not yet been demonstrated for proton and for ion beam irradiation, which is the basis of the tumor therapy with carbon ions developed at GSI. There is still a lot of research to be done here. The results of the current experiment at GSI are now being evaluated and will contribute to new knowledge.

However, the topic is not only a great challenge scientifically, but also technically: Until now, FLASH technique has only been applicable using electron and proton accelerators. While the required dose rates for electrons and protons can be achieved with a cyclotron (circular accelerator), this is more difficult with the synchrotrons required in heavy ion therapy, such as the SIS18 at GSI. That is why the current FAIR Phase 0 experiment is a very crucial step: Thanks to the improvements at the existing GSI accelerator facility as part of the preparations for FAIR, the necessary dose rate in millisecond range can now also be achieved for carbon. However, a lot of technical development and research is still needed, before the procedure is technically advanced enough to be routinely used on patients.

Professor Marco Durante, Head of the GSI Biophysics Research Department, was very pleased with the important success in FLASH irradiation: "It is a forward-looking method that could significantly increase the therapeutic window in radiotherapy. I am very happy that the researchers and the accelerator team were able to demonstrate the possibility to create conditions with carbon beams that are necessary for FLASH therapy of tumors. If we can combine the great effect and precision of heavy ion therapy with FLASH irradiation while maintaining efficacy and causing little damage to healthy tissue, this could pave the way of a future radiation therapy several years from now".

The Scientific Managing Director of GSI and FAIR, Professor Paolo Giubellino, is also very delighted: The combination of expertise in biophysics and medicine as well as engineering excellence allows the first world-class experiments FLASH irradiation with ion beams to be performed. This could result in important complements to existing radiation therapies. Applications in tumor therapy are one of the research areas that can benefit from the recent increased intensities of GSI accelerators. However, modern radiobiology will substantially benefit from beams with even higher intensities, such as we will have at the FAIR facility currently under construction. FLASH is a first example of these future directions of work".

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Alexandria, VA, and New Rochelle, NY, June 17, 2021--Catherine F. Sinclair, MD, has been appointed the next Editor-in-Chief of VideoEndocrinology, published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

"I am honored and delighted to have been selected as the next EIC of VideoEndocrinology. I look forward to helping promote novel concepts and techniques in thyroidology and to assisting the wider community in navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of surgical and non-surgical management options for thyroid disease. I eagerly anticipate the opportunity to work with colleagues from multiple disciplines to showcase the work being done worldwide to advance our field," said Dr. Sinclair.

"The American Thyroid Association (ATA) is excited to announce that Catherine Sinclair, MD has been selected as the Editor-in-Chief of VideoEndocrinology. Dr. Sinclair was selected from an extremely competitive group of candidates secondary to her evident abilities to include experience with video-based education, audiovisual production and presentation, as well as her vision for the future of VideoEndocrinology. The strength of the field of candidates for this position speaks to the importance of VideoEndocrinology, particularly to surgeons involved in the field of thyroid, parathyroid, and endocrine related procedures," said, Victor J. Bernet, MD, President of the ATA, and Associate Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL. "With Catherine's leadership we look forward to continued growth and stature of this pioneering videojournal, continuing the trajectory established by its previous Editor-in-Chiefs, most recently William B. Inabnet III."

Dr. Sinclair graduated from the Flinders University School of Medicine in Australia with the Dean's prize in Medicine, the Staff Prize in Surgery, and the Australia Medical Association (SA) medal. She was subsequently awarded the Gordon-Gordon Taylor Medal and the Clinical Committee Prize by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons during Basic Surgical Training. She completed her Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery training in Melbourne, Australia, before travelling to the United States to pursue dual fellowships in head and neck surgery and laryngology. For the past decade she has worked in New York where she has served as the Director of Division of Head and Neck Surgery, Mount Sinai West Hospital. Dr. Sinclair is an internationally recognized expert in surgical management of neck endocrine diseases. In 2016, she developed and implemented a novel methodology for intraoperative neuromonitoring of the recurrent laryngeal and vagus nerves. She has been an early adopter of radiofrequency ablation for treatment of benign thyroid nodules and has helped advance the field of thermal ablative technologies. In August 2019, she performed the first radiofrequency ablation for a benign thyroid nodule in New York and, in April 2021, she performed the first radiofrequency ablation in Australia. Dr Sinclair has authored multiple peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and has been the guest editor for a number of journals on topics relating to thyroid cancer and environmental exposures, thermal ablation, and neuromonitoring. She is an active member of many national committees including the Guidelines and Statements Committee of the American Thyroid Association and the Executive Committee of the Endocrine Section of the American Head and Neck Society. She lectures throughout the world and was inducted into the Triological Society in 2020.

"We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Catherine Sinclair as the next Editor-in-Chief of VideoEndocrinology, and look forward to working with her," says Mary Ann Liebert, President of the company that bears her name.

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About the Journal

VideoEndocrinology, an official journal of The American Thyroid Association (ATA) is an authoritative peer-reviewed videojournal published quarterly online with open access options. VideoEndocrinology delivers high-quality peer-reviewed videos of cutting-edge surgical and diagnostic imaging techniques and technologies covering thyroid, parathyroid, pancreatic, pituitary, and adrenal tumors and diseases, with minimally invasive, robotic, and open surgical procedures. VideoEndocrinology (is included in the Thyroid Journal Program. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the VideoEndocrinology website.

About the Society

The American Thyroid Association (ATA) is dedicated to transforming thyroid care through clinical excellence, education, scientific discovery, and advocacy in a collaborative and diverse community. ATA (is an international professional medical society with over 1,800 members from 43 countries around the world. The ATA promotes thyroid awareness and information through ClinicalThyroidology for the Public, a resource that summarizes research for patients and families, and extensive, authoritative resources on thyroid disease and thyroid cancer in both English and Spanish. The ATA website serves as a bonafide clinical resource for patients and the public who look for reliable thyroid-related information

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. A complete list of the firm's 90 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.
Scientists find a way to efficiently use visible light from the sun to break down CO2, open doors to novel means of alleviating global warming

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from human activities have risen drastically over the last century and a half and are seen as the primary cause of global warming and abnormal weather patterns. So, there has been considerable research focus, in a number of fields, on lowering our CO2 emissions and its atmospheric levels. One promising strategy is to chemically break down, or 'reduce,' CO2 using photocatalysts--compounds that absorb light energy and provide it to reactions, speeding them up. With this strategy, the solar powered reduction of CO2, where no other artificial source of energy is used, becomes possible, opening doors to a sustainable path to a sustainable future.

A team of scientists led by Drs. Shinji Kawasaki and Yosuke Ishii from Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan, has been at the forefront of efforts to achieve efficient solar-energy-assisted CO2 reduction. Their recent breakthrough is published in Nature's Scientific Reports.

Their research began with the need to solve the limited applicability problem of silver iodate (AgIO3), a photocatalyst that has attracted considerable attention for being useful for the CO2 reduction reaction. The problem is that AgIO3 needs much higher energy than that which visible light can provide to function as an efficient photocatalyst; and visible light is the majority of solar radiation.

Scientists have attempted to work around this efficiency problem by combining AgIO3 with silver iodide (AgI), which can efficiently absorb and utilize visible light. However, AgIO3-AgI composites have complicated synthesis processes, making their large-scale manufacturing impractical. Further, they don't have structures that offer efficient pathways for the transfer of photoexcited electrons (electrons energized by light absorption) from AgI to AgIO3, which is key to the composite's catalytic activity.

"We have now developed a new photocatalyst that incorporates single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with AgIO3 and AgI to form a three-component composite catalyst," says Dr. Kawasaki, "The role of the SWCNTs is multimodal. It solves both the synthesis and the electron transfer pathway problems."

The three-component composite's synthesis process is simple and involves just two steps: 1. Encapsulating iodine molecules within the SWCNT using an electrochemical oxidation method; and 2. Preparing the composite by immersing the resultant of the previous step in an aqueous solution of silver nitrate (AgNO3).

Spectroscopic observations using the composite showed that during the synthesis process, the encapsulated iodine molecules received charge from the SWCNT and converted into specific ions. These then reacted with AgNO3 to form AgI and AgIO3 microcrystals, which, due to the initial positions of the encapsulated iodine molecules, were deposited on all the SWCNTs uniformly. Experimental analysis with simulated solar light revealed that the SWCNTs also acted as the conductive pathway through which photoexcited electrons moved from AgI to AgIO3, enabling the efficient reduction of CO2 to carbon monoxide (CO).

The incorporation of SWCNTs also allowed for the composite dispersion to be easily spray-coated on a thin film polymer to yield flexible photocatalytic electrodes that are versatile and can be used in various applications.

Dr. Ishii is hopeful about their photocatalyst's potential. "It can make the solar reduction of industrial CO2 emissions and atmospheric CO2 an easy-to-scale and sustainable renewable energy-based solution tackling global warming and climate change, making people's lives safer and healthier," he says.

The next step, the team says, is to explore the possibility of using their photocatalyst for solar hydrogen generation. Perhaps, humanity's future is bright after all!

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About Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan

Nagoya Institute of Technology (NITech) is a respected engineering institute located in Nagoya, Japan. Established in 1949, the university aims to create a better society by providing global education and conducting cutting-edge research in various fields of science and technology. To this end, NITech provides a nurturing environment for students, teachers, and academicians to help them convert scientific skills into practical applications. Having recently established new departments and the "Creative Engineering Program," a 6-year integrated undergraduate and graduate course, NITech strives to continually grow as a university. With a mission to "conduct education and research with pride and sincerity, in order to contribute to society," NITech actively undertakes a wide range of research from basic to applied science.

Website: https:/ / www. nitech. ac. jp/ eng/ index. html

About Professor Shinji Kawasaki and Associate Professor Yosuke Ishii from Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan

Dr. Shinji Kawasaki is a Professor of the Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry at Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan. His research interests include the use of nanocarbon and nanocarbon composites for various applications, such as energy storage, hydrogen generation, chemical modification, carbon nanotube synthesis, lighting devices, and graphene synthesis. To date, he has 107 publications to his name.

Dr. Yosuke Ishii is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry at Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan. He obtained his Ph.D. from Nagoya Institute of Technology in 2014. To date, he has 43 publications to his name.
Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) have awarded the 2021 Karl G. Jansky Lectureship to Professor Luis F. Rodriguez of the National University of Mexico (UNAM). The Jansky Lectureship is an honor established by the trustees of AUI to recognize outstanding contributions to the advancement of radio astronomy.

Rodriguez is being honored for his significant contributions to the understanding of star formation and X-ray emitting binary star systems, his distinguished career as an educator and popularizer of astronomy, and as a mentor to a generation of radio astronomers. As a member of one of two teams that co-discovered outflows from regions of star formation, he contributed to shaping the current paradigm of star formation. With Felix Mirabel, he discovered the first microquasars in the Milky Way -- nearby and smaller analogs to quasars at the hearts of distant galaxies. They received the American Astronomical Society's Bruno Rossi Prize in 1996 for that work.

In 1992, Rodriguez obtained a grant from the Mexican government to equip the VLA with its first 43-GHz receivers, enabling some of the first images of dust emission from protoplanetary disks around young stars -- disks that eventually will produce planets. He was the founding director of the Institute of Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics at UNAM, and is considered the father of radio astronomy in Mexico. As a professor at UNAM since 1979, he has directed 28 student theses. He is author or coauthor of more than 500 scientific publications that have received more than 25,000 citations.

Rodriguez earned a B.S. in Physics from UNAM in 1973 and a Ph.D in Astronomy from Harvard University in 1978. He has received the Mexican Award of Sciences, the most important such recognition given in that country, the Robert J. Trumpler Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and is one of only 40 members of Mexico's National College, which brings together the country's foremost scientists and artists. He is a foreign member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and of the Spanish Royal Society of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences.

He now is a Professor Emeritus of UNAM's Institute of Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics, and also is Coordinator of the Mesoamerican Center for Theoretical Physics in Chiapas, Mexico. He is working with NRAO on selecting locations in Mexico for key antennas of the proposed Next Generation Very Large Array.

As Jansky Lecturer, Rodriguez will give presentations, the details of which will be announced later.

First awarded in 1966, the Jansky Lectureship is named in honor of the man who, in 1932, first detected radio waves from a cosmic source. Karl Jansky's discovery of radio waves from the central region of the Milky Way started the science of radio astronomy.

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Other recipients of the Jansky award include seven Nobel laureates (Drs. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Edward Purcell, Charles Townes, Arno Penzias, Robert Wilson, William Fowler, and Joseph Taylor) as well as Jocelyn Bell-Burnell, discoverer of the first pulsar, and Vera Rubin, discoverer of dark matter in galaxies.

A complete list of past recipients is here:

https:/ / science. nrao. edu/ science/ jansky-lecture

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
A team of scientists from NUST MISIS and MIPT have developed and tested a new platform for realization of the ultra-strong photon-to-magnon coupling. The proposed system is on-chip and is based on thin-film hetero-structures with superconducting, ferromagnetic and insulating layers. This discovery solves a problem that has been on the agenda of research teams from different countries for the last 10 years, and opens new opportunities in implementing quantum technologies. The study was published in the highly ranked journal Science Advances.

The last decade has seen significant progress in the development of artificial quantum systems. Scientists are exploring different platforms, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The next critical step for advancing quantum industry requires an efficient method of information exchange between platform hybrid systems that could benefit from distinct platforms. For example, hybrid systems based on collective spin excitations, or magnons, are being developed. In such systems, magnons must interact with photons, standing electromagnetic waves trapped in a resonator. The main limiting factor for developing such systems is the fundamentally weak interaction between photons and magnons. They are of different sizes, and follow different dispersion laws. This size difference of a hundred times or more considerably complicates the interaction.

Scientists from MIPT together with their colleagues managed to create a system with what is called the ultra-strong photon-to-magnon coupling.

Vasily Stolyarov, deputy head of the MIPT Laboratory of Topological Quantum Phenomena in Superconducting Systems, commented: "We created two subsystems. In one, being a sandwich from superconductor/insulator/superconductor thin films, photons are slowed down, their phase velocity is reduced. In another one, which is also a sandwich from superconductor/ferromagnetic/superconductor thin ?lms, superconducting proximity at both interfaces enhances the collective spin eigen-frequencies. The ultra strong photon-to-magnon coupling is achieved thanks to the suppressed photon phase velocity in the electromagnetic subsystem."

Igor Golovchanskiy, leading researcher, senior researcher at the MIPT Laboratory of Topological Quantum Phenomena in Superconducting Systems, head of the NUST MISIS Laboratory of Cryogenic Electronic Systems, explained: "Photons interact very weakly with magnons. We managed to create a system in which these two types of excitations interact very strongly. With the help of superconductors, we have significantly reduced the electromagnetic resonator. This resulted in a hundred times reduction of the phase velocity of photons, and their interaction with magnons increased by several times."

This discovery will accelerate the implementation of hybrid quantum systems, as well as open up new possibilities in superconducting spintronics and magnonics.

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Except for the researchers from the MIPT Laboratory of Topological Quantum Phenomena in Superconducting Systems, the study involved scientists from NUST MISIS, the N.L. Dukhov All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Automatics, the Institute of Solid State Physics, RAS; the Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, the University of Glasgow (United Kingdom), the University of Twente (Netherlands), and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany).

This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Russian Science Foundation, and partially by the European Union Horizon 2020 program.
All coronaviruses produce four primary structural proteins and multiple nonstructural proteins. However, the majority of antibody-based SARS-CoV-2 research has focused on the spike and nucleocapsid proteins. A study published in PLOS Biology by Anna Heffron, Irene Ong and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, suggests that immune responses may develop against other proteins produced by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The efficacy of spike protein-based vaccines is variable and not everyone infected with SARS-CoV-2 produces detectable antibodies against the spike or nucleocapsid proteins. Therefore, expanded antibody-based options have the potential to play an important role in improving vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics, particularly given the emergence of new variants. To investigate whether SARS-CoV-2 infection induces robust antibody responses against all SARS-CoV-2 proteins, researchers mapped 79 "epitopes" - specific regions of the viral proteome that antibodies recognize and bind to. They also tested whether antibodies that develop in response to SARS-CoV-2 or existing antibodies from previous exposures to coronaviruses might bind to any of the proteins in the six other known human coronaviruses to identify potential cross-reactive epitopes.

In addition to spike and nucleocapsid proteins, the authors located previously unknown, highly reactive B cell epitopes throughout the full array of proteins in SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses, expanding the potential for future vaccine and therapeutic development. Future research is needed, however, to determine how long these antibodies remain and whether responses of vaccinated individuals differ from those who contracted COVID-19 prior to vaccination. Dr. Ong and colleagues will continue to investigate these aspects in adults and children.

Although the authors did not directly profile variants of concern that have emerged since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a comparison of the original SARS-CoV-2 genome with a few of the variants of concern identified numerous variations in regions that are at or within 3 amino acids of identified antibody binding epitopes.

According to the authors, "Our extensive profiling of epitope-level resolution antibody reactivity in COVID-19 convalescent subjects, confirmed by independent assays, provides new epitopes that could serve as important targets in the development of improved diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2, variants of concern, and dangerous human coronaviruses that may emerge in the future".

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Research Article

Peer reviewed; Experimental study; Cells

In your coverage please use these URLs to provide access to the freely available articles in PLOS Biology: http://journals. plos. org/ plosbiology/ article?id= 10. 1371/ journal. pbio. 3001265

Citation: Heffron AS, McIlwain SJ, Amjadi MF, Baker DA, Khullar S, Armbrust T, et al. (2021) The landscape of antibody binding in SARS-CoV-2 infection. PLoS Biol 19(6): e3001265. https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1371/ journal. pbio. 3001265

Funding: I.M.O. acknowledges support by the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program (ncats.nih.gov/ctsa), through the National Institutes of Health National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), grants UL1TR002373 and KL2TR002374. This research was also supported by 2U19AI104317-06 (to I.M.O via James Gern) and R24OD017850 (to D.H.O.) from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (http://www. niaid. nih. gov ). A.S.H. has been supported by the National Institutes of Health National Research Service Award T32 AI007414 and M.F.A. by T32 AG000213 (http://www. nlm. nih. gov/ ep/ NRSAFellowshipGrants. html ). S.J.M. acknowledges support by the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health and University of Wisconsin Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center's Cancer Informatics Shared Resource (grant P30-CA-14520; cancer.wisc.edu/research/) and by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health 2U19AI104317-06. This project was also funded through a COVID-19 Response Grant from the Wisconsin Partnership Program and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (to M.A.S.; http://www. med. wisc. edu/ wisconsin-partnership-program/ ), startup funds through the University of Wisconsin Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (I.M.O.; http://www. obgyn. wisc. edu/ ), and the Data Science Initiative (research.wisc.edu/funding/data-science-initiative/) grant from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Office of the Chancellor and the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education (with funding from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation) (I.M.O.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing interests: I have read the journal's policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: The authors declare the following competing interests: A.S.H., S.J.M., D.A.B., M.F.A., S.K., M.A.S., D.H.O., and I.M.O are listed as the inventors on a patent filed that is related to findings in this study. Application: 63/080568, 63/083671. Title: IDENTIFICATION OF SARS-COV-2 EPITOPES DISCRIMINATING COVID-19 INFECTION FROM CONTROL AND METHODS OF USE. Application type: Provisional. Status: Filed. Country: United States. Filing date: September 18, 2020, September 25, 2020.
The avian influenza, an acute viral infectious disease that occurs in poultry such as chickens, ducks, and migratory birds, has been reported to be transmittable to humans. It is difficult to control because it spreads among migratory birds that travel to China, Europe, and elsewhere. Once it is transmitted, it spreads rapidly. Disposing infected livestock is not only costly, but also a cause of serious environmental pollution. This is why vaccines against infectious diseases are imperative. To this, a research team in Korea has recently developed a plant-based, adjuvant-free, recombinant protein vaccine that exhibits a strong immune response.

Professor Inhwan Hwang and Ph.D. candidate Shi-Jian Song of the Department of Life Science at POSTECH - in joint research with Professor Chang Seon Song of Konkuk University, Professor Woe-Yeon Kim of Gyeongsang National University, and Eun-Ju Sohn of Bioapp, Inc. - have developed a multivalent vaccine against a variety of avian influenza viruses that does not require any adjuvant. This research was recently published in Journal of Integrative Plant Biology.

Infectious diseases in humans and animals caused by the influenza virus are occurring unpredictably around the world, seriously affecting human health and economic activities like the livestock industry. Various vaccines have been developed and used so far, but concerns have been raised regarding their safety. In particular, the recombinant vaccines enjoy high biosafety and specificity, but have the weakness of low immunogenicity and high production cost compared to inactivated virus or live attenuated virus vaccines.

To this, the joint research team focused on developing multivalent1 vaccines against various avian influenzas based on green vaccine technology. The researchers fabricated a protein trimer (tHA) using plant cells, just like making immune-stimulating drugs from antigenic spikes (haemagglutinin, HA) attached to the influenza virus. By coating this plant-produced tHA on the surface of the inactivated lactococcus without separation or purification, the researchers succeeded in producing bacteria-like particles (BLPs) that carry antigens.

BLPs (tHAs) developed this way showed strong immune responses in mice and chickens without adjuvants. In addition, injections of a bivalent vaccine with two different formulas2 even led to strong immune response to both antigens. This method shows promise to be produced quickly, economically and safely. In fact, the vaccines from this research were applied for patents and are being commercialized with the goal to advance into China and Southeast Asia, as it has gone through a technology transfer to BioApp Co., Ltd.

"Utilizing the green vaccine technology, we have developed a recombinant protein-based vaccine that is safe from exposure to the virus and more," explained Professor Inhwan Hwang of POSTECH who led the research. "Various strains appear at the same time for influenzas, and this multivalent vaccine can combat such strains."

This study was conducted with the support of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the National Research Foundation of Korea.

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Nearly a third of Americans who arranged for paid care for an older person or someone with dementia employed workers who were not hired through a regulated agency, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Individuals who hired gray market caregivers were less likely to be employed and more likely to also use unpaid care for their family members. In addition, people who lived in rural areas had an almost five-times higher odds of arranging dementia care through gray markets as compared to those who lived in urban areas.

The study is the first national survey to probe the use of gray market care for older adults and people with dementia. The findings are published by the Journal of Applied Gerontology.

"Gray market care represents a substantial proportion of paid, long-term care for older adults and may fill gaps in access to care," said Regina A. Shih, the study's lead author and a senior policy researcher at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "Better understanding of the use of gray market caregivers for older Americans is important to meet the needs of the nation's aging population."

The study defined gray market caregivers as paid providers who are unrelated to the recipient, not working for a regulated agency, and potentially unscreened and untrained.

The rapid aging of the U.S. is expected to increase the demand for long-term care and supports to help with the activities of daily living. Demographic and social trends are reducing the number of family caregivers available to help older adults. As a result, the need for home health aides and personal care aides is expected to grow by 36% from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.

Many older adults who need help do not qualify for Medicaid-sponsored long-term services and supports, and may be unable or unwilling to pay out-of-pocket to hire nurses or aides through a home health agency.

To explore the use of gray market caregivers, RAND researchers in August 2017 surveyed a random sample of 1,037 members of the RAND American Life Panel, a nationally representative internet panel of adults. Those surveyed were asked about whether they had sought care for an older adult and where their formal caregiver was employed.

Among survey participants, 28% had arranged aging-related long-term care for themselves or someone they love. Of respondents who arranged any paid care (including those who combined paid and unpaid care), 31% hired a gray market provider.

Similarly, 31% of respondents who arranged paid care for someone with dementia also sought gray market care. Among those who were gray market consumers, 65% also arranged for or provided unpaid care themselves.

Researchers say that people with dementia who need long-term care and live in rural areas may have more difficulty accessing or paying for regulated home- and community-based provider than those who live in urban locales.

Regulations for home health care agencies vary by state, but they usually are required to perform criminal background checks, verify education or training, and maintain clinical records.

When workers are employed by an agency, they are generally covered by disability and liability insurance to protect consumers and providers in the event of on-the-job accidents. Agency-based employees also may be eligible for or contribute to social insurance and employee benefit programs.

"Without agency oversight, the quality of care provided by gray market caregivers is unknown, and the potential for exploitation or abuse -- of both the care recipient or the care provider -- has not been systematically studied," Shih said.

Researchers say that more research about the use of gray market care is needed to identify factors contributing to its use, improve the quality of gray market care, and provide training for dementia care skills among providers.

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Support for the study was provided by The National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities.

Other authors of the study are Esther M. Friedman and Emily K. Chen of RAND, and Grace C. Whiting of the National Alliance for Caregiving.

The RAND Social and Economic Well-Being division seeks to actively improve the health, and social and economic well-being of populations and communities throughout the world.
Payload will study the deep interior of the far side of the Moon

SAN ANTONIO -- June 21, 2021 -- To advance understanding of Earth's nearest neighbor, NASA has selected three new lunar investigations, including a payload suite led by Southwest Research Institute. The Lunar Interior Temperature and Materials Suite (LITMS) is one of two packages that will land on the far side of the Moon, a first for the agency, as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS, initiative.

"With LITMS, we hope to get a better understanding of the thermal evolution, differentiation and asymmetry of the Moon," said SwRI's Dr. Robert Grimm, LITMS principal investigator. "This will help us interpret how the lunar crust, mantle and core formed. And we can contrast these far-side measurements with those done by the near-side Apollo missions to unravel the origin of 'the Man in the Moon.'"

The moon is tidally locked, where one side is always facing Earth. The two sides of the Moon, the far and near sides, are remarkably different, in crustal thickness, composition and cratering. The near side we see contains an area of high volcanic activity where lava has frozen into dark "seas" called maria. Nearly two-thirds of the maria are on the western nearside of the Moon. Throughout history, people have linked the dark maria into fanciful shapes, including a "Man in the Moon" visage.

LITMS is headed to a far-side location chosen by NASA, specifically, to the 200-mile diameter Schrodinger basin, which is located in the ancient South Pole-Aitken basin. The suite includes two instruments: The Lunar Instrumentation for Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER) and the Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder (LMS). LISTER measures heat flow using a pneumatic drill to probe up to 10 feet into the subsurface. LMS will determine the electrical conductivity of the Moon's interior by measuring natural electric and magnetic fields.

"Joint measurements of heat flow and electrical conductivity allow us to separate the temperature and material dependence of each," Grimm said. "This is our 'litmus test' for the lunar interior."

LMS and LISTER are led by SwRI and Texas Tech University, respectively. The instruments were independently selected in an earlier CLPS solicitation. Grimm and LISTER principal investigator Dr. Seiichi Nagihara recognized the combined value of the two instruments and requested to co-manifest on the same flight. That mission is scheduled for landing in Mare Crisium on the nearside in 2023.

"From there, we combined forces to propose for the far-side lander," Grimm said.

A seismometer suite led by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory was separately selected by NASA for the Schrodinger mission.

"LITMS and the seismic package are very complementary in providing a more complete picture of the lunar interior," Grimm said. "Together, they are a pathfinder for a future lunar geophysical network, a global array of long-lasting instruments on the surface of the Moon."

"These investigations demonstrate the power of CLPS to deliver big science in small packages, providing access to the lunar surface to address high-priority science goals for the Moon," said Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division in the agency's announcement. "When scientists analyze these new data alongside lunar samples returned from Apollo and data from our many orbital missions, they will advance our knowledge of the lunar surface and interior, and increase our understanding of crucial phenomenon such as space weathering to inform future crewed missions to the Moon and beyond."

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LITMS is scheduled to launch in 2024. Key collaborators include the University of California, Berkeley, Heliospace Corp. and Honeybee Robotics, with scientific investigators from several institutions in the United States and United Kingdom.
A research team led by Professor Hongzhe SUN, Norman & Cecilia Yip Professor in Bioinorganic Chemistry and Chair Professor from Research Divison for Chemistry and Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, in collaboration with Dr Richard Yi-Ysun KAO, Associate Professor from the Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, and Dr Aixin YAN, Associate Professor from School of Biological Sciences, the University of Hong Kong (HKU), discovers that silver (Ag)-based antimicrobials can effectively combat antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus by targeting multiple biological pathways via functional disruption of key proteins and can be further exploited to enhance the efficacy of conventional antibiotics as well as to resensitise methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to antibiotics.

The study resolves the long-standing question of the molecular targets of silver in Staphylococcus aureus and offers insights into the sustainable bacterial susceptibility of silver, providing a new approach for combating antimicrobial resistance. The ground-breaking findings are now published in a leading multidisciplinary science journal, Nature Communications.

Background

Antibiotics are medicines designed to kill bacteria and treat bacterial infections. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria adjust in response to the misuse or overuse of these medicines, and it has become one of the biggest public health challenges in this era. At least 2.8 million people get an antibiotic-resistant infection annually in the US, and more than 35,000 people die from it.

Staphylococcus aureus, a round-shaped Gram-positive bacterium, is a dangerous and versatile pathogen for humans and is estimated that approximately 30% of the human population are asymptomatic nasal and long-term carriers. Staphylococcus is the causative agent of a variety of diseases, such as skin infection, food poisoning, bone/joint infection, and bacteremia, ranging from subacute superficial skin infection to life-threatening septicemia. The rise in incidence has been accompanied by an increase in antibiotic-resistant strains, especially MRSA. Moreover, the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may further increase antimicrobial resistance due to the heavy use of antibiotics to treat patients infected with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2). Given the rapid emergence of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus but a lack of antibiotic-development pipeline, alternative strategies are urgently needed to combat antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Key findings

Metal ions have been historically used as antimicrobial agents owing to their inherent broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties and less chance of resistance. There is a growing interest in revitalising metal-based compounds as promising alternatives to tackle the antimicrobial resistance crisis. Silver ions (Ag+) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been used as antimicrobial agents for centuries and are still being widely used in the healthcare and food industry. Previously, the team has built a technical platform named LC-GE-ICP-MS to systematically identify Ag+-proteome in Escherichia coli and developed a strategy named metabolome reprogramming to enhance the efficacy of antibacterial metallodrugs (PLoS Biol., 2019, 17, e3000292; Chem. Sci., 2019, 10, 7193-7199; Chem. Sci., 2020, 11, 11714-11719).

In this study, using the customised approach of LC-GE-ICP-MS, the team successfully separated and identified 38 authentic Ag+-binding proteins (Ag+-proteome) in Staphylococcus aureus at the whole-cell scale. In combination with bioinformatics analysis and systematic biochemical characterisation, they demonstrate that Ag+ exploits a shotgun action through targeting multiple proteins, thus interfering with multiple pathways, including glycolysis, oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (oxPPP), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) stress defence system, to exert its bactericidal effect against Staphylococcus aureus. Further studies unveiled that oxPPP served as a vital pathway targeted by Ag+ in Staphylococcus aureus, with 6PGDH identified as the key enzyme involved in the inhibitory effects of Ag+ against Staphylococcus aureus. They resolved the first crystal structures of 6PGDH from Staphylococcus aureus both in substrate-bound and Ag-bound forms and revealed that Ag+ abolished the enzymatic activity of 6PGDH through targeting Histidine 185 in the active site and morphing its catalytic pocket. This study resolves the long-standing question on the molecular targets and mode of action of silver against Staphylococcus aureus. Such a unique mode of action of silver via targeting multiple pathways confers the inability to select silver-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and endows it with the sustainable efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus.

Based on the uncovered molecular mechanism, they further demonstrate that Ag+/AgNP can potentiate the efficacy of a broad range of antibiotics, resensitise MRSA to antibiotics, and slow down the evolution of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, a combination of antibiotics with silver or other metal-based compounds or nanomaterials could serve as a promising strategy to suppress the selection effects of antibiotics, thus preventing the occurrence of primary antibiotic resistance and extending the lifespan of conventional antibiotics to relieve the current crisis of antibiotic resistance.

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About the research team

The research was conducted by a team led by Professor Hongzhe SUN, Norman & Cecilia Yip Professor in Bioinorganic Chemistry and Chair Professor of Department of Chemistry. Dr Haibo WANG is the first author. Other scientists contributing to the research include Dr Richard Yi-Ysun KAO, Associate Professor (Microbiology), Dr Aixin YAN, Associate Professor (Biological Sciences), Dr Hongyan LI, Senior Research Assistant (Chemistry), Dr Minji WANG, Associate Professor (Chemistry, East China Normal University), Dr Xiaohan XU, PhD student (Chemistry), Dr Peng GAO, Research Assistant Professor (Microbiology), Dr Zeling XU, Associate Professor (South China Agricultural University), and Dr Qi ZHANG (Chemistry).

The work was supported by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, Health and Medical Research Fund and Seed Fund for Basic Research.

About Professor Hongzhe SUN

Professor Hongzhe SUN is the Norman & Cecilia Yip Professor in Bioinorganic Chemistry and Chair Professor from Research Division for Chemistry and Department of Chemistry at HKU. His research focuses on metalloproteins, the discovery of antimicrobial agents, and inorganic chemical biology. Professor Sun has published a series of well-recognised work in overcoming antimicrobial resistance against superbugs, developing anti-coronavirus agent, and understanding the functions of metalloproteins.

More information about Professor Hongzhe SUN and his research group can be found from their group's webpage: http://www. bioinorg-chem. hku. hk
Acrylamide is a toxic chemical compound that affects the nervous system. Not only is it widely used in industries such as paper production, plastics, and wastewater management, but it is also a byproduct of commonly used food processing methods, which makes human exposure to acrylamide inevitable. Therefore, many studies have focused on understanding the toxic effects of acrylamide and our body's response to them. Generally, in response to toxicity, the body's cells release protective factors and antioxidants to remedy the damage. This response is activated by various cellular machinery. One such activator is a protein called "nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2" (Nrf2), which is a master regulator of the response to oxidative stress and the immune system.

In a recent study, a team of scientists, led by Prof. Gaku Ichihara from Tokyo University of Science, reported the role of Nrf2 in acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity. Prof. Ichihara states, "Our study showed that Nrf2 has a protective role against neurologic damage and suggests it is through activation of antioxidant stress genes and suppression of proinflammatory cytokine genes."

In their study published in the journal Toxicology, Prof. Gaku Ichihara, along with his colleagues Prof. Masayuki Yamamoto from Tohoku University, Prof. Ken Itoh from Hirosaki University, Associate Prof. Seiichiroh Ohsako from The University of Tokyo, and Prof. Sahoko Ichihara from Jichi Medical University, used mice models to study the role of Nrf2 in acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity. They tested their hypothesis that when Nrf2 gene is removed, the neurotoxic effects of acrylamide will be amplified. For this, they developed "knockout" mice that could not produce Nrf2, and gave the Nrf2-knockout mice and a set of counterpart "wild-type" mice that could produce Nrf2 different concentrations of acrylamide for 4 weeks. Then, they compared the neurotoxicity between both groups of mice using various sensory and motor tests, immunohistochemistry, and protein and gene expression analyses.

The scientists found that the Nrf2-knockout mice had severe neurotoxic effects such as sensory and motor system dysfunction and axonal damage. While these mice produced fewer antioxidants and protective factors in response to acrylamide, they also showed enhanced release of pro-inflammatory chemicals, called "cytokines," in the brain, which can potentially cause additional damage. Additionally, as different doses were given to the mice, the scientists also determined that the neurotoxicity was dose-dependent.

Previous studies have established the role of Nrf2 as a master regulator of protective genes but this study explained the specific mechanisms of immune response to acrylamide-induced toxicity, with Nrf2 at the center of it all. As Prof. Ichihara states, "The results document the first known morphological and neuro-functional evidence of the regulatory role of Nrf2 in acrylamide-induced neurotoxic effects in mice."

The findings of this study are also immensely valuable in the field of disease biology, as recent studies have shown a link between air pollution and Alzheimer's disease. Since the air contains other acrylamide-like chemical pollutants with similar neurotoxic effects, the study's findings could prove useful in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease.

Prof. Ichihara and his team's study is certainly a timely one, as reports of acrylamide intoxication are on the rise and further research is required to better understand the specific mechanisms by which the body protects itself from harm.

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Reference

Title of original paper: Genetic ablation of Nrf2 exacerbates neurotoxic effects of acrylamide in mice

Journal: Toxicology

DOI: https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1016/ j. tox. 2021. 152785

About The Tokyo University of Science

Tokyo University of Science (TUS) is a well-known and respected university, and the largest science-specialized private research university in Japan, with four campuses in central Tokyo and its suburbs and in Hokkaido. Established in 1881, the university has continually contributed to Japan's development in science through inculcating the love for science in researchers, technicians, and educators.

With a mission of "Creating science and technology for the harmonious development of nature, human beings, and society", TUS has undertaken a wide range of research from basic to applied science. TUS has embraced a multidisciplinary approach to research and undertaken intensive study in some of today's most vital fields. TUS is a meritocracy where the best in science is recognized and nurtured. It is the only private university in Japan that has produced a Nobel Prize winner and the only private university in Asia to produce Nobel Prize winners within the natural sciences field.

Website: https:/ / www. tus. ac. jp/ en/ mediarelations/

About Professor Gaku Ichihara from Tokyo University of Science

Professor Gaku Ichihara is a faculty member at the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health at Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science. He graduated from School of Medicine, Nagoya University in 1988. In 2000, he received the Incentive Award from Japan Society for Occupational Health. He has also contributed to the field of nanotechnology. In 2013, he was the Chairperson of the 6th International Symposium on Nanotechnology, Occupational and Environmental Health. He has published more than 100 papers on his research interests: toxicology and occupational health.

Funding information

This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (16H02965, 17H06396, 19H04279). F.A.E.'s PhD studies are funded by the Japanese Government Scholarship (MEXT).
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogenic bacterium present in many ecological niches, such as plant roots, stagnant water or even the pipes of our homes. Naturally very versatile, it can cause acute and chronic infections that are potentially fatal for people with weakened immune systems. The presence of P. aeruginosa in clinical settings, where it can colonise respirators and catheters, is a serious threat. In addition, its adaptability and resistance to many antibiotics make infections by P. aeruginosa increasingly difficult to treat. There is therefore an urgent need to develop new antibacterials. Scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, have identified a previously unknown regulator of gene expression in this bacterium, the absence of which significantly reduces the infectious power of P. aeruginosa and its dangerous nature. These results, to be published in the journal Nucleic Acid Research, could constitute an innovative target in the fight against this pathogen.

RNA helicases perform essential regulatory functions by binding and unwinding various RNA molecules to perform their functions. RNA helicases are present in the genomes of almost all known living organisms, including bacteria, yeast, plants, and humans; however, they have acquired specific properties depending on the organism in which they are found. "Pseudomonas aeruginosa has an RNA helicase whose function was unknown, but which was found in other pathogens", explains Martina Valentini, a researcher leading this research in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine at UNIGE Faculty of Medicine, and holder of an SNSF "Ambizione grant. "We wanted to understand what its role was, in particular in relation to the pathogenesis of the bacteria and their environmental adaptation."

A severely reduced virulence

To do this, the Geneva team combined biochemical and molecular genetic approaches to determine the function of this protein. "In the absence of this RNA helicase, P. aeruginosa multiplies normally in vitro, both in a liquid medium and on a semi-solid medium at 37C", reports Stephane Hausmann, a researcher associate in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine at UNIGE Faculty of Medicine and first author of this study. "To determine whether the infection capacity of the bacteria was affected, we had to observe it in vivo in a living organism."

The scientists then continued their research using Galleria mellonella larvae, a model insect for studying host-pathogen interactions. Indeed, the innate immune system of insects has important similarities with that of mammals. Moreover, these larvae can live at temperatures between 5C and 45C, which makes it possible to study bacterial growth at different temperatures, including that of the human body. Three groups of larvae were observed; the first, after injection of a saline solution, saw 100% of its population survive. In the presence of a normal strain of P. aeruginosa, less than 20% survived at 20 hours after infection. In contrast, when P. aeruginosa no longer possessed the RNA helicase gene, over 90% of the larvae remained alive. "The modified bacteria became almost harmless, while remaining very much alive," says Stephane Hausmann.

Inhibiting without killing

The results of this work show that this regulator affects the production of several virulence factors in the bacteria. "In fact, this protein controls the degradation of numerous messenger RNAs coding for virulence factors", summarises Martina Valentini. "From an antimicrobial drug strategy point of view, switching off the pathogen's virulence factors rather than trying to eliminate the pathogen completely, means allowing the host immune system to naturally neutralise the bacterium and potentially reduces the risk for the development of resistance. Indeed, if we try to kill the bacteria at all costs, the bacteria will adapt to survive, which favours the appearance of resistant strains."

The Geneva team is currently continuing its work by screening a series of known drug molecules in order to determine whether any of them have the capacity to selectively block this protein, and to study in detail the inhibition mechanisms on which the development of an effective therapeutic strategy could be based.

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The authors of new research say supporting children and young people's mental health is as important as supporting their academic progress, and that particular attention should be paid to the fact that some young people have struggled more than others.

Findings from their study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, focused on the connections between loneliness, social contact, parental relationships, and the mental health of adolescents aged 11-16 during the first full UK lockdown from March to May 2020.

Their analysis drew on self-reported data from 894 young people who each completed a survey throughout to gauge their experiences of lockdown and its effects on their emotions, relationships, and feelings.

The team from the universities of Bath, Bristol, Oxford, Leicester, Reading and UCL identified that it was the type of social contact with friends and family that most shaped young people's mental health outcomes. For example, whereas regular voice and video calls with friends had positive impacts for individuals, more indirect communications, such as increased texting / messaging, including via social media, either made no difference or had a negative impact.

The study found a strong association between perceived closeness with parents and positive impacts on psychological distress. This, say the authors, is different from proximity with parents, and instead is about emotional connection. For example, parents may have been working away from the home during lockdown but what mattered was the closeness of their connection with children when they returned. Unsurprising and consistent with previous findings, young people who were lonelier also had greater mental health difficulties at the outset of lockdown.

With their results, in the context of a further disrupted year and with the prospect of summer holiday catch-ups, the researchers suggest that schools and other community support organisations need to address the differential experiences of young people to ensure those who have struggled get appropriate support. This can help avoid some of the potential long-term and negative impacts of loneliness in childhood, they say.

They argue that summer holiday programmes must prioritise wellbeing support, including social interaction either in-person or digitally. This means making time for socialising is crucial. In addition, policymakers need to acknowledge the growing demand for mental health services that will be required and urgently increase funding in child and adolescent mental health services.

First author, Dr Kate Cooper from the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath, explained: "We need to fundamentally increase mental health service provision for young people who are struggling following this exceptionally challenging period. Our research found that young people who were closer to their parents, and who had more contact with their friends and family by voice and video calls had better mental health after a month in lockdown - but of course not all young people had this support.

"Schools have been working incredibly hard to meet student needs throughout the pandemic, but it's important that when we think about catch-up programmes this summer these are not just orientated towards academic support. That is of course important, but it's children's wellbeing and mental health that provide the foundation for learning, and so it would be counterproductive to provide catch-up programmes which do not prioritise mental health and social connections."

Dr Maria Loades, clinical psychologist also from Bath's Department of Psychology, added: "We need to do all we can to support young people's wellbeing, and to ensure that they are encouraged to seek support if they are struggling with their mental health, as early as possible. The pandemic has been tough for young people and parents, and the full legacy of this on mental health and social connection is yet to be fully understood."

Research from Dr Loades released last June, shortly after the first wave of COVID-19, highlighted the potential long-term impact of children's loneliness on their mental health as a result of lockdown.

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'Loneliness, social relationships, and mental health in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic' is published in the Journal of Affective Disorders see https:/ / www. sciencedirect. com/ science/ article/ pii/ S0165032721003402?via%3Dihub .

Access the team's Loneliness and Reconnection guide .
Biologists at the Universities of Bath and Vienna have discovered 71 new 'imprinted' genes in the mouse genome, a finding that takes them a step closer to unravelling some of the mysteries of epigenetics - an area of science that describes how genes are switched on (and off) in different cells, at different stages in development and adulthood.

To understand the importance of imprinted genes to inheritance, we need to step back and ask how inheritance works in general. Most of the thirty trillion cells in a person's body contain genes that come from both their mother and father, with each parent contributing one version of each gene. The unique combination of genes goes part of the way to making an individual unique. Usually, each gene in a pair is equally active or inactive in a given cell. This is not the case for imprinted genes. These genes - which make up less than one percent of the total of 20,000+ genes - tend to be more active (sometimes much more active) in one parental version than the other.

Until now, researchers were aware of around 130 well-documented imprinted genes in the mouse genome - the new additions take this number to over 200.

Professor Tony Perry, who led the research from the Department of Biology & Biochemistry at Bath in the UK, said: "Imprinting affects an important family of genes, with different implications for health and disease, so the seventy-plus new ones add an important piece of the jigsaw."

THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTONES

Close examination of the newly identified genes has allowed Professor Perry and his colleagues to make a second important discovery: the switching on and off of imprinted genes is not always related to DNA methylation, where methyl groups are added to genomic DNA- a process that is known to repress gene activity, switching them off). DNA methylation was the first known type of imprint, and was discovered around thirty years ago. From the results of the new work, it seems that a greater contribution to imprinting is made by histones - structures that are wrapped up with genomic DNA in chromosomes.

Although scientists have known for some time that histones act as 'dimmer' switches for genes, fading them off (or back on), until now it was thought that DNA methylation provided the major switch for imprinted gene activity. The findings from the new study cast doubt on this assumption: many of the newly identified genes were found to be associated with changes to the histone 3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3), and only a minority with DNA methylation.

WHY IMPRINTING MATTERS

Scientists have yet to work out how one parental version of a given gene can be switched (or faded) on or off and maintained that way while the other is in the opposite state. It is known that much of the on/off switching occurs during the formation of gametes (sperm and egg), but the precise mechanisms remain unclear. This new study points to the intriguing possibility that some imprinted genes may not be marked in gametes, but become active later in development, or even in adulthood.

Although it only involves a small proportion of genes, imprinting is important in later life. If it goes wrong, and the imprinted gene copy from one parent is switched on when it should be off (or vice versa), disease or death occur. Faulty imprinted genes are associated with many diseases, including neurological and metabolic disorders, and cancer.

"We may underestimate how important the relationship between imprinting and disease is, as well as the relationship of imprinting to the inheritance of parentally-acquired disease, such as obesity," said Professor Perry. "Hopefully, this improved picture of imprinting will increase our understanding of disease."

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LAWRENCE -- Tulsa may not be the first town one thinks of when talking about jazz, and flood management may not be the first vocation one compares to the musical genre. But the success Tulsa displayed in going from one of the nation's most flood-prone cities to a nationally recognized model of long-term risk reduction in just two decades is analogous to the evolution of one of the most American styles of music, a University of Kansas professor points out in a new study.

Tulsa, the second-largest city in Oklahoma, suffered several devastating floods in the 1970s and 1980s, then became a national model for flood mitigation by the 1990s. What hasn't been studied closely is how a group of engineers, planners, government officials, journalists, attorneys and citizens came together as a network of champions that adapted and evolved over a period of decades.

Ward LylesWard Lyles, associate professor of public affairs & administration at KU, co-wrote a study with Penn Pennell, KU urban planning graduate, and Rachel Riley of the University of Oklahoma detailing the group central to Tulsa's success. It was published in the journal Natural Hazards Review. The authors conducted interviews with local champions from multiple professions who began work on a flood mitigation plan in the 1970s, two of whom remained active in the work well into the 2000s, Ron Flanagan and journalist Ann Patton.

After a rapid succession of floods in the early 1970s, residents and some of the local professionals, functioning similarly to a loosely organized improvisational jazz band, seized the "window of opportunity" to press for change. Myriad approaches were pursued, including buying and demolishing homes in the floodplain and building more flood control structures. However, the band's style fell out of favor, so to speak, when a more conservative city government came to power in the late '70s and instituted more developer-friendly policies focused more on growth than floodplain safety. In their own words, some of the local champions were "exiled" from work in Tulsa and had to find jobs in other states. Meanwhile, flood control efforts cooled.

Tulsa U.S. 66 highway signTulsa suffered another devastating event, the "Memorial Day Flood" of 1984, just weeks after the election of new city leadership dedicated to renewing the commitment to flood mitigation. In subsequent years, members of the original band came back together and became more of a swing-style big band with organized sections compared to its more loosely arranged organization it the 1970s. Engineers, planners, attorneys, local residents and elected officials worked in concert to amplify and extend the efforts of the 1970s. Large swaths of flood-prone homes were purchased and the land was converted to open space suited to recreation and, when needed, flood storage. Land use regulations, engineered structure and education programs helped Tulsa become one of the dozen or so leading flood reduction communities in the early 1990s, when the Federal Emergency Management Agency initiated a program that rewarded proactive communities with lower insurances rates for residents.

The evolution was so successful that Tulsa received a major infusion of federal grant support in the late 1990s, cementing the transition of Tulsa's mitigation jazz band from a popular local group to a nationally emulated act, the authors wrote. A novel local nonprofit spun out of this effort and became a jazz institute of sorts, engaging more deeply with the Tulsa community on other hazards like tornadoes, and extending its work more broadly across the state of Oklahoma. The successful evolution illustrates many key points of successful city planning and management; namely, the importance of weaving together a network of many local champions committed to thinking long term, as opposed to the common approach of dealing with disasters solely in the moment and mainly by depending on narrow groups of experts to set policy.

"Our approach nationally has long been to try to engineer your way out of disasters, frantically respond to them when they happen, or not deal with them at all," Lyles said. "We often fail to think carefully about how land use and infrastructure decisions expose the entire community to risk until it is too late. Floods are a perfect example of this problem because flooding happens along rivers and streams, and we know very precisely where they are. The same tends to be true of areas at risk from hurricanes and wildfires, in contrast to tornados, which touch down randomly within a community."

Through the study, the interviewees revealed the critical importance of having a diverse group of local champions with a wide-ranging set of skills, not only in professional expertise like engineering, planning or law, but perhaps most importantly in communication and collaboration. Varied skills and leadership styles among these champions provided adaptability and resilience to the network but also posed challenges, the authors wrote. A key finding of the study is the role Patton played in facilitating and managing relationships, sometimes between people with very different communication styles, political attitudes and even core beliefs. Patton's professional journey - as a journalist working the "Black beat" in Tulsa in the 1970s, as a political operative and government official in the 1970s through the 1990s and a nonprofit entrepreneur in the 2000s -- is all the more remarkable because she completed her college degree just shy of turning 80 years old in the 2010s.

Emergency response groups regularly feature experts who leverage skills in fire, law enforcement and logistics to prepare for and respond to events. The same is true for city planners, engineers and other public service professionals whose responsibilities relate more to long-term risk reduction. But, across each of these professions, historically dominated by older, white males, the so-called "soft skills" of emotional intelligence, social intelligence and cultural humility -- just the kinds of skills Patton exhibited on top of her more traditional expertise -- are often minimized or ignored in favor of technical skills or specialized forms of knowledge.

"The thing we don't talk enough about in managing disasters - including public health emergencies like COVID -- is critical importance of the 'special sauce' of relationship skills essential for fostering, sustaining and harnessing a diverse and dynamic network of people," said Lyles, who has written previously on the value of caring as part of public planning. "You need someone who can help deploy the hard skills with the soft skills."

That aspect is true in a city like Tulsa with a dark history of race relations, just as it is in any location that has people of different backgrounds, cultures and experiences living together, he added. The experiences of Tulsa and others who have successfully, or even unsuccessfully, handled emergency response and planning have a great deal of parallels to the current COVID-19 pandemic response, as political differences, poor collaboration, egos and poor communication hampering responses on national, state and local levels. Understanding differences, or cultural competence, paired with cultural humility, or acknowledging that one does not completely understand the experience of others, could go a long way in improving responses to current disasters and preparation for those that will come in the future.

"It shouldn't be revolutionary that relationships matter," Lyles said. "But it takes skill to weave relationships together. It's not enough to be professionally passionate. We need social and emotional intelligence as well, and especially cultural humility."

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A study by the University of Liverpool has shown that while asymptomatic COVID-19 testing in Liverpool was popular, significant inequalities were evident between those who got tested and those who didn't.

Published in the journal The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, the study found that 43% of residents aged over 5 years (n = 214 525) took up the offer of free testing for people without symptoms of COVID-19 between 6th November 2020 and 31st January 2021. A total of 1.3% of tests were positive, meaning that 5192 individuals who did not know they had the virus were notified of the need to self-isolate, potentially breaking chains of transmission.

However, the research identified significant inequalities in who got tested. It found that uptake was lower in the most deprived areas of the city located in North Liverpool (from Everton across to Walton) with 32% of people getting tested compared to 53% of people in the least deprived areas such as Woolton and Allerton. It also found that there was lower uptake of testing amongst Black, Asian and other non-White ethnic groups, and areas classified with high digital exclusion.

In addition, these groups were also more likely to have tested positive for COVID-19. Lateral flow testing found more positive cases in the most deprived areas with 1.74% cases positive in the most deprived compared to 1.04% of tests in the least deprived areas. Among Black groups this was 1.96% and among other non-White ethnic groups it was 3.28% compared to 1.27% in White groups.

The Liverpool 'mass testing' pilot in November 2020 was the first of its kind in the World, designed to evaluate a programme providing free, drop-in voluntary testing for COVID-19 to all residents over the age of 5 years without symptoms in a large city. Findings from the pilot have gone onto inform the national roll-out of testing across the UK and strategies in other countries including the US.

Dr Mark Green, lead author of the paper, said: "The response in Liverpool towards getting tested during the 'mass testing' pilot was brilliant and we thank the people of Liverpool for helping to make it a success.

"Demand for testing was also particularly high after the pilot finished with long queues just before Christmas, as well as into the January lockdown. However, significant inequalities were evident across Liverpool in who did and didn't get tested. Those communities and populations who have been most affected by COVID-19 were also less likely to get tested. Learning how to effectively minimise inequalities in testing behaviours, including the mechanisms and barriers underpinning the relationships we identify, is critical if we are going to be able to effectively manage COVID-19 and future pandemics.

"We also found strong digital inequalities in testing patterns, with areas that were less confident in using the Internet also having lower uptake."

Professor Matt Ashton, Director of Public Health for Liverpool, said: "This paper demonstrates how important it is to consider inequalities in both the design and delivery of local and national public health interventions.

"Despite a strong comms and engagement strategy, and specific mitigation measures designed to encourage uptake in our most disadvantaged communities, there was still a significant difference in testing uptake across different communities in Liverpool. In particular it is essential to consider financial barriers to access alongside physical barriers to access, many of which may require additional financial support."

Professor Iain Buchan, Dean of the Institute of Population Health and lead for the evaluation of Liverpool community testing pilot, said "This research demonstrates why testing in a pandemic is much more than a technical exercise of implementing a test as if it were a clinical test in a hospital.

"Public health testing is a complex social and technical exercise, with important and expected inequalities to address. The lower uptake of testing and higher rates of infection among disadvantaged and BAME groups was predicted and responded to by our local public health teams who understand their communities. Locally-guided implementation of testing and nationally-backed financial support for those isolating on low incomes are important."

The authors of the paper make several recommendations including making sure test site locations were accessible and walkable, ensuring non-digital routes for testing, communicating about the benefits of testing beyond the Internet, and providing sufficient financial support to allow low-income groups to isolate so that they feel comfortable getting tested.

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The paper 'Evaluating social and spatial inequalities of large scale rapid lateral flow SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing in COVID-19 management: An observational study of Liverpool, UK (November 2020 to January 2021)' (doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2021.100107) is published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville Hepatobiology and Toxicology Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) has received $11.3 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support its research into liver-related illness for an additional five years.

The UofL Hepatobiology and Toxicology (H&T) Center was created in 2016 with an $11.5 million grant from the NIH to support unique research focused on liver injury and disease and toxicology. The center supports leading-edge research conducted by junior investigators with mentorship from senior researchers, as well as pilot projects and core laboratory facilities that support research across the university. The researchers' goal is reducing the impact of many types of liver illness through prevention and the development of therapies.

Kentucky leads the nation in increases in cirrhosis-related deaths and in liver cancer-related deaths. According to research published in BMJ, mortality due to cirrhosis has been increasing in the U.S. since 2009, with the greatest increase in deaths from cirrhosis in Kentucky. Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases affect approximately 25% of adults and 10% of children in the U.S.

"This vital research at the University of Louisville advances the health of Kentuckians and people throughout the world," said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. "Through this center, UofL researchers will continue to expand their work to find ways to prevent and treat liver illnesses, many of which today have no FDA-approved treatment."

Researchers at the UofL H&T Center focus on liver injury, nutrition and gut-liver interactions as well as interactions between the liver and environment, toxicants and drugs. Their ultimate goal is to contribute to the prevention and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (a major cause of cirrhosis of the liver), alcoholic liver disease and liver cancer.

"This incredible cohort of researchers is discovering new ways to address the liver illnesses that afflict so many Kentuckians. I am thrilled that young researchers will continue to be supported with COBRE funding at UofL," said Toni Ganzel, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the UofL School of Medicine.

In its first five years, four of the funded junior investigators in the UofL H&T Center received independent NIH research funding, making way for a new cohort of project researchers. The renewal of COBRE funding encourages a continuous supply of researchers in specialized areas of medicine and the search for new disease treatments.

"This unique thematic center is focused on liver injury, disease and toxicology. We evaluate critical barriers in our understanding of the development and progression of liver disease and we define potential therapeutic targets that could transform current practice," said Craig McClain, M.D., associate vice president for health affairs and translational research who leads the UofL H&T Center. "This new phase will build on that success and extend and strengthen the scope of the program."

"To push past the limitations of existing therapeutics, you need COBRE infrastructure grants to establish cutting-edge biomedical research centers and capabilities," said Joshua L. Hood, M.D., Ph.D., a project investigator in the UofL H&T Center. "The more of these capabilities we have, the more we can explore multidisciplinary frontiers in biomedical science to facilitate the development of new treatments for liver-related cancer and other diseases."

Current projects supported by the center include:

Yan Li, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Surgery, is investigating preventive strategies and possible mechanisms behind non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, a potential precursor of liver cancer.

Joshua L. Hood, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, is examining how very small membrane-bound compartments known as nanovesicles that are released by cancer cells influence immune function in liver cancer.

Ming Song, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, is studying the role of fructose consumption on the disruption of intestinal barrier function in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Smita Ghare, Ph.D., instructor in the Department of Medicine, is investigating how alcohol-induced changes in the liver contribute to liver inflammation and injury.

UofL has a legacy of liver research dating to the 1970s when faculty members began investigating a cluster of cases of hepatic angiosarcoma, a rare liver cancer caused by exposure to vinyl chloride in a polymer manufacturing facility in an area of West Louisville known as Rubbertown. UofL researchers worked with the community and industry to document and reduce the effects of toxicants on worker health. UofL still maintains a biorepository of blood and liver tissue specimens begun during that research that serves as a resource for investigators studying the effects of environmental exposures on the liver.

In addition to research, the center provides support for community health. During the epidemic of Hepatitis A and C in the last decade, center investigators helped create the Kentucky Hepatitis Academic Mentorship Program. This program helped to train more than 140 primary care providers in the diagnosis and treatment of Hepatitis C. Those diseases now are declining.

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AMHERST, Mass. - Millions of Americans will visit New England's beaches this summer to cool off, play in the waves and soak up the sun. Until now, the factors governing which beaches slope gradually to the sea and which ones end abruptly in a steep drop-off have been largely unknown. However, new research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst reveals, with unprecedented detail, how the grain size of beach sand relates to the slope of the beach itself. These new findings are critical to understanding how New England's beaches will respond to both rising sea levels and increased storm activity.

Many of New England's beaches are made up of a mixture of sand and small stones. Or, to be more precise, the grain sizes on these beaches are "bi-modal" - composed of very large pieces of gravel, from 10 to 64 millimeters, and medium-to-coarse sand, from .25 to 1 millimeter, but with very little in between.

"I challenge you to find a handful of grains from a New England beach that are about 5 millimeters (or just under one-quarter of an inch) in diameter," says Jon Woodruff, a professor in UMass Amherst's department of geosciences and lead author of a recently published paper in Marine Geology that details his team's research. "There just aren't many."

It turns out the grain size is one of the crucial determinants of a beach's slope, and researchers have long known that the finer the sand, the more gradually pitched the beach - up to a point. "The relationship between grain size and slope falls apart for coarser-grained beaches," says Woodruff. Though many New England beaches are typically made up of coarse-grained particles, they still slope gradually to the water's edge. Until now, no one knew why.

"Past researchers have always focused on either the mean or median grain size," says Woodruff. It's a method that works well for finer-grained beaches. But in a bi-modal, New England beach, the median grain size falls right in that gap between 1 and 10 millimeters. Woodruff and his team took over 1,000 samples from 18 beaches in Massachusetts from which they assembled the largest, publicly available dataset on New England beaches.

The UMass research group also included Steve Mabee and Nick Venti from the Massachusetts Geological Survey, as well as an army of students led by UMass co-authors Doug Beach and Alycia DiTroia. What Woodruff's team discovered is that in bi-modal beaches, it's only the finer-grained sand that determines a beach's slope. "That smaller handful of sand grains," says Woodruff, "is why beachgoers have a place to sunbathe in New England."

This new research, which was conducted in partnership with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and supported by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, has implications far beyond your next summer vacation. "Understanding how beach sand grain size influences the makeup of our beaches is critical for making projections as to how beaches will respond to storms and sea-level rise," says Woodruff. "Especially given the attempts to preserve beaches from erosion, which cost many millions of dollars every year, we need to know what determines the shape and defining grain size characteristics of these beaches."

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Contacts: Jon Woodruff, woodruff@umass.edu

Daegan Miller, drmiller@umass.edu
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers identified a new gene that may be linked to certain neurodevelopmental disorders and intellectual disabilities. The researchers believe that finding genes involved in certain types of developmental disorders, provide an important first step in determining the cause of these disorders and ultimately in developing potential therapies for treating them. The paper was recently published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

About 3 percent of the world's population has intellectual disability. Up to half the cases are due to genetics, however, because many thousands of genes contribute to brain development, it has been difficult to identify the specific cause for each patient.

Once the researchers identified the gene, they worked with collaborators to give clinical diagnoses to 10 other families around the world, who had relatives with this condition. The researchers also used zebrafish to show the gene's role in development and survival, demonstrating its importance in helping the brain's neurons function properly.

"Our goal is to find as many of these genes required for brain function and take this knowledge back to patients and families to provide a clinically relevant genetic diagnosis," says Saima Riazuddin, PhD, MPH, MBA, Professor of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at UMSOM.

Dr. Riazuddin and her team collaborate regularly with several scientists in Pakistan studying a group of 350 families geographically isolated, which as a result has led to inbreeding resulting in genetic disorders such as neurodevelopmental disorder and intellectual disability.

The team focused on one particular family with two brothers and an uncle with symptoms of intellectual disability, delayed speech and other developmental milestones and epilepsy. Other members of the family with similar symptoms had since passed in childhood or early adulthood. Dr. Riazuddin and her team identified the gene AP1G1 as the culprit.

Then through collaboration with 27 other institutions, her team was able to identify ten other families with the variations in the same gene that led to growth retardation and intellectual disability. These families lived in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United States.

To determine the gene's role in development, the researchers engineered zebrafish without Ap1g1. These zebrafish embryos all began to die off by the fourth day. When the researchers added back mutated versions of the genes, like those found in the families with neurodevelopment disorder and intellectual disability, they observed a spectrum of symptoms with some zebrafish embryos dying off, some with major structural defects, and others with only minor tail deformities.

The gene AP1G1 contains the blueprints to make the protein Adaptor Protein 1 gamma 1 (AP11). This protein is one of five pieces that makes up the Adaptor Protein Complex, which builds transport vesicles to move materials around cells.

"Think of these transport vesicles as little vehicles like trucks that have to load, transport, and unload their cargo around the cells (e.g. neurons) to provide the necessary supplies for the cell to function," says Dr. Riazuddin.

Dr. Riazuddin's team made normal and mutant versions of AP1G1 which they put in mammalian cells with cargo molecules labeled in red. The cells with the mutant versions of AP1G1 had vesicles that were delayed in delivering their cargo or did not make their deliveries at all.

"Improving clinical diagnosis of these developmental disorders may eventually provide new targets for therapies, in order to one day be able to treat these conditions allowing more people to live independently," says E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

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This studied was funded by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS107428), the EU FP7 Large-Scale Integrating Project Genetic and Epigenetic Networks in Cognitive Dysfunction (241995), Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (NRPU project 10700), and a Fondazione del Monte grant (ID ROL: FDM/4021).

The researchers have no conflicts of interest to declare.
First and only report to interview large sample of workers in garment supply chain (1200 workers across 302 factories and four countries) found an increase in risk of forced labour during pandemic

This risk has been exacerbated by the response of retail companies, and there is little evidence most have acted in line with their social responsibilities to support their supply chain workers, despite many accessing pandemic recovery funds

A new comprehensive system was used during the study to look for the indicators that someone is vulnerable to forced labour

The recovery from the pandemic should include support for supply chain workers to mitigate the deterioration of their living and working conditions

Deteriorating living and working conditions for workers in garment supply chains during the Covid-19 pandemic have increased the risk of forced labour, according to a new report from the University of Sheffield.

'The Unequal Impacts of Covid-19 on Global Garment Supply Chains' has found that workers in Ethiopia, Honduras, India, and Myanmar who produce many of the clothes we buy from our favourite brands in the UK and Europe were severely affected by the pandemic.

Both those that were fortunate enough to remain employed, and those that lost their jobs during the past year and found new work, reported a sharp decline in their earnings and working conditions; and both groups experienced being at increased risk of forced labour during this time.

The study is the largest to directly involve the voices of those employed to make the clothes we buy in the UK during the pandemic alongside interviews with retailers and analysis of company documentation. Previous ones have focused solely on the impact for the multinational corporations (MNCs) which own major fashion brands and retailers. It uses a comprehensive new system to look for the indicators that someone is vulnerable to forced labour.

Professor Genevieve LeBaron, from the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Sheffield, said: "There is no commonly held definition of what constitutes forced labour, and unlike the public perceptions of modern slavery, people may not be held against their will or trafficked unknowingly into their situation.

"They may end up in a job that they are unable to leave due to a number of reasons; false promises and deception to keep a person working in increasing worsening conditions, threat of penalties against the worker or their family if they left, or sometimes bonding a person into debt to the manufacturer through poor pay, leaving them struggling to cover their basic needs for housing and food."

The study found that both groups of workers experienced indicators of forced labour, with the situation clearly deteriorating during the pandemic. It highlighted that many companies fell far short of their commitments to good practice; including sourcing sustainable goods from manufacturers with fair working conditions, pay and no use of exploitation.

The commercial actions of companies during the pandemic has brought to light how many business models within the garment industry are fundamentally at odds with these commitments, and that current government regulation does not go far enough to protect the workers.

Although the study found there were examples of some companies acting in ways that honoured their social commitments, this was mainly from companies that had direct ownership of factories, or long-standing partnerships with manufacturers that were crucial to protect. In these cases, workers were more likely to retain a job through the pandemic.

Professor LeBaron said: "It appears many companies in the garment industry accessed emergency funding during the pandemic, but also provided little to no evidence that they honoured the social responsibilities most brands we recognise have to the workers in their supply chains at the same time.

"At the beginning of the pandemic, millions of pounds worth of cancelled orders forced many manufacturers in places like Ethiopia to lay off staff, who then became vulnerable to exploitation during the desperate search to find a new job.

Those lucky enough to retain their job reported experiencing worsening working conditions and pay, exacerbating the already troubling inequalities between the countries who benefit from their labour and the workers themselves."

Already some manufacturers are pursuing legal action against companies which cancelled orders worth millions of pounds during the pandemic, and there is increasing discussion about whether the conduct of clothing brands during the pandemic was legal.

The report calls for governments to increase the governance of supply chains and for retailers to address the damage done during the pandemic.

Professor LeBaron added: "Our report shows that retail companies tried to offset the potential damage of the pandemic by shifting losses onto their suppliers and workers who would least afford it. Most of these companies have very deep pockets and need to act immediately to address the social challenges their pandemic responses have created.

"Banning the sale of below-cost price and forced labour made goods, ensuring companies relieve the supply chain pressures that cause suppliers to use unfair labour practices, and requiring brands to report on public bail out funds received and how these have been used, would be a good start to force retailers to be more transparent about how they work; helping tackle the increasing inequality experienced by supply chain workers that satisfy our demand for high-end, and fast fashions and helping consumers make more sustainable and ethical choices when shopping."

Jakub Sobik, Communications Director at the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (the Modern Slavery PEC), which funded the research under its call on the impact of Covid-19 on modern slavery across the world, said:

"This report highlights the unequal impact of Covid-19 across complex business supply chains and the need to do more to protect workers producing garments sold across the world from exploitation.

"Businesses should consider how their actions can rectify the situation and develop different responses for the future, while working with governments to ensure a level playing field for all businesses, incentivising those which apply good practice already."

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On 30 June 2021, a virtual roundtable event will be held to discuss the findings in 'The Pandemic's Unequal Impacts on Global Garment Supply Chains' you can sign up and join the team here: https:/ / www. eventbrite. co. uk/ e/ the-pandemics-unequal-impacts-on-global-garment-supply-chains-tickets-158701637871

Media contact: Rebecca Ferguson, Media Relations Officer, 0114 222 3670, r.l.ferguson@sheffield.ac.uk

Notes to editors

'The Pandemic's Unequal Impacts on Global Garment Supply Chains' is a collaboration between the University of Sheffield, The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre, Worker Rights Consortium and UBC's Global Reporting Center.

To see an embargoed copy of the report before publication, please contact the Media Relations Officer.

Headline statistics from the report:

Of the 1019 respondents within our survey who are currently still working:

35 per cent reported verbal abuse

34 per cent reported threats and/or intimidation

22 reported unfair wage deductions or withholdings

19 reported access to things such as water and the toilet as being restricted

39 per cent reported being forced to work in an environment with a lack of PPE and Covid-19 precautions such as social distancing

Of those that had their contracts terminated during the pandemic:

Nearly 80 per cent did not receive their part or all of their severance

Over a third found themselves having to accept new work for lower pay, less job security and more danger

68 per cent of the workers had no contract with their new job

The University of Sheffield

With almost 29,000 of the brightest students from over 140 countries, learning alongside over 1,200 of the best academics from across the globe, the University of Sheffield is one of the world's leading universities.

A member of the UK's prestigious Russell Group of leading research-led institutions, Sheffield offers world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines.

Unified by the power of discovery and understanding, staff and students at the university are committed to finding new ways to transform the world we live in.

Sheffield is the only university to feature in The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to Work For 2018 and for the last eight years has been ranked in the top five UK universities for Student Satisfaction by Times Higher Education.

Sheffield has six Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students and its alumni go on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence all over the world, making significant contributions in their chosen fields.

Global research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Siemens and Airbus, as well as many UK and overseas government agencies and charitable foundations.

The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre

The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (Modern Slavery PEC) was created by the investment of public funding to enhance understanding of modern slavery and transform the effectiveness of law and policies designed to prevent it. With high-quality research it commissions at its heart, the Centre brings together academics, policymakers, businesses, civil society, survivors and the public on a scale not seen before in the UK to collaborate on solving this global challenge.

The Centre is a consortium of six academic organisations led by the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law and is funded by the Art and Humanities Research Council on behalf of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Read more about the Modern Slavery PEC at http://www. modernslaverypec. org .

WRC

Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) is an independent labour rights monitoring organisation based in Washington DC. The WRC conducts worker-centred investigations to assess labour conditions in apparel and textile factories around the globe.
New research uncovers substantial differences in rates of childhood cancers when considering single year of age rather than grouping several years together. The study published by Wiley early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, also found that minority children have different risks than white children for many types of cancer.

Cancer rates among children in the United States are typically reported in 5-year age groups, which may obscure important details. Also, racial and ethnic variations in pediatric cancer rates are typically presented in broad age categories.

Erin L. Marcotte, PhD, of the University of Minnesota, and her colleagues examined 2000-2017 data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, a source for cancer statistics in the United States, to assess cancer incidence rates by narrow age groups from birth to 39 years and across races and ethnicities. "There are significant racial and ethnic disparities in the incidence of some childhood cancer types," said Dr. Marcotte. Additionally, unlike in cancers that occur in older adults, the incidence of cancer among children and young adults has striking variations by age at diagnosis, and studying these variations has often led to a deeper understanding of causes of childhood cancer."

Several cancer types showed substantial differences by single year of age, both overall and across racial and ethnic groups. Black children, adolescents and young adults had lower rates of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL (a white blood cell cancer), compared with white children, especially at ages 1 through 7 years and 16 through 20 years. "Black children and young adults had lower rates of ALL, the most common childhood leukemia, at every age, but this decreased risk was most striking among children ages 2 to 5, where the ALL incidence among Black children was less than half that of white children," said Dr. Marcotte.

The researchers also observed that while Black children experienced the same incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (another white blood cell cancer) as white children, Black young adults were at higher risk than white young adults, beginning at age 28. Black children were also at higher risk for nephroblastoma, a rare kidney tumor typically diagnosed before age 5 years.

Hispanic children had higher risk of Hodgkin lymphoma than white children at ages 0 to 9 years, but had lower risk at all other ages. They also had lower rates of astrocytoma, a cancer of the brain or spinal cord, but higher rates of ALL, especially at ages 10 through 23 years. The analysis also revealed that Asian and Pacific Islanders and American Indian and Alaskan Natives have lower rates of many types of childhood cancer.

"Some of the patterns we observed may be due to racial and ethnic differences in known childhood cancer risk factors, such as exposure to infections and congenital anomalies," said Dr. Marcotte. "We also know that the causes of each type of childhood and young adult cancer may vary depending on the age at which it occurs. For instance, exposure to Epstein-Barr virus is associated with Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosed in children younger than age 10, but not at older ages. Thus Epstein-Barr virus exposure may explain the higher risk of Hodgkin lymphoma among Hispanic children younger than age 10."

Dr. Marcotte hopes that this work will play a role in reducing racial and ethnic disparities in cancer risk among children and young adults.

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Additional Information

NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. A free abstract of this article will be available via the Cancer News Room upon online publication. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Dawn Peters +1 781-388-8408 (US) newsroom@wiley.com Follow us on Twitter @WileyNews

Full Citation: "Racial and ethnic disparities in pediatric cancer incidence among children and young adults in the United States by single year of age." Erin L. Marcotte, Allison M. Domingues, Jeannette M. Sample, Michaela R. Richardson, and Logan G. Spector. CANCER; Published Online: June 21, 2021 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.33678).

URL Upon Publication: http://doi. wiley. com/ 10. 1002/ cncr. 33678

Author Contact: Max Huber, at mjhuber@umn.edu, or Jessica Alkire at jalkire@umn.edu.

About the Journal

CANCER is a peer-reviewed publication of the American Cancer Society integrating scientific information from worldwide sources for all oncologic specialties. The objective of CANCER is to provide an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of information among oncologic disciplines concerned with the etiology, course, and treatment of human cancer. CANCER is published on behalf of the American Cancer Society by Wiley and can be accessed online. Follow us on Twitter @JournalCancer

About Wiley

Wiley is a global leader in research and education, unlocking human potential by enabling discovery, powering education, and shaping workforces. For over 200 years, Wiley has fueled the world's knowledge ecosystem. Today, our high-impact content, platforms, and services help researchers, learners, institutions, and corporations achieve their goals in an ever-changing world. Visit us at Wiley.com, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
DETROIT - Researchers at Wayne State University recently received a nearly $1.97 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health for the T34 program, Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC). This five-year program will continue Wayne State's successful and long-standing undergraduate training program in the biomedical sciences, which was led by Joseph C. Dunbar, Ph.D., professor of physiology and director of medical student research and innovation in Wayne State's School of Medicine.

The program will support approximately 20 undergraduate students each year in a structured academic community that will provide additional career development activities and individualized mentoring to cultivate highly sought-after skills and prepare students to enter into Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. programs and careers in the biomedical sciences.

According to Matthew Allen, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Chemistry in Wayne State's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and one of two principal investigators of the program, the MARC program provides individualized training that meets the needs of a diverse body of students and will include year-round research experiences. The students will be selected at the end of their freshman year to participate in a pre-MARC year as sophomores. At the end of the pre-MARC year, students will be selected for participation in the MARC program, which will last for two years.

"This program is going to be a great benefit to Wayne State students in preparing them for careers in biomedical sciences, building on the successes of the long-running IMSD program and parallel to other programs at WSU, such as BUILD and McNair," said Allen. "The emphasis on increasing diversity is critical to the future of biomedical sciences."

The program will include additional leadership from Lori Pile, Ph.D., one of two principal investigators of the grant and associate professor of biological sciences at Wayne State.

The grant number for this National Institute of General Medical Sciences grant is 1T34GM140932-01. For more information about the program, visit https:/ / reporter. nih. gov/ search/ sviBQE2Ee06ovIsX6zno0g/ project-details/ 10168804 .

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About Wayne State University

Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit research.wayne.edu.
Monday, June 21, 2021

It's quite possible that Lawrence Schiller wrote the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy that killed JFK.

Several clues point to Schiller. First, he was with Jim Garrison in Las Vegas in early March 1967. While there he and Garrison discussed many of the allegations that ended up in the QUICK article :

The homosexual conspiracy that killed JFK.

A comparison to the Leopold & Loeb murder

Schiller knew about James Dondson being with Shaw in San Francisco during the weekend of the assassination. In addition, Schiller knew that Shaw received a phone call from Richard Randoff [sic]. His real name was Randolph and both the FBI report on the information Schiller volunteered and the QUICK article have the same misspelling.

Garrison told Schiller that Ruby's nickname was "Pinkie," which was repeated in the QUICK article.

The story about Breck Wall ordering Ruby to kill Oswald was also in both the FBI report and the QUICK article.

The story about an offer of lenience to Clay Shaw, if he would turn state's evidence, was also a common theme.

A second clue is that Schiller was also privy to a lot of information from the Garrison investigation. When he met Garrison, he was working as a photographer for Life Magazine, and Life was cooperating with Garrison. Richard Billings, a top editor at Life, spent a lot of time in New Orleans, and his journal is full of references to Schiller :

March 4

Schiller has guy was with Shaw in San Francisco during assassination . . . Jim Dondson his name . . .

Schiller says Garcia Gonzales may show in Fred Kaufman picture taken in Dallas . . . Was arrested . . .

March 5

Schiller with Dondson and other gay folks . . .

Schiller says a guy named Bob Damron knows a New Orleans businessman who claims to have a job application from Oswald that lists Jack Ruby as a character references . . .

March 6

Schiller with Garrison . . .

Schiller says he's heard Oswald was gay, so was Michael Paine, and they did it together . . .

Schiller says Guthman told Liebeler it's been known for two months that Bertrand and Shaw are the same man . . .

March 8

Schiller reports from New Orleans he talking to Shaw's friends . . .

All of Schiller's sources backing Shaw all the way . . .

March 2 8

Schiller in Dallas to recreate picture of Oswald with weapons . . . says he has information that Shaw has used Bertrand name, not as alias, but as a legal name . . . Says Schiller, Bureau reportedly has documents signed by Clay Bertrand and handwriting checks with Shaw's . . . These are supposed to be checks or contracts . . . Schiller also in touch with Liebeler, who has index of all FBI reports . . .

(Schiller thinks he may be able to locate picture of Ruby watching motorcade . . . taken by an outpatient at Oak Cliff . . . He also list from Bureau report of all 71 people taking pictures at time) . . .

March 29

Schiller tips from Dallas gay source . . .

There is another clue that points to Schiller - the sidebar in the QUICK story about problems with the Warren Commission was based upon Schiller's upcoming book, The Scavengers and Critics of the Warren Report.

The Warren Commission Kept a Secret

"The Scavengers and Critics of the Warren Report" is what Larry Schiller calls his report, about the people who cashed in on the death of the President, which will be published next week in America. The American author points out that the Warren Commission committed gross errors in the investigation of the Kennedy murder. The main points are:

Using Lewis and Schiller's book was a odd choice to base a sidebar on, given the fact that Mark Lane, Edward Jay Epstein and Harold Weisberg all had important books out criticizing the Warren Report. For Schiller, it was handy publicity, no?

And while Lewis and Schiller's book is extremely critical of the various Warren Report critics, it is quite flattering to Jim Garrison. Three pages (pages 201 - 203) detail the early stages of the Garrison investigation with none of the skepticism they show towards first-generation critics of the Warren Report. Schiller concludes the section with:

"But Garrison, despite a flamboyant manner which caused some skepticism among members of the press, had managed to tap new tools of investigation beyond the scope of the Warren Commission. He explored, for example, hitherto silent forces in the homosexual underground. In Las Vegas, Nevada, Garrison met with a close friend of Shaw, James Dondson, who was with Shaw at the moment Kennedy was assassinated. Garrison attempted to verify statements made by his key witness through the use of hypnosis and sodium pentothal, although it seemed doubtful whether such unproven methods would be reliable enough to obtain convictions."

Schiller almost applauds, noting that "The Commission saw no need to utilize such modern sophisticated devices as polygraph tests or drugs, unless requested by its witnesses, although there was nothing specified in their mandate which forbade the use of such modern techniques to corroborate testimony."

When Schiller met Garrison in Las Vegas, he could have convinced him that the best way to get the word out was through the European media - just as critics like Mark Lane had found out. Interestingly, Schiller had co-authored short pieces on Jack Ruby that were published in Europe in cooperation with the Ruby family.

Here is an FBI report with more details.

The only problem for Garrison was that his views evolved from the time he discussed the case with Schiller to the time QUICK magazine was on the newsstands.

It is also possible that Schiller acted on his own. After his conversation with Garrison, Schiller dictated their conversations onto a forty-five minute tape recording. He gave the tape to Life Magazine, and then told the FBI about his meetings. It certainly looks like he was working both sides - talking to Garrison and assisting his investigation, and then informing the FBI. But maybe he was just on his own looking for a way to make a buck.

Here is a letter, from an apparently informed source, sent to Clay Shaw's lawyer alleging, quite plausibly, that Schiller had a long tape of Garrison's conversation with him:

Here is a similar take on Schiller.

Lawrence Schiller had the motive, means and opportunity. However, there is one other candidate who also could have written the QUICK article.

Tomorrow's Blog Post

Did Nerin Gun write the QUICK article?

Previous Posts on the QUICK Article

Did a Homosexual Conspiracy Kill JFK?

Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part One)

Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part Two)

Was the QUICK article about a homosexual conspiracy written by Jim Garrison? (Part Three)

Garrison Disavows the QUICK article

Jim Garrison Does it Again - Claims Ruby and Oswald Were Homosexuals
Monday, June 21, 2021

By Lynn Espejo

South East Bureau Chief

The Midnight Report

On April 15, 2021, the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) appeared before Congress. In his testimony, Director Michael Carvajal stated, "the home confinement program has been a success." "Right now, over 4,500 inmates are at home under the Cares Act while only 151 have been returned to prison, 26 of which for escape from monitoring, and only three for new crimes (only one of which was violent)."

Last week I reported on Raquel Esquivel, the pregnant woman, who was violated from the Cares Act for escaping from BOP custody. I reviewed Raquel's Incident Report written by Debbie Kiniskey, Assistant Director of Dismas Charities Half-Way House in Del Rio, Texas, and the Memorandum from the BOP's South-Central Regional Disciplinary Hearing Officer (DHO), Mr. Potts.

Read the complete story at the Midnight Report
Monday, June 21, 2021

Why You Need to Revisit Estate Plans

Planning ahead for end-of-life issues includes doing estate planning with a will and a trust as assets might dictate. Its just as important to keep those plans up-to-date. AAEPA, the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, recommends reviewing plans every three to five years. Its also a good idea to review the trust around major life events: births, weddings, deaths, and moves.

For example, my parents have had a trust for many years. As their place of residence changed, they had their trust re-stated with their new state of residence, from Maryland, to New Mexico, and, in the latest update, to Florida. A residence is a place you live for a time. They changed the domicile, the state that the trustees consider their permanent home.

You cannot have more than one domicile in estate planning. The state in which one is domiciled makes a difference when it comes to probate procedures and tax implications.

Florida has no state income tax, meaning Social Security retirement benefits, pension income and income from an IRA or a 401(k) are all untaxed. Florida has no estate or inheritance tax. Making the domicile change from New Mexico to Florida provided numerous tax benefits.

In my own case, my husband and I have no kids. So, we set up our trust in 2017 to use the services of a particular bank to carry out the provisions of our trust once we are both dead. I recently found out this particular bank has been bought out by a different bank and trust. This prompted me to take a look at our trust, created by AAEPA member firm Morris Hall and attorney Jim Plitz.

I was glad to see this language as part of the trust, under the heading Change in Corporate Trustee: Any corporate successor to the trust business of any corporate trustee named under our Trust Agreement, or acting hereunder, shall succeed to the capacity of its predecessor without reconveyance or transfer of trust property.

To me, that sounds like the new bank and trust would be able to operate under our agreement with the old bank. But I think we need to have a meeting with the new bank and reconfirm the arrangements. Its also high time we have a visit with Jim to review our estate plans.

About Gail Rubin, CT

Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and The Doyenne of Death, is a pioneering death educator. One of the first Death Cafe hosts in the U.S., she uses humor, funny film clips, and outside-the-box activities to teach about end-of-life topics. She authored three books on end-of-life issues and coordinates the Before I Die New Mexico Festival. Shes also a Certified Funeral Celebrant and was recognized by Albuquerque Business First with their 2019 Women of Influence Award.

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American Airlines only direct flight from San Antonio to Miami has been canceled four days in a row  one of several hundred cancellations by the airline as it struggles with post-pandemic staffing shortages, bad weather and other issues across its system.

As of 4:30 p.m. Monday, American had canceled five of its 25 scheduled daily flight departures from San Antonio International Airport: the 5:43 a.m. to Miami that has not taken off since Thursday, three flights to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and one flight to Charlotte, according to Cirium, a flight data provider.

The airline said cancellations could continue through mid-July. All told, American has cut about 1,000 flights, or about 0.5 percent of its schedule for the month, Cirium data showed.

While all the nations major airlines faced significant delays over the weekend, only American also had substantial cancellations, which affected about 6 percent of its flights. Citing the bad weather, vendor labor shortages and a rapid increase in travel, it said Monday it was cutting back its schedule for the next few weeks to minimize last-minute disruptions.

American is the second-largest carrier at San Antonio International behind Southwest Airlines. On Friday, Americans Miami flight was the only one it canceled but the carrier also canceled three departing flights each on Saturday and Sunday.

On ExpressNews.com: American Airlines overhauls its fleet. The result: less legroom, smaller restrooms

System-wide, about 100 of 9,000 American flights were canceled Monday, a spokeswoman said. She blamed the labor shortage and weather issues this month at the airlines hubs at Charlotte and Dallas/Fort Worth.

The first few weeks of June have brought unprecedented weather to our largest hubs, heavily impacting our operation and causing delays, canceled flights and disruptions to crew member schedules and our customers plans, spokeswoman Andrea Koos said in a statement. That, combined with the labor shortages some of our vendors are contending with and the incredibly quick ramp-up of customer demand, has led us to build in additional resilience and certainty to our operation by adjusting a fraction of our scheduled flying through mid-July.

She said the cancellations were being spread across Americans system in an attempt to reduce customer disruption.

The airline only flies to its hub cities from San Antonio, so missing one flight often means a traveler is not able to catch a connecting flight. Cancellation of the airlines one daily flight to Miami, for example, means passengers would have to travel through another hub to get to the South Florida airport. Miami International Airport is Americans key connecting hub for its flights to the Caribbean and Central and South America.

In the first few months of the pandemic last spring, airlines were routinely canceling flights due to a lack of demand. But cancellations largely ended after airlines reduced their schedules. Over the past few months, American and other airlines have been restoring flights domestically as travelers have returned.

A lack of American Airlines pilots is among multiple factors contributing to flight cancellations, consultants said.

Some pilots were furloughed for months after American trimmed it schedule last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the airline needs to make sure the pilots receive mandated Federal Aviation Administration refresher training before they get back into the cockpit.

American simply doesnt have the capacity to push as many people as they need though the pipeline, said Austin Horowitz, principal aviation consultant with ICF.

The airline is lacking enough pilots certified on its Boeing 737 aircraft, while it has enough certified pilots for its Airbus 320 and 321 planes, he said.

American flies both Boeing and Airbus aircraft from San Antonio.

Its kind of luck of the draw what aircraft type youre scheduled to fly on, he said. If youre scheduled for an Airbus, well, then you dont have any problems.

Airlines have been seeing a surge in traveler demand as vaccination rates have increased, coronavirus cases have dropped, and since the federal Centers for Disease Control said in early April that flying is a low-risk activity for vaccinated Americans.

The number of departing passengers at San Antonio International reached 85 percent of pre-pandemic levels in late May and so far in June, aviation officials say. For much of last year, the number of passengers at San Antonio International Airport had dropped to about a third of 2019 levels.

On ExpressNews.com: Many more travelers are showing up at San Antonio International Airport

The combination of surging passenger numbers, bad weather and staffing shortages across most airlines combined to delay nearly 10,000 U.S. flights over the weekend.

Among the nations largest airlines, Southwest had the most delays, with 30 percent of flights running late, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service. At American, 25 percent of flights were delayed, compared with 23 percent for United Airlines and 21 percent for Delta Air Lines.

The Transportation Security Administration screened 2.1 million people at its airport security checkpoints Sunday, the most since early March 2020.

The increase in flying is largely due the return of leisure travelers. Many business travelers have yet to return to air travel and a full recovery for airlines is not expected until 2023.

Theres another potential issue for American Airlines customers whose flights are canceled and want to talk to agent: getting through may not be easy. On-hold time to talk to a reservation agent for rebooking has been as long as eight hours.

Koos said the airline is hiring hundreds of reservation agents to meet demand. In the meantime, she said, customers can leave a callback phone number and schedule a time to be called within a seven-day window.

Delta customers have also been spending hours trying to reach a reservation agent but airline spokesman Morgan Durrant said the wait was under two hours Monday.

The airline lost 50 percent of its reservation agents last year due to early retirement or separation packages offered by the carrier to help Delta survive financially during the pandemic, he said.

Delta expects to hire 1,300 new reservation agents by September, Durrant said.

randy.diamond@express-news.net
A lunar lander with strong San Antonio roots is headed to the far side of the moon, and it could help explain the origins of the man in the moon image thats visible from Earth.

NASA announced that it selected a Southwest Research Institute instrument suite to study the lunar crust, mantle and core in the 200-mile wide Schrodinger basin near the moons South Pole.

LITMS, pronounced litmus, is the San Antonio-based nonprofit institutes shorthand for Lunar Interior Temperature and Materials Suite. Its set to travel to the moon in 2024 or 2025 as part of a NASA program called Commercial Lunar Payload Services, which is rapidly expanding lunar exploration using U.S. companies.

Its one of two missions selected to go to the far side of the moon.

With LITMS, we hope to get a better understanding of the thermal evolution, differentiation and asymmetry of the Moon, said SwRIs Robert Grimm, LITMS principal investigator, in a statement. This will help us interpret how the lunar crust, mantle and core formed. And we can contrast these far-side measurements with those done by the near-side Apollo missions to unravel the origin of the Man in the Moon.

Courtesy David Stillman, SwRI

On ExpressNews.com: Small, San Antonio-made spacecraft will PUNCH above its weight for science, to monitor space weather

The research will help scientists better understand the moon for future exploration.

This can help us figure out how the Earth formed, how Mars formed, how Venus formed  all these different planets  all these planetary bodies formed, said David Stillman, a SwRI planetary geophysicist and the projects scientist. Just going to the moon and making these measurements at a bunch of different locations and seeing if there's differences.

LITMS will only weigh 20 kilograms, or roughly 44 pounds. The lander wont move once its on the lunar surface. Most of its instruments are designed only to survive the daylight half of a lunar day.

By the time the lander sets up on the moons surface, we're gonna have maybe 12 days of sunlight to do all this science, he said. The coolest part of our stuff is we have booms, and we shoot out electrodes, Stillman said.

LITMS will carry four instruments, also with complicated names and abbreviations.

On ExpressNews.com: UT San Antonio moon rock researchers seeking 'the ideal recipe' to build lunar bases

Texas Tech Universitys Lunar Instrumentation for Thermal Exploration with Rapidity, or LISTER, will measure heat flow on the moon using a pneumatic drill that can reach 10 feet into the lunar surface. The drill is like a stainless steel tape measure, according to Stillman. It uses puffs of pressurized air to move the moon dust away.

It will push its way in as far as it can, and then it will do a little puff of gas, and excavate and throw that stuff out of the hole, he said. Then it will push down as far as it can again and then do the same thing.

SwRIs Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder, or LMS, will measure the moons electrical and magnetic fields.

LMS has four electrodes, and they're kind of like a mortar, Stillman said. We just have a spring with a bunch of wire. And then we heat it up, and as soon as it hits 70 degrees Celsius, it shoots our electrode, which is the size of your fist, more than 20 meters away.

The University of California, Berkeleys Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment, or LuSEE, has booms that reach out from the lander to get accurate readings.

Jet Propulsion Laboratorys seismometer suite will monitor lunar ground noise and moonquakes. Its the only instrument onboard capable of surviving the bitter cold of the 14-day Lunar night.

With temperatures plunging to minus 173 Celsius, or about 343 degrees Fahrenheit, the lunar nights are difficult to survive.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio firm is working on moon launch pads for NASA

Besides a harsh environment, landing on the far side of the moon also complicates communicating with the spacecraft.

We're not going to have direct line of sight to where it landed, so in order to talk to your lander, you're going to have to upload that telemetry or comms to a spacecraft that's going around the moon, he said.

NASA has not selected the contractor  or timing  for the missions commercial space launch. Nor has it selected a contractor to build the lander that will carry the instruments.

LITMS and the seismic package are very complementary in providing a more complete picture of the lunar interior, Grimm said. Together, they are a pathfinder for a future lunar geophysical network, a global array of long-lasting instruments on the surface of the Moon.

On ExpressNews.com: 'This is not SpaceX property - this is my property': SpaceX looks to recast South Texas town as 'Starbase'

NASAs nod for SwRIs lunar research is the latest sign that San Antonios space exploration industry is growing.

Last month, NASA awarded San Antonio-based Astroport Space Technologies a contract to develop a furnace to liquefy moon dust, and a nozzle that will use the lava-like substance to create interlocking bricks. The goal is to use the bricks as construction materials of lunar landing pads.

Astroports research partner is the University of Texas at San Antonio, where scientists are studying how much energy is required to run the lunar furnaces and which types of moon dust work best for creating bricks.

Sam Ximenes, founder and CEO of Astroport, said the latest NASA and SwRI lunar mission is an excellent example of science leading the way to understanding the lunar environment for informing the engineering missions that would be needed when we begin constructing a longer-term human presence.

The research is once again demonstrating how San Antonio is at the forefront of space exploration, he added.

Brandon Lingle writes for the Express-News through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. ReportforAmerica.org. brandon.lingle@express-news.net
Texas is tied for fourth place in total venture capital investment, according to a new report from investment tracking outlet Crunchbase, but its nothing to crow about.

Yes, Texas companies that received a piece of the $4.4 billion invested in 2020 are happy. Tying with Washington, where Amazon and Microsoft have headquarters, is respectable. But all-time champion California raked in $84.3 billion last year.

The state our leaders love to hate attracted 19 times more venture capital. New York attracted $17.8 billion, and VCs spent $15.9 billion in Massachusetts. With the nations second-largest population, Texas should do better.

Wealthy individuals, private equity funds and other venture capitalists invest their money in emerging businesses that show potential for rapid growth and significant profits. Venture capital is critical to developing a growing economy built on innovation, high-paying jobs and the businesses of tomorrow.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Entrepreneurs fight climate change with new battery raw materials, recycling

When successful, a venture capitalists $1 invested in a promising start-up will return $10 or more within three to five years. When VCs put money in a state, its a vote of confidence.

Larry Cochran, a San Antonio-based serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist, is bullish on Texas. He says the state is beginning to make suitable investments in developing talent, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made it easier for VCs to do business here.

You need to build a community of trust and experience, and I can tell you that is changing rapidly in Texas, and its coming from the network of great talent thats flowing from different companies, said Cochran, who founded insurance technology firms Claimatic and Semo.

The fact VC investment in Texas has doubled in five years is proof that conditions are changing.

Cochran has witnessed the evolution. After graduating with a business degree from Texas A&M, he joined the consulting and accounting firm Arthur Andersen, specializing in turning around bankrupt and failing businesses.

He gave oil and gas a try as CEO of Pure Energy Group, an exploration and production company. But in 2006, he acquired IAS Claims Services, which he grew with the help of outside investors into one of the largest independent claims adjusting organizations in the United States.

I really jumped in and digitized that business and scaled it up, Cochran said. Several years into that business, we developed some technology to automate claims processing, and we spun that out into its own business, that became a software-as-a-service company called Claimatic.

Cochran then took a turn as a venture capitalist by investing in ID.me, a technology company that allows people to prove their identity to government agencies and businesses using an online tool. The firm just raised another $100 million in venture capital, at a valuation of $1.2 billion.

Now hes raising money from other VCs for his newest businesses. So far, its been a great experience, Cochran said. Were going to raise another round of funding here in the next three months or so.

Cochrans met with a lot of VCs over the years, and he knows the criticisms. They only want to invest in companies willing to relocate to California or the East Coast. They take a big chunk of the company and want to run it. They hate doing business in flyover states like Texas.

Texass low cost of living, however, is attracting businesses. Tech workers are moving here, and entrepreneurs are starting more tech companies. With everyone growing accustomed to teleconferencing and talent fleeing expensive coastal cities, VCs cannot skip over Texas any longer.

All these great companies coming from California to Texas are bringing loads of capital with them, and in a few years time, youre just going to see an explosion of venture-capitalized companies in Texas, Cochran said.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: High-risk, novel assets attracting investor interest could spell trouble

Texans, though, need to step up too. Cochran said oil and gas investors accustomed to risk need to diversify into startups, which can offer better returns. Opportunities are growing as Texans move back home from Silicon Valley, Cochran said.

San Antonio is becoming a tech hub thanks to the talent working at Rackspace, USAA and H-E-B. Texas A&M and the University of Texas at San Antonio are expanding computer science programs. Rice University has created the Ion tech hub in Houston.

Cochran said he is building his next company to operate without a physical space to attract the best talent. VCs are growing accustomed to virtual companies; if for no other reason, they have lower overhead.

Texas still needs to spend more on education and tech infrastructure to catch up with California when it comes to VC money. But the next tech wave is swelling, and with the right investment, the state will prosper.

Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and policy.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
Fiesta: The Texas Cavaliers River Parade will be one of Fiestas biggest events. More than 45 decorated floats will take part in the procession along the San Antonio River. 7 p.m. Monday, San Antonio River Walk. Reserved seats $14-$26, texascavaliers.org. KSAT-TV will air the parade from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday.

Concerts: Smoke BBQ + Skybar is leaping into the Fiesta music void with a four-day concert series featuring, in order, country music from the Chris Saucedo Band, Atlanta rappers Ying Yang Twins, Morris Day of the Time and Tejano musician AJ Castillo. Doors 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, Smoke BBQ + Skkybar, 501 E. Crockett St. $10 (Tuesday free), Facebook: SmokeSanAntonio.

Comedy : Gabriel Fluffy Iglesias returns to live performances right here in San Antonio after spending more than a year at home in California because of the pandemic. Its basically going to be, let me catch you guys up on what I have not been doing for a year, he said. The final two performances will be filmed for his third Netflix special. Wednesday-July 17, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle. Performances at 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays and 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, with an additional show at 9 p.m. June 27. $55 to $65, tobincenter.org.

Universal Pictures

Movie: The Fast & Furious movies are part action extravaganza, with stunts rivaled only by the latest Mission: Impossible installment, and part family reunion, a chance to catch up with Dom (Vin Diesel), Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Tej (Ludacris) and the rest of the crew. In F9: The Fast Saga, Doms brother Jakob (Jon Cena) crashes the party. Opens Friday in theaters.

Streaming: Season four of The Good Fight, the feisty and unpredictable legal drama starring Christine Baranski that spun off of The Good Wife, was truncated by the pandemic. Its coming back in fighting form, with squabbles likely in the courtroom and the boardroom. Season five premieres Thursday on Paramount+.

Theater: The Woodlawn Theatres production of On Your Feet, which was on the verge of opening when the shutdown happened, finally hits the stage. The jukebox musical explores the music and the life stories of Gloria and Emilio Estefan. Opens Friday. 7:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays through July 18, Woodlawn Theatre, 1920 Fredericksburg Road. No performance July 4. $18 to $30, woodlawntheatre.org.
ATLANTA (AP)  Eight children in a van from a youth home for abused or neglected children were killed in a fiery multi-vehicle crash on a wet interstate that also killed a man and his baby in another vehicle, the most devastating blow from a tropical depression that claimed 13 lives in Alabama as it caused flash floods and spurred tornadoes that destroyed dozens of homes.

The crash happened Saturday about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Montgomery on Interstate 65 after vehicles likely hydroplaned on wet roads, said Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock.

The van, containing children ages 4 to 17, belonged to the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch, a youth home operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association. Michael Smith, the youth ranches CEO, said the van was heading back to the ranch near Camp Hill, northeast of Montgomery, after a week at the beach in Gulf Shores. It caught fire after the wreck and Candice Gulley, the ranch director, was the van's only survivor  pulled from the flames by a bystander.

Gulley remained hospitalized Sunday in Montgomery in serious but stable condition. Shes going to survive her physical injuries, Smith said. Two of the dead in the van were Gulleys children, ages 4 and 16. Four others were ranch residents and two were guests, Smith said.

SCOTT THRELKELD/AP

This is the worst tragedy Ive been a part of in my life, said Smith, who drove Sunday to the ranch to talk to the remaining residents, who had returned from Gulf Shores in a separate van and did not see the wreck.

Words cannot explain what I saw, Smith said of the accident site, which he visited Saturday. We love these girls like theyre our own children.

The crash also claimed the lives of two other people who were in a separate vehicle. Garlock identified them as 29-year-old Cody Fox and his 9-month-old daughter, Ariana, both of Marion County, Tennessee.

He was a great guy and were really gonna miss him, said Aaron Sanders, who worked with Fox at the emergency management agency in Marion County. He said Fox also ran a hot tub business with his father and doted on his daughter. He just loved her to death and that was his life.

Multiple people were also injured.

Now Playing: Thunderstorms and high winds on the east side of Tropical Storm Claudette battered Louisiana, the Florida panhandle and much of Alabama on Saturday, as the weather system moved toward the North Carolina coast. (June 19) Video: Associated Press

The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that it was sending 10 investigators to the area Sunday to investigate the crash, photos of which showed at least four burned vehicles, including two large trucks. It said the inquiry would focus on vehicle technologies such as forward collision warning systems, fuel tank integrity and occupant survivability.

Meanwhile, a 24-year-old man and a 3-year-old boy were also killed Saturday when a tree fell on their house just outside the Tuscaloosa city limits, said Capt. Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit. Makayla Ross, a 23-year-old Fort Payne woman, died Saturday after her car ran off the road into a swollen creek, DeKalb County Deputy Coroner Chris Thacker told WHNT-TV.

The deaths occurred as drenching rains from Tropical Depression Claudette pelted northern Alabama and Georgia late Saturday. As much as 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain was reported earlier from Claudette along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Flash flood watches were posted Sunday for eastern Georgia, the southern two-thirds of South Carolina and the North Carolina coast. A tropical storm warning was in effect in North Carolina from the Little River Inlet to the town of Duck on the Outer Banks. A tropical storm watch was issued from South Santee River, South Carolina, to the Little River Inlet, forecasters said.

WBRC-TV reported that search efforts were also under way for a man believed to have fallen into the water during flash flooding in Birmingham. Crews were using boats to search Pebble Creek.

Garlock said the location of the multi-vehicle wreck is notorious for hydroplaning, as the northbound highway curves down a hill to a small creek. Traffic on that stretch of I-65 is usually filled with vacationers driving to and from Gulf of Mexico beaches on summer weekends.

Butler County has had one of the most terrible traffic accidents, county Sheriff Danny Bond wrote on Facebook.

The Tallapoosa County school system said counselors would be available Sunday at the 225-student Reeltown High School, where some of the ranch residents were students. Smith said the ranch, which is Christian-based, would likely have a memorial service later, asking for prayers as he began to cry.

A GoFundMe account was set up for Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch to help offset the costs of funeral expenses, medical costs for the injured and counseling for those impacted.

Gulley had worked with children for years, beginning when she and her husband were house parents at the ranch for seven years.

During those years, there have been 74 girls that have come through our house and called us mom and dad, she told the Opelika-Auburn News in August 2019. She said she then became a relief parent, working on fundraising and being involved in the community, before she became the ranch director.

My heart goes out to the loved ones of all who perished, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement.

Claudette was beginning to re-strengthen late Sunday, with the National Hurricane Center reporting top winds at 35 mph (55 kph) in a nighttime advisory. The depression was expected to return to tropical storm status Monday over eastern North Carolina before heading out to sea in the Atlantic Ocean.

The center of Claudettes disorganized circulation was located about 65 miles (100 kilometers) northeast of Columbia, South Carolina. It was moving east-northeast at 20 mph (31 kph), the National Hurricane Center said.

Aside from rainy weather, it seemed to be business as usual along North Carolinas Outer Banks on Sunday.

At Ace Hardware in Avon, shift manager David Swartwood said they were preparing for whatever might come, but the overall sense was that it wouldnt be that bad in that area. He said winds from the south dont usually cause huge flooding problems, so we dont really anticipate any bad scenarios.

Everybody here has been through it many, many times, so were used to the drill, he said. Weve been prepared.

For the hardware store, he said, that means having supplies like flashlights, batteries, tarps, generators, ropes and sandbags on hand. As of Sunday morning, there wasnt a huge rush.

At Stack em High in Kill Devil Hills, a restaurant that specializes in pancakes, co-owner Dawn Kiousis said Sunday morning restaurant service was busy.

Were serving just like normal, she said.

You keep your eye on the weather and you prepare as much stuff in advance as you can, she said. Just know shes gonna win. Mother Nature is going to do what shes going to do, so you just prepare.

___

Forliti reported from Minneapolis.
Marion always felt like home to Ashley Loewe. Its where she grew up, went to school, started a family and worked as an elementary school teacher.

The small city in rural Guadalupe County near San Antonios northeastern suburbs seemed idyllic. But the feeling of close-knit community that once filled classrooms in the Marion Independent School District has all but disappeared, Loewe said.

After 10 years teaching there, she became one of dozens of educators to leave the district in recent years.

I envisioned retiring there, and I loved that school, Loewe said. Thats what I envisioned, but thats not what happened.

A group of community members, including parents and current and former employees, say the rapid loss of experienced teachers because of workplace hostility is harming students, and they blame it on a bureaucracy installed by Superintendent Kelly Walters Lindholm, who is married to Jon Lindholm, the districts director of human resources and Title IX coordinator.

While (their relationship) was all cute in the beginning, in the end it became such a toxic situation because we couldnt go to HR the way we had in the past to file grievances or ask questions or point out issues we wanted to report, because we were just so terrified, said one former Marion ISD teacher who, like several others, spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid putting a current job at risk.

Neither state law nor Marion ISDs board policy prohibits a superintendent from being married to a co-worker, and because the school board  not the superintendent  has the final say in hiring decisions for contract employees, the Lindholms situation is not nepotism, as some critics have alleged.

But it has forced a reckoning within the district, which has about 1,500 students and 200 full-time employees.

Several teachers said the Lindholms have hired friends or allies as administrators who have created a workplace culture where intimidation and retaliation are commonplace.

Billy Calzada /Staff Photographer

The Lindholms and other central office administrators have denied the accusations in previous public remarks but would not comment for this story. Jon Lindholm said only the Marion ISD board president, J.C. Batey, and the districts lawyer could be interviewed. The lawyer did not return phone calls.

In response to questions, Batey offered written statements saying the criticism was baseless. Kelly Walters Lindholms own attorney, Rick Hill, called the claims erroneous to a fault.

Mike Purcell, the previous board president, who resigned in April, also rejected the criticism, saying it was a slanderous and malicious attempt to create division and appeared to be part of an agenda born of resistance to change the administrators were bringing to the growing district.

I think Kelly and her administrative team have been the target of that anger, and I think people in the community are following others blindly, without really knowing whats going on, Purcell said.

Teacher turnover

Jon Lindholm was hired by the district before Kelly Walters Lindholm became superintendent and prior to the start of their personal relationship. He served as the middle school principal until he was given the human resources position in 2017. The Lindholms were married in 2018.

While the district does not have any assistant or deputy superintendents and Jon Lindholm reports directly to his wife, Batey said the couple have successfully kept their personal relationship separate from work.

The critics are led by Lisa Jubela, a Marion ISD parent, and are campaigning to rid the district of the Lindholms and others: Susan Thetford, the director of support services and former middle school principal; Rachel Robertson, the primary school principal; and Cecily Peeples, the head of curriculum until she resigned recently.

Current and former teachers who have worked under Thetford and Robertson said they experienced or witnessed harassment and dishonesty and that they received little to no support when they needed help or had concerns.

Purcell, who had also come under fire from Jubelas group when he was board president, resigned in April without a public explanation. He told the San Antonio Express-News that it was for personal reasons.

Jubela created a petition seeking the termination of the administrators, and it has garnered about 350 signatures.

Teachers and community members have appeared at board meetings to show support for the administration. Some have acknowledged that there are issues in the district but said replacing administrators is not the solution.

Employees who have concerns can bypass human resources and go to their principal or the school board, Hill and Purcell said.

But district employees say most of their concerns are about the Lindholms and their administrative group, and many doubt that procedures for complaints are truly anonymous because they have been done through Google accounts or were asked for information that could identify participants.

We whisper, we text, we talk after school. We feel like were being watched and monitored on who we talk to, said a currently employed teacher.

Teacher turnover was 17 percent in 2017, the year before the Lindholms marriage. It reached 26.3 percent in 2018 and became the highest in the area in 2020, at 23 percent, Texas Education Agency data shows.

Neighboring school districts such as La Vernia ISD, New Braunfels ISD, Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD and Seguin ISD had teacher turnover rates below 20 percent in 2020, and most were below 15 percent.

One person said something like, I dont want to go on the primary campus because thats where teaching careers in Marion go to die. Thats the reputation that it has, said one former teacher, recalling a conversation with another educator.

I walked away and I almost wanted it to be like a bad dream I never had to think about again, the teacher said.

Batey said the high turnover rate could be attributed in part to the relatively few teachers the small district employs and that teacher resignations are down significantly this year.

The districts administrative structure is legal, but it can still cause problems, said Teresa Harrison, an associate professor of management at the University of the Incarnate Word.

If they have low job satisfaction as a result of having no psychological safety to bring up issues, especially if the (human resources) department head is married to the boss, then youre going to see things like higher absenteeism, higher turnover, if this toxicity is prevalent and the issues arent addressed, she said.

Board troubles

Craig Flathouse, a Marion ISD board member for seven years until he lost his bid for reelection in May, said he thinks the districts high teacher turnover is a reflection of administrative problems and complacency by the board  an assertion that Batey staunchly denied.

I think its a really, really bad situation when youve got long-time teachers, qualified teachers, teachers with masters degrees, quitting because they cannot function anymore, Flathouse said. It sends a bad message to the students.

He said the board was complicit because it approved the superintendents personnel recommendations, including Jon Lindholms promotion to human resources director.

The board needs to step up and do their damn job, and I blame myself for that because I should have seen it, Flathouse said.

Purcell and Batey disagreed with the notion that the board has fallen short of its responsibility for oversight. The superintendent, they said, has always been open and transparent with trustees about issues that crop up, and they have avoided micromanaging the district as part of a good working relationship with her.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

Flathouse was barred from directly communicating with Lindholm in October by a 6-0 board vote because of unprofessional communications he had with her, Batey said. Flathouse called it retaliation for texting the superintendent to complain about an incident in a Sept. 16 board meeting in which Batey called him a vulgar name.

That meeting is the only board meeting from the past school year that does not have a recording linked to the districts website.

Several people who have worked in the district said the Lindholms and their administrative allies have made it a common practice to attempt to intimidate or silence dissenters.

Theres a control thing going on, Flathouse said.

Upheaval begins

The upheaval in Marion began in earnest in April, when administrators proposed changes to the districts FFA program  an educational component enjoyed by families over many years.

Theyve had an excellent program, but the fact is that things change, and as we become less of a farming community, there are kids that want to be in programming, that want to be in engineering, and the school district has a responsibility to prepare those students for their needs beyond high school, Purcell said.

Administrators proposed using some of the agriculture programs facilities and instructors for new career and technical education programs, such as welding and technology courses, but they did it without seeking input from the teachers in the agriculture department, Jubela said.

For many, it was the conversation starter about mistrust with the central office.

That was the unpeeling of this ugly onion, and ever since then people have been reaching out to me with all these stories, said Jubela, who created a Facebook page to raise awareness about the issues in the district.

She said more than 60 current and former district employees have come to her with concerns about the way the district has been run for the past few years.

The concerns included poor communication and favoritism. Some teachers interviewed for this story said they have experienced or heard about threats to demote them, write them up, fire them or make them move to a different campus for questioning policies or stepping out of line.

Several teachers said Thetford, when middle school principal, filled openings with new teachers and treated them better than the veterans, creating new regime versus old regime feelings.

We tried our best to embrace all the change, and I was excited for it and wanted to be part of it, for the better. But as much as I tried to embrace it, it just kept beating me down. a former teacher said.

Less experienced teachers have replaced the ones who left. Since 2015, the average years of experience for teachers in Marion ISD has dropped from 13.2 to 9.7. The percentage of teachers with five or fewer years of experience has increased from 27 percent to 42.5 percent during that time, according to TEA data.

Between 2017 and 2020, the total payroll for the central office administration has increased 77 percent, from $419,233 to $740,060. During that time, the average Marion ISD teacher salary has increased by less than 10 percent and overall student enrollment has increased by about 4 percent, according to district data.

Purcell and Batey insisted that the districts spending has been sound. The administrative payroll increased because the district hired more administrators, they said, and Marion ISD has doubled the amount of longevity pay for employees.

Whats next?

Batey said trustees and administrators are aware of the teacher turnover and the accusations that have been hurled at them. Theyre exploring options for third-party climate surveys and are developing a recruitment and retention committee.

In a letter to employees, Kelly Walters Lindholm acknowledged in May that our district and my leadership are being questioned by some in our community and said her decisions over the years have been in the best interest of Marion ISD, even if some of them have been controversial.

I realize that I am like a referee in a ball game  Im going to please half of the people half of the time, Lindholm wrote. My decisions are not always popular, but they are necessary.

She added that her door has always been and will continue to be wide open to anyone who would like to walk through it.

Purcell said the board has considered complaints about administrators in recent years but that none warranted intervention. The boards evaluations of Lindholm have been positive, he said, and the only concern he could think of was that she was working too much, because she had a lot on her plate.

He said he, too, wants Marion ISD to be the intimate, unified community it once was.

Ultimately, all of this stuff, it really is destroying the district, and at some point, some way, somebodys going to have to figure out a plan to bring everybody together and move the district forward, Purcell said.

Some teachers expressed suspicion about surveys, worried about compromised anonymity that would leave them vulnerable to ostracism or some form of punishment. In any case, conditions are unlikely to improve, they said, under the current administration.

I would love to go back to Marion, Loewe said. But Im waiting for things to change.

andy.picon@hearst.com | Twitter: @andpicon
About three weeks after Texas Democrats staged a dramatic walkout to temporarily kill a GOP-led voting restrictions bill, dozens of the partys most active and well-known members gathered in front of the Texas Capitol to rally again for federal voting rights legislation.

The speakers ranged from one-time presidential candidates  former U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke, who nearly unseated U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, and Julian Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio  to members of Congress, state representatives, city leaders and local activists. The rally was the last stop on ORourkes Drive for Democracy tour, a statewide endeavor that included nearly 20 town halls across the Lone Star State.

Several thousand were in attendance, chanting let us vote between speakers and holding up signs: Protect voting rights, Texas voters matter, Dont mess with Texas voters.

This state has perfected the means of suppressing the vote, of keeping some down to the benefit of others, ORourke said.

TEXAS TAKE: Get the latest news on Texas politics sent directly to your inbox every weekday

The rally comes as Congress is set to begin debating federal voting rights legislation  the so-called For the People Act  this week. The Democrat-led bills, H.R.1 or S.1, would mandate that all states implement automatic voter registration, offer mail-in ballots and use new voting machines, among other provisions.

Even without those measures, Texas posted a runaway record for turnout in 2020, with about 67 percent of the states 17 million registered voters casting ballots  the highest in 30 years. Still, that rate was among the lowest nationally, with states such as Minnesota reaching 80 percent turnout.

The legislation faces staunch opposition from both congressional and state Republicans, many of whom have embraced former President Donald Trumps false claims that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent. They argue that a nationwide law would trample states rights.

Theyre trying to rig the system to stay in office as long as they can, try to suppress the vote to make it harder  especially for Black and brown communities to vote in Texas  and were not going to let them, Castro said of Republicans. Were going to fight back. Were going to say no, and were going to show up.

Texas Democrats say theyre counting on congressional action after House members employed a rare tactic to break quorum and run out the clock on Senate Bill 7 last month. Republicans condemned the walkout, and Gov. Greg Abbott stripped the Legislatures funding as punishment, while Vice President Kamala Harris invited Democrats who led the walkout to a Washington, D.C. meeting.

The legislation, which Texas GOP leaders have promised to revive in a special session, would have targeted several new voting methods piloted in Harris County last fall, including 24-hour polling sites and drive-thru voting.

SB 7 also would have limited early voting hours, removed restrictions for partisan poll watchers, and prevented local governments or political parties from sending mail-in ballot applications to anyone who didnt ask for it.

Republicans say those measures will make elections more secure, weed out ballot fraud and restore public faith in the elections process. Democrats argue the provisions will make it harder to vote and disproportionately harm Black and Hispanic Texans.

If Congress does not act, millions of Texans will be left vulnerable and subject to the continued assault on our right to vote, said state Rep. Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth and the head of the Legislative Black Caucus. But today, we affirm that we will continue to work to preserve our precious right to vote and dare those who are hell-bent on taking it away from us to come and take it.

cayla.harris@express-news.net
The largest known San Antonio African American history collection now resides with the San Antonio African American Community Archive Museum.

Laura Thompson, CEO and creator of The African American Network, has donated her collection of biographies to the museum, located in La Villita. The collection, called 300 Voices in 300 Days, was part of the citys tricentennial celebration.

Ive dedicated my life to highlighting African Americans, Thompson said. I wanted to do something to give African Americans a voice during the celebration time.

On ExpressNews.com: We still have to fight: Activists connection to Juneteenth runs deep

Among the recordings are San Antonians Nevil Shed, the late musician Vernon Spot Barnett, Paula Gold-Williams and San Antonio Express-News columnist Cary Clack.

The museums archive is kept at the Texas A&M digital library. The collection and the museums archive will be available for viewing at a later date.

In February, Thompson stayed awake at night, wrestling with how to preserve the bios for the public. Then she received a call from Deborah Omowale Jarmon, president of the museum. Aaronetta Pierce, an advocate for the arts and civic initiatives of African American arts, had told the president about Thompsons archive.

Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

Jarmon said the donation was a milestone in African American history.

History should not be a single narrative, she said. It is our collective stories that creates history. It is our hope this incredible donation will encourage others to lend their voice to our history.

Thompsons always been a storyteller. Standing at a one-story house on Delaware Street where she grew up, she recalled sitting on the front porch, imagining vivid tales she shared with her father. That led to practicing her craft through years as a songwriter and editor of Highlands High School newspaper.

Her media and public relations firm, the Laura Thompson Agency, worked on billboards commemorating Martin Luther King and Black History Month. She also founded an organization for Black women business owners called Sistas in Business. In 2008, Thompson introduced Whos Who in Black San Antonio to the city.

For the 300 Voices project, Thompson worked with her TAAN-TV partner Vance Bradford and brainstormed ideas with colleague Tyrone Darden.

The process involved a photography crew, interns and sound editor. Before the tricentennial, every Saturday for six months, the team would complete 20 interviews.

The donation launched the museums 2021 Juneteenth History Harvest that began June 18-19. The museum invited Black residents to share their history through church programs, yearbooks, newspaper clips and documents as part of the museums archive.

On ExpressNews.com: Harvard honors San Antonio landscape architect for preserving Black historical sites

For more information, call 210-724-3350 or email curator@saaacam.org. National Humanities award winner Everett Fly and community advocate George Frederick founded the museum in 2017.

Thompson hopes the stories will leave a legacy for future generations to contribute their own chapters.

Im more a living-history person, she said. Were continuing to make history on a daily basis.

vtdavis@express-news.net
A new study found that women at a pair of Texas military installations, Fort Hood and Fort Bliss, face the highest sexual assault risk in the Army.

The analysis by Rand Corp. used existing survey data to conclude that the risk to those at Fort Hood was nearly a third higher than the average risk faced by all women in the Army. It showed the Central Texas post was also just one of several big installations grappling with that issue.

Fort Riley in Kansas, Fort Campbell in Kentucky and Fort Carson in Colorado, along with Fort Hood and Fort Bliss  all posts with large populations  accounted for 34 percent of the active-duty Army women who were sexually assaulted in 2018, the report said.

Even when adjusted for personal characteristics typically associated with higher sexual assault risk, the report finds that women at Fort Hood still face a greater risk of sexual assault than if they were stationed elsewhere, Miriam Matthews, lead author of the report and a senior behavioral and social scientist at Rand, said in a statement accompanying the report.

Understanding this and other organizational risk factors is critical, as it can help the Army better tailor its efforts to prevent sexual assault and sexual harassment, she said.

The report, commissioned by the Army Resilience Directorate, was released only a day after a federal judge in Waco refused to release Cecily Ann Aguilar, the girlfriend of a Fort Hood soldier who authorities say killed Pfc. Vanessa Guillen last year, a death that put the risks to women in uniform on the front burner of policymaking at the Pentagon and in Congress.

Aguilar, 23, of Killeen, has been jailed while awaiting trial on charges of helping Spc. Aaron Robinson hide and dismember Guillens body after he bludgeoned her with a hammer in a Fort Hood armory April 22, 2020. Robinson killed himself after escaping Fort Hood as police closed in.

But the Rand report was commissioned long before the death of Guillen, 20, of Houston. The company said the Army sought it four years ago.

Rand compiled the report using Pentagon data gathered from surveys of soldiers from 2014 to 2018, aiming to provide leaders with more information to understand how installations, units and military occupational specialties affect the risk GIs face from sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Fort Hood, a first-to-fight post that sent two divisions to the Iraq War three times from 2003 to 2008, stood out, but that was no surprise, given the public statements of Pentagon leaders and a pair of investigations after Guillen was killed.

On ExpressNews.com: Judge won't toss confession of girlfriend of suspected killer of Vanessa Guillen

Focusing on variation across installations, we found that women at Fort Hood, Fort Bliss and several other bases faced total sexual assault risk that is higher than the risk faced by the average woman in the Army, the report stated.

For example, we estimated that the total sexual assault risk to Army women at Fort Hood during fiscal year 2018 was 8.4 percent. By comparison, the average total risk to all women in the Army during this period was 5.8 percent, almost one-third lower.

The report noted that while it is well known that sexual harassment is more common than sexual assault in the Army, Rand found the risk of sexual harassment to be highly correlated with the risk of sexual assault.

One thing that strikes me is the (reports) mention of the use of tools to inform commanders of potential risk for sexual harassment and assault. These tools exist, said Queta Rodriguez, who served on an independent panel whose findings of a deficient climate at Fort Hood helped trigger a housecleaning of leadership there.

The issue is they have not been used and in some cases, appear to have been ignored, Rodriguez said in an email. There have been numerous studies, climate surveys and inspector general findings all indicating a high risk for sexual harassment and assault, but there appears to have been no follow-up or attempt to address the high numbers or that any IG recommendations were actually implemented.

Rodriguez, a former Bexar County veterans office director, said training for sexual assault prevention and reporting appeared to have been treated with a check the box mentality.

The Army did not directly respond to a request for comment. In a prepared statement that accompanied the report, the Army Resilience Directorates James Helis said the service was committed to learning as much as possible about individual and organizational factors that contribute to risk of sexual assault and other harmful behaviors.

On ExpressNews.com: Under sex crime spotlight, Army didn't take long to shake up Fort Hood command

At Fort Hood last year, then-Army Secretary Mike McCarthy said the post was among the worst offenders in several categories of crime. It wasnt clear if he was referring to a Rand report that showed Fort Hood had 885 estimated sex assault and rape victims in 2014, but those numbers were the Pentagons highest.

The numbers are high here, McCarthy said in August during his visit. They are the highest, the most cases for sexual assault and harassment murders for our entire formation of the U.S. Army.

Five Army posts, though, had 500 or more.

Rand analyzed active-duty troops across the services. It found that service members birth demographics, which include age and race, accounted for a sizeable proportion of the difference in risk between service members who were and were not sexually assaulted in the previous year.

It reported that younger age was associated with increased risk for sexual assault for men and women, a finding consistent with much previous research. Being white, the report added, was linked with increased sexual assault risk.

Researchers analyzed survey data from the 2016 and 2018 Rand Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Personnel, the 2014 Rand Military Workplace Study, and administrative and personnel data.

On ExpressNews.com: Pentagon: Sex assaults on servicewomen on the rise

The latest report is consistent with previous Rand looks at installations, its consistent with the climate that was discovered by the independent Fort Hood commission, said retired Air Force Col. Don Christensen, president of Protect Our Defenders, an advocacy group for military assault and sexual assault victims. And so all the indicators were there that Fort Hood would be one of the worst, if not the worst.

At-risk populations

Rand said Fort Hood and Fort Bliss have large numbers of young, unmarried, less-educated and junior-ranking soldiers, who previous studies have shown to be at higher risk of sexual assault. It asked if soldiers stationed at Army posts with higher risk estimates would be expected to experience lower risk if stationed at another base.

To evaluate this, the researchers calculated what they called adjusted risk, which measures how much higher or lower than expected the risk of sexual assault is for a specific group of soldiers given the demographic, deployment and service characteristics of the individual soldiers assigned to that group. It allowed them to evaluate risk at a given installation relative to the other installations with similar personnel assigned to them.

We estimated that Army women at Fort Hood, for example, had an adjusted risk of 1.7 percent during FY 2018, the report stated. This indicates that risk to women at Fort Hood was 1.7 percent higher than would be expected based on the personnel characteristics of women assigned to Fort Hood.

Retired University of Maryland military sociologist David Segal said the studys finding that sexual assault risk can differ according to scale of unit and type of combat arms jumped out at him.

Rand said soldiers in medical or personnel occupational specialties have the lowest risk, while women in field artillery and engineers are at the greatest risk. Risk levels also vary because of such other factors as the climate in the unit, its supervisors and its deployment levels  a high deployment tempo is associated with increased risk.

Fort Hood is the Armys largest post. In addition to 37,500 soldiers, it has lots of real estate  218,823 acres. Fort Bliss said it has a similar military population, 37,000, and 1.12 million acres, making it larger than Rhode Island.

Those are the two places where I would expect the problem to be greatest based on size, Segal said.

The effect of good leadership is the studys most important finding, both in preventing sexual harassment and assault and in responding to it when it occurs, retired Army Col. David Maxwell said after reading the report.

We cannot write this off as inevitable because it cannot be totally prevented, but when it happens we have to deal with it and reinforce and redouble our leadership efforts, said Maxwell, a 30-year Army veteran and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

At Fort Hood, Guillen worked in an armory and had told her family she had been sexually harassed, a claim the post initially said it could not confirm as it investigated her disappearance. An Army investigation finally confirmed that one of her supervisors sexually harassed her.

On ExpressNews.com: Army now says Guillen was sexually harassed, but her leaders didn't investigate

An Army Regulation 15-6 investigation found Robinson, the soldier accused of killing Guillen, was not her harasser. But it also noted that nobody in her chain of command took action when she reported what happened. In the wake of her death, the Army disciplined 21 soldiers for their handling of Guillens final weeks, disappearance and murder.

Top military leaders had successfully argued against efforts to change how the military prosecutes sexual assault, but in the wake of Guillens death, resistance to often-proposed legislation in Congress has weakened.

This RAND Corporation study demonstrates that the toxic command culture at Fort Hood is the rule, rather than the exception, and that command cultures that are permissive of sexual harassment and sexual assault can be found across many military installations and units, said the sponsor of one such bill, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., in a statement Monday.

Christensen, a former Air Force judge who once served as the services chief prosecutor, said the pattern cant be ignored but needs to be better understood.

Is it a lack of attention from leadership? Is it that theyre too focused on deployments? Is it the makeup of the installation being overwhelmingly young and enlisted, which we know has a higher percentage of both victimization and perpetrators? he asked. What you would hope is there would be a follow-up look into why these installations in particular are bad.

sigc@express-news.net
Rey Feo LXXII Thomas Aguillon entered the lienzo astride a steed Sunday to kick off A Day in Old Mexico & Charreada, a treasured Fiesta event last held more than two years ago.

Aguillon didnt let the broiling heat spoil a good time.

San Antonio needed this, whether its 100 degrees or 80 degrees, he told the crowd at Rancho del Charro on the South Side. Were out here together celebrating Fiesta.

Viva Fiesta!, Aguillon shouted to loud applause from the near capacity crowd that came to see some of San Antonios most talented charros showcasing their skills in a rodeo-type performance.

The nine-event Charreada included coleadero, where a charro on horseback would try to grab a calf running full speed by its tail, wrap the tail around his leg and pull the calf down.

Some of the calves proved more elusive than others.

At 78, Robert Lopez of San Antonio was the oldest charro at the Charreada. He showed off his horse-reining skills during an event called cala de caballo by having his stallion, El Chapo, gallop into the arena before quickly halting just inches from a wooden fence.

Robin Jerstad, San Antonio Express-News

The most important thing is to stop the horse, because if the horse gets scared or takes off, you know what to do, Lopez said. When you turn it, you just lean on it. They feel the body. They dont feel the rein much. Its the body talking to him  like communication with the horse.

Lopez later had El Chapo trot backwards, a skill that requires the horse to trust his rider.

El Chapo does anything the charro asks him to, Lopez said.

He doesnt fight back, he said. He just does it.

Lopez is a late bloomer, of sorts, among charros. He didnt take up the sport until he was in his 40s.

The Charreada was presented by the Asociacion de Charros de San Antonio, a nonprofit dedicated to upholding the customs of Mexican horsemanship as a way of life. The group was formed in 1947.

Robin Jerstad, San Antonio Express-News

The group depends on proceeds raised from the Charreada to support itself and maintain the lienzo or arena.

During the pandemic, we were hurting, said Edmundo Rios, who took over as the Asociacions president in January. We stretched every dollar, but we made it. When the winter (storm) came, we fixed over 70 pipes at this facility.

A third generation charro, Rios was joined by his son. The Asociacion only has 22 members, and its important to Rios that the charro traditions are passed down to younger generations.

We need to keep it alive, he said, choking up. I get sentimental.

Chareada was Annabelle Juarezs second Fiesta event after attending Thursdays Fiesta Fiesta at Hemisfair Park.

I wish the weather was a little bit different, a little bit cooler, but its a great event, she said.

Fiesta is a great way to emerge from the pandemic, Juarez added, sounding like a city ambassador.

It was about time for us to get out and enjoy San Antonio, she said.

As a reminder that the pandemic isnt quite over, Metro Health officials were stationed outside the lienzo to offer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

About half-way through the Chareada, only two people had gotten a shot, according to a person who wasnt authorized to speak with a reporter.

For those lamenting missing the Chareada, another one will be held this coming Sunday.

pdanner@express-news.net
Hes hung out with a two-toed sloth. Hes fed a southern black rhino. He rode the ocean waves in a boat alongside bottlenose dolphins. A kinkajou, a mammal common to the rainforest, once burrowed into his shirt.

Clay Carabajal has channeled his love of the animal kingdom into a long career at SeaWorld San Antonio.

A free YouTube series hosted by Carabajal every Friday is packed with fun facts and educational tidbits. The Wild Side with Clay is an online, high-energy visit with a San Antonio animal expert spotlighting species from around the world.

The Jefferson High School graduate said that since the shows debut Oct. 21, his channel has grown to more than 450 subscribers.

I want to share wildlife with the community of San Antonio, said Carabajal, 33. I feel like Im just the middleman. Im just a kid from San Antonio Independent School District. People dont expect your next wildlife education to come from a guy from San Antonio.

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The wildlife bug bit him at the age of 5 when his grandmother Madeleine Serna took him to SeaWorld and Carabajal saw a dolphin for the first time. His other grandparents bought him a season pass every year.

They invested in my passion and in doing that invested in my future and where its taken me.

Billy Calzada, Staff / Staff Photographer

That led to trips to the library to check out books about wildlife. Carabajal soaked up details from KLRN nature specials. His must-see television shows featured Jack Hanna, the wildlife expert and adventurer, who became Carabajals hero.

More Information About the author A 22-year veteran of the Air Force, Vincent T. Davis embarked on a second career as a journalist and found his calling. Observing and listening across San Antonio, he finds intriguing tales to tell about everyday people. He shares his stories with Express-News subscribers every Monday morning. See More Collapse

On June 28, Carabajal will celebrate his 16th year at SeaWorld. He started in high school, picking up paper in the stadium after the killer whales show for six months. He worked his way up to animal ambassador and never looked back. During his tenure, Carabajal has worked with more than 110 animal species.

Later in his SeaWorld career, Carabajal befriended Hanna. Before he started the YouTube show, Carabajal called the animal advocate for advice.

If youre passionate about something, be passionate, and people will feel your passion, Hanna told him.

And Carabajals enthusiasm hasnt waned since witnessing his first SeaWorld show 28 years ago.

That old-school Jack Hanna and Marlon Perkins with the Mutual of Omaha kind of feel is what Im going for, he said. I dont want to sensationalize the species. I want to highlight the species.

The series has been a hit at schools. A teacher told him she was starving for content when she had to switch to a virtual model because of COVID-19 but that she found what she was looking for with his show. Carabajal said 30 San Antonio teachers used the content as a virtual field trip.

But his favorite comment about the Wild Side came a few weeks ago.

Came across your channel while browsing, a viewer wrote. One of the most informative channels Ive come across. Thank you, I learned so much.

The episode was about a musk ox Carabajal presented through a partnership with the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.

Billy Calzada, Staff / Staff Photographer

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The series began as a way for Carabajals three children to watch a wildlife show like the ones he watched as a child. During the stay-at-home days of the pandemic, his kids were longing for interaction, scrolling through clips that didnt impress them. He watched with them, disappointed not to see a person out in the field anymore.

Why dont I do that? he asked his wife one night at dinner. I could do that.

He called his friend Robert Trejo from the nonprofit Zoomagination and asked if he could film a clip with one of the animals at its ranch. He filmed his first episode there with his iPhone while cradling a sloth.

In Carabajals home, the old saying everyone is a critic rings true. When he finishes editing a segment, he screens it for his three children: Carson, 7, Paisley, 6, and Oliver, 3. He jokingly calls them the tribunal, the ones who either say yea or nay to whether the video is ready. And its not uncommon when hes listening to a clip to hear, I wouldnt say it like that, from his wife, Hope, working in another room.

The shows name came to him while listening to Jack-FM when metal band Motley Crues song Wild Side blared from the speakers.

Carabajal invites people to walk on the wild side by finding his show on YouTube. His goal is to share something meaningful and raise awareness about the sad fact that many animals are endangered species.

Hes a big advocate of bringing animals to the people for a tactile-touch experience. Recently, he joined Zoomagination to surprise guests with an experience at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa. As children and their parents walked from the resorts pool, Carabajal called out for them to join him for a look at a traveling zoo.

I need some help with the first animal, he said.

Sophia Gibson, 11, stepped up. Curious resort guests watched from balconies as Carabajal asked the youngster to stand beside him and hold her hands out. A volunteer walked behind them with one of the animals. Sophias eyes widened when Carabajal placed the tail of Champ, a Colombian red-tailed boa, into her arms.

All you have to not do, he said to Sophia, is make any sudden moves.

Sophias grandmother, Bonnie Gibson, and the crowd, sitting on beach towels, chuckled. The preteen smiled as the wildlife enthusiast draped the writhing, 10-foot snake around her shoulders. Then Carabajal shared details about Champ as a nonprofit volunteer carried the snake around to the audience for a closer look.

Animals are like the best thing on the planet, Sophia said after the presentation. We need to protect them because the world is changing. Its chaotic, and animals are losing their homes. Its so sad.

On ExpressNews.com: Paralyzed from the neck down, Brooklyn man used eye-tracking software to earn masters degree from Our Lady of the Lake University

The boa was followed by Voodoo, an American alligator that Carabajal showed to Mia Lassoff, 9, from Hawaii. She was nonplussed as she ran her fingertips along Voodoos scales. Then Carabajal introduced the crowd to Lily, the blue-tongued skink; Milo, the lesser crested cockatoo; and Osa, the two-toed sloth.

Trejo, 51, founder of the nonprofit, has worked with Carabajal for more than 10 years to educate people of all ages about wildlife. Trejo co-directs Zoomagination with Jennie Phillips, and he said their mission is to help people understand they shouldnt be afraid around animals but respect them.

To have live animals is key because people will remember it more, Trejo said. They walk away understanding the animal more. Its a passion of ours, something that we like to share.

And where does the Wild Side host see the evolution of the show going? Ultimately, Carabajal would like to take kids in schools across the nation on a journey with him and show them animals that live worldwide.

Id like to continue this for my great friend Jack Hanna, Carabajal said. And keep going in his honor and his style.

vtdavis@express-news.net
A $3.4 million state grant will give Bexar County the ability to overhaul its criminal justice system  a move touted as perhaps its most significant reform in over a generation.

District Judge Ron Rangel told Bexar County commissioners the managed assigned counsel program, or MAC, would reduce the local jail population and improve legal representation, particularly for accused nonviolent offenders with low incomes.

On ExpressNews.com: System to manage indigent defense cases, reduce jail population proposed

The Texas Indigent Defense Commission approved the grant Thursday. It funds a new method of pairing indigent residents accused of a crime with more qualified defense counsel, according to a release from Ana C. Amici, general administrative counsel for the local county and district courts.

A new department will be created to oversee caseloads and training for attorneys appointed to indigent defense cases. Scheduled to begin in the 2022 fiscal year, the program will provide mentorship, training, continuing education and resources, such as social workers and other professional support services, for appointed defense attorneys.

The five-year grant provides 80 percent of the $1.86 million cost for the programs first year in 2022. Bexar County will pay the remaining $372,577. The countys share will gradually increase to the full amount in the fifth year.

County Judge Nelson Wolff has said the program could offer an extraordinary opportunity to improve the court system, especially if the new department  with a 16-member staff, including a director  is housed close to the countys public defenders office.

On ExpressNews.com: Jury letters being mailed out in Bexar County

The new program has the support of the legal community, including the San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the San Antonio Bar Association, as well as the public defenders office.

Rangel said the program will be its own entity, independent of local or partisan politics, and will increase legal resources, transparency and accountability.

The program will increase confidence in the local community that justice will indeed be done in Bexar County, Rangel said.

shuddleston@express-news.net
The claim: Oh, lets reimagine police by getting rid of them. What do you have? You have a doubling of murder in Austin, Texas. Its insane.  U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin.

The Austin City Councils decision to cut its police budget following massive protests in the wake of George Floyds death has drawn similar complaints from other state Republican leaders as well.

PolitiFact rating: Half True. Experts say that because these crime totals are low numbers, using percent change comparisons can easily mischaracterize or distort increases.

Roy also connects elevated crime levels to the Police Departments reduced budget. But its difficult to draw a direct causal relation between police budget changes and crime stats. Crime rates are responsive to a number of sociological factors, and those factors are driving homicide increases in cities across the country  regardless of any increase or decrease in police funding, experts say.

Discussion

The Austin City Council voted last summer to cut $21.5 million from the police budget and shift another $128 million from the Police Department to other city departments. The effect has been a cancellation of a cadet class and the dissolution of some law enforcement units.

In a June 3 interview with the Daily Signal, a conservative news site published by the Heritage Foundation, Roy argued that cities should instead be increasing their law enforcement presence at the ground level to ensure that officers build relationships in their communities.

Why are we going the other way? Roy said. Thats not good for the communities that are allegedly being helped.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

More than 20 major U.S. cities slashed police budgets in the aftermath of 2020s nationwide protests against police brutality. Austins cuts, which amounted to about one-third of its police departments 2020 budget, were the largest in the nation.

However, the captiol citys increase in homicides paints a far more dramatic picture than the reality on the ground, experts say. Using a percentage increase to compare small numbers can give the impression of dramatic changes.

For instance, the city of El Paso recorded two homicides in the first quarter of 2020 and five homicides in the first quarter of 2021  a 150-percent increase.

By comparison, the city of Houston recorded 16 more murders in the first quarter of 2021 than the first quarter of 2020. But because Houstons total homicides is a much larger number, 94 in the first quarter of 2021, the 16 additional murders results in a much smaller percentage increase  20 percent.

Gov. Greg Abbott also has used percentage increase figures to emphasize Austins crime numbers in his criticisms of police defunding.

Ive always been told: dont use percentages for numbers that are under 50. If youre looking at 30 or 45, dont use a percentage difference because the percentage changes are so big, St. Edwards University criminologist Carsten Andresen said last year.

Any way you measure it, Austin homicide levels are elevated so far this year. But are these numbers high because of the Police Departments budget cuts?

Its fair to say that violent crime has increased in Austin  and everywhere else, said Texas State University criminologist Sean Roche.

About PolitiFact PolitiFact is a fact-checking project to help you sort out fact from fiction in politics. Truth-O-Meter ratings are determined by a panel of three editors. The burden of proof is on the speaker, and PolitiFact rates statements based on the information known at the time the statement is made. See More Collapse

According to a report released by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which combines crime data of 63 metropolitan areas across the U.S., homicides are up by 30 percent in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the first quarter of 2020.

In many cities, homicides upticks have occurred despite increases in police funding since last year. Houston increased Police Department funding by adding $20 million to its nearly $1 billion budget, yet saw a 20 percent increase in murders in the first quarter of the year. Both Dallas and Fort Worth also increased law enforcement funding while recording upticks in homicides in the first quarter of this year.

Experts say its hard, if not impossible, to draw a direct correlation between fluctuations in police funding and crime rates when so many sociological factors are at play, the ongoing pandemic not least among them.

Say the police are pulling back a little bit. Does that really affect how individual people decide whether to commit murder? We know that a lot of violence is in the moment  its not a cold-blooded decision, Roche said. Are a lot of people really going, normally I wouldnt try to shoot or knife this person, but Ive heard that the police are defunding, so Ive decided that murder is the right decision?

What is behind increased violent crime rates in Austin and across the nation? Crime trends often are influenced by macro-level drivers, especially during a pandemic. A cocktail of increased unemployment, the gun-buying surge, increased alcohol consumption and drug use can all combine to drive crime rates up. Unmeasurable factors, like civil unrest and political stress, also are in the mix.

All of these factors combined to make 2020 a year of high crime, and many of those factors are still present, Roche said. Its unclear how or if those crime trends will abate as increased vaccination causes the pandemic to recede.


Croatia Airlines is exploring opportunities at expanding its footprint in Southeastern Europe and linking destinations in the region to the West, as the carrier looks into ways of becoming more competitive on the market. We will redefine new market opportunities for connecting European destinations with the region of Southeast Europe, maximise future revenue potential and increase aircraft productivity, the airline noted. Regionally, Croatia Airlines maintains year-round flights from Zagreb to Skopje and Sarajevo, as well as seasonal operations to Athens and Bucharest, the latter having been suspended since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The carrier has also suspended several other seasonal regional routes including Zagreb - Mostar, Split - Belgrade and Split - Athens. Croatia Airlines is exploring opportunities at expanding its footprint in Southeastern Europe and linking destinations in the region to the West, as the carrier looks into ways of becoming more competitive on the market. We will redefine new market opportunities for connecting European destinations with the region of Southeast Europe, maximise future revenue potential and increase aircraft productivity, the airline noted. Regionally, Croatia Airlines maintains year-round flights from Zagreb to Skopje and Sarajevo, as well as seasonal operations to Athens and Bucharest, the latter having been suspended since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The carrier has also suspended several other seasonal regional routes including Zagreb - Mostar, Split - Belgrade and Split - Athens.





The busiest unserved regional destination from Zagreb Airport in the pre-pandemic 2019 was Sofia, followed by Tirana, Pristina, Podgorica and Thessaloniki. Croatia Airlines scheduled seasonal services to the Bulgarian and Montenegrin capitals in 2020, however, it was forced to cancel its plans due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ryanair, which will open a base in Zagreb in late August, will launch operations to both cities. Furthermore, the Croatian carrier considered introducing services to Tirana in 2020 as well, however, the city didnt make the final cut for its summer network, which was ultimately upended by the pandemic.





In late 2019 Croatia Airlines said it was looking to establish a greater presence in the region following the collapse of Adria Airways, which had a developed regional network, shuttling passengers through Ljubljana to Star Alliance hubs such as Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Zurich. However, even though the Croatian airline said it would be good to expand as a result of Adrias demise, it noted it was too early to react at that point in time. Further back, in 2016, Croatia Airlines outlined plans to open bases in Sarajevo, Pristina and Skopje, however, these never materialised. At the time the carrier said, "Market research data has shown that there is a potential for the successful opening of additional bases in the Southeastern European region and Croatia Airlines, as a European Union community carrier, has recognised its business interest in this.








DENVER (AP)  A Colorado father killed his 13-year-old son in 2012 over photographs that triggered a fatal rage, prosecutors argued in court Monday.

Mark Redwine stands trial in the killing of his son Dylan, who disappeared in November 2012 in the Vallecito area near Durango during a court-ordered visit over Thanksgiving break. Redwine told investigators he left Dylan alone at home to run errands and returned to find him missing.

Fred Johnson, special deputy district attorney, suggested that on the night he was killed, Dylan may have mentioned or shown his father compromising photographs of Redwine dressed in womens underwear and eating feces from a diaper, The Denver Post reported.

A damaged relationship, exposed with compromising photographs, photographs in the hands of a 13-year-old who is disgusted by it, which triggered a violent rage in the defendant, Johnson said.

Redwine, who has pleaded not guilty, was arrested after a grand jury indicted him in July 2017, accusing him of second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death. He faces up to 48 years in prison if he's found guilty of his son's death.

Redwine's public defender John Moran argued that text messages show Dylan had previously confronted his father about the photographs during a cross-country trip without suffering any harm.

Moran said the photographs come from deep within Marks private life" and that the prosecution wont be able to prove a connection between his son's death and the photographs.

Dylans skull was found by hikers in 2015. Forensic anthropologists said the skull had injuries consistent with blunt force trauma at two locations, the indictment said.

Moran said during his opening statements that Dylan ran away from home and suggested he could have been attacked by a bear or a mountain lion  referencing the skull injury as a tooth mark on Dylans skull.

The case drew nation attention when Redwine and the boy's mother, Elaine Hall, leveled accusations at each other during appearances on the syndicated Dr. Phil television show in 2013. TV host Nancy Grace also did a show Dylans disappearance.

Johnson said investigators found traces of Dylan's blood in Redwines living room and a cadaver-sniffing dog alerted them to the smell of human remains in the back of Redwines truck and on his clothing.

Moran said the infinitesimally small amount of blood found in Redwines living room is likely to be found in anyones house, referring to the dog's scent as junk science.

Prosecutors said that Dylans body was found without his wallet or his backpack, which Moran said does not point to a scenario in which the boy ran away.

The prosecution described the first night when rescue crews were deployed to search for Dylan, scouring the woods near Redwine's home. At around 11 p.m., all the lights in Redwines house went out, Johnson said.

At a time when most people would have been out in the woods with a flashlight, a time when most people would know to leave the light on in case a child was lost in the woods  At 11 p.m., the defendants house went dark, Johnson said. Dylan was gone.

Redwines day in court was postponed in 2020 and a judge granted several mistrials because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The trial is expected to continue through mid-to-late July. Testimony will begin Tuesday.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  The 77-year-old driver who accidentally slammed his truck into fellow members of a gay chorus group, killing one and injuring two others at a Pride parade, said Monday he would hold the deceased in my heart forever.

Fred Johnson, a local minister and member of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Mens Chorus, a tight knit ensemble of about 25 mostly older men, was at the wheel of a pickup when his group was signaled as next to join the parade. He suddenly accelerated forward, killing James Fahy, 75, and injuring Jerry Vroegh, 57, who was released from the hospital Monday. A third man, Gary Keating, was treated at the scene for minor injuries, according to a statement from Fort Lauderdale police.

Fahy and Vroegh planned to carry a banner in front of the chorus truck while other members walked behind the truck to hand out fliers.

I love my Chorus family and the community and would never do anything to intentionally harm anyone," Johnson said in a statement. "Please know that I hold my fellow chorus member, Jim Fahy, in my heart forever.

Fort Lauderdale police also said Monday that all evidence indicates it was a terrible accident, noting Johnson had fully cooperated with the investigation and there was no evidence that drugs or alcohol were involved.

Chorus members said Johnson was always helping others and carried snack bags in his car to hand out to the homeless.

I talked to him yesterday and today, chorus member Bradley Bush told The Associated Press in a phone interview Monday. Hes just really, really beside himself. ... Its going to be a burden that hes going to carry the rest of his life.

Bush said Johnson sang alongside him in the tenor section for more than a decade, adding hes an absolutely amazing person. He wouldn't hurt a fly.

Bush described Fahy as a sweet and shy man who volunteered in the community and was incredibly dedicated to the chorus, always promoting their concerts to outsiders. Fahy worked in the cruise industry, had a large network of friends and loved singing Christmas music, friends said.

The chorus hasn't met since the accident. They typically rehearse on Wednesdays and Bush said he anticipated some sort of informal memorial to grieve privately. He said many in the group are numb and still in disbelief.

We are a family, said Bush, who has been a member since 2003. You get close to them quickly because youre on stage with them, youre sharing weekly or more rehearsals.

Crowd-goers waved flags and Mardi Gras beads Saturday night, anticipating what should have been a celebration of life and love South Florida gay community. But festivities quickly turned into terror as gleeful cheers were drowned by the sounds of sirens and crying children.

Witness Michael Albetta, regional director for Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, was about to walk the parade route alongside U.S. Congressman Ted Deutch when he heard the truck's engine unexpectedly revving.

You hear the engine roaring and galloping with more speed. All of a sudden you heard thump, thump, thump, and those were the bodies he was hitting," Albetta said.

He said the truck narrowly missed U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's vehicle, somehow jumped the curb and came straight down on the victims, before careening into a fence on the opposite side of the road.

In the initial aftermath, parade participants and witnesses didn't know what to think. A visibly shaken Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis initially declared it a terrorist act on the gay community. On Sunday, he clarified that it was an accident and said he misspoke the day before because he had been traumatized by what he witnessed.

Wilton Manors is a tight-knit community near Fort Lauderdale with a vibrant downtown filled with shops, where people line up for Rosies famous hamburgers or to gossip and drink at Georgies Alibi Monkey Bar.

June is Pride Month, commemorating a June 1969 uprising that followed a police raid targeting gay patrons at the Stonewall Inn in New York. It was a catalyst for the gay rights movement.
A North Wales farming family are leading the way in looking after the environment while producing food after undertaking extensive peatland restoration work.

The Roberts family, of Pennant Farm, Snowdonia, have set in motion restoration works to re-profile and block extensive complexes of hags and gullies across 66 hectares.

The family, who keep beef and sheep within the national park, say they have a strong sense of responsibility when it comes to looking after the environment as well as producing food.

It is estimated that over the next 35 years, their peatland restoration works will halt the loss of 2,335 tonnes of carbon emissions equivalent.

This roughly equates to the amount of carbon dioxide generated from burning 632 household tanks worth of oil.

The emissions from degraded UK peatlands currently account for 4% of total national emissions, making restoration of critical importance for climate targets.

Lisa Roberts explains how the project came to life: I was on maternity leave with our second child, and thought there must be something we can do with the peat weve got up on the mountains similarly to the woodland carbon code.

"I looked into it and found out that there was a project coming up with the National Park. It was the first of its kind and a pilot scheme.

"After a lot of research, we jumped at the chance and it went from there. Today, the 65.77 hectare peatland restoration project has been successfully completed here on the edge of Snowdonia National Park 

Running along the eastern edge of Snowdonia National Park, the project sits within the Berwyn and South Clwyd Mountains, which, at 2,209 ha, is one of the largest areas of upland heath in Europe.

The Bwlch y Groes peatland restoration site is a blanket bog situated on a large saddle west of Llyn Efyrnwy nestled between the Aran Fawddwy and the Berwyn mountain ranges in south Snowdonia.

Lisa added they were 'really lucky' in the support the family had for this project due to their collaboration with Snowdonia National Park.

"We were supported all the way from the start - getting the funding, starting the restoration to selling the carbon credits," she said.

The restoration works will halt the loss of 2,335 tonnes of carbon emissions equivalent

"My main concern is that the general farmer, who doesnt have the support from a National Park, would find selling the carbon credits more difficult.

"Its new territory. You need to make sure you get it right if you want to get that carbon funding at the end.

"It has to be validated and youve got to look after it for at least 30 years. Its a big commitment but achievable with the right support available.

The area supports the most extensive tract of near-natural blanket bog in Wales and is the most important upland for breeding birds, supporting a wide range of important species.

As well as halting the loss of carbon from the site and protecting the significant store of carbon in the peatland, the works may have other benefits such as improved water quality, increased biodiversity and improved habitat conditions.

However, it is not a call for the removal of livestock from the mountain, Lisa said: Livestock farming and looking after the environment go hand in hand here. Weve had sheep and cattle here on the mountain.

"They are a vital part of keeping the biodiversity flourishing here on the hill. I dont want to think about what it would look like if they werent here, it would be very much a monoculture.

"Its about managing, not overstocking. We need to manage what weve got and manage it well to promote that biodiversity on this hill.

"The cattle up here have improved the land, opened up the swards and help to manage rushes and dwarf shrubs such as heather which dry out the peat.

"Its all part of the ecosystem and how it has been managed for centuries, explained Lisa.

The Roberts family say they are now also looking at planting trees to further improve their farm's carbon footprint.

Funding to deliver the peatland project came from Welsh Peatlands Sustainable Management Scheme (SMS) and the Welsh governments Rural Communities  Rural Development Programme (2014 -2020), alongside carbon income from the sale of carbon credits.
The NFU has urged the government to showcase its plan to ensure British farmers are not damaged by future trade deals 'as a matter of urgency'.

The fresh demand comes against the backdrop of mounting concern over large-scale tariff liberalisation and lower-standard agricultural imports.

The NFU said the Prime Minister must come up with a 'comprehensive strategy' to manage the impact of 'throwing open the UK market to the worlds biggest agricultural exporters'.

Tariff liberalisation and increases in imports could lead to severe pressure on farmgate prices, the union warned, potentially to levels that may cause harm to farm businesses.

Producers in countries such as Australia and the US operate on a much larger scale and can use products banned in the UK, leading to a lower cost of production.

Looking at the UK-Australia free trade agreement, the tariff-free access being granted to Australian farmers from the outset is significant.

The recently announced trade deal also contained no mention of animal welfare and environmental standards.

NFU President Minette Batters said the union had repeatedly raised concerns about the level of tariff liberalisation on sensitive sectors, such as beef, lamb and sugar.

She said a 'rigorous economic assessment' of the predicted cumulative impact of free trade agreements on UK agriculture must now be published.

Mrs Batters said: These are enormous volumes and its not clear at all that the safeguards that have been announced will have any effect.

"For example, the fifth year of the tariff safeguard on lamb would only kick in if Australian producers have already shipped over 150% of the UKs current import requirement.

"Its hard to know if it is British lamb producers or the carrying capacity of our docks that are really being safeguarded here."

The government's response to the Trade and Agriculture Commissions report of March 2021 must be published, the NFU said, in particular how it intends to pursue a liberalised trade policy alongside assurances not to compromise farmers' standards.

The union has also called for a 'detailed export strategy' which included match-funding for export promotion and market development, and investment in trade diplomacy overseas.

I expect the government to engage directly with the UK food and farming industry immediately to ensure these aspects of the deal are as effective as possible," Mrs Batters said.

"In particular, imports of sensitive products like beef, lamb and sugar under TRQs or subject to safeguards must be managed so that distortion of the domestic market is minimised."

Just over a year ago, more than a million people put their name to a petition demanding that trade deals do not compromise the UK's high standards of production.

But it remains to be seen how the government will keep to its numerous pledges not to undermine British farmers, particularly following the UK-Australia trade deal.

Mrs Batters said it was 'imperative' for the government to explain how it would work with farmers across the country.

We recognise the advantages of striking independent trade deals and being able to sell our fantastic British produce abroad, but this must be accompanied by a strategy that details how we will improve our trade diplomacy.

The NFU and its members stand ready to work with this government on making trade a success and something that can work for both parties, she said.
Nuffield has launched a new award in memory of 'farming icon' Frank Arden CBE which seeks to promote leadership roles within British agriculture.

The Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust have launched the Frank Arden Leadership Award, in memory of Frank's 'inquisitive and generous spirit'.

He was the son of a tenant farmer who built a successful grains and potato growing firm in Lincolnshire, expanding into poultry, dairy and units located across the UK.

An early adopter of irrigation, Frank was well-known for his willingness to learn and share his knowledge with others.

He was formally recognised for contributions with the award of his CBE for services to agriculture.

The purpose of Nuffield's new award is to promote the personal development of a Nuffield Farming Scholar toward a wider leadership role within British Agriculture.

The winning applicant will receive funding to take part in a course provided by the Windsor Leadership Trust.

Beginning in 2021, the award will be given biennially to a recent scholar who resides in the UK and completed their scholarship at least three years prior to application.

The award is also supported by the Farmers Club Charitable Trust (FCCT), who will work with the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust in the selection process.

Meryl Ward, daughter of Frank Arden, Trustee of FCCT and director of Ermine Farms, said she was 'delighted' to sponsor the new award in memory of her father.

"Leadership training is an investment that is transformative for the individual, their business and the wider industry," she said.

"If we inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, we will have achieved our ambition for this award and created a fitting tribute to someone who valued people and always sought to make a difference.

Mike Vacher, Director of the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, added: "Our scholars are ideally placed to become leaders of our industry, and this award provides a them with the opportunity to further develop their skills.

This year's applications close on 31 July, with selections being made by the Nuffield Committee and interviews for those short-listed taking place 4-6 October.

The chosen recipient will attend the Windsor Leadership Programme after 1 April 2022.

Nuffield is a charity that awards around 20 scholarships annually in the UK to young people between the ages of 22 and 45 from across the agricultural industry.
Lamb prices remain firm despite the increasing volumes of new season lambs arriving on the market, according to new commentary from Quality Meat Scotland.

Across most of Europe the volume of prime new season lambs reaching the market climbs steeply during June and market prices decline to reflect the increased supply.

This year is no exception, Scottish auction markets for example have seen the volume of lambs sold each week increase almost threefold over the past month.

Stuart Ashworth, QMS chief economist, observed that although both Scottish and GB auction markets have grown in volume, they are not matching the same throughput handled in June 2020.

This tighter supply has helped to limit the slide in prices in early June but the current week shows a rapid downward movement in farmgate prices in Scotland as auction sales moved ahead of last years level for the first time, he said.

Prices in other major EU sheepmeat producing countries had drifted lower by 4-5% between mid May and the second week of June, while GB prices expressed in Euro had remained broadly unchanged.

Nevertheless, despite sliding over the past few weeks prices in the major sheepmeat producing countries of Europe, with the exception of Italy, remain higher than last year.

The market is particularly firm in Ireland and Britain where for the week ending 12 June prices were respectively 33% and 40% higher than the same week last year in Euro.

Mr Ashworth said: The fall in provisional Scottish price for the current week would still leave the current price some 38% higher than a year ago with more recent sales this week 33% higher than the same day last year.

A more modest 10% increase on last year in France has resulted in an exceptional situation where both Irish and GB farmgate prices are higher than in France.

"Equally, the similarity of price with France would suggest that export activity is not the main driver of the GB price in the short term, he added.

New Zealand prime lamb prices which had been tracking the five-year average, and well below last years levels for most of their current lamb crop year, have climbed steeply above year earlier levels during April.

Prices continued to climb and currently stand 13-15% higher than last year in local currency and sterling.

Mr Ashworth said that New Zealand lamb slaughterings between October and April were higher than year earlier levels.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand, the countrys red meat levy body, expect a lower export kill in 2020-21 than 2019-20.

"It is likely that some of the strength in New Zealand is due to lower year on year slaughterings in recent weeks," Mr Ashworth explained.

"Firm demand in China and Pacific Rim countries will also be supporting NZ prices. Despite a shortage of shipping containers Beef + Lamb New Zealand report growth of 5% in exports during February, March and April, but not to Europe."

In contrast Australian prime lamb producers are receiving prices around 10% lower than this time last year, although by historic standards they remain firm.

This is despite slaughterings being reduced as farmers continue to rebuild flocks after the heavy slaughterings of breeding stock due to drought conditions of 2018 and into 2019.

Mr Ashworth said: Meat and Livestock Australia expect the Australian sheep flock to grow by more than 15% over the next couple of years leading to a growth of 20 to 25% in export volumes of sheepmeat.

Average Australian lamb carcase weights, reported by Meat and livestock Australia to be approaching 24 kg are much higher than in New Zealand and the UK where the average carcase weight is 20 kg.

"This would make Austalian carcases less attractive to the UK and European market. Having access to a market does not necessarily mean that you can easily supply that market."
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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.


Ranveer Singh has resumed shooting as Mumbai has been unlocked after the second wave of the pandemic. The actor who had been taking time off to chill with his family during his off days, was clicked early this morning arriving for a big shoot.



A source present at the shoot said, Ranveer has always been the one of the first actors to resume shooting after every lockdown because he truly believes that the industry needs to restart. So, again he is one of the first superstars to resume work. Clearly with every production house vigilant about maintaining all protocols laid down by the government, it is exciting to see industry icons like Ranveer stepping out and wanting to contribute to the industry that has been plagued by the pandemic.

The source added, He was shooting for a huge project that has been kept under wraps. Details of which will be made public soon. Its an intense shoot today for him and Ranveer was seen in his trademark enthusiasm, ready to go. When you have a star like him excited to be on the sets, everything changes. Its such a positive signal to the industry that things are finally restarting.


Neetu Kapoor and Riddhima Kapoor Sahni workout together every day, be it when they are together in the same city or in different ones. Today on International Yoga Day as Riddhima Kapoor and her daughter Samara are in Mumbai, Neetu took time out to do yoga with them. She took to Instagram to post pictures of the three generations doing yoga together and staying true to the theme of this years International Yoga Day, Yoga at home and Yoga with family.

Neetu captioned the post as, If there is one thing we have learnt in this pandemic, its the importance of physical and mental well being. And working towards health goals have never been so relevant.

Hence, it is no surprise, the theme of this year's International Yoga Day 2021, is 'Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family'. To celebrate Yoga's holistic approach and to promote physical and mental health, but within constraints of social distancing, we practised yoga, as a family - Three generations together today! We wish you a happy world yoga day! #InternationalYogaDay".
Malaika Arora is definitely one of the fittest Bollywood celebrities around. In an industry that is filled with fitness fanatics, Arora has embraced all forms of physical activities and one of them happens to be Yoga. The celebrity is often seen promoting the ancient practise and even has her own Yoga startup with Yoga guru, Sarvesh Sashi called SARVA. On the occasion of International Yoga Day, the actress and producer shared a video where she spoke about what Yoga means to her.

Yoga is not about working out, its not about getting ripped or getting the right kind of body or body shape or whatever. For me, its a way of life aur agar aap apne zindagi mai woh ek hissa bana doge then I dont think that youll ever feel that Yoga is boring. I think just make it a way of life and I think thats how you should live, she said in the video. Yoga has always been a crucial part of wellness. I think the realization is occurring now because people have started taking health seriously. In the hustle of daily life, we completely disregard the need for self-care. These two years have taught us this. The role of Yoga has grown multifold. Not only to help people cope with the emotional and physical stress of the health crisis, but it has also helped people be active while being stuck at home and improved immunity, she had earlier told a leading news website.




SHANGHAI, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- China has the largest number of shoppers and the most advanced digital and omnichannel retail ecosystem in the world. To meet the opportunity and the demand, tcc and KargoCard are joining forces to deliver a market-leading seamless omnichannel loyalty and reward experience to retailers and their shoppers.

tcc is committed to leading mass retail loyalty in China's dynamic, fast-paced and rapidly developing digital economy. tcc China and their partners empower our retail clients to meet their omnichannel shopper wherever they are, with the right message and the right reward.

Kate Burns, Chief Digital Officer, tcc:

"This exciting partnership between tcc China and KargoCard signals the deep importance we hold for the Chinese market, and the evolution of our global digital partner strategy. The combination of tcc's un-rivalled retail loyalty solutions and KargoCard's powerful, data driven platform will bring a world leading opportunity for Chinese grocers and enhance shopper experience."

Ted Hopkins, Head of Digital Partnerships, tcc:

"KargoCard is the right partner for tcc in China. Their scaled retail technology infrastructure integrate tcc's best in class campaigns and rewards directly into the retailer's omnichannel ecosystem. We are excited about our future opportunities with KargoCard in China."

Ashmit Bhattacharya, Founder and CEO, KargoCard:

"tcc adds tremendous value to KargoCard's retail technology platforming enabling retailers to bring rewards and loyalty programs that surprise and delight their customers. We are excited to be working with tcc in bringing these solutions to market in China."

About tcc

tcc is an international marketing company that specialises in creating loyalty platforms and campaigns that change the way shoppers think, act and feel.

In a fast-paced retail environment which continues to be disrupted by increasing consumer choice, technology and innovation, customer loyalty remains a significant driver as the link between emotional resonance and transactional reward.

Using the power of data, insight and creativity, tcc global delivers tailor-made solutions which engage and reward loyal customers whilst driving sustainable growth to retailers and brands.

Active in more than 70 countries worldwide, tcc global employs more than 500 people across 34 offices. To find out more, visit tccglobal.com.

ABOUT KargoCard

Kargo is a retail technology platform headquartered in Shanghai, China. The cloud native Kargo platform supports millions of transactions every day across China.

The Kargo platform powers mobile payments, membership and loyalty programs, in-transaction rewards and offers, third party offers and programs, direct-to-customer online services to top tier convenience store chains across Asia.

KargoCard enables retailers to offer best-in-class digital services to their customers in China's and Asia's highly dynamic and high traffic digital retail environment.

Contact:Ted Hopkins, Head of Digital Strategy Partnership, ted.hopkins@tccglobal.com, +86 216 375 8080
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Australia will on Monday release May figures for retail sales, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. In April, retail sales were up 1.1 percent on month. Taiwan will provide May numbers for export orders, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 40.15 percent following the 42.6 percent spike in April. China will see the latest prime rate figures for its one-year and five-year loans; previously, they were at 3.85 percent and 4.65 percent, respectively. 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.
PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Hedge-fund billionaire William Ackman's Pershing Square Tontine Holdings Ltd. (PSTH) agreed to acquire 10% of Universal Music Group from French media conglomerate Vivendi (VIV.L, VIVEF.PK) for about $4 billion, the companies said in a statement on Sunday. The deal represents an enterprise value of 35 billion euros for UMG. The deal would be subject to customary closing conditions including the authorization to be given by Vivendi shareholders at the June 22 Shareholders' Meeting. The transaction is set to close in the coming weeks, and at the latest by September 15, Vivendi said. Unlike most SPAC business combinations, PSTH and UMG will not combine into one company following the deal. Pershing Square Tontine said it will remain listed with about $1.5 billion in cash and access to an additional $1.4 billion with the Pershing Square Funds. It will continue to search for a new business combination. Pershing Square Tontine plans to distribute the Universal Music shares to PSTH shareholders after the music business's planned public listing in Amsterdam later this year. Vivendi said that its management board will propose, at the June 22, 2021 Shareholders' Meeting, to distribute 60% of UMG's share capital to Vivendi shareholders and list UMG on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange towards the end of September. In January 2021, a Tencent Holdings-led consortium acquired additional 10 percent equity stake in UMG, lifting its ownership to 20 percent. 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.
(OSLO AND KUALA LUMPUR, 21 June 2021) Axiata Group Berhad ("Axiata"), Telenor Asia Pte Ltd ("Telenor") and Digi.Com Berhad ("Digi") (together "Parties") announced that they have successfully concluded the due-diligence exercise and signed the Transaction Agreements for the proposed merger of Celcom Axiata Berhad ("Celcom") and Digi (together "MergeCo").



Following the 8 April 2021 announcement that Axiata and Telenor were in advanced discussions on the proposed merger, the signing today signifies a confirmation of the intent to establish a commercially stronger and more resilient digital converged service provider, and leading Malaysian telecom operator positioned to drive Malaysia's digital ambitions.

On a pro forma basis1, MergeCo will serve an estimated 19 million customers with revenue of RM12.4 billion, EBITDA of RM5.7 billion, Profit After Taxation of RM1.9 billion and Free Cash Flow2 of RM4.0 billion.

Axiata and Telenor will be equal partners with 33.1 percent ownership stake each in MergeCo, and MergeCo will continue to be listed on Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad ("Bursa"). Targeted to be among the five largest companies listed on Bursa in terms of market capitalisation, MergeCo is valued at a combined pre-synergy equity value of close to RM50 billion3.

The integration planning phase will include further detailed work on synergies and business plan of MergeCo, and initial estimates indicate potential value accretion through cost and capex synergies of around RM8 billion on a net present value basis.

MergeCo will see the combination of the scale, experience, competencies and financial strength of both global telecom groups with the market knowledge of two well-established local companies. Uniquely positioned to address Malaysia's increasing digital service adoption and expectations of better connectivity, MergeCo will have the capabilities to leverage on technology advancements and attract global internet-based partnerships to deliver a wider range of innovative solutions to its customers. It will be well-placed to fuel the implementation of digital technologies at a time when 5G, IoT, AI and cloud computing are coming together to accelerate digitalisation across all reaches of society.

MergeCo will also aim to make an investment of up to RM250 million over five years in building a world-class Innovation Center to be established in Kuala Lumpur with the aim to catalyse the 4IR digital transformation, strengthen the local ecosystem and keep Malaysia at the forefront of the global digital evolution. In taking advantage of new opportunities in the digital economy, the Innovation Center will conduct extensive research and development, develop 5G use cases, support local digital startups, and provide a platform to nurture the creation of a knowledge-based workforce in line with the MyDIGITAL aspirations.

Dato' Izzaddin Idris, President & Group Chief Executive Officer of Axiata said, "We are charting good progress in the ongoing merger exercise with Telenor and Digi and remain aligned in our intentions to deliver a strong value proposition that will enable our customers to participate more confidently as the nation transitions towards a digital economy. We look forward to delivering better value and choices to benefit society, especially in bridging the divide in rural areas and assisting the Home and Enterprise businesses take advantage of new opportunities in this digitally accelerated environment."

"Assuming a smooth transition, post integration period, we are expecting to see improvement in EBITDA and cashflow margins in the combined entity in step with our ongoing commitment to maximise dividend payout for our shareholders," he added.

"We look forward to partner with Axiata to realize the potential of the proposed merged company. The telecom industry is at the beginning of an exciting digital shift, and new technologies are going to change how we develop and deliver services for both the private and public sector. With this merger we bring together competencies, financial strength and scale to go beyond connectivity and implement technology that further advances our customers digital experience," says Jrgen A. Rostrup, Executive Vice President and Head of Asia in Telenor Group.

As stated in the initial announcement, Axiata and Telenor have agreed to nominate Dato' Izzaddin Idris as Chair, Jrgen C. Arentz Rostrup as Deputy Chair, Idham Nawawi as CEO and Albern Murty as deputy CEO of MergeCo, which will be renamed to Celcom Digi Berhad subject to MergeCo's shareholders' approval.

From the aspect of Malaysia's national interests, Axiata and key Malaysian institutional shareholders are expected to own more than 51 percent of MergeCo at completion. Axiata and Telenor also reiterated their commitment to protect employee welfare with no forced retrenchments. MergeCo is slated to create opportunities for staff to continue to develop across functions, build new competence and be part of future growth of the merged company.

At completion, the merger of Celcom and Digi will result in Axiata receiving newly issued ordinary shares in Digi, representing 33.1 percent of the enlarged issued share capital of Digi, cash consideration of RM2.0 billion of which approximately RM1.7 billion will come from Digi as debt in MergeCo and approximately RM300 million from Telenor as part of an ownership equalisation under the terms of the proposed merger.

Completion of the transaction will be subject to the approval of both Axiata and Digi shareholders, regulatory approvals and other customary terms and conditions. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Proposed Merger is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2022.

Press contacts:

Tormod Sandst,

Director Media Relations, Telenor Group

+47 90 94 32 15 | Tormod.Sandsto@telenor.com

Anuja Ravendran

Corporate Communications, Axiata Group Berhad

+6012-2380581 | anuja@axiata.com





_________________________________________________________________________



1 Based on the financial year ended 31 December 2020.

2 FCF is defined as EBITDA less Capex paid.

3 After taking into account the issuance of new ordinary shares in Digi.




GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / June 21, 2021 / RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding AG (SIX: RLF, OTCQB: RLFTF) (" Relief " or the " Company "), a biopharmaceutical company with its lead compound RLF-100 TM (aviptadil) in advanced clinical development to treat severe COVID-19 patients, announces that all agenda items of yesterday's Annual General Meeting (" AGM ") were approved by a large majority (more than 90 percent) of the represented votes.

As a result of the exceptional circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic, the AGM was held without the physical presence of shareholders, representatives and third parties in accordance with the requirements of the Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council regarding measures on combatting the coronavirus. The shareholders voted through the independent proxy, representing a total of 1,404,708,594 shares, or 41.54% of the total outstanding shares.

Raghuram (Ram) Selvaraju, Chairman of the Board of Relief , commented: "We are grateful to our shareholders for their trust in us and their belief in the future of Relief. I would like to warmly welcome Patrice Jean and Paolo Galfetti to the Relief Board of Directors. They both bring a wealth of biopharmaceutical experience that will be invaluable as the Company continues to expand the pipeline and grow its business. As part of that growth, we look forward to soon bringing AdVita and APR into Relief and plan to pursue additional business opportunities going forward."

Agenda items:

1. Approval of the Annual Report, Statutory Financial Statements (balance sheet, income statement and notes) and Consolidated Financial Statements for the year 2020, Statutory Auditors' Report

2. Appropriation of Results

3. Discharge of the members of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee

4. Increase of the authorized share capital

5. Increase of the conditional share capital

6. Votes on the compensation of the members of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee

7.1 Re-election of existing members of the Board of Directors

7.2 Election of new members of the Board of Directors - Dr. Patrice P. Jean and Paolo Galfetti

7.3 Re-election of the Chairman of the Board of Directors

7.4 Re-election of the members of the Nomination and Compensation Committee

7.5 Re-election of the Independent Voting Rights Representative

7.6 Re-election of the Auditors

The AGM approved the Annual Report, the Statutory Financial Statements and the Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2020.

The AGM resolved to carry forward the loss for the year 2020 in the amount of CHF 20,009,867 .

The AGM granted discharge to all members of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee for their activities during the financial year 2020.

The AGM approved the increase of authorized capital (from CHF 11,250,000.00 to CHF 16,850,000.00) and of conditional share capital (from CHF 2,533,413.33 to CHF 15,630,000.00).

The AGM approved a maximum amount of CHF 1,500,000 (both fixed and variable compensation, including stock options and other, but excluding employer social security contributions) for the members of the Board of Directors for the period from the 2021 AGM until the 2022 AGM and a maximum total compensation of CHF 5,000,000 for the members of the Executive Committee for the financial year 2022.

The AGM re-elected: (i) the members of the Board of Directors (Dr. Raghuram Selvaraju and Dr. Thomas Plitz), (ii) the members of the Nomination and Compensation Committee (Dr. Raghuram Selvaraju and Dr. Thomas Plitz), (iii) the Chairman of the Board of Directors (Dr. Raghuram Selvaraju), (iv) the Independent Voting Rights Representative (Thomas Hua), and (v) the Auditors (MAZARS SA) .

The AGM elected two new members - Dr. Patrice P. Jean and Paolo Galfetti - as new members of the Board of Directors.

Dr. Patrice P. Jean is the Chair of the Life Sciences Practice at Hughes Hubbard & Reed, an international law firm based in New York City. She has over a decade of experience counselling leading and startup pharmaceutical, chemical and biotechnology companies in all areas of patent law, including asserting and defending patent rights underlying core technologies and innovations. Dr. Jean graduated summa cum laude from Xavier University of Louisiana in 1993 with a degree in biochemistry, and she holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Princeton University. She graduated from Columbia University School of Law in 2002, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Science & Technology Law Review. Dr. Jean currently serves as Vice-President of the New York Intellectual Property Law Education Foundation and is a Board member of the New York Intellectual Property Law Association.

Paolo Galfetti is the Chief Executive Officer of APR Applied Pharma Research S.A. (APR). Under the recently signed binding term sheet between Relief and APR, APR is entitled to appoint a designee to serve on the Relief Board of Directors. Mr. Galfetti has over twenty years of management experience in the pharmaceutical sector, including in the areas of business development and licensing, operational strategic management, clinical research, and pharmaceutical discovery and development. He joined APR in 1995 as head of licensing and business development and was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 2002. Under his leadership, APR has brought its first product onto the market and developed a rich pipeline of product candidates. He also was a founding partner, CEO and board member of the Institute for Pharmacokinetic and Analytical Studies AG (IPAS), a Swiss contract research organization (CRO), as well as CEO and board member of Farma Resa s.r.l., an Italian CRO. Mr. Galfetti is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and has a bachelor's degree in economics from the Commercial University Bocconi, Milan, Italy. He is a member of several pharma licensing groups.

###

ABOUT RELIEF

Relief focuses primarily on clinical-stage programs based on molecules with a history of clinical testing and use in human patients or a strong scientific rationale. Relief's lead drug candidate RLF-100 TM (aviptadil), a synthetic form of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP), is in late-stage clinical testing in the U.S. for the treatment of respiratory deficiency due to COVID-19. As part of its pipeline diversification strategy, in March 2021, Relief entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement with Acer Therapeutics for the worldwide development and commercialization of ACER-001. ACER-001 is a taste-masked and immediate release proprietary powder formulation of sodium phenylbutyrate (NaPB) for the treatment of Urea Cycle Disorders and Maple Syrup Urine Disease.

RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding AG is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the symbol RLF and quoted in the U.S. on OTCQB under the symbol RLFTF. For more information, visit www.relieftherapeutics.com .

Follow us on LinkedIn .

CONTACT

RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding AG

Raghuram (Ram) Selvaraju, Ph.D., MBA

Chairman of the Board

Mail: contact@relieftherapeutics.com

FOR MEDIA/INVESTOR INQUIRIES

MC Services AG

Anne Hennecke

Mail: relief@mc-services.eu

Tel.: +49 (0) 211-529-252-22

Disclaimer : This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding AG and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding AG to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding AG is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE: Relief Therapeutics Holdings AG

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/652441/Relief-Announces-the-Results-of-the-Annual-General-Meeting-2021-of-RELIEF-THERAPEUTICS-Holding-AG-All-Proposals-Approved-by-a-Large-Majority
Regulatory News:

Alchimie, the OTT subscription video platform, partners with Phare Ouest, Arnaud Poivre d'Arvor and Sebastien Brunaud's audiovisual production company, which has been creating must-see news programs for nearly twenty years, and launches Scene de crime.tv. The series "Non Elucide", "Indices", "Enquetes Chrono" have become the most popular of their kind.

Led by Arnaud Poivre d'Arvor and former top cop Jean-Marc Bloch, the https://www.scenedecrime.tv/FR/ platform already offers more than 60 hours of content exclusively devoted to criminal investigation: original documentary series but also other French and foreign programs brought by Alchimie.

Arnaud Poivre D'Arvor, journalist and producer at Phare Ouest: "We came to Alchimie with our project of the Netflix of crime 3 months ago. We had a very precise idea of its content, its quality and its positioning. In a few weeks, the channel was ready. Since then, Alchimie's teams have brought us their expertise and shared our ambitions."

Thanks to its technical platform, Alchimie allows content producers such as Phare Ouest to enhance their catalogs by enabling them to create their own thematic Netflix. More than a hundred channels have already been launched in partnership with content producers, celebrities, brands, etc. (https://www.alchimie.com/fr/chaines/).

Eric Van Eeckhout, VP Growth Innovation at Alchimie comments: Scenedecrime.tv is the association of strong expertise: renowned personalities, Arnaud Poivre D'Arvor and Jean-Marc Bloch, a demanding producer, Phare Ouest, and a flexible editor who brings its catalog, its technical platform and its distribution know-how, Alchimie! What if in 2021 we solved all the crimes 

ENTER BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE INVESTIGATION WITH SCENE DE CRIME TV

The https://www.scenedecrime.tv/FR/ platform is available by subscription without commitment at 5,99/month.

They are already talking about it:

France Info : Scene de crime TV, la premiere plateforme dediee aux faits divers: "C'est plus qu'une niche" (francetvinfo.fr)

: Scene de crime TV, la premiere plateforme dediee aux faits divers: "C'est plus qu'une niche" (francetvinfo.fr) Le Figaro : Scene de crime TV, le nouveau Netflix du fait divers (lefigaro.fr)

: Scene de crime TV, le nouveau Netflix du fait divers (lefigaro.fr) Europe 1 : "Scene de crime TV", la nouvelle plateforme de faits divers (europe1.fr)

: "Scene de crime TV", la nouvelle plateforme de faits divers (europe1.fr) Ouest France: ?Scene de crime TV?. Arnaud Poivre d'Arvor lance une plateforme SVOD consacree aux faits divers (ouest-france.fr)

About Alchimie

Alchimie is an OTT platform that distributes 55 thematic affinity channels by subscription. Alchimie has a catalog of more than 60,000 hours of content from more than 300 renowned partners (All3Media, Arte, France TV distribution, ZDF Entreprises and Zed). Alchimie partners with +90 talents (celebrities, influencers), brands and media groups to create new channels (Cultivons-Nous, Point de Vue, The Big Issue, Army Stories, Jacques Attali, Poisson Fecond, Vaughan, Raphael Rowe, Spektrum der Wissenschaft, Inside/outside etc.), which are then distributed on more than 60 distribution platforms (TVPlayer, Amazon, Orange, Movistar, Samsung, Huawei, etc.) constantly expanding its audience and consequently its revenues. In 2019, Alchimie acquired TVPlayer, the largest independent OTT platform in the UK. With offices in France, the U.S., the UK, Germany, Spain and Australia, Alchimie employs 145 technology, marketing, digital and editorial experts and is ranked 48th in FW500 (ranking of French technology companies).

For more information: www.alchimie.com

About Phare Ouest

Phare Ouest Productions, created in 2003 by Arnaud Poivre d'Arvor and Sebastien Brunaud, has established itself as one of the best examples of the new generation of producers, through programs recognized for their extremely sophisticated visualization of strong content.

When it was launched, Phare Ouest made a name for itself by renewing television writing in a universe that was then little explored: the crime story. It was DOSSIER SCHEFFER (France 5), the first weekly magazine dedicated to criminology.

Since 2008, Phare Ouest has been producing a magazine show for France 2 devoted to unsolved criminal cases: NON ELUCIDE, presented by Arnaud Poivre d'Arvor and former top cop Jean-Marc Bloch. The program is followed by more than one and a half million viewers each time it is broadcast. The franchise is now relaunched on RMC Story with new episodes and the presence of an additional character with Negar Haerie, a brilliant criminal lawyer. In the same police/justice field, the company has also produced documentary series for France 3, 13e Rue and Planete. RMC Story has entrusted Phare Ouest with the production of a new documentary series INDICES which is in its 6th season. The success of the program has enabled the channel to achieve the highest ratings of the channel, excluding cinema and sports. Finally, Phare Ouest recently launched a new franchise, ENQUETE CHRONO.

Phare Ouest also turned to the theme of History with BABYLONE (France 2), LE VISITEUR DE L'HISTOIRE (France 5), FLASH-BACK (France 3), CHAMPS DE BATAILLE (RMC Decouverte), devoted to the great epics of the two world wars, and RETOUR AUX SOURCES (France 2) where a celebrity goes in search of his own genealogical roots.

In the field of discovery: DROLE DE TRIP !, a series of short formats broadcast on France 2, France 3 and France 4 presented by Raphael de Casabianca and Antoine Delaplace and FEMININ, a weekly magazine presented by Elizabeth Tchoungui on France O.

Phare Ouest also produces programs based on testimonials and intimate portraits. Both in documentaries on the lifestyle (the chef Helene Darroze, the dressmakers of the Moulin Rouge and Disneyland, the wedding dress designers Cymbeline, etc.) but also with the France 2 program DANS LES YEUX D'OLIVIER played by Olivier Delacroix or in the documentary films Justice: le douloureux silence and En prison pour rien produced for France 5 in the "Monde en face" slot.

In 2013, Phare Ouest produced a series of major prime time programs on France 2, entitled NOUS LA France COMME VOUS NE L'AVEZ JAMAIS VUE and embodied by Marie Drucker: a spectacular vision of the organization of France in areas of our daily lives: habitat, transportation, water.

Finally, Phare Ouest develops and produces numerous digital contents for OTT and video sharing platforms and for virtual reality headsets.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210620005085/en/

Contacts:

Alchimie

Stephane Taillefer

CFO

investors@alchimie.com

NewCap

Thomas Grojean/Louis-Victor Delouvrier

Investor Relations

alchimie@newcap.eu

+33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

NewCap

Nicolas Merigeau

Media Relations

alchimie@newcap.eu

+33 (0)1 44 71 94 98
Multi-year, multi-transponder agreement for Ku wide-beam capacity

Cementing 10 East as a key orbital position for data networks

Regulatory News:

Eutelsat has extended its contractual relationship with Overon, a leading provider of satellite services, for capacity at Eutelsat Communications' (Paris:ETL) (Euronext Paris: ETL), 10 East orbital position.

This multi-year, multi transponder contract for Ku wide-beam resources includes incremental capacity from 2023 onwards compared with the current contract. Overon will leverage the EUTELSAT 10A satellite, with a provision to transfer to EUTELSAT 10B once it enters service. The capacity will be utilized by Overon's customer, EUMETSAT, the European operational satellite agency for monitoring weather, climate and the environment from space.

The capacity is located at 10 East, one of Eutelsat's long-standing orbital locations and a key position for data networks with unrivalled coverage of the European, Middle Eastern and African zones.

Commenting on the agreement, Philippe Oliva, Chief Commercial Officer of Eutelsat said: "We are delighted to reinforce our relationship with our partner, Overon and support EUMETSAT in its critical weather and climate monitoring missions. This contract expansion reflects the unmatched coverage of the 10 East orbital position, and we look forward to enabling them to leverage our next-generation EUTELSAT 10B".

Alberto Via, CEO of Overon added: "In our increasingly weather-dependent society, satellite data is indispensable for the National Meteorological Services to forecast the weather at all ranges and produce data that influences social and economic wellbeing. We are proud to support EUMETSAT in this critical work, and to be able to rely on Eutelsat to procure the optimum in-orbit resources they require."

About Eutelsat Communications

Founded in 1977, Eutelsat Communications is one of the world's leading satellite operators. With a global fleet of satellites and associated ground infrastructure, Eutelsat enables clients across Video, Data, Government, Fixed and Mobile Broadband markets to communicate effectively to their customers, irrespective of their location. Over 6,800 television channels operated by leading media groups are broadcast by Eutelsat to one billion viewers equipped for DTH reception or connected to terrestrial networks. Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat assembles 1,200 men and women from 50 countries who are dedicated to delivering the highest quality of service.

For more about Eutelsat go to www.eutelsat.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210621005327/en/

Contacts:

Media

Joanna Darlington

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 31 07

jdarlington@eutelsat.com

Marie-Sophie Ecuer

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 32 45

mecuer@eutelsat.com

Jessica Whyte

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 46 21

jwhyte@eutelsat.com

Investors

Joanna Darlington

jdarlington@eutelsat.com

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 31 07

Cedric Pugni

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 31 54

cpugni@eutelsat.com

Alexandre Illouz

Tel.: +33 1 53 98 46 81

aillouz@eutelsat.com
HELSINKI, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Construction of Herkules Park in Skien, Norway has now been given the green light following the considerable interest shown in the project. To date, 16 of the 39 apartments in the first of two building phases have been sold. The project is part of Citycon's strategy to focus on residential property development by the company's shopping centres.

Herkules Park is situated adjacent to the Herkules Senter in the municipality of Skien. Altogether 85 homes are due to be built in four apartment blocks, with views of Hjellevannet. The developer is Klosterfoss Utvikling AS, which is jointly owned by Peab Eiendomsutvikling and Citycon.

The project will have a total sales area of approx. 7,600 m2 and a total investment cost of around NOK 430 million.

Residents in the Grenland area have shown considerable interest in Herkules Park. According to Fredrik S. Myhre, Citycon's Development Director, it has now been decided to commence construction of the project's Phase 1, with work expected to start in August.

"Herkules Park is located in the best part of the Herkules area. Several hundred people have registered their interest, and 16 units have already been sold. We are now looking forward to starting the building process, and will continue to discuss the sale of other units to potential buyers," says Myhre.

Over the past ten years, Klosterfoss Utvikling AS has built a total of 160 apartments in the Herkules area. According to Myhre, the experience this has provided has been useful in the planning of Herkules Park.

"The residential projects already built in this area have proved extremely popular and people seem to enjoy living here. This is something we want to replicate at more of our centres throughout the Nordic region. We want to add value to the local environment by building homes close to multi-use centres containing places to shop, socialise and access health services," explains Myhre.

The project has been designed by the architectural firm Point, with the aim of providing plenty of light and exploiting the buildings' situation to catch as much sunshine as possible throughout the day and evening. The apartments in both buildings will have west-facing balconies or terraces, and open front-to-back floor plans. They will be served by lifts directly from a basement car park, which will include the possibility for electric car charging points. The apartments range in size from 67 m2 to 130 m2, with one to four bedrooms.

Photo: Point architects

For further information, please contact:

Fredrik S. Myhre, Development Director at Citycon

Telephone +47 995 85 385, fredrik.myhre@citycon.com

Daniel Sellevoll, Communications Manager at Citycon

Telephone +47 959 71 597, daniel.sellevoll@citycon.com

CONTACT:

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/citycon-oyj/r/construction-of-herkules-park-gets-underway,c3371125

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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.
Membership Collective Group ("MCG"), a global membership platform comprised of Soho House, Soho Works, The Ned, Scorpios Beach Club and Soho Home, and related digital platforms, today announced that it has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") relating to a proposed initial public offering of shares of its Class A common stock. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. MCG has applied to list its Class A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "MCG".

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210621005494/en/

Soho House New York (Graphic: Business Wire)

J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley will serve as joint lead book runners for the proposed offering. Goldman Sachs Co. LLC, BofA Securities and HSBC will be joint book runners. Citibank will serve as a co-manager.

The proposed offering in the U.S. will be made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the preliminary prospectus, when available, may be obtained from: J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, by email at prospectus-eq_fi@jpmorgan.com or by telephone at (866) 803-9204 or Morgan Stanley Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10014 or by email at prospectus@morganstanley.com.

A registration statement on Form S-1 relating to the proposed initial public offering has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective.

The prospectus and registration statement referred to above will not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities to or from any person in the United Kingdom or any other jurisdiction to whom or in which such offer or solicitation would be unlawful. The prospectus and registration statement referred to above are not directed at persons in the United Kingdom and are not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom and no such person in the United Kingdom or such other jurisdiction may subscribe for or acquire shares in MCG or otherwise rely on the contents of such prospectus. In addition, this press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Membership Collective Group

The Membership Collective Group (MCG) is a global membership platform of physical and digital spaces that connects a vibrant, diverse and global group of members. These members use the MCG platform to work, socialize, connect, create and flourish all over the world. We began with the opening of the first Soho House in 1995 and remain the only company to have scaled a private membership network with a global presence. Members around the world engage with MCG through our global portfolio of 28 Soho Houses, 9 Soho Works, The Ned in London, Scorpios Beach Club in Mykonos, Soho Home our interiors and lifestyle retail brand and our digital channels. www.membershipcollectivegroup.com

United Kingdom: This communication is for information purposes only and is not an offer of securities to the public in the United Kingdom or in any other jurisdiction. This communication constitutes a financial promotion for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and has been approved by PrimaryBid Limited which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 779021).

Any subscription or purchase of securities possible offering should be made solely on the basis of information contained in a relevant prospectus which may be issued by MCG. The information in this announcement is subject to change. Before subscribing for or purchasing any shares, persons viewing this announcement should ensure that they fully understand and accept the risks which will be set out in the relevant prospectus, if published. No reliance may be placed for any purpose on the information contained in this announcement or its accuracy or completeness. This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to acquire, whether by subscription or purchase, any shares or any other securities, nor shall it (or any part of it), or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, or act as any inducement to enter into, any contract or commitment whatsoever.

MCG may decide not to go ahead with the possible offering and there is therefore no guarantee that a prospectus will be published, the proposed offering will be made or be consummated. Potential investors should not base their financial decision on this announcement. Acquiring investments to which this announcement relates may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing all of the amount invested. Persons considering making investments should consult an authorized person specializing in advising on such investments. This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning a possible offer. The value of shares can decrease as well as increase. Potential investors should consult a professional advisor as to the suitability of a possible offer for the person concerned.

Nothing contained herein constitutes or should be construed as (i) investment, tax, financial, accounting or legal advice; (ii) a representation that any investment or strategy is suitable or appropriate to your individual circumstances; or (iii) a personal recommendation to you.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210621005494/en/

Contacts:

United Kingdom Media Contacts:

Min Shrimpton

press@membershipcollectivegroup.com

Jonathan Sibun

MCG@tulchangroup.com

United States Media Contacts:

Jakob Hesketh

press@membershipcollectivegroup.com

Zach Siegel

MCG@the193.com
London-based Emerging Markets Investment Bank Continues Expansion with Key Board Appointment

LONDON, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BancTrust & Co. Investment Bank (BancTrust), the London-based emerging markets investment bank, is pleased to announce that Dr. Peter J. West has joined the firm as a non-executive member of the Board of Directors.

Dr. West has over 40 years of experience in analysing emerging markets and the global economy, with a focus on Latin America. Before returning to the UK in 1992, he spent 17 years working in Latin America and the US. He has written extensively on economic and financial developments and has been a regular speaker at conferences and seminars.

Dr. West is currently Economic Advisor at EM Funding, a London-based specialist in the research and distribution of niche investment strategies. His previous roles include Head of Research at PAM Global Investments, Head of Latin American Fixed Income Strategy and Chief Economist for Latin America at BBVA, Economic Adviser at WestLB, Senior Economic Affairs Officer at the UN Economic Commission for Latin America (CEPAL), Senior Economist at the Institute of International Finance (IIF) and Economic Adviser at Banco Mercantil.

Carlos Fuenmayor, Chief Executive at BancTrust commented, "I am delighted to work alongside Peter who brings extensive expertise in dealing within emerging and frontier markets and will be instrumental in delivering exceptional value to our firm and clients".

"I am honoured to bring my knowledge to the BancTrust team, and I look forward to contributing to the continued growth of the firm" stated Dr. West.

About BancTrust & Co.

BancTrust & Co. Investment Bank is a London-based investment bank specialised in Emerging Markets. The firm offers capital markets advisory, institutional sales & trading and investment research products and services to corporate clients and institutional investors.

For more information, please visit www.banctrust.com and follow us on Twitter at [twitter.com/BancTrustCo]

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Increasing production of military and commercial aircraft driving sales opportunities for aircraft tires

DUBAI, UAE, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As per a study by FMI, the global aircraft tire market is likely to surpass a valuation amounting to US$ 1.56 Billion by the year 2021. The aircraft tire market is anticipated to project growth at a CAGR of more than 6% during the forecast period 2021-2031.

Surging air travel demand across the globe is one of the major factors driving the market growth. As per a study by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in 2019, the number of passengers traveling via commercial airlines has grown to more than 4 billion. Thus, increasing use to commercial airlines is creating demand for more aircraft, in turn, boosting the sales of aircraft tires.

Growing demand for commercial and military aircraft has improved growth prospects for the manufacturers of aircraft tires. Narrow-body aircraft dominates the segment, as these aircrafts are the best option for short and medium-distance travel. This has resulted in increasing production of narrow-body aircraft in various sectors, driving the demand for aircraft tire in the market.

North America is dominating the global aircraft tire market with a revenue share of more than 20% across the globe. The region is considered as the manufacturing capital of the aircraft industry with the presence of a large number of major aircraft manufacturers, raw material suppliers, and airline companies.

"Leading aircraft tire manufacturers are increasingly adopting hybrid composite materials such as Kevlar to enhance endurance and loading capacity of tires for the modern aircrafts," says the FMI analyst.

Request a report sample to gain comprehensive insights at https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6112

Key Takeaways

The U.S. is leading the aircraft tire market in North America with a sales revenue of around US$ 387 billion for the aircrafts by the aviation industry.

with a sales revenue of around for the aircrafts by the aviation industry. China is the second leading market for aircraft tries. Increasing demand for new narrow-body aircrafts from the military sector is boosting the sales of aircraft tires in the country.

is the second leading market for aircraft tries. Increasing demand for new narrow-body aircrafts from the military sector is boosting the sales of aircraft tires in the country. India is emerging as a lucrative market for aircraft tries on the back of a growing number of air travel passengers and increasing government investment aviation industry.

is emerging as a lucrative market for aircraft tries on the back of a growing number of air travel passengers and increasing government investment aviation industry. Rising number of airlines and improved aviation infrastructure is bolstering the growth of the aircraft tire market in Germany .

. Narrow-body aircrafts are dominating the segment owing to the increasing demand from the commercial and military sector.

Key Drivers

Increasing demand for air travel is the factor driving the growth of aircraft tire market.

Rise in the production of narrow-body aircraft for the military and commercial sector will fuel the demand for aircraft tires.

Advancement in tire manufacturing technologies is expected to spur the growth of the market.

Depleting life of aircraft tires due to rising aircraft size will propel the demand for aircraft tries.

Key Restraints

Rising cost of raw materials one of the factors hampering the growth of the aircraft tire market.

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected the sales of aircraft tires due to a significant decline in the number of air travel passengers.

Strict regulatory norms for the manufacturing of aircraft tires are posing a challenge for the market growth.

Discover more about the aircraft tires market with figures and data tables, along with the table of contents. You will also find detailed market segmentation on https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-6112

Competitive Landscape

According to FMI, aircraft tires market is consolidated and fairly competitive owing to presence of less number of regional and global players.

Key market players are focusing on R&D for developing innovative product and engaging in strategic collaborations and acquisitions to maintain their lead in the market. For instance,

Bridgestone Corporation announced the collaboration with a Japanese Airline company in 2020, to enhance their aircraft management and maintenance plans by utilizing their aircraft tire wear predictive technology.

In 2020, Aero Repair Corp, the largest aircraft tire repair and Maintenance Company in North America acquired Aero Tire and Tanks, a provider of brake and wheel repairs.

Leading aircraft tire manufactures as profiled by FMI include:

Bridgestone Corporation

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin

Dunlop Aircraft Tyres Limited

Polymer Enterprises Inc.

More Insights on FMI's Aircraft Tire Market

The latest market study on global aircraft 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

Aircraft Type

Small Widebody Aircraft

Medium/ Large Widebody Aircraft

Narrowbody Aircraft

Propeller Aircraft

Helicopter

Defense and Homeland Security Aircraft

Freighters

Ply Type

Bias Ply

Radial Ply

Sales Channel

OEM

Aftermarket

Contact Sales for Further Assistance in Purchasing this Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/6112

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 ) Asia Pacific ( India , Malaysia , China , Japan , Australia , Thailand and South Korea and Rest of APAC)

( , , , , , and and Rest of APAC) Middle East & Africa (GCC, South Africa , Turkey and Rest of MEA)

Explore FMI's Extensive Coverage on Automotive Domain

Motorcycle Lead Acid Battery Market: The motorcycle lead acid battery market study by Future Market Insights (FMI) provides a detailed overview of the new trends while incorporating the effect of the pandemic on demand-supply pattern, and growth & restraining factors during the forecast period of 2021 to 2031. Market dynamics have been presented on the basis of prominent drivers, trends and opportunities prevailing across key geographies for the aforementioned decade.

Two-Wheeler Lead Acid Batteries Market: ESOMAR-certified market analysis and consulting company Future Market Insights (FMI) provides insights driving two-wheeler lead acid batteries market demand in latest report. Additionally, to find the effect of COVID-19 on the two-wheeler lead acid batteries market in general, the study monitor global two-wheeler lead acid batteries sales in 20+ high-growth markets and addresses their end-user in particular.

Automotive Battery Management System Market: In its new report, the Future Market Insights (FMI) offers an exhaustive overview of the global automotive battery management system market with focus on the key market dynamics, including drivers, trends, opportunities, restraints, and detailed information about the global advanced wound debridement products market structure. The market study presents exclusive information about how the market will grow during the forecast period.

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,

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United Arab Emirates

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Press Release Source: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/press-release/aircraft-tire-market

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21 June 2021

BWA Group PLC

("BWA" or the "Company")

Virtual Attendance at AGM

As previously announced on 18 June 2021, the Company's annual general meeting (the "AGM") for the year ended 31 December 2020 will be held at 11.00 am on 13 July 2021 at St Jacques House, St Jacques, St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 1SP. Due to the current situation in relation to COVID-19, this year's AGM format will be a closed meeting and all resolutions will be taken on a poll. Shareholders will not be able to attend the meeting in person.

However, to enable shareholders to attend the AGM virtually, the Company will put in place an online video link and conference call facility, for which shareholders may register by emailing the Company at the enquiries@bwagroupplc.com. Registrations must be submitted no later than 11.00am on 9 July 2021 by providing the Company with a valid email address and the shareholder's name and address details as recorded on the Company's shareholder register and maintained by the Company's registrar. Should shares be held via a nominee service, then a scanned valid letter of confirmation must be provided to enable registration and access to the video link or conference call.

In accordance with Regulation 41 of the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001, the Company specifies that only those shareholders registered on the Company's register of members as at 6:30pm on 9 July 2021 (or in the case of adjournment forty-eight hours before the time of the adjourned meeting) will be entitled to attend the AGM via the video link.

Once shareholder details are confirmed an access link will be emailed to the shareholder no later than 10.00am on 13 July 2021. While all votes on resolutions must be submitted in advance by proxy cards, the Board will be available to answer shareholder's questions.

Ends -

For further information:
Antoine Frerot, Veolia Group's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, announced that Mr. Chouhaid Nasr has been appointed as Morocco Country Director, effective July 1, 2021. Mr. Nasr succeeds Francois De Rochambeau who retains his position as Non-Executive Chairman.

As Country Director, Mr. Chouhaid Nasr will join Veolia's Africa Middle East Zone Executive Committee. He shall also remain CEO of REDAL, reporting directly to Othmane Hamouda, newly appointed Deputy CEO of REDAL, in lieu of Oussama Bennani who is retiring by the end of the month.

This reshuffle and skills-based internal promotion of Moroccan cadres reflects Veolia Group's keenness to capitalize on the strength of national talents that meet the Top Management's requirements.

Prior to his role as CEO of REDAL, Chouhaid Nasr worked for 8 years at Amendis, including 4 years as Managing Director. From Tangier-Tetouan to Rabat-Sale, he made several achievements, which highlight the paramount importance of the traditional delegated management model of essential services as a key component to improving water and electricity utilities, to accommodate urban expansion, population growth and economic development in Morocco.

In this role, Mr. Chouhaid Nasr will spearhead Veolia Group's ambitious journey towards becoming the world leader in ecological transformation, in a country that is a leading reference of sustainable growth in the African continent.

About Veolia

Veolia group aims to be the benchmark company for ecological transformation. Present on five continents, with nearly 179,000 employees worldwide, Veolia designs and deploys game-changing water, waste and energy management solutions which contribute to the sustainable development of cities and industries. Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, preserve available resources, and replenish them. In 2020, the Veolia group supplied 95 million people with drinking water and 62 million people with wastewater service, produced nearly 43 million megawatt hours of energy and treated 47 million metric tons of waste. Veolia Environment (listed on Paris Euronext: VIE) achieved consolidated revenue of 26.010 billion in 2020. www.veolia.com

*Source: AETOSWire

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210621005502/en/

Contacts:

Mohammed Taki

Director of Communications for Veolia Morocco

Mohamed.Taki@veolia.com
Award provides 36 million to test state-of-the-art AI technology applications for healthcare

Paige, a global leader in AI-based diagnostic software in pathology, today announced that the Company, Oxford University and National Health Service (NHS) regional partners in the United Kingdom have won the prestigious Phase 4 Artificial Intelligence in Health and Care award from the NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative to study Paige Prostate prospectively in a real-world cancer laboratory setting.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210621005629/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

Under the award, leaders in uropathology at Oxford University Hospitals, Coventry and Warwickshire University Hospitals Trust, and North Bristol Trust, will develop system adoption guidelines for Paige Prostate, a clinical-grade artificial intelligence (AI)-based diagnostic software system that aids pathologists in detecting, grading and measuring prostate tumors in biopsies obtained from patients at risk of prostate cancer,1 and other similar systems. These adoption guidelines will enable further roll-out of AI technologies and advanced algorithms across the NHS to aid in the diagnosis of complex diseases.

"Paige is proud to be working with this multidisciplinary team of experts to demonstrate the impact of digital pathology tools in routine clinical use," said Leo Grady, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Paige. "Alongside our partners, we look forward to potentially ushering in a new era of clinical diagnostics powered by AI-enabled technologies to benefit patients and cellular pathology laboratories throughout the NHS."

The Phase 4 award, which is restricted to mature market-authorized CE-IVD products and is the most advanced award category, will enable Paige and its partners to demonstrate clinical or economic utility of Paige Prostate with respect to its real-world implementation and use in the NHS. Additionally, the parties aim to demonstrate clinical and economic impact of Paige Prostate in the NHS and/or social care setting to help inform reimbursement and procurement decisions and facilitate adoption.

"At Paige we believe that best practice guideline development and successful adoption of this new technology is best led by pathologists," said Margaret Horton, Ph.D., Business Lead for UK and Europe at Paige and co-investigator in the study. "In addition to measuring and quantifying the health economics benefits of Paige Prostate, we have the unique opportunity as industry to work alongside patients, pathologists and urologists in this study to show how Paige Prostate impacts diagnostic reporting and the patient experience."

"With published clinical evidence, and our own initial experiences with Paige Prostate on challenging tissue samples, Paige Prostate is an ideal candidate system for investigating the patient and system-level benefits of artificial intelligence in NHS cellular pathology," said Clare Verrill, Associate Professor at Oxford University, Lead in Prostate Pathology, Consultant in Cellular Pathology at the Oxford University Hospital NHS Trust, and principal study investigator for the Phase 4 award. "Now is the time to take technologies from simulated clinical settings to embedding in the routine reporting workflow and measure the impact on patient care. By sharing our findings in the professional community, my hope is for widespread benefits from AI with fewer barriers to routine adoption of these powerful systems."

For additional information, read the article from the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.

About Paige

Paige was founded in 2017 by Thomas Fuchs, Dr.Sc. and colleagues from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). The company builds computational pathology products designed so patients and their care teams can make effective, more informed treatment decisions. With this new class of AI-based technologies positioned to drive the future of diagnostics, Paige created a platform to deliver this novel technology to pathologists to transform their workflow and increase diagnostic confidence and productivity. Paige's products deliver insights to pathologists and oncologists so they can arrive efficiently at more precise diagnoses for patients. Paige is the first company to receive FDA breakthrough designation for computational pathology products.

For additional information, please visit: https://www.Paige.ai, Twitter and LinkedIn.

1 Paige Prostate is CE marked for use in laboratories and hospitals in the European Economic Area, Switzerland and the UK, and received Breakthrough Device designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FullFocus is FDA cleared and CE marked. The products are otherwise available for research use only in other territories.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210621005629/en/

Contacts:

For Media:

Jon Yu

Westwicke/ICR Healthcare PR

Tel: 475.395.5375

Jon.Yu@westwicke.com
The "Portugal General Insurance Key Trends and Opportunities to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

'Portugal General Insurance Key Trends and Opportunities to 2024' report provides in-depth market analysis, information and insights into Portuguese general insurance segment.

This report provides a detailed outlook by product category for the Portuguese general insurance segment.

It provides values for key performance indicators such as gross written premium, loss ratio and general insurance penetration during the review period (2015-2019) and forecast period (2019-2024).

The report gives a comprehensive overview of the Portuguese economy and demographics, and provides detailed information on the competitive landscape in the country.

The report brings together the publisher's research, modeling and analysis expertise, giving insurers access to information on segment dynamics and competitive advantages, and profiles of insurers operating in the country. The report also includes details of insurance regulations, and recent changes in the regulatory structure.

Key Highlights

Key insights and dynamics of the Portuguese general insurance industry.

Comparison of the Portuguese general insurance segments, along with premium trends and key profitability ratios.

A comprehensive overview of the Portuguese economy, government initiatives, investment opportunities and enterprise structure.

Portuguese insurance regulatory framework's evolution, key facts, taxation regime, licensing and capital requirements.

Portuguese general insurance industry's market structure giving details of retail and commercial lines of business.

Details of the competitive landscape, M&A and competitors' profiles.

Scope

It provides historical values for the Portuguese general insurance segment for the report's 2015-2019 review period, and projected figures for the 2019-2024 forecast period.

It offers a detailed analysis of the key categories in the Portuguese general insurance segment, and market forecasts to 2024.

It profiles the top general insurance companies in Portugal, and outlines the key regulations affecting them.

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1 Executive Summary

Chapter 2 Economy Overview

Key Macroeconomic Indicators

Country Risk Index

Chapter 3 COVID-19 Impact Assessment

Chapter 4 Summary Trend and KPIs

Chapter 5 Regulatory Risk

Evolution

Key Facts

Licensing Requirements

Chapter 6 Key Trends by Line of Business- Retail and Commercial

Lines of Business

By Consumer Segment

Commercial Line of Business

Retail Line of Business

Chapter 7 Key Lines of Business- KPIs, Market Share and Concentration

Property Insurance

Motor Insurance

Liability Insurance

Financial Lines Insurance

Marine, Aviation and Transit insurance

Personal Accident Insurance

Health Insurance

Other Insurance

Chapter 8 Distribution Overview

Chapter 9 Competitive Landscape

Chapter 10 Competitor Profiles

Chapter 11 Insurtech

Chapter 12 Appendix

Companies Mentioned

Fidelidade Companhia de Seguros SA

Seguradoras Unidas

Companhia de Seguros Allianz Portugal SA

Ocidental Companhia Portuguesa de Seguros SA

Ageas Seguros

Zurich Insurance PLC

Liberty Seguros SA

Lusitania, Companhia de Seguros SA

Generali Companhia de Seguros SA

Credito Agricola Seguros Companhia de Seguros de Ramos Reais SA

Aegon Nao Vida

Via Directa Companhia de Seguros SA

Mapfre Seguros Gerais SA

CARAVELA Companhia de Seguros, SA

Victoria-Seguros SA

Mutua Dos Pescadores, Mutua de Seguros, C.R.L.

AIG Europe Limited

Chubb European

MetLife Europe dac

Axa France IARD

Europ Assistance Companhia Portuguesa de Seguros SA

AWP P&C

GNB Companhia de Seguros SA

Medis Companhia Portuguesa de Seguros de Saude SA

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8v43d

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210621005671/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

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LONDON, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Europe's first light jet fractional ownership brand, JetClub, a sister company of Jet It USA, has confirmed the addition of the Bye Aerospace electric eFlyer 800 to its fleet, marking a momentous milestone in sustainability for the aviation industry. A 7-passenger, all electric, twin turboprop aircraft, the eFlyer 800 offers a sustainable mode of travel that reconciles essential business travel with concerns about climate change.

JetClub CEO & Co-Founder, Vishal Hiremath commented: "Sustainability is at the core of the JetClub and Jet It philosophy. I want to be clear. Aviation is necessary for us to connect, to travel, to explore and to understand. When we travel and learn about each other, we become better versions of ourselves. Travel is truly the best education. Only aviation has made this possible. When we can do this with 100% clean air and zero emissions, it is a win-win for us and the environment. With the addition of the eFlyer 800 to our fleet, we take a leap forward in our sustainability goals without compromising on business travel and economic development."

Slated to be in operation by 2025, the eFlyer seats up to seven passengers and one or two pilots. The eFlyer 800 will have zero emissions and only one-fifth the operating costs of traditional twin turboprops and is geared for private ownership, air-taxi, air-cargo, and charter flights.

George Bye, Founder and CEO of Bye Aerospace commented "We have developed an aircraft that meets the needs of our growing global population without compromising the environment. Through the partnership with JetClub, we look forward to rolling out electric flight in Europe and Asia."

About JetClub

JetClub, A Maltese company, and a sister company of US based Jet It, is a fractional ownership business aviation company with an affordable and transparent solution. Owners purchase a share in a JetClub HondaJet and have access to the jet for days at a time. JetClub has a dedicated concierge team for its clients.

About Bye Aerospace

Based at Centennial Airport near Denver, Colorado, Bye Aerospace specializes in the design and manufacture of electric aircraft, including the eFlyer family of aircraft. Bye Aerospace was founded by George E. Bye, who is also the Chairman and CEO.

For more information: www.jetclubgroup.com

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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 21, 2021) - Microdose Psychedelic Insights is proud to announce the upcoming Psychedelic Capital: June 2021 conference to be taking place on June 30, 2021. Click here to get a free ticket: https://microdose.buzz/pressrelease

The virtual event will seek to provide attendees with some of the top companies, latest IPOs, newest opportunities, and deepest industry insights within the sector.

Part of an investor conference series diving deep into psychedelic medicine investment, Psychedelic Capital conferences seek to introduce investors and attendees with a curated group of CEOs, capital advisors, and investment luminaries from around the world.

The conference will subsequently play host to a number of corporate presentations, including:

 Gwella Mushrooms, a Toronto-based company dedicated to the research, production and distribution of medicinal mushroom-based products.

 ST Biosciences, a global phytopharmaceutical company involved in the research, development, cultivation, processing and commercialization of pharmaceutical and medicinal cannabis products.

 Return Health is seeking to use psychedelics to treat symptoms of dementia and develop psychedelic-based disease modifying therapies / drugs to fundamentally alter disease progression.

 Negev Capital, a Psychedelic Medical Intervention Investment Fund will host an exciting roundtable symposium that will explore the intersection between the science of psychedelic mood enhancing actions, and the strategic drug development decisions that are being made in advance of the science.

The roundtable features: Edward Sellers, MD, PhD, FRCPC, FACP, Scientific advisory chair at Diamond Therapeutics & Professor Emeritus, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medicine and Psychiatry at the University of Toronto; Carol Routledge, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at Small Pharma; Dr. Gideon Shapiro Ph.D, Vice President of Discovery at Bright Minds; and is moderated by Negev Capital partners Stuart Seidman and Ken Belotsky.

The conference will seek to enable attendees to build relationships, network with professionals from across the psychedelics industry, and gain access to exciting and ground-breaking pre-IPO investment opportunities within the wider sector.

Additional information about the Psychedelic Capital: June 2021 conference, as well as details for registration, can be found here: https://microdose.buzz/pressrelease

### Ends ###

Notes to Editors

To request media accreditation, or to arrange interviews with key personnel please contact:

Kristina Spionjak

kristina@microdose.buzz

About Microdose Psychedelic Insights

Microdose Psychedelic Insights aims to unlock the potential of psychedelics through Industry events, market intelligence, original, evidence-based content, strategy and community. We enable and empower society at large to make better, more mindful decisions about psychedelics and its intersection with healthcare, medicine and personal growth. We work with the industry's most influential stakeholders, some of the world's best-known brands and an unrivalled network of scientists, researchers, analysts, innovators, investors and advisors.

About PsyCap

This online event programming is dedicated to providing investment grade information for the nascent psychedelic sector and presents a curated group of CEOs, financial experts, thought leaders and investment luminaries from around the globe. Presentations are 30 minutes in length, with 10 minutes always allocated to a one-on-one Q&A session with the audience. Psychedelic Capital features the top companies, latest IPOs, newest opportunities and deepest insights into the emerging psychedelic space.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88038
IRVING (dpa-AFX) - U.S. oil company Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) is planning to cut its workforce in offices by between 5% and 10% annually for the next three to five years, Bloomberg reported. The lay offs will be conducted using the company's performance-evaluation system, hence will only affect the lowest-rated employees relative to peers. Therefore, it will not be classified as layoffs. Meanwhile, this year's evaluation is currently going on, but affected employees have not yet been notified, the report said. 'Our annual performance assessment process has been occurring over the last several months,' Exxon spokesman Casey Norton said. 'Where employees are not contributing to their highest ability, they may need to participate in an improvement plan. This is an annual process which has been in place for many years, and it is meant to improve performance. This process is unrelated to workforce reduction plans.' The company last year announced plans to reduce its global workforce by 14,000 by the end of 2021. Exxon had around 72,000 regular employees as of end-2020. Recently, the company lost three board seats to hedge fund Engine No. 1 after last month's annual shareholders' meeting. Engine No. 1 holds only 0.02% shares at the $250 billion company but during the economic crisis brought about by the pandemic, larger shareholders like BlackRock (BLK) pushed the company to look for more climate-oriented measures for a sustainable future. Engine No. 1 received the support of these shareholder groups and also the backing of pension funds. XOM closed Monday's trading at $62.59, up $2.19 or 3.63%, on the NYSE. The stock further gained $0.20 or 0.32% in the after-hours trade. 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.
The fast-growing kosher ecosystem in the cryptocurrency marketplace JewCoin has awarded the first NFT Hamsa ownership certificates. One of the first holders of their Jewish NFTs was Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

Last week, the JewCoin DAO team personally presented the Israeli Finance Minister with a certificate giving him the right to own one of the unique collection of NFT Digital Hamsa.

NFT JewCoin certificate for Avigdor Lieberman

The meeting was also attended by Inna Zilbergertz, CEO of NDIs Our House Israel party, who also received the first NFT Digital Hamsa collection certificate from JewCoin.

NFT JewCoin certificate for Inna ZIlbergertz

JewCoin began its journey as a meme-based cryptocurrency. The concept has grown into a more serious, unique idea of archiving Jewish heritage and cultural values and tokenizing them using a blockchain.

Now JEW token its utility token acts as the main unit of account of the entire JewCoin ecosystem and gives and gives its holders voting rights (within the governance mechanism) to JewDAO. In addition, unlike most coins on the crypto market, it has the property of rug-pull stability, in which 5% of all transactions are returned to the liquidity pools to all holders of the coin and locked for 40 years!

Before JewCoin, no one had yet succeeded in wrapping Jewish Torah commandments in NFT, providing users with sacred digital items in a decentralized financial marketplace. The projects main brainchild is a unique NFT collection that includes 613 Torah commandments. At the same time, JewCoin managed to launch other products to the NFT market, including Digital Hamsa crypto amulets, NFT Mezuzah, NFT Savivon, etc.

Also, the JewCoin DAO team plans to release a broader collection of NFT prayers, poems, songs, scriptures, stories, music, books, and more.

We should also note the fact that the entire tokenomics of JewCoin is based on the Jewish concept of tithing, in which the issue of JEW tokens is distributed at a rate of 10% for various tasks. And part of JewCoins working capital, in the form of 10%, goes to synagogues, supporting all Jewish people and in support of developing Jewish projects in the digital marketplace!
Industry giant Evolution Gamings operation revenue took a massive leap forward and shot up to 105% for 2021s Q1. Evolution enjoyed a revenue increase from 115.1 million in the first quarter of 2020 to a 235.8 million revenue now.

This increase came due to the completion of its NetEnt and Red Tiger Gaming acquisitions, as well as growth in the market and overall high demand in the gambling industry. Furthermore, the groups EBITDA also increased by 67.9% to 160 million, while profit increased by 144% to 132 million. Earnings per share earlier than dilution was 0.62.

Evolution Gaming are famous for video-streamed Live Dealer gaming on many brands popular for online gambling in Canada and other countries such as Betsson and Unibet. In fact, Evolutions next plans include the acquisition of another solid brand, Big Time Gaming by the end of this quarter.

CEO of Evolution Gaming, Martin Carlesund claims that the transaction is predicted to be accomplished throughout the second quarter. I look ahead to welcoming Big Time Gamings workforce to Evolution and to work collectively on new modern video games.

All these recent, and upcoming, acquisitions are all with the intention of Evolution becoming a brand that is a world chief in all disciplines to online casino. With NetEnt and Red Tiger Gaming, already under Evolutions belt, its general slot portfolio is ever-increasing.

Evolution Gaming are said to take a great revamp when it comes to the production of new and modern video games, including its slot collection. Due to Evolutions revenue growth, the brand is expecting a robust underlying demand from online casino choices in the first quarter of 2021 which is why the team is aiming for further growth. Its recent online casino division has been experiencing 60% year-on-year development in Q1 which is the ultimate development price that the corporate has seen in one quarter.

Carlesund claims that the integration of NetEnt has been successful. I am truly impressed by the work from our teams, who, without losing focus on the daily high-quality delivery, and in a very short time, have managed to merge both workflows and organisational structure. We can already see good results from this work in the first quarter and I believe we are well-set to continue to capitalise on the growing interest in online casino worldwide.

Even though 2021 has proved to be successful for Evolution Gaming, the year has been nothing but tough and challenging for the industry, especially due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many studios are working at a diminished capacity for their workers safety and security.

Carlesund goes on to say that Evolution is really a worldwide operation, serving gamers everywhere in the world. Our business organisation is now structured in four areas: Europe, Asia, North America and Latin America & Africa. With devoted business sources to every area, we look ahead to discover additional improvement for every area along with operators.

With the speculated and actualised increase in demand, Evolution Gaming is aiming for further development of its studios and operational capability. The brand has already dedicated action in North America and different areas through 2021s Q1, with more action to follow in the coming months.
Geneva, NY (14456)

Today

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Samsung launched the Galaxy A50 smartphone powered by Exynos 9610 SoC back in 2019, later it started using Exynos 9611 in Galaxy A50s and Galaxy A51 in the A series and the Galaxy M30s, M31, M21 and M31s in the M series as well as Galaxy F41 in India. Now several users have started reporting auto reboot and some have reported freezing issues in these phones after a recent update that was pushed out last month. Even a factory reset doesnt solve the issue, according to users.

#samsungassistant #Samsung #sunildutt Respected sir and https://t.co/nnJlciz0RY, in this

unprecendented times of covid-19 ,SAMSUNG further added more misery tomy life by notfixing the bug which caused by mobile to frequents restarts & freezing problem. I REQUEST U TO SOLVE IT. pic.twitter.com/gQzVc9dld6  Akshay Singh (@WC_Akshaysingh) June 16, 2021

In reply to users that who have reported the issue posted in the community page, Samsung asks them to report the issue along with the log using Samsung Members Application, but the company has not confirmed if this is a software or a hardware issue. When taken to the service centre, some users were told that the motherboard of the phone needs to be replaced. Those phones under warranty could the replacement for free, but those whose phones were out of warranty had to pay Rs. 6,000 or even more depending on the model.

Some users are still using these phones without any issue. This could be due to a mother boards used in some phones powered by Exynos 9610 and 9611 chips. Samsung is yet to release an official response regarding this issue. You can check out the link below to find the reports from several users who are facing the problem.

Via
The Samsung Odyssey lineup are highly popular products in the gaming monitor industry. Last year, the Odyssey lineup featured curved monitors, and for 2021, Samsung has expanded the product line with new flat-display options with the Odyssey G7, Odyssey G5 and Odyssey G3.

The Odyssey G7 (G70A) is a 28-inch, 4K, HDR400-certified display with a refresh rate of 144Hz and an ultra-low 1ms response time. It features support for NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and it has a HDMI 2.1 port, enabling 4K 120Hz output with current-gen consoles.

The Odyssey G5 (G50A)is a 27-inch, QHD display with a 165Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, and HDR10 support. It comes with a height-adjustable stand, with support for tilt, swivel and pivot for an ergonomic viewing experience.

The Odyssey G3 (G30A) comes in both 27-inch and 24-inch models, featuring a 1080p panel and max refresh rate of 144Hz. It supports AMD FreeSync Premium, and it comes with a height-adjustable stand.

The G70A will be available for $799.99 (Rs. 59,460 approx.), G50A for $499.99 (Rs. 37,160 approx.), 27 G30A will be available for $299.99 (Rs. 22,300 approx.), while the 24 model will be available for $249.99 (Rs. 18,580 approx.).

The complete spec sheet for the three new models are:

Commenting on the launch, Hyesung Ha, Senior Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics said:
Worse than ever before

About the same as last year

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Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu. Visit www.bobatthemovies.com for a chance to recommend movies to review between now and the time theaters reopen.
Paxton, IL (60957)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. High near 75F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

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Clear skies. Low 53F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP)  The Federal Aviation Administration is considering a plan to land commercial space vehicles in Alabama.

The agency recently released information about a proposal by the Huntsville airport and Nevada-based Sierra Space to use the site roughly 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of downtown to land ships that resemble a small space shuttle with upswept wings, WHNT-TV reported.

The spacecraft would be launched elsewhere and land on an existing runway in Huntsville, which has the largest commercial airport in north Alabama and is a hub for the aerospace industry.

The Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority said the FAA is conducting a preliminary review of the proposal.

A study completed in 2015 found the airport compatible for the so-called Dream Chaser, which Sierra Space describes as a spaceplane designed to take crew and cargo into low-Earth orbit. It would be launched on an Atlas V rocket.

Both the airport and the company would need licenses before any landings could occur.
(CNN) -- When Rachel Carle moved to Boston for college, she received a surprising gift -- a ticket to the New England Aquarium that had been in her great-aunt's wallet for nearly four decades.

Issued in 1983, the "late gate" tickets were given out to visitors who arrived too late in the day to enjoy the aquarium but were able to return on another day and make it up. The aquarium stopped issuing the tickets about 25 years ago, but when Carle arrived on June 11, aquarium staff agreed to honor her ticket and allow her entrance.

Carle shared a picture of the ticket on her Twitter account and thanked the aquarium for their generosity. The tweet went viral, garnering more than 2,500 likes.

"I walked up to the ticket office and explained the story of the ticket," Carle told CNN Travel. "They took a look at the ticket, laughed and said, 'Well, it says come back any time! There's no expiration date!'"

"I didn't know what to expect! I promised my great aunt Kit I would try; whether they honored it or not, she and I would have been glad just to see the story through. We're so glad they honored it!"

Today, a ticket to the New England Aquarium costs $32 for adults and $23 for children.

Now, Carle has a sweet story to share and happy memories of her trip to the aquarium. But she may soon have a more permanent reminder of the experience.

Her great-aunt actually had two of the "late pass" tickets, so Carle is planning to have the other one mounted and framed as a souvenir.

And Carle isn't the only person who has been able to use an expired ticket to gain admission to an attraction.

In 2019, Disneyland honored Canadian woman Tamia Richardson's1985 free entry pass, which she had won in a contest. She got the ticket as a teenager and returned as a mom of two who still loved all things Disney -- extra so now.

CNN affiliate WBZ in Boston was the first to report this story.
Police and firefighters respond after a truck drove into a crowd of people injuring them during The Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival in Wilton Manors, Fla., on June 19.
Alila Hinu Bay Opens to Guests in Oman

Alila Hinu Bay is the second Alila branded property in the country, strengthening Hyatts luxury lifestyle and wellbeing offering in the region

June 21, 2021 // Franchising.com // CHICAGO - Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced the opening of Alila Hinu Bay in Oman which joins Alila Jabal Akhdar as the brands second hotel in Oman along with 15 other Alila properties worldwide. Distinguished a strong commitment to sustainable tourism, the award-winning brand features luxury hotels and resorts in some of the most spectacular natural locations.

The 112-key hotel includes 16 villas and is nestled on a secluded beachfront in Omans southwest region of Dhofar. The untouched area is best known for its lush landscapes, cool summers, and it is within easy driving distance from Salalah International Airport. Between Samhan mountain and the blue waters of the Arabian Sea, Alila Hinu Bay caters to well-traveled guests seeking reflection and impactful connections. Along with the breath-taking scenery, the area is known for its rich Bedouin traditions and the renowned warmth of Omani hospitality. Combined with a personalized experience that is crafted for each guest, travelers can expect to be immersed in authentic yet bespoke journeys tailored to their preferences and interests.

"We are very excited to add Alila Hinu Bay to the Hyatt portfolio and welcome guests to this region of Oman, a true nature lovers paradise full of stunning landscapes, waterfalls and greenery, said Martin Persson, general manager, Alila Hinu Bay. Dedicated to being responsible and sustainable, guests can enjoy the farm to table concept at one of our three dining options or treat themselves to a customized spa experience that uses natural products.

Accommodations with a View

Alila Hinu Bay boasts 112 guestrooms and villas with interiors incorporating local materials which blend natural elements of the outdoors with clean, modern finishes . Guestrooms offer lagoon or sea views, each with its own terrace with fixed seating and the option of booking connecting rooms for families. Pool villas offer the utmost in luxury with private plunge pools and outdoor bathtubs, enabling guests to feel in tune with the natural surroundings. Further, all of the pool villas boast direct access to the beach and plenty of space to relax and recharge.

Sustainable Dining Experiences

Each of Alila Hinu Bays dining venues is committed to sourcing the majority of their produce from local vendors. Seasalt offers views over the ocean and welcomes guests to indulge in a coastal dining experience. The Orchard delivers sustainable, all-day dining, which is brought to life using natural and locally-sourced ingredients. The Lobby Lounge serves light refreshments and takes its cue from traditional Majilis-style seating.

Wellbeing Experiences

Situated between the mountains and the sea, guests have plenty of opportunities to immerse themselves in the beauty of the destination. Diving fans can enjoy the chance to experience some of the worlds most stunning and intact coral reefs, while those interested in fishing can try their hand at reeling in the catch of the day. Those seeking to unwind can relax with a treatment at Spa Alila, which uses only natural products, and which also offers a range of yoga and meditation classes.

Stepping outside of the resort, guests can continue their immersion into nature in the greenery of the Wadi Darbat valleys or by visiting natural caves, waterfalls and Khor Rori, the largest nature reserve in the area. Historical and cultural discoveries can be made at Mirbat Castle, the old merchant houses or the Sumhuram Archeological Park.

Alila Hinu Bay, Oman, adds to Hyatts existing Alila brand portfolio of 15 properties, joining hotels and resorts in Indonesia, India, China, Camboda, Malaysia and the United States. The new property also expands Hyatts brand footprint across the Middle East, becoming the 27th Hyatt-branded hotel in the region.

Guided by its purpose of care, Hyatts multi-layered Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment further enhances its operational guidance and resources around colleague and guest safety and peace of mind.

World of Hyatt Gives Members 1,000 Reasons to Stay Somewhere New

In celebration of the 1,000th Hyatt hotel opening, and to provide World of Hyatt members even more ways to be rewarded, World of Hyatt is offering members the opportunity to earn 1,000 Bonus Points per qualifying night at Alila Hinu Bay. Thats 500 more Bonus Points when guests check out between April 1 and June 30, 2021. No registration is required and members can earn on top of other offers.

Terms & Conditions

Offer valid for 500 Bonus Points for each qualifying night stayed by World of Hyatt members in good standing during a hotels offer period at participating hotels and resorts. Where a qualifying night and the hotels offer period coincide with any check outdate from April 1  June 30, 2021, World of Hyatt members in good standing will receive an additional 500 Bonus Points for a total of 1,000 Bonus Points for each qualifying night during that period.

Offer valid at participating hotels and resorts for stays with a checkout date during each hotels offer period.

To be eligible for this offer you must be a World of Hyatt member in good standing at time of reservation and stay, stay at a participating hotel with a checkout date during that hotels offer period, provide your World of Hyatt membership number at time of check-in, and either pay an Eligible Rate or redeem a free night award.

Guided by its purpose of care, Hyatts multi-layered Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment further enhances its operational guidance and resources around colleague and guest safety and peace of mind.

The term Hyatt is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.

SOURCE Alila

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FILE  In this June 13, 2021, file photo Israels new prime minister Naftali Bennett holds a first cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. How President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett manage that relationship will shape the prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East. They are ushering in an era no longer shaped by the powerful personality of Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu, who repeatedly defied the Obama administration, and then reaped the rewards of a warm relationship with President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)
Galveston, TX (77553)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then thunderstorms developing late. Low 81F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
New comments from PlayStation boss Jim Ryan suggest that Sony is working to shed its image as something of a cross-play curmudgeon.

During a recent interview with Axios, Ryan indicated that Sony wants even more PlayStation titles to support cross-play, and that the company is actively encouraging its inclusion.

"We support and encourage cross-play," explained Ryan, pointing to how the company helped facilitate cross-play in titles like Fortnite, Rocket League, Call of Duty, Minecraft, and more. "That number will only continue to grow."

Ryan's remarks imply there's been a rather siesmic mindset shift at the PlayStation maker, which was initially reluctant to allow cross-play on its platforms.

Earlier this year, for instance, court documents and comments from Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney that surfaced during the Epic vs Apple trial indicated that Sony only agreed to support cross-play in Fortnite after agreeing a unique compensation package with Epic.

Back in 2018, Microsoft also implied that Sony was the one blocking cross-play between Xbox One and PlayStation 4 owners, and made a public offer to work with the company to bridge the divide.

"We've worked closely with Nintendo to allow cross-network play between Xbox One and Switch and our offer to do the same with PlayStation players still holds," said Microsoft at the time.

Sony indicated it was hesitant to support cross-play because it had a "responsibility" to its own install base. Of course, it eventually relented on the issue to help bring cross-play to select titles, and now appears to have changed its outlook entirely.




[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press.]

BRASILIA, BRAZIL  June XX, 2021  No Place For Bravery , the story-driven action-RPG from Glitch Factory and Ysbryd Games exploring the lengths a parent would go to find their child, launches Q4 2021 on Nintendo Switch and Steam for PC.

The corpses of giants tower over battlefields colored by blood in Dewr, a Nordic-inspired world long marred by war. In camps and villages amidst the ruins of civilization, people struggle to rebuild and reconnect. Thorn, an ex-soldier carrying the weight of a thousand sins, prepares to hang up his sword forever until a chance appears to save his family.

Feel the weight of sword, shield, and guilt once more on a journey to find Thorns long-lost daughter Leaf and uncover the truth of her disappearance. Aided by Phid, Thornsfoster son, walk the path to redemption through a devastated high-fantasy world that chews up hope and demands the hardest choices.

Channel the bloody memories of past battles to slash, block, and parry in fast-paced, demanding combat. Stand up to unrelenting foes and titanic bosses who hit hardest after an ill-timed dodge or depleted stamina. Dash out of dangers way and redirect the flow of combat in Thorns favor, or adjust difficulty options to leisurely enjoy the narrative.

A painstakingly detailed pixel art world bears down on Thorn while the melancholic soundtrack of ancient struggle judges his every decision. Inspired by the real-world experiences of the development team and their own parenthood, No Place for Bravery examines the role of parents and the consequences of their choices on their children.

The actions of parents resonate long after the fact, said Matheus Queiroz, developer at Glitch Factory. No one ever truly knows how to raise a child in an unpredictable, unforgiving world. Mistakes will happen and we must live with them. This storyand our own journey creating itis an expression of that.

No Place For Bravery launches Q4 2021 on Nintendo Switch and Steam for PC for $19.99, with support for English, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese text at launch.

For more, join the Discord servers for developer Glitch Factory and publisher Ysbryd Games , visit the No Place For Bravery website , follow Glitch Factory on Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram . Keep up with Ysbryd Games on the official website and Twitter .

About Glitch Factory Games Making games in the heart of Brazil since 2012, Glitch Factorys founders dreamed of working in games, but finding few opportunities in their home country, they started their own company. Working both with clients and on their own titles, Glitch Factory operates with a horizontal structure where everyone has a voice in the decision-making process.

About Ysbryd Games Publisher Ysbryd Games delivers games with stories that have the heart and soul to stay with players for a lifetime, underlined by captivating gameplay and striking aesthetics.

Media Contacts Josh Silverman / Kyle Prahl Stride PR for Ysbryd Games [email protected] / [email protected]
In addition, by consistently refusing to take questions about her role, it was inevitable that, when she visited the region in early June, she would be asked. What was not inevitable was that she would be so ill-prepared to reply.

The question that has come up and you heard it here and youll hear it again Im sure, is, why not visit the border? NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt asked Harris.

We have to deal with whats happening at the border, she replied, adding that her focus was on why people were coming. When Holt asked if she had any plans to visit the border, she replied, At some point, you know, we are going to the border, then added three times, Weve been to the border  apparently a reference to visits while a California senator.

You havent been to the border, Holt said. And I havent been to Europe, Harris said, a flip answer that hardly helped her out of the political hole she had dug.

The next day, talking to reporters in Mexico City, Harris tried to explain her position, saying, You cant say you care about the border without caring about the root causes, and declaring again, Ive been to the border before. I will go again.
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Melissa Goff, who became superintendent of Greater Albany Public Schools in July 2019, noted in an email that, "While the District cannot comment on pending litigation, GAPS is dedicated to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all students and employees."

In the suit filed with the U.S. District Court, Munoz alleges numerous instances in which he said he either did not receive requested support from the school district, was held to a higher or different standard than other staffers or was reprimanded for matters outside his knowledge or control. He claims he was terminated because he filed complaints about the issues.

In one instance, the suit alleges Munoz requested  but was not provided  administrative support for students with special needs in late 2019, when staffers who were trained in working with the students were on leave. He was later disciplined for improper procedures regarding discipline of special needs students.

In another, Munoz alleges a district official directed him to talk with South staffers about spring break, which led to a complaint to the teachers' union and a further investigation of Munoz.
Gillette, WY (82718)

Today

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 90F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

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Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
Gillette, WY (82718)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
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
MONTREAL, June 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ora Graphene, the worlds first commercial producer of free-standing graphene membranes, announced the closing of its $3 million Seed financing round today. The deal was led by Ecofuel Fund along with Export Development Canada (EDC), BDC Capital and certain members of New York Angels. Existing investors TandemLaunch, and BoxOne Ventures also participated in the round. In conjunction with the financing, the company was recently awarded a Sustainable Development Technology Canada grant to explore new areas of graphene applications for its technology.



Ora has produced the largest sheets of free-standing graphene demonstrating incredible new material properties for multi-purpose commercial utilization. GrapheneQ membranes have already been proven to significantly improve sound quality and reduce energy consumption for global manufacturers of consumer electronics, with applications being developed for exciting new markets opportunities.

Diminishing energy consumption is one target around the world that will have a direct and rapid environmental impact. Ora has quickly established themselves as one of the most exciting new material startups in the industry to achieve this goal, commented Richard Cloutier, Managing Partner at Ecofuel Fund.

We were attracted to Ora not only because of their early traction with audio applications but also their plans to expand into other markets with their very unique intellectual property and experience with graphene production, added Bill Pertusi of the NY Angels. As part of our 2017 cohort, Ora has demonstrated clear technological advancements and market viability, said Helge Seetzen, General Partner of TandemLaunch Ventures. We are thrilled to see their market traction and provide continuous support.

Graphene has a multitude of differentiated properties which repeatedly earn it the title wonder material. Due to its unprecedented strength and conductivity, the range of applications for graphene spans from solar panels and new composites to headphones. Graphene was first isolated at the University in 2004 by two Russian scientists - Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov - who subsequently won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010 for their work on this new material. Novoselov himself added, I have known the team at Ora for years and was always impressed with their ingenious solutions of very challenging technological and scientific problems. Ora is a great example of a truly innovating company and I expect to see more real graphene products now come to market.

With this early capital infusion Ora can build upon the groundbreaking technology we invented at McGill and begin to deliver on our mission of being the global leader in graphene commercial applications, noted Robert-Eric Gaskell, cofounder and VP of Product as well as the original inventor. We began by solving a single vertical problem of improving sound quality and now look to exploit that knowledge and experience into broader markets.

About Ora Graphene

Founded in 2017 and based in Montreal, Ora develops and manufactures advanced graphene materials for a variety of applications. Oras core product GrapheneQ is patent protected and exploits the incredible mechanical properties of graphene combined with advanced proprietary production techniques. The company was founded by a joint effort between McGill University and TandemLaunch Ventures.

About TandemLaunch

TandemLaunch creates, incubates and accelerates early-stage technology start-ups based on inventions from the worlds top universities in the areas of artificial intelligence, computer vision, IoT, audio and advanced sensors. The Company scouts thousands of technologies every year from a network that spans over 600 universities worldwide. Having successfully executed over 50 technology transfer agreements, TandemLaunch is a spinout foundry with an international scope, producing high-impact, IP-focused companies with an unprecedented rate of success.

Contact

Ari Pinkas

Ora Graphene

press@ora-sound.com

www.ora-sound.com
Beverly Hills, CA , June 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Higher education specialist Bakhtiyor Isoev released two new episodes of the Education & Empowerment Podcast. The episodes feature interviews with George Boggs, Ph.D., president/CEO emeritus of the American Association of Community Colleges and superintendent/president emeritus of Palomar College in San Marcos, California, and Ian Sladen, vice president of cooperative education and career development at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the just-released episodes, Sladen and Dr. Boggs discuss ways to nurture student success, when higher education institutions should partner with outside vendors, and the future of career development.

Factors that Contribute to Student Success

At its most basic level, student success means learning, Dr. Boggs says to Isoev in Episode 9. It means learning new skills, new concepts, and new ways of thinking. He also notes that student success also means having the ability to set and accomplish goals.

Dr. Boggs says that a relatively straightforward way to increase student success in the classroom is to encourage students to form study groups, as multiple studies have shown that when students work together to learn new material they perform better. In particular, students from marginalized communities tend to do better during college when they receive support from peers and mentors that support their academic journey.

Dr. Boggs shares that student success encompasses much more than attending class and earning good grades, however. It also involves learning from other students through simply interacting with them, whether when participating in extracurricular activities or talking with each other in the dormitory.

Benefits of Partnering with Outside Vendors

Dr. Boggs believes that one way that institutions of higher education can better ensure that their students are successful is to outsource ancillary services, like student services and housing, to outside vendors.

Because we have such limited resources in higher education, we need to focus them on our true mission and leverage resources by partnering with other organizations that support our mission, Dr Boggs explains.

Listen to the full interview of Dr. George Boggs with Bakhtiyor Isoev on 4stay.

Trends in the World of Career Development

Virtual is here to stay, Sladen says in Episode 8. He states that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown employers that many jobs, including internships for college students, can successfully be done remotely. When it comes to working remotely, Sladen quips, I just dont see us putting the genie back in the bottle at this point.

Sladen also foresees that project-based learning, in which a multidisciplinary team of students directly work with an outside company or organization on one of their projects, will continue to grow in popularity.

Listen to the full interview of Ian Sladen with Bakhtiyor Isoev on 4stay.

About: The Education & Empowerment Podcast explores success and advancement through education by interviewing today's top leaders in the fields of education, business and technology. This show is brought to you by 4stay, a SaaS-enabled Online Booking marketplace for student and intern housing. Learn more at: https://4stay.com/

Want to partner with 4stay? Explore our Turnkey All-in-One Solutions at offcampus.4stay.com or landlords.4stay.com.

Email us at ibr@4stay.com or learn more at 4stay.com

More episodes may be found here:https://podcast.4stay.com/

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 [PR Distribution]. KISS PR Digital PR & Marketing powers the Mission Matters Business podcast with brand storytelling. T: 972.437.8942





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Dublin, June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market 2020-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global market for AI in healthcare is projected to have a CAGR of around 51.5% during the forecast period. AI is the technology that combines the power of machine learning and deep learning technology used by many sectors including remote sensing, medical diagnosis, electronic trading, transportation, education, and others. It is one of the essential tools in the healthcare industry as it supports analyzing complex medical data by utilizing software and algorithms. The AI-based technologies are also supported in detecting and preventing diseases in patients. Some of the factors attributing to the growth of the market include increasing demand for early and effective detection of diseases as people are becoming conscious regarding their health. Therefore, advanced AI technology supports in detecting the diagnosis of diseases on an early basis. Another factor being an increasing investment in healthcare to provide better healthcare facilities to patients that result in cost and time reduction of major surgeries.



However, some factors are hindering the growth of the market that includes security concerns with technology as all the data is stored in a wide area network called IoT where leakage of information can take place along with loss of services. Additionally, there must be the availability of relevant data in order to make AI work and without such proper data it's impossible to make them work is another restraint for the market. Since there is a substantial increase in government funding, investment in R&D and venture capital is creating significant opportunities for the growth of the market.



Impact of COVID-19 on AI in Healthcare Industry



The COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of AI in the healthcare sector, where AI-based solutions can be deployed at scale and respond more quickly to the dynamic nature of such crisis. Many market players universities, established companies, and start-ups are collaborating for the integration of AI in healthcare industry. For Instance, Current Health the UK-based remote monitoring company are supporting Mayo clinic and Baptist Health with their COVID-19 responses by contributing to the industry by high-speed digital adoption and scaling faster to meet demand during such crisis. The companies such as Google, Microsoft, Apple are also involved in initiatives including contact tracing, drug development, remote communications between patients and clinicians among others. COVID-19 has encouraged unparalleled data sharing and collaboration efforts, for instance, C3 AI has created a data lake accessible through APIs that contain a growing number of COVID-19 related data sets including genomic sequences of virus samples and image data. These initiatives will be establishing new infrastructures that will be driving the future growth of AI in healthcare industry.



Segmental Outlook



The global AI in healthcare market is segmented based on product type, application, and end-user. Based on the product type, the market is further classified into hardware and software & services. Further, based on the application the market is classified into diagnosis, biomarkers, AI-enabled hospital care, drug discovery and others. Based on end-user the market is segmented into hospitals and healthcare facilities, personal care, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical companies.



Global AI in Healthcare Market Share by Application, 2020(%)



The AI-enabled Hospital care segment is projected to dominate the global AI in the healthcare market.



Among application, the AI-enabled hospital care segment is estimated to hold the major share in the global AI in healthcare market. AI can act as a care provider in hospitals by using a range of advanced solutions such as smart monitoring of IV solutions, patient alert systems, patient medication tracking, nursing staff assessment systems, and tracking of patient movement within hospitals, among others. Robot-assisted surgeries and a range of applications of AI in routine phlebotomy procedures are some other potential applications of AI in hospitals. It considerably decreases errors in medicinal dosage and further increases the productivity of staff nurses in hospitals.



Regional Outlook



Geographically, the global AI in the healthcare market is classified into four major regions including North America (the US and Canada), Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (India, China, Japan, South Korea and Rest of Asia-Pacific), and Rest of the World (Latin America and the Middle East and Africa (MEA)). Europe is projected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. The market growth is attributed to the rising number of start-ups, increasing healthcare expenditure in the region. The other factors such well-developed ICT infrastructure, healthcare, and business services in countries such as the UK Germany, and others.



Geographically, North America is projected to hold a significant market share in the global AI in the healthcare market. The factors that are contributing to the growth of the market include high healthcare expenditures and the presence of major market players in the region such as Google, IBM, GE Healthcare, Jonson & Johnson, and others. Other factors being the rise in demand for digital health systems and decreasing healthcare workforce in various North American countries is raising demand for effective diagnosis and treatment services. US and Canada are the major economies of North America that have well-developed IT infrastructure and employ a large number of connected devices in healthcare facilities.



Market Players Outlook



The key players in the AI in the healthcare market contributing significantly by providing different types of products and increasing their geographical presence across the globe. The key players of the market include Siemens AG, Microsoft Corp., IBM Corp., Google, LLC., and General Electric Co., among others. These market players adopt various strategies such as product launches, partnerships, collaborations, mergers, and acquisitions to sustain a strong position in the market. In February 2019, IBM Corp. announced that it plans to make a 10-year $50 million investment in research collaborations with two academic centers Brigham and Women's capital and Vanderbilt University Medical Center to advance AI research and its applications in major public health issues. This scientific collaboration with both the universities will be focusing upon critical health issues that are well suited to AI solutions.



The Report Covers

Market value data analysis of 2019 and forecast to 2026.

Annualized market revenues ($ million) for each market segment.

Country-wise analysis of major geographical regions.

Key companies operating in the global AI in the Healthcare market. Based on the availability of data, information related to pipeline products, and relevant news is also available in the report.

Analysis of business strategies by identifying the key market segments positioned for strong growth in the future.

Analysis of market-entry and market expansion strategies.

Competitive strategies by identifying 'who-stands-where in the market.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Report Summary

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. Regulations



3. Competitive Landscape

3.1. Key Company Analysis

3.1.1. Overview

3.1.2. Financial Analysis

3.1.3. SWOT Analysis

3.2. Key Strategy Analysis

3.3. Impact of Covid on key players



4. Market Determinants

4.1. Motivators

4.2. Restraints

4.3. Opportunities



5. Market Segmentation

5.1. Global AI in Healthcare market by Product Type

5.1.1. Hardware

5.1.2. Software and Services

5.2. Global AI in Healthcare market by Application

5.2.1. Diagnosis

5.2.2. Biomarkers

5.2.3. AI Enabled Hospital Care

5.2.4. Drug Discovery

5.2.5. Others (Remote Monitoring)

5.3. Global AI in Healthcare market by End-user

5.3.1. Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities

5.3.2. Personal Care

5.3.3. Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Companies



6. Regional Analysis

6.1. North America

6.1.1. United States

6.1.2. Canada

6.2. Europe

6.2.1. UK

6.2.2. Germany

6.2.3. Italy

6.2.4. Spain

6.2.5. France

6.2.6. Rest of Europe

6.3. Asia-Pacific

6.3.1. China

6.3.2. India

6.3.3. Japan

6.3.4. South Korea

6.3.5. Rest of Asia-Pacific

6.4. Rest of the World



7. Company Profiles

7.1. 3Scan, Inc.

7.2. Atomwise, Inc.

7.3. Amara Health Analytics Inc.

7.4. Bay Labs, Inc.

7.5. BioBeats Inc

7.6. Cloudmedx inc.

7.7. Google LLC

7.8. General Electric Co.

7.9. IBM Corp.

7.10. Intel Corp.

7.11. iCarbonX

7.12. Johnson & Johnson Services Inc.

7.13. Koninklijke Philips N.V.

7.14. Medtronic PLC

7.15. MedAware Systems, Inc.

7.16. Microsoft Corp.

7.17. Micron Technology Inc.

7.18. NVIDIA Corp.

7.19. Oncora Medical

7.20. Siemens AG

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bt3k3w
New York, June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "North America Tabletop Kitchen Products Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product, By Application, By Country And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06096544/?utm_source=GNW



North America Tabletop Kitchen Products Market Growth & Trends



The North America tabletop kitchen products market size is expected to reach USD 17.03 billion by 2028, registering a CAGR of 4.8% from 2021 to 2028. The rising number of eateries and restaurants has driven the need for various tabletop kitchen products for the preparation, service, and delivery of various kinds of foods. The rapid growth of the real estate industry and a rise in commercial construction activities in the region are also likely to boost market growth in the coming years.



Rising disposable income, changing lifestyles, and an increasing number of houses are expected to drive the product demand over the forecast period.However, the growing popularity of disposable dinnerware, flatware, and drinkware products is a major factor behind the declining usage of tabletop products in the residential and commercial sectors.



Rapid urbanization is one of the prominent factors leading to a change in the purchasing behavior of consumers.



Companies in the market are focusing on increasing product launches to increase their market share. For instance, in April 2019, The Oneida Group, Inc. opened a new retail showroom at FortyOne Madison to unveil new flatware designs for the Spring New York Tabletop Show. The growing trend of wine tasting in developing countries also acts as a major driver for the market. For instance, in 2019, Water Street Wines & Spirits started a new venture for selling wine glasses, serving its existing customer base in Penn Yan, New York, U.S.



North America Tabletop Kitchen Products Market Report Highlights

 The dinnerware segment accounted for the largest revenue share of over 35% in 2020 and will expand further at a steady CAGR from 2021 to 2028

 The dominance of the segment can be attributed to the high demand for these products among consumers from both, the residential and commercial sectors

 The residential segment accounted for the second-largest revenue share in 2020 and will expand at a steady CAGR from 2021 to 2028 due to the rising number of residential construction projects and rapid urbanization

 The overall market is characterized by the presence of several well-established as well as some small- and medium-scale players

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06096544/?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.



__________________________
Company Announcement no. 85  2021

Copenhagen, June 21st, 2021

GreenMobility enters the German market and acquires Twist Mobility

GreenMobility has signed an agreement with EnBW, Germanys 3rd largest energy company, and Bridgemaker to acquire Twist Mobility GmbH as of July 1st, 2021. This marks GreenMobilitys first city in Germany, and its 5th country of operation.

Twist Mobility is based in Baden-Wurttemberg, a state with 11 million inhabitants and more than 500 municipalities, where GreenMobility will target its service. Twist Mobility services smaller cities where the municipality offers carsharing locally, provided by Twist. The municipality pays a fixed monthly fee to cover the cost of the cars and thus reducing the cost risk of the business. Currently, Twist Mobility operates 12 shared electric vehicles.

At the same time, GreenMobility and EnBW, through their subsidiary Netze BW, have signed a distributor agreement, where Netze BW will promote and sell the electric carsharing service to their network of municipalities, with close synergies to their charging infrastructure in the same municipalities. GreenMobility will operate electric shared cars across these municipalities, and thereby also taking the existing sharing business into even smaller cities.

This also illustrate a new way of entering a market, with a lower cost base. In our expansion, focus continues to be on reducing the negative cash flow required to reach profitability in a market, where a key element for example is to secure BtB agreements before launching. This acquisition and Twist Mobilitys business model are good examples of this.

GreenMobility expects to increase its fleet of electric shared vehicles under this cooperation by 40-50 EVs in 2021 and 100 EVs in 2022. The acquisition and new cooperation will not impact the guidance for 2021.

EnBW is with its size the perfect partner for building our business in Germany. Today, EnBW operate a large charging network and have strong customer relations with a large number of municipalities and companies in the state. That gives us access to a powerful sales partner, which we have great expectations for, says Thomas Heltborg Juul, Group CEO in GreenMobility.

Contact and further information

Anders Wall, COO & Deputy CEO, Head of IR, +45 25 40 30 20, e-mail: aw@greenmobility.com

About EnBW Innovation

EnBW Innovation has been an integral part of EnBWs corporate strategy since mid-2014 and has positioned itself at the top of the German corporate innovation landscape. In partnership with committed company founders, investors and employees, we develop commercially successful business models in energy-related markets and beyond. With Incubation, Company Builder, and EnBW New Ventures, we are active in all innovation phases and serve as a competent and financially strong partner to help young company founders and mature start-ups to make progress. Website: www.enbw.com/innovation

About Bridgemaker

Bridgemaker is Europe's leading independent corporate company builder. With a team of experienced entrepreneurs and innovators, Bridgemaker enables companies and hidden champions to discover their competitive advantages by creating innovative start-ups outside the narrow confines of their operational business. At the heart of its success is the partnership between the team and the experts in the corporate sector. Bridgemaker was founded in 2016 by Henrike Luszick and since then has built up more than fifteen successful ventures. Website: www.bridgemaker.com

About GreenMobility

GreenMobility offers modern urbanites easy, flexible, and sustainable transport in the form of electric, shared city cars. Users have access to these cars via the GreenMobility app. Trips are paid per minute, through minute packages, or on a daily basis. Today, GreenMobility operates a total of 950 EVs in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Malmo, Gothenburg, Antwerp, Gent, Brussels and Helsinki. More than 130,000 people are registered as customers at GreenMobility.

Driven by global megatrends, GreenMobility sees a rapidly growing market for carsharing in large cities that demand green transport for their citizens and aim to reduce the number of private cars. GreenMobilitys ambition is to be among the leading global operators of green shared mobility solutions. GreenMobility is publicly listed for trading on the Nasdaq Main Market Copenhagen in Denmark.

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English Estonian

Admiral Markets AS is expanding and opening a subsidiary in Jordan. It is the implementation of the company's long-term strategy, one of the goals of which is to continue expanding in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The investment required to open a new subsidiary is JOD 3 280 000, or just over 4 million EUR.

Sergei Bogatenkov, the CEO of Admiral Markets AS, participated at the visit of the official high-level Estonian business delegation to Jordan in September 2019. After successful meetings and contacts with local state representatives, the company launched a project to expand to Jordan which was finalised on 06.06.2021 when Admiral Markets was issued a license to start operations there. The company is opening a local office in Amman, Jordan, with 10 employees. At present, this is the first Estonian company establishing its long-term existence in the country and the first financial company with European origin starting its operations.

According to Bogatenkov, Jordan has exemplified a hybrid environment where strong historical and cultural pasts relating to trade and focus on economic growth mixes with a continued strive towards modernisation and alignment with European standards. At the same time it ensures that it differs from the region with its European economic and cultural essences remaining at the forefront of this evolution into a modern day hub for business.

One of the important arguments for establishing a subsidiary was Jordan's initiative and interest in attracting foreigner companies and encouraging them to enter the local market. Jordan is known for its steady and secure financial system. "The Middle East and North Africa region is home to 600 million people, which means a great potential for us to grow our customer base and gain a larger market share, while looking to provide the opportunity for people in the region to experience the joys of alternative financial products which we have seen take off so successfully in Europe over the last years," said Sergei Bogatenkov, adding: "Our expansion plans are supported by the rapid development of the IT sector there."

According to Bogatenkov, the company has been operating for 20 years, expanding its service and value offering to both customers and investors. In March, celebrating its 20th anniversary, the company announced its rebranding to Admirals, explaining that over the past two decades Admiral Markets has revolutionised trading and investing, enabling millions of satisfied individuals to structure and manage investments in a safe, secure and simplified way. Back in 2001, Admiral Markets was a Forex and CFD brokerage company. Today, it stands for an innovative and streamlined personal finance experience. Our goal is to offer integrated solutions for investing, paying, lending and managing money. In 10 years' time, we want to provide financial freedom for 10 million people. The local presence in Jordan is one of the steps in implementing the long-term vision and positioning the company in new markets, added Bogatenkov.

Although the official state language in Jordan is Arabic, for historical reasons English is also spoken. "In Jordan, we can use our strong experience in Europe and build a new business center. Although Jordan's neighbours are not known for their political stability, Jordan has managed to avoid conflicts. It is appropriate for us to compare this country with Switzerland," said Bogatenkov.



Investment company Admiral Markets AS, established in Estonia, is a branch of Admiral Markets Group AS, which has the right to provide investment services under the operating license of the Estonian Financial Supervision Authority in the European Union and the European Economic Area countries. Admiral Markets Group AS is physically represented in 20 countries through its regulated trading companies with a customer portfolio covering over 145 countries.



Additional information:

Communication manager of Admiral Markets AS

kaia.gil@admiralmarkets.com

+372 53 413 764










New York, NY, June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Headstrong Project Inc., a national-facing mental health treatment practice of choice providing military connected individuals and their families with cost-free, barrier-free, and stigma-free, confidential mental health treatment, today announced the hiring of Dr. Amy Williams, Ph.D., as the organizations first, in-house Chief Clinical Officer. An expert in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Dr. Williams has engaged in the research of and training therapists in effective treatments for PTSD in veteran/military and civilian populations for over 20 years. She also participated in over ten clinical journal publications and lead awards of five grants including a TBI Program at the Steven A Cohen Military Family Clinic at Metrocare, awarded by Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

We are thrilled beyond words when we think about the addition of Dr. Williams to the Headstrong family, and what she brings in terms of experience and leadership to help us advance our clinical standing, said Colonel (U.S. Army, Ret.) Jim McDonough, Headstrongs Executive Director. Amys arrival marks the beginning of Headstrongs efforts to increase its clinical capacity in ways that will propel the organization to new heights of clinical excellence and expertise in mental health treatment for our nations military connected families, and were excited to begin this journey together, said Executive Director McDonough.

Over the last nine years, Headstrong has led an unprecedented effort to expand access to high-quality, community-based mental health resources for our US military members, veterans, and their families. Treating an average of 1,000 veterans a month across 28 distinct program geographies encompassing 12 states and the District of Columbia, with nearly 300 world-class clinicians who collectively have provided well over 70,000 individual clinical sessions. The addition of Dr. Williams ensures the organization is well positioned to expand upon its success in the years ahead.

"On behalf of the board of directors, we are delighted Dr. Williams is joining the Headstrong team. To a member, we are committed to supporting her efforts to build best-in-class clinical operations that provide the very best treatment approaches for our military connected members and their families. Headstrong's clinical future is in very good hands with Amy as its Chief Clinical Officer and I look forward to working with her and her team in the years ahead.", said Paul Casey, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Prior to joining Headstrong, Dr. Williams successfully spearheaded the opening of one of the first clinics within the Cohen Veterans Network in Dallas, Texas. While there, she held an adjunct volunteer faculty member position at the Department of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center and instituted the first research study within the CVN network in conjunction with UT-Dallas.

Amongst her many career accomplishments, Dr. Williams is a 2019 George W. Bush Institute Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program Scholar and completed a personal leadership project with the Bush Institute focused on elevating care for veterans with a history of TBI and co-occurring PTSD. She has held leadership positions in the International Society for Traumatic Stress Specialists (ISTSS) and is on the board of the Crockett Retreat Center, a nonprofit providing weekend horsemanship retreats for veterans and first responders.

Dr. Williams came to Headstrong with a stellar reputation within the veteran community, making her a perfect fit to lead the newly structured clinical team. I have dedicated my career to ensuring that those who have experienced a traumatic life event are able to access mental health treatments that work. Headstrong strives to create access to that type of care for those who may have sacrificed their well-being for our countrys greater good. In joining the Headstrong mission, I endeavor to support and elevate the current care being provided and help deliver the best treatment to those who seek to heal from trauma., said Dr. Williams.

Dr. Williams received her B.A. in psychology from Texas Tech University with a minor in business management, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Texas. She completed her predoctoral internship at the Palo Alto VA Medical Center. While there, she trained at the National Center for PTSD, a Stanford-affiliated unit in the area of serious mental illness, and in the areas of family therapy, substance use, and geriatric psychology. Her postdoctoral training at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, with Dr. Patricia Resick, focused on research and treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder with Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure. She currently resides in Dallas, Texas where in her free time, you will typically find her hanging out with her dog, playing the piano, or reading a good book.

About Headstrong

Founded in 2012, Headstrong provides confidential, cost-free, bureaucracy-free, and stigma-free mental health care treatment for the nations military connected members and their families. Headstrong currently offers effective, individually tailored and comprehensive in-person and telehealth treatment programs for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other related military trauma within 12 States and 28 markets. Treating ~1,000 veterans a month with over a total of 70,000 clinical sessions, Headstrong is well on its way to becoming a national mental health treatment practice of choice for Americas military connected families. Follow Headstrong @getheadstrong on social media or visit our website: getheadstrong.org to learn more on how Headstrong is healing the hidden wounds of war.

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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Walden Security recently announced Stephen Wilson as the companys 2020 Court Security Officer of the Year for the 5th Circuit of the United States Marshals Service (USMS) at a local ceremony hosted in his honor.



The annual award is presented to employees throughout the country for the critical safety and customer service role Walden Security officers have for the companys clients.

Only 13 security officers from the companys more than 6,000 employee workforce receive this top award each year. To qualify, a prerequisite is having Court Security Officer of the Quarter recognition within the same year.

Court Security Officer (CSO) Wilson was assigned to the USMS 13 years ago, and is the designated firearms instructor for the 5th Circuit.

CSO Wilsons work ethic does not go unnoticed by his superiors or by the companys customer, according to Lead Court Security Officer (LCSO) Jonathan Crain. He leads by example and offers support to his peers, contributing to their growth and success as CSOs.

CSO Wilson is an excellent example of what is desired by the USMS and Walden Security to be a Court Security Officer, LCSO Crain said. He is a dedicated professional who is often utilized to handle the most high-profile assignments.

One particular incident contributed to CSO Wilsons nomination. In July 2020, he prevented a potentially dangerous situation involving a suspicious person who refused to comply with courthouse regulations. The perpetrator provoked the officers while attempting to gain entry, and was unsuccessful due to CSO Wilsons involvement.

Each Court Security Officer of the Year is presented with a $500 cash award, commemorative name tag and Coin of Excellence during an awards ceremony attended by clients, co-workers, family members and Walden Security branch and corporate support staff.

The Court Security Officer of the Year is the most prestigious recognition given to those officers who have excelled in their duties by demonstrating initiative, leadership and outstanding service. They are an example to us all, Walden Security President Michael S. Walden said.

About Walden Security: Setting the Standard by Setting the Example

Walden Security is one of the nations only security firms with an ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Certification, and is the nations largest WBENC-certified Womens Business Enterprise specializing in uniformed and integrated security services. For four consecutive years, Walden Security was ranked among the Training Top 100 award for its extensive training programs, and received various awards from Training magazine for its classroom-delivered employee training and orientation program as well as its advancement training program for managers. Dedicated to business integrity, Walden Security is also a two-time winner of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics and recipient of the BBB International Torch Award for Ethics. For more information, visit waldensecurity.com, or follow Walden Security at facebook.com/waldensecurity, twitter.com/waldensecurity or linkedin.com/company/walden-security.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Erica Gurrieri, Corporate Communications

erica.gurrieri@waldensecurity.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/36ae0f50-9175-4c56-8993-4c033541ee5c
LOWELL, Mass., June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rapid Micro Biosystems, Inc., an innovative life sciences technology company providing mission critical automation solutions to facilitate the efficient manufacturing and fast, safe release of healthcare products, is pleased to announce the addition of veteran Asia Pacific (APAC) commercial leader Sean Maynard to support its vision of becoming the trusted standard in the global microbial quality control (MQC) marketplace. In his role as APAC Commercial General Manager, Maynard reports to Scott White, VP of Global Sales, and is based in Singapore.



I am incredibly excited to welcome Sean to our team, said White. I believe he has the right experience to lead our APAC expansion with both new and current customers who use our technology to support the manufacture of drug products such as biologics, sterile injectables, cell and gene therapies, and vaccines.

Maynards background includes 15 years leading commercial sales teams in the APAC region, most recently achieving strong growth results as the APAC commercial leader for the microbiology division at Thermo Fisher Scientific, based in Singapore. He holds a program certificate from Harvard Business School, as well as a Diploma of Applied Science in Biological Chemistry Technology from University of Western Sydney.

Rapid Micro Biosystems CEO Robert Spignesi described Maynards hiring as a strategic move aimed at expanding the companys presence in the APAC region. There is significant demand for our Growth Direct platform from pharmaceutical manufacturers in Asia Pacific, said Spignesi. With Seans addition, coupled with continued investment in APAC, we believe we are well-equipped to capitalize on our significant growth potential in the region.

About Rapid Micro Biosystems

Rapid Micro Biosystems is an innovative life sciences technology company providing mission critical automation solutions to facilitate the efficient manufacturing and fast, safe release of healthcare products such as biologics, vaccines, cell and gene therapies, and sterile injectables. The companys flagship Growth Direct platform automates and modernizes the antiquated, manual microbial quality control (MQC) testing workflows used in the largest and most complex pharmaceutical manufacturing operations across the globe. The Growth Direct platform brings the quality control lab to the manufacturing floor, unlocking the power of in-line/at-the-line MQC automation to deliver faster results, greater accuracy, increased operational efficiency, better compliance with data integrity regulations, and quicker decision making that customers rely on to ensure safe and consistent supply of important healthcare products. The company is headquartered and has U.S. manufacturing in Lowell, Massachusetts, and global locations in Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands. For more information visit www.rapidmicrobio.com. Follow RMB at @rapidmicrobio or LinkedIn.

Contact(s)

Courtney Makolandra

Rapid Micro Biosystems

CMakolandra@rapidmicrobio.com

978.349.3200
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Walden Security recently welcomed Adrian Peters to the company as business development manager for the South Carolina markets.



Peters brings more than 20 years of sales experience from a variety of markets, including commercial real estate, healthcare, education, petrochemical, manufacturing and government services.

Prior to joining the Walden Security team, he served in the U.S. Army and dedicated his civilian career to developing custom solutions for his customers on local, regional and national levels. Peters held such roles as vice president of sales for Security Management of South Carolina and vice president for Fenix Strategies. He also served as business development manager for Allied Universal Security Services, where Peters ranked in the top one percent of the sales team, consistently exceeding the companys annual goals.

We are incredibly excited to welcome Adrian Peters as the head of business development for South Carolina, Lauren Tudor, Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing/Learning & Development said. As security programs continue to become increasingly more sophisticated and complex, Adrians proven experience with traditional and new security solutions will serve our South Carolina clients well. We look forward to Adrians contributions to help Walden Security expand throughout the region and beyond.

As business development manager for Walden Security, Peters analyzes client needs to deliver personalized, problem-solving security programs throughout South Carolina with support from his branch teams in Charleston and Greenville.

Building relationships and listening to people is key to supporting the goals of my clients, Peters said. In these uncertain times, I strive to be nimble, creative and proactive in developing custom solutions. With Walden Securitys integrated security offerings, Im confident in my ability to bring value and establish loyalty in our South Carolina markets.

In addition to his career, Peters is active in various professional organizations, such as the International Facility Management Association, Community Associations Institute, Economic Development Organizations, ASIS and BOMA.

About Walden Security: Setting the Standard by Setting the Example

Walden Security is one of the nations only security firms with an ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Certification, and is the nations largest WBENC-certified Womens Business Enterprise specializing in uniformed and integrated security services. For four consecutive years, Walden Security was ranked among the Training Top 100 award for its extensive training programs, and received various awards from Training magazine for its classroom-delivered employee training and orientation program as well as its advancement training program for managers. Dedicated to business integrity, Walden Security is also a two-time winner of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics and recipient of the BBB International Torch Award for Ethics. For more information, visit waldensecurity.com , or follow Walden Security at facebook.com/WaldenCorporate, twitter.com/waldensecurity or linkedin.com/company/walden-security .

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Erica Gurrieri, Corporate Communications

erica.gurrieri@waldensecurity.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ca5d8b1f-ca7c-4196-9a1f-e7998966d902
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Western Governors University (WGU) is pleased to welcome Nadeem Syed as Chief Financial Officer. He succeeds David Grow, whos led financial strategy for 14 years, introduced WGUs innovative flat-rate tuition model, and has since moved into the role of Chief Operating Officer. Syed will lead all aspects of financial strategy and operations at the nonprofit university, with a focus on maximizing WGUs students and graduates return on educational investment while maintaining the universitys ability to self-sustain on affordable tuition.

"At WGU, we believe that education is the surest path to opportunity, and we hold ourselves accountable as a good fiduciary to our students, said WGU President Scott Pulsipher. Nadeems passion for lifelong learning, expansive financial knowledge, and entrepreneurial mindset aligns with the student-centric mentality that drives WGUs culture. We are thrilled to have him join us, and we look forward to his impact.

WGU is a pioneer in competency-based education and an early adopter of technology-enabled teaching and learning. In its first 24 years, WGUs disruptive educational model has helped more than 230,000 individuals earn bachelors and masters degrees at a cost that has remained at half the national average. Keeping in the tradition of learners first, Syed will work closely with WGUs Chief Academic Officer Marni Baker Stein and Chief Information Officer David Morales to execute on innovation and evolution of WGUs learning platform and technologycreating personalized learning pathways that follow our values of high quality and affordability, delivering high value to WGU students.

As the original digital-native university, WGU embodies innovation and student obsession, Syed said. The mission of creating pathways to opportunity for underserved student communities resonates with my sense of purpose and my own experiences with the transformative power of higher education. I am delighted to join the talented leadership team to expand student access, accelerate innovation, and help WGU maintain its leadership in reimagining higher ed for the next century.

Syed joins WGU following 11 years with AT&T, most recently as its head of consumer wireline finance. Prior to that, Syed led the product, corporate development, and strategy finance for Xandr - AT&Ts advertising company. During his tenure at AT&T, Syed held diverse leadership positions across finance, pricing, analytics, and business development. His roles spanned telecom, media, and advertising sectors. Syed was a founding member of AT&T Partner Exchangea startup business within the companyand was instrumental in the launch of DirecTV Now streaming service. Prior to AT&T, Syed co-founded a medical imaging start-up in Singapore, led software R&D at Hewlett-Packard, and conducted machine learning research, publishing several peer-reviewed articles. Syed grew up in India and obtained a B.S. in Computer Science from National University of Singapore as a recipient of Singapore Airlines Scholarship from the Government of Singapore. He later earned an M.S. in Computer Science and an MBA, both from Georgia Tech.

About WGU

Established in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors with a mission to expand access to high-quality, affordable higher education, online, nonprofit WGU now serves more than 131,000 students nationwide and has more than 230,000 graduates in all 50 states. Driving innovation as the nations leading competency-based university, WGU has been recognized by the White House, state leaders, employers, and students as a model that works in postsecondary education. In just 24 years, the university has become a leading influence in changing the lives of individuals and families, and preparing the workforce needed in todays rapidly evolving economy. WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, has been named one of Fast Companys Most Innovative Companies, and has been featured on NPR, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and in The New York Times. Learn more at wgu.edu and wgu.edu/advocate.

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NEW YORK, June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When it comes to trading the Foreign Exchange market, one needs to have proper education, skills, and guidance in order to succeed. Trading in the forex market is just like riding a rollercoaster, as volatility and sudden moves are common in the forex market. This is where proper education and guidance can help a beginner succeed and master the forex market. TeePee FX is one such company that offers an elite Beginner to Advanced Forex Course The Vault.

The Vault is a Comprehensive Forex Course designed to take people from a newbie to a confident, successful & independent trader. The course is highly detailed and structured in such a way that traders improve their skills and learn the tricks of the trade in a consistent and effective manner. It includes in-depth written guides and detailed video tutorials along with weekly outlook videos, trade re-caps, new technique explanations, and more. The Vault is everything a person needs in order to learn and master the forex market.

TeePee FXs Elite Forex Course The Vault

The Vault is a complete Forex course that misses absolutely nothing out. Starting at bare basics (what is Forex, why do the markets do what they do) moving up into much more advanced subjects (how to understand why Banks do what they do, advanced chart patterns, how to manage trades, and yourself), its designed for people that are completely new, as well as catering for people that may have been trading years and just need to find "their edge". Other than a few dedicated strategies (Engulfing candles and TeePee FXs unique approach to Fibs) the program is actually constructed to teach people how to read a chart properly without the use of lagging indicators.

Unlike other providers, TeePee FXs course is flawed in the fact that they are trying to show people how simple this can really be, pushing them to depend on no one but themselves. The Vault shows traders what a pattern is, how to find it, why the pattern forms, what to do when a pattern forms, how to invalidate, how to find targets, how and when to secure partial profits and get "risk-free" (stops to breakeven) and when to enter a trade. This allows students to have a very deep understanding of each component as they don't just recognize something, but they also understand it. All of which is explained with simple, easy-to-understand analogies in The Vault.

TeePee FX wants the course to teach people how to trade completely independently and have confidence in themselves whilst doing so. The course has hours of material of varying difficulty and is organized so it gets more intense and in-depth as students progress through it. In the course; The Vault, TeePee FX share all of their own trades (for good or bad) in a live student webinar where students are free to ask anything they need to. All of their own trades are taken using the same techniques and methods that are included in the course. Additionally, members of The Vault get exclusive access to two free 1-on-1 webinars.

The TeePee FX Forex Course is broken up into bite size modules, that are then separated into three sections (beginner, intermediate & advanced). There are no 2-hour videos that continuously drone on with filler before getting to something relevant. Founder of TeePee FX and professional trader and mentor; Dan Taylor, builds a personal and constructive relationship with every single student as he truly cares about their understanding and progression. He has helped multiple students move into "funded trader" status using various prop firms. TeePee FX wants people to understand how to read a chart and how they can use this to their advantage in the form of their own consistently profitable trades.

According to the founder of TeePee FX; Dan Taylor We have a unique approach in as much as: I don't only show my good trades, I show my bad trades also, as well as sharing the lessons from these trades so our students do not need to duplicate these errors. We have a student chat room that has a "zero bullshit" approach. I do my best to answer every single question from every single student, no matter how small or potentially difficult the question may be. My approach is very much "the only stupid question, is that which is not asked," anyone that truly wants to trade properly, and understand why they are doing what they are doing should 100% have a go at our course.

Conclusion

TeePee FXs The Vault is the perfect course for people who are looking to start their career in the forex market and transition into professional traders. According to students of TeePee FX TeePee FX is unbeatable in the Forex industry. If you want education and truly want to learn how to trade Forex, TeePee FX is the place to be. Purely education with an incredible community willing to help in any way and push you to improve.

TeePee FX helps people find their edge with the course and mentorship program; The Vault, that is laid out in a manner, making it suitable for complete newbies as well as seasoned traders that may just need a little refining to hit the next level.

Check out TeePee FX and their Forex Course The Vault HERE





A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c1353fb4-2d04-4c15-a308-2d87a09452c1
KANSAS CITY, Missouri, June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vytelle, with their network partners, announce the release of the Top 150 Proven Bulls. These high accuracy bulls have risen to the top of more than 81,000 animals of 25 different breeds and more than 262,000 residual feed intake (RFI) EPDs.

There are two high-stake producer decisions that drive genetic progress in the global cattle industry: mating selection and reproduction method. By publicly sharing this list of feed efficient bulls, were able to assist cattle producers in identifying elite animals that drive a more accurate mating selection, said Kerryann Kocher, Chief Executive Officer for Vytelle. Producers can accelerate genetic progress to meet the global demand for high-quality and nutritious protein by utilizing the most modern hormone-free, in vitro fertilization to multiply offspring from their elite-performing animals.

The 2021 Top 150 Bulls list was compiled using data collected by Vytelle SENSE systems and Vytelle INSIGHT analytics services, formerly known as GrowSafe Systems. All tested animals include at least three generations of pedigrees and all animals must have at least a 0.6 accuracy rating on their RFI EPD to be eligible for the list. Each phenotyped animal strengthens the database providing producers insight to make profit-bearing decisions regarding selection for feed efficiency and performance. With the permission of each network member, Vytelle shares this information publicly to collectively advance feed efficiency improvements across the industry.

Feed is 70 percent of a beef producers total production costs, said Lisa Rumsfeld, Vice President of International Commercial Operation for Vytelle. Whether breeders are looking to impact their direct feed cost, achieve marketing premiums or underpin methane emissions reduction claims with evidence-based metrics this database offers selection possibilities across breeds globally.

Phenotypic data is captured through the use of Vytelle SENSE systems. The Feed Intake Nodes measure feed disappearance every second an animal is feeding, each time an animal feeds, to a 10-gram resolution. The In-Pen Weighing Position measures individual animal partial body weight and growth. It weighs every second an animal is standing at the water trough, which can equate up to 450 weights a day.

To find the full listing of the 2021 Top 150 Proven Bulls, visit https://vytelle.com/breeding-values/.

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About Vytelle

Vytelle is a precision livestock company reshaping how cattle producers worldwide optimize their herds. Through Vytelles integrated technology platform, generations of genetic gains can be made in just a few years. This allows producers to sustainably deliver more protein with fewer inputs, helping to ensure meat and milk are viable, competitive food choices for future generations.

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PAUL BILODEAU/Staff photo. There have been problems with the roof shingles at the new Essex Public Safety building on John Wise Avenue. According to their agenda Essex selectmen will hear a report on the issue at their meeting Monday.
GOSHEN [mdash] Thomas went to be with his Lord and Saviour early July 2. He was born to John W and Elizabeth (McNeilly) Detwiler on Jan. 14, 1949. He married D Sue (Shaum) on Nov. 27, 1969. He is survived by his wife, three children Thomas Edward (Wendy), Audra J (Scott) Hoover, and Anthony 
Goshen, IN (46526)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 53F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 53F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Governor Northam Declares June LGBTQ+ Pride Month in Virginia

Virginians encouraged to participate in events celebrating the Commonwealths diversity, recognizing the achievements of the LGBTQ+ community

RICHMONDGovernor Ralph Northam has proclaimed June as Pride Month in Virginia to celebrate the Commonwealths LGBTQ+ communities, their achievements and contributions, and their fight for inclusion and equality.

Virginians are encouraged to participate in Pride Month events hosted by the Northam Administration and community organizations taking place online and in person throughout the Commonwealth. A list of some of these events can be found here. The text of Governor Northams Pride Month proclamation can be found here.

Governor Northam also issued the following statement and shared a new video message about Pride Month, which is observed in June in Virginia and nationwide. Watch the video here.

This Pride Month, we are reminded of the resilience of LGBTQ+ Americans and their fight for inclusion and acceptance and equal access to services and opportunities. As we celebrate the diversity of our Commonwealth, we also recognize the contributions of LGBTQ+ communities in making Virginia a welcoming and affirming place. While we have made significant progress in expanding rights and protections for LGBTQ+ individuals and their families in Virginia, and in America, we know that there is much more work to be done. We are proud to stand with and support LGBTQ+ Virginians as we recommit to building a Commonwealth and country where everyone is treated with respect and dignity, and all people can live freely and authentically.



Each June, Pride Month commemorates the riots at the Stonewall Inn in New York City that began on June 28, 1969, and are often recognized as the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Pride Month also celebrates several landmark rulings from the United States Supreme Court that upheld LGBTQ+ rights and advanced equality in the United States, including decisions that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013, Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, which guaranteed same-sex couples the right to marry, and affirmed that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBTQ+ employees from discrimination based on sex in 2020.

Governor Northam has taken historic action during his term to make the Commonwealth a safe and welcoming place for LGBTQ+ Virginians to live and work. During the most recent General Assembly session, he signed legislation striking the discriminatory LGBTQ+ panic defense and modernizing several outdated criminal laws related to people living with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

Governor Northam also signed a new law creating the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, which will act as a formal liaison between the Commonwealths executive branch and LGBTQ+ communities. And he approved legislation ensuring equal access to aging services for LGBTQ+ older adults and making it easier for unmarried LGBTQ+ couples to adopt. These laws will become effective July 1, 2021.

In 2020, Governor Northam signed the Virginia Values Act, enacting comprehensive protections for the LGBTQ+ community against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, employment, public accommodations, and access to credit. He also signed legislation that bans the practice of conversion therapy for minors and approved measures that increase protections for transgender students in Virginia public schools, give localities greater authority to ban discrimination, expand the definition of a hate crime to include criminal acts based gender identity and sexual orientation, and make it easier for LGBTQ+ individuals to obtain a birth certificate that matches their gender identity.

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Latest News

A selection of recent media releases, and news stories is available in the database below and can be searched for by year and month.

Media enquiries

Please phone 0436 678 215 or 07 3858 5700.
Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton last weekend after a spectacular GP of France. Also during the weekend in the south of France, we couldn't avoid a discussion about the track limits. After all, we were back on a normal circuit.

At the Paul Ricard circuit, there is a lot of space close to the track, which screams track limits. This was something that was stressed beforehand and during the race, people paid a lot of attention to it. Race director Michael Masi says to Motorsport.com that the first situation was already a fact after the start. This was the situation in which Max Verstappen went outside the track.

Read more Honda not only successful with Verstappen: also wins in MotoGP and IndyCar

"The situation was looked at, as well as the place where he shot off the track. Physically it was impossible to follow the prescribed route. That route is based on what has in the past been the most common place where drivers have gone off track in Turn 1. The moment was reviewed and it was judged that he clearly went off the gas, lost a position and returned to the track safely. As a result, no further action was required."

Bottas gets away well in the same way

Because it wasn't just the Dutchman that happened. Valtteri Bottas also went off track for a moment, in Turn 4. Again, however, no action was taken. "That moment was looked at immediately. Considering where Valtteri went off track, he chose the safest option. He lost a significant amount of time and returned to the track in a safe manner. Therefore, no action was taken. It was however noted as one of his three cautions before he would be shown a black and white flag. In the rest of the race, he didn't make any more mistakes."

Perez also gets no penalty

Finally, the situation regarding Perez, to which the FIA had also reacted earlier. Now Masi has also commented on the matter. In the closing stages of the race, there was a duel between the Mexican and Bottas, where Perez briefly went off the track during his overtaking manoeuvre. This too was condoned.

"It was judged that he had already completed the overtaking action at the moment Sergio went off the track. The stewards judged that he gave back any time gained immediately afterwards so they didn't think any further action was necessary. We can compare it to the incident in Bahrain earlier this year, where Max overtook another car outside the track. Therefore, he should have given the spot back there. Those were two completely different situations."

So in the end, all three situations were looked at and it was concluded that no one deserved a penalty based on the events and the rules.
Grand Haven, MI (49417)

Today

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 58F. NNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 58F. NNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.
Eric Boullier says he cannot say whether Paul Ricard will agree a new contract with Formula 1.

While the circuit hosted a thrilling French GP on Sunday, the event's managing director Eric Boullier admitted the matter of selling more tickets to the public is an issue that needs addressing.

"We have a contract until 2022," the former McLaren boss told Ouest-France.

"When we look at other European grands prix, it takes 4-5 years for them to find their audience. So with 2020 cancelled and 2021 under these covid conditions, we will work hard to find our public and define the right profile of the French spectator.

"It's a challenge to make sure that everyone is here," said Boullier, who was earlier reportedly pushing for a race fee reduction to offset the limited crowd of just 15,000 per day in 2021.

The Frenchman admits he met with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali over the course of the race weekend.

"Yes, there were a few visits, a few contacts made," he smiled. "Nothing goes unnoticed in Formula 1!

"For a renewal, I don't have an opinion until I sit down around a table to have real discussions.

"But this weekend, we showed that there can be a spectacle when Formula 1, technically speaking, allows for it.

"This 2021 edition was a special grand prix with health restrictions, so we will have to have a full-blown grand prix in order to speak of a complete success.

"But for now, we have to admit that a trouble-free weekend is good and after two difficult years, this is encouraging," said Boullier.

(GMM)
Ferrari needs to "quickly" get to the bottom of its French GP struggle in order to be competitive in 2022.

That is the admission of the Maranello team's drivers and also team boss Mattia Binotto, after none of the six Ferrari-powered cars scored even a single point at Paul Ricard.

"Something went wrong," Binotto told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

According to the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti, Sunday's result was a disaster for the fabled Italian marque.

"With zero points, the budding spark of hope of the past races went out," the post-race report read.

"Enzo Ferrari, who died 33 years ago, would turn in his grave if someone told him a Williams and Alpha Tauri would finish ahead of his car."

While Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo and Haas also struggled, Binotto thinks the problem could be more tyre-related rather than simply the engine.

"We had graining so we have to understand if it's about overheating the tyres," he said.

When asked if Pirelli's decision to increase tyre pressures this weekend could be the culprit, the Italian answered: "It could be the cause, but we'll have to analyse it."

Carlos Sainz told reporters immediately after the race: "Honestly, we've been suffering with race pace since Bahrain. We need to quickly understand the cause."

Indeed, although Ferrari is now mainly focused on designing an all-new car for 2022, Charles Leclerc - sixteenth at the finish - said understanding the current problems is also important for next year.

"I tried everything but we consumed the tyres too quickly," he said.

"We won't be able to solve the problem in a short time, but we do need to improve this year in order to understand why and be competitive next year."

(GMM)
GMs BrightDrop (earlier post) is collaborating with the University of Washingtons Urban Freight Lab (UFL), The City of Seattle, and tech and delivery companies, AxleHire, Coaster Cycles and REEF, to launch one of the nations first zero operating-emissions, last-mile neighborhood delivery hubs.

The delivery hub in Seattles Uptown neighborhood is a pilot program using zero operating-emissions technology to test new vehicles, delivery models and other technologies to help accelerate the development and deployment of sustainable last-mile solutions.

The pilot will run through mid-summer and is designed to enhance urban last-mile goods and service delivery by improving access while reducing emissions.

These technologies are critical to the City of Seattle meeting the goals outlined in its Transportation Electrification Blueprint, including transitioning 30 percent of goods delivery to zero emissions by 2030.





BrightDrops propulsion-assisted electric pallets, or EP1s, are designed to easily move goods over short distances, enabling zero operating-emissions last-mile goods delivery while reducing package touch points, costs and physical strain on the labor force. (Photo by Urban Freight Lab)

The neighborhood delivery hub includes:
Russian Railways, RUSNANO and the Sinara Group signed an agreement to cooperate on the development of mainline locomotives using a power plant based on hydrogen fuel cells together with lithium-ion batteries.

Russian Railways will act as a potential customer of locomotives, while the Sinara Group, represented by the SinaraTransport Machines Machine-building Holding, will be the general contractor. RUSNANO will be represented by subsidiaries and partners and act as a co-contractor in terms of hydrogen fuel cells, energy storage systems based on lithium-ion storage batteries and other innovative technological solutions.

The agreement provides for a range of research and development (R&D), the analysis of the necessary infrastructure and the development of the technical requirements for the locomotives, as well as the implementation of a number of activities necessary for the development, production and testing of the vehicles.

The three parties are also interested in the development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the creation of shunting locomotives using a hybrid power plant based on hydrogen fuel cells and domestically produced energy storage units.

Russian Railways ranks first in the world in terms of energy efficiency in freight transport, according to the International Energy Agency. The bulk of all work is done on clean energy sources. Russian Railways accounts for less than 1% of Russias total volume of greenhouse emissions. From 2025, we plan to purchase only electric locomotives, as well as locomotives operating on alternative energy sources such as natural gas and hydrogen. This will enable us to further reduce the environmental burden on the environment. Oleg Belozerov, CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of Russian Railways

This agreement is an example of creating alliances to share costs and competencies for the development of a promising technological project using alternative fuels. Today, the hydrogen and electric transport sector has very great prospects, so RUSNANO intends to actively develop this area. Sergey Kulikov, Chairman of the Management Board of RUSNANO Management Company

Green hydrogen production. During the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum earlier in June, representatives of Enel and RUSNANO had an initial meeting in which they discussed the idea of working together on the production of green hydrogen. The two companies are looking at the possibility of creating Russias first green hydrogen production project at a wind farm in Murmansk Region.
Japan Airlines (JAL) has conducted the first flight with a mixture of two different types of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) produced domestically in Japan. As a first step forward the commercialization of domestically-produced SAF around 2030, SAF produced at the demonstration plants has now passed the quality inspection and became available for use in actual flights.

As part of the Development of Production Technologies for Biojet Fuels of New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, a Japanese national research and development agency, JAL has conducted a flightJL515 (From Tokyo (Haneda) to Sapporo (Shin-Chitose))with 3,132 liters (9.1% mixing ratio) of SAF produced domestically in Japan added into existing jet fuel.

One SAF was manufactured by Mitsubishi Power, Ltd./Toyo Engineering Corporation/JERA Co., Inc.; the other by IHI Corporation. The former is created from wood chips and the latter from algae. The flight marked the first attempt to load 2 different types of SAF on the same flight.

In the Standard Specification for Aviation Turbine Fuel (ASTM D7566), 7 types of SAFcorresponding to purification method of each synthetic fuelare established as separates Annexes (earlier post). JAL has now loaded 5 of 7 of those types of SAF (Alphanumeric tag corresponds to SAF Annex):

January 2009: Asias first test flight using SAF made from camelina, a type of non-edible raw material (A2, Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (HEFA-SPK)

November 2017: Powered SAF in JAL flight from Chicago OHare International Airport to Narita Airport (A5, Alcohol to Jet Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (ATJ-SPK) )

January 2019: Powered SAF in JAL flight from San Francisco International Airport to Haneda Airport (A2)

June 2019 onwards: Upon receipt of Airbus A350 aircrafts, SAF was powered in all 5 delivery flights from Airbus plant in Toulouse, France to Haneda Airport (A3, Hydroprocessed Fermented Sugars to Synthetic Isoparaffins (HFS-SIP)

March 2020: Succeeded in manufacturing of SAF using cotton from clothing for the first time in Japan (A5)

February 2021: Successfully operated the first flight in Japan loading SAF produced domestically in Japan (A5)

June 2021: Loaded 2 different types of SAF produced domestically in Japan at the same time (A1, Fischer-Tropsch Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (FT-SPK); and A7, Synthesized Paraffinic Kerosene From Hydrocarbon-Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HC-HEFA-SPK)). HC-HEFA-SPK was developed by IHI.

The JAL Group is aiming to switch 10% of the whole fuel amount to SAF. Specifically, it plans to load SAF on flights departing from North America in cooperation with Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc., a US company in which it has invested. In addition, since most of the fuel used by the JAL Group is refueled in Japan, the establishment of a domestic production system is also an important issue; the company is conducting a feasibility study with domestic companies on manufacturing and selling SAF in Japan from waste plastic.
BRUSSELS (AP)  The United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada joined forces Monday to impose sanctions on several senior officials in Belarus over the forced diversion to Minsk of a passenger plane travelling between two EU countries last month.

Asset freezes and travel bans were also imposed on a number of officials linked to the security crackdown that continues to rock the country some 10 months after President Alexander Lukashenko was returned to power in elections branded by the EU and others as fraudulent.

We are united in our deep concern regarding the Lukashenko regimes continuing attacks on human rights, fundamental freedoms, and international law, the four said in a joint statement.

We are committed to support the long-suppressed democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus and we stand together to impose costs on the regime for its blatant disregard of international commitments, they said.

The EU hit seven people and one entity over the forced and unlawful landing of the Ryanair plane, which was traveling from Greece to Lithuania when it was ordered to stop in Minsk, where authorities arrested Raman Pratasevich, a dissident journalist who was one of the passengers.

The four called on Minsk to cooperate with an international probe into the incident, immediately release all political prisoners, and enter into a comprehensive and genuine political dialogue with the democratic opposition and civil society.

Among those targeted by the United States were close Lukashenko associates, those accused of helping to violently suppress peaceful protests since last year and others alleged to have orchestrated fraud during the elections.

At a meeting in Luxembourg, EU foreign ministers also prepared a series of economic measures that are aimed at hitting Lukashenko and his allies. EU leaders are expected to endorse them at a summit in Brussels on Thursday.

The EU has gradually ratcheted up sanctions since Lukashenko  dubbed the last dictator in Europe  won a sixth term last August.

But the 27-nation bloc has taken a harder approach since the Ryanair incident, and over the country's alleged use of migrants to pressure neighboring Lithuania, which has provided a safe-haven to Belarusian opposition figures and is one of Lukashenkos most vocal critics.

Among their actions Monday, the ministers imposed travel bans and asset freezes on 78 Belarus officials and froze the assets of 8 entities, which are usually companies, banks, or associations. It means that a total of 166 people and 15 entities are now under EU restrictive measures.

This decision was made in view of the escalation of serious human rights violations in Belarus and the violent repression of civil society, democratic opposition and journalists, a statement said.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who chaired the meeting, said the economic sanctions are going to hurt ... the economy of Belarus heavily.

The measures are likely to include action against the export of potash  a common fertilizer ingredient  tobacco industry exports and petroleum products, among others.

We will no longer just sanction individuals. We will now also impose sectoral sanctions -- meaning that we will now get to work on the economic areas that are of particular significance for Belarus and for the regimes income, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.

We want to make very, very clear to Lukashenko that there is no going back," Maas said.

Maas said the 27 EU countries stand united on sanctions We are really very, very determined not to budge, not just today -- nothing about this will change in the coming weeks and months, he said.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said EU countries had thought only a month ago that it still might be possible to reason with Lukashenko but that "the mood is different now.

Landsbergis accused Minsk of weaponizing migration flows. He said around 500 people are sheltering in Lithuania, most from Iraq, and that Belarus border guards brought 30 refugees to the border in recent days. He said Lithuania has limited capacity for them and is building a tent camp.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger who fled Belarus after the vote, welcomed the new measures, saying that the EU and the entire civilized world have set a goal to stop Lukashenko and the escalation of violence."

The EU sanctions would raise not only external, but also internal pressure on Lukashenko ... and will make it more costly for his main sponsor, the Kremlin, to maintain the Belarusian regime, she said.

Tsikhanouskaya said the Ryanair incident shows that Lukashenkos regime has become a threat not only to citizens of Belarus but also to international security.

___

Geir Moulson in Berlin and Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine contributed to this report.
McDONOUGH, Ga. (AP)  A judge is weighing whether to dismiss claims brought by a group of voters who allege that fraud during the November general election in Georgia's most populous county resulted in the violation of their constitutional rights.

The lawsuit filed by nine Georgia voters alleges that counterfeit ballots were counted and some ballots were counted multiple times in Fulton County, a Democratic bastion that includes most of Atlanta. As part of their suit, they want to inspect some 147,000 ballots to see whether any are illegitimate.

Henry County Superior Court Chief Judge Brian Amero, who is presiding over the case, heard arguments Monday on motions to dismiss filed by Fulton County, the county election board and the clerk of the county's courts. Amero said at the end of the hearing that he wanted time to review the arguments and last-minute court filings but that he would try to rule as quickly as possible.

Supporters of former President Donald Trump and others who allege fraud during the 2020 election have pushed for audits and reviews of ballots in several states around the country. Georgia has been a reliable Republican stronghold in recent years, and Trump refused to accept that he lost the state to Democrat Joe Biden by about 12,000 votes. He and his allies focused on Fulton County, repeatedly claiming widespread fraud occurred there.

Fulton County election officials have consistently defended the integrity of their election. State and federal officials have said there was no evidence of systemic fraud in the election.

Georgia's election results were certified months ago, and there is no way this lawsuit can affect that. After the initial ballot count, there was a hand recount of the presidential race to satisfy a new audit requirement and then a machine recount at the request of Trump's campaign.

The petitioners who brought the lawsuit have since split into two groups  a seven-person group led by Garland Favorito, a longtime critic of Georgia's election systems, and a two-person group  with separate lawyers. Both groups are asking the judge to declare that their constitutional rights to due process and equal protection were violated by Fulton County in the November election.

Don Samuel, a lawyer for the county election board, argued that such a declaratory judgment can't be used to address an alleged past wrong when there is no current controversy or future uncertainty. No one is disputing the rights of the voters to cast a ballot and have their votes counted in future elections, so there is nothing for the court to resolve going forward, Samuel argued. That sentiment was echoed by Steven Rosenberg, a lawyer representing the county.

Bob Cheeley and Todd Harding, lawyers who represent the petitioners, argued that their clients' rights were violated because fraud led to a dilution of their votes and that similar violations will likely happen in future elections.

Several election workers and volunteers have signed sworn statements saying they saw absentee ballots during the audit that werent creased from being mailed, appeared to be marked by a machine rather than by hand and were printed on different paper. Cheeley said he wants to have specialists use high-powered microscopes to examine each absentee ballot for evidence of fraud.

Amanda Clark Palmer, a lawyer for the county election board, told the judge that the secretary of state's office has investigated these claims and pulled the batches identified by those witnesses but found no evidence of fraudulent ballots.

The constitutional claims against the county election board are barred by sovereign immunity, a principle that says state and local governments can be sued only if they agree to it, argued Don Samuel, another lawyer for the board.

A constitutional amendment to impose some limits on sovereign immunity was approved last year by voters and would allow a county to be sued. But that applies only to things that happen after Jan. 1 of this year, said Steven Rosenberg, a lawyer representing the county. Since the lawsuit addresses the November election, the claims are barred by sovereign immunity, he argued.

Cheeley interpreted that amendment differently, arguing that it lifts the sovereign immunity protection for the county even for actions prior to Jan. 1.

Rosenberg also argued the petitioners in the case lack standing to bring the constitutional claims because those amount to generalized grievances rather than harm specific to those voters. Harding countered that they suffered the specific harm of having their votes diluted by fraud.

The lawsuit also included claims under the Georgia Open Records Act that Amero has already addressed.

The ballots and scanned ballot images are in the custody of the county courts clerk and are kept under seal. Amero in April ordered the clerk to release the scanned absentee ballot images to the petitioners. At a hearing last month, Amero ordered that the paper ballots themselves be unsealed so that the petitioners who filed the lawsuit can inspect and scan them, though he said they must remain in the county's custody.

Before he could meet with the parties to discuss logistics for such a review, the motions to dismiss were filed and Amero scheduled Monday's hearing to address those.

Samuel said the county election board isn't sure the unsealing of the actual ballots is correct but wasn't seeking to stop it. Rosenberg said he doesn't believe the Open Records Act allows the ballots themselves to be unsealed, an argument that has also been made by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Indonesian health authorities announced the country's largest one-day jump in new coronavirus infections on Monday, as the number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began crossed 2 million.

The Health Ministry reported 14,536 new infections and 294 deaths, bringing the country's total confirmed fatalities to more than 54,950. Both the total cases and total deaths are the most in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, has seen infections surge in recent weeks, a climb that has been blamed on travel during last months Eid al-Fitr holiday as well as the arrival of new virus variants, such as the the Delta version first found in India.

The surge is putting pressure on hospitals, including in Jakarta, where 80% of hospital beds are full, and has added urgency to the government's plan to inoculate 1 million people each day by next month. Authorities have so far only fully vaccinated 12.3 million of Indonesia's 270 million people and partially vaccinated another 10.9 million.

The World Health Organization last week said Indonesias drastic increase in hospital bed occupancy rates is a major concern and necessitates stricter public health and social measures, including large-scale social restrictions.

The government has resisted a large-scale lockdown due to fears of the economic impact. Offices, restaurants. shopping malls and places of worship remain open, though at 50% of their capacity.

The situation is worrying, said Riris Andono Ahmad, an epidemiologist at Gajah Mada University. We are facing a second wave of COVID-19 with the most transmissible variant and the publics low compliance with health protocols.

He urged stricter measures.

All of the governments efforts and policy to curb COVID-19 transmission will be ineffective if it gives room for people to gather and crowd, he said.

The national COVID-19 task force said a spike in infections has been seen in Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java provinces. All are on Java, the most populous of Indonesias more than 17,000 islands.

President Joko Widodo last week ordered authorities to step up the vaccination rate.

The slow progress in immunizations so far can be attributed to the limited global supply of vaccines, the unpreparedness of the national health system and vaccine hesitancy, national COVID-19 task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito said.

The government has received 104.7 million vaccine doses, including 94.5 million of Sinovac, 8.2 million of AstraZeneca, and 2 million of Sinopharm. It expects to receive about 50 million Pfizer doses in the coming months, followed by 50 million Moderna doses.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said deals to import around 104 million AstraZeneca doses have been hit by delays and now only 20 million doses are expected to arrive this year.

___

Associated Press writers Victoria Milko and Edna Tarigan contributed to this report.
The drowning of a 7-year-old in Westport and the strangling of a 13-year-old in Manchester in recent days mark the latest of about a dozen homicides involving those age 18 and under this year in Connecticut.

Statistics from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner show Connecticut is slightly outpacing homicides for this age group compared with 2020. So far this year, there have been 11 homicides in this age group compared with 10 through June 2020.

Five of the recent homicides involving teens and children occurred within the past two months, OCME statistics show.

A drive-by shooting Sunday that killed an 18-year-old in Danbury was not included in the statistics provided Monday because Dr. James Gill, the states chief medical examiner, said the death had not yet been certified a homicide.

Deaths involving young people and the ensuing sorrow can be difficult to discuss with children who may have lost a classmate or friend, health experts said.

We want to create that safe space, especially with teens, said Dr. Robert Keder, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center. We want to show them that its OK to process and have feelings. If theyre not OK, they need to feel comfortable talking about it.

Police continue to piece together what happened in a number of the deaths, including the drowning of 7-year-old Layla Malon at her familys Westport home Thursday and the death of 13-year-old Zaniya Wright, who was found in the basement of a Manchester apartment building Friday morning after she had been strangled.

Police investigations remain ongoing for other killings involving children age 18 and under this year, including the shooting death of 16-year-old JaMari Preston, of New Britain, who was fatally shot on Magnolia Street in Hartford on April 10. Preston was a student in the Capitol Region Education Council District.

Hours before Preston was shot, a 3-year-old boy, Randell Jones, was killed in a drive-by shooting blocks away on Nelson Street. Days later, a 19-year-old was charged with murder in connection with the shooting.

The shooting death of 18-year-old Tashawn Brown in May on Ella T. Grasso Boulevard in New Haven is among those deaths involving teens and children that have not yet led to an arrest.

Its hard. I dont know if Im going to get over it, his mother, Tasha Brown said following the death.

Malons death in Westport appears to be at least the second connected with a possible murder-suicide in Connecticut this year. Last month, an 18-year-old was killed in a double murder-suicide in Windsor Locks, police said.

In many of the cases, killings have involved children in schools or who have recently left schools, thrusting districts to muster a team of social services workers to address grief.

In Westport, the local elementary school was closed Friday and Monday as the district developed a plan to address the emotional needs of students and staff. In Manchester, the death of Wright, a seventh-grade student at Illing Middle School, counselors were brought in to help students.

Yhameek Johnson, killed Sunday night in Danbury, previously attended New Milford schools, his family said. It was unclear if the school district was responding to the shooting in any way.

Health experts caution that how to address these complex emotions with children can vary widely by age.

For younger children, Keder said, its important to be direct, but not offer details.

You can say they died, he said, but dont overshare.

With older children, parents can talk more directly about what happened, but without providing unnecessary details, he said.

Parents also need to keep a watchful eye on children and their emotional responses, said Laura Mutrie, a licensed clinical social worker and clinical assistant professor of social work at Quinnipiac University.

Parents need to look out for any changes in behaviors or feelings, she said. Its really about how these kids are experiencing this and how they internalize whats happening.

According to the National Association of School Psychologists, there are multiple common grief reactions in children that adults can look for, including decreased appetite, difficulty sleeping, a decreased ability to concentrate, increased sadness, and social withdrawal.

Young people also sometimes feel anger toward the deceased for leaving them, she said.

Mutrie said its important for parents to help their children process these big feelings.

She also recommended limiting how much children are exposed to TV or other news coverage of these events. She added that monitoring media intake is harder with teenagers, who tend to be more independent. But she recommended that parents try to talk to even their older children about what they are reading, particularly online, and make sure they get accurate information.

There are some actions that parents can take regardless of a childs age, Keder said.

The biggest message (parents can offer), which will be consistent through all ages is Youre safe. Youre here. Were with you, he said.




Haiti - Politic : Moise back from Turkey ...





Saturday June 19, 2021, President Jovenel Moise, accompanied by his wife Martine, Minister of Defense Jean Walnard Dorneval, Security Advisor to the Head of State Ardouin Zephirin, Presidents of the North-East Chamber of Commerce Joseph Albert Pierre-Paul and of North, Steve Astrel Mathieu, was back home, after responding to an official invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34004-haiti-politic-official-travel-of-jovenel-moise-to-turkey.html



This stay in Turkey since June 17, was part of the Forum on diplomacy at the seaside resort Antalya (southern Turkey) which was, in particular, the opportunity for the Presidents, Moise and Erdogan, to pass in review the bilateral cooperation between the two countries and discuss several subjects, among others, the strengthening of bilateral relations, security, energy and the economy...



During the audience with Erdogan, Moise called for the strengthening of diplomatic relations between Haiti and Turkey. The two Heads of State agreed to set up within a short period of time a joint working commission between the two countries in order to boost bilateral Haitian-Turkish cooperation.



In addition, concerned about the security problems facing our country and given the urgent need to organize general elections, by the end of the year in Haiti, President Moise plans to strengthen professional and institutional skills. national security forces, in particular those of the police and the army and took the opportunity to seek Turkish support, given the strength and performance of Turkish armies around the world. To this effect, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the head of industry and Turkish armaments and the Haitian Minister of Defense without further details...



The question of public-private partnership for investments in renewable resources, such as solar energy, wind power, natural gas, among others, was discussed with Nail Olpak. the President of the Council for Foreign Economic Relations. The need to set up a cement plant in Haiti was also mentioned.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34004-haiti-politic-official-travel-of-jovenel-moise-to-turkey.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





PNH : Inspector killed on Freres road

On Friday, June 18, 2021, Inspector Emmanuel Silencieux Jeanty was shot several times on the route de Freres by unidentified heavily armed individuals who riddled the vehicle he was in with bullets.



Insecurity : Moise asks for international support

Sunday, June 20, President Jovenel Moise asked for international support and collaboration from all sectors of society to put an end to the violence of armed gangs which has intensified in recent weeks. He clarified that he is not asking for an intervention of foreign troops in Haiti, like those deployed by the UN between 2004 and 2019, but rather the commitment of the international community in the fight against the insecurity.



Carrefour : Gas power station

On Sunday, Evenson Calixte, Director General of the National Energy Sector Regulatory Authority (ANARSE), visited the new Carrefour power plant where the installation of flexible tanks is underway. Performance tests are continuing to find the optimum operating point for the turbines. Trucks arrived to fill the buffer tanks. Remember that the mixed gas/diesel plant will run on diesel for the first 6 months before running on natural gas.



Covid : The President of the Court of Cassation hospitalized

The President of the Court of Cassation, Me Rene Sylvestre, who tested positive for Covid-19 was rushed to Mirebalais University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition.



Father's Day : Message from Lesly Conde

"Dear compatriots and friends, On the occasion of Father's Day [Sunday, June 20], I invite you all to reflect on the great importance of the paternal presence in any home and in any society. The father is not just a reassuring presence. He is also and above all an irreplaceable model. For the sake of his family and the future of his community, he must act with judgment, courage and determination. As for the Haitian Father, he deserves special respect because his role often imposes unusual sacrifices on him. He is the important guide of a generation which must be stronger, and go further... much further" Lesly Conde Ex-Consul General of Haiti in Chicago (August 26, 2004 - May 25 2018).



Does Aristide have the Covid ?

According to the National Palace, former President Jean Bertrand Aristide (68) has tested positive for Covid-19, and is expected to leave Haiti shortly for Cuba for treatment. Does ex-President Aristide have Covid ? "To my knowledge not," said Jodson Dirogene Spokesman for the Lavalas Party "All I know is that until this morning Dr. Aristide had the flu."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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Hastings, NE (68901)

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Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 64F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

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Editor: I have to disagree with the editorial of Thursday concerning the commercia
Last updated 6/21/2021 at 11:51am

The Havre Public Schools Board of Trustees will meet Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. in the Havre Middle School.

The agenda for the meeting is:

A. Call to order

1. Pledge of Allegiance

2. Roll call

3. Welcome to visitors

4. Agenda deletions or corrections, and additions allowed by policy, if any

B. New business

1. Personnel

2. Out-of-state travel

3. Consideration of Fiscal Year 2022 property and liability insurance renewal

4. Consideration of revisions to Policy 2221 and New Procedure 2221P on second and final reading.

5. Consideration of Declaration of Unforeseen Emergency in Acc...
MSU News Service

BOZEMAN  Montana State University Extension has released a new MontGuide providing information about selecting an attorney to develop and implement an estate plan or to provide legal help with the probate process.

When selecting an attorney to help develop an estate plan, it is helpful to have one who is well-informed about Montana will and trust laws and other legal tools, Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension family economics specialist said. You want the attorney to develop an estate plan tailored to your needs by considering your age, health, family, income, as...
Chad David Williams, 50, passed away after a short, intense battle with COVID-19 at Northern Montana Hospital on October 24, 2020.

Cremation has taken place, and a memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, June 25, 2021, at Van Orsdel United Methodist Church with Pastor Jack Mattingly officiating. His graveside service will take place at 3:00 p.m. in Highland Cemetery.

Chad's family has suggested memorial donations be made in his name to the Friends of the Havre Animal Shelter or the charity of the donor's choice.

Holland & Bonine Funeral Home has been entrusted with services and arrangements.

Please visit Chad's online memorial page and leave a message of condolence for his family at http://www.hollandbonine.com .

Chad was born on July 29, 1970, in Havre to David and Oma (Andersen) Williams. At 6 weeks old, his mother moved him and his sister to Okinawa, Japan, where his father was stationed. They then moved to Adak, Alaska, and then to Chesapeake, Virginia. Upon his father's discharge from the Navy, the family returned home to Havre.

From first grade onward, Chad was raised in Havre, graduating from Havre High School in 1988. He joined the U.S. Navy Reserves in 1989 and served until 1997, where he was trained in electronics and computers. His work in the Reserves made Chad a fire control man, servicing computers controlling the guns and missiles. During that time, he attended Northern Montana College, majoring in waste-water management and electronics.

He married Gina Mayer early in 1992, and their son Brandon was born later that year. The couple divorced in 2005. Chad moved to Helena to work at Helena Industries as the head of safety and maintenance, and he married Katherine Gilchrist in Helen in 2008. The couple divorced four years later. In 2016, he returned home to Havre, and found a job working at Northern Montana Hospital as a bio-med tech, a position he absolutely loved. He remained there until his death.

Chad had a wonderful sense of humor, and he will always be remembered for his kindness, strength, and genuine compassion. He was always willing to help family and friends, but was steadfast in clinging to his convictions and beliefs. Chad has been referred to as a "true gentleman," a good guy who always helped, someone who made a lasting impact, a person who could make you laugh, and someone to be admired for his wit and wisdom.

He adored his "boys," his son Brandon and nephew Sam Ferry. He did his best to get together with them weekly to have dinner, play D & D, or go camping. He also dearly loved his "girls," Neuba and Patches, his feline companions.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Helen and Andy O.L. Andersen, Thea and Herb Williams and Olive Williams, and aunts LaVelle Black, Cathy Ingram, Sharyn Andersen, and Rosella Williams.

Chad is greatly missed by his son, Brandon Williams; parents, David D. and Oma M. Williams; sister, Tricia Williams Ferry; nephew, Sam Ferry; aunts and uncles Karen and Gene Cyr, Arnold Andersen, Mike Williams, and Leonard Black; cousins, Arnie, Andy, and Aaron Andersen, Reuel, Darin, and Ryan Cyr, Ginger Ingram Case, Angie Ingram, Mike, Shelly, and Penny Williams, Lenora Black Langman and Tom Cleese, and many, many friends.
Henderson, NC (27536)

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A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Low 58F. Winds light and variable..

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A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Low 58F. Winds light and variable.
Senate to roll out $3 billion capital spending plan

RALEIGH  State Senate leaders will propose spending $3 billion over the next two years on capital and infrastructure projects. That money is part of a larger 10-year, $12 billion cash plan tied to the Senates budget.

Senators teased the capital plan as they announced a 2 p.m. Monday news briefing about their 2021-23 budget proposal. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, will join top budget writers to fill in details of the budget plan. The Senate expects to debate and vote on the budget in the next week.



State coffers are flush because of a decade of prudent budgeting, the Senate said. The Senate proposal will use the states strong fiscal position to cut taxes and advance infrastructure projects.



The proposal sets in motion a 10-year, $12 billion cash plan for capital and infrastructure projects, including $3 billion in cash over the next two years, the advisory promises.



A pay-as-you-go approach to capital projects sets the Senate apart from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. His March 24 budget plan called for a $4.7 billion statewide bond package. Rather than using cash on hand, Cooper would ask voters to approve borrowing money for building projects.



The Senate and House already have finalized total General Fund spending figures for the next two budget years. Earlier this month, top lawmakers concluded weeks of negotiations with an agreement to a top-line spending number of $25.7 billion in 2021-22 and $26.7 in 2022-23. Thats a spending increase of 3.45% in the first year of the biennium and 3.65% in year two. The 2021-22 budget year starts July 1.



The new budget proposal is likely to incorporate some version of the tax plan senators approved, 36-14, on June 9. Eight Democrats joined Republicans to support the tax bill.



The Senates version of House Bill 334 would raise the standard personal income tax deduction from $21,500 to $25,500 for joint filers, which would take about a quarter of a million of the lowest-income North Carolinians entirely off the tax rolls. It also reduces North Carolinas flat income tax rate for remaining taxpayers from 5.25% to 4.99%.



The tax package also raises the per-child tax deduction by $500. Bill sponsors say that a family with two children earning $38,000 annually would get a 50% tax cut under this bill, while a family earning $200,000 would see a 7.1% cut. N.C. households earning the median income of $54,000 would enjoy a 21% decrease in their state taxes. By raising the minimum deduction, the poorest taxpayers move into the zero-tax bracket.



Senators also would phase out the states 2.5% corporate tax rate by 2028 and change the way companies calculate their franchise tax burden.



Less than a week after the Senate approved its standalone tax bill, lawmakers learned that N.C. state government had collected $6 billion more than expected in taxes.



A huge surplus does not mean were spending too little. It means were taxing too much, Berger said in a prepared statement responding to the tax collection news.



Carolina Journal reported June 15 that updated revenue numbers open the possibility that the Republican tax relief plan could go further and faster than initially planned, possibly accelerating the phased elimination of the corporate income tax and larger cuts to the state franchise tax, and even larger cuts to the states personal income tax.
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Huntington, WV (25701)

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Anderson, IN (46016)

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Uniontown, PA (15401)

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A shower or two possible this evening with partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 57F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

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United States President Joe Biden moved his July 4 deadline of partially vaccinating at least 70% of American adults amid the declining number of inoculations.

The Democratic leader made his statement regarding the deadline in April, saying Americans should continue to be on a "war footing" if they wanted to win against the disease. The President's announcement comes amid many state officials opening eligibility applications to the public or to those who have plans to do so.

During a speech at the White House after visiting a vaccination center in Alexandria, Virginia, Biden revealed that his administration, within his first 75 days in office, recorded 150 million administered doses of the COVID-19 vaccines. The numbers show that the country is at a pace of reaching its goal to have 200 million inoculations by its first 100 days.

Vaccination Goals

Despite being on track to reach his goal, Biden emphasized the need to continue efforts to fight against the virus. The country needs to step up its war against the COVID-19 virus by getting more vaccines available, setting up more vaccination centers, and administering more shots per day, the Democrat said, CNN reported.

But later on, Biden announced his goal of inoculating at least 70% of all American adults, with at least one vaccine shot, by July 4. He also shared a milestone of having 300 million administered COVID-19 vaccines in his first 150 days in office.

Days before the July 4 deadline, Biden spoke about the vaccination drive at the White House, urging officials to do what they can to meet the goal. Vice President Kamala Harris worked with Xavier Becerra, health and human services secretary, to encourage more people to get vaccinated. Harris traveled to Atlanta while Becerra went to Colorado.

Read Also: Ex-VP Pence Receives Heckles from Trump Supporters, Called Him "Traitor"

The number of vaccinated individuals in America is a huge milestone, Biden said, and that it was not mere chance or luck. Across U.S. history, the federal government's effort to vaccinate its citizens has been one of the "biggest, most complicated logistical challenges" they have faced.

When Biden took office in January, he warned Americans of an impending "dark winter" amid the surging deaths from the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, the federal government had barely started conducting vaccination drives. But now, after nearly six months in office, the Democrat is touting the virus is being pushed back, the New York Times reported.

Falling Short

However, as of Friday, only 65% of American adults have received at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine, based on the reports released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Experts estimated that at the rate it's going, Biden would fall short of his July 4 deadline with an estimated 67.6% vaccinated adults.

Fewer adults have been coming in to get inoculated in recent days, dropping to about 200,000 from 500,000 per day since the Democratic leader announced June would be a "month of action" to help reach his goal.

Biden noted how rates of death and hospitalization have significantly dropped in areas where residents have gotten vaccinated against COVID-19. His statement was an attempt to encourage the public to get in and receive their vaccine shots to fight back against the pandemic, CBS News reported.



Related Article: Biden Urges US Citizens to Get Vaccinated As Delta COVID-19 Variant Continues to Spread, Could Become Dominating Strain

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Sen. Marco Rubio plans to propose legislation that would impose new sanctions on China unless it allows a transparent and independent probe of suspect laboratories in Wuhan, including the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has been the subject of intense speculation and scrutiny in recent months.

Rubio and other Biden critics want the President to be more forceful in pressuring China's government to agree to a thorough investigation, which they say is something that the country's leadership has refused. President Joe Biden said earlier this week that he would pressure Beijing, but he didn't elaborate on how he would do it.

Rubio claims there is bipartisan support with the proposed sanctions

The White House and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer have not released any official statements on the possibility of new sanctions against China. Although Democrats may be hesitant to support a bill sponsored by Rubio, a possible contender to Biden in the 2024 election, a senior Rubio aide said there were some promising signs of bipartisan support.

China is a dominant topic recently. Per Reuters, the Senate passed a bill earlier this month to strengthen the American technology sector to make it more competitive with China, with bipartisan support rarely seen in Washington these days. While the scientific establishment continues to support the theory of a zoonotic spillover from bats to an intermediary species, such as the pangolin, and subsequently to people, it is not without its doubters, and those critics are rising.

For one thing, no intermediate species has yet been discovered. The Chinese authorities' unwillingness to provide information has further bolstered the perception that there is something to hide.

Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious disease expert from Baylor College of Medicine, told Yahoo News, "We need to know this. We're going to have to find this out."

Hotez was one of the first notable scientists in the United States to advocate for a broader investigation into the lab leak theory. He also criticized Trump's and his supporters' "preposterous" claims, stating that a zoonotic spillover is still the most plausible reason for SARS-CoV-2 spread throughout the world.

Read Also: $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan Receives Bipartisan Support, But Democrats Raise Fresh Concerns

White House won't accept China's refusal to COVID-19 origin probe

Meanwhile, Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the US would not accept China's refusal to conduct a comprehensive Covid-19 origin probe. However, the White House will not issue "threats or ultimatums" to China as it seeks access to investigate the roots of the pandemic, Jake Sullivan told CNN's State of the Union.

Natl. Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says the US is working with the international community to investigate the origins of Covid-19, despite China stonewalling.



"We're not going to simply accept China saying no." #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/aNTm7eWAFc  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 20, 2021

The administration's strategy is on "two tracks," Sullivan told host Dana Bash. Biden has directed the intelligence community to determine whether the spread may be linked to a laboratory in Wuhan, China.

Republicans, including Trump, have promoted the "lab leak" theory, although US experts have declared no convincing evidence to support it. Sullivan added that the US was already in the process of leveraging its resources and own capabilities to create a clearer picture of what had occurred. He also recognized that the G7 leaders had urged for an inquiry of COVID-19 that was timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based, The Independent reported.

Related Article: White House Considers Setting Talks with Xi Jinping; Joe Biden Dodges Question on Pressing China to Stop Blocking COVID-19 Origins' Probe



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Indian officials are struggling with a new health crisis, the "Black Fungus," amid the COVID-19 pandemic which has left many hospitals in the country with a large number of patients struggling to breathe.

Dr. Bela Prajapati, an ear, nose, and throat specialist at Civil Hospital, handles nearly 400 patients suffering from a rare and often fatal fungal disease that has made its way into the country following the COVID-19 virus.

Many Indian hospitals struggled amid the unprecedented second wave of coronavirus cases during the spring. Many believe the desperate steps that many medical establishments took contributed to the arrival of the new disease.

Black Fungus Disease

In the last three weeks, officials recorded a sharp rise in the number of cases for the new illness, Mucormycosis, or more commonly known by its nickname "black fungus," because it is found on dead tissue. Data showed the disease was first found in a negligible number of patients, but quickly shot up by more than 30,000 cases.

News reports showed states recorded more than 2,100 deaths related to the new disease. New Delhi's federal health ministry is currently monitoring the spread of the black fungus across the country but has not revealed data regarding the fatality rate of the disease, the New York Times reported.

Read Also: Trump's Golf Obsession Cost Taxpayers Over $2.4 as He Frequently Visited New Jersey Golf Club

Health experts reported that 85% of black fungus cases are in patients who have a history of COVID-19, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, India's Health Minister, said last week. The mucor mold is commonly found in soil, manure, and decaying fruits and vegetables. It finds its way more easily into the lungs of COVID-19 patients, especially those with diabetes. The disease is more dangerous in areas with poor hygiene, such as rural areas.

The CDC's New Infectious Disease journal posted a study that showed a 2.1-fold rise in the number of black fungus cases in India between September and December 2020, compared to the numbers from the previous year.

Deadly Epidemic And Pandemic

The black fungus disease causes a lot of infection and is especially fatal if left undiagnosed and untreated, Dr. Chand Wattal, Ganga Ram Hospital's head of Clinical Microbiology in New Delhi, said, during an interview.

The illness spreads through the infected person's nose, eyes and brain, causing blackening of color around the impacted regions. The fungus consumes anything it comes across and causes necrosis by devouring the blood supply in the area. The black fungus has always been a deadly infection in India, but has become more apparent amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Wattal said, CBS News reported.

Additionally, earlier this week, Omani health officials warned of devastatingly low hospital bed availability with the spread of the new COVID-19 variants, the slow vaccination of residents, and the easing of lockdown restrictions. Similar to India, the region has also recorded the black fungus infection in some of its residents. The disease has increased the fear and anxiety of the people who are already suffering from the COVID-19 virus, Aljazeera reported.

Related Article: Biden Urges US Citizens to Get Vaccinated As Delta COVID-19 Variant Continues to Spread, Could Become Dominating Strain

Related Article: Biden Urges US Citizens to Get Vaccinated As Delta COVID-19 Variant Continues to Spread, Could Become Dominating Strain

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The lack of MTA workers could thwart New York's campaign to lure workers back to offices. According to internal records, as around-the-clock services resume and workers switch back to commuting, New York's public transportation agency is struggling to man the trains.

NYC straphangers suffered delays as MTA officials scrambled to designate enough workers in the field to manage full subway service. Transit honchos and the MTA's official subway Twitter account explicitly indicated crew shortages as the root cause of long wait times on the A, B, C, N, Q, R, and W lines.

Dip in Number of Daily Subway Runs

The total of daily subway runs has dipped in the past few months due to worker shortages, which took such a huge toll. According to credible sources, MTA officials looked into the possibility of reducing service on a number of lines for the short term.

The train operator and conductor ranks have been stretched thinly by retirements, illness, and scarcity of new hires. Therefore, almost 4,200 one-way trips were canceled in December.

The MTA is operating a diminished workforce that has shed over 2,600 subway jobs since 2019. This left fewer employees to maintain a system to operate trains, grappling to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last Wednesday marked a spike of more than 2.5 million trips, as indicated by official MTA statistics. However, transit dispatchers had to cancel a great amount of 114 scheduled trips due to the reason they could not find a person to drive. A shortage of subway conductors or operators forced the cancellation of 5,355 trains in the course of the first 18 days of June. It is over four times the number of canceled services in June last year, reported New York Post.

Read Also: New York City Psychics Under Probation for Supernatural Fraud Scheme, Told Client She Was Plagued by Curses

Delays were triggered on the 2, 3, 4, F, G, and L lines by issues ranging from disruptive riders to equipment failures. The dilemmas persisted throughout the day. This resulted in wait times of over 30 minutes on a number of lines as riders grew extremely impatient with the poor-quality service. This was a bad sign for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority as officials exhaust all possible efforts to bolster ridership. which remains down around 60%, reported Daily News.

In an interview, the Transport Workers Union Local 100 Vice President Eric Loegel said, "There's just not enough bodies. There's not enough qualified conductors and operators," per The City.

According to data obtained from internal New York City Transit "personnel strength," the total number of workers within the Department of Subways has diminished by almost 9% since January 2019. That was when there were nearly 30,000 employees on the payroll. Tower operators, track workers, dispatchers, and train crews are among those who have exited en masse in the past two years. Retirements, hiring freeze, and the coronavirus pandemic were great contributing factors in the drastic dip in the number of subway workers at the MTA.

Related Article: New Yorkers Celebrate With Firework Displays After Lifting of COVID-19 Restrictions, Honors Essential Workers

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Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis won the majority of support in a straw poll of conservative workers who were asked to select their most-favored politician to run for president in the 2024 elections, narrowly edging out former President Donald Trump, reported the Christian Post.

The survey was held during the Western Conservative Summit and hosted by Colorado Christian University's Centennial Institute. People attending both the in-person and online gatherings were given 31 choices of both Republicans and Democrats to select as their candidate for the presidential candidate in 2024.

DeSantis is a first-time governor and one of Trump's allies who has been gaining support from conservatives across the United States since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. This is mainly due to his open disagreement with COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions. The Republican scored a 74% approval, a narrow win over Trump's 71%.

Republican Presidential Candidate

The 12th annual summit in Denver, Colorado was attended in person by about 500 people while tens of thousands of residents watched online from their homes. Despite the poll, the potential candidates did not speak at the conference.

The latest poll is a flip of a previous poll in February, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which is the biggest and oldest annual gathering of conservative activists and leaders. DeSantis easily scored the number two spot at the CPAC, where Trump was not included in the list of potential candidates, Fox News reported.

Read Also: Biden Speculated to Fall Short of July 4 Deadline Despite Touting Number of Administered Vaccines

Mike Pompeo, the former Secretary of State, previously launched a new political organization that aims to support conservative candidates running in the 2022 midterm elections. The organization was made amid Republican hopes of gaining back the majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The Champion of America Value PAC (CAVPAC) aims to support all conservative candidates in the United States, the former three-term congressman said. He added they wanted to ensure politicians who cared for the American people and who would work for the benefit of the country's middle class got the support they need.

Gaining Support for Conservatives

Along with their preferred candidates, attendees of the summit were asked to vote on which policy issue was most important to them. Immigration/border security topped the list at 82%, election integrity got second place at 79%, religious freedom in third at 75%, federal budget/deficit at 74%, and gun rights just below 74% for fifth place, Newsweek reported.

Pompeo was able to raise money that could be used to support conservative candidates from the newly formed CAVPAC. The fundraising committee was also set up by two other potential GOP White House contenders: former Vice President Mike Pence and former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

Pence previously talked at a major social conservative organization's conference on Friday where he received boos from the crowd as attendees of the event called him a "traitor," forcing security to escort some out of the room. Despite this, the Republican continued his speech, telling people he was first and foremost a Christian, followed by being a conservative, and thirdly a Republican.

Related Article: Ex-VP Pence Receives Heckles from Trump Supporters, Called Him "Traitor"

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Catherine Serou, a 34-year-old California law student and former marine, was discovered in a forest outside the Bor neighborhood where she resided in western Russia on Saturday morning. She was found after a 44-year-old man was arrested in connection with her case. Serou was found dead after going missing on Tuesday, according to a statement from Russia's Investigative Committee.

US student's mother received a suspicious message before she went missing

The American student vanished after getting into a car with a stranger in a Nizhny Novgorod suburb, 250 miles east of Moscow, on the Volga River. Serou's final communication with her mother in Vicksburg, Miss., was a text message telling her mother that she is in a car with someone she doesn't know and she hopes she is not being abducted, NPR reported.

According to the nn.ru news site, Serou's body was discovered early Saturday morning, one hour after the suspect was arrested. A photo shows Serou staring out of the open passenger window of a silver vehicle was released by a tabloid website. The photo was presumably captured by a surveillance camera.

The US Embassy in Moscow said in a statement that it was closely monitoring the local authorities' inquiry and that it was giving all necessary support to Serou's family. Serou began a master's degree program in law at Lobachevsky University in Nizhny Novgorod in the fall of 2019, said her mother, Beccy Serou. Catherine Serou intended to learn Russian before enrolling in law school in the United States and pursuing a career as an immigration lawyer.

She served in the Marine Corps and completed one tour in Afghanistan before attending the University of California, Davis, where she earned a bachelor's degree in design and a master's degree in art history. Serou went missing after sending a text message to her mother on Thursday, prompting regional authorities to start a possible murder investigation.

Residents of Bor, the Nizhny Novgorod suburb where Serou resided, and the nearby areas were asked to offer any information on her disappearance. The forests north of Bor, where Serou's phone was last picked up, were searched by police and volunteers.

According to her mother, Serou was in a rush on Tuesday to return to a clinic in Nizhny Novgorod where she had made a payment that didn't go through, so she may have gotten into a passing car instead of waiting for her Uber. Catherine sold her California condo to support her studies in Russia, and Beccy Serou, a paralegal, last saw her daughter approximately two years ago.

They stayed in touch with daily phone calls, and Beccy Serou said her daughter was enjoying her time abroad. A video posted by the nn.ru news site less than a year ago shows Catherine Serou laughing and bantering in Russian and English as she explained cultural differences between Russia and the United States.

Read Also: Ghislaine Maxwell's Lawyers Laid Complaints Over Treatment in Jail, Days After Court Denies Bail Request

Suspect charged in the death of US student in Russia

A man in his early 40s has been detained and is cooperating with investigations, said the investigating committee. His identity is being kept confidential. However, Russian press reports say the suspect's name is Alexander Popov, and he has a history of violent acts.

According to the local court, the suspect offered her a ride in his car, then drove her to the wooded area, where she was beaten and stabbed "in the course of a disagreement."

If convicted of murder, he may spend the rest of his life in jail. CNN reported that the suspect has been caught and charged with murder. He will be held in custody until August 15, said the Gorodetsky City Court.

Related Article: WATCH: Masked Gunman Seen Opening Fire on Young Children, Terrifying Scene Shows New York's Increasing Gun Violence



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The world's most premature baby, who was born weighing less than a pound, just celebrated his first birthday. Richard Scott William Hutchinson was so small that his parents could hold him in a single palm of their hands.

When Rick Hutchinson and Beth Hutchinson from the United States welcomed their son into the world on June 5 last year, he only weighed 340 g (11.9 oz), which is about the same as one-tenth of the average weight for a full-term newborn. His weight could be likened to a can of soup.

Beating 0% Chance of Survival

The first prognosis for Hutchinson was pessimistic. When the baby was prematurely born, he was transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Minneapolis' Children's Minnesota hospital. This was where doctors prepared the couple for the worst news. Hutchinson was given a 0% chance of survival.

According to Dr. Stacy Kern, Hutchinson's neonatologist, addressing the Guinness Book of World Records, "When Rick and Beth received prenatal counseling on what to expect with a baby born so early, they were given a 0% chance of survival by our neonatology team. I knew the first few weeks of Richard's life would be very difficult, but I felt that if he could make it through that, he would be a survivor," reported Daily News.

He was born five months early; this was due to the medical complications that his mother Beth experienced. He was born 131 days before his slated due date, reported Mirror.

Despite being told about a slim chance of their baby's survival, the parents never lost faith. Now, their baby is an active and thriving little boy.

Read Also: Female Lawmakers Push Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, Says It Is Critical

The Guinness Book of World Records acknowledged this "miracle baby" surpassed the 35-year record held by James Elgin Gill and another more recent tie to the said record. According to Guinness, the last baby who held the record was Gill, born in Canada at 21 weeks and 5 days or 128 days premature in May 1987. One German baby born in 2010 at the same gestational age also held the record.

Following his birth in 2020, the newest record-holder spent six months hospitalized as his parents traveled back and forth from their house in Wisconsin, across state lines in order to visit him.

They were not allowed to visit their baby in the neo-natal ward of the hospital because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They had to make the hour-long, interstate journey every single day to check on their little one.

In December 2020, Hutchinson was allowed to go home. His father did not mind the constant travel, however. He believes that helped him to overcome their obstacle because he knew that their baby could count on them.

Kern said that the day Hutchinson was discharged from the NICU was a remarkable day. She remembers picking him up out of his crib and carrying him while crying, reported CNN.

The baby boy was born at a gestational age of 21 weeks 2 days. Forty weeks is the standard gestational period for a baby.

Related Article: New Zealand Approves Automatic Paid Leave After Miscarriage

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In an interview with Political Strategist Joe Pinion for Newsmax TV, the former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Biden has no command of his own message.

Going ballistic was a wrong move

According to the former White House chief of staff, Joe Biden's confrontational behavior with a CNN reporter during the summit showed a president who is not in "command of his own message," reported Newsmax.

As reported by Saturday Agenda, Meadows criticized what he termed as a cocoon. He said that Biden avoided hardball questions from being hurled at him. He said Biden avoided hardball questions from being hurled at him and that he was constantly protected by his aides, refraining the president from answering all the questions thrown at him. Meadows tagged Biden as a president who "disengages." He emphasized that a president should be a person who answers all queries, not avoid them.

Meadows even compared Biden with ex-President Donald Trump, saying that Trump would always answer questions coming from different reporters and networks with no time limit or a cap on the number of questions unliked Biden who would always keep a list of reporters who can interrogate him. Meadows stated that Biden always needs scripts, teleprompters, and notes unlike Trump.

Lashing out at a CNN reporter

Biden was reported to lash out at a CNN reporter named Kaitlan Collins when asked about being confident that Putin will change his behavioour. This question was followqed by anotgher question, but Biden did not answer it anymore. Instead, he just blurted out, "If you don't understand that you're in the wrong business." He received criticisms for his infuriated behavior. Later, Biden realized that he should apologize to Collins.

Meadows also said that the current president did not have to deal with Jim Acosta, who made it a point to spar with Trump in each press conference.

Read also: Democrats Risk Facing Executive Action Due to Relief Bill Dispute, Says White house

Is Biden not putting America first?

Meadows made an accusation that Biden was trying to placate the other leaders at the G7 event by "basically telling the foreign leaders that he's willng to allow them go first, and he's willing to follow."

He added that Biden should learn the difference between campaigning and acting as a president.

Meadows also said that he is no longer a candidate who will just sit and wait while others do the campaign. As president, he is making decisions, cited Newszillo.

One point he raised is the ex-president visiting the border with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, while the incumbent President and Vice President Kamala Harris are not going yet.

The former chief of staff said Trump has the answers for relevant problems, compared to the present occupants of the White House.

Lastly, Meadows mentioned that Biden is telegraphing what the US will be doing like canceling the Keystone [XL] Pipeline, and allowing Russia's Nord Stream 2 for cheap gas and oil supply to Germany. He said that the president is not putting America first.

Related article: Former Trump Aide Stephen Miller Files Suit Against Biden Administration for White Farmers Discrimination

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American Airlines canceled hundreds of flights over the weekend, with additional disruptions expected this week, marking the latest setback for an industry trying to survive as travel demand rises from the COVID-19 shutoffs.

On Sunday, American Airlines postponed 180 flights, or approximately 6% of its operations while 543 flights were delayed.

There were 123 flight cancellations and 591 delays last Saturday. The airline has already canceled 97 Monday flights and 54 Tuesday flights.

American Airlines will cancel 2,500 more flights till the end of July

The situation this weekend was exacerbated by the airlines' sick staff. Like other airline companies, American Airlines is still recovering from the effects of the pandemic and has a narrow margin for error. American Airlines, the world's largest fleet, and passenger airlines contributed to about one-fourth of this loss and dropped to a net of $9.5 billion, as per Daily Mail. After COVID-19 shuttered air travel in March 2020, thousands of employees were let go through early retirements and buyouts. With demand now returning to pre-pandemic levels, airlines haven't been able to fill those positions as rapidly as they would like.

The majority of cancellations are on A320 and 737 flights, according to an American spokesperson. They predicted that the firm would cancel 50 to 60 flights per day fo the rest of June and 50 to 80 flights per day through the end of July, totaling 2,500 flights.

The cancellations are being made to meet an unexpected increase in travel demand as the rate of COVID-19 cases declines and health restrictions are loosened. American Airlines' spokeswoman Stacey Day said, "The first few weeks of June have brought unprecedented weather to our largest hubs, heavily impacting our operations and causing delays, canceled flights, and disruptions to crewmember schedules and our customers' plans," The Sun reported.

The cancelations will allow the airline to guarantee that customers and team members are well taken care of, added the spokeswoman. The airline stated that its cancellations were made to affect the lowest number of passengers possible by modifying flights in locations where re-accommodation alternatives are available.

Customers who have flights scheduled until July 15 will be contacted in advance if their flights are canceled, allowing them to make alternate plans ahead of time, as per Day.

Read Also: White House Considers Setting Talks with Xi Jinping; Joe Biden Dodges Question on Pressing China to Stop Blocking COVID-19 Origins' Probe

The circumstances of cancellation

In the first half of July, the number of scheduled flights was relatively small, representing around 1% of the total flights planned, the company said. With the cancellation of over 950 flights, it is apparent that it is difficult for airlines to adjust following a year of dwindling demand.

These adjustments also show how firms are striving to adapt to the normal post-pandemic phase since the demand is increasing pressure on travel and car rental companies. An American Airline executive claimed that the airline is attempting to prevent a repetition of 2019 when severe weather and a conflict with the airline's mechanics flared out.

Per MarketWatch, some of American Airlines' major hubs that create delays and cancellations have been affected by storms this month. The US CEO added that although many passengers can still reach their destinations that very day, some may be transferred sooner or later to flights in a different hub.

Concerns about pilot shortages, staff sickness, and maintenance problems angered a number of passengers. When 303 flights were canceled throughout the weekend, some of them vented their dissatisfaction on social media.

American Airlines rebounded considerably faster than the other big airlines, which could be attributed to the consistent drop in COVID-19 cases and the implementation of more lenient quarantine regulations. This unexpected increase in demand has surprised carriers.

Related Article: White House to Implement US Travel Restrictions from India, but Ban Unlikely to Stop COVID-19



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A New York Times article investigates the story of a Russian cover-up of the deadly Anthrax virus lab leak. It has renewed interest in the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and a possible Wuhan lab leak due to possible similarities.

Russian Anthrax Outbreak

In April of 1979, dozens of people in Sverdlovsk, now called Ekaterinburg, suddenly came down with a mysterious illness. Many suffered from fevers, coughs, and vomiting. Four days later, the illness claimed its first victim, with the last victim dying six weeks later, according to PBS.

The Soviet government initially concluded that the deaths were caused by anthrax from contaminated meat. However, a full-fledged investigation conducted in the 1990s and an admission from then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin found the real source of the bacteria: a lab leak.

Professor Matt Meselson, an American scientist, found that the anthrax bacteria emerged from a military lab in the Soviet Union. Meselson, along with a group of Western scientists, found that the victims lived downwind from the military facility. The livestock located in the same area also died as a result of a leak of the anthrax pathogen, according to news published in the journal Science on April 22, 1988.

"I knew they were lying," Philip Russell, a now-retired Army infectious disease researcher, told the journal. "And I knew they were lying because I had been briefed on Defense Intelligence Agency evidence."

What is Anthrax?

Anthrax is a bacillus that has an active phase, in which it multiplies rapidly in the body. These spores give off fatal toxins and may be ingested with food. These were what Soviet scientists initially said.

Inhalatory anthrax, which Western scientists found to be the real cause of the devastating deaths, enters the body through inhalation. After they are inhaled, the bacteria travel to the lymph nodes and they multiply and release poisons that cause uncontrollable hemorrhaging.

Read Also: New York City Mayoral Volunteer for Eric Adams Stabbed, Suspect Fled the Scene

Anthrax can also enter a person's intestines and other organs where they can also cause serious damage.

During the 1979 outbreak, many of the victims who inhaled anthrax died within four days in their homes, in the streets, or in fields, according to.

COVID-19 Origins

In the New York Times story, Dr. Meselson said that it is "critical" to know how epidemics start because of geopolitics. Citing the Anthrax leak as an example, he said that it might still be an issue between Russia and Western countries if the cause had not been determined. He likens it to the current situation gripping the world: there origin of pandemic will cause tension with China while its source is regarded as suspicious.

China's lack of cooperation and its efforts to control the access to data to investigators for the World Health Organization has also fueled speculations about how the SARS-COV-2 suddenly emerged from nowhere.

However, several studies have shown that the COVID-19 pandemic may have been the result of a natural spillover event, which happened without the involvement of the Wuhan lab. A study published on Nature noted that researchers at the WIV were studying RaTG13, a virus that shares 96% of its genome to SARS-COVID-2, before the initial outbreak.

Since the virus was identified, researchers from China and other southeast Asian countries also found clusters of RaTG13 from bats in their provinces.

President Joe Biden, along with other world leaders, has called intelligence agencies to investigate the origins of the coronavirus and a potential lab leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Related Article: COVID-19 Origins Probe: WHO Reviews Research on When Coronavirus Entered Italy, Indicates Experts Track Down Virus Outside China

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Several lawmakers urged to give Americans the fourth round of stimulus checks, and some want beyond that. However, it remains unclear if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional lawmakers would push for a new stimulus payment to help struggling families fix the US infrastructure.

Although the fourth stimulus check is far from reality, Americans might get their bonus payment on top of the third check. Those receiving the amount of $1,400 may receive a top-up after their 2020 tax return is filed.

How to receive bonus payment?

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said that the money comprises of ongoing additional stimulus payments for people who received checks under their 2019 tax returns before March but are now entitled to a new or more significant payment following their recently completed tax returns for 2020. Americans may receive the bonus payment if their income had fallen last year or if they had a new child or dependent.

It would be best if you adjusted your tax returns for 2019 and 2020 so that you can qualify. The supplementary payments were notified on April 1 and included those whose employees and revenue were not previously disclosed to the IRS.

For instance, it funded the third batch of stimulus checks. The administration of former President Donald Trump has issued two stimulus packages - for $1,200 and then $ 600 - but the administration of Biden arrived at a higher level with $1,400.

According to the IRS, more than 169 million stimulus checks have been sent or direct-deposited since March this year. The same legislation provided payments for families with children that could reach $3,600 for each eligible child.

But the payment will be divided into six checks and will be sent out monthly, starting July 15. These six new checks and a related tax break that families will receive next year will be combined to form one entity 0 the expanded federal child tax credit.

The IRs will determine how much the agency owes you if you are eligible for the benefit. Then, it will chop the payment in half, giving you part of the money next year through a tax credit when you file your federal taxes, as per the BGR.

The announcement comes as Americans continue to expect a fourth stimulus package. A Change.org petition for $2,000 monthly recurring payments has built up more than two million signatures as of this week. Stephanie Bonin, a restaurant owner in Denver, Colorado, initiated the petition last year.

Since January, when Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and 55 other Democratic legislators wrote to President Biden emphasizing the need for recurring payments, support for the plan has grown. Per The Sun, the letter read: "Recurring payments would provide a long-term lifeline to struggling Americans for the duration of this deadly pandemic.

Read Also: How to Maximize Student Loan Grace Period; More Money Tips for Fresh Graduates

In a recent tweet, Sen. Bernie Sanders expressed support for more stimulus checks after the University of Michigan revealed study results evaluating the stimulus payments, which found that they reduced food poverty and financial instability.

Will the fourth stimulus check come this 2021?

Most Americans are unlikely to receive the fourth batch of stimulus checks, but some may receive some financial assistance in July. This will most likely take the shape of the increased child tax credit, which will be granted between July 15 and December 15 of this year.

The IRS would give qualified parents monthly checks between July and December under the American Rescue Act. The payments are anticipated to reach 36 million eligible households. Families will get $300 for each child under the age of six and $250 from six to seventeen, NJ.com reported.

Related Article: Child Tax Credit: Here's How to Ensure You Get $3,600 New Stimulus Checks as IRS Sends Millions More Additional Payments



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Several GOP-led states have banned their police from enforcing federal gun laws as the United States sees a continuous rise in mass shootings.

Gov. Mike Parson, R-MO, on Saturday signed House Bill 85, known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act, which threatens to penalize any local police agency with $50,000 if it enforces federal gun laws. The governor claimed gun control could infringe on the Second Amendment gun rights.

Republican lawmakers who sponsored the bill said their main intent was to prevent the passing of measures that Democrats have proposed, including the expansion of federal background checks and the restriction of the sale of AR-15s, a semiautomatic weapon that has been used in numerous mass shootings across the nation this year.

"We're going to do things to make sure you don't overreach your authority from the federal government," Parson, a former sheriff, said during the signing, according to KCUR 89.3.

The bill made Missouri the ninth state to challenge the enforcement of federal gun laws, joining Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

Can a State Invalidate Federal Law?

The recent bans on the enforcement of federal firearms legislation have been widely criticized. However, Missouri and other GOP-led states cannot legally ban the enforcement of federal laws.

"They can pass a law that says that there are 46 planets, they can pass a law that says that there are 16 days in the week. It doesn't make it so. It has no effect legally because the Constitution specifically says you can't do that," Stephen Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, told NPR.

Read Also: New York City Mayoral Volunteer for Eric Adams Stabbed, Suspect Fled the Scene

Under the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause, federal law is supreme over state law, which means it can displace state law. This also means that law enforcement agencies in the nine GOP-led states are still required to uphold federal background checks and other federal laws despite the ban put in place by state governors.

With that being said, states do have the power to decide the extent to which they can assist federal law enforcement, including withholding the use of their resources to enforce the laws.

U.S. Mass Shootings

The Republican-led challenge against the federal government's firearms legislation comes as the nation marked 292 mass shootings this year. In June alone, there have been 52 mass shooting incidents across the nation, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.

The latest reported mass shooting incident happened on Saturday night in the Shockoe Bottom neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia. The incident left four people with gunshot wounds, one of whom is suffering from life-threatening injuries. Richmond detectives have yet to find the suspect, according to NBC 12.

On Sunday afternoon, a shootout between two groups left eight people injured with gunshot wounds, including a 10-year-old and a 15-year-old, who were both shot in the leg. One of the victims in the shooting underwent surgery, while seven other people are expected to survive their gunshot wounds. It is presently unknown who the suspects are, according to WFAA.

Related Article: Biden Speculated to Fall Short of July 4 Deadline Despite Touting Number of Administered Vaccines

Related Article: Biden Speculated to Fall Short of July 4 Deadline Despite Touting Number of Administered Vaccines

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The U.S. said on Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's remarks indicating he is ready for dialogue was an "interesting signal."

Kim Jong Un Urged Biden For a Dialogue

In his first public remarks on U.S. President Joe Biden's administration, Kim Jong Un encouraged preparedness for both conversation and confrontation with the US, reported Reuters.

Meanwhile, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington would still need a direct and unambiguous answer from Pyongyang, insinuating its readiness to engage in negotiations, according to a published article in the U.S. News.

Sullivan said, "His comments this week we regard as an interesting signal and we will wait to see whether they are followed up with any kind of more direct communication to us about a potential path forward."

Read Also: US, South Korea Reaffirm Commitment Toward Denuclearization of Korean Peninsula

Kim Jong Un's Remark Came Two Days Before the Appointment of the New U.S. Envoy

Kim's comments came only two days before Sung Kim, the newly designated U.S. ambassador for North Korea, was scheduled to travel to South Korea for his first visit since assuming the position last month, according to a published article in Indiana Express.

During his visit, he would meet with South Korean and Japanese colleagues, as well as other Seoul officials, according to the State Department on Thursday.

It can be remembered that last month North Korea lashed out at the United States and its ally South Korea, claiming that Washington's remarks on North Korean policies demonstrated a hostile attitude that demanded a commensurate reaction from Pyongyang.

The U.S. Offers To Meet Kim Jong Un Anytime

The US special envoy for North Korea offered to meet with Pyongyang anywhere, anytime, and without preconditions on Monday, the first public contact between the Biden administration and the nuclear-armed country.

Sung Kim's comments come after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued his first response to Washington's recent assessment of its policy to his isolated nation, saying Pyongyang must be prepared for both "conversation and confrontation."

The Biden administration has previously said that it would use a "realistic, measured approach," including diplomatic attempts to convince impoverished North Korea to abandon its prohibited nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

Kim Jong Un Released Statement about the Nation's Food Situation

Last week, Kim Jong Un declared the nation's food situation "tight," raising the alarm in a country with a dormant agricultural sector that has long struggled to feed itself and is now in self-imposed seclusion to attempt to shield itself from the global pandemic.

On Sunday, Pyongyang's state-run media claimed that Kim and senior officials had discussed "immediate measures" to address the country's "current food crisis." North Korea has long claimed that it has had no instances of the virus, which experts question, but it has paid a high economic price for its self-imposed embargo.

Meanwhile, envoy Kim urged UN Security Council members, including China, to properly execute resolutions on Pyongyang, which restrict North Korean purchases of oil and exports of coal, textiles, seafood, and other essentials.

Related Article: Could North Korea Face Another Devastating Famine? Kim Jong-Un Admits "Tense Food Situation"

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
What is a webinar? Why should you consider learning how to host one? How do you go about this?

In the modern working world, webinars are a crucial method of connecting customers with companies and employees of those companies. Since the covid-19 pandemic began, many individuals have started working from home, and webinars have proven to be one of the most important and valuable methods of making this work happen.

In the article below, you'll find out more about what makes a webinar and what you should plan for when setting up yours. With this information, you can create the best possible webinar for your needs.

What Makes a Webinar

A webinar is an online seminar that can take place through live streaming or through specialized webinar software. Although live streaming may be easier to set up initially, webinar software makes it easier to record your event and provide more features and information to your customers at the same time.

During a webinar, the presenter as well as some other representatives from the company will provide lecture-style information to customers. The presenter may also choose to open up to discussion, Q&A sessions, and other elements that can combine to create the perfect webinar.

Best Webinar Features

Some of the best features for a webinar include discussion and Q&A elements. These functions allow customers and clients to speak directly to the presenter, and in turn provide the presenter with an easier method of answering questions and concerns along the way.

Webinars should also provide screen sharing, which makes it easier for presenters to show their information to customers. The ideal webinar should facilitate easier discussion as well as easier presentation, combining both features of a traditional business meeting in a convenient online format.

Additionally, the software you choose should provide browser-based access for customers who do not want to download software.

Ideal Uses for a Webinar

There are dozens of ways to put a webinar to work for you. One of the most common is the product description or business presentation method. Through this type of webinar, you can showcase either your product or your services to potential customers and connect with your existing customers to provide updates as well.

You may also provide announcements about your products, leadership seminars on topics relevant to your industry, or round table discussions among customers and members of your industry. Any meeting you could potentially hold within your business, you can hold through a webinar.

Interacting with Webinar Participants

Interacting with your participants is another vital part of a good webinar. As previously discussed, you should be willing to open up the floor to questions or concerns from customers or other members of your industry throughout the webinar, providing Q&A sessions when possible for this purpose.

You should also take time to speak to your attendees and find out just what information they are looking for. This may occur during an informal session at the beginning of the webinar, or it could even take place through a survey you send out before the day of the event. Gauging interest on your topic is a great way to set yourself up for success.

Picking the Best Webinar Platform

When you choose the best webinar platform for your event, you'll be better able to spend your time constructing the ideal presentation rather than worrying about your software. Choose webinar software that makes it easy for you to set up and present through the use of screen sharing, recording, and mic and camera access for all participants.

Be sure to choose browser-based software as previously discussed, and don't pick a program that is too complicated for customers or clients to sign up with and use.

Lead-In and Follow-Up

Last but not least, if you want to make a good webinar, you should take time to make lead-in and follow-up phone calls. This is all part of the promotion process, and you should provide your attendees and potential attendees with as much information as possible about the event during these brief, informal phone calls.

The lead-in calls should be used to generate interest, while the follow-up can provide another opportunity for customers to ask questions. You may also provide download information for the recording of the webinar when you make your follow-up phone call as well.

Final Thoughts

Putting together a great webinar takes some practice, and it isn't necessarily something you're going to get right the first time you do. However, when you choose to work with a high-quality webinar software, you'll be setting yourself up for success and will be more capable than ever of creating a memorable event. The stronger your webinar, the more likely you will be to generate new customers and leads.

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
School advocates are complaining that the Republican-authored state budget doesn't commit enough state aid to education even though the federal government is set to pump billions in coronavirus relief aid into Wisconsin districts
Multimedia Video Journalist

Buffalo native trying to get her news on! Im a Multimedia Journalist here at Your Hometown Stations and I love what I do. Have a cool story idea? Im in! Just email me at ashelton@wlio.com or message my Facebook page.
Now Open

21 June 2021

Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today the opening of Alila Hinu Bay in Oman which joins Alila Jabal Akhdar as the brand's second hotel in Oman along with 15 other Alila properties worldwide. Distinguished a strong commitment to sustainable tourism, the award-winning brand features luxury hotels and resorts in some of the most spectacular natural locations.

The 112-key hotel includes 16 villas and is nestled on a secluded beachfront in Oman's southwest region of Dhofar. The untouched area is best known for its lush landscapes, cool summers, and it is within easy driving distance from Salalah International Airport. Between Samhan mountain and the blue waters of the Arabian Sea, Alila Hinu Bay caters to well-traveled guests seeking reflection and impactful connections. Along with the breath-taking scenery, the area is known for its rich Bedouin traditions and the renowned warmth of Omani hospitality. Combined with a personalized experience that is crafted for each guest, travelers can expect to be immersed in authentic yet bespoke journeys tailored to their preferences and interests.

Accommodations with a View

Alila Hinu Bay boasts 112 guestrooms and villas with interiors incorporating local materials which blend natural elements of the outdoors with clean, modern finishes . Guestrooms offer lagoon or sea views, each with its own terrace with fixed seating and the option of booking connecting rooms for families. Pool villas offer the utmost in luxury with private plunge pools and outdoor bathtubs, enabling guests to feel in tune with the natural surroundings. Further, all of the pool villas boast direct access to the beach and plenty of space to relax and recharge.

Sustainable Dining Experiences

Each of Alila Hinu Bay's dining venues is committed to sourcing the majority of their produce from local vendors. Seasalt

offers views over the ocean and welcomes guests to indulge in a coastal dining experience. The Orchard delivers sustainable, all-day dining, which is brought to life using natural and locally-sourced ingredients. The Lobby Lounge serves light refreshments and takes its cue from traditional Majilis-style seating.

Wellbeing Experiences

Situated between the mountains and the sea, guests have plenty of opportunities to immerse themselves in the beauty of the destination. Diving fans can enjoy the chance to experience some of the world's most stunning and intact coral reefs, while those interested in fishing can try their hand at reeling in the catch of the day. Those seeking to unwind can relax with a treatment at Spa Alila, which uses only natural products, and which also offers a range of yoga and meditation classes.

Stepping outside of the resort, guests can continue their immersion into nature in the greenery of the Wadi Darbat valleys or by visiting natural caves, waterfalls and Khor Rori, the largest nature reserve in the area. Historical and cultural discoveries can be made at Mirbat Castle, the old merchant houses or the Sumhuram Archeological Park.

Alila Hinu Bay, Oman, adds to Hyatt's existing Alila brand portfolio of 15 properties, joining hotels and resorts in Indonesia, India, China, Camboda, Malaysia and the United States. The new property also expands Hyatt's brand footprint across the Middle East, becoming the 27th Hyatt-branded hotel in the region.

Guided by its purpose of care, Hyatt's multi-layered Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment further enhances its operational guidance and resources around colleague and guest safety and peace of mind. More information on Hyatt's commitment can be found here: hyatt.com/care-and-cleanliness.

For more information about Alila Hinu Bay, please visit: alilahinubay.com
Now Open

21 June 2021

J Hotel has debuted its inaugural property today atop the Shanghai Tower, the tallest skyscraper in China and second-tallest in the world. J Hotel Shanghai Tower has reached a new milestone of success among China's homegrown hotels as it occupies the highest point in Shanghai. Jin Jiang International Hotels, China's largest and the world's second-largest hotel group, debuts the premiere luxury hospitality brand after dedicating ten years into its detailed curation, masterful craft, and opulent design. J Hotel weaves together broad influences from different realms of art and culture to bring a unique luxury perspective to Shanghai. It merges artistic touches throughout its design for palatial staterooms and the best in lifestyle, wellbeing, food & beverage, technology, and hospitality services, presenting an exclusive travel experience crafted with authentic Chinese flair.

J Hotel Shanghai Tower is located at the top of the 632-meter Shanghai Tower in the heart of Lujiazui, offering a bird's-eye view across the whole expanse of Shanghai. From this unparalleled location, guests can savor a view above and beyond all else. The horizon stretches clear from Hongqiao Airport in the west to the Yangtze River's powerful entrance into the East China Sea. It also provides a rare perspective on the nearby Oriental Pearl Tower and the Bund, offering a chance to contemplate the city's rich historical evolution.

J Hotel Shanghai Tower also carries forward the brand's ambitious ideals, delivering its own interpretation of home and the world as they intersect with Chinese culture. By crafting luxury hotels that combine modern aesthetics and Chinese tradition, the J brand aims to set the benchmark for China's homegrown hospitality industry.

J Hotel Shanghai Tower boasts 165 rooms, including 34 suites. The staterooms and suites are located from Floors 86 to 98 and vary from 62 square meters to 380 square meters, making them some of the highest and most spacious options in Shanghai. Nestled into the Shanghai Tower's spiral, every stateroom has unique views. Beginning at the Huangpu River and cutting through the heart of the city below, guests have access to Shanghai's diverse and spectacular urban scenery, from the Bund and the Oriental Pearl Tower to the expanses across Puxi and Pudong.
Industry Update

Appointment

21 June 2021

Nicolas Lambert

Joined Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach & Four Seasons Hotel Dubai International Financial Centre as Pastry Chef

Dubai's dessert lovers have reason to be delighted, with the arrival of one of the world's most promising pastry talents to the city. Chef Nicolas Lambert, who joins Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and Four Seasons Hotel Dubai International Financial Centre, has taken the reins in his new role as Executive Pastry Chef. Lambert, who boasts a remarkable resume, honed his craft at fine eateries and hotels across France before moving to Caprice Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. It was there that he was recognised as the youngest ever "Asia's Best Pastry Chef" by The World's 50 Best Restaurants. Following a successful stint at Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg, he has landed in Dubai with his suite of signatures that both flavourfully and visually captivate.

Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is dedicated to perfecting the travel experience through continual innovation and the highest standards of hospitality. From elegant surroundings of the finest quality, to caring, highly personalised 24-hour service, Four Seasons embodies a true home away from home for those who know and appreciate the best. more information

Recent Appointments at Four Seasons Pierre Barusta - Chef de Cuisine 28 June 2021  Four Seasons Hotel Singapore welcome Pierre Barusta as Restaurant Chef at the botanical modern Asian brasserie One-Ninety. Passionate about fresh seasonal produce and modern French techniques while remaining rooted in his Vietnamese heritage, Chef Pierre was born and raised in France where his passion for all things culinary has taken him around the world in true a la Francais over the last 20 years, including stints in a wide variety of top restaurants and hotels in France, Anguilla and Dubai. read more

David Peduzzi - Pastry Chef 23 June 2021  Located in the south of Mahe island and nestled into the hillside overlooking Petite Anse bay, Four Seasons Resort Seychelles welcomes David Peduzzi as the new Executive Pastry Chef to its culinary team. read more
Appointment

21 June 2021

Auro Hotels recently appointed Tanvir Shaikh as 'Front Office Manager'. In his new role, Tanvir will be spearheading Front office operations of Courtyard by Marriott Surat.

Tanvir, a driven and result oriented professional, has the ability of maintaining excellent guest relationships and ensuring an outstanding front office experience for his guests. Prior to joining Courtyard by Marriott Surat, Tanvir has worked with brands like Ginger, Aloft, Le Meridien, Radisson Blu.

Tanvir was recently recognised by Marriott International- Asia Pacific for his excellent contributions in strengthening Courtyard by Marriott Surat's Guest service experience and will be given a shout out at the upcoming Digital Guest Experience and GXP Webinar later in the month.

Hailing from Beed, Maharashtra Tanvir is a fitness enthusiast and an expert swimmer.
Appointment

21 June 2021

G6 Hospitality, the parent company of Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands in the United States and Canada, today announced the promotion of Mike Moore to Chief Human Resources Officer. In his new role, Moore is responsible for the organization's people strategy, including brand culture, team member engagement, talent acquisition and development, and compensation. As part of the executive leadership team, he will report directly to CEO Rob Palleschi.

Moore brings more than 20 years of human resources experience to his role and for the past decade has served in various capacities throughout the company, including training, field and corporate HR, administrative services and recruiting. Prior to joining G6 Hospitality, Moore worked for FedEx Kinko's where he was responsible for providing strategic and day-to-day operational direction, leadership and guidance for field HR functions, and Levitz Furniture managing operations and training.

Over the past year, Moore led the company's system-wide integrated COVID-19 response, managing the ongoing developments and deploying real-time enhanced protocols in response to the global health crisis.

A SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) and a Professional in Human Resources (PHR), Moore holds a Bachelor of Science in Leadership and Management degree from Kennedy Western University.
Appointment

21 June 2021

hihotels by Hospitality International, a recognized leader in franchising of conversion and new build hotels for economy lodging, is pleased to announce the hiring of industry veteran Les Scane as a Franchise Development and Assurance & Marketing Program Director.

Based out of the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, Scane will be spearheading the growth of hihotels' five distinct brands - Red Carpet Inn, Scottish Inns, Master Hosts Inns, Downtowner Inns and Passport Inn - in the Midwest and parts of the Southeast, Great Plains and Rocky Mountain regions. As part of the company's Assurance & Marketing Program (AMP), he'll also be delivering ongoing sales and marketing support and training to franchisees in those areas.

Scane began his career in hospitality as a GM/Regional Manager for Janus Hotels before spending nearly 14 years as an SSAP Director (Sales Support & Assurance Program) for Vantage Hospitality Group, working mostly with Americas Best Value Inn owners on key strategies such as reservation training, sales, marketing and operations.
Supplier News

21 June 2021

Property management system (PMS) software provider, RMS Cloud, has recently opened a China hosting centre to support its worldwide expansion. This will enable the technology company to host data in an exclusive Chinese data centre to comply with the countrys data residency laws, further broadening its product offering across Asia.

Increasing our data hosting capabilities was a key initiative in our 2021 roadmap to support our customers data compliance needs, says Peter Buttigieg, Founder and CEO of RMS Cloud. Launching this data centre in China will seamlessly enable our clients to adhere to the strict legislation and local data requirements, as well as strengthen our presence in the Chinese accommodation space.

Over the last three years, RMS has enriched its product to align with Asia requirements, including translation, tax and legal enhancements. In 2020, the company migrated to Microsoft Azure hosting to deliver limitless scalability and a stronger, more reliable system. With a China data centre now also in place, RMS can further satisfy accommodation operators by providing an enterprise, cloud-based PMS product that meets their specific in-country requirements.
Press Release

21 June 2021

In December 2020, the HSMAI Region Europe Nomination Committee asked the HSMAI Region Europe members to nominate suitable individuals for a Board of Directors position. Since then, a lot of nominations have been received for which we are incredibly grateful!

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As a result, the House of Delegates met in an extraordinary meeting and elected the following members to the Board of Directors of HSMAI Region Europe for two years:

Chair: Michael Nowlis, Independent Consultant, former Associate Dean at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management

Independent Consultant, former Associate Dean at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management Paul Proctor, Vice President  Commercial Europe at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)

Vice President  Commercial Europe at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Monique Jaspers-Wijn, Global Head of Data Insights & Digital Media Travelport at Travelport

Global Head of Data Insights & Digital Media Travelport at Travelport Per Griwell, VP Commercial / CCO, Business Development & Franchise at Thon Hotels

VP Commercial / CCO, Business Development & Franchise at Thon Hotels Markus Keller, Senior VP Sales & Distribution at Accor

Senior VP Sales & Distribution at Accor Roberta Possenti, Vice President Europe at Preferred Hotels

In addition, HSMAI Region Europe have made special appointments to the following individual/companies as board members for one year:

Guy Barnes, Area Vice President Growth, EMEA at IDeaS

Area Vice President Growth, EMEA at IDeaS Michael Schaffner, VP Sales EMEA at Duetto

VP Sales EMEA at Duetto Gino Angels, Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer at OTA Insight

As the global hospitality industry emerges from the most difficult period of the last half century, sales and marketing will be critical functions in restoring the sector to profitability. HSMAI Region Europe will play a leading role in driving industry renewal and growth. I am humbled to have been selected to chair the HSMAI board and support a talented executive team in these challenging but exciting times.

Michael Nowlis, Independent Consultant, former Associate Dean at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management and Chair of the HSMAI Region Europe Board of Directors

At the same time, HSMAI Region Europe has renewed a long-term contract with Ingunn Hofseth and her team.

As former leader of HSMAI Holland and co-founder of HSMAI Region Europe, I am very excited to see how the organization has transformed itself over the past few years. From a few individually operating National chapters into a truly integrated and extremely active Pan European organization focusing on the development of the European hospitality industry as a whole. And all this under the supervision of Ingunn Hofseth with whom I have been working closely together for many years now. Besides being an extremely focused and natural professional, Ingunn is a strong believer in the power of relationships and the necessary communication, trust and appreciation they need in order to make them successful and achieve great results. As such I cannot think of a person more suitable to lead HSMAI Region Europe into an even more successful future as its President and CEO than Ingunn Hofseth

Hans Poortvliet, Former Leader of HSMAI Holland and Member of the HSMAI Region Europe Nomination Committee

This prestigious leadership opportunity is open to any HSMAI member in the UK and across Europe looking to be part of the team working on the strategic direction of the industry in the post-pandemic era as the hospitality industry embarks on its business recovery. Whilst 60% of board positions are made up of those working directly in the hospitality industry in the region, HSMAI Region Europe is particularly keen to ensure the board is made up of a complementary mix and diverse backgrounds and careers. Above all, all the board members will be passionate about helping to drive our industry forward and flourish in 2022 and beyond.

Ingunn Hofseth, President & CEO for HSMAI Region Europe

The chair of the Nomination committee Martin Jrgensen announced today I am thrilled to welcome these talented individuals. Their unique backgrounds and diverse experience will make them a great asset to the HSMAI Region Europe Board and the organization as a whole. We look forward to adding more people to the board later this summer and we will make sure we get a good balance of competence and gender. We are looking for individuals that can help us to continue to build on our strong culture on appreciative leadership

Martin Jrgensen, CEO & Board member at Foodback and Former Chair of HSMAI Region Europe and Chair of the Nomination Committee

Due to our extensive and diverse activities and the many changes nationally and regionally, we would like to invite potential candidates for leadership positions within HSMAI Region Europe! We therefore encourage any member (supported by their HSMAI Region Europe member company) who is interested in serving on the European Board (now or in the future) to get involved in one of the many ways you can serve HSMAI. For a summary of the possibilities, please contact Ingunn Hofseth at email [email protected]

The Board of Directors of HSMAI Region Europe is responsible for guiding and providing input for the strategic direction of the association. HSMAI Region Europe has multiple units and leadership groups including expert communities, Advisory Boards and Councils, and special task forces.

The board meets face to face two times a year for a full day. In addition we plan one digital board meeting. Each board member is expected to attend all meetings and actively engage in a minimum of one committee, task force or Advisory Board during their term. Board members or board member companies are responsible for the costs of attending the meetings.

The European board will have up to 19 seats. An Executive Committee will also be elected out of the 19 board members. The HSMAI Region Europe Nomination Committee is responsible for developing a slate of candidates. A minimum of sixty percent of the board members must be working directly in the hotel and hospitality industry.

Please note: Nominations must be received no later than July 7th to be considered by the HSMAI Region Europe Nomination Committee. All candidates must be HSMAI Region Europe members in good standing (supported by their HSMAI Region Europe member company).

Please fill out this form and return to [email protected].

If you have any questions about this slate of nominations, please do not hesitate to contact our President & CEO, Ingunn Hofseth at [email protected]
Press Release

21 June 2021

HVS Hodges Ward Elliott acts on the sale of The Scores Hotel in St Andrews

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Acting as exclusive agent, HVS Hodges Ward Elliott has sold the historic Scores Hotel in St Andrews, Scotland to a joint venture led by Northern Irish property investment company Wirefox. The 36-room hotel overlooks the famous Old Course and is situated only yards from the iconic Royal & Ancient Clubhouse. This is the first time the hotel has changed ownership for 34 years. The purchasers plan to refurbish and reposition the hotel ahead of the 150th British Open, to be held at St Andrews in July 2022.

Cerberus and Highgate acquire the Dorsett City London from Far East

American private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, together with specialist US hospitality investors Highgate, have announced the acquisition of the 267-room Dorsett City London from Hong-Kong-based Far East Consortium, for a reported 115 million (431,000 per room). Located in East London near Shoreditch and Tower Bridge, the 4-star property features two restaurants and a rooftop bar. The acquisition marks the continued partnership between Cerberus and Highgate, which includes the purchase of six hospitality portfolios from Colony Capital earlier this year.

Serani Hotels acquires Hilton Warwick/Stratford-upon-Avon, UK

UK-based Serani Hotels has acquired the 181-room Hilton Warwick/Stratford-upon-Avon for an undisclosed sum. The property is spread across an area of seven acres and is located off the M40/Junction 15 intersection, two miles from central Warwick, UK. The hotel has significant conference and events space, as well as a restaurant, bar and fitness centre.

Aggregate Holdings acquires Berlins Furst development project

Luxembourg-based developer Aggregate Holdings SA has announced the acquisition of the landmark Furst mixed-use development project in central Berlin, which will include a 155-room hotel, from the family office of Israeli entrepreneur Amir Dayan. The project is located on Kurfurstendamm, which is one of the citys most prominent streets. Upon completion, the Furst project will have a gross construction area of some 183,000 sqm of mixed-use space, 60% being office and co-working spaces and the remainder being leisure, retail and hotel, with an expected value of some 2.5 billion. The project is expected to be completed in the second half of 2023.

Anthony B Nelson acquires Oslo hotel from Clarksons Platou

Norwegian property manager Anthony B Nelson AS has acquired a 47-room hotel located at Kongens Gate 7 in central Oslo from a fund controlled by the investment arm of Norwegian shipbrokers Clarksons Platou. The hotel, which was last renovated in 2012, is spread over 3,000 sqm. Clarksons Platou acquired the property in 2018 from local institutional investors Ragde Eiendom AS. The property is currently on a five year lease to Saga Hotel Oslo Central that expires in 2023.
Press Release

21 June 2021

ATLANTA  hihotels by Hospitality International, a recognized leader in franchising of conversion and new build hotels for economy lodging, is pleased to announce the hiring of industry veteran Les Scane as a Franchise Development and Assurance & Marketing Program Director.

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Based out of the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, Scane will be spearheading the growth of hihotels five distinct brands  Red Carpet Inn, Scottish Inns, Master Hosts Inns, Downtowner Inns and Passport Inn  in the Midwest and parts of the Southeast, Great Plains and Rocky Mountain regions. As part of the companys Assurance & Marketing Program (AMP), hell also be delivering ongoing sales and marketing support and training to franchisees in those areas.

Scane began his career in hospitality as a GM/Regional Manager for Janus Hotels before spending nearly 14 years as an SSAP Director (Sales Support & Assurance Program) for Vantage Hospitality Group, working mostly with Americas Best Value Inn owners on key strategies such as reservation training, sales, marketing and operations.

AMP has been wildly successful in providing one-on-one marketing and reservation assistance tailored to each franchisee and market. When looking to take the program to the next level, Les was the obvious choice. He enjoyed tremendous success with Vantage and fits perfectly into the unique, family-like culture we have built between the corporate team and hotel owners, said hihotels President & CEO Chris Guimbellot.

I am definitely one of numerus people who have noticed the resurgence of Hospitality International over the past year or so. Its quite a thrill to join their talented staff  several of whom I worked with previously  and help continue growing their brands and guiding franchisees to even greater success, said Scane.

For more information about franchising with hihotels, visit hifranchise.com or contact us at 800-892-8405 or [email protected].
Opinion Article

21 June 2021

The U.S. isnt the only country having issues filling hotel positions. In the wake of pandemic-induced layoffs and furloughs, properties around the globe are having trouble staffing up.

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Thats a troubling trend not only in terms of hoteliers service goals, but also in terms of managing labor expenses, which have been rising. In Europe, total labor costs on a per-available-room basis in April 2021 were $18.94, according to HotStats data, versus $15.75 at the same time last year. In Asia, labor costs rose to $37.63 in April from $25.67 in April 2020.

Like in the U.S., where some former hotel workers have left the sector and migrated to alternative industries, former hotel workers in the United Kingdom found new gigs in retail and other sectors, as well. Additionally, Brexit is playing a role in the labor shortage, said Hazel Hogben, SVP of Human Resources for hotel operator Interstate Hotels & Resorts.

Under Brexit, foreigners need a visa to live and work in the UK, which wasnt required when the UK belonged to the European Union, she explained. That shift has driven workers away.

In the UK, 35% to 50% of the hospitality staff were from European countries, said Hogben, and many have returned to their home countries or other European countries, where they can live and work without visas.

Hospitality in the UK also has a perception problem, said Chris Gamm, CEO of Springboard, a United Kingdom charity that supports unemployed hospitality and tourism workers. When we think about a career in hospitality, our minds are immediately drawn towards the role of [for example] a chef, but theres a wide range of jobs available.

Farther East

In Asia, many roles are still vacant because hotels still dont have the revenue to support adding staff. A lot of the hotels, specifically the bigger ones, are on a hiring freeze because there hasnt been revenue, said Scott Eddy, a hospitality and tourism brand strategist. Im not speaking about mainland China, where domestic travel is booming, but the rest of Asia is still suffering.

Border closures have presented additional problems in the region, said Victor Mogilev, managing director - Asia at hospitality recruiter LHC International. In the past, it was very common to hire expatriates. With shifting to the domestic market, hiring has turned toward local talent, particularly for mid- to senior-management roles. Because the shift happened so fast, the industry did not have enough time to develop enough professionals, so [there is] a gap.

In Asia, total labor costs on a PAR basis hit $36.48 in April 2021, 38.8% increase over the same time a year ago, but some $13 less than April 2019.

Despite the challenges, hoteliers are finding innovative ways to grow their teams. Hogben said Interstate is partnering with organizations to source hidden talentsuch as ex-offenders, homeless, veteranswho ordinarily would not be considered for employment. The company also is starting apprenticeship programs to get young people in the door. It has created a more generic, multi-skilled role where a team member does all front of house functions, she said.

Springboard has created a national effort, called Springboard to 2022, aimed at training and employing 10,000 young people in hotels by next year. Several hotel brands, including Hilton and IHG, are involved.

LHC International has tweaked its approach to finding workers. Whilst our network has been very international in the past, we are now focusing on expanding our local network within Asia, said Mogilev. Next to that, with possible skills and experience gap, we are working closely with our clients to help them develop existing or potential candidates.

And one tried but true strategy, while not innovative, likely would work. Hotels have to loosen the purse strings and offer higher salaries, bonuses and other incentives, said Eddy. Thats going to drive up labor costs, but if youre fishing and the bait isnt working, you have to change the bait.
Today, every hotel in the world has not one, but three categories of direct competitors.

Official Comp Set

This is your traditional comp set, included in the property's dSTAR Report by STR or rate shopping report by Fornova. These reports provide real value by benchmarking how well your property is performing against the official competition.

Unfortunately, monitoring and benchmarking only this official comp set is no longer sufficient. There are two additional categories of competitors that are after your property's business 24/7 and their effectiveness in taking market share from your property quite often far exceeds the one of your official comp set.

Here are these two additional categories of direct competitors you should be especially worried about:

Your Property's Digital Comp Set

These are properties that dominate the search engine results pages (SERPs) on the search engines for keyword terms that are very relevant to your property's product. If you are a boutique hotel in downtown Houston, search Google using the keyword term boutique hotel downtown Houston. If you are a 4-star hotel near Hyde Park in London, do the same and search Google for 4-star hotels near Hyde Park in London. Do a similar exercise if you a hotel with a rooftop bar in Manhattan. Or a spa hotel on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago.

Your digital competitors are all the properties with comparable to your property core services and amenities that rank on top or above your property in the SERPs. Most likely these properties are not part of your official comp set. Since Google owns the Dreaming and Planning Phases of the Digital Customer Journey, and more recently is increasing very aggressively its presence in the Booking Phase, you are losing more potential guests to your digital competitors than to your dSTAR comp set.

Vacation Rental Competitors

Vacation rentals now constitute almost one third of reservations for accommodations in your area. In 2020, Airbnb and Vrbo accounted for 29% of total lodging revenue in the U.S. and elsewhere. Add to that vacation rental reservations via Booking's global portfolio of over 6 million properties and you get the picture.

So, in addition to monitoring and benchmarking your classic and digital competitors, you should monitor closely Airbnb's, Vrbo's and other vacation rental properties in your market. Research and identify the rental properties in your neighbourhood, and what are their typical amenities and features. Identify your property's value proposition and create a list of all of your property's amenities, services and attributes that, in your view, are better than the average vacation rental in your area. Then review and update the property descriptions on the hotel website, social media profiles, CRS and WBE descriptions, directory listings, GMB, and promotional materials.

Make sure to educate your staff about the key advantages your property has over the vacation rentals in the area: from better location to no cleaning fees to better cleanliness protocols and really high-speed WIFI and free breakfast.

Introduce weekly and monthly rates for both rooms and suites. How many hotels offer rates for extended stays which are favoured by travel consumers in the current pandemic? A weekly rate is NOT a daily rate multiplied by seven. A monthly rate is NOT a nightly rate multiplied by 30! Make sure that your CRS, WBE (Website Booking Engine) and Channel Manager can support weekly and monthly rates and fire them if they can't.

And of course, take the pricing of all three comp sets into account in your revenue management practices and ask your Rate Shopping business intelligence vendor and your revenue management system vendors to automate this process.
Hong Kong will shorten mandatory hotel quarantine to seven days for fully vaccinated people traveling from all but a handful of high-risk places, in a significant easing of some of the worlds strictest border curbs.

The keenly anticipated moves were announced by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam at a briefing Monday, which she called a symbolic day as it marked two weeks without any new local coronavirus cases. Other plans include lifting capacity limits at some restaurants and swimming pools from Thursday.

The shortening of hotel quarantine will begin on June 30 and apply initially for Hong Kong residents, Lam said. Non-residents could be eligible within a month of that date. In addition to being fully vaccinated, people will need to test positive for Covid-19 antibodies and undergo two nucleic acid tests during quarantine followed by more tests 12, 16 and 19 days after arriving, according to a government statement.

Lam didnt say which places might be excluded from the plan, but the statement later outlined that only so-called Group A1 and A2 specified places would miss out. The extremely high-risk category currently includes India, Nepal, Pakistan, Brazil, the Philippines and South Africa. Ireland and Indonesia are A2.

While many parts of the world have opened up again fairly quickly, Hong Kong has pursued a cautious approach after effectively wiping out Covid-19. Others in the Asia Pacific region have acted similarly, aiming for Covid Zero at the expense of reopening borders. If Hong Kongs latest quarantine plan proceeds, it would be the first of these places to allow vaccinated tourists to enter.

The city is well equipped to allow persons arriving at Hong Kong who are fully vaccinated and possess positive serology antibody test results, a government spokesman said in Mondays statement. Meanwhile, as Hong Kong is an international metropolis, many of our citizens have genuine needs to travel around the world.

Serology testing will also be a requirement for quarantine exemptions for senior executives of major listed companies.

Questions remain about the new policy. Asked if unvaccinated children would qualify for shorter quarantines, Lam said the government will study how to apply rules to those who cannot access Covid shots. Only children aged 12 and above are eligible for vaccinations in Hong Kong. We will come up with a response, Lam said.

Bloomberg reported last week that the quarantine easing plan, which had been recommended by a government advisory panel earlier this month, had been approved by the government.

Hong Kongs strict quarantine regime has been a growing source of public anger. Travelers have to book their own hotel rooms, which can be costly for lengthy stays, and theyre being reserved quickly over the summer period.

In Hong Kong, fully vaccinated people are required to serve quarantine in government facilities if they come into close contact with infected people, even if theyve tested negative for the virus. With vaccine uptake slow amid widespread distrust of the Beijing-backed government, calls have grown for rules to be relaxed for inoculated people.

The citys vaccination rate remains low and is not ideal, Lam said. Despite wide availability of vaccines, only 17% of people in Hong Kong have been fully vaccinated, according to Bloombergs vaccine tracker. That compares with 34.9% in Singapore and 36.1% in London.
The liquidation of the iconic Lubys dining chain gained momentum Monday as the ailing company said it had lined up a buyer for dozens of its Lubys Cafeteria restaurants in Texas. The deal came on the heels of a Thursday announcement that it would be selling its Fuddruckers brand to a North Carolina-based franchisee.

A business formed by Calvin Gin, a member of the family that founded Chicago-based catering business Flying Food Group, has agreed to buy 32 Lubys locations in Texas and the Lubys Cafeteria brand in a deal valued at $28.7 million, the company said.

In a separate deal, Lubys last week announced it would sell its Fuddruckers brand in a deal valued at $18.5 million to North Carolina franchisee Nicholas Perkins, who already operates several of the burger restaurants. The moves are the latest in Lubys liquidation effort, which came after shareholders voted overwhelmingly in November in favor of a plan to dissolve the business, allowing the company to sell off assets and distribute proceeds among investors.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Luby's strikes deal to sell Fuddruckers business for $18.5 million

The deal names more than a dozen Lubys restaurants in greater Houston, including locations on Westheimer, East Freeway, Fuqua, Meyer Park, Cypress Creek Parkway, Tomball Parkway, Veterans Memorial Drive, Eastex Freeway, two locations on Northwest Freeway and one on South Mason Road in Katy.

We are so pleased to be able to acquire the operation of these Lubys Cafeteria stores, one of the iconic brands in the Texas restaurant market, Gin said in a news release. This transaction will allow us to continue serving the many loyal Lubys customers at these locations and to provide long-term employment opportunities for the many associates currently at these locations.

The agreement with Gin does not include Lubys Culinary Contract Service business or the real estate occupied by the restaurants. Last year, Lubys sold nine properties for around $23.7 million. It had sold an additional two properties for around $5.1 million as of April 26 and at that point owned 63 others.

John Garilli, the companys interim president and chief executive, said Lubys is still evaluating how to best monetize the companys remaining assets, including locations not named in the deals announced this month, its real estate and its culinary services arm.

The two contracts that we signed recently are steps in the process, he said, and well continue to move forward.

The Gin familys company, Flying Food Group provides food preparation services for Starbucks and is one of the largest airline catering companies in North America. Most of the more than 1,000 employees at the 32 Lubys locations in the sale will retain their positions, the company said in announcing the deal.

Perkins, whose Black Titan Franchise Systems is acquiring Fuddruckers, said the business headquarters would remain in Houston following the sale. He said he is planning on hiring 14 people to staff the corporate office. Perkins grew up eating Fuddruckers burgers and maintains the chain still boasts the best burger hes ever had.

For it to come full circle, Im very blessed. Im very honored; Im very excited about the future, Perkins said, noting his aim to restore Fuddruckers to its 500-store heyday. Were going to turn this brand around.

amanda.drane@chron.com

Twitter.com/amandadrane
Q: What steps will my son have to take as executor of my estate to distribute the property being transferred by my will upon my death?

A: The first step will be to hire a lawyer. Most judges no longer allow people to represent themselves as executor of an estate in court.

The lawyer will prepare an application for probate, which is filed with the county clerk along with your original will. The application is several pages long and includes certain facts about you, your will and your property. There is also a filing fee which must be paid, and it varies by county.

After a required 10-day waiting period, a probate hearing will be held. It can take weeks to get a hearing in some counties because they are so busy. In larger counties with dedicated probate courts, it is often possible to schedule the hearing shortly after the 10 days wait. Hearings are now often held as Zoom hearings.

On HoustonChronicle.com: More columns from Ronald Lipman

At the hearing, the lawyer will ask your son some simple questions, after which your son will sign a document containing a written record of his testimony. If everything is in order, the judge will sign an order admitting your will to probate.

After the hearing, your son will sign an oath stating he will fulfill his duties as executor of your estate. Once the oath is filed, he can obtain letters testamentary from the county clerk authorizing him to act on behalf of your estate. Banks, brokerage firms and other businesses typically require these letters before they will switch ownership of properties and accounts out of your name and into your beneficiaries' names.

Within 30 days of receiving letters testamentary, a Notice to Creditors must be published in a local newspaper and filed with the court. This notice lets creditors of your estate know where they may file claims to recover money they are owed. If you owe money to a secured creditor, such as a mortgage company, your son must send a certified letter informing them of your death.

Within 60 days of receiving letters testamentary, your son will need to give notice to all the beneficiaries under your will that you died, that your will is being probated, that he is the executor, plus other information. The beneficiaries must either be told what they are to receive, or they must be given a copy of your will and the order signed by the judge.

Within 90 days, an inventory of the assets passing under your will must be prepared. In the past, the inventory had to be filed with the court, and it became a public record. But a new law provides that if your son gives a copy of the inventory to all the beneficiaries, then it can remain private. Your son would simply file a one-page affidavit stating the inventory was prepared and distributed as required.

Importantly, if your estate is valued at more than $11.7 million, your son will need to file a federal estate tax return within nine months of your death. The estate tax rate is 40 percent on assets over $11.7 million. Your son may need to file income tax returns and pay income taxes as well.

Probate can, under ideal circumstances, be completed in as little as four to six weeks, although the process usually takes several months. However, if you own many different types of investments or have a taxable estate, then the process will take much longer.

The information in this column is intended to provide a general understanding of the law, not legal advice. Readers with legal problems, including those whose questions are addressed here, should consult attorneys for advice on their particular circumstances. Ronald Lipman of the Houston law firm Lipman & Associates is board-certified in estate planning and probate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Email questions to stateyourcase@lipmanpc.com.
Activist investor Engine No. 1 won three seats on Exxon Mobils board by a wide margin, according to the final vote tally released Monday.

Dissident candidate Kaisa Hietala, who led the renewable products initiatives of Finnish refiner Heste, won nearly 91 percent of votes. Gregory Goff, the former CEO of San Antonio refiner Andeavor, won nearly 86 percent. And Alexander Karsner, the former assistant secretary of renewable energy under George W. Bush, won 73 percent, according to the final election results confirmed by an independent inspector.

Hietala, Goff and Karsner will replace Douglas Oberhelman, Sam Palmisano and Wan Zulkiflee on Exxons board. A fourth activist candidate, Anders Runevad, was not elected to Exxons board, winning 18 percent of the vote.

Our board looks forward to continuing to work in the best interest of all shareholders, Exxon CEO Darren Woods said in a statement Monday. We welcome our new members and thank our three departing directors for their valuable contributions to the company.

Engine No. 1, a small San Francisco-based hedge fund founded by technology veteran Chris James, sought to replace four directors on Exxons board with candidates promising to re-energize the nations largest oil company and invest more heavily in clean energy. Engine No. 1 had the support of large institutional investors such as California and New York pension funds; some of the worlds largest investment funds, such as BlackRock; and proxy advisory firms ISS and Glass Lewis.

PROXY FIGHT: Big Oil confronted with 'day of reckoning' on climate change after Exxon board shake-up

The board shakeup at the nations largest oil company underscored how serious a threat some investors believe climate change is to the bottom line of Big Oil. Exxon shareholders last month also approved by a large margin measures calling on Exxon to issue a report on how much of its political contributions go to trade groups and lobbyists opposing climate action.

The pendulum didnt swing completely against Exxon, however. Shareholders narrowly rejected urging the company to report on how the global push toward net-zero emissions would affect Exxons bottom line. They also voted to maintain Woods as the companys chairman and CEO  a dual role that has been criticized by some investors who are concerned about corporate oversight.

Bank of America energy research analyst Doug Leggate said the boardroom shakeup and protest votes were less about climate concerns than about sending a signal to Exxons leadership that it needed to prioritize its dividend and shore up its balance sheet in the wake of the global pandemic.

Exxons stock plunged by more than half during 2020, to $31.57, after economic lockdowns and travel restrictions caused by the pandemic sapped demand for crude and petroleum products, threatening the companys dividend. As coronavirus vaccines have rolled out nationally, Exxons stock has rebounded to $62.02 as of Monday morning.

While Engine No. 1 may have placed its perceptions of an energy transition at the center of its differences with management and the board, we find that from discussions with investors this was probably a distant second consideration in the decision by some larger investors to vote against management this time around, Leggate said in his report. From our discussions with investors, dividend surety and balance sheet integrity perceived to have been put under unnecessary stress in 2020 seemingly was the catalyst for the adverse shareholder vote.
Iran is set to usher in a new government headed by Ebrahim Raisi, an ultraconservative cleric wary of engaging with the U.S.

His overwhelming victory in Fridays presidential election -- albeit on a low turnout -- came as world powers try to resuscitate a 2015 accord that limited Tehrans atomic activities in return for the easing of American sanctions. If the European Union, Russia, China and others manage to broker a deal between the U.S. and Iran, that would probably enable the Islamic Republic to ramp up crude exports at a time when the coronavirus pandemic is still suppressing demand in many regions.

Heres what oil traders should watch out for in the next two months.

What happens now?

Raisi will come to power around mid-August, with President Hassan Rouhani running the country until then. Analysts will be watching the 60-year-old chief justices statements on the nuclear talks and foreign policy, and any announcements on wholl oversee key positions in his administration.

On Monday, he called on the U.S. to lift sanctions and spoke about enhancing ties with China, already one of Tehrans main allies.

The nuclear negotiations will continue in the meantime in Vienna. The parties hoped to strike a deal before the election, but failed to overcome the final sticking points during the latest -- and sixth -- round of talks. While Iran believes an agreement is closer than at any other time, it has warned that fundamental differences remain between the sides. Western officials have told Bloomberg that deliberations will probably extend well into the summer.

The U.S., for its part, has long said its in no rush to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action -- which then-President Donald Trump pulled out of in 2018 -- and will only do so when its convinced Iran is has reversed a significant expansion of its atomic activities in the past two years.

Whether the president is person A or person B is less relevant than whether their entire system is prepared to make verifiable commitments to constrain their nuclear program, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday.

Even if theres a deal in the transition period, many oil and political analysts expect Raisis victory to delay the lifting the U.S. sanctions. The president-elect is himself under sanctions, imposed by the Trump administration for his role in a deadly 2009 crackdown on protesters, and Iran insists they must be removed.

The 2015 accord will probably be beyond repair if theres no agreement by the time Raisi takes over as president, said Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group.

Will Raisi scupper the talks?

Raisi, despite being part of Irans faction of hardline politicians and officials who have long opposed rapprochement with the U.S., said he wont undermine the talks. And the government has emphasized that the decision to negotiate in Vienna was made by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the ultimate say over Iranian foreign policy. Khamenei has backed a deal as a way of allowing Iran to resume energy exports and attract foreign investment, thereby rejuvenating the battered economy.

Whats the next key date?

A pact that allows the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor Irans nuclear facilities expires on June 24. Its still unclear if it will be extended, though the EU expects it will be. If not, that will create an information black hole about Irans nuclear operations, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told Bloomberg Television last week. It could also stall, if not crater, the Vienna talks.

Who are the key players to watch in the Vienna talks?

Irans delegation is led by Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. He regularly makes statements about the talks on his Telegram channel and tweets, as does Russias main envoy, Mikhail Ulyanov, and the EUs Enrique Mora. Another key player is U.S. President Joe Bidens special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, who has mostly said that while talks are progressing, theres still much work to do.

What are the key sticking points?

The major points of contention seem to be over how quickly and which U.S. sanctions will be eased. Tehran has said they must be removed across the board since it wont be able to export oil and gas unless sanctions on its shipping and banking industries are also lifted.

There is a chance that Washington doesnt agree to any sanctions removal and instead only agrees to waivers for individual countries. Iran will push hard against that, and Araghchi said on Sunday that one of the most serious disagreements is over Tehrans need for a guarantee that future U.S. administrations wont withdraw from any deal, as Trump did.

What will a deal mean for Irans oil?

Some analysts forecast that Iran will be able to increase crude exports from barely anything to around around 2 million barrels a day within a few months of a deal. State-controlled National Iranian Oil Co. has been priming oil fields and old customer relationships in anticipation of one being struck. The country has more than 100 million barrels of crude in storage, according to Citigroup Inc., which it could quickly sell down while ramping up actual production.

India has said it is ready to import Iranian oil again once sanctions are lifted, while Chinese refiners have already increased purchases this year.

Such a scenario could put pressure on oil prices and complicate OPEC+ policy. The 23-nation grouping of major crude exporters -- led by Saudi Arabia and Russia -- is weighing whether to increase production later this year. The virus and Irans potential return make the cartels calculations that much more difficult.

Yet Irans comeback will probably be much slower if the U.S. doesnt remove sanctions in one go. And it may take many months before some buyers, including those in the EU, the third-biggest importer of the Islamic Republics oil in early 2018, are comfortable they wont be penalized for dealing with Iranian entities.

Whether European and U.S. Big Oil firms would re-enter Iran is even less clear. Frances TotalEnergies SE planned to invest billions of dollars in the country after the 2015 deal, but had to pull out when Trump tightened sanctions. Raisi may shun Western investment in favor of building stronger relations with Russia and China.

What happens if theres no deal?

If the Vienna talks fail, that will likely be bullish for oil prices. Irans crude will stay off global markets and there could also be greater tension in the Middle East, perhaps leading to more shipping and tanker attacks in areas such as the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. Iran could also increase its military support for Yemens Houthi rebels, who have regularly hit Saudi Arabian energy facilities with drones and missiles.

Absent a diplomatic resolution, the result could be war, with major disruptions to the global economy, then-U.S. leader Barack Obama said when he signed the JCPOA in 2015.
Oil held near $72 a barrel as inconclusive nuclear talks between world powers and Iran -- which has elected a new hardline president -- allayed prospects for a swift revival of the Islamic Republics crude exports.

Futures in New York were little changed after increasing for a fourth week. Diplomats adjourned a sixth round of meetings with significant gaps remaining to mend the accord, the third time since talks began in April that negotiators have missed self-imposed deadlines to rejuvenate the agreement. A revived deal would likely lead to the easing of U.S. sanctions and higher crude flows.

President-elect Ebrahim Raisi, who is subject to sanctions himself, has demanded an end to the penalties on his country and a return to the 2015 nuclear accord. The election of the conservative cleric will likely delay such a move, according to consultants SVB Energy International LLC.

The failure to clinch an agreement puts additional pressure on other members of the OPEC+ coalition, which meets next week to consider restoring more oil output.

Crude is up almost 50% this year as major economies emerge from restrictions and lockdowns after the rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide. Demand has rebounded, especially in the U.S., Europe and parts of Asia. Consumption in China has exceeded pre-pandemic levels and India is showing signs of recovering from a deadly second virus wave that decimated its economy.

Oil fundamentals are still tightening, with oil demand recovering further as people in the U.S. and Europe enjoy the removal of restrictions on mobility, said Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst at UBS Group AG in Zurich. Meanwhile, OPEC+ production is rising only modestly, and refiners who had hoped for an Iranian deal now need to secure barrels elsewhere.

Key price indicators suggest the market is getting tighter. The prompt timespread for Brent was 81 cents a barrel in backwardation -- where near-dated prices are more expensive than later-dated ones. That compares with 57 cents a week earlier.

The tighter backdrop is sparking more bullish price calls. Futures may hit $100 a barrel next year as pent-up demand for travel is unleashed, while investment in new supplies is crimped by environmental pressures, according to Bank of America Corp.
The Woodlands-based LGI Homes took the top spot on the Chronicle 100 list of public companies, catapulted by the sudden rush to buy homes and the accompanying spike in sales prices.

The rankings are determined by local public companies total revenue, earnings-per-share growth, annual revenue growth and one-year total return to shareholders on a dividend-reinvested basis. Last years activity helped LGIs 2020 revenues jump 29 percent from the year before, to $2.4 billion from $1.8 billion. Its stock price, which had fallen to $33 a share at the height of the shutdown, is now trading above $150 a share as the builder has shown that it was able to increase not only closings, but also its margin on each home sold.

The Houston Chronicle sat down with the companys chief executive, Eric Lipar, to discuss how he steered the company throughout a tumultuous year.

Q: Before diving into how the pandemic impacted your business, Id like to set the baseline. What were things like before 2020?

A: 2019 was a very strong year  what we would consider a very good housing market. We had 7,690 closings in 2019, and that was up from 6,512 in 2018. A solid year of growth for the company.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Chronicle 100 - Builders thrived in 2020, an otherwise bright spot in a dismal year

Q: How did things change in 2020, and how did you navigate it?

A: Obviously in the middle of March, there was a lot of uncertainty placed on us and the entire country.

The first thing was: Dont panic. Because no one knew exactly what would pan out. The most important thing was whether homebuilding and homeselling would be considered an essential business or not.

I think one of the best decisions we made was to be patient. And also focus on cash management. We made the decision to stop building new houses, stop making commitments to buy new land, stop spending money on marketing. All those decisions were made quickly and focused on preserving cash to protect us in any downside scenario.

The one thing that we did differently than other builders or different than our peer group was we did not consider doing anything with our people. Meaning no layoffs, no furloughs, no cutting of hours. People are so important to our culture and so important to the success of our company.  It was never a consideration of ours to layoff or furlough employees.

Q: Did that put you in a stronger position when it became clear that homebuilding and selling were not only considered essential, but experiencing unprecedented demand?

A: Oh absolutely. Weve been promoting that. Weve been using it for recruiting. And the story of us not having any furloughs or layoffs during the pandemic is part of our history now, and we will be telling that story for years to come Were not only publicly traded homebuilder that we know of that not only did not lay anyone off, but also we awarded all our frontline workers with a $2,000 bonus.

Q: And then how did LGI quickly ramp up, and how did it deal with rising costs?

A: We have a simple business model. We focus on the first-time buyer, entry-level buyers. When the costs go up, we have to price that to our buyer so we maintain our margins. And with demand being so high and supply being so low, weve been able to offset those cost increases

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Were also whats considered a spec builder. So we have no options for our houses We focus on building four or five different plans per community, and that makes our process a lot more efficient. We have the ability to build quicker, more efficiently, and thats where the leading edge of demand was  renters who wanted to move quickly into homeownership.

Q: How did investor purchases play into your home sales growth?

A: The single-family rental business has really taken off over the last couple of years. And we have been selling houses to the single-family rental industry. This year, we project that to be between 10 (percent) and 15 percent of our closings so thats been a very big part of our success and a big part of our growth over the last few years.

Q: Do you think demand is going to continue?

A: Were going to be in a low-supply environment. The pandemic didnt help with that shortage when we all stopped (building) for a few months. Were all playing catch up. So we believe theres going to continued demand for our homes. And we also believe that the value of the home because of the pandemic  thats going to stick with us. I think thats going to stick with us for a long time.

rebecca.schuetz@chron.com;

twitter.com/raschuetz
Fainmous BBQ was busy last week packing up nifty frozen shipping boxes of its hickory-smoked brisket and Tennessee-style ribs, pulled pork and whole chicken set to reach hungry barbecue fans in far-flung homes in California, Missouri, Washington, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey.

Having adopted nationwide shipping of its made-in-Houston barbecue for only two months, Fainmous is now reaching customers in every corner of the country thanks to its partnership with online marktplace Goldbelly. The small barbecue operation at Sawyer Yards has beefed up its work operations to accommodate the growing national desire for Texas-made craft barbecue.

Were ramping up to try to meet the Goldbelly orders, said Karen Fain, who owns the business with her husband, James Fain. Were feeling the pain.

But its a good pain, Karen Fain is quick to point out. What weve been able to do in eight weeks is incredible. Its happened so quickly.

Fainmous is among a growing list of local barbecue purveyors that are finding new ways to expand and diversify their businesses by launching retail products, partnering with local supermarkets and offering national shipment of distinctive Houston barbecue. The latter, in particular, has become a popular  if time consuming  practice that is bringing in much-needed post-pandemic revenue while also creating welcome brand recognition.

The national shipping trend comes at a high-visibility moment for the Houston barbecue scene. Chef Ara Malekian, pitmaster/owner of Harlem Road Texas BBQ in Richmond, can now be seen on BBQ Brawl, the new Food Network competition series. Blood Bros. BBQ is spreading the Houston gospel thanks to a new outpost at Resorts World Las Vegas casino. And Pinkertons Barbecue recently opened a second location in San Antonio.

Two months ago, Roegels Barbecue Co. on South Voss also began a collaboration with Goldbelly to ship out racks of ribs, whole brisket and smoked sausage.

It adds thousands of dollars a month in revenue, said Russell Roegels, who owns the business with his wife, Misty Roegels. In todays world, with the way the restaurant industry has been hit, you have to do whatever you can to make money.

Its not just the money, though. Goldbelly is helping Roegels gain social-media followers throughout the country. Indeed, Karen Fain said she couldnt be happier about the 23,000 website landing-page views Fainmous has gained since hooking up with Goldbelly.

James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Shepherd recently got in the direct-to-consumer shipping game with Goldbelly, too, offering an unconventional barbecue menu. He said he was urged to join the platform by his friend Aaron Franklin of the famed Franklin Barbecue in Austin.

He was like, Dude, get in it, Shepherd said. He laid it all out for me.

Three weeks ago Shepherd was brought on by Goldbelly to ship his ham-smoked ribs, bacon sausage and beer can chicken. And 62 H-E-B supermarkets now stock Shepherds sausage.

Doziers BBQ in Fulshear, a legacy Texas smokehouse established in 1957, recently was tapped by Williams-Sonoma as the first Texas barbecue company to offer smoked meats through the kitchenware giant. Doziers brisket, ribs, turkey breast and famous Presidential Bacon, a favorite of the late President George H.W. Bush, are now available for nationwide shipping through Williams-Sonoma.

We feel honored they chose us out of all the possibilities in Texas, said Doziers owner Steve Baur. They told us they touch 8 million households with their print, social media and internet.

In the works since the fall, Doziers shipping partnership with Williams-Sonoma has been going for a month.

Were still in our infancy, Baur said. We knew we could figure it out because other companies were doing it.

Erin Smith and Patrick Feges of Feges BBQ decided to explore their own shipping strategies during the holidays last year.

Goldbelly is a great resource, but there were markups involved, which meant our barbecue was going to be really expensive, and we wanted to keep the prices down for our customers, Smith said.

Feges created its own shipping platform to get its smoked meats, sauces and rubs to the consumer and began nationwide shipping before Christmas. It now ships to all 50 states.

This means you can get good Texas barbecue anywhere, anytime, Smith said. (Prepared barbecue is particularly well suited to frozen shipping. The sealed meats are simply thawed and reheated at home, losing nothing in terms of flavor and texture, purveyors say.)

Though national shipping is new to many Houston barbecue purveyors, businesses such as Goode Co. have already paved the way. The Houston brand has long shipped its famous pies and for years has gotten its barbecue to a national audience. Goode has been with Goldbelly, too, for years.

The shipping strategy, however, is proving to be an enticing new frontier. Pitmaster Ronnie Killen is exploring the possibilities of using Goldbelly or Amazon to ship his vaunted barbecue. When Killens Barbecue begins national shipping, it will be another revenue stream for the brand that already sells its barbecue seasonings through H-E-B and at Buc-ees locations.

If it happens, itll definitely be good. We want to be out there and stay in peoples eyes, said Killen.

Michael Sambrooks, owner of the Pit Room in Montrose, also is considering shipping nationwide.

Its an evolution. New revenue streams are always important to work on, he said. Its been very impressive watching all the barbecue people pivot and find new revenue sources.

He has a website coming that will highlight a marketplace for rubs, meats and jarred pickles. And, perhaps, Pit Room smoked meats for the masses.

Theres more exciting news coming from the Houston barbecue community.

Burns Original BBQ in Acres Homes has been forging a unique partnership with Kroger stores with barbecue pop-ups, prepared meals and bottled sauces. Any day now, Kroger plans to make a major announcement in its ongoing partnership with Burns.

Retail avenues are also opening for even the most modest players on the Houston dining scene. Eddie Os Texas Barbecue, a pop-up from pitmaster Eduardo Ortiz, recently began selling his refried Magic Beans in clever retail pouches at Henderson & Kane General Store in Old Sixth Ward. Those pork-fat-enriched beans, also available for shipping in Texas, proved to be so popular that Ortiz is now adding two pouch-packed salsas to his retail lineup.

Its something weve been working on in parallel to the barbecue business, Ortiz said. We use barbecue as a medium to fund this product passion, and hopefully that will be the primary business stream for the brand.

Those beans must be magic: Hes close to announcing a new retail partnership that could further propel the Eddie Os brand.

greg.morago@chron.com
Orlanda OJ Hart said he needed to wash his hands.

The 5-year-old had purple, green and yellow paint all over his fingers as he painted a bear at Alief Family YMCAs summer day camp. Well, it was a bear at first, but OJ had another masterpiece in mind.

The boy painted a night sky with purples, blues and greens  a bit Van Gogh with a splash of graffiti. When the artist was finished, he asked, Can I take this apron off now?

OJ participated in his first summer day camp at the Y in a group with seven other 5-year-olds. It was a week of paint parties, science experiments, relay races and other group activities.

For many of the children, it was their first time around peers since the pandemics start. And while its exciting for everyone to be back together, the Ys youth development counselors have noticed how the kids have changed.

On HoustonChronicle.com: How to be around people again: A guide for back-to-office anxiety and awkwardness

More Information Editor's note: This is the eighth installment of an eight-week series geared toward helping Renew readers prepare their bodies and minds to return to normal life this summer, as the pandemic wanes. See More Collapse

Children and teenagers are often described as resilient through tragedy and life changes. But the pandemic took a deep emotional toll on young minds, said Dr. Karin Price, chief of psychology at Texas Childrens Hospital.

And now that parents and guardians are returning to their office spaces, there may be new attachment issues for children and adolescents alike. Price, who works directly with children, said its too early to gauge the pandemics full effect from a research standpoint.

For those of us in the trenches day after day, there has been consistent feedback from the kids themselves, Price said. There are significant increases in anxiety and depression in children and adolescents. Emergency rooms have been admitting more kids with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. The outpatient side is dealing with an increase of parents looking for services for their kids.

A new study on Canadian children and adolescents found that 67 to 70 percent experienced increased depression, anxiety, irritability, hyperactivity or obsessions/compulsions. However, at least about 1 in 5 experienced improvement in at least one mental health area as a result of the time away from the public.

Kids who already had anxiety have exacerbated symptoms, Price said, and theres a major increase in new cases. Their worries are related to social concerns and the virus itself. Its been a year since theyve had to interact with the outside world, and many worry theyve forgotten how to do it, she said.

Its important for parents to talk to children about the familys values and beliefs on COVID safety, Price said. Some families will continue to mask and social distance until their children can be vaccinated; others wont.

THE GREAT COMEBACK: Youve been working from home, and you cant sleep. Heres how to fix it.

Be careful to not reinforce judgment on those who maybe act differently than your family, she said. As our kids are going back in the world, there must be an idea of acceptance. Say, We do it this way in our family, and they do it differently.

Day camper Zahra White, 13, will return to in-person schooling in the fall because her mom is returning to the office. Since the pandemics start, she attended an online-only preparatory academy.

But after a few months, Zahra felt lazy and lonely.

Im excited because I dont know anyone at my school, and they didnt really want us exchanging any information because all the classes were recorded, Zahra said. I get to, like, make friends now.

That first week at her new school will be stressful, she said. But the eighth-grade honors student doesnt expect it will take too long for her to readjust to other people.

Now that more people and older children and adolescents are receiving COVID shots, child care workers hope to reverse damage caused by the scary and isolating months away from the world.

Terrie Eley, program director at the Alief branch of the YMCA, is glad for expanded camp services  at 80 percent capacity  this summer. Last year was hard for everyone, she said.

They wanted to play with their friends, and they wanted to go to school, especially the little ones, Eley said. How do you keep explaining to them that, no, they cant hug their friend. And no, they couldnt give me a hug either. Eventually they got it, but they were really sad all the time.

But children are more resilient than their parents, Eley said. After 20 years in child care, she has faith the kids will be OK as they gradually reenter the world.

Weeklong day camps started after Memorial Day weekend for ages 5-16 across the city. For COVID safety, the children are divided by age. Masks are required for inside activities, too.

On RenewHouston.com: A guide for pet owners returning to the 9-to-5 world

You can tell the excitement in their faces. Behind the mask, their eyes squint happily from being around their peers, said Larry Taylor, executive director of youth development at YMCA of Greater Houston. This year, they have the opportunity to be back in a place with each other and take part in new adventures.

Taylor has not yet noticed an uptick in attachment problems for campers. Typically, kindergartners and first graders are scared to leave their parents on the first day, he said.

For the counselors, its important to make sure children find comfort in a new environment  thats part of growing up. And the parents are always a phone call away.

They gain a sense of independence, and theyre able to create friendships outside of school and their neighborhood, Taylor said. The outside world is exciting for them.

julie.garcia@chron.com

twitter.com/reporterjulie

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Tiffany Dimaano, who represented Clear Lake when she placed in the Top 15 at the 2014 Miss Texas Outstanding Teen pageant, will compete July 3 for a $20,000 scholarship as Miss Houston Volunteer in the first Miss Texas Volunteer pageant.

The pageant will be at the Allen Performing Arts Center in Allen. The first runner-up will receive a $10,000 scholarship.

Dimaano, a 2019 honors graduate of Texas A&M University, recently assisted in a COVID-19 vaccination drive sponsored by the Texas Unified Society of Thomasians. She has volunteered at fundraisers for medical and surgical missions and the Houston Food Bank. In addition, she has worked in call support at a healthcare facility that handles COVID-10 testing.

Contestants at Miss Texas Volunteer will compete in interview, talent, fitness and wellness and evening gown, with the top five answering an onstage question. Women ages 17-25 have an opportunity to enter through June 27 at misstexasvolunteer.org/contact.

The winner will advance to the first annual Miss America Volunteer pageant in May 2022 in Nashville, Tenn.

Girls ages 13-17 can enter the Miss Teen Texas Volunteer competition, which will be held July 3 in conjunction with the Miss pageant.

In the talent competition at Miss Texas Volunteer, Dimaano said, I will be singing Go the Distance from the Disney movie Hercules. As Miss Clear Lakes OT, I sang Defying Gravity from the Broadway musical Wicked.

Dimaano is an intern at the Houston Health Department and hopes to pursue a doctorate in epidemiology.

BAY AREA/FRIENDSWOOD

Local student earns place on honor roll at ACU

Rileigh Smith of Friendswood has been named to the Abilene Christian University spring 2021 deans honor roll.

Smith is a senior majoring in integrated studies, early childhood and elementary education.

To qualify for the list, students must be registered for 12 or more credit hours and earn a GPA of 3.6 or higher. Learn more at www.acu.edu.

Friendswood student named to deans list at George Fox

Ellie Wilber, a sophomore from Friendswood majoring in nursing at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, has earned deans list recognition for the spring 2021 semester.

Traditional undergraduate students must earn a 3.5 GPA on 12 or more hours of graded work to earn a spot on the deans list.

Area students earn placement on Harding deans list

Seniors Caleb Drew and Kyle Huggins, both of Friendswood, are among more than 1,150 Harding University students included on the spring 2021 deans list.

Drew is a music major, and Huggins is studying computer science.

To be eligible for the list, a student must carry 12 or more hours with a 3.65 or higher GPA. To learn more about the school in Searcy, Arkansas, visit www.harding.edu.

League City student named to Rockhurst deans list

Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, recently named Sydney Shindler of League City to the spring 2021 deans list.

The honor recognizes students who have achieved a GPA of 3.5 or above.

Friendswood student named to University of Utah deans list

The University of Utah in Salt Lake City recently recognized sociology major Sophie Rudd of Friendswood with placement on its spring 2021 deans list.

To qualify for the list, students must earn a GPA of 3.5 or higher in at least 12 graded credit hours during any one term. Learn more at www.utah.edu.

Area student named to William & Mary deans list

Zeyanna Dhalla of Friendswood has earned a place on the spring 2021 deans list at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

To achieve deans list status, a full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate student must take at least 12 credit hours and earn a 3.6 GPA during the semester. Learn more at www.wm.edu.

Friendswood resident on deans list at Shenandoah University

Isabella Morrison of Friendswood is one of 962 students who earned a spot on the dean's list at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va., for the spring 2021 semester.

To be considered for the list, students must complete at least 12 semester hours and earn a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Friendswood residents get degrees at Abilene Christian

Abilene Christian University awarded 1,206 degrees May 7-8 in three ceremonies including for the following local students.

Ricardo Lopez Franco of Friendswood graduated with a bachelor of business administration degree in information systems.

Sara Kincaid of Friendswood graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts in ministry and vocation.

Friendswood woman makes deans list at Georgia Tech

Rachel Epperson of Friendswood made the dean's list for the Spring 2021 semester at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This designation is awarded to undergraduate students who have earned a 3.0 or higher academic average for the semester.

PEARLAND/ALVIN

Pearland ISD names director of testing, accountability and program evaluation

Pearland Independent School District welcomes Melissa Ward as its new director of testing, accountability and program evaluation.

Ward most recently served as an assistant principal and as an English teacher at Dawson High School for a total of 13 years. Before that, she served as a high school special education teacher in Brazosport ISD.

It is our obligation to ensure that all students make progress year to year and that all graduating seniors are prepared to enter college, the workforce or the military, she said. I want our staff to work under the ideal that every child matters.

Ward holds a masters degree in educational leadership from Stephen F. Austin State University and a bachelors degree degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Mass.

Pearland student makes deans list at Angelo State

Angelo State Universitys recently announced spring 2021 deans list includes Jordan Maxheimer, a management major from Pearland.

To be eligible for the list, full-time undergraduate students must maintain a 3.25 or higher GPA on a 4.0 scale. The complete list is available at www.angelo.edu/commencement.

Area student named to William & Mary deans list

Katherine Welch of Pearland has earned a place on the spring 2021 deans list at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

To achieve deans list status, a full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate student must take at least 12 credit hours and earn a 3.6 GPA during the semester. Learn more at www.wm.edu.

Pearland hospital earns top score for patient safety

Memorial Hermann Pearland Hospital earned an A safety grade from The Leapfrog Group, a Washington D.C-based organization that monitors health care quality and safety.

Patient safety is paramount at Memorial Hermann Pearland, and being recognized for our commitment to safety and quality is a great acknowledgement of the hard work demonstrated every day by our physicians, nurses and employees across our system, said Noel Cardenas, senior vice president and CEO of Memorial Hermann Pearland.

The Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available safety data to assign grades to about 2,700 U.S. hospitals twice a year. Learn more at www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.
With the economy returning to some sense of normalcy, northern Brazoria County cities got some good news when sales tax figures for April were recently released.

As expected, the areas largest city, Pearland, saw the most sales tax revenue, pulling in just under $3.24 million as compared to the $2.4 million collected in April 2020, the first full month of the COVID-induced shutdown.

This years take was 34.6 percent above last years.

The sales tax revenue reports are issued by the Texas Comptrollers office. Those reports are issued two months after the fact.

Comparing this Aprils sales tax to that received in April 2019, which was pre-pandemic, shows that Pearland has increased its sales tax revenue significantly over two years. In April 2019, the city took in more than $2.45 million, which is some $787,300 less than this year.

Pearland wasnt the only city to see tax revenue rise substantially.

The city of Manvel took in $285,268, or 23 percent more than last years $231,920.

This Aprils total was also $77,236 above the 2019 mark of $208,031.

The city of Alvin also saw a double-digit increase in sales tax money, having receipts of $754,798 as opposed to the $678,275 brought in last April, marking an 11.3 percent rise.

April 2019 saw the city take in $629,195.

Among smaller cities, Iowa Colony had a 51.7 percent jump in tax revenue when it took in $40,470 in April compared to the $26,673 seen last year. Brookside Village reeled in $7,539 this April, 29.6 percent more than the $5,818.70 brought in last year.

Liverpool, however, saw sales tax revenue decline by 5 percent on receipts of $4,711 after taking in $4,959 in 2020.

The May sales tax revenue report will come out in mid-July.

John DeLapp is a freelance writer. He can be contacted at texdelapp@gmail.com.
Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont's administration unveiled an $8 billion to $10 billion plan Monday that aims to reduce commuter rail times from Connecticut to New York City by as much as 25 minutes by 2035, while pledging in the meantime to make the trip from New Haven to the Big Apple 10 minutes faster as early as 2022.

The announcement came on the same day Metro-North Railroad returned eight trains to the New Haven Line, as demand for commuter rail service increases as the region emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Another service increase is planned in August.

Connecticut is coming back from COVID-19. Commuters are returning to the rails, said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, during a news conference held at the Stratford Train Station to announce the Time For CT plan with Lamont and other officials. So its critical that we continue this momentum by investing in world class rail service. Time For CT moves us in that direction.

While much of the initiative is dependent upon passage of a massive federal infrastructure bill in Washington, state Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giulietti said the state has already received enough federal funding to embark on some of the work needed to alleviate long-standing slowdowns along the rails. That includes improvements to signalization systems and movable bridges, as well as the creation of new sections of track that allow trains to pass one another. Giulietti said a lot of deferred maintenance was also completed during the coronavirus pandemic when ridership was low, including work on catenary wires along the New Canaan Branch that can sag in the summer and often delay trains.

Youre going to see at least ten minutes next year, Giulietti said of the projected time-savings, noting how the necessary funding is in place. Were going to be able to start running some express trains that are going to take out 10 minutes of travel time and that will be real. That will start next year. And beyond that, its going to go in segment by segment.

But Giulietti stressed that more federal funds will still be necessary.

Washington is an important piece of the funding puzzle. We cant rebuild Connecticut infrastructure without a federal infrastructure bill, and we can't improve Connecticuts rails without federal partners, he said.

Representatives from both Metro North and Amtrak, who were on hand for the news conference, lauded the latest effort to try and speed up commuting times along a section of rail line that's been plagued for years by slowdowns. Prior to the pandemic, Metro North was the busiest commuter rail line in the U.S., carrying more than 40 million passengers annually.

Public transportation is the lifeblood of our economy, and we at the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) and at Metro North support improved intercity and commuter rail service for the benefit of all Connecticut residents, said Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi. Time For Connecticut is exactly what we need to promote economic growth that will see us through the pandemic recovery and will set the state up for success for decades to come.

Lamont has been pushing for faster trains since first taking office. However, there wasn't enough support for his initial 10-year, $21.3 billion transportation proposal that invested $6.2 billion in rail improvements, including new cars and locomotives. His predecessor, former Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, also worked to improve commuting times and the frequency of trains. He had proposed a massive 20-year, $100 billion transportation improvement plan that included investments in rail that did not gain enough support either.

Jim Gildea, chair of the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council and a boots in the ground, real rail commuter, said he supports the latest initiative.

I feel like I speak with real credibility when I tell you that other than safety, the single most important thing to the everyday commuter is spending less time on the train, Gildea said. Simply put, we do not want to be on the train more than we need to.
Twenty years after their killings, attorney George Parnham still dutifully visits the graves of Andrea Yates five children.

He regularly drives to Clear Lake to leave flowers for Noah, 7; John, 5; Paul, 3; Luke, 2 and Mary, 6 months. He makes sure the grass over their graves is cut. He still weeps when he talks about them.

I havent had a case in my entire career that has impacted my life as much as this case has, said Parnham. Its something about the kids.

During Yates 2002 trial, which drew international attention, many couldnt fathom how a 36-year-old mother could drown her own children in a bathtub. The definitions of postpartum depression and psychosis were not yet commonly known. In order to defend Yates, Parnham had to educate the public about mental illness.

When a person is suffering from mental illness and is in a psychotic state, they make decisions based on their own reality, he said. They dont have a decision-making process based on rational thinking.

The case brought mental health awareness, and postpartum mental illness in particular, into public awareness. Since it happened, more therapists, psychiatrists and medical professionals have dedicated their careers to helping women struggling after giving birth. More resources and interventions have also become available.

Over the years, weve seen more and more women speak up and ask for help, said Dr. Sherry Duson, a licensed therapist and counselor who founded the Center for Postpartum Family Health in Houston . And theres a greater understanding among OB-GYN pediatricians that perinatal mental illness is common and treatable and needs to be addressed.

Yates believed killing the children was the only way to save them from herself and eternal damnation, she told police when she reported the June 20, 2001 deaths.

Yates pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but she was initially convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison. The conviction was reversed in 2005 due to false testimony given by a California psychiatrist.

Jurors believed Yates when she was retried in 2006. They found her not guilty and she was sent to a mental hospital in Kerrville, where shes stayed since 2007. Each year Yates is offered a hearing to determine if its safe to release her. And each year she forgoes the hearing, said Parnham.

The childrens father, Rusty Yates, was accused of ignoring red flags that his wife needed help, including one doctor who testified he warned the father not to leave Andrea alone with the kids. Yates said during the trials that he was never told that his wife was psychotic and wouldnt have left the children alone with her if hed known. Attempts to reach him for comment were not successful.

Yates divorced Andrea in 2004. The former NASA engineer said he forgave his ex-wife in an Investigation Discovery documentary released last year. He also said he regularly visits her at the mental hospital. Rusty Yates remarried in 2006 and had another child. He has since divorced his second wife.

BRETT COOMER, POOL / Houston Chronicle

Why postpartum psychosis occurs

Its important to distinguish the difference between postpartum depression and anxiety and psychosis, said Dr. Karen Horst, medical director for the Womens Place at Texas Childrens Hospitals Pavillion for Women.

Its so common for moms Im treating to be worried that they will do something horrific because of how theyre feeling, said Horst.

While postpartum depression is the No. 1 complication of pregnancy, postpartum psychosis is extremely rare, said Duson, affecting about .1 percentof new mothers.

Psychosis is a break from reality that usually involves hallucinations, hearing voices and delusions.

The person is no longer dealing with the here and now, said Duson.

Yates believed cartoons were sending her messages and that she was possessed by Satan, the womans psychiatrist testified.

She was not in her right mind and was not capable of rational thought, said Duson. She should have never been left alone with the children.

Psychosis after childbirth can be caused by several factors.

One of the most common understandings is related to a bipolar disorder, Duson said. The mother might have the brain chemistry disorder and not know. Under stress, it can be triggered in a big way.

History of trauma, especially childhood sexual abuse, can be a contributing factor, said Horst, as can a lack of support. Having many children in a short period of time coupled with ongoing postpartum depression with psychotic features left untreated can be another cause.

Those underlying factors combined with the usual stressors of having a baby, such as sleep deprivation and hormonal changes, can trigger psychosis.

In Yates case, she told police she hadnt eaten, slept or bathed in days. Before her children were killed, Yates was prescribed antipsychotic medications by multiple doctors but stopped taking them, according to court testimony. A doctor testified she had diagnosed Yates with psychotic depression and advised her to not have any more children.

Yates case demonstrates that no one is immune from the effects of untreated mental illness, said Duson.

Before she drowned her children, Yates had a life that many would admire. She was captain of her swim team at Milby High School in Houstons east end and was valedictorian when she graduated in 1982. She was a registered nurse at MD Anderson Cancer Center until 1994.

Those who knew her said she really cared about being a good mom, said Duson. For her to get that ill without people realizing it is just a horrible tragedy.

All postpartum mental illness, including psychosis, is treatable, said Horst.

Advances since the Yates case

In the years since the Yates case, awareness of mental health and illness has increased exponentially.

Parnham and his wife, Mary, created the Yates Children Memorial Fund to raise awareness about postpartum depression and psychosis. Since 2002, the effort has trained thousands of medical and healthcare professionals to know the signs of the illness and learn how to treat it.

Yates is happy the foundation is making a positive impact for other mothers and their children, the Parnhams said.

The Yates case in part drove Duson to open her group private practice in 2014, which now has six therapists who provide services on a sliding scale.

As a struggling new mother herself in 2001, Duson said she couldnt find any experts on the subject. So she began doing the research herself. When the Yates case happened, she started getting calls from journalists asking her to explain postpartum mental illnesses.

I realized that there was no one focusing on this in terms of an expert specialty, she said. I was determined to become the resource for new moms that Andrea and others didnt have.

In the last five years, Parnham said hes noticed a shift resulting in more public awareness.

I applaud that, he said. The public knows now that mental illness is a real illness.

Thats in part due to a concerted effort among mental health professionals to decrease stigma and normalize therapy in recent years, said Duson.

Many doctors regularly screen women for depression after childbirth now, she said. Theyve become aware that there are huge needs in perinatal mental health and that tragedies dont need to happen.
The letters to the accused all carry similar messages: A current or former Houston police officer may have been involved in their arrest. Contact a defense attorney if they wish to discuss options related to their case.

Earlier this month, Harris County prosecutors sent such letters to nearly 400 defendants arrested by six current and former narcotics officers accused of misconduct after a deadly raid in January 2019. The letters raise anew a question that continues to plague prosecutors and defense attorneys: How many people were wrongly convicted on the testimony of Goines or his comrades, and, realistically, how many might see their cases overturned?

We cant speculate on how many cases might merit relief, said District Attorney spokesman Dane Schiller. We are doing this in the interest of justice, so that anyone convicted in cases involving these officers can examine their legal options.

Goines attorney Nicole DeBorde Hochglaube repeated past criticism that because Harris County prosecutors are forbidden from discussing the Harding Street cases, they are using the past convictions to try to build their case against Goines.

The letters stem from the investigation into the 2019 drug raid of a small home on Harding Street in south Houston. Former officer Gerald Goines led a raid on the home, which police believed to be a drug den. Gunfire erupted, ending with the deaths of Dennis Tuttle and his wife, Rhogena Nicholas, and injuries to five police officers.

But soon after, investigators accused Goines of lying about ever buying drugs from the home, a transaction used to justify the fraught no-knock raid which ended in tragedy.

The scandal led to charges against Goines and 11 other current and former officers alleging a raft of crimes, ranging from murder and civil rights violations to overtime theft.

The officers identified in the latest batch of letters include Nadeem Ashraf, Felipe Gallegos, Cedell Lovings, Griff Maxwell, Frank Medina and Oscar Pardo. All are veteran narcotics officers.Gallegos is the second officer (besides Goines) charged with murder in the case, for shooting and killing (Dennis Tuttle/Rhogena Nicholas). Lovings was shot in the Harding Street raid, and remains paralyzed from the neck down. Medina was also injured in the raid.

Harris County Public Defender Bob Wicoff  whose office is handling many of the post conviction cases  said the new disclosures do not necessarily mean dozens of narcotics defendants will get new trials.

Prosecutors are obliged to send out anything where there may be exculpatory evidence, he said. So that's what theyre doing there. Theyre not conceding theres something wrong in each case, by any means. It remains to be seen whether those defendants can prove that anything was amiss in their own case.

Attorneys for the officers defended their past casework.

I appreciate the DAs Offices efforts to maintain their duties under Brady, said Daniel Werlinger, Ashrafs attorney. But I dont believe that its proof my client is guilty of these charges. To say that because theres a Brady notice, their work is bad, that doesnt follow  especially not in this case.

Another attorney, Brian Roberts, criticized Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, saying she was not following the same disclosure rules for his client and the other officers charged in the Harding Street scandal.

Its been shameful, he said, of prosecutors refusal  despite repeated losses in court  to turn over offense reports that led to the charges against the officers.

Attorneys for Gallegos, Lovings, and Pardo did not respond to requests for comment.

The new disclosures come as prosecutors have already said they were reviewing more than 14,000 of the officers old cases. Just four defendants have had convictions tossed so far, the two oldest being that of the Mallet brothers, Steven and Otis, who were arrested on Goines testimony in 2008.

The Mallet brothers cases prompted prosecutors to decide that any cases Goines worked during the last 11 years of his career were suspect.

Now, prosecutors and defense attorneys are waiting for the states highest criminal court to rule on another Goines defendant: Aaron Mathews. Mathews was arrested in 2013 after Goines allegedly stopped his car, showed Mathews a $20 bill and stated "hook me up." Then, court records show, Mathews allegedly gave Goines .4 grams of crack cocaine and took the money. Goines was the only witness, and described Mathews appearance and clothing to other officers who arrested him. Mathews pleaded guilty and received a 180 sentence.

In the Mathews case, attorneys are reaching back to a legal conclusion established after a decade-old drug lab scandal. In that case, DPS forensic analyst Jonathan Salvador was fired after falsifying evidence and acting "with total disregard for policy and procedure," according to an inspector general's report. Salvador had worked on thousands of cases from dozens of Texas counties over his six year career. After the scandal became public, prosecutors were forced to review hundreds of cases, and in 2013, an appeals court ruled that Salvadors casework was suspect, and that any defendant convicted solely on his testimony or casework could be entitled to new trial.

Now, prosecutors and defense attorneys are arguing that the appellate courts ruling should hold true for other state actors (like police officers) found to have engaged in similar tactics.

Defendants still have to show materiality, said Wicoff, the public defender. That means that if a state actor accused of impropriety has back up evidence  the word of another officer, marked bills, a recording of the alleged interaction  the defendant would probably not be entitled to a new trial.

But if the CCA makes such a ruling  which would mean a new trial for Mathews  it could have major implications for more than 200 people arrested by Goines, said Joshua Reiss, chief of the post-conviction division at the Harris County District Attorneys Office.

For the Goines cases  it would be all those 220 cases we identified in that 11 year period, he said. They would unquestionably be entitled to relief, to new trials.
A man who triggered two gun battles with law enforcement in a 24-hour period -- including one involving an off-duty Harris County constable deputy -- was hospitalized in critical condition Sunday evening from police gunfire, according to Houston police Chief Troy Finner.

The man, who Finner declined to identity, has a history of mental illness and was "in crisis," Finner said during a new briefing. He described the man as "extremely dangerous" and said his family had been cooperating with police all of Sunday.

'Think how tough this is," Finner said. "You have a loved one who, I dont know his history, probably a decent person, but suffering from mental illness. And then he shoots some citizens last night and then gets into a shootout with our officers today. So it's tough on a family."

The first shooting occurred around 2 a.m. in the 2200 block of West Dallas. Police believe the man forced entry into the apartment of an off-duty Harris County Pct. 1 deputy constable. He opened fire with a shotgun and an assault rifle and shot the deputys wife in the leg and the step-daughter in the arm, authorities said.

The suspect fled when the deputy returned fire. It is believed the suspect was shot. There was a blood trail leaving the apartment. Investigators say the motive is unknown as of now. The two victims were in stable condition as of Sunday morning, Finner said.

In the evening, SWAT officers received information that the suspect was located near Greens Road and Interstate 45. The suspect fired upon officers who tried to pull him over in traffic, Finner said.

Finner said the suspect drove two blocks west, where he again fired at officers who tried to stop him using a "maneuver technique."

He said officers did not return fire until the chase concluded in the 500 block of West Greens Road. The suspect crashed into a tree and fired at officers a third time. Officers shot him multiple times, Finner said. The suspect underwent surgery at a hospital, he said.

He said police were wearing body cameras at the time. The Houston Police Department's Internal Affairs Division, as well as its Special Investigations Unit, will probe the shooting, he said.
The Lillard family prayed together for the last time Sunday morning.

Virginia Jenni Lillard, 39, was trying to break free from what family members described as an abusive relationship. Lillard and her parents prayed for the mans peace so she could be left alone, relatives said.

Later that morning, authorities said the boyfriend fatally shot Lillard and her mother before opening fire on police in northwest Houston. The women were two fatalities in a string of gun violence across the city this weekend that left at least nine injured and five dead.

Officers arriving to an assault-in-progress call around 9 a.m. in the 1000 block of East Tri Oaks saw the gunman open the door of a home and shoot a woman point-blank. She later died.

The gunman then opened fire on the officers, striking one of their vehicles. The officers returned fire, and the man retreated inside the home with multiple gunshot wounds. He was hospitalized and is expected to survive.

Police found both Lillard women dead inside the home.

They were together for a long time, and the fire had gone out, said Jenni Lillards uncle, George Lillard. But she was a kind person and didnt want to hurt him.

Sunday was the mans birthday, and he had spent the previous night drinking, George Lillard said. His girlfriend called her parents that morning and asked for help in getting him to leave the home.

Police had been called on Jenni Lillards ex before for domestic disputes as recently as the past month, according to her cousin, Mary Lillard.

Police were not sure if the suspect shot his girlfriend or her mother first.

Virginia was a loving, wonderful girl, George Lillard said. That was part of the problem. She just put up with too much. And of course her mother was trying to protect her.

He shot her in cold blood, Lillard said of his sister-in-law.

During a police news conference, a distraught woman could be heard crying out, Let him go.

Violent weekend

The shooting was the deadliest of several that happened over the weekend.

A road rage shooting on the Westpark Tollway left a 29-year-old man dead at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Around 9 p.m. Saturday, one man was injured and another one dead after a fight over a stolen wallet at Wenda and Cullen.

Around midnight, two men were shot during a fight at the Slick Willies Pool Hall at 15135 North Freeway. The front door glass was broken, and someone pulled a gun and two males were shot. Both men were taken to the hospital in serious condition.

Around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, two men were shot at the North Villa Inn on the North Freeway. Deputies say someone pulled a gun after an argument in a hotel room. Both men were taken to the hospital  one in serious condition and the other in stable condition.

Later Sunday, a person was found shot to death at 3801 OMeara, but the HPD Homicide team was working to determine whether it was self-inflicted, and whether it was accidental or intentional.

Sunday night, police critically injured a man who triggered two gun battles with law enforcement in a 24-hour period, including one involving an off-duty Harris County constable deputy, according to Houston police Chief Troy Finner.

The man, who Finner declined to identity, has a history of mental illness and was "in crisis," Finner said during a new briefing. He described the man as "extremely dangerous" and said his family had been cooperating with police all of Sunday.

Around 2 a.m. Sunday in the 2200 block of West Dallas, police believe the man forced entry into the apartment of an off-duty Harris County Pct. 1 deputy constable. He opened fire with a shotgun and an assault rifle and shot the deputys wife in the leg and the step-daughter in the arm, authorities said.

The suspect fled when the deputy returned fire. It is believed the suspect was shot. There was a blood trail leaving the apartment. Investigators say the motive is unknown as of now. The two victims were in stable condition as of Sunday morning, Finner said.

In the evening, SWAT officers received information that the suspect was located near Greens Road and Interstate 45. The suspect fired upon officers who tried to pull him over in traffic, Finner said.

He said officers did not return fire until the chase concluded in the 500 block of West Greens Road. The suspect crashed into a tree and fired at officers a third time. Officers shot him multiple times, Finner said. The suspect underwent surgery at a hospital, he said.

He said police were wearing body cameras at the time. The Houston Police Department's Internal Affairs Division, as well as its Special Investigations Unit, will probe the shooting, he said.

Staff writers Julian Gill and Nicole Hensley contributed to this report.
A man who confessing to a May shooting that killed the father of his girlfriends child is refusing to surrender to Houston authorities until he can raise his own bond money, according to court records.

Phone calls that Darius Robertson made about 24 hours after the May 2 shooting in Acres Homes revealed that he fled to the small town of Yoakum with the help of his father. Someone else gave him a ride to Waco, he said.

He wants to turn himself in but only after he makes enough money to pay for his bond, the investigator wrote.

Nearly two months later, Robertson remains on the lam, court records show. Prosecutors on Thursday recommended that a murder charge be lodged against Robertson in the death of Michael Clurksy, who was fatally shot in the head in the 1400 block of West Gulf Bank Road.

Aggravated assault, felon in possession of a weapon and evading arrest charges were filed against Robertson for the same incident last month.

Police, after reviewing surveillance footage from the apartment complex where Clursky was shot, believe Robertson opened fire after Clursky retrieved a firearm from his car. The footage shows him pulling a pistol from the car while keeping an eye on the suspect, according to court documents.

He then steps back into car and closes the door, at which point the vehicle appears to move forward slightly. A car window was shattered in that moment and Clurskys could be seen slumped over in the car, the footage shows. Police believe that was when Clursky was shot.

Robertson then fled on foot through the apartment complex.

The next day, Robertsons father called an employee at the complex and identified his son as the shooter. He put the employee in touch with Robertson, who then characterized his actions as self-defense, records show.

He alleged that Clursky had started arguing with Robertsons girlfriend, the mother of his child, during a barbecue and had threatened to shoot up the apartment.

The surveillance footage at no point showed Clursky raising the weapon toward Robertson or appearing in duress, police said.

Robertson, in a recorded, 15-minute phone call later that day to a police officer, also identified himself as the shooter and that he saw Clursky with a large firearm with a drum magazine.

As soon as he turned, I just shot him, Robertson said, adding that he had a gun because of the crime rate.

He acknowledged in another phone call that he should not have a firearm because he is a convicted felon.

Robertson then said he wanted to turn himself in but that he wanted to raise funds to bond out once jailed. Investigators have since asked in charging papers that Robertson be given a high bond or none at all for fleeing Harris County by his own admission.

Prosecutors filed paperwork Thursday requesting that he be held on a $100,000 bond once apprehended.

Robertsons criminal history in Harris County dates back to 2013 with two felonies: unauthorized use of a vehicle and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The latter charge landed him in prison for three years.

At the time of Clurskys death, Robertson had been wanted since January 2020 for bond forfeiture stemming from a misdemeanor charge of failure to identify oneself to a peace officer.

nicole.hensley@chron.com
Khalil Arab remembers the day in 2010 he arrived to his home in Herat, Afghanistan, to hear from a neighbor that Taliban agents had shown up on motorcycles looking for his house. The 24-year-old realized he was being targeted for his work as an interpreter with the United States military.

It took nine exhausting years but Arab was finally able to get to Houston, where he lives now, on a Special Immigrant Visa, designed specifically for Afghan citizens employed by the U.S. government. That his application was processed at all, however, makes him one of the lucky ones. Others can drag on even longer, lost in a bureaucratic morass with potentially deadly consequences.

Such was the case with Muhammad  as he has come to be known for his familys safety  an interpreter for the U.S. military who was gunned down by Taliban fighters in January at a checkpoint with his 11-year-old son in the car. His Special Immigrant Visa application had been pending for over 10 years, and he had only found out that his visa received initial approval about a month earlier.

Muhammads visa application was nullified after his death, leaving his family to face the Taliban alone. They found a note on their door with further death threats, and though Muhammad had already been killed, there was good reason to take them seriously  the Taliban had showed up to a family wedding looking for Muhammad months earlier, and killed three of his relatives in his absence.

Muhammads wife and six children arrived June 12 at George Bush Intercontinental Airport after being awarded humanitarian parole, a seldom-used designation used to bring someone who is otherwise inadmissible into the United States for a temporary period of time due to an emergency, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. It is not a lawful immigration status and does not allow the recipient to work in the U.S.

The family has moved into a home in Gulfton, where many of Houstons resettled refugees reside. Churches and Muslim groups have donated furniture to the family, and a local group called Connect Community is enrolling the children, who are between 4 and 20 years old, in English classes prior to the 2021-2022 school year.

As the U.S. continues to withdraw troops from Afghanistan at an accelerated pace, critics ranging from politicians to veterans have bemoaned the delays in granting visas to the Afghan interpreters who remain under threat from the Taliban for working with occupying forces.

Its a very, very painfully long, exhausting process. We could do much better, we could do it much faster, Arab said. This is a very vital program, because it can save lives of people like myself. Even though it is long and its painful and time-consuming, its a very amazing program and I think we should put more resources into it.

Arab, now 35, was locked into a contract with the Italian army when he learned of the threats against his life. He had no choice but to spend the next three months looking over his shoulder until the agreement expired and he could enlist a Polish friend to help him obtain a visa. In 2013, he applied for a Special Immigrant Visa and spent six years waiting in three European countries before it was approved.

Now in Houston, Arab works for a private interpretation service and volunteers with Combined Arms, a nonprofit for veterans that coordinated Muhammads familys arrival and settlement in Houston.

The family initially planned on settling in Austin, where they had a distant acquaintance, but were persuaded to choose Houston instead due to the citys strong refugee and immigrant community. Since 2007, 11,790 Afghans have settled in Houston, with more than 90 percent of them being Special Immigrant Visa recipients, according to the South Texas Office of Refugees.

Muhammads eldest son, who is not being named to protect the familys safety, said the family was broken after the death of their father but that they are glad to be in the U.S. after a very long wait, saying it was [his] fathers wish.

I have been in touch with many people from Afghanistan in Houston and Austin. They just tell me that this is a good place and you will be safe and have a good future, Muhammads son said.

Still, he worries about a relative in Afghanistan whose visa application was approved, but who cant move to the U.S. despite active threats from the Taliban. The embassy in Kabul suspended the processing of visas June 13 due to a third wave of COVID-19 sweeping the country.

Hes in trouble, hes thinking what will happen to me? Muhammads son said.

The situation reflects a broader issue facing the estimated 18,000 interpreters who are still waiting for their applications to be processed. As President Joe Biden finishes withdrawing the last American troops from the country, and the Taliban continues to reclaim region after region, advocates feel a renewed sense of urgency to protect the Afghan citizens who risked their lives to help U.S. troops stationed there. When President Biden announced in April that troops would be out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11, he said it was in part because the reasons for staying have become increasingly unclear. His administration has said it will find ways to protect those who worked with U.S. military.

One remaining problem is the messy and confusing Special Immigrant Visa process that demands the compilation of numerous documents and letters of recommendation, all of which must be reviewed before the applicant is even allowed to formally apply for the visa.

Its an extremely rigorous process that takes most people years, with [Muhammads] family it took them 10 years to still not get it, and theres a lot of bureaucracy that ends up creating a lot of errors, said Cress Clippard, a volunteer with Combined Arms who was involved in getting the family to Houston.

Members of the U.S. Congress formed a bipartisan working group in April called Honoring Our Promises and wrote a letter to President Biden earlier this month urging him to evacuate the countrys remaining Afghan partners.

The current SIV process will not work. It takes an average of 800+ days, and we plan to withdraw in less than 100 days. While our working group is investigating various process efficiencies and options for expanding the number of SIVs available, it is clear that the process will not be rectified in time to help the 18,000+ applicants who need visas before our withdrawal, the letter reads.

After examining this situation through multiple hearings, briefings, and our own offices research and outreach, our bipartisan working group has concluded that we must evacuate our Afghan friends and allies immediately.

Multiple bipartisan bills expanding the number of SIVs granted and removing application requirements have been introduced in both the House and Senate, but all three remain in committee as of Monday, records show.

Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-West Houston), who intervened on behalf of Muhammads family after Combined Arms brought the issue to her attention, said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was very responsive and moved very quickly after she got involved, and hopes that we see this kind of quick response for other families as well.

I would like to see things move more swiftly, theres a real backlog in the number of applications and a very slow processing time, and that had tragic consequences for this family in particular. These translators have shown incredible courage serving with the members of our military and our partnership with them is crucial to our success abroad, and is vital to our national interest, Fletcher said.

The U.S. Department of State has promised that the interpreters will not be left behind after the last American troops leave Afghanistan, but so far have not offered details on their solution to the backlog of applications.

While U.S. troops will leave by September, the United States will maintain a robust diplomatic presence through the U.S. Embassy, and our teams in the Consular Section in Kabul and in Washington will continue processing qualified SIV applications as expeditiously as possible, as the security and health situation in Kabul allows, the department said in a statement.

Everyone involved in the Special Immigrant Visa process, whether in Washington or at our embassy in Kabul, is aware of the threats our Afghan colleagues face. We are committed to processing SIV applications as fast as possible while maintaining the necessary security measures and have already taken a number of steps to enhance our capacity to do so, the department said.

For Arab, the interpreter who obtained a Special Immigrant Visa and moved to Houston in 2019, the U.S. withdrawal is worrisome not just for those who worked with the government but for the entire country.

My entire life was spent in war and I firsthand experienced the Taliban regime, Arab said.

I wish they could stay there until there were grounds for peace. Its not just going to be dangerous for the SIV recipients but it will be costly for all Afghans, and I wish they could stay until there was a guarantee of a peaceful transfer of power, Arab said.

While the Pentagon removes U.S. forces from Afghanistan, Muhammads family will continue trying to settle into their new life in Houston. His oldest son, a mathematics student in Afghanistan, is looking to continue his studies while the other children prepare to enroll in school.

Combined Arms will continue to accept donations for the family through an online fundraiser until they can obtain visas which allow them to receive federal refugee assistance. So far, the nonprofit has raised over $10,000 of their $50,000 goal.
The ink had barely dried on the U.S. Supreme Courts 7-2 decision on Thursday to smack down Texas ill-conceived challenge to the Affordable Care Act when Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton committed to finding another preposterous legal angle to continue the GOPs interminable battle against one of the nations signature health care laws.

As your Attorney General, I will continue to fight this law  in fact, I have only just begun, Paxton tweeted.

Will Paxton ever learn? Not only does he have a disastrous record arguing before the Supreme Court  hes lost at least five times since 2016 and three times in the past six months  he continues to tilt at legal windmills, at taxpayers expense, simply to froth up a base of Republican primary voters he needs to win re-election.

So many swings and misses would be a rough night at the plate for Jose Altuve; its a downright embarrassing record for Texas top litigator.

Indeed, while were pretty sure it was Paxtons personal legal problems that led the influential group Texans for Lawsuit Reform to abandon him in its GOP primary endorsement, Paxtons persistent lawsuit abuse should have given the tort reform advocates an extra reason. Of course, the groups chosen candidate, former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman, has also vowed to be ready to sue the Biden administration on Day One to protect Texans, but we can only hope that shed be a bit more constructive  dare we say, judicious  in picking her battles.

Its an unfortunate commentary on the state of our politics that so many voters have rewarded Paxtons cynical calculations, even though they are an enormous waste of time and money. We implore Paxtons formidable Republican challengers  Guzman and Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush to commit to end any further futile attempts at chipping away at the health care law.

After all, after Thursday its clearer than ever that the ACA is remarkably durable, despite years of attempts at legal and legislative sabotage. This is the third time the law has survived Supreme Court review, with liberal and conservative judges joining to protect it in 2012 and 2015. In Congress, the GOP-controlled House tried to repeal it for years, until voters returned Democrats to the majority in 2018. And yet they failed repeatedly, even when Republicans controlled both houses of Congress and the White House in President Trumps first two years.

The merits of this particular challenge were dubious. In 2017, after Trump failed to find the votes needed to repeal Obamacare as promised, Republicans lowered to zero the tax penalty for those who ignored the individual mandate to have insurance. Texas and the other plaintiffs sued, alleging that if there is no penalty then the mandate must be unconstitutional  and, they argued, if thats so, the whole bill must be struck down.

Thursdays opinion by Justice Stephen Breyer never even considered that latter argument, holding that if there is no penalty, then there is no harm for which the plaintiffs could seek redress. No harm, no standing. Even one of the courts most conservative justices, and one who had twice voted to declare the law unconstitutional, joined the majority in rejecting Paxton and companys arguments.

A fundamental problem with the arguments advanced by the plaintiffs, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion, is that they have not identified any unlawful action that has injured them.

Open and shut. If only that could be the end of it. Surely, Republicans must someday realize that Obamas landmark achievement has only grown more popular since it became law in 2010.

Striking down the Affordable Care Act would mean 21 million Americans would lose health insurance  a 69 percent increase in the uninsured nationally. Those losses would be felt across all racial and ethnic groups, but most acutely by Black, American Indian, and Latino people.

Paxton and others should end their quixotic fight against a law that genuinely helps people  and would help many more if Texas were only to take full advantage of it. Texas is one of 12 states that have refused to act on one of the laws more popular provisions and expand Medicaid here. That measure alone would insure about 1.4 million more Texans, 75 percent of whom would be people of color, according to a recent study.

The Affordable Care Act isnt perfect and is in serious need of repair. What it needs though is improvement, not repeal or replacement. But it wont get either until its biggest critics stop their half-baked attempts to kill the law to score cheap political points.
We need more body bags.

Thats the message U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, says hes getting from county judges along the border region he represents. Thats what is happening on the ground, Gonzales, whose 23rd Congressional District extends from east of El Paso to northwest of Laredo, recently told Newsmax.

Many on the right, including Gonzales, have tried to score political points against President Biden by claiming his administration has allowed the border to fall into chaos, but behind the hyperbole, there is some truth to their claims: more people are coming, which means more people are dying.

As illegal crossing attempts reach a 20-year high  with many desperate immigrants looking to escape harsh conditions made even worse by the pandemic  officials worry this summer may be particularly lethal.

Webb County Medical Examiner Corinne Stern, who tracks deaths of undocumented immigrants in a dozen South Texas counties, told CNN that 128 migrants had died so far in the region this year, more than triple the number who had died at the same point in 2020. In Southern Arizona, Pima County Chief Medical Examiner Greg Hess is bracing for more after 220 remains were found last year, the highest in a decade.

Immigrant deaths are not unique to the current administration. Prevention through deterrence has been U.S. policy since the 1990s, under Democratic and Republican presidents. Expanded border enforcement efforts have systematically pushed migrants who seek to enter the country illegally to do so through increasingly dangerous routes.

Its clear that making it harder to cross didnt stop people from coming; it only made crossing deadlier. At least 7,805 migrants died along the southern border between 1998 and 2019, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Experts believe the real number is much higher. Immigrants who become lost or overwhelmed by the extreme conditions of Texas desolate ranch lands or Arizonas arid deserts are often saved by the very same agency they are trying to avoid, with the Border Patrol typically rescuing thousands of migrants every year.

The agency is expected to make more than 10,000 rescues during fiscal year 2021, roughly twice the numbers in 2019 and 2020, according to CBP data. It is also deploying additional rescue beacons and placing placards, which inform immigrants to call 911 and are uniquely numbered to provide rescue personnel with coordinates to their location.

Those are important, practical measures to reduce migrant deaths, but are far from a solution.

The Biden administration is working to improve circumstances in migrants home countries, conditioning aid on good governance and anti-corruption efforts, and aiming to curtail the extreme violence driving many out, but it may take years to see the benefits of those policies.

In the short term, the president is planning to make it easier for immigrants to come to the United States, expanding legal immigration options, including for high-skilled workers, trafficking victims, refugees, asylum-seekers and farm workers, according to documents reviewed by the New York Times.

Allowing more people to come legally has already shown to be a successful way to reduce illegal immigration. An analysis by the libertarian Cato Institute found a relationship between an increase in guest worker visas issued to Mexicans and the decline of people from Mexico crossing illegally.

Of course, even if Biden succeeds in his efforts, only congressional action on comprehensive immigration reform can guarantee a measure of permanence and the kind of scale needed to give America the immigrant workforce it needs while reducing illegal  and often deadly  border crossings.

As the weather gets hotter and lawmakers continue to dawdle and play politics, they must remember that inaction and obstruction come with a death toll.
In 1982, economist Mancur Olson set out to explain a paradox. West Germany and Japan endured widespread devastation during World War II, yet in the years after the war both countries experienced miraculous economic growth. Britain, on the other hand, emerged victorious from the war, with its institutions more intact, and yet it immediately entered a period of slow economic growth that left it lagging other European democracies. What happened?

In his book The Rise and Decline of Nations, Olson concluded that Germany and Japan enjoyed explosive growth precisely because their old arrangements had been disrupted. The devastation itself, and the forces of American occupation and reconstruction, dislodged the interest groups that had held back innovation.

Something similar may be happening today. COVID-19 has disrupted daily American life in a way few emergencies have before. But it has also shaken things up and cleared the way for an economic boom and social revival.

Millions of Americans endured grievous loss and anxiety during this pandemic, but many also used this time as a preparation period, so they could burst out of the gate when things opened up. After decades of slowing entrepreneurial dynamism, 4.4 million new businesses were started in 2020, by far a modern record. A report from Udemy, an online course provider, says that 38 percent of workers took some additional training during 2020, up from only 14 percent in 2019.

After decades in which consumption took preference over savings, Americans socked away trillions of dollars in 2020, reducing their debt burdens to lows not seen since 1980 and putting themselves in a position to spend lavishly as things open up.

The biggest shifts, though, may be mental. People have been reminded that life is short. For more than a year, many experienced daily routines that were slower paced, more rooted, more domestic. Millions of Americans seem ready to change their lives to be more in touch with their values.

The economy has already taken off. Global economic growth is expected to be north of 6 percent this year, and strong growth is expected to last at least through 2022. In late April, Tom Gimbel, who runs the recruiting and staffing firm LaSalle Network, told The Times: Its the best job market Ive seen in 25 years. We have 50 percent more openings now than we did pre-COVID. Investors are pouring money into new ventures. During the first quarter of this year U.S. startups raised $69 billion, 41 percent more than the previous record, set in 2018.

Already, this era of new creation seems to be rebalancing society in at least three ways:

First, power has begun shifting from employers to workers. In March, U.S. manufacturing, for example, expanded at the fastest pace in nearly four decades. Companies are desperate for new workers. Between April 2020 and March 2021, the number of unemployed people per opening plummeted to 1.2 from 5.

Workers are in the drivers seat, for now, and they know it. The quit rate  the number of workers who quit their jobs because they are confident they can get a better one  is at the highest in two decades. Employers are raising wages and benefits to try to lure workers back.

Second, there seems to be a rebalancing between cities and suburbs. COVID-19 accelerated trends that had been underway for a few years, with people moving out of big cities like New York and San Francisco to suburbs, and to rural places like Idaho and the Hudson Valley in New York. Many are moving to get work or because of economic distress, but others say they moved so they could have more space, lead slower-paced lives, be closer to family or interact more with their neighbors.

Finally, there seems to be a rebalancing between work and domestic life. Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom expects that even when the pandemic is over, the number of working days spent at home will increase to 20 percent from 5 percent in the prepandemic era.

Americans are searching for ways to make more money while living more connected lives. Joel Kotkin, a professor of urban studies at Chapman University, points out that as the U.S. population disperses, economic and cultural gaps between coastal cities and inland communities will most likely shrink. And, he says, as more and more immigrants settle in rural areas and small towns, their presence might reduce nativism and increase economic competitiveness.

People are shifting their personal lives to address common problems  loneliness and loss of community. Nobody knows where this national journey of discovery will take us, but the voyage has begun.

Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times.
The biggest hike to Houston water bills in decades could begin next month, as City Council is expected to vote Wednesday on a plan to overhaul how much the city charges its utility customers.

The plan would see most water bill rates go up by 47 percent over the next six years, with wastewater rates going up 63 percent. That includes jumps of 9 and 20 percent, respectively, this year if council approves the plan.

Bills vary by customer type, meter size and water usage, but the most common bill for a single-family customer would see overall charges go from $27.39 now to $31.46 for 3,000 gallons of water in a month. By 2026, the bill would be $48.68, a total increase of 78 percent.

A customer who uses 4,000 gallons in a month would see the bill go from $57.15 to $60.96 this year, and $88.78 by 2026.

The median monthly usage for single-family customers is 3,400 gallons. Houston Public Works officials say nearly 60 percent of single-family customers will see an increase of $5 or less this year under the plan. More than a quarter of single-family customers will see increases of $5 to $20, according to Public Works.

Mayor Sylvester Turners administration has said the hikes are necessary to comply with a $2 billion consent agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency the city signed earlier this year, a long-running legal issue stemming from sewage leaks that mostly occurred in poor neighborhoods and communities of color. The mayor called those spills horrendous.

Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

The agreement requires the city to spend $2 billion over 15 years upgrading its wastewater infrastructure to help prevent those leaks. Revenue from the proposed fee hikes will help pay for the first five years of those improvements, which include a more aggressive schedule for cleaning and repairing lift stations, treatment plants and sewer pipes. If the city fails to fulfill the agreement, it could face fines of up to $100,000 per day for certain violations.

Turner also has said the increases are necessary to improve the citys aging infrastructure, partly responsible for two boil water notices over the last two years  one caused by a massive burst pipe that flooded East Loop 610 and another during this years February freeze.

It is a big deal, it is a huge deal. It is about the infrastructure, Turner said at last weeks council meeting, when the panel originally was scheduled to consider the plan. The mayor and council agreed to table it for a week.

Theres no other infrastructure that impacts everybody more than their water and wastewater, and you have to make sure the infrastructure is in place, Turner said. It affects everything that we do, and you gotta pay for it.

A consultant hired by the city, which first proposed the hikes, said the utility systems cash reserves would be fully depleted by fiscal 2023 without rate changes. The proposal calls for beginning the increases in July, though Turner has said he asked administration officials to look at whether they can push them back another month or several months.

Proposed water and wastewater rate increases: July 1: 9 percent, 20 percent, respectively April 2022: 10 percent, 19 percent April 2023: 10 percent, 6 percent April 2024: 6 percent, 6 percent April 2025: 6 percent, 6 percent April 2026: 6 percent, 6 percent Total: 47 percent, 63 percent See More Collapse

City officials have emphasized that the changes still would leave water less expensive in Houston than it is in other large Texas cities, including Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth and Dallas. The charge for 3,000 gallons of water a month in those cities is more than $30, according to Houston Public Works.

An outside study by Black & Veatch Management Consulting LLC found Houstons rates in 2018 were higher than Dallas, Fort Worth and El Paso, while lower than Austins. Those calculations were based on residential customers who use 7,500 gallons of water a month.

Public Works already has smaller, annual rate adjustments  based on inflation and typically less than 4 percent  that help account for the rising costs of providing water and wastewater. The most recent increase bumped rates up 1.5 percent in April, and rates have climbed about 12 percent over the last four years. The increases under consideration by council on Wednesday are in addition to those yearly adjustments.

The city last updated its rates substantially in 2010, resulting in a 21 percent increase. In 2004, most rates went up by about 9 percent and the city established the yearly increases. Before then, it had not increased rates since 1993, according to Houston Chronicle archives.

The proposals have generated some fierce opposition in Houston communities. Juan Antonio Sorto, who chairs the Super Neighborhood Alliance, said that group is 100 percent against the proposal. He said an increase of even $5 can pose consequences for poor residents and communities of color.

If you live in Acres Homes or east Houston, those $5 are what determines your next bus pass to get you to the grocery store, Sorto said.

He also said the city did not do enough to communicate plans with residents so they can prepare for the change. Sorto is pushing the council to table the issue, better educate the public about its plans, and then revisit them later this year.

Our biggest gripe is not the fact that they need to do it, Sorto said. Our biggest gripe is that this is cheap, watered-down public engagement.

Turner supported delaying the vote last week and said he wanted to make sure everyone had time to answer questions from constituents. Since then, council members have included information about the rises in their district newsletters, and Public Works has published fact sheets and other information on the plans.

I want to make sure that all questions are answered, I want to make sure that everybody kind of understands what were doing, Turner said then. I dont want anybody to think that were rushing anything.

Sorto, though, pointed out that the extra week of communication came as many residents were celebrating Juneteenth and Fathers Day, not paying attention to what is happening at City Hall.

Do you honestly believe council members have enough time to talk to their constituents during Juneteenth? he said. I dont know anyone that I associate with that is supporting this, at all.

At-Large City Council member Mike Knox, who plans to oppose the proposal, agreed with Sortos characterization. He said the need for infrastructure upgrades is clear, but the city should have garnered public support first and then implemented the increases once, instead of incrementally increasing them.

Lets have a plan, commit to it and go for it, Knox said. Lets be honest about it, explain it and get some buy-in before we jack up peoples wallets like this.

Joyce Lee contributed to this article.

dylan.mcguinness@chron.com

twitter.com/dylmcguinness
Texans love their dogs, no doubt. But now, some Texans are calling out Gov. Greg Abbott, alleging that he does not.

The Republican governor vetoed a bill Friday to expand animal cruelty laws and make the unlawful restraint of a dog a criminal offense.

Senate Bill 474, better known as the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act, would provide greater protections for dogs, including banning the use of heavy chains to tether dogs.

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Animal control officers, law enforcement agencies, county prosecutors and animal advocates called for reform to the existing tethering law passed nearly 15 years ago to prevent cruel and inhumane tethering.

In the meantime, a number of cities, including Dallas, Galveston and Texas City, have taken matters into their own hands by adopting their own tethering ordinances. Some ban its use completely, while others place limits.

In Houston, the restraint must be greater than 10 feet in length or five times the length of the dog and cannot cause injury or visible discomfort.

Tom Reel/Staff photographer

The Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN), a nonprofit that promotes anti-cruelty legislation and one of the ringleaders in efforts to pass the bill, said it would have provided "much-needed clarification to existing law to establish basic standards of outdoor shelter and restraint for dogs."

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The bill specifies that dog owners can have dogs outside but cannot restrain them with chains, short lines or anything that causes pain or injury to the dog.

Owners would face up to a $500 penalty for a first offense class C misdemeanor with the bill's revision, and the penalty would jump to a class B misdemeanor, which carries a fine of up to $2,000 and up to 180 days in jail, for those previously cited.

The bill received ample bipartisan support in the Texas legislature, passing in the Senate 28-3 and the House 83-32, but died once it reached Abbott's desk.

Abbott, who is a dog dad to a golden retriever, Pancake, sees nothing wrong with the current law and said state statutes already protect dogs by "outlawing true animal cruelty."

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"Senate Bill 474 would compel every dog owner, on pain of criminal penalties, to monitor things like the tailoring of the dogs collar, the time the dog spends in the bed of a truck, and the ratio of tether-to-dog length, as measured from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail," he said in a release.

"Texas is no place for this kind of micro-managing and over-criminalization."

THLN representatives originally felt hopeful after the recent victory from the legislature given the tethering legislation's previous failures to pass for nearly a decade.

Now they say they're devastated by the governor's decision.

Executive director Shelby Bobosky released the following statement:

Governor Abbott says that the current Texas statute already protects dogs, but this bill  which was carried with active support from sheriffs, law enforcement and animal control offers  would have clarified the vague language that makes the statute completely unenforceable. SB 474 contained simple fixes to protect dogs that are left outside on heavy chains with no shelter or water in a state that experiences extreme high and low temperatures. All the elements Governor Abbott cited as micromanagement were carefully negotiated compromises that addressed concerns from lawmakers in both parties to strike the right balance for our diverse state. The passage of the bill in both chambers with overwhelming bipartisan support from rural, urban, and suburban members was the result of six years of tireless effort by THLN and all stakeholders who care for dogs inhumanely restrained outdoors. The issues that this bill intended to address will not go away, and neither will we. Preventing animal cruelty while making our state a safer place is one of the few nonpartisan issues facing the legislature and animal advocates are reliable primary and general voters.

Some law enforcement agencies who also supported the bill expressed their disappointment.

"The bill had a lot of favorable things to help us enforce the law in which people weren't properly taking care of their pets,"said Chambers County Sheriff and Sheriff's Association of Texas legislative chairman Brian Hawthorne.

"We're disappointed but we understand the political process. We support the governor but we also support the Texas Humane Legislation Network. They have always brought what we call reasonable and sound legislative issues to us, and we've always been able to find common ground."

Many dog lovers on Twitter are condemning the governor for his decision.

The ruling has recycled #AbbottFailedTexas on Twitter and even started a new trend, #AbbottHatesDogs

Some said they are looking forward to 2022 to vote Abbott out of office.

"He literally does NOT care what the majority of Texans care about. It's all about him." wrote Twitter user Margie.

"We have to vote him out."
As former Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman wades into the Republican primary race for Texas attorney general, she says she will contrast the respect shes gained over 22 years as a lawyer and judge with the legal problems and pending criminal charges of GOP incumbent Ken Paxton.

We plan to highlight the differences, Guzman, the first Latina elected to statewide office in Texas, said in an interview. My campaign will be about credibility. Judges care about credibility. They care about it a lot. When you walk into the courtroom, and youve built a reputation for honor, for integrity, you have immediate credibility. That means when you walk in the courtroom, judges listen.

Guzman, 60, who resigned from the states highest civil court less than two weeks ago, joins Land Commissioner George P. Bush in the primary against Paxton. Bush has also made Paxtons legal troubles a central line of attack.

Paxton has been under a grand jury indictment on felony securities fraud charges since 2015 in a case thats languished longer in the courts than almost any in the states history. He is also under investigation by the FBI after eight top aides accused him of taking bribes and abusing his office by doing favors for a friend and campaign donor. Paxton, 58, who is seeking a third term, has denied any wrongdoing.

BACKGROUND: Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman moves to challenge AG Ken Paxton

While Bush opened his campaign with direct hits on Paxton, saying he brought way too much scandal and too little integrity to the office and enough is enough, Guzman was more measured in her criticism.

The former Harris County district judge indicated she plans to let that be a more subtle theme of her campaign and focus on the issues and let voters draw those contrasts themselves.

The race is shaping up to be the main event in the Republican primary. No GOP statewide officeholder in Texas has lost a primary challenge since 2014, when Dan Patrick, then a state senator, took down Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a landslide.

As Bush and Paxton angle themselves for a key endorsement from former President Donald Trump  who said before she jumped in the race that he would make one in the not-so-distant future  Guzman said she, too, would seek Trumps approval.

Guzman attended Trumps inauguration and characterized him as a strong leader. She declined to say whether she believes Trumps baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Bush has said he accepts that Biden won.

Thats certainly something that has been a subject of discussion all over the country, she said. Its a question that we should examine by ensuring election integrity.

Humble beginnings in Houstons East End

An alumna of the University of Houston and the South Texas College of Law in Houston, Guzman served on the 309th Family District Court in Harris County from 1999 to 2001, and the Fourteenth Court of Appeals from 2001 to 2009.

She then became the first Hispanic woman elected to statewide office when she won her first full term on all-Republican Supreme Court in November 2010. She was first appointed by then-Gov. Rick Perry the year prior.

Her second full term would have expired at the end of next year; her early retirement gives Gov. Greg Abbott the chance to appoint her replacement.

In 2016, she received the most votes ever in a Texas Republican Party primary with 1.27 million votes and won re-election that November with 4.88 million votes  at that time, the highest vote total for any candidate in Texas election history, according to her Supreme Court bio.

In a two-minute campaign video released Monday, Guzman spoke about her humble beginnings growing up in Houstons East End, where her father was a welder and her mother a janitor at the University of Houston.

She singled out as top issues border security, fair elections, fighting overreach of the federal government and always supporting the police. Her husband, Tony, is a recently retired 37-year veteran of the Houston Police Department.

Guzman said her years of experience tackling the difficult issues of the day will put her in a good position to handle the office in much the same way as Paxton, and before him Abbott, in pushing back against Democratic policies from Congress and the White House.

2 1 of 2 COURTESY PHOTO, Photographer / Nathan Lindstrom Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Courtesy photo Show More Show Less



People want someone whos ready to go to work on Day 1, she said. If that means filing a lawsuit against the Biden administration on Day 1, Im prepared to do that.

In the race for Trumps endorsement, Paxton could have the upper hand because of his role in spearheading a Supreme Court suit to overturn the 2020 election, as well as his participation in a Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol hours prior to the Jan. 6 insurrection. Bush, meanwhile, earned Trumps favor by being the only member of his famous political family to publicly support Trump.

Guzman said the courts have spoken about the efficacy of Paxtons attempt to reverse President Joe Bidens win, yet she noted her lengthy legal experience has taught her to know when a suit lacks legal standing  the grounds to sue  one of the most basic tests it must pass before a court can take it up. The high court quickly dismissed Paxtons suit for lacking standing.

Bush had similarly criticized Paxtons legal work in an interview with reporters after his announcement last month, saying a real lawyer wouldve gotten on a plane and gone to one of the battleground states and challenged the legal standard under those relevant state laws.

Guzman also did not reject the basis of the suit altogether.

Theres nothing more important to our democracy than protecting the right to vote, she said. I would have done whatever was neccessary to protect Texans to make it easy to vote and difficult to cheat.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect that, while several statewide incumbent lawmakers have faced primary challenges in recent years, none has lost in a primary since 2014.
Houston, MO (65483)

Today

Plenty of sunshine. High 81F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low 59F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
Clayton Anderson can be reached at clayton.anderson@newspressnow.com. Follow him on twitter: @NPNowAnderson.

This article originally ran on newspressnow.com.

FACT CHECK See inaccurate information in this story? Tell us here.
As Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Kinder and Houston Police Department officer Jordan Goodwin stand by, medical personnel use a tarp to shield a man from the hot sun after he was injured while operating a motorcycle that was involved in a crash.
June 21, 2021 - A male suspect wanted in the shooting of two females at 2200 West Dallas Street about 2 a.m. on Sunday (June 20) was wounded by Houston police officers after he fired shots at officers in the 300 block of West Greens Road about 5:40 p.m. on Sunday (June 20).



The suspect, 27, was transported to an area hospital in critical condition. He faces numerous felony charges in both incidents.



HPD Special Investigations Unit Sergeant J. Hekimian, Detective B. Elliott and Officers N. Arellano, T. Vaca and C. Walker reported:



The suspect drove to the apartment of a Harris County Precinct 1 Constable deputy in the 2200 block of West Dallas. The male was wearing body armor and was armed with several weapons. Once he arrived, the suspect placed a shotgun against the window and discharged it several times into the apartment. He then went in to the apartment through the back glass patio door. The deputy, his girlfriend and his infant child were in the room. The deputy retrieved his handgun and discharged his weapon at the suspect. At that time, the girlfriend and three kids had retreated to the kitchen area when the suspect continued to shoot at them. The deputy made it to the front door and discharged his weapon at the suspect. During the exchange of gunfire, the girlfriend and her four-year-old daughter were struck. Once the front door was opened, the girlfriend and kids were able to escape out of the apartment. The deputy, girlfriend and kids went to another apartment where residents let them seek refuge.



The suspect left the scene. The girlfriend and child were transported to a hospital in stable condition. Investigators had charges filed on the suspect for two counts of burglary of a habitation with the intent to commit aggravated assault and one count of burglary of a habitation with the intent to commit injury to a child. Some time later in the day, HPD SWAT officers located the suspect driving a black vehicle in the 300 block of West Greens Road. The officers attempted to stop the suspect when he discharged a weapon at them. The SWAT officers returned fire and the suspect fled in his vehicle. The officers stopped the suspect a second time and, during that encounter, there was another exchange of gunfire. The suspect was wounded multiple times and then transported to the hospital. No officers were injured.



As is customary in officer-involved shooting incidents in the city limits, both incidents are being investigated by the HPD Special Investigations Unit, the Internal Affairs Division and the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
The DuSable Museum of African American History re-opened to the public on June 19, 2021, in conjunction with the Juneteenth holiday. Former United States Senator Carol Moseley Braun spoke about the opening as well as the Juneteenth holiday.
Songtradr adds $50M in Series D round at $300M valuation

B2B music licensing marketplace Songtradr has raised an additional $50M Series D round bringing its total funding to date to over $100M at a

$30M valuation.

Songtradr connects 600,000 songwriters and rights owners to a B2B marketplace of music buyers including major brands like Disney and Netflix, ad agencies, streaming platforms, SVOD networks, film, TV, gaming companies, and influencers.

Songtradr is rapidly accelerating as we continue to develop our tech-enabled B2B music ecosystem and integrate our new acquisitions. Attracting such a blue-chip investor base into this round further endorses our vision of the future music industry in this rapidly evolving digital world, providing a strong foundation for the future, said Paul Wiltshire, CEO of Songtradr. Songtradr experienced over 100% revenue growth year over year in 2020 and we are on track

to achieve this again in 2021.

This new funding round included Australian-based institutional investors Regal, Aware Super, Perennial, Argo, and Greencape and follow-on investment from Founder/CEO of Wisetech Global, Richard White.

Bruce Houghton is Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank and serves as a Senior Advisor to Bandsintown which acquired both publications in 2019. He is also the Founder and President of the Skyline Artists Agency and a professor at the Berklee College Of Music online.

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Two Local Credit Unions Awarded Covid-19 Relief Grant Funding from U.S. Department of Treasurys Community Development Financial Institution Rapid Response Program
At first glance, content creation might be a complex thing to do, especially with all the technicalities when scouting for the right gears but with Sonys Content Creation Essentials Mid-Year deals, worry no more with the technical details and just focus your creativity and storytelling. Jumpstart your content creation venture and get discounts and freebies exclusive this month.

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It isn't officially Small Business Week, but don't tell Google that. On Monday, the search giant kicks off its second annual International Small Business Week, a company event that promises to help business owners take greater advantage of Google Search, Maps, Ads, and YouTube.

Among the new offerings are ones aimed to make it easier to find and connect with customers. One is a tool that simplifies how businesses create video ad campaigns on YouTube. And through the end of September, Google will be offering Pointy, a point-of-sale system add-on that shows in-store product inventory online, for free to small businesses.

Google also is releasing new features for managing your company's online presence. The search and maps products will enable retail, food, and local services businesses to adjust how they appear and connect with customers, such as listing more specific services, sharing digital menus, and taking food orders.

Businesses that have product pages on Shopify, WooCommerce, GoDaddy, and Square will now be able to display them on Google without paying commission fees. Google for Small Business, a free digital toolkit for developing an online presence, will be expanded to include recommendations by business type: restaurant, retail, or services.
Climate activists from the youth-led Sunrise Movement have been arrested during a protest on the property of Texas Senator Ted Cruz, the group said Monday.

Eight demonstrators were arrested on the front lawn of the Republicans home in Houston. Pictures released by the activist group showed young people being led away in handcuffs.

Houston Police Department said the majority of protesters were extremely peaceful and expressing their First Amendment right to protest but a handful were trespassing on the senators property.

Protesters under the banner Generation on Fire have spent six weeks on a 400-mile trek along the Gulf Coast from the New Orleans Superdome in Louisiana to end up in Texas.

The climate crisis, largely caused by the burning of fossil fuels, is contributing to more extreme hurricanes and dangerous heat battering the region.

Protesters with the Sunrise Movement outside of the home of Texas Senator Ted Cruz on Monday before a number of them were arrested (Rachael Warriner)

More than 100 activists finished the final mile together at Senator Cruzs home on Monday morning and sat down on the grass holding sign which read No Deal with Climate Deniers, and Which Side Are You On, Biden?

One sign which read Our Homes Flood, Our People Freeze, Cruz Abandons Us appeared to be a reference to Mr Cruzs trip to Cancun, Mexico amid Texas freak deep freeze in February during which dozens of people died when the power grid failed.

The Independent has contacted Senator Cruzs office for comment.

The group is demanding that President Joe Biden stop making concessions on his climate agenda in the name of fake bipartisan, as one handcuffed activist, Kidus Girma, said.

Politicians like Cruz and Biden cant sell my future away to their highest donor while Gulf South residents are losing their lives to storms like Claudette and the Texas Freeze, Girma added.

The group is also demanding that the Biden administration create a nationwide conservation corps, hiring 1.5 million people on projects to help the US adapt to impacts of the crisis.

Last week Sunrise protests targeted the palatial homes of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Dianne Feinstein in San Francisco.

The activists dumped wildfire ashes which they had brought from Paradise, the scene of 2018s Camp Fire, the deadliest blaze in California history. The massive fire, caused by faulty power lines but exacerbated by climate-driven conditions, left 85 people dead and destroyed 95 per cent of structures.

Sunrise Movement says the recent protests are a call to action for an even larger rally in Washington DC on 28 June.
Its no secret that the pandemic has not been kind to single people. With social distancing measures and the ever-changing restrictions that limit where you can and cant go, it has been near-impossible to date normally, let alone be intimate with someone, since the coronavirus outbreak began.

But as all restrictions look set to lift in England on 19 July, theres a reason to be hopeful that the possibility of having a love life will soon return. Thats not to say things will instantly be smooth-sailing. Thanks to the advent of dating apps and social media, dating today is a complex art, one made even more complicated when you havent been able to do it properly for more than a year.

Fear not. Ahead of the governments lifting of all restrictions, The Independent spoke to Sex Education star Aimee Lou Wood about what advice she would give to single people who are feeling anxious about dating again. The 24-year-old actor, who is working with Bumble on its latest campaign to encourage people to start dating as we emerge from the pandemic, offers her top tips on making the first move and building up your confidence.

What advice would you offer to anyone who is feeling anxious about dating again as restrictions lift?

I think being clear and assertive about what youre comfortable with is vital. It can be a scary thing to do because we want people to like us. And if we like someone, we dont want to mess it up by saying, You know, by the way, Im not really into hugging at the moment, Id rather go for an elbow shake. Its a daunting thing to have to do.

But the right person is going to respond so well to that. In a way, its a great test of a person, I think. If they dont respond well, then they probably arent worth your time.

What about people who have lost body confidence and are feeling worried about being intimate again?

Im really saddened that people have lost body confidence during lockdown. I think a lot of people feel like their body is a project that they have to fix. Its just been the most bizarre 12 months. Loads of us have just been in our pajamas for most of the time.

We need to be kind to ourselves and focus on just restoring our body with what it needs. I would just advise people to go at their own pace. One of your mates might be out there snogging everyone but that doesnt mean that you have to or that youre in a worse place. Youre just in a different place.

What would to say to women who are nervous about making the first move?

Ive always found that such a weird thing in straight couples. Like, I remember watching Friends and Monica proposes to Chandler. I loved that. And I remember thinking, Yeah, why not? Like, if Im being really young, and absorbing that and thinking, why does it always fall to the guy to instigate something? Its a weird kind of archaic thing.

You know, we live in this kind of patriarchy, and women feel as a result that they have to be the passive ones in order to be liked. And it can be a really big thing to unlearn. My advice would be to recognise that the problem doesnt lie with you, its actually just a societal thing. And like most societal things, its bulls***t.

We live in this kind of patriarchy, and women feel as a result that they have to be the passive ones in order to be liked Aimee Lou Wood

And I think a lot of the time, a guy is very thankful when a girl makes the first move, because they also dont want the constant pressure of having to ask someone out. Its a thing that we can all kind of unravel together and untangle.

How did you find being in a relationship during the pandemic?

Its quite intense, isnt it? I mean, its not normal to spend that amount of time with another human being. So its a lot. But I think Ive learned so much about myself as well through it, and how important communication is. Like, you just have to be relentlessly honest and communicating all the time.

Do you think we have a summer of love ahead of us?

I really hope so. And in every way, too. People are getting to see their families for the first time in ages, friends can hang out again. So I think it will be a very lovable summer. But I also think that again, theres this pressure thing, because everyones saying, this is gonna be like Woodstock in the 1960s and I think that can sometimes make people who arent ready for that feel quite freaked out.

We should just reframe it a little. Because there are so many different kinds of love. Platonic love is just as important as romantic love and sexual love. So I think rather than all being geared towards romance, I would love it to just be a loving summer in whatever way people want it to be.

What made you want to work with Bumble in particular?

I have lots of friends that use Bumble, and its really close to their hearts because its kind of the only dating app that they feel truly empowered and safe to be on. Given that, in straight relationships, women have to message the men first, they have more agency and control over how they behave. This was kind of the first app that offered that, and so my friends feel safe on it, which is so important.

Are you on Bumble or any other dating apps yourself?

Not at the moment because Im not single. But I have been helping curate lots of my friends Bumble profiles recently, which has been really fun.

Ive never been on a dating app since being recognisable. So I wouldnt know what thats like. If Im really honest, I would probably be quite anxious about that.
A cabinet minister has refused to rule out another Covid-19 lockdown this winter after Dr Susan Hopkins said it could be necessary to control the virus.

Boris Johnson has promised an irreversible end to Covid-19 restrictions  a move that was due to take place on Monday but is now delayed until 19 July amid a surge in cases.

But Dr Hopkins, the director for Covid-19 at Public Health England, said Britain needed to move to a situation where we can live with this in the longer term.

She told The Andrew Marr Show: I think that means that we wouldn't normally put people into lockdown for severe cases of influenza.

We may have to do further lockdowns this winter, I can't predict the future  it really depends on whether the hospitals start to become overwhelmed at some point.

But I think we will have alternative ways to manage this through vaccination, through antivirals, through drugs, through testing, that we didn't have last winter, and all of those things allow us different approaches, rather than restrictions on lives and restrictions on livelihoods, that will move us forward into the next phase of learning to live with this as an endemic, as something that happens as part of the respiratory viruses.

Asked about her comments, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland declined to rule out more restrictions, telling Times Radio: The essence of the virus is you can't ever say mission accomplished".

Dr Hopkins, who is a member of the governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said there had been rises and falls in coronavirus cases across the country, with the virus having definitely reversed in Bolton and stabilised in Blackburn with Darwen but continuing to rise quite fast in London and the northeast.

The scientist appeared to suggest it was unlikely remaining social-distancing measures would be lifted in England sooner than the earmarked 19 July date.

My strong opinion is the longer we just take our time and get through this period to get the maximum amount of people vaccinated is a positive thing for this summer and to get us through this winter, she said.

So my view would be to keep going, that we can live at this level and then that would mean hopefully when we come out of this level of restrictions, which are much easier to live with I think for many of us, then we would be able to get on and get back to normal and stay back to normal for a very prolonged period.

She also suggested people should opt for a staycation over a holiday abroad this summer, but offered some hope for the future.

I think we should be predominantly deciding to holiday at home this summer while we get all of our population vaccinated  but I think we are moving step wise closer to being able to renew our lives and move around to other countries and to change the way we manage to live with this virus, she told the programme.

The UK recorded more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases for the third day in a row on Saturday, while the death toll from the virus rose to 127,970 after a further 14 fatalities.
A suspect has been arrested in Russia for the murder of an ex-US Marine who texted her mother and told her, I hope Im not being abducted.

The body of Catherine Serou was discovered in woods near the central Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod on Saturday.

The 34-year-old had been living in Russia and studying law at Lobachevsky University since 2019, and went missing on Tuesday.

Her mother, Beccy Serou, of Vicksburg, Mississippi, had told US National Public Radio that her daughters last message to her read: In a car with a stranger. I hope Im not being abducted.

She told NPR that her daughter was trying to get to a clinic on Tuesday and may have gotten into the passing car.

I think that when she saw that the person wasnt driving to the clinic, but instead was driving into a forest, she panicked, she added.

Alexander Popov, 43, was arrested on suspicion of murder and appeared in court to be arraigned on Sunday.

Mr Popov reportedly has a record of violent crimes and faces life imprisonment if convicted.

The Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti reported that he gave Ms Serou a ride in his car, took her to the wooded area and allegedly stabbed her to death in the course of a dispute.

The court ordered that he was held until 15 August.

We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss. We are closely monitoring local authorities investigation into the cause of death. We are providing all appropriate assistance to the family, the United States Embassy in Moscow said in a statement.

Thank you all for your help trying to get Catherine home safe, Beccy Serou wrote on Facebook.

Unfortunately, we got a call from the police this morning telling us they found her body. As our family processes this news well have more to say.
Police in New Jersey are appealing for information after a group of people attacked a waitress who chased them out of the restaurant after not paying their bill.

Five people skipped out on paying their $70 tab at Nifty Fifties Diner in Turnsville on 19 June. When the waitress, 20, confronted them about it, she was snatched away into their car, assaulted and then left on the side of the road, according to authorities.

The waitress was taken into the vehicle and the suspects drove away with the waitress in the vehicle, a police statement read.

The incident is believed to have taken place at 11.15 pm. Police have released photos of the suspects and images of their getaway car.

They pulled her into the vehicle and assaulted her inside the vehicle, Chief of Washington Township Police Patrick Gurcsik said to ABC 6s Action News.

In the video, the party of five get in their white car as they are chased down by the waitress after they leave without paying for what they ordered.

As the Dodge Durango drives away, one of the passengers in the back seat is seen jumping out of the car, and then someone else yanks the waitress inside of the car.

The vehicle headed north on Route 42, made a U-turn and was heading south towards Munroe Township, and pushed her out of the vehicle, Gurcsik said.

According to Gurcsik, the waitress injuries were bruising and a potential concussion. The waitress is considered lucky by the emergency services to not have been more hurt and have managed to get away from the attackers quick enough. She was able to quickly get back to the diner to alert the authorities.

The waitress colleagues and other customers were shocked to hear about the assault.

Say it aint so,John Hill, a fellow member of staff at the diner, said to Action News. As an employee that makes me feel sad, you know, and mad.

It is believed that the restaurant was having difficulty hiring staff due to covid.

Theyre having trouble finding wait staff due to the pandemic and she came out to confront them, Gurcsik said. He also warned that civilians should not chase after accused suspects and confront them yourselves.

Anyone with information to help identify them is asked to contact the police at 856-589-0330 or mdlongfellow@pd.twp.washington.nj.us
A Democrat who unknowingly had his phone records subpoenaed by Donald Trumps justice department has accused the former US president of playing from the playbooks of dictators and despots.

The Department of Justices (DoJ) subpoena for Apple phone data from two Democrats followed concerns surrounding leaks from the Trump-Russia investigation in 2018 by a staffer.

Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff, who both sit on the House Intelligence Committee, were subject to the subpoena  which was only revealed after the termination of a gagging order. A source told CNN that the lawmakers were not the initial target of a request.

Records of former White House counsel Don McGahn and reporters from the Washington Post, The New York Times and CNN were subject to probes also.

In op-ed on Monday, Mr Swalwell wrote that former president had not only dismantled Americas democratic norms, but accused him of bullying and phony machismo in the style of dictators through the DoJ.

His weaponisation of law enforcement was straight out of the playbooks of the dictators and despots he idolised, argued Mr Swalwell, writing for USA Today. And it remains particularly concerning because he and his supporters believe he could become president again.

Mr Swalwell went on to refer to the many abuse[es] Trump perpetrated in office, and called for former Trump officials  including his attorney generals William Barr and Jeff Sessions  to appear in front of Congress to testify.

Mr Schiff also argued last week that there was "a lot we don't know, including how the [justice] department came to seek those records and whether prosecutors understood what records they were requesting.

"We still don't know whether only Democrats were the subjects of these requests or whether the investigation was properly predicated, the Democrat wrote for the Washington Post. The department has yet to explain.

An investigation is currently underway within the DoJ into the subpoenas.
Former president Donald Trump wished a happy Fathers Day on Sunday to everyone, including his political adversaries, whom he called losers of the world.

Mr Trump, who is banned from Twitter and Facebook, shared the bizarre Fathers Day message through his political action committee.

Happy Fathers Day to all, including the Radical Left, RINOs, and other Losers of the world. Hopefully, eventually, everyone will come together! the statement read.

The term Rino refers to Republicans In Name Only, used for members seen as dissenters.

Mr Trumps personal business, the Trump Organisation, also released a Fathers Day greeting, describing him and his two oldest sons as "incredible fathers."

Today we celebrate the many incredible fathers throughout our Trump Organisation family. Happy Fathers Day to you! said the tweet with a picture of Mr Trump with Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump.

However, the tweet by Mr Trump attacking his opponents as losers riled some people on social media.

What a disgusting message. Cant even wish people a happy Fathers Day without insulting people. Please find better role models than this classless tool, people, a user said.

These are the words of a venomous, classless, un-American. Trump devoured the soul of this country and replaced it with hate. We are the laughing stock of the world.., said another.

On Sunday, President Joe Biden also extended a happy Fathers Day wishes to all the fathers and father figures who enrich our character and love us unconditionally.

Happy Fathers Day to the fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, and father figures who enrich our character, love us unconditionally, and give so much of themselves every day so we can live lives worthy of their dreams and sacrifices, Biden said.
Libyas interim authorities reopened on Sunday the Mediterranean coastal highway linking the countrys long-divided eastern and western cities, in the latest bid to reunite the territories after years of civil war.

The announcement comes three days ahead of an international conference on Libya that will be hosted by Germany and the United Nations in Berlin

I am so delighted to participate in the opening of this essential lifeline linking the east of our country to its west, Libyan Prime Minister Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah told a crowd that gathered as bulldozers were towing away rocks and sand dunes blocking the road.

The coastal highway has been closed since April 2019 after east-based military commander Khalifa Hifter launched a military offensive to wrest the capital, Tripoli, from the U.N.-recognized government. Its reopening was a long-held demand by the U.N. to enable the safe passage of civilians and goods.

The United States embassy in Libya hailed the move, saying in a tweet it was paving the path for Libyans to have full control over their own affairs.

Dbeibah was elected as interim prime minister, along with a four-member presidential council, by Libyan delegates at a U.N.-sponsored conference in February. They are meant to shepherd the country to nationwide elections late this year.

In March, the transitional government announced the resumption of flights between eastern Benghazi and western Misrata after seven years of suspension. Both cities have been key strongholds of Libyas warring factions.

Libya has been mired in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and later killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Afterwards, the oil-rich country was long divided between a U.N.-supported government in the capital, Tripoli, and rival authorities based in the countrys east, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments.

On Wednesday, an international conference on Libya is set to kick off in Berlin to discuss preparations for the general elections, and withdrawal of foreign forces who were brought in to fight for the opposing sides.

The resumption of traffic on the route stretching along Libyas Mediterranean coastline comes amid tensions between interim authorities and Hifters troops. On Saturday, Hifters self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces announced the deployment of more troops in the largely lawless south, and the closure of the western border with Algeria, saying it was to combat terrorism. In response, Libyas presidential council issued a decree sending their own brigades to the south.

Jalel Harchaoui, a Libya expert and senior fellow at the Global Initiative, said that he saw the announcement as posturing ahead of the Berlin negotiations. He said Hifter wants his troops to continue to be seen as a force to be reckoned with, but that its unlikely that they could enforce such a closure.

Hifter does not have the ability to send forces to close the Algeria borders. It is just too long, too far away and beyond his capacity, he said.
Results from French regional elections at the weekend have highlighted lacklustre support for President Macrons party, and also the far-right party of Marine Le Pen, who were predicted to do well.

In a vote characterised by poor turnout, with an abstention rate of almost 70 per cent, the centre-right party Les Republicains made a comeback, according to exit polls.

An Ipsos exit poll showed Les Republicains winning just over 27 per cent of the national vote, ahead of the far right, on a little more than 19 per cent. Mr Macrons La Republique En Marche won just over 11 per cent.

Frances interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, told France 2 television that the results of the first round of regional elections were a failure for Mr Macrons party.

He added that the low turnout was a defeat for all of us ... Abstention is a message. The French people are telling politicians they do not trust them.

Marine Le Pens Rassemblement National also did worse than expected. Pre-election surveys showed the party leading in as many as six of Frances regions, but exit polls showed her only leading in the Provence-Alpes-Cote dAzur region in the first round.

Ms Le Pen described the low turnout as a civic disaster, and said it was due to mistrust of the electoral system, which left voters feeling that nothing can change, that everything has been confiscated.

Victory in one of the French regions would be a first for the far-right and herald the broader normalisation of the party in French politics.

David Lees, associate professor of French at the University of Warwick, said: Macrons party does not have a strong local activist base, being comparatively young in contrast to its competitor parties. This, combined with some dissatisfaction with Macrons handling of the pandemic, was necessarily going to harm Macrons chances of winning over many regions (and departments) in yesterdays vote.

Macron still has time to organise ahead of the 2022 presidential elections and will hope that the regional election result was evidence of a mini-protest vote rather than a more long-term issue.

Above all, though, there seems to have been an air of complacency on the part of Le Pen, who seems to have assumed voters would reject Macron and turn to the far right. Instead, voters have still rejected Macron  not unusual for the incumbent, as Francois Hollande could testify from the 2015 regional elections  but turned to the centre right.

The regional elections are often seen as a bellwether for how political parties will fare in the presidential elections.

Fourteen French regions  12 on the mainland, plus Guadeloupe in the Antilles, and Reunion island in the Indian Ocean  choose from a total of 19,084 candidates to fill 1,757 regional council seats.

The regional elections were delayed for three months as a result of the pandemic. Candidates receiving more than 10 per cent of the votes in the first round face a run-off to be held on 27 June. Following Sundays first-round vote, parties have until Tuesday morning to build alliances and register their lists of candidates for the second round.

Mr Darmanin said it was too early to draw conclusions regarding the presidential elections scheduled to take place in 2022.

Additional reporting by agencies
 Close Bale prepares to down Denmark as Wales get set for last 16 clash

Keep up to date with all the latest news from Euro 2020 as England prepare to face Germany with Wales poised to kick off the round of 16 against Denmark on Saturday.

Leon Goretzka came on to their rescue Germany in the dying stages of Wednesdays Group F conclusion, which of course means Germany travel to Wembley next Tuesday to take on England.

Though Die Mannschaft represent a tough first opponent in the knockouts, England can still count themselves lucky to have fallen on the favourable side of the draw. Wales on the other hand have a very tough run through to the latter stages of the tournament, with Denmark up first, but they also feature in the same side of the draw as France, Italy, Spain and Croatia, while Belgium take on Portugal in the standout fixture, with Cristiano Ronaldo fresh from breaking yet another international record.

Jordan Henderson, who banked a half of football in the Three Lions final game against Czech Republic, has moved to rally his teammates: Weve got quite a young squad but I think that can be a positive thing. A lot of these lads just go out and play, enjoy the game, play with no fear. And thats what they need to do again on Tuesday. Go and enjoy it, go and show everybody how good they are. Use the emotion and passion in the right way to give you energy for the game, because that can be the difference really. As an experienced player I can help with that and make sure were in the right frame of mind going into the game and make sure trainings at the level it needs to be over the next few days to prepare for that one. Everybodys confident, everybodys feeling good and weve got a good few days to prepare for a huge game. But a lot of the lads have played in huge games already: Champions League finals, Champions League games, cup finals, big games for England. Theyre used to big games even though theyre young and Im sure theyre looking forward to this one.

Follow all the latest news from the tournament as we build up to the first round of knockout games:
Nico Rosberg accused Lewis Hamilton of being soft in his failure to stop Max Verstappen from winning the French Grand Prix.

Verstappen moved into Hamiltons slipstream before jinking to his left and passing his rival on the entry to the chicane at Circuit Paul Ricard on the penultimate lap.

But Rosberg, the only man to stop Hamilton from winning the title in the past seven years, questioned why the Briton did not offer a better defence.

It is unusual from Lewis because he should have closed the damn door, Rosberg told Sky Sports. Usually Lewis is the best one-to-one racer and Im surprised he didnt try.

He should have least tried to brake late and keep Max on the outside. It is a bit soft from Lewis.

Hamiltons Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas was also unable to stop Verstappen, who was on newer tyres, from getting by.

The Finnish driver ran off at the chicane as he attempted to stop Verstappen from taking second with nine laps remaining.

Responding directly to Rosbergs criticism, Hamilton said: Firstly, there are marbles on the inside so I didnt want to make my tyres worse than they were.

Max would have passed me on the straight afterwards so it would have made zero difference.

It was pointless to defend any harder. You saw what happened to Valtteri, he went straight on, so there was no point messing the tyres up.

Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, also said his former team are struggling to cope with Red Bulls challenge following two poor strategy decisions in Sundays race.

He added: Red Bull are really becoming the dominant force more and more, which is putting so much pressure on Mercedes.

We are seeing them making mistake after mistake, so they need to be careful and keep it together from now on to have a chance.
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The Finance Ministry has clarified various media reports that have claimed that funds of Indians in the Swiss Bank has witnessed a steep rise in 2020. The ministry refutes news media reports of alleged black money held by Indians in Switzerland.There have been certain reports that appeared in the media on 18.06.2021 stating that funds of Indians in Swiss Banks have risen to over Rs 20,700 crore (CHF 2.55 billion) at the end of 2020 from Rs 6,625 crore (CHF 899 million) at the end of 2019, reversing a 2-year declining trend. It has also been stated that this is also the highest figure of deposits in the last 13 years.FinMin in a statement said, "Media reports allude to the fact that the figures reported are official figures reported by banks to Swiss National Bank (SNB) and do not indicate the quantum of much-debated alleged black money held by Indians in Switzerland. Further, these statistics do not include the money that Indians, NRIs or others might have in Swiss banks in the names of third-country entities."However, the ministry also highlighted that the customer deposits have fallen since the end of 2019. The funds held through fiduciaries has also more than halved from the end of 2019. The biggest increase is in Other amounts due from customers. These are in form of bonds, securities and various other financial instruments."It is pertinent to point out that India and Switzerland are signatories to the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (MAAC) and both countries have also signed the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) according to which, the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) is activated between the two countries for sharing of financial account information annually for the calendar year 2018 onwards," FinMin added.It needs to be noted that Exchanges of Financial Account information in respect of residents of each country have taken place between both countries in 2019 as well as 2020.The ministry stated that given the existing legal arrangement for the exchange of information of financial accounts (which has a significant deterrent effect on tax evasion through undisclosed assets abroad), there does not appear to be any significant possibility of the increase of deposits in the Swiss banks which is out of undeclared incomes of Indian residents.Further, FinMin said that the Swiss Authorities have been requested to provide the relevant facts along with their view on possible reasons for the increase/decrease in the light of the media reports highlighted above.


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About 10,000 refugees have fled from Myanmar to India and Thailand as nationwide clashes in the country led to "acute" new displacements of hundreds of thousands of civilians.

In my daily contacts with stakeholders in Myanmar, I hear first-hand accounts about the dire situation. People suffer from deprivation, have no hope and live in fear, Christine Schraner Burgener, Special Envoy of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Myanmar, told the UN General Assembly on Friday.

AP

Rise in armed clashes

In the absence of international action, civilians are forming people's defence forces, she said. They use self-made weapons and receive military training from ethnic armed organisations in their resistance grounded on democratic solidarity. Multiple regions of the country which have not seen armed clashes in decades become zones of significant unrest.

Nationwide clashes, including in central Myanmar and regions bordering China, India and Thailand, have led to acute new displacements of around 175,000 civilians, and some 10,000 refugees have fled to India and Thailand. The regional threat of the crisis is real, she said, adding that we must continue to call for maximum restraint and condemn all forms of violence. The risk of a large-scale civil war is real.

AFP

Burgener emphasised that as the region faces a multi-dimensional crisis in the heart of Asia, our timely support and action is paramount.

She also stressed that the international community must not forget the Rohingya people as the situation of the Rohingya remains dire and the General Assembly must continue to be seized on the issue as an integral part of its engagement on Myanmar.

Highlighting persistent challenges, Rohingya continue undertaking risky journeys across the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, Burgener said.
In yet another case of lynching, three people were allegedly lynched in the Kowai district of Tripura on suspicion of cattle theft in the early hours of Sunday.

Villagers of Namanjoypara spotted a mini-truck heading towards Agartala, carrying five cattle, around 4.30 am, Superintendent of Police Kiran Kumar said.

They chased it and managed to stop the vehicle near North Maharanipur village, he said.

The villagers started thrashing the three people on the mini-truck with "lethal weapons", and lynched two of them, while the other managed to flee, he told news agency PTI.

PTI

The mob got hold of the other person at Mungiakami, a tribal hamlet near North Maharanipur, and he was lynched there.

Those killed were identified as Jayed Hossain (30), Billal Miah (28) and Saiful Islam (18), all residents of Sonamura subdivision in the Sepahijala district.

Police reached the two locations immediately and took them first to a nearby hospital and then to the Agartala Government Medical College where the attending doctors declared that they were brought dead, Kumar said.

A case has been registered but no arrests have been made yet.

Man lynched in Assam

A 28-year-old man was beaten to death at a village in the Tinsukia district of Assam by a mob that believed he was a cow thief as per PTI. His companion managed to get away on June 12, according to police.

It happened in Korjonga Borpathar village under Baghjan police station when the two were allegedly found inside the cowshed, said Tinsukia Superintendent of Police Debojit Deuri.

PTI

The police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Additional SP (Headquarter), to probe the case and have already picked up 12 suspects from the village, he said.

The victim has been identified as Sarat Moran (28), who hails from No. 1 Kordoiguri village. The man who escaped has not been traced yet, Deuri said.

According to villagers, the owner of the house spotted the duo at his cowshed at around 1.30 am and raised an alarm. People then gathered at the spot and started beating them up.

The SP said that the police were informed of the incident at around 4.30 am. They took the man to Doomdooma Civil Hospital, where he was declared dead.
Monday, 21th June is celebrated as International Yoga Day all across the world. Even though this form of exercise was originated in India over 5,000 years back, it has been adapted by almost every country around the world.

So, yesterday the same was celebrated at the iconic Times Square in New York City with the theme of 'Solstice in Times Square 2021'. Over 3000 yogis attended this festival with their yoga mats while minding the social distancing guidelines due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

New York's Times Square celebrates International Yoga Day with over 3,000 yogis



Read @ANI Story | https://t.co/I3l9EdTAGn pic.twitter.com/zrZnhvt0UF  ANI Digital (@ani_digital) June 20, 2021

The Consulate General of India, New York in partnership with Times Square Alliance hosted the 7th International Day of Yoga celebrations on Sunday at the popular city destination, known as the crossroads of the world.

The Consulate General told ANI, "As we celebrate yoga at the iconic Times Square - at the crossroads of the world, let us remind ourselves of the truly global embrace of yoga. Yoga was born in India but is part of global heritage today. Yoga is about health, well-being and about living in harmony with nature. Yoga is a way of life and we must try to practice it in its entirety, for a peaceful society and for a greener planet."

Yoga in Times Square on the Solstice = VERY photogenic.  Whats your best pose today? #SolsticeTSq pic.twitter.com/ONonZET0k7  Times Square (@TimesSquareNYC) June 20, 2021

The event also showcased holistic health, Ayurvedic and nature-based wellness products from Tribes India (TRIFED) and other Indian companies. This attracted a lot of victors to the festival where Indian products got recognition.

Yoga en Times Square ahora New York pic.twitter.com/KEuV4Negjv  Ronen (@ronensuarc) June 20, 2021

The festival also offered experienced yogis and first-timers alike the chance to bring a yoga mat to the iconic public space and participate in a free yoga class.
Amazon founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos is literally on every single person's envy list and why not? He has been getting richer even during the pandemic and even announced recently how he's going to space with his space start up Blue Origin.

His announcement entailed how he will personally fly aboard the Blue Origin's flagship spacecraft, the New Shepard, alongside his brother and a third person next month. The launch is expected to take place on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. The rocket will take off from Blue Origin's launch site in the Guadalupe Mountains in West Texas, USA.

CNBC

However, one would think that people would want him to not go to space and would wish that he doesn't get that opportunity. But something exactly opposite is happening.

The hatred for Bezos is so much that someone launched a petition on Change.org citing various reasons why Bezos is actually Lex Luther and why he shouldn't come back.

The petition stated that "Jeff Bezos is actually Lex Luthor, disguised as the supposed owner of a super successful online retail store. However, he's actually an evil overlord hellbent on global domination. We've known this for years. Jeff has worked with the Epsteins and the Knights Templar, as well as the Free Masons, to gain control over the whole world. He's also in bed with the flat earth deniers; it's the only way they'll allow him to leave the atmosphere. Meanwhile, our government stands by and lets it happen."

But here is another one which clearly states to not allow Bezos to return to Earth. That one has already garnered 42,000 signatures.

Change.org

People of the internet are obviously quite happy with these petitions because communal hatred is way too strong for Mr. Bezos.

I made a fake petition meme a week ago. Some genius made it into a real petition and now it's making international news. Thank you to whoever made it. It makes me happy to know Jeff Bezos will see it. pic.twitter.com/OHXDUTI7a0  aborteddreams (@aborteddreams) June 16, 2021

Its bringing me joy that theres a petition going around to stop Jeff bezos from coming back to earth when he goes to space. Jokes aside, Billionaires shouldnt exist.  Amy Cowan (@AmyCowan20) June 20, 2021

my mom posted the dont let jeff bezos back on earth petition to fb & said please help if you can!  plump, MD (@tryingonpants) June 18, 2021

The following are the best reasons Ive seen for the Jeff Bezos petitions pic.twitter.com/SXapxnVbjI  El hombre. (@El_hombruh) June 18, 2021

This is not the only petition. There was another one recently that asked Bezos to buy and eat Mona Liza. Internet is amazing.
Indian American civil rights lawyer Shekar Krishnan is among nine candidates running in the primary. He is seen above with his family. (voteshekar.com photo)
Indian American U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said in the briefing June 17 that the Delta variant is significantly more transmissible and may be more dangerous than prior variants. Above: A youngster receives a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, at Sadar Hospital in Ranchi, Jharkhand, June 20. (ANI photo)
Culpeper, VA (22701)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
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I have a friend in Derbyshire, England. He is 91; his first name is the same as mine, David. In a long ago visit, talking about his school da
With a major research university right in our backyard, a strong military presence and innovative companies throughout the metro region, theres often a plethora of interesting science and technology news to be found in Southern Arizona. Heres a breakdown of the most interesting recent deve
Florida has 90,000 private flood insurance policies in force now  a 300% increase since passing legislation to encourage private insurers to offer the coverage in 2014, according to Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier.

Noting there are five million properties in the state that still have no private or government flood coverage at all, Altmaier acknowledges there is still a long way to go.

In an interview with Insurance Journal Southeast Editor Amy OConnor, Altmaier discussed how Floridas private flood market has grown and why he thinks changes to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) could be a boon to private market development.

The following are edited excerpts from that interview:

Floridas private flood market has grown exponentially since the state passed legislation back in 2014. Other states in the Southeast are now working on private flood markets. Please talk about how Floridas private flood market has grown since the state passed the bill in 2014.

Altmaier: Sure. Well, the easiest barometer that we use to assess the growth of our flood insurance market is just simply policies enforced. And as of June first of 2020, weve got almost 90,000 flood insurance policies insured by the private market, which is almost a 300% increase since our legislation was originally passed. So were thrilled by that growth, were thrilled by the interest thats been shown by the private market, but weve got over five million properties in this state that dont have any kind of flood insurance at all, either private or with the NFIP. So we still have a long way to go. And so its a subject that we continue to work on very hard to see what we can do to close the flood insurance gap in our state. And hopefully since its such a significant issue nationwide, Florida can be viewed as a trendsetter and other states can look at what weve done and find some use in implementing such policies in their own states.

How many companies are currently offering private flood in the state?

Thirty-five insurers.

What have been some of the challenges of  building a private flood market in Florida?

Well, so a couple of different things. I think once insurance carriers were able to get comfortable with their ability to assess the risk in terms of what could their ultimate losses be and how do they rate for those  some of the other challenges that remained after that were more logistical in nature.

For example, you had the issue that in a lot of cases if you had a mortgage, there were some challenges with banks recognizing private flood insurance when you were in a special hazard flood zone. So we were able to work through that a little bit on the state level, and then some federal rulemaking took place to kind of pave the way for that as well. And then of course, a similar issue was with respect to continuous coverage. And a lot of NFIP policies are subsidized.

I think that agents were rightfully concerned that if they move the policyholder theyll receive subsidies from the NFIP into the private market, and then that consumer ultimately decided to go back. If they werent recognized as having continuous coverage, theyd be at risk for losing those subsidies. And so I think being able to do some work on that was helpful in gaining some interest in the private space, as well. But I really think one of the biggest developments that occurred was that carriers began to get more comfortable with their ability to assess that risk both from a modeling standpoint and a pricing standpoint. And that really was what generated some interest and some growth in that space.

How would you say that the private flood rates compare to what NFIP offers in Florida?

Well, I think it really kind of depends on where the risk is located. And one of the things that weve noticed is that because the NFIP maps are a little dated, carriers have been able to recognize some efficiencies with respect to, say for example, a home that might be further from the coast, but still in the same kind of coastal sort of mapping area for the NFIP purposes, carriers have been able to identify those homes and offer them lower rates. But if youre in a high-risk flood zone and you receive some substantial subsidies from the NFIP, in those cases, the private market rates are a little bit less competitive.

And so we really kind of view Citizens as a really good example of the way that the private market could ultimately work with respect to the flood insurance. And there was a period of time there as we were trying to depopulate Citizens where a lot of the risks  in Citizens had historically been viewed as uninsurable because it was such high risk, but as carriers began to diversify their books of business, geographically, both within the state and country-wide, a lot of that risk that was viewed as uninsurable suddenly became attractive. And so we think the same kind of thing can happen with some of the higher risk homes that are insured by the NFIP as the private market gets more traction.

How is OIR still working to attract carriers into the Florida flood market?

I think its happening a little bit more organically, but I also think that some of the challenges that we have had in the property market over the past several years has kind of stymied a little bit the interest on the private side. Not necessarily because they dont want to write flood insurance anymore, but we have had a few catastrophes, we have had some challenges with roofing claims and some other things. And so I think a lot of folks that are interested in writing flood insurance are anxious to see some resolution on some of those interests or on some of those issues before wading back into it.

And then of course, one other complicating factor thats a little bit out of our control is just the re-authorization of the NFIP has been done kind of  in short-term re-authorizations over the past several years. And I think carriers would really like to know whats going to be the long-term role of the NFIP as they start to consider whether or not to engage in the flood insurance space.

I think those are a few of the factors. Some, like with some of the legislation that weve recently enacted this past legislative session, can hopefully start to stabilize things on the property side so that people start to consider going back into the flood space.

But then of course, weve been advocating to our congressional delegation of the importance of long-term re-authorization of the NFIP so private carriers can kind of know what the landscapes going to look like over the next several years.

How will Risk Rating 2.0 impact the NFIPs coverage in Florida and the states private market?

Its a little early to tell for certain, but I think the goal of risk rating 2.0 is to bring rates more in line with what they ought to be. And I think that that could ultimately result in consumers having more options for flood insurance because private carriers can be more competitive with the NFIP rates in those cases. And so I think that brings a lot of consumer benefit.

I think, initial numbers, and again, dont hold me to this because theyre initial and so we dont really know how itll hold out towards the end, but I think  somewhere around 64% to 68% would see an increase between zero and $10 per month on their NFIP flood insurance policy.

So for a lot of people, not really a substantial impact with respect to their insurance rates and it could potentially bring a lot of positive benefits with respect to building a private flood insurance market.

Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina have been establishing private flood markets and working with their state legislatures to make that easier for insurance companies to offer. Has Florida had any role in assisting with those other states?

I think weve had sort of some informal discussions. Im not sure weve necessarily had a formal role in how those discussions have gone.

But through a variety of different ways, either through our NAIC meetings or through our Southeastern zone meetings or through the variety of conferences that we all attend, weve been able to share our experiences with what weve done in Florida. Weve had some direct conversations with insurance commissioners in the Southeast and around the country with respect to some of the things that weve done.

Theyve had some questions for us that weve been able to answer. So weve certainly had the opportunity to share our experiences with other states, but certainly every jurisdiction is a little bit different. And so what might work here in Florida, it may need to be tweaked a little bit to work effectively in other states.

Weve been very happy to provide other perspectives from our standpoint of what weve been able to make work here in Florida.

Do you think that the Florida model was something that helped other states get their own process started?

I think so. I think once people realized that there was an interest on the private side to write flood insurance if they had a framework that let them do that, I think that really caused a lot of states to take note of that and to start to implement some of their own policies and procedures for the same thing.

Topics Florida Flood
Imagine insurance customers who actually enjoy meeting with their insurance broker. Customers who see insurance not as a nuisance mandate but as an integral part of their own and their customers success. Insurance buyers who are enthusiastic about discussing risks and coverages regularly, not just begrudgingly once a year. Customers who are eager to share data on safety and performance. Or customers who view insurance not as a cost but as a revenue builder.

These insurance customers do exist. Some of them come from the sharing economy and three of them recently shared their experiences with insurance in a Lloyds of London webinar titled The Sharing Economy.

Host Rosie Denee, Innovation and Thought Leadership manager at Lloyds, stressed how the pandemic has recalibrated the sharing economy of independent contractors, entrepreneurs, service providers, drivers, property owners, renters, riders and buyers and the technology platforms they love.

Companies have had to adapt to changes in demand and pursue new growth opportunities, particularly in delivery services but also in urban mobility and accommodation, she said. Demand for shared services now varies significantly depending on individual business models and companies are adapting to the new normal as consumer preferences may have shifted for an indefinite time.

Denee cited Airbnb as an example. For the year 2020, Airbnb reported bookings were down 40% and revenue was down 30%. Since the pandemic started, Airbnb clients have stayed close to their homes, traveled by car, stayed longer and prioritized safety and affordability. Renters now prefer to rent a cottage or apartment over a room in a shared home.

Another example might be Uber, where ride revenues were way down during 2020. But Uber managed to pivot to offset its losses in passenger rides with deliveries of food orders by its Uber Eats business, where revenue has doubled during the pandemic, according to Reuters. Uber also acquired smaller food-delivery rival Postmates and alcoholic beverage delivery service Drizly.

Denee believes the insurance industry initially struggled with how to create protection to meet the needs of the sharing economy, but that has changed.

Over the last 10 years, the sharing economy has seen and brought with it a cultural shift in the insurance sector, she maintained, adding that the very essence of the sharing economy is flexibility, which has forced insurance providers to offer more flexible insurance arrangements.

The webinar showcased three sharing economy insurance customers:

New York-based Via Transportation that provides on-demand ride-sharing transportation software and services for cities, schools, universities, hospitals and corporations;

Dallas-based ShearShare, which brings together hair stylists with clients and salon workers with empty chairs; and

Austin Texas-based Outdoorsy, a peer-to-peer rental marketplace for owners of recreational vehicles (RVs).

As different as their customers are, the three businesses and their executives have much in common, starting with their Lloyds insurance broker, Chris Moore. Moore heads Apollo Syndicate Managements special unit, ibott (insuring businesses of tomorrow, today) that specializes in sharing economy companies. Moore has been with Apollo since 2013 and was instrumental in the setup of ibott. He is on the Lloyds innovation panel and the Lloyds Market Association Committee for both U.S. and International Casualty. Moore, who works with each of these clients, says they share a perspective.

They are not interested in off-the-shelf products, Moore said. They are interested in products that are going to be tailor made to their business, that allow their platforms to grow and protect the marketplace of users of that platform.

Moore has come to appreciate the mindset of these technology and business entrepreneurs and enjoyed working with them to fashion and refashion the products they need. Its different. When I speak to these guys, its not a view of insurance like, Its that time of year again. I have to renew my insurance policy,' he said.

Rather, he maintained, theyre like he is, constantly thinking about insurance. The entrepreneurs are, in turn, happy to have found someone who listens to them and understands how important insurance is to their current customers and to their firms futures.

Erin Abrams is general counsel at Via Transportation, the on-demand shared transit software platform. It offers its software-as-a-service in 200 cities and countries around the world, providing a full stack turnkey solution for private and public transit operators.

Abrams became the companys insurance handler because she happened to make eye contact with the CEO when he asked who would do it and nobody else in the meeting looked up. She says she does not regret it. As Via has grown and scaled, insurance has become co-managed between her legal team and the finance team.

Colin Gardiner calls Outdoorsy the Airbnb of RVs. It has nearly a billion dollars in sales from its marketplace of people renting RVs from neighbors and strangers. It operates in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and is moving to Europe, as well.

Its very much a business thats very hot right now given everyones stuck at home in a lot of ways, he said.

Gardiners interest in insurance stems from his role as chief revenue officer.

I focus on all things growth and monetization and I think thats a different approach, he explained. We dont view insurance as a cost center. We view it as a strategic advantage so we really use it to our advantage.

In fact, Outdoorsy has evolved to become a full RV insurance provider, selling insurance for its members not only when they are renting but also when they are outside of their rental period.

If Outdoorsy is the Airbnb for RVs, ShearShare is Hairbnb for the beauty industry. Courtney and Dr. Tye Caldwell founded the platform to solve what they know from their 30 years of experience with the beauty salon businesses is a major problem, one that became even more acute during the pandemic. The company serves independent beauty professionals who need a location and the salons and barber shops that have empty space available to rent by the day. In the words of the Caldwells, ShearShare is a machine-learning enabled mobile marketplace. ShearShare is now in more than 800 cities.

They take pride in helping people rebuild their businesses after the pandemic and shutdowns. Broker Moore said that when he first met the Caldwells a few years ago, he was struck at how they were thinking about the insurance needs right at the outset and how they talked about safety being important.

Its so often, for a lot of companies, an afterthought and its almost, Were ready to launch. Whos done insurance?' he said.

But the Caldwells had it from the start and insurance has been a key pillar to their business, he said.

ShearShares Courtney Caldwell told Moore that no other insurance company would take the risk in 2017 when they started their business. They didnt really understand the beauty industry. They didnt understand that were the second largest industry for freelancers and independent contractors. But you guys [Lloyds] jumped in that big ocean with us and so we appreciate that, she said.

Today, stylists can find workspace on the ShearShare platform by the day and also purchase professional liability insurance for just five bucks. Its amazing, she said.

For Abrams at Via Transportation, insurance plays a significant role because, although Via is a tech company that is providing transit software, it also provides transit operations, and thus has physical, real-world auto operations risk. But its not the same traditional auto exposure as a legacy transit provider with employees and owned vehicles. Via primarily works with independent contractors and doesnt typically own the vehicles that operate on its platform. In some cases we operate the deployments. In other cases, our partners operate the deployments, she explained.

Many of Vias partners are governments with varying risk tolerances and projects with different use cases, perhaps non-emergency medical transport or educational transports for students.

Whats more, since Via is required to submit competitive bids, Abrams said she needs a program from which she can pull down specific bespoke insurance coverages that meet the needs of a specific program or deployment, and often on short notice. So its really important for us to bake in the insurance cost into the margins and have some predictability about what those insurance costs will be, she explained.

Abrams praised Moore and Apollo for being willing to dig into a novel business model and look at how Vias is different from legacy operators, not just at the start but throughout the companys journey.

For Gardiner of Outdoorsy, viewing insurance not just as a necessity for the business but also as a revenue and business generator is part of an overall philosophy of concentrating on the customer experience. What are the things that differentiate you and really give you control? is the question he asks. One answer is insurance, in his view.

He cites an example of someone who rents out an RV having an accident. That owner must take the RV offline and cant rent it while the claim is being taken care of and the vehicle repaired. Everyone loses income the longer that claim takes. If Outdoorsy can help expedite the claim, everyone wins. Thats how insurance helps improve the customer experience.

Control over the user experience is also key  thats why Outdoorsy has also invested in its own in-house claims company, which Gardiner said also helps it control costs.

A similar philosophy focused on flexibility, customization and customer experience is at work at ShearShare.

According to Dr. Tye Caldwell, insurance fits into the ShearShare business model by driving customer satisfaction with the platform. ShearShares goal is to let their users know that they are there not to just make money themselves but also to help them grow their own businesses and take care of them should something go wrong. We wanted to always give them an opportunity to look back and say, Hey, you know what? ShearShare is taking care of us, theyre thinking about us first, and its not just about collecting a dollar and being a part of a platform as a number, he said.

Bad things can happen even when the best stylists are working on clients  a nip on an ear with the clippers, a burn with a curling iron, a skin infection from leaving a hair product on too long or even a loss of power or equipment. Anything could happen. So having that insurance gives them that protection that they need and it really eases their mind, he said.

Courtney Caldwell thinks of their independent beauty and barbering professionals as solopreneurs for whom there has been no business-to-business ecosystem where they can get the tools or resources they need on a given day and pay for what they use. That is, until the Caldwells stepped up. No matter what small business you are, I think there are three constants. Youre always looking to increase your revenue, decrease your cost and mitigate your risk, she said.

She said their customers use and leverage the ShearShare platform to build their small businesses atop our small business because they know that when they come to ShearShare theyre able to get the resources they need very easily and maximize their earnings.

Whereas brick and mortar salons, barbershops or spa owners are likely to have insurance, thats less often the case for independent contractors.

Where do you go to just purchase that by the day? That did not exist before ShearShare and Lloyds decided to partner together, she explained.

Moore added that the insurance product provides more than protection; it can also provide a stickiness with customers.

Beauty solopreneurs can go to a local beauty salon to negotiate or they can go to ShearShare and get bookings and insurance that protect them.

Data Collaboration

According to Moore, data is a critical part of sharing businesses. Data can not only inform insurance but also influence decisions about what to offer, where to offer it, what schedule to follow and more.

Vias Abrams said that the real asset for her technology company is the data that it has. Vias patented technology identifies and updates the best travel routes, virtual bus stops, where to pick up and drop off different people. It also tracks how many passengers are in a vehicle and other information that makes routes more efficient.

Beyond the data it has for its own uses, Via also provides data to its partner municipalities and private and public transit operators about how people are using the service, whether they are using their fleets in an efficient way and filling vehicles as much as possible or driving around empty. Also, it can reveal how they are serving lower income communities or people who might lack access to other modes of transportation.

Via also collects safety data around the vehicles themselves and telematics data on the safety of the drivers. When Via shares its data with its insurers, Abrams makes sure Via gets the credit for the data that shows it is a safer operator than perhaps some legacy transit operators with which Via competes. We think we should be judged on the merits of our own data and our own strong safety record. And the fact that we have more data to share with insurers should enable them to make more granular calculations about our risks, which should benefit us as well, Abrams said.

For us, its about collaboration, said Moore. It costs money to store data; it costs time and effort to take data. We only want data thats going to be of value.

With collaboration, he said his team can give insureds transparency about what is affecting insurance costs and what a company can do to change that during the policy period, not 12 months down the road.

Gardiner said Outdoorsy has more information about its hosts, their behaviors and vehicles than any insurance company. One reason is it provides personal and commercial insurance for them even outside of their rental season. It knows how many days theyre renting it, when their vehicle has had maintenance, and more. One of the great parts about collecting all this data is that were able to quote very quickly. We already know all of their information by their vehicles, things like that, Gardiner said.

In addition to data helping to optimize the user experience, it is also helpful in running the business. As a platform, we care a lot about retaining our users and so we want to use that data to deliver the best low-cost products, so they dont go anywhere else. We want to be a one-stop-shop, he said. Were the experts on RVs, but were not actually the experts on picking insurance for those RVs.

He said collaboration is useful for digging deeper into the data and together understanding the rating factors.

Outdoorsy is also focused on risk mitigation. It has invested in machine learning models and data points to go beyond traditional metrics like drivers checks. People have driving records, but theyre not necessarily RV driving records. So for us, trying to build a rating model for people before they rent is really important, Gardiner said.

The model helps Outdoorsy decide what to charge, whether to have a higher deductible or a higher security deposit. I think the more data you have, the better products you can deliver and the better expectation you can set for your users as well, he said.

At ShearShare, Courtney Caldwell said their data shows where stylists and salons are across the country, how many days a licensed stylist works, and even stylists willingness to travel more than 10 miles outside of their home base. The data can be used by stylists to decide which salons to choose for specific customers. Perhaps one customer likes a rugged barber shop and another a mom atmosphere. Or someone is closer to one shop than another.

Data also help them with their dynamic pricing. If you think about ShearShare as you would renting maybe an RV early on or purchasing a plane ticket, maybe your price is going to look different if youre booking two weeks in advance versus the day before, said Courtney Caldwell.

Lessons for Insurers

Moore sought advice from his clients for brokers and underwriters just starting to look at the insurance market for the sharing sector. Im struck by how much insurers look at the past as a predictor of the future and are so focused on a companys loss history and industrys loss history, said Abrams. Most of us got into these various different businesses to disrupt the legacy industries. So I dont think legacy industry data is necessarily the best predictor of where our business is going.

She said startups move fast and are always adapting their products and services, sometimes several times within a year. So I think for us the past is not always the best predictor of the future, she added.

As for advice to brokers and underwriters, Abrams urged them to engage with their startups in projecting into the future and the thought exercise of where will our business be a year from now, where will our business be three years from now?

She urged brokers to think about those types of forward-looking projections and the risk factors, because thats how startups think about the world.

Outdoorsys Gardiner thinks it is important for insurance professionals to understand that they are providing insurance for technology companies that are aggregating customers and so they need to be thinking about those end customers, too.

We may be your customer in the sense of were paying a bill, but at the end of the day, the consumer is the customer. And were bringing those people together in a certain way, in a certain risk profile and behavior and its just characteristic of that group, he explained.

ShearShares Courtney Caldwell sees the industrys role as helping to educate their customers on the need for insurance.

You guys dont have to know everything about beauty and barbering. You guys dont have to know everything about micro transportation or RVs. Leave that to us, she said. We rely on you guys to help us educate our user base.

Topics Sharing Economy
A man serving time for Maryland arsons is accused of starting fires in two Delaware beach towns last year.

The Delaware Office of the State Fire Marshal announced Thursday that it has obtained warrants for Richard Lodeski of Wilmington for second-degree arson and criminal trespassing. An investigation involving federal and state officials linked Lodeski to a fire that destroyed the Lighthouse restaurant in Dewey Brach when it was under construction in April 2020 and a fire at a vacant Rehoboth Beach building in June 2020, officials said. Damage in those fires was estimated at just under $1 million.

The News Journal reports that Lodeski is serving time in Maryland after being sentenced last month to 60 years in prison, with all but 10 suspended, after pleading guilty to three counts of second-degree arson. He was charged in fires at a gas station and two business plazas in Bel Air that caused an estimated $1 million in damage in June 2020

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Topics Maryland Delaware
PRAGUE  Czech utility CEZ said on Friday [June 18] it had found alternative insurance for its coal-fired power plants after two providers said they would stop covering them from next year as part of an industry drive to drop climate-damaging business.

Insurers Generali Ceska Pojistovna and Ceska Kooperativa of the VIG group have reached an agreement with CEZ to end cover of the plants, the companies said.

We are reducing our activities in insuring coal power plants, Generali said in a statement, adding it was aiming to rapidly de-carbonize its portfolio.

Read more: Major Reinsurers Look to Exclude Coal from Treaty Policies, as Climate Pressure Grows

CEZ did not give details of its alternative solution.

The trend is clear, this is after mutual agreement, said CEZ spokesperson Ladislav Kriz.

We have already set up a new system of insuring our coal plants from the next year onward. We will secure these end-of-life sources until they are definitely decommissioned.

CEZ presented a strategy outlook last month planning to shut most of its coal capacity by 2030, cutting the proportion of coal in its production mix to 12.5% from 36%, and adding 6 gigawatts (GW) in renewable sources.

Coal has been in retreat in Europe and the United States as countries pledge to cut their carbon emissions.

On Sunday, the Group of Seven nations pledged to rapidly scale up technologies and policies that accelerate the transition away from coal, including ending new government support for coal power by the end of this year.

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka; editing by Mark Potter)

Related:
Burleigh and Morton counties have joined the city of Mandan in banning the private use of fireworks during the July Fourth holiday season due to the widespread drought in North Dakota.

Rural fire chiefs in both counties recommended the bans because of extremely dry conditions. North Dakota has experienced some of the driest winter and spring months this year. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows more than two-thirds of the state is in extreme and exceptional drought.

Morton County officials said setting off fireworks could cause fires that could threaten the health, well-being and safety of citizens, and the cost of response may be far in excess of current resources.

If the county receives a significant amount of rain in the coming weeks, it might reassess the ban, the Bismarck Tribune reported.

Public or commercial fireworks displays that have received permits from the appropriate agencies are still allowed.

Violating the private fireworks ban is a Class B misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
With cyber attacks and insurance claims on the rise, leading cyber insurers AIG, AXIS, Beazley, Chubb, The Hartford, Liberty Mutual Insurance and Travelers have formed a company to pool their data and expertise and take collective efforts to enhance cyber risk mitigation efforts across the insurance industry.

The new entity, called CyberAcuView, will compile and analyze cyber-related data to enhance value and service to policyholders and help insurers sustain a competitive market for cyber insurance.

CyberAcuViews activities will be conducted under strict antitrust review and guidance, according to the announcement.

Mark Camillo, most recently head of Cyber, EMEA at AIG, has been appointed CEO.

CyberAcuView is 100%-owned by the founding seven member carriers, six of which are among the top 10 insurers in the market based on 2020 direct written premium, according to AM Best. (Liberty Mutual ranks 14th.) The new company will invite other direct writers of cyber insurance to be associate members, according to its website.

The founding members of CyberAcuView said they will address cyber risk mitigation by:

providing industry best-practices to improve resilience to cyber risk;

proactively engaging with regulators, law enforcement and other security agencies to counter cybercrime and the rapid rise of ransomware;

developing systemic risk solutions and advancing cyber policy language to improve market efficiencies; and

analyzing cyber trends to provide enhanced visibility on cyberattacks and the causes of loss so that insurers can identify critical controls and educate policyholders on loss prevention strategies.

Joining Camillo on the leadership team is Monica Lindeen, former Montana Insurance Commissioner, who will serve as director of Regulatory Affairs, and James Schweitzer, a veteran of the FBI and former chief operating officer of the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), who joins as director of Law Enforcement Engagement.

The cyber landscape continues to evolve with coordinated attacks becoming more frequent and disruptive, said Camillo. Combining resources from across the insurance industry will allow us to better understand cyber trends, anticipate and potentially mitigate future attacks, and help improve overall cyber resilience.

Grim Outlook

The announcement of the collective effort comes after a report by AM Best advised that the industry must totally reassess its approach to cyber risk.

With the cyber risk hazard environmentransomware, business interruption and aggregationworsening significantly, prospects for the U.S. cyber insurance market are grim, according to the report.

According to AM Best analysts, insurers urgently need to reassess all aspects of their cyber risk, including their appetite, risk controls, modeling, stress testing and pricing, to remain a viable long-term partner dealing with cyber risk.

The reassessment is needed because cyber insurance, which began as a diversifying, secondary line and another endorsement on policies, is now a primary component of a corporations risk management and insurance purchasing decisions, notes AM Best in its report, Ransomware and Aggregation Issues Call for New Approaches to Cyber Risk.

Fitch Ratings analysts have noted that while U.S. insurers have been raising prices and taking underwriting action in response to a spike in cyber claims, immediate improvement is unlikely this year from these actions and insurers are worried about the long-term.

The cyber market faced a reckoning in 2020, as loss experience deteriorated, particularly from an influx of ransomware incidents, said Fitch Managing Director James Auden. While cyber premium rates are rising sharply, concerns remain that underwriters can successfully price this business longer term.

The Really, Really Big One: The Likelihood of a 1-in-100 Year Cyber Catastrophe Cyber Insurers Hike Rates But Worry About Pricing Long-Term As Losses Mount: Fitch 5 Ways Cyber Business Interruption Differs from Traditional Business Interruption: RIMS

Cyber insurance direct written premiums for the property/casualty industry rose sharply 22% last year to over $2.7 billion, reflecting expanding demand for coverage. The industry statutory direct loss plus defense & cost containment (DCC) ratio for standalone cyber insurance rose sharply in 2020 to 73% compared with an average of 42% for the previous five years (2015-2019). The average paid loss for a closed standalone cyber claim moved to $358,000 in 2020 from $145,000 in 2019.

According to Fitch, cyber insurance is a growing but relatively small business line in U.S. P/C insurance, representing less than 1% of industry direct written premiums. Segment market share remains relatively concentrated, with the top five writers holding 50% market share and the top 20 writers maintaining 87% market share in 2020. The top three U.S. cyber writers are unchanged from the prior year: Chubb Limited (15% direct market share); AXA XL (11%); and American International Group, Inc. (AIG, 8%).

Topics Carriers Cyber
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 June 15 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?

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.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Louisiana Flood
Citgo Petroleum Corp. of Houston has agreed to pay $19.7 million for environmental damage from a 2006 spill at a Louisiana refinery, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

The agreement settles both state and federal environmental claims from the 2.2-million-gallon (8.3- million-liter) spill at the Lake Charles refinerys wastewater treatment facility, a news release said.

State and federal trustees will work together on restoration projects using nearly $19.2 million, the statement said. It said the remaining $528,000 will cover remaining costs of the damage assessment.

Oil companies have a responsibility to protect our waters, people, wildlife and diverse habitats from oil spills, and those who violate that duty will be held accountable for the harms they cause, said Jean E. Williams, acting assistant attorney general for the departments Environment and Natural Resources Division.

The payment is in addition to $97 million in earlier penalties and fines, the Justice Department said. It said Citgo has paid an $81 million Clean Water Act penalty, a $13 million criminal fine and $3 million to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.

The slop oil and untold millions of gallons of oily wastewater spilled into the Calcasieu River and other waterways from overflowing wastewater tanks during a storm in 2006, the department said.

It polluted about 150 miles (240 kilometers) of shoreline, killed birds and fish, contaminated habitats, closed the ship channel, and disrupted recreational uses of the river and lakes, Thursdays news release said.

U.S. District Judge Richard Haik ruled in the Clean Water Act lawsuit that the accident was caused by Citgos gross negligence in operating and maintaining the treatment facility.

The proposed consent decree would become final if the court approves it after a 30-day public comment period.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Louisiana
The owner of an offshore oilfield boat that overturned off Louisiana plans to use $25 million in insurance on the vessel to pay down part of the Texas companys debts.

Attorneys for families of men killed when the Seacor Power flipped in April are worried that could leave less money available to compensate for their loss, The Times-Picayune / The New Orleans Advocate reported.

Six men were rescued, six bodies were found and seven men are missing and presumed dead after the wreck.

The Seacor Power was a lift boat equipped with legs that can be lowered to the ocean floor, lifting the vessel itself above the water as a temporary work platform. It overturned as the crew was lowering those legs and trying to turn into heavy winds, according to National Transportation Safety Board investigators.

Seacor Marine Holdings Inc., of Houston, described its plan in securities filings last week, the newspaper reported. The agreement with lender J.P. Morgan Chase Inc, would use hull and machinery insurance on the boat to help pay two $25 million installments and settle a debt of more than $117 million.

Ian Taylor, an attorney whose firm represents some survivors and victims families, said it will seek to block the move and make a claim itself on the proceeds from hull and machinery insurance.

That law firms clients are among people who have filed at least 14 lawsuits against Seacor Marine, its subsidiaries, and Talos Energy, owner of the oil platform where the Seacor Power was heading.

Seacor Marine has said it expects to pay about $15 million to the salvage company that looked for survivors and lately has been assessing damage and making plans to retrieve the wreckage, the newspaper reported.

The Coast Guard said last week that salvage crews would have to cut the boat apart, with a submersible barge sunk under each section as it was cut away, then refloated to bring the section to shore.

The Coast Guard referred a call for an update on Friday to Seacor, which did not immediately respond to a query from The Associated Press.

The company has filed a federal suit to limit death and personal injury damages to a total of $5.7 million, under an 1851 maritime law covering circumstances which the owner could not have foreseen nor taken precaution against.

Taylor, of Lewis Kullman Sterbcow and Abramson, said the firm will challenge Seacor Marines attempt to limit liability, and will ask the court to add the $25 million insurance to the companys liability fund.

Frank Spagnoletti, an attorney who has filed several lawsuits in Texas, said Seacors move to shield the insurance payment will not play well with survivors.

They will find it offensive that the company has moved to limit their liability to $5.7 million but taken care of their own financial situation before consideration of the victims and loved ones of the dead, he said.

The company declined to comment further than the statement to investors.

In that statement, John Gellert, Seacor Marines CEO, said We remain focused on our response to the Seacor Power incident and expect to complete the recovery efforts in July.

We continue to grieve for our crew members, partners and the loved ones of those who were lost, he added.

Related:

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Topics Louisiana
A Black newspaper carrier confronted by Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer in Washingotn has filed a legal claim seeking at least $5 million in damages.

Attorneys representing Sedrick Altheimer submitted the tort claim against the county on Tuesday, contending Troyers actions during the Jan. 27 incident violated Altheimers constitutional rights and caused him severe emotional distress, The Seattle Times reported.

Altheimers attorneys, Susan Mindenbergs and Vonda Sargent, did not immediately respond to requests from the newspaper for comment. A copy of the tort claim, which precedes a potential lawsuit, was released by Pierce County after a public-records request.

Witnesses will attest to harm caused by the racial profiling, false arrest and unnecessary use of excessive force on Altheimer, whose only crime was `being a black man in a white neighborhood,' the tort claim says.

Troyer, who is white, has denied wrongdoing and says he did not racially profile Altheimer.

On Wednesday, Troyer did not directly address the legal claim. But he told the newspaper in an email that he welcomes a complete, full and independent investigation and that he and his office will be fully cooperative.

Altheimer, 24, was driving his delivery route Jan. 27 when Troyer started following him in his personal SUV. The two wound up in a 2 a.m. altercation in which Troyer called emergency dispatchers, repeatedly saying Altheimer was threatening to kill him.

That call sparked more than 40 units from various police agencies rushing to the scene. Most were called off after Tacoma police arrived, but Altheimer was confronted at gun point, removed from his vehicle (and) frisked for weapons all while trying to explain he was at work, the tort claim states.

Upon questioning by a Tacoma police officer, Troyer walked back his statement that Altheimer threatened him, according to a police report. Troyer has disputed the police reports account.

Troyer has previously said he started following Altheimer because he believed he was behaving suspiciously near his home.

The incident, which remained unknown to the public until The Seattle Times reported it in March, has led to calls for Troyers resignation, and the state Attorney Generals Office has opened a criminal investigation into potential false-reporting charges.

The Pierce County Council additionally has hired former U.S. Attorney Brian Moran to examine whether Troyer violated Sheriffs Office policies or professional standards. Black Lives Matter activists have asked the FBI to open a civil rights probe.

Troyer has said he welcomes those investigations. A 35-year veteran of the Pierce County Sheriffs Office, he had been the agencys media spokesperson before being elected as sheriff last year.

Altheimer has worked as a newspaper carrier for Steiner Distribution since 2015, and is considered a reliable and hard worker, the tort claim states.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Carriers Washington
COVID-19 vaccination rates for police and firefighting personnel in Los Angeles and prison employees across California are significantly lower than the states average for other adults, raising concerns among medical ethicists and public safety leaders about whether unvaccinated first responders could become a threat to public health.

While about 72% of adult Californians and 64% of Los Angeles residents 16 and older have received at least one vaccine dose, only about 51% of LA firefighters and 52% of the citys police officers are at least partially vaccinated, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

Fewer than 30% of Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department staff have received vaccine doses through employee clinics, and about 54% of state corrections employees are at least partially vaccinated.

The extent of the low vaccination rate is unclear because not all agencies keep track of who got their doses, whether through their workplace or elsewhere.

Law enforcement analysts and ethicists said public safety workers should be allowed to make independent decisions about their health. However, they said the reluctance to get vaccinated is a matter of public concern because they work in close spaces, such as jails and courthouses, and interact with some of the most vulnerable populations.

As first responders, thats a significant public health issue. It isnt only a matter of their health, but others they come into contact with daily, said Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo, who heads the influential Major Cities Chiefs Association. This is becoming a big discussion among the chiefs and health leaders.

Some agencies surveyed by the Times say theyre legally prohibited from asking employees whether they were vaccinated, citing medical privacy laws. Others say theyre trying to increase vaccination rates through outreach and incentives such as cash and prizes.

The effectiveness of those efforts is uncertain.

The Los Angeles Fire Department offered cash prizes to fire stations whose entire staff got vaccinated. As of last week, the Times reported, none of the citys 106 fire stations had qualified.

City Councilman Paul Koretz, who leads a committee focused on personnel issues, said that if the rates dont go up in the coming weeks, he may consider mandating vaccinations for police and fire employees.

Its possible we could not allow people to do overtime shifts if theyre not vaccinated, he said.

Arthur Caplan, a medical ethicist at New York University, said mandates may become necessary but that the agencies are right to keep encouraging voluntary compliance.

These folks make a living trying to help other people, he said. If we point out that they can maybe help other people by getting vaccinated, that will maybe get more pickup.

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As the global pandemic has left us eager to participate in in-person events again, ITEXPO returns for its 22nd voyage in Miami, Florida for the homecoming of the annual live communications and technology event.

Thousands of innovators, entrepreneurs and executives will be gathering between June 22 - 25th at the newly refurbished Miami Beach Convention Center to find new and improved solutions to make business more productive, efficient, and more profitable.

As part of the #TechSuperShow, IoT Evolution Expo visitors will be able to participate in over 120 business and technology conference sessions, workshops, and keynotes, enabling them to meet with hundreds of potential suppliers on the IoT trade show floor. Here, they will be able to explore the industries and verticals where IoT is powering the most disruption and providing the most opportunity in the age of digital transformation, as well as discovering the latest advances in edge computing, ML and AI.

This year, IoT Evolution Expo will be about Growth through Digital Transformation, new business models, and ROI and addressing the questions to help along the way on your digital journey. The focus will be on the solutions that drive measurable results, meet goals through more efficient operations and provide more insight into new profit opportunities that lead to business and market growth.

The Agenda for IoT Evolution Expo will entail several talks that cover the various difficulties companies may encounter such as cybercrime as well as how to grow and develop a business with IoT.

These talks include:

IoT Security Against Global Cybercrime, discussed by Barlow Keener (Moderator) and Dr. Mihai Voicu, will cover difficulties companies may face in relation to exploitable vulnerabilities subject to hackers.

Replacing Wireline & 4G with Real World 5G Solutions, discussed by Bill Badger and Mark Savage, will cover how companies can achieve high-performance global connectivity without the restrictions of traditional roaming.

Developing Your IoT Business, discussed by Barlow Keener (Moderator) and Mike Wilkinson, will cover how companies can use IoT to grow their business in various aspects such as improving productivity and CX.

From Inception to Implementation: How to Scale Your Next IoT Solution, discussed by Steven Baker, Ken Briodagh (Moderator), and David Hettinger, will cover the scaling and implementation of the latest IoT solutions to suit the specific needs of the company.

How MIoT is Critical to Addressing COVID-19 and Pandemics, discussed by Ken Briodagh (Moderator) and Edgar Salas, will cover the useability of MIoT in relation to the continued issue of COVID-19 treatment and consider pandemics in general.

Smart City with a Social Conscience, discussed by Frank Antonysamy, Ken Briodagh (Moderator), and Anas Sawaf, will cover the recent introduction of smart cities and the possibilities moving forward regarding social efforts.

Key Tools of the IoT Security Trade, discussed by Ken Briodagh (Moderator), Mike Geller, and Christopher Schouten, will cover the importance of security within the IoT market and how businesses may achieve this.

Learn more about the IoT Evolution Expo, part of #TECHSUPERSHOW, HERE.

Edited by Maurice Nagle
International Students

Iowa Central has increased its overall enrollment for the number of International Students attending. The College has named an advisor who works closely to ensure that students are fully aware of the procedures for enrolling and services provided once they have arrived. The advisor meets regularly with the student, assisting them in adjustments to the campus and city life of Fort Dodge.

For more information on International Studies at Iowa Central contact Stephanie Evenson at 800-362-2793 ext. 1175 or evenson_s@iowacentral.edu.

Admissions Requirements

All documents MUST be translated in English

Complete an International Student Application. (Click here for application) Submit proof of High School Graduation  Transcripts, Graduation Certificate, Diploma and/or Exam results showing graduation/completion date Submit proof of English Proficiency  If English is NOT your first language, submit one of the following: An official TOEFL IBT score of 45 or higher or IELTS bandwidth of 5.0 or higher Duolingo English Test score of 75 or higher Proof of high school graduation where English was the official language of instruction U.S. college or university transcript with successful completion of college-level English Composition Submit Statement of Financial Support Form: (Click here for form) Submit a copy of your passport

How to send documentation

All documents can be scanned and emailed to evenson_s@iowacentral.edu .

. Scanned copies of original documents must be clear and in color. Scanned documents will only be used for admissions purposes.

Original high school transcripts and diplomas are required for class registration upon arrival to Iowa Central

Deadline to apply

Fall Semester (August start date) - June 15 deadline

Spring Semester (January start date) - November 1 deadline

Prospective international students applying for admission to Iowa Central must submit all documents by the deadline date in order to have sufficient time to process and mail the I-20.

Other Important Forms
Business & Community: GAP

GAP Tuition Assistance

Iowa Central Community College Continuing Education utilizes the GAP Tuition Assistance Program to provide tuition support for eligible participants. To be an eligible program, the Continuing Education itself must offer one of the following:

Non-credit only

Low Income Up to 250% Poverty Level

Iowa Resident

Iowa Central Community College Classes only

Must take NCRC or CASAS score at least Bronze

Registered with Selective Services

Do not have to have High School Diploma



Why offer GAP Tuition Assistance?

Non-credit certificate programs are not eligible for federal financial aid. This program fills the gap in providing resources to populations that would otherwise not be able to afford training. The following programs are offered:

Who is eligible?

Tuition Assistance for GAP is based on financial need and your ability to complete a program and gain full time employment.

GAP

(based on past 3 months) Family Size 250% Poverty Level 1 8,050 2 10,888 3 13,725 4 16,563 5 19,400 6 22,238 7 25,075 8 27,913 Add for each additional family member 2,838

What is covered?

Based on eligibility, you may qualify for partial or total assistance with tuition, books, and fees.

Do you receive food assistance?

If you receive food assistance you may qualify to participate in free training. The program was developed to help you learn skills for in-demand jobs that pay a higher wage.

Click here for Application Checklist

For more information, contact: Melissa Vorrie at 515-574-1972 or vorrie@iowacentral.edu
Business Services: Job Training

260E Iowa Industrial New Jobs Training Program

The Iowa Industrial New Jobs Training Program (260E) was developed to provide funding to meet the wide variety of training and employee development needs for new employees of expanding business. Funding is generated by the sale of certificates (bonds) allowing companies an opportunity to provide training at no cost to the company. The assistance ranges from highly specialized educational programs to basic skill training for new positions.

Request more info on 260E

260F Iowa Jobs Training Program

The Iowa Jobs Training Program (260F) provides funding for training existing employees. This is an application process in which Iowa Central applies to the state for funding on behalf of an area company. A maximum award is $25,000 provided the company offers a minimum 25% cash match. This is a forgivable loan to the company for training; training must be completed in order to have the loan forgiven.

Request more info on 260F
Non-Credit ESL Courses

FREE, non-credit English Language (ESL) classes are offered to adults ages 16 years and older in the Eagle Grove, Fort Dodge, Storm Lake, and Webster City communities and surrounding areas. (Find information on each location below.)

Instructors will assist students to

improve English proficiency in the areas of reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

gain knowledge and employment skills.

increase English fluency and literacy skills to better help children and families.

work towards completing high school equivalency and toward pursuing higher education.

gain confidence and independence using English to communicate with others.

Registration

Online registration now available in English and in Spanish! Find your location below for the registration link for your area.

Class Schedules

Morning and evening classes available at most locations. See dates for orientations and sessions below. Online learning opportunities coming soon!

All students are required to complete the registration process before starting class.

Questions?

Erin Guddall at 515-574-1960 or guddall@iowacentral.edu

TEXT 515-259-0136 with your location or

Location Program Schedule for 2021 - 2022

Eagle Grove Address North Central Career Academy

216 S. Park Avenue Contact 515-574-1960

guddall@iowacentral.edu Register English Registration Form

Spanish Registration Form Class Schedules Morning Class Schedule

Mondays and Wednesdays @ 12:00 PM  3:00 PM Evening Class Schedule

Mondays and Wednesdays @ 5:00 PM  8:00 PM Registration deadline for Session 1: July 1, 2021

Session 1: July 12  September 3, 2021

Session 1: July 12  September 3, 2021 Registration deadline for Session 2: August 23, 2021

Session 2: September 8  October 29, 2021

Session 2: September 8  October 29, 2021 Registration deadline for Session 3: October 18, 2021

Session 3: November 1  January 7, 2022

Session 3: November 1  January 7, 2022 Registration deadline for Session 4: December 17, 2021

Session 4: January 10  March 4, 2022

Session 4: January 10  March 4, 2022 Registration deadline for Session 5: February 21, 2022

Session 5: March 7  May 6, 2022

Session 5: March 7  May 6, 2022 Registration deadline for Session 6: April 18, 2022

Session 6: May 9  June 17, 2022

Fort Dodge Address Iowa Central Community College

One Triton Circle

Applied Science & Technology

Fourth floor, Room #408 Contact 515-574-1960

guddall@iowacentral.edu Register English Registration Form

Spanish Registration Form Class Schedules Morning Class Schedule

Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Evening Class Schedule

Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 5:00 PM  8:00 PM Registration deadline for Session 1: July 1, 2021

Session 1: July 13  September 3, 2021

Session 1: July 13  September 3, 2021 Registration deadline for Session 2: August 23, 2021

Session 2: September 7  October 29, 2021

Session 2: September 7  October 29, 2021 Registration deadline for Session 3: October 18, 2021

Session 3: November 2  January 7, 2022

Session 3: November 2  January 7, 2022 Registration deadline for Session 4: December 17, 2021

Session 4: January 11  March 4, 2022

Session 4: January 11  March 4, 2022 Registration deadline for Session 5: February 21, 2022

Session 5: March 8  May 6, 2022

Session 5: March 8  May 6, 2022 Registration deadline for Session 6: April 18, 2022

Session 6: May 10  June 17, 2022

Storm Lake Address Iowa Central Community College

Prairie Lakes AEA

824 Flindt Drive

Room # 203 Contact 515-574-1960

guddall@iowacentral.edu Register English Registration Form

Spanish Registration Form Class Schedules Morning Class Schedule

Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10:00 AM  12:30 PM Evening Class Schedule

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 5:30 PM  8:00 PM Registration deadline for Session 1: July 5, 2021

Session 1: July 19  August 19, 2021

Session 1: July 19  August 19, 2021 Registration deadline for Session 2: August 16, 2021

Session 2: August 23  September 30, 2021

Session 2: August 23  September 30, 2021 Registration deadline for Session 3: September 20, 2021

Session 3: October 4  November 11, 2021

Session 3: October 4  November 11, 2021 Registration deadline for Session 4: November 8, 2021

Session 4: November 19  January 27, 2022

Session 4: November 19  January 27, 2022 Registration deadline for Session 5: January 17, 2021

Session 5: January 31  March 10, 2022

Session 5: January 31  March 10, 2022 Registration deadline for Session 6: March 14, 2021

Session 6: March 21  April 28, 2022

Session 6: March 21  April 28, 2022 Registration deadline for Session 7: April 18, 2021

Session 7: May 2  June 17, 2022
Weather Related Cancellations and Delays

If you believe there is a possibility of classes being canceled or delayed due to severe weather conditions, or any other reason, monitor the following media for announcements. PLEASE DO NOT PHONE THE COLLEGE TO CHECK THE STATUS OF CLASS CANCELLATIONS.

Triton Alert

E-mail

Internet

Television

The Triton Alerts emergency text messaging service will be used in response to severe weather conditions. In the event of cancellation or delay of scheduled classes, a text message will be sent to the cell number that you specify and your email address. To subscribe to this service register by clicking the "" link in the TritonPass menu.An e-mail message will be sent to all Iowa Central staff and students.Iowa Central Community College www.iowacentral.edu KCCI Television www.kcci.com KCCI Channel 8WHO Channel 13

To facilitate the efficient removal of snow, employees and students are encouraged to leave campus as soon as possible and/or not come to the college when classes are canceled.

Inclement Weather

Iowa Central gives serious consideration to travel conditions during inclement weather and makes a concerted effort to reach decisions as early as possible regarding the cancellation or delay of classes. There are no clear-cut guidelines for canceling or delaying classes because many factors including time of day, total snow fall, wind, visibility, temperature, etc., all effect the decision. We monitor weather conditions based on forecasts and the location of winter storms and target making a decision by 6:00 A.M. for day classes and 4:00 P.M. for evening classes. However, weather conditions can change very quickly and it may not always be possible to make decisions by these targeted times. PLEASE DO NOT PHONE THE COLLEGE TO CHECK THE STATUS OF CLASS CANCELLATIONS. The final decision to attend college classes can only be made by the individual based on their specific extenuating circumstances that may make it hazardous for them to travel.

Cancellation or Delay of Classes

The decision to cancel or delay classes will be made by the President or by his designee. If classes are delayed or canceled, the message will go to local radio/TV stations by approximately 6 a.m. or as soon as possible. A text message and email will also be sent to your cell phone if you are a TritonAlert subscriber. No announcement of cancellation or delayed classes via the media will mean that classes will be held as usual that day. At times, due to staff availability or changing weather conditions, there may be a delay in making announcements.

Delay of Classes

For one hour and one and one-half hour classes, students and staff will report to the class with a start time at or after the announced start time. Department staff will define the start time for programs, such as those in the Applied Science and Technology Department, that are not one hour or one and one-half hour in length.

Early Dismissal of Classes

Should conditions develop during the day that would dictate that classes be dismissed early, the announcement of such dismissal will be circulated to the buildings by a member of the faculty or administrative staff. Students will not be used to circulate such information. The decision will be made by the President or by his designee.

Evening Classes

Any decision regarding evening classes (those starting after 5 p.m.) shall be made as soon as possible. Cancellation announcements will be given to local radio stations.

Cancellation or Delay of Activities and Non-Credit Classes

Department staff will determine any start time for activities or non-credit classes when the College is closed or opens late.
Iowa Central Career Connections Events

Iowa Central Career Connections offers various career exploration events to help students learn more about the different career opportunities in our area. The goal of these career exploration events are to help expose students to an assortment of various careers that may match their interests. These events allow students to hear from business professionals in the area first-hand about the skills as well as the requirements for their specific career.

Career on Wheels

Career on Wheels is an event for fifth graders where we bring in different vehicles from the community to represent various jobs. Students are able to interact with a speaker, tour the vehicle, and learn more about their specific career. The students learn more about the different skills sets and requirements about local jobs.

Career Discovery Days

Career Discovery Days help area high school student get a better understanding of specific careers with hands on experiences that connects them with business leaders in our community and surrounding areas. The following Career Discovery Days are: Business Day, Agriculture Day, Healthcare Day, Transportation Day, STEM Day, Culinary Day, Education Day, Human Services Day, Building Trades Day, Public Safety Day, Arts & Communication Day and Manufacturing Day.

Financial Literacy Fairs

Financial literacy fairs is the culmination of career exploration and personal financial management. Students choose a career during this interactive event and receive a sample monthly paycheck to use at the Financial Literacy Fair for life expenses in their budget. The Fair is a great complement to classroom learning through a virtual reality simulation illustrating the importance of understanding wants versus needs.
Opinion Policies

Editorials are longer opinion pieces that are written by a group of community members recruited across campus who address relevant issues on a local, national and international level. Editorials are research-based. The purpose of the Editorial Board is to promote discussion concerning relevant issues in the community while advising on possible solutions. Topics are chosen via relevancy and interests of the members, which are then discussed by the Editorial Board in order to reach a general consensus concerning the topic or issue.

Feedback policy

If you have a grievance concerning the content or argument of the Editorial Board, please contact either Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or the Editorial Board as a whole (editorialboard@iowastatedaily.com). Those wanting to respond to editorials can also submit a letter to the editor through the Iowa State Daily website or by emailing the letter to Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or Editor-in-Chief Sage Smith (sage.smith@iowastatedaily.com).

Column Policy

Columns are hyper-specific to opinion and are written by only columnists employed by the Iowa State Daily. Columnists are unique because they have a specific writing day and only publish on those writing days. Each column undergoes a thorough editing process ensuring the integrity of the writer, and their claim is maintained while remaining research-based and respectful. Columns may be submitted from community members. These are labelled as Guest Columns. These contain similar research-based content and need to be at least 400 words in length. The following requirements should be met: first and last name, email and relation or position to Iowa State. Emails must be tied to the submitted guest column or it will not be accepted or published. Pseudonyms are prohibited and the writer will be banned from submissions.

Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020
As Amy Boyden clambered over a mountain of orange foam lifejackets on the Greek island of Lesbos, the nauseating scale of the humanitarian crisis knocking on Europes door hit her hard.

It felt like I was at a funeral," she said. "There were thousands and thousands and thousands of lifejackets."

You can walk over them. It felt like walking across the ocean and across dead bodies. The air was so still and there was such a sense of hopelessness. Its so sad that these people had to go through this.

A graveyard of lifejackets

Ms Boyden, a recent UCC Law graduate, visited 'Lifejacket Graveyard', a place where washed-up lifejackets or those left on the beaches by people who make it to shore are gathered after she arrived on the Greek island as an international humanitarian aid worker this year to help with the unending refugee crisis.

She noticed a little girls shoes among the mountains of black and orange foam.

What happened to that four-year-old girl who wore those shoes? Did she survive?

"Its so distressing to think of my own niece in that situation, Ms Boyden said.

But despite their overwhelming mass, the volume of jackets at Lifejacket Graveyard barely hints at the scale of the refugee crisis.

Kara Tepe refugee camp  where UCC graduate Amy Boyden has been teaching is where refugees were hastily relocated after a fire at the Moira camp on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Picture: Panagiotis Balaskas/AP

Internationally, some 82.4m people are forcibly displaced worldwide according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

And although headlines now rarely scream about people drowning in the Mediterranean, 815 people have died trying to make that crossing already this year, according to estimates by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Missing Migrants project.

And Greece, a country that saw more than a million people arrive on its shores during the refugee crisis of 2015 and 2016, is now hardening its stance on new arrivals.

The Mediterranean country says it has little choice due to the lack of support from the rest of Europe.

Greek migration minister Notis Mitarachi recently told Reuters that the government is taking a tougher approach so we dont send the wrong message of incentivising people to come to Greece.

Many of those who arrive in Greece do so through Lesbos, which is only separated from Turkey by a narrow strait.

People ferried like livestock

From Turkey, people are stuffed onto little boats like livestock and are often sold fake lifejackets, death traps painted brightly to pose as something good.

The horrifying subject of defective lifejackets was raised in the European Parliament as far back as 2016, when they were viewed as clearly to blame for many deaths at sea.

These people are just like you and me, they have skills and dreams and aspirations.

"Its horrifying how theyve been treated," Ms Boyden said.

Inspired by her godmother, who still volunteers in her 60s, Ms Boyden eventually made the trip to Greece in March, two months after she planned to leave following five Covid-cancelled flights.

Amy Boyden, a recent UCC Law graduate, has been on the frontline of the refugee crisis on Lesbos and describes the horror of life in the tents as temperatures soar.

Ms Boyden has been teaching English at the Kara Tepe or New Moria refugee camp which was hastily located on an abandoned army firing range after a fire ripped through the infamous Moria refugee camp last September.

Moria, Europes largest refugee camp, was originally designed to hold 3,000 people but 13,000 subsisted there when the fire hit in the middle of a Covid outbreak.

Armageddon-like images from that fire and its aftermath show dazed children clutching what little possessions they could save as they shuffle beneath looming charred security fences ensnared in sharp, blackened barbed wire.

Human Rights Watch raised serious concerns that the new site where Ms Boyden works has significant lead poisoning from its days as a firing range.

Some 6,000 souls in the camp

However, Ms Boyden said that the facilities are at least an improvement on Moria, and the camp is not as overcrowded.

It is estimated that some 6,000 people live at the new, temporary camp including more than 2,000 minors.

A strict lockdown was imposed on the camp to contain the spread of Covid-19, further limiting the already restricted lives of its inhabitants.

She said life at the camp is not easy for those seeking asylum:

The shelter is completely inadequate. There are two, three families living in one tent with no windows. The temperatures are rising, well be seeing 30 degrees heat with little to no shading or shelter. Its unbearable to stay inside the tents.

There is running water, toilets, showers but people sometimes have to walk quite a bit to get to them.

Its pretty tough. The mental health situation in the camp is catastrophic. Theres a lack of resources for supporting people trapped in this situation, theyre overstretched.

Some people say to me that every day is the same. All their hope is drained. Theres a lot of waiting and isolation.

Everyone wears masks in camp, she said, and an NGO provides hand sanitation. There are rapid antigen and PCR tests and if someone tests positive they go into a quarantine area for two weeks. However, serious cases of Covid in the camp have been very rare, she said, as most people are still quite young.

Refugees fleeing horrific situations

Two girls sit on a suitcase as they watch other refugees and migrants from the Moria refugee camp protesting on the Greek island of Lesbos, last September after a fire destroyed the camp. Picture: Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty

Ms Boyden teaches adults. Her youngest pupil is 18 and her oldest is 46.

Im teaching them how to read and write  its very rewarding," she says. "They try so hard. They just need to believe in themselves more.

Learning a European language empowers them and will be valuable when navigating the asylum process, she said.

She said that many of her students have had to flee horrifying realities in their home countries.

A lot of them come from Afghanistan. To face the Taliban, to decide that youre going to leave with your family and walk across so many countries by foot. Its insane.

Then they have to go on that boat journey from Turkey to Greece which is also so treacherous:

Theyre so desperate, they feel they have no other option but to put their whole family in the boat and just hope to God that they wont drown, or be pushed back.

The Greek authorities have repeatedly denied that their coastguards have been pushing migrant boats back into Turkish waters.

However, Ms Boyden said that allegations about this horrible practice are rife.

She said that people are too quick to demand that people should now return to countries such as Afghanistan which are still violent and unstable.

'We'll never understand what they've lost'

It makes me so angry. A lot of people say, well if the country is safe refugees should go back to them'. But if they were willing to make that massive, dangerous journey, well never begin to understand what they have gone through and what theyve lost.

In Kabul, in Afghanistan, 40 schoolgirls were killed in a bombing. Or in Iran, an Iranian man was beheaded because of his sexual orientation. Or in Palestine, the Gaza Strip is being bombed by Israel.

If your daughter runs the risk of being blown up going to school, is this a safe place?

If your son runs the risk of being beheaded because of his sexual orientation, dont you think he has the right to leave and resettle? I think they have every right.

'Unspeakable crimes against human rights'

Unspeakable crimes against human rights are being committed every day.

All these men, women, and children travel thousands of miles in search of a safe haven. But they continuously face inhumane treatment and breaches of human rights law, even when they make it to Europes door.

Its devastating to see peoples hopes and dreams being drained in camps.

Its intense. Recently, there was a mother of three, she was pregnant with her fourth child and she put her three children outside the tent, she went back in and set herself on fire. She just could not do it any more.

"But she didnt die, and now shes being prosecuted for arson.

'Ireland could do more'

Ms Boyden believes that Ireland could do more to help these people, by ending direct provision and by taking in more refugees.

When the camp Moria burned down in September 2020, Ireland said it would take in four refugees  four out of more than 12,000 people.

Since the 1800s, 10m Irish people have migrated to countries across the world. Ireland, I feel, could take in far more refugees. We have quite a low population, and so many countries took us in. I feel we should do something in return.

A group of refugees carry the belongings they salvaged from the Moria refugee camp after it became unusable following fires that erupted on September 9 last year. Picture: Ayhan Mehmet/Anadolu/Getty

These people just want their children to go to school without the fear of them being blown up by extremists. They just want to live peaceful lives.

We have a tendency to turn a blind eye if its not affecting us. But if it was affecting you, God almighty, youd want somebody to be helping you.

She encouraged every adult to volunteer.

Its a hugely rewarding experience and anyone can do it. Its great to make life that bit better for people, to help them forget the nightmare theyve been living and to show them that there is hope.

Ms Boyden is fundraising for school materials and for hygiene products and clothes for fast-growing babies and children at the camp.

To donate to her campaign, visit exa.mn/AmyBoydenFundraiser.
A man who pleaded guilty to defacing a string of Covid-19 signs, including at a primary school, with words such as 'lies' and 'junk science', is facing community service.

Lionel Thomas, a 52-year-old Frenchman who lives at Elm Cottage, Goggin's Hill in Ballinhassig near Cork City, pleaded guilty to five counts of criminal damage and to three counts of trespass after spray painting the signs in Kinsale and Ballinspittle last October and November.

At Bandon District Court, Judge James McNulty was told that Mr Thomas, who had planned to move to Switzerland, simply did not agree with the response to the pandemic but had since "rationalised it" and accepted he had been in the wrong.

Inspector David Callaghan told the judge that on October 21 last, gardai were alerted to a criminal damage incident that had happened overnight at Smyth's SuperValu in Kinsale where the words 'No lockdown, don't comply' were sprayed in black over Covid-19 signage.

On October 28, gardai became aware of another criminal damage incident, this time at a branch of Bandon Co-Op in Kinsale dating from October 22, in which five Covid-19 public health signs had been defaced - three outside the main shop door and two others outside the yard gate. The words 'bull', 'scam', junk', 'junk science' and 'bull' were used.

On November 4 last, criminal damage at Ballinspittle National School was reported, with three signs erected by the school and in the schoolyard being defaced with the words 'junk' and 'don't comply with bs'.

Also on November 4, signs erected at the plaza on the main street in Ballinspittle by Cork County Council were defaced with the words 'junk' and 'lies', and a branch of Barryroe Co-Op also had the words 'junk science' and 'lies' sprayed over signage, within the confines of the store.

The court heard that CCTV footage was taken from numerous locations, showing a person and a vehicle with distinctive markings.

The investigation led to a suspicion that Mr Thomas had used his own vehicle and it was searched, along with his house, on November 24 last. In the vehicle cans of black spray paint were recovered.

The cost of repairing the damage at SuperValu was estimated at 1,000, with the damage at Bandon Co-Op estimated at 200, that at the national school estimated at 250, the repairs to the plaza estimated at 260, and the cost to fix the damage at Barryroe Co-Op put at 50.

Accepts he did wrong

Mr Thomas's solicitor, Plunkett Taaffe, said his client - who had no previous convictions - had brought the total of 1,760 to court for reparation.

Mr Taaffe said his client had been surviving on a pension he had cashed in two years ago and had been planning to move to Switzerland, having found his chances of a job in IT here slim.

He said his client had been facing into another lockdown at the time and felt the response was "totalitarian" and believed there was a lack of both debate "and a medium to vent his frustration".

"He accepts what he did was wrong," Mr Taaffe said.

Judge McNulty said the court would be respectful of a man's right to dissent but said it was not an isolated event and that he appeared to only realise he was wrong after he had been apprehended. He described what happened as "repeated, determined offending".

The judge directed that all the compensation be paid to the primary school as the other parties "would not collapse" without it. "You can make the cheque out to the principal or the board of management of Ballinspittle National School," Judge McNulty said.

The judge ordered Mr Thomas to return to court on July 2 next for introduction to the Probation Service so he can undergo an assessment as to his suitability for community service. Mr Thomas's bail conditions, which had included a curfew, were also lifted.
A court has heard that a man already charged with an assault on his mother may be facing a more serious charge, and that an application for entry to the Central Mental Hospital has also been made on his behalf.

Gearoid Coughlan, of Ballycoughlan, Innishannon in Co. Cork, had already appeared before Bandon District Court in connection with an assault on his mother, Mary, on June 4 last.

The 31-year-old returned to court from custody on Monday, when Judge James McNulty explained to him and his solicitor, Plunkett Taaffe, what Mr Coughlan may need to do in the event of a bail application in future.

Inspector David Callaghan indicated that a more serious charge is a possibility and Judge McNulty told Mr Coughlan that it could take months before any trial.

"If you do not get bail in the district court, Mr Taaffe can apply to the High Court to get you out on bail, but you will not get bail if you are unstable, or if you are a danger to other citizens or if there is a danger that you will commit other serious offences," the judge said.

Judge McNulty said the previous court sitting last Friday had heard that Mr Coughlan had not been taking prescribed medication and that a report provided to court by a consultant psychiatrist in Cork Prison had outlined how Mr Coughlan had a longstanding history of paranoid schizophrenia and polysubstance drug abuse, and that he had defaulted on his medication.

Possibility of bail application

He suggested to Mr Coughlan and his solicitor that to be released on bail he may need to prove that he is stable, and that he could take steps to achieve this.

These included resuming taking the prescribed medication, under supervision, abstaining from drug use, and understanding that failure to continue taking medication could result in the termination of any bail that may be granted.

The judge also suggested that Mr Coughlan would need to have a safe place to live, under supervision, possibly with his siblings.

The judge said he was spelling out the likely parameters for any future bail application so Gearoid could begin work on them.

Mr Coughlan referred to the charges as "allegations", while Mr Taaffe said he understood that a substantial surety might also be required for any future release on bail.

Central Mental Hospital

Judge McNulty also referred to his understanding as to a long waiting list for the Central Mental Hospital and queried whether an application for entry there had been made on Mr Coughlan's behalf, adding that the likelihood of him being able to stay there while awaiting trial was "slim".

Mr Taaffe said: "He is on a waiting list - it is a matter of weeks, not days. The application has been made."

Mr Coughlan referred to the effects of isolation in prison and said resuming medication could be stressful.

Judge McNulty suggested that he speak with his brother, who had recently told the court that in the not-too-distant past Mr Coughlan had been exercising regularly and had been "in good shape".

The matter was adjourned until July 5 next and Insp. Callaghan said Ms Coughlan was still in treatment following the incident on June 4.
A homeless musician making an artistic statement left Cork City Council with a 2,000 repair bill when he dug up paving slabs around Cork city centre and left cut flowers in the holes.

Eric Geaney, 29, pleaded guilty to a total of 17 charges at Cork District Court for which he was given a total jail term of four months.

On another occasion he was sitting outside a pub in Cork City putting strings on his guitar and asked for a cup of coffee. Sergeant Pat Lyons said that when the member of staff returned with the coffee, she was alarmed at the subject matter of the song he was singing and she alerted the manager. Geaney ended up being prosecuted for assaulting the manager.

Gardai at the Bridewell heard banging outside the station and went outside to find Geaney slapping traffic light poles and railings with an iron bar claiming that he was making music.

Dozens of paving stones had been removed at each of the locations and neatly stacked nearby with cut flowers and greenery left in their place to cover the spaces. Photo: Cork City Council.

Eddie Burke, solicitor, said the defendant had mental health difficulties, for which he had been hospitalised in the past. He said Geaney did not take the medication that was prescribed for him.

He is originally from Mayfield. He loves music. He had a musical instrument with him during a number of these incidents. He was in St Michaels (psychiatric unit of Mercy University Hospital) for two months at one stage. If he could be convinced to take medication that would help. He does want to apologise, Mr Burke said.

Judge Kelleher said: I have read the various medical reports. I have great sympathy for him. Unfortunately, he wont take medication and he continues to use cannabis to his own detriment.

He always comes across in court as a very decent man but then he causes havoc in the city and he wont cooperate with his own psychiatrist.

"And cannabis has affected his mental state. Hopefully, when he reflects on things in prison he will decide to take medication.

Sergeant Lyons said Cork City Council street-cleaning staff made the discovery early on the morning of April 12, 2020, when they found paving stones had been removed at locations on Paul Street, St Peter and Paul Place and Lavitts Quay. Dozens of paving stones had been removed at each of the locations and neatly stacked nearby with cut flowers and greenery left in their place to cover the spaces.

Geaney later said he was making an artistic statement.

The incident with the guitar occurred outside The Old Oak on Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork, on September 2 last year and he kicked out at the manager at the height of the incident making contact with his hand. Mr Burke said there was no injury caused and it was a glancing impact.

Around this time he was found banging poles and railings in the area outside the Bridewell garda station.

On March 1 of this year he got aggressive with gardai during an incident in Cork city centre. He became particularly abusive to one garda calling him "a c***, a rapist and a paedophile" and threatening to cut his throat.

There were other public order incidents, carrying of knives and thefts around Cork City to which Eric Geaney also pleaded guilty. Mr Burke said the accused was only using the knives as cutlery for eating while he was homeless.
The former minister of State for European affairs Dara Murphy has joined a top consulting firm a year after leaving his 150,000-a-year job in the EU.

Mr Murphy was criticised for remaining as a TD for over two years while working as a campaign director for the European People's Party. Mr Murphy eventually resigned from his Cork North-Central seat in December 2019 and took up a role working for Bulgaria's EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel.

He left that role just nine months later to take up a "new opportunity", but was earlier this month named as a senior advisor with global consultancy Rasmussen Global.

The company's statement on Mr Murphy's appointment touts his experience as a junior minister in Ireland and says that he "had a key role in negotiations for both GDPR and Brexit and the creation of the D9 group of digital nations".

The statement quotes Mr Murphy as saying that the company will be advising businesses and governments on climate and digital affairs.

The EUs post-Covid recovery will be led by the digital and climate revolutions," he states.

"Rasmussen Global is well-positioned to guide businesses and democratic governments through these opportunities ahead.

Rasmussen Global CEO Anders Fogh Rasmussen adds in the statement that Mr Murphy brings "unique experience".

Im delighted that Dara has bolstered our team with his unique experience in national and European politics, as well as EU institutions, he states.

I established Rasmussen Global to help strengthen transatlantic cooperation and open economies. With Dara we have someone who knows how to navigate and shape Europes digital and climate policies.

The pathway from Government to lobbying has been subject to Dail debate in recent days.

Labour's Ged Nash last week brought a bill that would legally enforce a one-year cooling-off period' for senior and junior ministers, special advisers, and senior civil servants joining lobbying firms or bodies.

Labour Party finance spokesperson Ged Nash. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos Dublin

While Mr Murphy would not be covered by the legislation, Mr Nash said that his new role shows that questions remain between the closeness of lobbying and top public servants.

"My legislation is there to further regulate the act of lobbying," he said. "The 2015 Act was a good start, but that needs a refresh after six years in operation.

All I'm doing is legislating to make SIPO have the powers people would expect, because there is a perception that a tunnel has been created between the two or that Government is a training ground for lobbyists.

"The legislation is proportionate and we can find a balance between the right to make a living and any conflict in a role such as TD, advisor, or senior civil servant.

"Lobbying groups are buying networks as well as expertise.

They are, in essence, buying that access and a unique understanding that you can only get at a senior level in public or civil service."

Mr Murphy's decision to continue to draw expenses while being what now-Taoiseach Micheal Martin dubbed an absentee TD was widely criticised and referred to the Dails ethics committee, but the timing of his resignation as a TD meant he was beyond the scope of any investigation.

His party leader Leo Vardkar subsequently signalled his annoyance at Mr Murphy's lack of cooperation with investigations following his resignation and said that the Murphy affair hurt Fine Gaels chances in the election just weeks later.
I find the recent revelations that less than 1% of vacant site levies owed to local authorities in 2020 were paid to be deeply disturbing. Local authorities were owed more than 21.5m in 2020, yet only 21,000 was received. This farcical situation means that less than one-tenth of 1% of the total money owed was paid.

Since 2017, local authorities have been required to compile a register of vacant sites, record the value of these sites and collect a levy of up to 7% of the value every year.

Vacant and derelict sites increase levels of unemployment, damage communities, increase rates of crime and anti-social behaviour, and make the housing crisis worse by reducing the availability of possible rental properties and properties to purchase in the State.

Cork is plagued by unacceptably high rates of dereliction that both councils have proved time and time again to be incapable of resolving.

The failure to collect vacant site levies is both unforgivable and an absolute disgrace. In fact, the failure of both councils to collect the vacant site levies reminds me of their failures during the so-called Celtic Tiger times to collect developer levels. This too was a disgrace, which cost the Irish taxpayer millions in the long run.

Local authorities have proven themselves to be completely incapable of enforcing the law when it comes to vacant sites.

The role of collecting the vacant site levy should be immediately transferred to the Revenue Commissioners. At least they have a well-proven track record of collecting money owed to the Irish State, unlike local authorities.

JP Daly

Hollyhill

Cork

Table-isation of Cork city centre

I refer to the letter Dingle streetscape is being destroyed (Irish Examiner, June 18. The same scenario is playing out throughout Cork city. This pandering to the hospitality trade is an over-reaction as restrictions imposed during the pandemic are beginning to lift. It appears that Cork City Council has given no thought as to the long-term disturbance to both the architectural integrity of the city or to the comfort and safety of its citizens. MacCurtain Street is like an obstacle course where one must weave in and out to avoid ugly, cordoned-off eating/drinking spaces or be forced out onto the new phenomenon of board/rubber walk platforms dangerously close to vehicular traffic. Both Princes Street (South Mall end) and sections of Oliver Plunkett Street have been, not pedestrianised, but table-ised for eaters and drinkers. Have there been planning notices for these changes? Do all of these businesses have planning permission to block pathways  and indeed streets.

There are businesses in our city other than coffee shops, pubs and eateries. Already the cycleways project has proven to be detrimental to some businesses and dangerous to both pedestrians and cyclists. It would be far more beneficial to the citizens of Cork if the council focussed on the elimination of derelict buildings and the restoration of our heritage buildings as part of a coherent, planned, and well-maintained living environment for us all.

Eugene Currivan

Arbutus

Montenotte

Cork

Accessibility before euthanasia choice

Firstly, I want to express my sincere love for the woman telling her story  Why, oh why cant I die in peace? (Irish Examiner, online, June 20). As a 32-year-old woman living with a terminal, degenerative, neurological

illness I can empathise with her experience.

I live with a neurological disease frequently described as one of the most horrific neurological illnesses. Imagine a mixture of Alzheimers, Parkinsons and ALS in one disease. Yet my life has value.

I will not consent to euthanasia and hope that before euthanasia is legalised in Ireland we will ensure there is full accessibility for all disabled people. We will ensure that accessibility barriers are removed.

By ensuring disabled individuals are included and supported we can ensure that euthanasia is a genuine choice and not simply a reaction to a world that is currently not accessible.

I know what it is like to have to fight to be included. There are spaces and government departments still inaccessible to me. There are still presumptions made about me as a disabled person that I do not agree with. One of the most concerning being that the concept of allyship with the disability community being a pro-euthanasia position. I am not necessarily writing this to try and change anyones mind on euthanasia, more as a plea, that all the energy going into giving me and others like me the right to die could be split between the right to die and the right to accessibility while Im living, because I cant help but feel that euthanasia is seen as the easier solution then ensuring assistive technology becomes socially normalised.

Carrie Jade Williams

New Market St

Cahersiveen

Kerry

We contribute little to global warming

The farming and rural communities have every right to be concerned about the passage of the Climate Action Bill through the Oireachtas.

The bill is based on the false premise that Ireland, and agriculture, in particular, are major contributors to global warming. The irrefutable fact, according to a United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Report (UNFCCC) in 2018, and rarely mentioned by those in favour of the current agenda, is that our contribution to global warming is a mere 0.128% of the total.

Agricultural emissions, being 35% of Ireland's total, therefore contributes a minuscule 0.042% to global warming. To add insult to injury, farmers do not receive any credits for CO2 capture through photosynthesis across their lands, hedges, trees and forests.

In context, Irelands total production-based emissions (including CO2, Methane, NOx and Ozone) are of the order of 60 Mt CO2e against a world total of 48,000 Mt CO2e (million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent).

The other conveniently ignored irrefutable fact is that again according to the UNFCCC, the vast bulk of global warming is generated elsewhere, specifically in the highly industrialised countries of China, USA, EU, India, Russia, Japan, Brazil, and Germany, among many others.

It is also a fact that the growing and serious effects of global warming do not recognise international borders and are therefore largely imported and imposed on our small island.

It follows that the Irish government, rather than resorting to misleading rhetoric and demonising the farming and rural communities here, should direct its energy and diplomatic influence towards the real culprits  those countries historically and presently responsible for the impending climate carnage.

Given that our national debt is around 250bn and climbing, the key issue must be to manage our small contribution to global warming appropriately  in a fair, pragmatic, responsible and timely manner, that does not permanently damage our economy and does not lead us ultimately to bankrupting the country again

John Leahy

Wilton Rd

Cork

The views of former DUP leader Edwin Poots were seen in variance with many in the Republic of Ireland, but in a supposedly diverse society shouldn't they be accepted as genuine beliefs.

Inclusivity should mean acceptance

Joe Dunne is openly dismissive of Edwin Poots religious views  Poots: It was all just a matter of time (Irish Examiner, Letters, June 19). One is constantly bombarded with oft-spouted claims that Ireland is now a welcoming place for diversity and inclusivity. Really?

One may find others views/opinions/thoughts/mannerisms/political leanings at variance with ones own. Silly me, I thought a genuinely inclusive, diverse society would be accepting of same. But no. The evidence would indicate that it only applies if they dovetail with ones own mindset

.

I think Mr Dunnes letter says more about his own mindset than that of Mr Poots.

Aileen Hooper

Stoneybatter

Dublin 7

Vaccinate students for colleges now

Comments made by Colm Henry are very contradictory because if schools and colleges are to open up in September surely it is sensible to start vaccines as soon as possible for the 18 to 25 age group so that they can resume their education?

At the moment, it is 35 to 39 age group. Why not start the 18 to 25 age group, and then at least by the end of July most of the population will have had at least one dose of the vaccine.

It seems to me that the Government and Nepht seem to be telling the under 30s not to travel, and not to gather in large crowds as these are the ones that are more susceptible and are infecting others even though they only have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic.

Susan Burke

Cahir

Tipperary

Publicise peace

There are many reports of ongoing violence in the Middle East  Israeli/Palestinian.

Unfortunately, very little publicity is given to the elements on both sides who advocate peaceful coexistence.

Michael A Moriarty

Rochestown

Cork
Burma Bangkok Defends Decision Not to Back UN Motion on Myanmar

Riot police crack down on anti-regime protesters in Yangon in February. / The Irrawaddy

Thailand abstained on a vote to adopt the UN General Assembly resolution on the situation in Myanmar as the resolution did not take into account several essential factors, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat said.

In remarks to the media, Tanee said the kingdom had bowed out of Fridays vote in New York as the resolution failed to take into account the appropriate historical context of the conflict and could adversely affect the chances of arriving at a peaceful settlement, as well as magnify the security challenges Thailand faces if the conflict is prolonged.

As a country that shares a 2,400-km border and multidimensional relationship with Myanmar, Thailand does not have the luxury of distance or existential separation that many other nations have, he said.

What happens in Myanmar today has direct security ramifications for Thailand tomorrow.

He said the resolution did not reflect the complexities of the historical and on-the-ground situation in Myanmar before and after the Feb 1 coup. Currently, there are several parties to the conflict, and the task at hand is not to lay blame, but restore trust, he said.

According to the spokesman, It is imperative the international community helps create an atmosphere of trust, not deepen animosity that will only lead to more insecurity, and hence violence.

He said that ASEAN, of which Myanmar is a member, is in the best position to take steps to bring about swift and lasting peace, yet the resolution did not fully reflect the consensus reached at the ASEAN Special Summit on Myanmar in Jakarta on April 24.

He said Thailand believes that while it cannot change the past, the international community has an important role to play in creating a safe space to encourage all parties to the conflict to come the dialogue table.

He said Thailands prime concern is the livelihoods of the Myanmar people whose deprivation, both materially and spiritually, will only become more debilitating the longer the conflict goes on.

Thailand did not believe this resolution represented a path towards the sustainable peace settlement that the Myanmar people deserve, he said.

This article first appeared in The Bangkok Post.



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Myanmar Junta Chief Visits Moscow for Security Conference

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Burma Myanmar Junta Chief Visits Moscow for Security Conference

Members of the Myanmar regime's ruling council see off coup leader Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing as he departs for Russia on Sunday at Naypyitaw military airport. / Global New Light of Myanmar

Myanmar coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on Sunday headed to Russia, one of the regimes main supporters and arms suppliers, to attend a conference on international security in Moscow amid growing military ties between the two countries.

The visit comes just days after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for a halt in arms sales to Myanmar in response to the regimes violent crackdown on protesters since the military coup on Feb. 1. Russia was among 36 countries that abstained.

Myanmar state-run media said the visitMin Aung Hlaings second foreign trip since the coupwas being made at the invitation of the Russian defense minister. The senior general flew to Jakarta in April for an ASEAN Summit.

The Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS-2021) will be held from June 22 to 24.

State media said the senior general will hold meetings with military and civilian officials and tour significant places in the Russian Federation including universities, factories and workshops during the trip. Joining him is Myanmar Navy chief Admiral Moe Aung, who will attend the International Maritime Defense Show (IMDS) to be held in St. Petersburg from June 23 to 27.

The IMDS showcases products and services including naval and commercial shipbuilding, weapons and armaments.

In May, Myanmar Air Force chief Maung Maung Kyaw flew to Moscow to attend the HeliRussia exhibition, Russias largest helicopter exhibition, from May 20-22.

Russia has continued to support the Myanmar regime since the military coup that ousted the countrys democratically elected government led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The coup has led to natiowide anti-regime protests. In March, Russian Deputy Defense Secretary Alexander Fomin visited Myanmar in the first high-profile visit to the country by a foreign official since the coup.

While overall trade between Russia and Myanmar remains minimal, the countries have recently deepened their military cooperation and Russia is now the number two military exporter to Myanmar behind China.

Also joining Min Aung Hlaings trip to Russia are the mayor of Myanmars capital Naypyitaw and the countrys deputy minister for investment and foreign economic relations U Than Aung Kyaw. Their participation in the trip comes several days after a meeting between Myanmars industry minister and the Russian ambassador to the country to discuss bilateral economic relations including the production of medicines under the respective ministries of the two countries and cooperation on rubber and garment production.

Last week, Russian ambassador to Myanmar Dr. Nikolay Listopadov and Dr. Charlie Than, the regime-appointed minister of industry, discussed the resumption of operations at a now-defunct steel factory in Myanmars Shan State. The plant, located near the Shan State capital Taunggyi, is a joint iron exploitation and processing project between military-owned Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) and Russian state-owned company Tyazhpromexport.



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Regime Defense Minister General Mya Tun Oo (left) and Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin (center) attend the Myanmar Armed Forces Day parade in Naypyitaw in March.

Myanmar military regime leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing flew out of the country on Sunday to attend a conference in Moscow. This is his second trip abroad since grabbing power from Myanmars democratically elected government in February. The official reason for his visit is to attend the Moscow Conference on International Security scheduled for June 22-24. He is not traveling alone, however; several undisclosed items are reportedly on his agenda involving a number of arms brokers and other businessmen close to the ruling generals, all of whom are no doubt looking forward to making a fortune under the junta.

A few days ago, the UN issued a rare call to halt arms sales to Myanmar in response to the militarys coup and its violence against civilians. While not legally binding, the resolution is politically significant.

Many in Myanmar hoped the 193-member world body would approve the resolution unanimously by consensus, but Belarus called for a vote. The measure was approved with 119 countries voting yes, Belarus voting no and 36 countries abstaining.

Those not well versed in the international arms trade will be asking, Why Belarus? The Eastern European nation is one of a handful of countries that have continued to sell weapons to Myanmar since 1988, when Western countries including the US and the UK stopped arming Myanmar and training its officers in the wake of that years coup and subsequent violent crackdowns on demonstrators by the countrys previous military junta. Myanmar also buys arms from Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, Poland, Ukraine and Serbia. (This odd club once included North Korea, a source to which the generals may well return in the future.)

Min Aung Hlaings agenda in Russia no doubt includes arms procurement. Moscow is increasingly important to the isolated regime, and a number of media outlets, including this publication, have reported that Myanmars generals gave Russia advance warning of the coup and received its moral and political support for the move.

Joining the senior general on the trip is Myanmar Navy chief Admiral Moe Aung, who will attend the International Maritime Defense Show (IMDS) to be held in St. Petersburg from June 23 to 27.

The IMDS showcases products and services including naval and commercial shipbuilding, weapons and armaments.

Russia was the first country to send a top-level delegation to Myanmar in the days after the coup.

Defying calls to isolate the junta internationally, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin was in conspicuous attendance at the Myanmar militarys celebration of Armed Forces Day on March 27, prompting coup maker Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing to express profound gratitude for Russias vote of confidence.

He went on to impart that the Russian government and responsible persons from the Russian armed forces are acknowledged and inscribed for their substantial support to the Tatmadaw [Myanmars military] in a friendly manner, though we are far apart [geographically].

In fact, regime officials have made several unpublicized visits to Russia since the coup. In May, the junta sent a high-ranking military delegation to Moscow. Air Force chief General Maung Maung Kyaw led the team and was accompanied by other high-ranking military officers.

Joining that trip was well-known Myanmar tycoon U Tay Za. He and the other delegation members discussed with their Russian counterparts over 20 megaprojects including procurement of arms and military hardware. U Tay Za supplies aircraft parts to the military through his company Myanmar Avia Export. The company is Myanmars sole representative for Russias Export Military Industrial Group, known as MAPO, and of the Russian helicopter company Rostvertol.

U Tay Za, now in his mid 50s, has seen the fortunes of his business empire ebb and wane over the last decade, but with the military back in power he is well poised to make a comeback, as the regime will need him to supply more arms in the future.

The tycoon, who was on the US sanctions list in years past but was removed from it in 2016, is not alone. There are a growing number of arms dealers in Myanmar, many of them younger than U Tay Za, well-traveled and with strong connections to companies in China, Singapore, Belarus, Russia and Serbia. They are not currently on the Wests radar as sanctions targets. Their business interests include hotels, upscale restaurants, villas, ports, construction firms and mining ventures, among many others.

More importantly, this young generation of cronies has direct access to Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaings family, as they are known to be close to his son, U Aung Pyae Sone. He and his sister, businesswoman Daw Khin Thiri Thet Mon, are now on the US sanctions list.

In March, the U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions on the duo and six companies controlled by them.

Several companies involved in energy, heavy machinery, metals, timber, chemicals and construction also have strong business ties with Russia, Serbia, Ukraine and Belarus and other countries in Eastern and Central Europe.

Additionally, unconfirmed reports from Myanmar business circles indicate that a military mission to Serbia is in the pipeline in the near future. The mission will include high-ranking officials from the Defense Ministry as well as some businessmen who have established relationships in Serbia and Ukraine.

Myanmar and then-Yugoslavia established diplomatic ties in 1950, and Myanmar has maintained relations with Serbia since Yugoslavia broke up in the 1990s.

In the early 1950s, Myanmar bought arms from Belgrade. It is said that Myanmar first reached out to Belgrade through the Yugoslav Embassy in Pakistan. General Ne Win, who was then Myanmars army chief, was impressed by the rapid, no-fuss delivery of its weapons orderstypically howitzers and other artillery piecesfrom Yugoslavia. Myanmar has been a customer of Belgrades ever since.

Aside from Russia, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing has visited the countrys neighbors in Eastern and Central Europe, including Serbia, looking to maintain the support of these valued suppliers of military hardware.

In January 2015, when Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing received Serbian Ambassador to Myanmar Miodrag Nikolin, he reminded the envoy of the long history of friendly relations between Myanmar and Serbia and expressed a desire to see ties strengthen in the future.

A state-run newspaper in Myanmar reported at the time, After establishing diplomatic relations between Myanmar and Yugoslavia on 29 December 1950, the two countries have opened embassies in the capitals and cooperated in the manufacturing of locomotive engines and some weapons, shipbuilding and irrigation.

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Is Google Play Store not allowing you to download your apps? Is it not loading your apps properly? It can be pretty annoying and even a hassle when your apps don't download but don't worry. Here are a few steps you can try to resolve the issue.

Eight Ways to Fix Google Play Store App Downloads

Sometimes it can be hard to pinpoint what the problem is when it comes to why your apps aren't downloading correctly, or why they aren't downloading at all. Luckily, these eight different fixes should help resolve the problem.

1. Is it just you?

First, you want to figure out if the problem is on your side or Google's side, Next Pit says. To do this, you can check the status of the Google Play Store on sites like DownDetector, Down For Everyone Or Just Me, downrightnow, Is It Down Right Now? or Outage.Report.

If you find that many other users are reporting issues as well, then it must be a problem on Google's side, and you'll have to wait for them to fix it.

However, if the problem is on your end, the first step you can take is simply resetting your Samsung smartphone and seeing if the problem persists. To restart your device, press and hold the power button or the power and volume down button. Tap restart and wait for your phone to start up again.

If you're still experiencing the same issue, you can proceed to the next step.

2. Check your internet connectivity

It might seem obvious, but it is essential that you are connected to a solid and stable connection when trying to download apps or load the Play Store, Samsung says.

If you're using your mobile data, make sure it's turned on and that the signal is strong. Make sure to have enabled Play Store to utilize the mobile data in your Settings as well.

If you find something wrong with your Wi-Fi and it can't be fixed with a modem reset, contact your service provider.

3. Clear Play Store cache and data

Google suggests giving the app a fresh start that can help fix issues. Head over to your Settings app and tap Apps (for users with an older OS, go to Application Manager). Scroll down and select Google Play Store > Storage > Clear Data. Tap OK to confirm.

Re-open Play Store and try your download again.

4. Reset the Download Manager

To do this, go to Settings > Apps > More options > Show system apps. Scroll down to Download Manager and check that the app is enabled (the icon should read Disable.)

Tap Force Stop and confirm to shut down this app. Don't worry; this won't affect any information on the device, Samsung says. Confirm the prompt by tapping Force stop. Check if you can properly download your apps now.

If you have VPN, Next Pit advises you to disable it as well.

Read Also: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Battery Drain Bug Discovered! Possible Fixes and Battery Saving Tips

5. Check the date and time settings

Google periodically checks your smartphone's date and time to sync it with the Play Store. If there is any discrepancy between the device's time and Google's servers, it can cause problems with the Play Store, Next Pit explains.

For the two to sync again, head over to Settings > General Management > Date and Time. For older operating systems, simply go to Settings > Date & Time. Activate Automatic date and time, and things should work again.

6. Check your storage space

Your apps may not be downloading because there simply isn't enough space to download the entire app.

To check if you have enough available storage space, go to Settings > Device Care (or Device Maintenace for older OS) > Storage.

If your device has less that 1GB of storage available, you'll need to free up some space by deleting unused apps or other data in your phone.

7. Re-enter your Google Account

If the other fixes don't work, you may need to refresh your Google account on your Samsung smartphone. But this means your Google account linked to the whole phone will be reset and not just your Google Play Store. Don't worry as any information removed in this process will be downloaded ont the device once the account is added back in.

Next Pit advises that you know the account(s) in your phone before you start this or else you could lose the entire account if you aren't careful.

Enter the Settings app > Accounts and backup (or Clound and Accounts or Accounts) > Accounts. Tap your Google Account and select Remove Account and confirm.

Tap Add Account, sleect Google, enter your Google Account details, and tap to agree tot he Google Terms and Gonditions to finish.

8. Enable all related apps

Samsung says you have to ensure that you do not have a buil-up of pending apps, or apps that need to be downloaded or updates, as this can delay the download process on your Samsung smartphone.

Head over to Settings > Apps (or Application Manager) > More options > Show System Apps. From the dropdown menu, tap Disabled.

Go ahead and check if there are any apps related to Google Play Services or Download Manager in the Disabled apps list. If you find any, select the app and then tap Enable.

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If Those Eight Fixes Do Not Work

If none of the steps above help resolve the issue, Samsung advises you to contact Samsung Support to better help you figure out the problem. You can also send an error report or ask questions in the Samsung Members app.

It is best to leave the more in depth software fixes to the experts as doing them on your own, without any prior knowledge or experience, can potentially lead to more damage for your device.

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Fans finally got a first official look at the 2022 Toyota Tundra after the Japanese automaker was beaten to it by leaks, and it did not disappoint.

As mentioned, the official unveiling only came out after images of the upcoming vehicle were leaked online. Autoevolution showed 15 photos of the car, featuring four color variants--White, Black, Brown and Red--as well as a look at the car on four different angles. Some of the photos appeared distorted, though, because they were taken from a computer screen.

Some people dont know how to keep a secret: https://t.co/fcEaeZhMmi #Tundra #LetsGoPlaces pic.twitter.com/xnhA3og0LB  Toyota USA (@Toyota) June 18, 2021

Among the noticeable changes seen on the 2022 Toyota Tundra, however, are its TRD Pro tires that hint of a greater payload capacity.

2022 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro Tires

In the official photos, the 2022 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro model was seen with 32.5-inch front tires in the guise of 285/65 R18 Falken Wildpeak A/T AT3W all-terrains, per Autoevolution.

Furthermore, in a bit of good news, photos also showed black-painted BBS forged wheels with two-tone hub caps and TRD lettering over six black-painted lug nuts. It is important to note that each extra nut per wheel increases load capacity potential, suggesting that the vehicle will have better payload capacity compared to its predeccesor.

The 2021 model is officially rated at 1730 pounds in payload and 10,200 pounds in towing capacity. With that, the 2022 Toyota Tundra and its TRD Pro model are expected to surpass those numbers.

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2022 Toyota Tundra Engine, Specs

Unfortunately, in one of the close-up images with the fuel filler door, the 2022 Toyota Tundra does not feature a charging port. This contradicts previous rumors that the car would be installed with a base powertrain and plug-in hybrid. Instead, the 2022 Toyota Tundra could possibly use a hybrid twin-turbo V6 engine.

Specifically, the image leak confirmed that the car would use hybrid assistance from the iForce Max.

Earlier reports already leaked that the 2022 Toyota Tundra will use a twin-turbo V6 engine, bringing 409 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. The Toyota Tundra seems open to an electrification option, so consumers can look forward to an electric hybrid release after the car makes its official debut.

The leaked 2022 Toyota Tundra images continue to emphasize the new edgy and rugged look for the front grille with its three integrated LED light bars.

Driving the car will definitely market both brand and model. The Toyota script is featured on top of the imposing front grille bumper, with the Tundra badge on the lower corner. The script Tundra is also evidently stamped on the trunk door.

More updates are expected to come as the 2022 Toyota Tundra nears its completion and release. Toyota might also include bigger updates in these coming months that could highlight previously unknown features of the vehicle.

Toyota updates its website for announcements, and fans of the Tundra can also follow the company's Twitter page for updates and official photo releases.



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California has launched a new online tool that lets residents obtain their COVID-19 vaccination records digitally. This is a free and optional step for residents who want to keep an electronic copy of their vaccination. The digital record comes with a scannable QR code.

For those concerned, however, the new digital vaccine record is not a vaccine passport.

California plans to help its residents adjust to post-pandemic conditions with their new digital COVID-19 vaccine record. Ideally, it makes life easier since business establishments and other building institutions could easily scan your generated QR code and immediately verify that you are a healthy and vaccinated individual.

California COVID-19 Vaccine Records Portal Access and Requirements

Applying for the digital COVID-19 vaccine record is both quick and easy. To use and access it, follow the steps below:

Head to the Online Website

Provide your First Name, Last Name, and Date of Birth

Provide your cellphone number or email address used when receiving your COVID-19 vaccine

Create your own four-digit PIN code

Check the box to indicate that you are authorized to access the immunization records.

Hit Submit

The digital COVID-19 vaccine record could process between a few minutes to a few hours. You will receive an email or message link (depending on what you applied with) containing your digital vaccine record and a scannable QR code.

Gizmodo noted that the digital COVID-19 vaccine record is not a file generated through the web portal. Instead, the system searches from the state files for information matching the ones you provided (name and address). The system takes a copy of that record and delivers it to you, accessible only by the four-digit PIN code you provided.

It is important to remember that this digital vaccine record serves as an authentic copy. You should immediately save it or print a copy and store it in a safe place. In the unfortunate situation where you lose your physical paper card from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the digital vaccine record should serve as an official replacement.

If you also lose your digital copy, you can repeat the whole process by following the steps indicated above.

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Digital Vaccine Record Is Not a Vaccine Passport

Note, however, that the new digital COVID-19 vaccine record is not a vaccine passport. While its purpose sounds similar, the system is not effective in some other states.

The Economic Times shared that COVID-19 vaccine passports are often used to kickstart international travel. It often utilizes one big system where multiple countries share one library list of vaccinated travelers.

Unfortunately, the digital vaccine record is only used to safeguard people's misplaced or lost CDC cards conveniently. It does not automatically enlist you as one of the eligible travelers like a vaccine passport. Instead, the digital vaccine record is a relatively straightforward method of getting your vaccine medical files.

The digital vaccine record is currently available and effective in the state of California. No other information has been provided if the system could be applied outside its borders.



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RabbitRun Technologies has announced a partnership with the University of Ottawa to offer advanced internet connectivity to small businesses with the support of AI and machine learning.

Hybrid working has cemented itself into modern work culture as a result of the pandemic, and smaller companies with limited resources are struggling to meet the technological demands that remote working requires. As a result, RabbitRun joined uOttawas Faculty of Engineer to provide SOHO networks (Small-Office and Home-Office) with comparable connectivity to the most advanced services in the tech market.

Our product is designed to provide the same reliability enterprises demand from their corporate office networks to the rapidly expanding SOHO market, said Eric Hernaez, CEO of RabbitRun Technologies. This innovative partnership promises to discover new ways to further enhance our customers SOHO network performance.

To bring this high level connectivity to customers, RabbitRun and uOttawa are taking advantage of SD-WAN to deliver advanced AI support. Using machine intelligence, the partners believe that a stronger network can be created that significantly reduces cybersecurity threats, network outages, and lag from high volumes of connected users.

We look forward to working with Dr. Sabetzadeh, Dr. Nejati and their team at the University of Ottawa on this exciting partnership said Pat Saavedra, Founder & CTO of RabbitRun Technologies. This partnership will help pave the way for introducing AI-enabled decision making and versatility into the Metadata Traffic Controller Technology that powers our SOHO SD-WAN networking products.

Join IT EXPO in Miami, Florida from June 22-25 to learn about new tech developments from RabbitRun Technologies and others. RabbitRun CEO Eric Hernaez will be speaking at SD-WAN EXPO.

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Edited by Luke Bellos
Managed Services Provider Airespring has announced a new update to the companys sales quoting solution, QuoteSpring, which will drastically reduce the complexity of the service with a redesigned architecture.

QuoteSpring enables customers to create sales quotes and business proposals in real time, leveraging Airesprings complete collection of managed services. The latest edition, QuoteSpring 5.0, offers the same capabilities as its predecessors, with upgraded capabilities that allow users to create quotes from multiple locations across the globe.

QuoteSpring has always been one of the most comprehensive quoting tools in the industry, said Avi Lonstein, AireSpring CEO. With the enhancements made in version 5.0, it has become an even more powerful asset for AireSprings channel partners seeking to rapidly address customer needs and maintain a competitive advantage.

Other upgraded features for version 5.0 include:

An optimized database for enhanced processing speed for quotes.

Features a new, easy-to-navigate method for adding services to a quote.

Offers greater flexibility when editing and reviewing a quote.

Still produces quotes in real-time.

Offers lookup of all connectivity options for nearly all commercial addresses in the U.S.

Provides rapid quote-building using:  a selection of connectivity options from over 30 partner providers.  a selection of AireSpring data and connectivity services.  a selection of AireSpring voice and LD services.  and a selection of AireSpring support hardware and phones.



To learn more about QuoteSpring offerings, as well as other MSP solutions by Airespring, join the MSP Expo from June 22-25 in Miami, Florida.

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Technology services distributor Intelisys has unveiled a new sales tool designed to simplify the process for Sales Agents researching new cloud opportunities.

The tool, aptly named Virtual Sales Engineer, reduces the complexity of discovering cloud leads by offering customers a set of predetermined questions, providing Sales Agents with necessary information used to determine if leads are heading in the right direction.

The Virtual Sales Engineer provides another layer to our Sales Partners to set clear expectations with their customers and deliver above expectation, said Dana Topping, Intelisys owner. This tool was born out of feedback from our Sales Partners, and its another step forward in providing them with industry-leading sales tools that give them the edge they need in a competitive channel landscape.

Cloud-based projects can become complex and highly technical, often requiring the expertise of an Engineer to explain elements of a project to Sales Agents. By providing this questionnaire to customers, Sales Agents can significantly reduce time and resources by providing a clear understanding of specific customer needs from the start.

Were making huge investments in technology to ensure our Sales Partners have the tools they need, accessible when they need them, said Justin Kelley, Director of IT for Intelisys and lead developer on the project. The Virtual Sales Engineer is ready for on-the-spot use, allowing our Sales Partners to confidently tackle cloud opportunities even when not in the presence of an engineer.

Join the IT EXPO from June 22-25 in Miami, Florida to learn more about how Intelisys and other tech leaders are transforming business operations across the globe.

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Edited by Luke Bellos
Visual voicemail platform YouMail is taking drastic steps toward combating the meteoric rise in robocall scam activity, with the intention of protecting companies from financial loss and diminished brand reputation.

Most mobile users are aware of the fact that malicious callers attempt to scam individuals through anonymous calls or identity fraud. However, less knowledgeable users continue to fall victim to frauders looking to exploit anyone who falls into a trap. This is especially true for elderly users who may be less tech savvy, or unaware of the fact that such activity is taking place. Because of the massive rise in successful attacks, mobile service providers like YouMail are rapidly developing new strategies to prevent these exploits from continuing.

While fraud is certainly common among individual users, scammers are expanding their scope to businesses and enterprises for even bigger scores. This is even true for massive tech companies with extensive security measures, further emphasizing the point that anyone can become vulnerable to these attacks. Because of this, business victims not only experience financial consequences, but also diminished brand reputation.

One of the most notable examples of this type of fraud happened over the last year, when scammers pretending to be Elon Musk managed to steal nearly $2 million worth of cryptocurrency from unsuspecting investors. Because this was able to happen to such a high profile individual like Musk, Tesla and SpaceX received a high amount of criticism and backlash. Of course, this was not the fault of Musk or his affiliates, but still managed to damage the reputation simply because of the scammers success.

The severity of this ongoing virtual crimespree has inspired Youmail to create new solutions to protect brands from fraudulent activity. Using artificial intelligence, data analytics, and heightened campaign surveillance measures, YouMail is working to help businesses protect their image and reputation from those attempting to exploit well known industry leaders. Readers can visit YouMails official website to learn more about how the company is working to tackle scam activity for mobile customers.

Join the IT EXPO from June 22-25 in Miami, Florida to learn more about YouMail solutions and other cutting edge technologies within the telecom space.

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Edited by Luke Bellos
Open-source telecom service provider ClearlyIP has announced the release of ClearlyCloud, a new platform designed to offer enterprise-grade cloud communication solutions with an intuitive format and high functionality.

Larger companies with a seemingly endless supply of financial and tech resources have not had much difficulty adapting to the shift toward cloud-based telecom services. Smaller companies, on the other hand, have a much greater level of difficulty implementing cloud technologies due to the complex nature and costs of common cloud deployments. ClearlyIP sought to create a solution that would enable any size business to have access to a comparable level of service that enterprises normally have access to.

While Clearly Cloud is sophisticated, it is also intuitive and uncomplicated, allowing you to optimize productivity while staying within your budget. In addition, Clearly Cloud works with redundancy, meaning you should not be out of touch or out of service. commented Preston McNair, CRO at ClearlyIP.

Clearly Cloud customers have full access to over 100 features such as Call Queuing,Time Based Call Routing,Call Filters & Call Screening,Unlimited Extensions, and Call History & Reporting.

Clearly Cloud is user friendly, powerful, and dependable. With a clean user interface that customers love, Clearly Cloud is intuitive and uncomplicated. The fully integrated set of features allows you to optimize productivity. And, Clearly Cloud is designed and built with the latest modern architecture, meeting all the security and redundancy requirements. Meaning you have the peace of mind that your calls are protected and secure.

Readers can visit ClearlyIPs official website for the complete list of Clearly Cloud features.

Don't miss your chance to meet the ClearlyIP team at ITEXPO, June 22-25, at the brand new Miami Beach Convention Center. ClearlyIP will be in booth #452.

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Financial roadblocks may hinder Indias progress to widespread 5G adoption. Data analytics company GlobalData estimates that 5G penetration globally will be 38% by 2025, but only 12% of the Indian population will be enjoying the said service.

Indian telecom operators are ramping their efforts to kick off 5G trials, but the road to widespread 5G adoption looks bumpy. 5G technology requires huge investments, and the countrys telcos are already facing financial difficulties.

This is the view and assessment posed by GlobalData associate project manager of thematic research Swati Verma, following the news that India-based Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have commenced 5G trials.

Verma says that 5G trial authorisation was delayed for years, hence Indian telcos are making up for lost time.

Leading operators Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have commenced trials in different cities. Reliance Jio is a clear leader in the 4G market and GlobalData expects it to lead the way in 5G as well. Jio is building a complete 5G ecosystem by developing a proprietary 5G network infrastructure. It is also expected to announce its own 5G phones, priced as low as US$35, Verma notes.

Verma says Airtel will follow Reliance Jio in the 5Gmarket. However, it will be difficult for Vodafone Idea to take the 5G leap. Vodafone Idea has suffered the most from the sectors aggressive competition. It lost customers to its rivals and owes considerable debts to the government, Verma explains.

Verma recognises that cutthroat competition in 4G services has left all Indian telcos struggling for profitability with no cash in hand. She says that the price of spectrum in India is several times higher than in other countries.

In the spectrum auction held in March 2021, none of the three primary telecom operators bought 5G-suitable band. In addition, a major challenge for operators is highlighting the use cases for 5G. India is yet to develop relevant use cases that can be monetised. Operators will be testing 5G across applications such as telemedicine, online learning, and agricultural technology during the trials, she says.

She concludes: The high cost of infrastructure and spectrum might mean users pay a premium for 5G services, and as a result price-sensitive Indian consumers may be reluctant to adopt the technology. GlobalData estimates 5G penetration globally will be 38% by 2025, but only 12% of the Indian population will be using 5G services.
Butts County Animal Control is currently closed to the public, but Butts Mutts is still working by appointment only. They are working diligently to get dogs in foster care, if not adopted, as quickly as possibly. Click for more.




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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.
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Cllr Mpho Moerane has successfully led the second leg of this year's Inner City #KleenaJoburg Reloaded campaign, which focused on sprucing up several litter hotspots in the Johannesburg Inner City.



It is the second time this year in which the MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services (EISD), Cllr Moerane has led a massive clean-up of the Johannesburg CBD, focusing on waste collection, removing illegal dumping sites and repairing vandalised infrastructure.



On Saturday, 19 June, 2021 the focus was at the intersection of Marshall and Goud Streets. The MMC was joined by a multidisciplinary team comprising Joburg Water, Pikitup and City Power. The clean-up focused on litter hotspots in the following streets: Durban, Mooi, Berea, Meikle, End, Albert, Nugget and Marshall.



The multipronged team dealt with grime on End Street, where they also cleaned illegally dumped waste on pavements, including rubble, plastic, glasses, wood and cardboards.



Joburg water officials repaired water metres with stolen valves and those that had been vandalised. It was also found that some water metres had been tampered with, resulting in leakages on End and Albert Streets. In the same streets, valve covers were found missing.



Two illegal structures erected with cardboards and plastic on Mooi Street were demolished. Inside these structures, occupied by vagrants, were cans, aluminium and piles of plastic. MMC Moerane conceded that the City was grappling with the challenge of homelessness.



There are programmes in place to address such people and the Department of Social Development has been active in this case. Unfortunately, they keep returning to the streets. Therefore, we cannot tolerate such lawlessness on our streets".



The MMC also mentioned the issue of foreign nationals. We have a problem of illegal foreign nationals on our streets as well. We have engaged the department of Home Affairs to assist us, but unfortunately, the process is too slow."



He added that Joburg's infrastructure is overburdened. It's our responsibility to fix and make sure that our infrastructure functions perfectly for our residents. But we want to urge residents to look after our infrastructure and report any acts of vandalism they come across."



The clean-up also spread to the City's famous traditional market, Kwa Mai-Mai, where a huge amount of waste material was removed from the pavements outside. The MMC closed off the day's proceedings on Marshall and Goud Streets, where he attended to a faulty street light along with City Power technicians.



The #KleenaJoburg Reloaded campaign is in support of the Executive Mayor, Cllr Geoffrey Makhubo's 120 Days of Accelerated Service Delivery initiative. EISD has decided that its ongoing clean-up campaign will be hosted every second Saturday of the month to accelerate service delivery in the Inner City.



Background

The resumption of the #KleenaJoburg Reloaded campaign assumed an integrated service delivery approach, where the City's entities join forces to render a variety of services. Introduced in late 2019, the campaign's official launch was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and its lockdown restrictions. Following the lifting of some of the lockdown restrictions, the campaign was re-launched as #KleenaJoburg Reloaded.



Regional launches:



The #KleenaJoburg Reloaded campaign started in Region A at the Boulders Shopping centre in Midrand in August 2020, where clean-up operations included clamping down on businesses that were operating illegally, clean-up operations as well as health and wellness campaigns, among others.



The campaign then moved to Region E in Alexandra before returning to Region A in Ivory Park, then back again at The Boulders shopping centre. It then launched in Yeoville, before moving to Region D in Diepkloof, followed by Emdeni in October.



The campaign continued in the surrounding regions till the end of last year. It resumed at the beginning of the year in different regions, until its return to the Inner City.


Trail of the Lonesome Pine director Ryan Tackett Wardell and theater general manager Jim Wardell during Fridays rehearsal of the plays musicians. Trail returns for its 58th anniversary season July 9.
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Jonathan Roberts is a reporter and photographer for the Johnson City Press covering Jonesborough, healthcare and higher education. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and has been with the Press since 2019.
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